M.O. Kenyan's Blog, page 3

Chapter 30- THE ECLIPSE OF LOVE

Xavier could tell that none of them were emotionally stable to deal with the situation. He acted immediately, taking the body out of Vincent’s hands. He had his men stage a break-in. They tossed the furniture around the room, breaking everything in sight. 

The diner had to look like people had broken in. Marcie was their victim, raped and murdered by humans. He laid her body on the ground and took her head out of Kayla’s hands and put it beside it. Sam left and came back a few minutes later. He had two dogs in his hands. He ripped their necks and poured the blood on the floor. 

Solara, Kayla, and Vincent watched as a knife was doused in blood and dropped a few feet away from her body. Stephan still held Scarlet on the floor. She was quiet and staring into space.

“Get something to clean that wall.” Xavier was still giving his men instruction.

***

Scarlet raised her head, she was wondering what was on the wall. She hadn’t paid attention before. Marcie’s eyes had distracted her. She stretched out her head and read the writing on the wall. She scrambled out of Stephan’s arms and stood up. She stood next to Kayla, before the wall reading the message, letting each word set in.

Eric stood still behind them with a mop and a bucket of water. He didn’t know what to do, he looked around the room for help but everyone else was watching them. He put them down and took a step back giving way to Solara and Stephan who stood behind the two women.

“Wait.” Kayla was trying to wrestle with the anger boiling deep within her. “You know this guy.” Her finger pointed at Zen’s name and her eyes were on Stephan.

“Yes. But that will have to wait.” He knew he owed them an explanation. But as for now, he needed to get them out of there and back home. He was especially worried about Scarlet who hadn’t taken her eyes off the wall or said anything.

Solara pulled Kayla out of the diner. She didn’t struggle against him this time. She went willingly and sat quietly in the car. Stephan lifted Scarlet and carried her out of the diner. Her eyes never left the wall when he took her out of the room.

As they drove off Scarlet’s head was turned back. She was still staring at the diner. Her eyes and face didn’t show any emotion. It was like she had been frozen. No tears, no silent sobs. She never said a word on the way home. Her eyes were now on her hands that were holding each other on her lap. As everyone alighted from the car, Scarlet didn’t move. She remained seated staring down at her hands that held each other, still on her laps. Stephan and Kayla watched her as the others went into the house. They were waiting for her to exhibit some sign of life.

Stephan reached into the car, once he had one hand beneath her and the other firmly on her back, he lifted her out of the car. He looked down at her face and couldn’t see a change in her expression. He used his foot to kick the door closed then carried her into the house. Stephan carried her straight to her room. He set her on the bed and took a step back to watch her. She sat on the bed, her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying and her cheeks were stained from the tears. Her hands still held each other. 

“Are you alright?” He contemplated taking her to the hospital. He wasn’t an expert on human emotions and her frozen state worried her.

He crouched beside the bed and looked up at her drooping head, searching her face and her eyes. He thought of how she screamed and cried back at the diner, he wished she was doing it. When she blinked and looked at him, he let out a sigh.  

“I need to clean up.” 

She held out her hands to him, and for the first time that night, he saw her bloodied hands. He saw small smudges of blood cotton strap top on her chest. He remembered how she had clang Marcie’s head to her chest.

Slowly he raised her hands above her head and eased the top over her head. He used it to wipe off the blood on her hands and tossed it to the corner of the room. He pulled her to her feet and tagged the flannel pants down her legs. 

She didn’t make an effort to help him, she let him undress her and carry her to the bathroom. He stood her up under the shower, letting the hot drops of water drum on her skin. She looked on as he soaped her body and shampooed her hair, she didn’t care about how clean she got. The only thing she wanted was to get the blood off her.

He left her under the shower when he went to get a clean towel from the other room. When she was alone, Scarlet sat in the tub and hugged her knees to her chest, and rocked herself back and forth. A new wave of grief hit her, a direct hit to her heart and she couldn’t bear it anymore. She put her head on her knees and cried hysterically. 

Stephan stood by the door a towel in his hand and watched. He couldn’t bear the fact that he somehow caused her this grief. The only reason Zen was there was because of him and now Marcie was dead. Her sobs tore into his heart

He dropped the towel and climbed into the tub with her. She climbed onto his laps, her arms locked around his neck, and cried. Stephan held her closer to him and sat with her. He caressed her back and rocked her. The hot water washed down each tear she cried. She listened to the drumming of the water to the ceramic tub as she comforted her. Her lids got heavy and soon she fell asleep in his arms, under the hot water to the soothing rhythm of the water.

Stephan carried her to bed and tucked her in bed just as she was. He didn’t want to risk waking her up. It had been a long night and sleep was exactly what she needed. He stood by the window looking out to the night sky. It was dark, the moon was hidden behind the thick clouds, hiding from the horror of that night. Tomorrow would be a new day, by that time he knew she would have absorbed everything. She was going to have questions and as hard as they might be he had to answer them. 

He turned back and looked at her face, with the light from the stars. She looked so peaceful snoring slightly under the thick duvet. He changed his pants before he climbed into the bed with her and held her in his arms.

Chapter 29- THE ECLIPSE OF THE MOON

“All this time, all they wanted to do was give you a cell phone. Wow Stephan your friends are generous aren’t they. If only they offered to fix Scarlet’s bathroom door, then maybe I would have added them as my friends on Facebook.” Kayla’s sarcasm at this point had turned to music to his ears at this point. They amused him more than they irritated him. He was glad that she could find humor in a situation that would have turned tragic in a second.

Scarlet laid her hands on his bare chest, as he tightened his arms around her. “Do you know how good it feels to be in your arms again?” She kissed his chest before laying her head on his chest. She had become accustomed to the odd beat of his heart. It was unique just like he was.

“I hope it’s just as good as you feel in my arms. Warm, tender, and most of all protected. Safe.” He let out a sigh before planting pecks on her forehead.

“I am safe, aren’t I? To think five minutes ago we were being bullied by four gorillas.” She chuckled. It was funnier now that she was safe. 

They all turned towards the vibrating sound. Kayla reluctantly pulled out of Solara’s arms. She had forgotten about the phone she had shoved into her pocket. It was now vibrating. She pulled it out to see Marcie’s name as the caller ID.

“She has been calling all night. I wonder what is wrong with her.”

“She has been calling your phone too. Five missed calls. You had better answer it and find out what’s wrong.”

Kayla tossed the phone to Scarlet. “You answer it. She probably wants to know whether on not to go first base with a guy or something.” She kicked Vincent’s foot before sinking in the chair beside him.

“Hallo Marcie. Sorry, we couldn’t…yes he is here. Why do you want to talk to him? Ok, I understand.” She held the phone out to Stephan. “It’s for you.”

***

Stephan took the phone from her. He was puzzled, besides that one time, he and Marcie weren’t that close that she would be calling him.

“Hello?” the line was silent for a few seconds before Marcie spoke again.

“Stephan…Stephan is that you? You have to help me!” The desperation in her voice was obvious. The three vampires in the room exchanged a look that Scarlet didn’t understand. She was the only one who couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation.

“Marcie? What’s wrong? What do you want me to help you with?” he looked around the room wondering if he was the only one startled by this conversation.

“You have to help me. I’m at the diner and there is someone… No! Let go of me!”

“Marcie? Who’s there with you? Vincent, go to the diner. Now!” 

