CURSE OF THE BLOOD MOON

“So how long does the boy sleep?”

Scarlet could see the mischievous glint in his eyes and his cheeky grin confirmed it all.

“’Till the crack of dawn.” Kayla was the only one who could say for sure. She had taken care of SJ since he was born and she knew him better than anyone else there. Even better than his parents. “Did I mention how glad I am that you are both back?”

Scarlet circled her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer. He nibbled on her chin and planted a kiss on her neck. “We have enough time.”

“What have you in mind Mr. Jeraldi?” She let herself feel his tender touch, surrendering to the sheer pleasure of it. Scarlet knew that she ought to feel embarrassed letting Stephan proposition her in front of their friends, but she had to deal with their public display of affection, and now it was her turn to feel loved.

“How about I show you. Telling you just doesn’t seem enough.” His voice was deep and raspy.

Scarlet trembled as his finger traced her arm and at his warm breath on her skin. Her fingers ran through his hair and locked at the back of his neck. “There’s just one problem, the baby is asleep in our bed.”

“The baby. Right.” Stephan shamelessly admitted to himself that he had forgotten his miniature self sleeping upstairs. With Scarlet in his arms, all he could think about is making love to her. “But there are other rooms.”

“Yes, there are. Follow me.”

She led the way upstairs, trying to walk as seductively as she could. She was excited at the same time nervous, it had been a while since she had been intimate with him. It wasn’t something one could forget, it was just like riding a bike. But this time the bike was different, not exactly brand new but modified.

She wondered how her new body would feel to him, how her new body would feel to her. She wished that she could be sure that it would act the way it should. Would he find her too hard and not as delicate? Scarlet was worried about disappointing him.

They picked a room on the floor below where their son slept, far enough for them to use their super speed to get dressed before he caught them in the act.

They were halfway through the door when Stephan attacked her, lifting her off the ground and wrapping her thighs around his waist. He put her back against the wall, sandwiching her between the stone and his rock-hard body.

Scarlet could feel his hands all over her body at once, needy and desperate. She pushed all the fears she had out of her mind and let the passion take her.

Her fingers weaved in his hair. She couldn’t catch her breath, but she was glad she wasn’t entirely dependant on her lungs. She took a fist full of his hair and pulled his head back so that she could look into his eyes.

She had missed his silver eyes, his eyes were so much like the moonlight peeping through the beige curtains.

***

When Scarlet woke up she was alone in bed, which was strange. But what was stranger was that she was dressed. She went up to her room, to check on her son and to freshen up. She found the room empty and the bed undone.

Scarlet could hear little squeals outside her window. She looked out and saw her son, his father, and the other men out in the forest. They were jumping on trees and kicking rocks. She quickly got cleaned up and ran to where they were.

Kayla was sitting on the bench by the pond, watching the five grown men play and have just as much fun as the little one. She sat next to her and enjoyed the view that she was.

SJ was climbing a tree, Stephan behind him, ready to catch him in case he lost his grip. Scarlet couldn’t sit still as she watched her little boy climb higher and higher. She knew she shouldn’t worry especially with Stephan there, but she couldn’t help it.

“SJ.” She called out, as he reached for a higher branch, “SJ, baby that’s high enough.”

Stephan shot her a look that made her sit back down. She understood that he was only trying to build him up. But one thing was for sure, if her son got hurt, Stephan wouldn’t hear the last of it.

“Scar, he’s fine. He’s unbreakable remember.” Kayla squeezed her hand.

“I know, but I’m just-,”

“A mom. I get it, but your son isn’t like any other ordinary boy.”

“Do you regret it?” Scarlet didn’t mean to open old wounds but she was concerned. She had watched the way Kayla looked at her son, as much as she complained that he was a handful, she could see that she relished it.

Kayla had read the question in her mind and answered it the best way she knew how. “Sure I would have loved to know how it feels to have a life growing inside me, but I have SJ.”

“He’s as much yours as he is mine.” Scarlet meant every word.

“I know. Think of it this way, I skipped the whole getting fat part. And when I’m tired of him I can chuck him off to you.” She giggled.

They shared a look and started laughing. SJ was built to have two moms. Scarlet was sure she would have to give up her sanity if she had to look after him herself.

“He’s grown a bit more today.”

“Is that why he doesn’t have his shirt on?” Scarlet watched as her son leaped from one tree to another, her heart leaping with him.

“No, he just saw the others without theirs so he took it off. And when I told him to put it back on, he ripped it. So now we have to go into town to get him some new clothes.” Kayla shrugged exasperated.

“What about the old ones?”

SJ’s growth spurt had left a large number of clothes that he didn’t need.

“We take them to the local church, for the orphans. Want to come with me?”

Scarlet hadn’t left the compound since she woke up. Part of her was afraid to mix with civilization again. The fear of wanting to suck a stranger’s blood was holding her back, but she had a point to prove.

“Sure, I’ll just get cleaned up and we can go.”