CURSE OF THE BLOOD MOON

Scarlet had tried her best to forget Stephan’s disaster of a visit, but now she couldn’t. “It was nothing, I was just tired.”

She walked faster to catch up with the other two, she had no intentions of continuing the conversation. And the last thing she needed is Stephan appearing in the hospital and finding her with him again.

They went around the E.R. Scarlet was surprised at herself, she was usually very squeamish about blood but this time she felt drawn to it. She got a feel of Archie’s job and how Shee got involved in it.

Scarlet spent most of her time with Doctor Shee and his patients and spent the other part of the day trying to avoid Archie. At the end of the day, he insisted to take her home disregarding her protests. Scarlet gave up and left with him, she didn’t speak to him on the way to her home. She didn’t want him to form any sort of friendship or relationship with her, it wasn’t in his best interest and Scarlet could do without the extra stress.

When they got to her building she grabbed her stuff and jumped out of the car without saying a word. She waved him off when he got out of the car to escort her.

***

When Stephan went back to San Francisco he didn’t go home. He couldn’t face the place he had called home with Scarlet the past year. He couldn’t bear to be in the room he had made love to her. The feeling of betrayal consumed him.

Stephan went to a car dealership. He had called the police to report his car missing telling them the last place he saw it was at the peer. They had promised to call the coast guard to fish around. He knew they would find it but in the meantime, he needed a new ride.

He bought a black Jaguar paying cash for it. He had been driving around California and no matter how far he went he always ended up close to home.

One night he parked his car at the edge of Red Wood and went for a run. He needed to clear his mind and the perfect darkness of the night was the best place to do it. He breathed in the night air and felt the cold wind blow past him as he ran.

The feeling of the damp ground under his paws was relaxing. At times he wished he could stay forever as a jaguar, but people were bound to notice an impossibly large black animal walking about the state. He growled up at the moon and headed back to his car.

Stephan found his car and clothes where he had left them. He sniffed a familiar scent in the air, he didn’t bother calling the culprit out. He pulled his pants on and leaned back on the car.

“How did you find me and more importantly what do you want?” His tone of voice was anything but friendly.

She came out from behind the tree and stood before him in full view.

“To answer the how the phone Xavier gave you has a beacon. It was the only way we could track your movements.” Nikki moved closer to him. “Then why, it’s because I care about you and I was worried after Scarlet called.”

Stephan took out the phone from his jacket pocket and crushed it in his hand, then tossed it to her.

He picked up his shirt and pulled it on. Somehow the why made him aware of his partial nudity. He had always known that she was attracted to him. He only entertained it in the past because she was helping him protect Scarlet. But now there was no Scarlet, so he wasn’t going to put up with it.

“Thank you, I appreciate your concern. You can go away now.”

“Are you dismissing me?” Nikki couldn’t help but feel angry and humiliated. “I am not the one who has been hiding things from you.”

She moved to his side and put her hand on his arm. He stared down at it then shrugged it off.

“Is that the reason why you were so willing to give me her address in the first place?” He turned his body to face her.

She took a few steps back from the way his gigantic body hovered over her making her feel intimidated.

“You thought that if I found her with another man I would immediately write her out of my life and you would take her place. You are pathetic.”

Nikki was stunned, that was not how she thought it would turn out but she decided to run with it. “I do not desire you in that way. I just wanted to be your friend because it seems you have run out of those lately.”

“I don’t need anyone.”

“And you call me pathetic. If Scarlet wanted to be with her kind you should let her. And maybe you should do the same.”

“I don’t have my kind.”

“But we are close enough. Half of you is.”

His temper seemed to have died down, so she confidently closed the gap between them.

“You need someone to trust, so please just let me.” She tucked his stray hair behind his ear.

Stephan caught her hand and pulled it away from him, then dropped it. “You need to go back home and I don’t mean Scarlet’s home. Back to Argentina where the rest of your kind lives. I have things that I have to take care of.”

“What do you mean? Let me come with you.”

Stephan didn’t answer Nikki using his word instead he got into his car and drove off, leaving her where she stood.

Nikki was furious, she didn’t know exactly what she expected when she came after him, but she certainly didn’t expect to be standing alone at the edge of a forest.

She turned around and headed back home. To Scarlet’s home. She knew he was going to turn up there sooner or later, he wasn’t going to stay away from Scarlet for long.