Vincent took off without questioning the order. Scarlet was panicking. She followed them as they walked out of the house. “Stephan, what’s going on?” She tried to speak up so that she could be heard above Solara and Kayla’s voices.

“Hallo Stephan.”

Stephan froze when he immediately recognized the voice. His hand curled into a fist. His breaths became uneven and ragged as his chest heaved. He pulled Scarlet into his side as if protecting her from the man on the other side of the line. She could feel his skin getting hotter as the seconds passed.

“Zen!”

His rage increased with each passing second. Solara was already at his side. He had only heard of Zen and never seen him. But he hated him, he was the link to his sister’s death. Although he had decided to put his revenge aside, now it was all he wanted. The opportunity had presented itself and he was going to take it. He took off before Stephan could stop him.

Stephan gently pushed Scarlet to Kayla. He needed her away from him, he didn’t want to hurt her when he phased.

“It has been a while, hasn’t it. I came to visit you and I found this pretty girl. She has been very hospitable and very kind.”

“Zen you better not hurt her.” Stephan was now running in the same direction as the other two. 

“No! I wouldn’t hurt her. She is such a lovely person. But she did offer me a meal and I couldn’t refuse her. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.” He let out a cold laugh and started humming.

Stephan knew what he meant by that. He also knew that hum only too well. It was the same tune he hummed when he watched his men kill Sotera. He knew she was dead but hoped she wasn’t. 

He wished that Zen would linger in the diner long enough for him to get there. He was going to kill him and watch his cold corpse burn. The phone was still held tightly against his ear. He was hoping that he would hear her voice or her cry. A slight indication, no matter how small, that she was alive.

***

Scarlet didn’t understand and no one was telling her what was going on. She trembled in Kayla’s arms as she tried to make sense of what she heard. They were all just pieces, like in a puzzle that she had to fit together. The phone call from Marcie who she assumed was at the diner, their reaction to what she said, and a man named Zen, them taking off one by one, Kayla’s somber face and Stephan’s anger. She felt the heat on his skin and his eyes the obvious indicator.

Something was happening that they weren’t telling her about. She ran the clues in her mind once again, wondering what Marcie had gotten herself involved in. There was one thing that would warrant two vampires and a half breed to go to her rescue.

She pushed out of Kayla’s hold and ran into the house. She grabbed her car keys and ran to her Clio.

“Where are you going?” Kayla blocked her way. “Stephan told me that I shouldn’t let you move from here.”

“When did he…” she trailed off realizing how idiotic her question was. “I’m going to the diner. I know there is something wrong, you can’t fool me.”

Kayla took the keys from her hand. “Nothing is wrong. Let’s get back to the house and wait for them to come back. Ok?”

“Seriously K? I may not read minds or have a super hearing but I am no fool. Please tell me what could be so ok that two vampires and the most powerful immortal would run to help her.” She had her hands on her waist. “Let me guess, a table fell over right. I can see it written all over your face K. You may have turned into something else but I still know you. Walking dead or not.”

Her fingers were in her hair scratching a non-existent itch. She was getting frustrated as she walked in circles. “So are we going there together or should I walk.”

It was the only option left to her. Kayla had her keys, she didn’t have time to look for the keys to the Mustang and she was sure Solara had his.

“Scar, please try and understand, I can’t take you there.”

“Fine!” she began walking down the street when Kayla gave in. “Fine just get in the car, but you do what I tell you to at all times. Deal?”

“Deal!” she was heading for the Clio when Kayla spun her around to the Covet. “We’ll take Solara’s car, yours is too slow.”

She didn’t complain when Kayla flew down the street. She knew she was just as anxious as she was to get there. Scarlet held her hands together as if trying to reassure herself that everything was fine.

***

When Stephan got to the diner, Solara and Vincent were standing near the garage. He wondered why they stood so far. When he got closer he was hit by the overwhelming stench of fresh blood. He knew she was dead and Zen had gotten away.

The two men stepped to his sides. They strained against their natural urge. The overwhelming smell of blood appealed to them, but they fought against it. It was Marcie and they couldn’t bear to take pleasure from her death.

“He left when I got here.” Vincent’s voice was thick with emotion. “When I went into… he was gone by the time I got out. When Solara got here we went to the garage.”

All the anger drained from him and sadness took over. His past had claimed another life and he was worried about how Scarlet would take it.

A figure came out of the shadows, the three of them charge towards it immediately. They stopped when the moonlit his face. It was Xavier, he had his hands raised above his head in surrender.

“We caught his scent and it led us here. You are not the only one looking for that parasite. I also have a score to settle with him.”

He had answered all their questions in one sentence. Stephan didn’t need any details. He turned towards the diner and stared through the glass window.

“The others are still following his scent. They have orders to bring him back here when they catch him.” Xavier spoke again, but the others barely paid attention. 

Stephan leaned towards the window, there was something on the walls that had caught his eye. He took a deep breath before opening the door. His hand was trembling on the knob. He walked into the diner and froze at the door.

In all his years of his existence even when serving with the Conselho, he had never seen such a ruthless act.

The others walked in behind him after seeing him stop. Xavier was first because the blood didn’t affect him. Vincent was last because he had been in there and was hesitant about going back in.

Marcie’s foot was tied with a rope on one of the ceiling beams. Her naked body swung side to side mid-air. She looked like she had been crushed by a tanker. No blood dripped from her and Stephan could only imagine that he drained her before hanging her. Her head sat on the kitchen counter, its eyes open and lips parted.

He slowly walked to it and pushed back a strand of hair that had fallen to her face. When he turned to examine the room, he saw his name and a smiley face traced on the wall in blood. In her blood.

Stephan,

Just thought I would send you a greeting,

Zen.

Stephan heard a car pull up, but didn’t catch any human scent. He assumed it was from the main road and he confirmed it when Xavier’s men walked through the door, their faces mirrored their leaders. Even as beasts they had never witnessed such cruelty.

“Stephan. What is… what is this?”

He immediately recognized Scarlet’s voice and wondered why he hadn’t sensed her before that. His answers stood there with him, all four of them. Their scent had masked hers and the loud heartbeats drowned the sound of hers.

“His scent disappeared when we got to the water,” Nikki spoke as her eyes were fixed on Scarlet.

He rushed to her side. She had her hand over her mouth, trying to silence the sobs that ripped through her throat. Her eyes were wide in horror. She looked around taking everything in.

Kayla stood behind her, her eyes roaming around the room. Her eyes rested on Marcie’s body, then her head, and finally the bloody writing on the wall. 

Solara wrapped his arms around her. He was worried about how she would handle all the blood.

“I know the smell is making you uncomfortable. We should go.”

His concern was met by resistance. She pushed out of his arms and spun to face him. When he tried to put his hands on her shoulders, she leaned away from them. Her eyes were slit and her upper lip raised in a sneer.

“She is... I mean she was my friend. How could you think that?”

She forgot her anger when Scarlet’s hysterical shriek rang in the air.

“Cut her down! Now! Get her down.” She was struggling against Stephan’s arms as he tried to hold her back. He finally managed to tuck her into him.

Kayla didn’t hesitate, and in one fluid moment, she leaped into the air and cut the rope with her teeth, dropping Marcie’s body into Vincent’s arms. She held her hand out for Solara’s jacket. She wanted to cover her nudity, even the dead deserved the respect. Solara shrugged out of his leather jacket and covered the headless body.

“Let me go!” Scarlet was still struggling in Stephan’s arms.

