CURSE OF THE BLOOD MOON

“She’s gone,” Nikki called their attention to the missing vampire.

Vincent and Victor started after her, but Stephan called them back. He knew that if she got to the mountains before they caught her, she would have an army waiting for them. He couldn’t risk the two of them getting killed because of a problem he should have taken care of a long time ago.

“Let’s go.” He held his hand out to help her up.

Scarlet put SJ on his feet before taking Stephan’s hand. She didn’t stop to look at him, she began walking towards the clearing where everyone else was.

“Scarlet?” he called out to her, the desperation evident in his voice. “Scarlet please?”

“K, take him please.” Scarlet handed her son over to Kayla. At that moment she was the only one she could trust with her precious cargo.

She turned to face him, she wasn’t going to let herself be swayed by the pain in his eyes. “What is it?”

The coldness in her tone and her eyes took him aback. “We need to talk about this.” He took a step towards her and she took one back.

“About what?” Scarlet glowered at him her hands firmly crossed over her chest. “About, how you always, manage to put our lives in danger?”

“This is my life, Scarlet. You knew that and you still married me.” Stephan thought it would be better to use the oath they swore to each other.

Scarlet was enraged that he would try to call this her choice. “This isn’t the military. I didn’t sign up for this.” She let the anger in her rip out through her words. “Ever since I met you my life has been a rollercoaster ride from hell. No matter how much I want to get off I can’t. Stephan, I need to get off this ride and get on a different one.”

“I didn’t plan this.” His voice was strained with pain. Her words seared through him.

Scarlet didn’t hold back. One by one her words punched him, each punch with its fierce sting. “But you still manage to do it. First Kayla turns into the walking dead, and then Marcie dies. And here comes the kicker, some vampire launches me into the ocean while I’m strapped in your mustang.”

“Scarlet you are being unfair.”

“Unfair? What is unfair is that our son hasn’t been able to have any peace, even before he was born, his life has been on the death wheel.” Scarlet didn’t realize she was screaming until Solara came back into the forest to check on her.

“First he almost drowns to death while he is still inside me, then a crazy vampire snatches him. Stephan, he’s just a baby.” She continued ignoring Solara. “He is so confused, and I do admit that part of that is my fault. But you spend most of your time living in the past, you need to step back into the present and look towards the future.”

Stephan raised his hand to him stopping him from getting any closer. “I’m trying to make sure we do have a future.”

“Your son doesn’t understand that. He may not say it out loud but I know he is hurting.”

“What can I do to make this right?” he put in once they were alone once again.

“That’s what scares me. Whenever you try to make things right, they become worse.” She heaved out and shrugged her shoulders, “How about you do this, you could stay here because the beasts want to groom a creature like yourself into a great leader and take Nikki as a wife.”

“Scarlet-,”

“Or you could go to Rio and help sire a new breed for their armies and Marquis can warm your bed for you.” She regretted what she said, but the words had already left her lips and there was nothing she could do about it now.

“I’m not leaving you or my son Scarlet,” Stephan responded to her absurd statement fiercely.

“Or,” her tone mellowed, “You could come home and be a father, a husband, and a friend.”

“In time.” Stephan understood what she wanted from him, but he also knew what he needed to do. It wasn’t done yet and he couldn’t go back with them until it was.

“Well, you need to decide, every choice you make affects him. He needs to grow up, he needs to learn from you, and as much as Solara tries he can’t be a substitute.” Scarlet walked away not allowing him a chance to say anything else to her.

Stephan followed behind her. The pain he felt was worse than the one he felt when he thought she was dead. Everything she had said was true, but as much as he was a father, husband, and friend he was also their protector and at the moment the latter had to come first.

They walked into the clearing to find the vampires still there. Scarlet backtracked until she was behind Stephan’s massive body. She didn’t know what they were waiting for, but she was frightened by the way they stared at her.

Stephan was pleased that even though she was angry with him, she could still think of him as a place of safety.

“Why are they staring at me like that?” she peeped from under his arm.

“They smell the blood in your veins. Don’t worry they won’t hurt you.” He held her at his side.

“How would you know that? The last time I checked you weren’t exactly a mind reader.” She tried to ease out of his hold but couldn’t. He only held her tightly against his rock-hard body.

“Because unlike you, they have seen who I am. They know I won’t hesitate to kill the first one who tries it.” his eyes focused on the large group of vampires.

“Scarlet.” Kayla and Solara approached them, they could read the fear in her mind and the conflict between them was obvious. “Let’s go.” She took him from Stephan, who didn’t give in easily.

“Where is SJ?” she couldn’t see him, and not having him within her sights worried her.

“With the twins. Let’s go back to the house and wait for Stephan there.”

They walked away from the army of vampires. Stephan watched them as they crossed the boundary and disappeared into the bushes.