CURSE OF THE BLOOD MOON

“Thanks for the heads up babe.” He exhaled, “SJ is going to go with us. As in he is going to be at the front. I know that it isn’t the safest place for him to be but we need Stephan to see him before anyone else.”

“I’ll be with him right?” She took a step back so that she could look him in the face.

“That’s the thing. You will be behind with Kayla and Nikki. We won’t bring you out until later. We don’t want to rattle him.”

Scarlet clenched her fist trying to control the anger steaming inside her. “You are afraid he’ll think he is seeing things.”

“Exactly. We want this to go as smoothly as possible.” They thought that it was better that way.

“Stephan always finds a way to make my life exciting.” She huffed. “Fine, but I won’t be that far from, ten meters at most.”

Solara wanted to argue, but Kayla advised him otherwise. She was already letting them have their way and if they pushed her, she was going to shut down.

Scarlet was only going to allow them to expose her son to that much danger with her around. She had made up her mind and if they tried to insist otherwise, she was going to ask them to settle it without involving her son.

“Fine, ten meters at most. Your son will be safe with me, I would die first before letting him get hurt.”

“I know that Solara. You were and still are his father when his actual father is running around causing havoc. I trust you with him, but I’m his mother you can’t expect me to take a back seat.” She understood him and she hoped that he understood her.

“SJ! It’s time for him to eat and I don’t think the other kids would like to see him drinking blood.” Kayla held out her arms and he leaped into them. “Are you hungry yet?”

“Yes but can I eat with the other kids?” he looked back at the other children who were still playing.

It was the first time he was amongst children and he got to be a child, Scarlet couldn’t deny him such a simple wish. “How about you drink up, then maybe if their mother says it’s ok, you can go eat with them.”

SJ guzzled down his mug of blood. Susanna waited for him outside the house. Xavier was kind enough to let them all use his house. They hadn’t been able to separate them because they all wanted to be with SJ.

“I’m done.” SJ overturned his cup, to show them that it was empty.

After Scarlet cleaned him up and changed his shirt she handed him to Susanna. “Bring him back at sundown. Don’t tell him anything I don’t want him to know.”

Scarlet wasn’t sure if she could trust her not to convince her son that he was better off staying with the colony.

“Be a good boy.” She watched amused at how fast her son took off to join the other children.

“You are very protective of him, it’s a good thing but he needs to know about himself.” Susanna thought she would give it another shot.

“He knows who he is, he’s known even before he was born. He lives with vampires and beasts and me, whatever I am. So yes he knows who he is and how different we are and he is from everyone.”

She had heard enough of the subject and wished that Stephan was there. No one dared to question him once he made a decision. But with her, her petite body and soft voice didn’t do much for her when it came to being authoritative.

“If you wish.” Susanna walked away disappointed at Scarlet’s stubbornness.

Scarlet watched as she walked away, she now knew that the irritating quality in Nikki was something that was inherited and not developed.

She turned when she heard Kayla and Solara’s hearty laughs. “What’s so funny?”

“You are.” Solara poured them each mug of blood, diluting it with human blood. “I have never seen you so fractious and peeved.”

“Well, Nikki’s gene line seems to have that effect on me.” She picked up her mug without hesitating. “I can’t believe we are in beautiful Argentina and we are stuck in this forest and I can’t even pronounce its name.”

“I think its Avenida Carlos.” Kayla tried to roll the ‘r’ off her tongue the way Nikki had done it.

“When we get this resolved we will be able to go sightseeing. Stephan knows this part of the world very well.” Solara topped up his mug.

“I think if is the operative word and not when. Stephan’s anger blinds him at times.”

“Trust me Scarlet it’s when. When he sees that his family is alive and well and his son isn’t being held hostage everything will be fine.”

“I hope so.” Scarlet looked down at her wedding ring. Unlike before she couldn’t think about leaving all of these problems behind, running away was not an option. She was married, his wife, and she made a vow to stick by him.

“Admiring the bling?” Kayla stood beside her and admired the rocks that adorned her wedding band.

“Just thinking about what it means.”

“That you love him and you are in this for life.”

“For life. That’s a very long time. I hope this madness ends tomorrow. If it doesn’t the shelf life of this marriage will be like that of a banana.”

“You won’t be forced to make any decisions of the sort.” She rubbed her shoulders.

“Hope so. Most wives worry about their husbands cheating or leaving them. I worry about him bringing a whole race to its knees.”

SJ fell asleep as soon as Scarlet laid him on the bed. He had spent his whole day running around and playing. He was happy and more relaxed a contrast to what he was expected to feel the next day.

The next morning Scarlet let him go against his usual routine. He played with his new friends in the late afternoon. She wanted him to take as much joy as he could from that day, she didn’t know what would happen that evening.

“Scarlet, get SJ ready.” Solara interrupted the beautiful picture.

He brought her back to reality.

“Give him a couple of minutes. He’s having so much fun.”

“Scarlet, we can’t hold this off anymore,” Solara called SJ into the house and Scarlet dressed him into shorts, a t-shirt, and a hoody.

“Remember what uncle Solara talked to you about yesterday?” she asked him as he zipped up his jumper.

“Uh-huh. We are going to see daddy.” He played with his zip, giggling at the noise it made each time he pulled it up and down.

“OK.” Scarlet understood why that was the only part that had stuck with him. He had been looking forward to seeing his father ever since Stephan left.

She carried him outside to the yard where the beast had assembled. She put him in Solara’s arms, where he sat quietly while he took in the commotion around him.