Stephan released her before she could hurt herself against his hands. But he moved with her, he shadowed every movement she made. 

She bent over and put her hands on her knees. She was struggling to catch her breath amidst the sobs.

“Marcie! Marcie!”

Stephan stepped behind her when she stood up straight. Her eyes were settled on the head on the counter. She was looking into the lifeless eyes. Stephan didn’t stop her as she walked towards it. She stretched out her hands towards it.

“No!” Kayla and Solara shouted in unison. 

She left Vincent’s side, he still held the body in his arms. But it was too late. At that moment Scarlet had been faster than her. She picked up the head and held it in front of her. They watched motionless as she then cradled it to her chest.

“Marcie.” Her voice was weak and lifeless.

They didn’t know how she would react if they forced it out of her hands. They circled her, watching and waiting.

“Take it from her.” Xavier’s voice called out from behind them. He and his men had been quietly watching them until that moment. “It isn’t healthy for her.”

They knew he was right, so they went for it at the same time. Stephan held down the top of her arms as Kayla yanked the head out of her hands. He carried her to the corner and cradled her on the floor. Scarlet wept in his bare chest.

Chapter 28- THE ECLIPSE

Kayla lifted her off the bed and in a fluid movement had her on the bathroom floor. She then spoke into the phone.

“Solara, we have moved into the bathroom. They are still downstairs and from what I can hear they don’t have any immediate plans to come up.” She looked down at Scarlet huddled in a corner. “Put Stephan on. Scarlet is slipping into hysteria.”

She handed the phone to Scarlet who took it all too eagerly. She didn’t speak until she heard the familiar bass from the other end.

“Scarlet, I am almost home. Vincent should be there any second from now. Stay calm and quiet and do what Kayla tells you.” He tried to sound as reassuring as he could. He could only imagine how scared she was. He cursed himself for leaving her but was relieved that they had hit a blood bank before leaving town. He had enough strength in him if it came to a fight.

“Hurry! I’m so scared. Please hurry!” her voice was trembling. She was scared. One night Stephan had left her and there were intruders in her house.

Scarlet’s phone screeched at her dresser. It took Kayla a second to get it from the room and into the bathroom. She had it on silent before she rejected the call. It was Marcie and Kayla didn’t think it was the appropriate time to answer social calls.

“What was that?” 

“It was just my phone Stephan. Kayla, what is it?”

Scarlet noticed the defensive position Kayla had taken at the door. She didn’t know what was scarier, the blood-red eyes that replaced Kayla’s brown ones. Or whatever was on the other side of the door that had caused the reaction.

“Stephan I’m scared. Kayla is staring at the door and she isn’t answering me. And her eyes have gone red all of a sudden.”

“Scarlet be quiet and don’t distract her. Don’t talk anymore but don’t hang up. We are almost there.”

“What is it?” Solara was beyond worried now. The thought of Kayla facing four beasts on her own frightened him.

“They got to them. Where the hell is Vincent? He should have been there by now.” Stephan was tensing. He thought of phasing but he couldn’t. He still wanted to keep in contact with Scarlet.

The bathroom door flew out of its hinges and hit Kayla. The door fell into splinters as it crushed into her. She still didn’t move the door hadn’t done any damage to her. She still stood at the same spot she had.

Stephan could hear the noise from the other end of the line. Scarlet’s scream tore right through him.

“Scarlet!”

“They found us. Kayla! Kayla! No!”

***

Marcie held her phone to her ear. Willing someone at the other end to answer. She had tried Kayla’s cell but it was engaged. She was getting desperate.

She was sitting at the table with the stranger across from her. He watched amused by her. He seemed to enjoy her squirming.

“No one is picking up.” She was getting frustrated as another busy tone rang in her ear. It was the middle of the night. She wondered what was so important that neither of the two girls would answer their phones.

“Keep trying until someone picks up. If no one answers in the next hour, well…” he was swinging in his seat, looking up at the ceiling.

“What do you want with him anyway? If it’s that important why not just go there?” she didn’t want to purposefully endanger Scarlet or Kayla, but she needed to get away from this mad man.

“That’s a thought. You would do that wouldn’t you?” he lifted the table between them and tossed it to the side. “And that is why you are sited here with me.”

He pulled her towards him. “Move a little closer. You are so far away.” His hands outlined her shape and settled on her waist. In one move he had her straddled on his hips.

“That’s better don’t you think so?” He combed his fingers through her red curls gently at first, and then he grabbed her hair and forced her hair back. He planted kisses along her neck.

“That is what you would do?”-Kiss- “that is a stupid move you know” –kiss- “let me tell you why. Stephan seems to have back up, and rocking into the little hole he calls home will be suicide.” –Kiss- “you don’t want me to get hurt do you?”

He pulled her face to him, to kiss her lips. “Do you? Or are you hoping that he kills me in the process?”

“No… I don’t want that.” She could barely control her disgust for him. She was determined to play along, so long as it guaranteed her survival. She pressed her lips together as he continued planting kisses on her. A low whimper escaped her lips. She wanted to cry but was determined not to.

“Where are my manners, we haven’t been introduced. What is your name?” He was smiling at her again.

“Marcie.”

“Marcie. What a beautiful name. My name is Zen.”

***

“Scarlet! Scarlet! Tell Kayla not to engage him. If she attempts to fight him he will kill her.”

Solara’s head span towards him at the mention of Kayla’s name. He knew only too well how hard-headed Kayla was. He could only hope that Vincent got there soon.

Kayla relaxed her posture. She knew fighting all four of them was a waste of time. Besides she had heard what Stephan had told Scarlet about her engaging them. She had to ensure Scarlet’s safety and that was only possible if she was alive.

She didn’t fight or struggle against them when they took both of them to the living room. Scarlet shoved the phone in her pocket as a woman grabbed her by her arm and pulled her off the floor. She didn’t want to hang up because it would only worry Stephan and she wanted him to hear what was going on. She placed her hand casually over the pocket as she followed her.

Stephan held the phone firmly to his ear as he ran through the forest. They were approaching the clearing, the other side of it was Scarlet. Solara was running just as fast beside him. He had a worried look on his face.

The three men stood over Scarlet and Kayla who was now seated on the sofa, the woman stood further behind them her gaze constantly on Scarlet.

 “We are not here for you. Where is he?”

They didn’t answer him. Kayla already knew what they wanted and was sure that in ten minutes they would get what he asked for. For now, they would have to make do with the two of them. The three of them. She squeezed Scarlet’s hand. She could hear Vincent’s thoughts getting clearer. Relief washed through her. She was sure he knew how best to handle the situation.

Vincent is here    

Scarlet closed her eyes and smiled in relief. It wouldn’t be long before Stephan and Solara got there.

Vincent burst through the door before the interrogation continued. He planted himself between the men and the girls. “What do you want here? I thought that your first visit was enough? I can promise you we didn’t miss you enough for a second one.” 

“You mean to tell me this is their second visit. Vincent?” Kayla was furious. 

“She is very brave, isn’t she?” one of the men stared at Kayla as he spoke. “We weren’t introduced the first time we were here. I am Xavier and the men behind me are Sam and Eric.” The men nodded as their names were called out. “The woman is Nikki. It’s her first visit here. She isn’t particularly fond of the human, but many of us aren’t.” He snickered before turning his attention to Vincent. “And you are?”

“Vincent. The ladies are Scarlet and Kayla. Kayla is the one whose courage seems to have caught your eye.” 

“Yes. Her beauty does match her brave nature. It is a shame that I don’t venture outside my species. You must be Stephan’s pet.” A grin curved on Xavier’s lips as he stared at Scarlet.

Scarlet and Kayla had been too busy being frightened to notice him before. But now, with such a clear view they could see how handsome he was. His devilish grin only brought out the beauty in his face.

“I suppose you are their protector. You are not doing such a good job of it.”

The woman stepped forward out of the shadows, a scowl on her face. “My only wonder is why they haven’t made a meal out of this one.”

“You know why.” Xavier’s head inclined to the left where she stood.

“I can smell it from across the room.” Nikki sneered the words out, her irritation increasing.

 “Now be silent we aren’t here for that.” Nikki stepped back when Xavier spoke. She had made her distaste for Scarlet clear. Nikki’s glare never left Scarlet. 

“I’m sorry, do we have a problem?” Scarlet asked.

Kayla giggled for a second. Scarlet’s head turned to her. She was wondering what part of the situation amused her. She then stood up and pulled Scarlet to her feet beside her. She now stood in the middle of the two vampires. She stared at the smile that Kayla had on her face, confused.

I’m glad this amuses you. She contemplated shoving her elbow in her ribs. But that would only hurt her and this wasn’t the time for it.

“We are here to see the half breed. Bring him to us.” Eric’s voice was authoritative. It was easy to pick him as being the leader of the group. “Where is he?”

“Right here!”

Scarlet’s head turned to the door, where Stephan’s voice came from. Now she understood Kayla’s smile and giggles. She knew they had arrived and didn’t tell her. She couldn’t help but be excited. Moving as fast as she could, she runs to go and stand behind him.

Solara took his position beside Kayla drawing her into his side with an arm around her.

“It seems you are spoken for, brave one. My apologies.” Eric smiled at them before focusing on Stephan who was still standing at the door. His hand held onto Scarlet’s who had taken cover behind him.

“We need to talk, half breed. Your mate seems very frightened of us. She also seems to be the only human left. Solara seems to have changed his.” Xavier coughed out a laugh and took a seat in the armchair. 

 “How did he know?” Scarlet was curious. This was the second time he had referred to her relationship with Stephan.

“How did I know? I can smell him in you. He has left his mark on you. It is a beast thing and because of it no other beast can approach you.” Xavier chortled.

Stephan ignored his comment and got to the point. “We have already talked about this. I don’t want any part of this. So if you would be so kind as to leave?” 

“Yes, we have. But I am here to offer it to you one more time. Just in case you have changed your mind. I can see you haven’t so I am going to leave this with you. You can contact me on it.” Xavier tossed a cell phone on the table. “It has only one number, mine. It is also the only number I will recognize if you call me. If you attempt to use the one your mate has in her pocket, I will not answer.”

Scarlet reached into her pocket and pulled out Kayla’s phone. She could feel her face burn up. It was ridiculous to think that they didn’t know she was hiding a phone. She disconnected the call that was still in progress with Solara’s phone.

“Fine, you have said your piece and left the phone. Please leave.” Stephan moved from the door, pulling Scarlet with him. “You have caused enough terror for one night.” 

“We have overstayed our welcome. We apologies for the damage caused upstairs.” Scarlet winced at the memory of the door being kicked. As it flew at Kayla and shattered as soon as it came into contact with her. One by one they left the house and disappeared into the darkness.

Stephan shut the door before pulling Scarlet into his arms. He was kissing her neck and running his hand over her back. He hated to admit it but he was scared. At that moment he was relieved to have her in his arms again.

I’d love a cup of coffee.

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Chapter 27- THE ECLIPSE

At the diner Marcie was alone. It was her turn to lock up. She was busy at the back and didn’t notice the man who had walked in. He stood at the center of the room looking around at everything and nothing in particular.

“Hello, may I help you?” Marcie was always kind and courteous with everyone, even with strangers. 

She walked to the front where the man was and stretched out her hand to greet her. He didn’t take it immediately. He stared at it and her before he offered her his greeting.

She immediately noticed the devilish grin he had on his face and smiled back.

“The kitchen’s closed so I can’t offer you any food. And the bar is closed too. I’m sorry I can’t give you anything.”

He didn’t answer her, he continued smiling at her. He sat down in the booth next to him, her hand still in his. He rotated it side to side as if inspecting it. Then he brought it to his lips.

The simple gesture made her giggle. She always thought the best of everyone. It was in her nature to trust easily. She pulled a chair and sat next to him.

“How do you sit so close to a person you don’t know?” He was still smiling at her and stroking her fingers. Her actions only seemed to make him more confident.

“I have a sense about people and you seem like a kind man.” She leaned closer to him.

“Isn’t that a bit I of you? To rely on this sense to judge people?” he leaned closer to her ear. He sniffed her hair and took a deep breath. “What if you are wrong?”

His cold breath on her neck sent chills running through her body. She pulled back and tried to pull her hand out of his. He only tightened his fingers around her wrist.

“I thought you trusted me or your sense at least. Why are you trying to pull away from me?” He put his hand under her seat and pulled the chair closer to him.

The screeching noise the metal made against the stone floor startled her. She was beginning to panic, cursing her naivety over and over again.

“What do you want?” she could barely get the words out of her mouth. Her hand had relocated to her throat and she could barely catch her breath.

“Listen to that.” He placed his head on her chest. “Do you hear that? The human heart is a remarkable thing, don’t you think?”

Marcie tried to pull away as she felt his cold nose move from her chest to her neck. She couldn’t help but wince when he licked her throat. 

“Your pulse is racing. I can hear your blood rush through your veins. Don’t be afraid of me, I won’t kill you just yet. I just need to know something.”

He wrapped her hair around his fingers and pulled her hair back. Giant tears rolled down her cheeks and down her neck. He licked them and sucked on his tongue for a while.

“What…what do you want from me?” she was shaking all over. Her free hand gripped the chair and she tried to free the other. Her hand was going numb. She couldn’t feel the discomfort that was there before.

“I want to know where Stephan is.” His head was now laid on her shoulder and his fingers loosened in her hair. Instead, he was twirling a strand of her hair around her little finger.

“A little rat whispered in my ear. Do you want to know what he told me?” he enjoyed taunting people. Their weakness only made him stronger. 

“He told me that Stephan comes here. That he practically lives here. I can tell that others have been here but I am not sure who. And since I don’t know who they are I won’t follow the scent.” He raised his head to look into her eyes.

“Do you know why? Because unlike you I am more cautious.” He released her hair and hand. Marcie rubbed her wrist trying to get some feeling in it.

He raised his hands and placed them on his chest. “Don’t get me wrong I think your trusting nature is admirable. But I know the creatures that lurk in the dark so I am more careful.”

He stood and walked around the room. Marcie sat up straight and watched him. Her eyes went from him to the front door, she was thinking of how to escape. The distance wasn’t too far, but she had to wait for the right moment. She had to wait for him to get further from her, or to be distracted by the sound of his voice and his thoughts.

Inch by inch she moved to the edge of her chair. She didn’t want to risk missing her opportunity.

“For the life of me, I don’t know why he would choose this life as opposed to the one he had before. Must have been that mate of his.” He tapped his finger on his chin as if mussing over a thought.

“I wonder if he found someone new.” He watched her from the corner of his eye. He decided to taunt her a bit more and moved behind the counter that separated the two rooms.

As soon as he was in the kitchen, Marcie shot from her chair and ran to the door. Her hand was on the knob when he pulled her from behind. He used enough force to send her flying across the room but not to cause her any harm.

“How rude of you. Were you going to leave me here all alone?” He moved towards her.

Marcie used her arms to push herself behind. She tried to get as big a distance between them as she could.

“Were you leaving me here all alone? I hate it when people are so rude. You have hurt my feelings you know.” He continued after her a feigned expression of distraught on his face.

Marcie shook her head as she continued to move. Giant tears fell when she hit the wall behind her. There was nowhere else to go.

“Seems like, you have reached the end of the line. I could always kick a hole in the wall. Make room for you to continued sliding on the floor.” He crouched next to her and took her chin in his hand. “I could, but you hurt my feelings. So I won’t!”

“Please, please don’t hurt me.” She was sobbing uncontrollably. She didn’t see a way out and part of her had given into her end.

“Stephan, where is he?” the games were over and now he wanted what brought him here.

“I don’t know where he is….” he wrapped his fingers around her neck choking her mid-sentence.

“I think I know who does.” She was battling for air, and then he released her. Air rushed into her lungs as she coughed.

“Now we are getting somewhere.” He held her at the top of her arms and pulled her to her feet.

***

“What is it, Kayla.” Solara had picked up the phone on the first ring. “Is something wrong?”

“Not yet, but I have a feeling it’s going to be.” 

“What do you mean by that?” The urgency in his voice made Stephan and Vincent stopped. They ran back to where they had left him and tried to listen to the other side of the conversation.

“Solara?” it was Stephan who spoke first, panic lining his voice.

“There are four people at the front of the house. Not human or vampire so I’m guessing they are beasts. They don’t seem to know whether or not to enter the house. You guys need to get back now!” Kayla was panicking now because their thoughts had become more organized. It was only a matter of time before they came in.

“Where is Scarlet?” Solara could hear how frightened she was. He tried to keep his composure. He didn’t want to frighten her even more.

“We are in her room and she is still asleep.” She took a glance back at the bed to confirm it.

“That’s good. Make sure she doesn’t wake up. Don’t draw any unnecessary attention to yourselves. I think they are hesitant because they can smell you and aren’t sure of what to do.” He looked at the two men with him, they also looked nervous.

“There are beasts at the house. They haven’t gotten in yet. Scarlet is asleep and Kayla is watching over her.”

“We need to go now!” Stephan had already started running towards home when Vincent blew past him. He was relieved that Vincent would be able to get there twice as fast as he could. Kayla needed someone with her until they got there.

 “SHIT!”

“What’s wrong Kayla?” Solara was talking at the other end of the line. 

***

“What is it K? Why are you standing at the window? And why in the name of all that is holy would you be cursing at this un….” her sentence was cut short when Kayla covered her mouth with her hands.

You need to be quiet. I am going to tell you something but don’t panic, ok?

Ok.

Kayla said a silent thank you for her gift. It was a silent method of communication.

There are four beasts in the house…

Kayla felt Scarlet’s body stiffen and could sense her panic.

You need to calm down. They are in the house but the guys are on their way back. I’m assuming Vincent is already halfway here. So I need you to chill.

Ok. Chill. I can do that. Stephan!

Kayla couldn’t help but giggle at Scarlet’s attempt to call out to her boyfriend silently.

He can’t hear you, dummy. Slowly get into the bathroom and you can talk to him.

She waved her phone in front of her eyes.

Ok. Bathroom. Silently.

She tried to move but couldn’t. Her whole body was frozen in fear.

Are you kidding me?

Chapter 26- THE MOON AND THE STARS

Stephan had run around the town a couple of times, no one had noticed the huge black cat running circles in their neighborhood. He only stopped when he crossed Solara’s and Vincent’s scent and followed it to where he had left his car. He knew what he was doing was a risk but he was careful not to let anyone see him. Besides the speed, he was moving in all that they could see was a shadow. A huge black shadow and nothing else. He phased back to his human form and walked to the car. His nudity did not affect him, and he did not care if anyone saw him naked either.

He took the jeans Solara held out to him and pulled them on. “Did she get home ok?” 

“She made it home but I would not say that she’s okay. She was in shock when she got home.” Solara informed him, he did not let him know that he knew his sister was what set him off. He decided that it was a matter that should not be revived for the sake of both of them.

“Let’s go.” They all got into the car and Stephan drove home like a mad man. He pulled into the driveway and stalled in the car for a while. He was thinking through what they had both said to each other. Although most of the words were spoken in anger he knew that there had to be some truth to them. One thing he could not deny was that Scarlet had been patient with him, she took everything that had happened these past months and had dealt with them. Kayla was still a sour issue with her and he had to understand what she was feeling.

He only came out of the car when he saw Kayla standing at the doorway, she seemed to be waiting for him. He walked up to her she was worried and concerned, and then she hugged him. 

“She is sorry for what she said. She hadn’t stopped crying since she walked in here until she slept. And even then she keeps apologizing in her sleep. I know you guys will get through this, there is a reason you didn’t kill her at the peer.” She pulled back and had a smile on her face. Stephan was getting embarrassed, this was the same woman he almost drank from and now she was reassuring him. How could he think that she wouldn’t know she and Scarlet shared everything they had no secrets.

“Uh-huh! I know about that.” Kayla chuckled. “Right now we will call it even if you go to her. You are the only one who can make her feel better.”

Stephan walked into the house and headed up the stairs he only stopped when she called out to him giving him thumbs up on the fantastic abs. He went into the room he had shared with Scarlet the better part of the year. It was dark and yet he could see how she had folded herself into a fetal position on the bed. He lifted her to pull the covers down then tucked her in. She snored softly all the crying had given her a stuffy nose. He stood at the window and stared out, looking up at the moon their only witness. It was midnight the new day had begun he hoped it would be better than the previous one.

Stephan knew she was awake the tossing and snoring had stopped. He didn’t turn to look at her because he didn’t know what he would say. He knew at this point nothing he wanted to happen would matter, they both had to hash it out. Figure a way forward if there was one.     

He turned to face her, she was sited on the bed with her legs crossed facing his direction. She was beautiful in the moonlight. Her eyes were red and swollen it disturbed him that she was hurting like this so he went to her. He sat next to her and opened his arms for her. She climbed on him wrapping her legs around his waist and cuddled into his chest. She loved being in his strong muscled arms, she felt nice but mostly because she always felt at home in his embrace. It was her safe place.

“Am sorry, I didn’t mean to throw Sotera in your face like that.” She was crying again.

“Hush! Don’t cry I know you didn’t mean it like that. I overreacted I now know what you meant to say.” Stephan was stroking her hair, it hurt him whenever she cried. He rocked to soothe her and hoped the slow movement would help her fall back to sleep. He couldn’t deal with the tears.

“You should go to sleep, you had a long day and a terrifying night. I’m sorry I know I scared you earlier on. It’s just when I lose my temper the beast in me takes over.” He tried to hold her to his chest when he felt her pull back but let her go.

“What was that with your eyes and the jaguar? It was a jaguar?” she wanted to know if these terrifying sides of him would appear every time they argued. She needed to understand them now all three sides of him. She remembered how his eyes had changed to a bloody color and how he looked at her after he turned into a beast. It was anger and a hint of pain that lingered in his eyes when he had stood before her like a beast.

“The jaguar is the beast side of me, the red eyes that is the vampire side of me. But these eyes, these silver-like grey eyes, are the side of me that I cherish the most. They are the eyes of the man you fell in love with. These eyes that almost resemble yours in color but could never be as beautiful.” He kissed the top of her forehead and weaved his fingers in her hair as he leaned in for a kiss.          

 “One thing you should always know Stephan Jeraldi is that I love you. Right now a lot of things are happening that my head is spinning. I just need time to take it all in, but I never want to be away from you. So yes you do love me enough, more than enough. Never doubt that.”

They spent the rest of the night in each other’s arms, soothing the pain they had caused each other. The night passed and the moon watched as they drowned in their love. 

***

When she woke up in the morning she was still tired. This thanksgiving had been exhausting and Stephan had worn her out that night. Stephan was a passionate man and often got carried away by it. She had never felt so many emotions in one day.

 Guilt, pain, loss, and love so when she finally fell asleep she was out cold. He was not there with her but she could hear the shower running. She walked into the bathroom and watched him. He stood under the little droplets in all his glory, his beautiful body amazed her every time she looked at him. Her stomach tightened as she thought about all the times her hands had the honor of roaming his body.

When he stretched his hand out in the invitation to join him in the shower she took a couple of steps back. She needed to get to work and this could be a good way to start her morning. But it would only distract her from the day’s event. Stephan was not a human he didn’t get worn out easily, he could go on forever. She always had to remind him that she was indeed human and needed a time out.

Walking into his arms now would mean she had to miss a whole day’s work. She went back to her room and waited for him to be done with his shower so that she could take hers. She decided to make herself some coffee, she needed a pick me up. In the kitchen, she found a note from Kayla. The three of them had gone to the diner, and that Vincent had volunteered to cover her shift. She was relieved that she didn’t have to rush but was worried about Kayla. She hadn’t been in the diner for a while she wondered how she would handle human contact. Considering she had been the only contact she had had the past couple of weeks.

She imagined Kayla ripping Joany’s head off in the event she gave her lip. That could be amusing since she always gave the girls at the diner hell. She went back to her room with her mug of coffee in her hand. Stephan was still in the bathroom but wasn’t in the shower anymore. She tossed a couple of clothing choices on the bed, it was chilly and she needed something warm to last the day.

Stephan stepped into the room with nothing but a towel around his waist. Scarlet gave his body a once over and swallowed hard. He had an amused grin on his face as he took slow steps towards her. Stephan was very confident about his looks but he never thought much about it until now. He loved the way she looked at him and how her body reacted to his. One of the benefits of being a powerful immortal was his heightened sense of smell, so he knew when her body yearned for his.

Scarlet held a hanger up to his chest. She didn’t want him anywhere near her, he was already driving her crazy from where he stood. She put the coffee on the dresser before she leaped on the bed and made a run for the bathroom door. It was a bit foolish because he was a million times faster than she was, he stood at the bathroom door his shameless grin on his face.

“Stephan please I need to get to work and this… you are not helping the situation right now.” She was relieved when he took a step to the side and gave her way into the bathroom. She locked the door behind her, not trusting him with it open. Although he could easily break it down she knew he wouldn’t.

When she went to the room to change he was nowhere to be seen. She assumed that he took the hint and was waiting downstairs to drive her to work.

“I made you a new cup, the one you had got cold. Hurry up so that we can get going.” He held out the cup to her when she joined him in the kitchen.

She had always noticed that he clad in two colors black and white T-shirts, she had never thought to ask until now. “Stephan, may I ask you something?”

“I will tell you anything you want to know.”

“What have you got against all the other colors of the world? You are always in black or white.” She was walking around him now Stephan followed her with his head.

He thought her question was ridiculous. Of all the things she could ask she was curious about his dress code.

“I just don’t like bright colors and shopping for white and black t-shirts is a lot faster. I need something that I can easily get into and out of.” His lips curved to a grin and a cheeky look lingered in his eyes. “These types of clothes are easier for me especially when I have to phase.” 

She thought of what a waste it would be if he had to phase when clad in Armani or Hugo. It would be a painful waste. She now understood the logic behind his outfit. She had begun to tell him how he would need a sweater because of how chilly it was but stopped. Considering his body did not run like a human he would not feel the drop in temperature.

When they got to the diner, Kayla was bussing a table it was as if she had never left. She seemed to be fine around people. It didn’t bother her at all. Scarlet went to the back to put on her apron, she relieved Vincent after thanking him. This system seemed to work very well for them, although they had insisted he refused to take a cut of their paycheck. Scarlet felt like they had turned him into their go-to guy and thought that they were taking advantage of his good nature.

“Guys as much as I love your girls you need to find someone else to play waitress especially since you are the only ones benefiting from this arrangement. You guys get lucky while I get unlucky. I don’t know what’s worse, Marcie lusting after me or Joany bossing me around. One day I will toss her across the parking lot then we will see if she won’t control that lip.” Solara and Stephan laughed at his misery.

 “You guys want to go hunting tonight I need to power up. I hope Kayla won’t mind taking care of Scarlet for me.”

 “Sure but we can’t go for more than a day. We get back tomorrow evening so that I can take Kayla out too. She needs to learn how to do it. This whole time she has been feeding on a cup she needs to learn how to do it herself,” Solara said.

Stephan waved the two girls to their table he didn’t want to spend the night away from her but he needed to feed. “The guys and I are going hunting tonight. We will be back tomorrow evening. Solara needs to take Kayla out to teach her how to hunt. Are you guys going to be ok on your own?” he was directing the question to Kayla, he needed to be sure she wouldn’t snack on her best friend.

“Sure don’t worry about it. Finally some girl time. A break from all the testosterone.” Kayla pretended to wipe sweat from her forehead. She gave Solara a quick wink before going back to the table she was waiting on.

“Hurry back.” Scarlet was not comfortable with him being away from her for that long but there was nothing she could do about it. Tonight she would have her friend all to herself without any interruptions. Stephan and Solara dropped them home before they left. They parked the cars in the driveway, they had decided to run to and from the forest to save on time. Stephan had changed into a pair of stretch pants, he was going to go shirtless. He said something about running low on clothes and that he didn’t need to destroy anymore.

Scarlet and Kayla decided to watch the chick flicks that they had brought with them. Scarlet cuddled a cup of drinking chocolate to warm her up, she envied Kayla because she was unable to feel the biting cold. They had fun and it reminded her how it had been the two of them in their home. Now they had men in their lives, men they loved and who loved them back.

When she got tired Kayla went with her to the room, she promised to sit there with her as she slept. Apart from that one time she had banished Stephan from her room Scarlet had never spent the night alone. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow she couldn’t keep up with her friend. Kayla decided to watch the rest of the movies from her laptop in the darkness of Scarlet’s room.

Kayla’s attention was disrupted by voices outside Scarlet’s window. She walked around the bed and checked on her friend first. She was fast asleep snoring lightly. She then walked to the window and peeped outside. Four men stood on the driveway. 

They were undecided, not sure whether to go into the house or not. Although she could hear them she wasn’t sure exactly what they wanted. She took her phone out of her pocket and dialed Solara’s number. She might be a vampire but she wasn’t idiotic enough to face four guys by herself. She hoped that they hadn’t gotten so far. In the meantime, she was going to protect Scarlet the best way she could.

Chapter 25-THE MOON AND THE STARS

Scarlet stood on the front porch. She was taking deep breaths before knocking on the door. She tried to relax herself and practiced the excuse fed to her by Kayla her reason for not attending the family gathering. Kayla had come up with a couple before settling for the job interview pretence. She chuckled at the other options that were thrown around.

It was the fourth Thursday of November Thanksgiving Day. Scarlet and Kayla always celebrated the holidays with Kayla’s family, but this year it would be different. Her grandmother as usual had called ahead to confirm that they would drive down to Napa for the weekend. They couldn’t confirm their visit, they tried to say no but they didn’t want to hurt her feelings. They promised to get back to her later, give them time to figure something out.

Her grandmother would only need to take one look at her to notice that something was different. She couldn’t go, not that she posed any threat to them but she had to get used to not seeing her family. Scarlet just thought of it as something else that Solara had taken away from her. 

It didn’t matter how much Kayla defended him or how accustomed or happy she seemed to her new life, she knew it hurt her not to be with her family. She had never missed thanksgiving with her family and this would be her first. It was amongst many of the firsts she would miss, Christmas, Easter, birthdays, and reunions. Her family was important to her, now she had to abandon them for her new family with the immortals.

 “Tell my Nana I have Spanish influenza and it’s highly contagious and I can’t be around anyone. I have been quarantined, locked down in a private hospital in Mexico.” It was ridiculous and immediately shot down when Stephan told her the last reported case was back in the eighties.

“How about you have been kidnapped by the government and they are doing genetic testing on you.” Vincent seemed like the picture of idiotism at that moment.

“Seriously Vincent? How about I just tell her you were called up to Washington for a job interview and you will see her on Christmas.” That was her idea and it was the most logical one in the room, the thought of lying to Nana didn’t sit well with her but what was her other option.

Nana Cooper, Kayla is in love with a vampire so he bit her and made her into the monster that she is. 

Although she had only thought it both Solara and Kayla reacted to it. Scarlet couldn’t help the resentment she felt for him but was trying to overcome it because it only hurt Kayla. According to her Solara tortured himself about it every single day she didn’t want anyone else to help him in his guilt parade.

“Scarlet you are going to have to put it differently, one that’s more believable. You are not much of a liar but I will help you out so come with me.” They went into the next room where she got a crash course on how to lie with a straight face.

When the day finally arrived they were both nervous. Kayla gave her letters for her mother and grandmother, it hurt her not being able to see them it was something she had to deal with. They rehearsed for a while, Kayla never missing a chance to criticize her bad acting. Stephan drove her there and parked at the side of the road, he promised to sit in the car and wait for her there to take her home.

Armed with the two letters in her hand she knocked on the door. One of Kayla’s little cousins opened the door for her. She smiled up at her exposing her gap where her two front teeth should have been. She walked into the house and headed to the kitchen, she knew the two ladies would be there. She made her way through the crowd of people. Kayla had a large family but they were all so close. She had to get the lie out of the way before she got too guilty to say it or if she forgot it.

They were where she expected them to be, preparing food for the crowd that waited in the living room. She took one final deep breath and plastered a smile on her face before tapping Kayla’s mother on the shoulder. She was as beautiful as her daughter and resembled her in so many ways, except Kayla’s attitude. Anyone who didn’t know them would deny that such a sarcastic girl was the daughter of this mild-mannered woman who stood before her.

“Happy Thanks Giving Ms. Cooper, I see you have your hands full.” She gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and gave her way to the dining room.

“Hey pretty baby, where’s my little girl?” Nana Cooper’s voice rang in the air. It wasn’t hard to miss. She had the sweetest voice that she had ever had. It was reassuring and comforting, Scarlet loved talking to her because of it.

“Hey, Nana. Happy thanksgiving. Kayla couldn’t make it she has a job interview so she headed to Washington. She said to tell you she was sorry and she loves you so much.” She tried to sound cheerful and enthusiastic amid her lie. “But she did give me these letters for you and her Mum.”

“Oh no, but I know my baby is going to get the job, she only has to hold her tongue.” No one knew Kayla as much as her grandmother did. She often found Kayla’s attitude amusing but that never stopped her from scolding her for it. “That is fine as long as you are here to eat her share dear. That is one more thing to be thankful for.”

Scarlet let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She was relieved that there were no questions about her friend’s absence, she wouldn’t know what to say. She had not been prepped for it. Once she gave the letters to Kayla’s grandmother she retreated for the living room, attempting to disappear into the crowd of people.

The dinner went on, as usual, everyone on the table got their chance to say what they were thankful for. Scarlet was thankful for the gift of life she knew its worth only too well. At around eight she decided to say thank you and leave, she didn’t think she could keep up the facade any longer. 

She said her goodbyes and walked across the street where the Mustang was parked. She noticed Solara’s car in front of Stephan’s car. Kayla was inside watching her family enjoying each other’s company. She spotted the grief on her face she knew how she longed to be with her family.

Scarlet couldn’t imagine living like that, since she didn’t have a family she didn’t know it felt. But Kayla would have to watch her family from the outside, she will stand on the outline when they celebrated together and when they mourned together. Kayla would watch them all die one by one until there was nothing left of that big happy family. 

She got into the car rage building up in her. There was nothing she could do about it, the choice had been made and they would have to live with it. She strapped herself in and avoided any eye contact with Stephan. They drove in silence the whole way back home, Solara and Kayla arrived before them. She watched them walk up to the house hand in hand, she didn’t know whether to call it true love or a joke, she sneered at the thought.

As she was about to get out of the car, the mustang lurched forward and they were moving again. “Where are we going? I am really tired and I need to lie down.” He stopped the car a few yards away from the house.

He turned to her his eyes slit, he had had enough of her attitude and was going to put a stop to it. 

“What is wrong with you? Kayla is happy she is trying to get past his betrayal but you won’t let her why? Why is it so hard for you to accept that such a love exists? Don’t I love you enough for you to understand it? For how long are you going to behave this way to act like this towards Solara?” he had never talked to her in such a harsh tone before he was angry at her and it startled her. She examined his face for a while before she spoke.

“Did you see the way she watched her family? It hurt her not being there with them, and he… Solara took that away from her. So please don’t talk to me about love. Love is all about sacrifice and choice he should have told her and let her decide what she wanted. But no he went ahead and did what he wanted, sacrificed her for himself. She was not ready to give up all that she had but she had to, it hurts her. So please if you don’t mind don’t speak to me about love.”

“So what exactly do you want to happen? It has been done and she understands why he did it because she loves him enough to forgive him.” His harsh voice disappeared and what replaced it shocked her even more. It was a little voice of desperation one you would only expect to come from a little child. 

“Answer me this, do you love me enough to forgive me. Forgive me for bringing Solara into your lives. Forgive me for loving you so much that I didn’t want to turn away from it. Can you forgive me because I feel a rift growing between us and I can’t handle it?” 

The pain in his voice made her wince. She had hurt him in a way only she could. “I love you more than anything you know that, I am just trying to make sense of this all. My life was normal before you walked into it, I was a normal girl in a normal world. But now everything that I ever thought was real has been tumbled over. You have turned my world upside down. And at times I wonder where my life would be like right now if you weren’t-”

“If I was not in it is that what you mean to say. By all means, tell me when you need to walk right out of it.” He interrupted her and his furious voice seemed to occupy the space in the car. 

She took what he said as an accusation, how he could think she didn’t want him in her life. The past year all her life has been about is him, and the past month it had been about him and the other monsters that never left him alone.

“After all this time I have been there for you at your lowest moments. By your side as you face these attacks from your world. Being there when… when Sotera was all you could think about.” She was annoyed and had to get all the weight off her chest, but she regretted it afterward. She knew Sotera was a sour subject to him but she still used it against him.

He was opening the door with such force she thought he would rip it off its hinges. “What! Don’t you dare talk to me about Sotera! She loved me and didn’t judge me for my past or the company I kept.” 

“It’s always about Sotera. I’m fighting with a dead girl. Or is there a different term to use since she died twice?” 

She could feel his anger build up as his grip around her arm tightened, she was frightened she had never seen him this furious. When she looked into his eyes a gasp escaped from her throat. She forgot the throbbing in her arm and stared at his eyes. They had changed color, from the twinkle color of silver to what seemed like blood red. She couldn’t hear what he was saying now although she could feel him tugging her hand.

“Stephan…Stephan your eyes.” 

Scarlet raised her fingers she wasn’t sure what she was doing but she wanted to touch them to make sure they were real and not a figment of her imagination. He dropped her arms and leaped into the air and when he landed on his feet he was on fours. She staggered behind and stared at the black jaguar that looked right at her. She took a step towards the beast.

 “Stephan?” her hand was stretched out towards him. He then turned around and ran.

When the shock passed, Scarlet started walking towards home more confused than ever. She walked into the room to find the three vampires playing a game of chess. She sat in the armchair across from them watching them yet seeing nothing. 

Kayla and Solara were playing each other, Vincent had forfeited on the account of the cheating being done by his opponents. He was the first to notice Scarlet’s mood and that Stephan was not in the room. He walked up to her but she didn’t seem to notice him. She didn’t notice when the others surrounded her, she was still staring into space.

“Scar what’s wrong, what happened?” Kayla was tugging at her coat and Scarlet let her pull it off her, not offering any help. Once her hands were out of the coat she held her knees, still wondering what had happened out there a few minutes ago. If she wasn’t there to see it and if she didn’t know the existence of those worlds she would not believe it.

Kayla was grabbing at her arm and she winced in pain. “What are these? Who gave you these bruises? Where is Stephan I’m going to kill him?”

She looked down at her arm to see what she was huffing about. Blue-purple finger marks were forming on the front of her hand and at the back was a palm print. She saw where Stephan had grabbed her earlier on, she had forgotten about that and now that she mentioned it she could feel it throbbing.

“Someone needs to go find Stephan. He just… I don’t understand…” Her voice was like a whisper, she looked at Solara remembering what had just happened. She knew he would hear her, they would both hear her but she needed his friend to go be with him and she needed her friend to be with her.

“Where is he? Did he get taken by something is he harmed.” Vincent was worried, he was left out of the loop. Scarlet couldn’t find the voice to explain it to him. Solara grabbed a pair of his jeans from her room, he pulled Vincent behind him and they left the house together she knew he would explain it to him.

Kayla had taken her to her room and had insisted she take a bath. Nothing could make her feel better after what she said to him. It was malicious and cold of her to stab him where it hurt him the most. She was lying on her bed sobbing uncontrollably, Kayla had given up on comforting her so she sat next to her stroking her hair. It was not long before she fell asleep and even then she asked for him. Kayla stayed by her side in case she woke up again.

Chapter 24- THE STARS COLLIDE

Scarlet had never thought of Vincent in this role before. He looked so grown up when he talked about them fighting. She wondered how he managed to switch from comedian to a combatant in the same breath. 

Scarlet knew they were all nervous because of her, at that second she didn’t think immortality was a bad thing. She would be able to hold her weight, but she had to deal with them planning this around her to accommodate her. 

“I think Vincent’s plan is the plan. I will take Scarlet with me when the time comes and you boys can do what you do best. Is that ok with everyone?” They all nodded in unison. 

Scarlet couldn’t help but notice that her friend was part of their world and had taken to it without hesitation. She hoped that she still could exist in her world with her. She tugged on her arm and set herself free from Stephan’s hold. Now seemed like a good a time as any to talk to her. They had sorted the hunters’ situation at least the part that concerned them, they would let the boys plan the combat part of it. 

They went into her room and hopped on the bed. Scarlet hoped that they had some privacy, she didn’t need Stephan to think she was about to leave him especially now that he needed to focus on the battle.

“I need to talk to you about all this. You can’t tell Solara about this and by telling mental communication is included.” She eased back on the headboard before she spoke, “What do you think about all of it. Their crazy pasts, people trying to kill them, and most of all what Solara did to you. We never got a chance to talk about this, so I need you to honestly answer me. It’s just you and me in here.”

“It’s crazy intense, I must admit all this scares me stiff but it’s my life now. My life is with Solara and I will be by his side forever now. I was not all too happy when I woke up to being a creature and not a person.” her shoulders drooped, she was not sure of her new life. 

“But Stephan and Solara explained it to me. And the only reason he did it is that he loves me. How can I hold that against him? Why what are you thinking Scar?” She could sense this was more than the impromptu transformation. 

“Solara also can’t have kids, vampires are sterile. So it’s not like he’s going to run off and make babies, we are together in this. Besides I don’t think I would want children that weren’t Solara’s.” She was convinced of this and nothing would change her mind.

“Do you know what this means now? There is nothing else for you, no job at the Washington Daily, no kids, and this life of forever wondering what’s going to jump out of the bushes. I don’t think I can live my life like this.” She had thought about it for a while now and saying it out loud convinced her more and more that this was not the life for her.

“You can’t be serious.” Kayla had taken the liberty to peer into her mind. She thought she would get what she needed a lot faster that way and she had. “So you are going to wait until all this is over then ditch him and skip town. Classy that’s real classy Scarlet Mc Kyle. You surprise me.” She was on her feet pacing around the room, she was shaking her head thinking of something that Scarlet could only imagine. She would have to wait for her to give an opening to her mind.

You are going to crush him

She was still pacing around the room, Scarlet waited for her to walk up the wall. One thing she did not miss was the look of disappointment on her face. This sent a wave of guilt over her, here he was risking his life to protect her. Although he was the reason she was in this danger, technically they didn’t know about her and maybe she could slip away before they knew she existed.

This was not the life that she had wanted for herself. But she hadn’t made a decision yet, she still had time to think about it. She would decide after the threat had passed. 

“Don’t you think I want to tear Solara’s head off for doing this to me? But what good would it do if I did? There is no turning back for me now, the only other alternative is dying. Am not ready to give him up, call me I but am glad he made this choice because now time can never hinder us. I can do everything I want to because my lease on this earth has just been extended.”

Kayla stormed out of the room leaving her alone with her thoughts. She knew how she looked in her eyes an ungrateful traitor. But she hadn’t decided yet and she wouldn’t not now there were too many other things to factor in.

Stephan walked into the room a few minutes after Kayla had left. He was worried, he always seemed worried these days. She stared up at the ceiling the last thing she needed was to look into his eyes. She wouldn’t be able to take the guilt. She closed her eyes when he lay on the bed next to her. He immediately gathered her in his arms and kissed her forehead.

“You don’t have to be scared. I will make sure you are safe.” He was trying to reassure her.

“I know. I am not worried about that.” Scarlet honestly wasn’t worried about the danger lurking ahead. She was worried about the kind of life she would have with him. “Stephan there are some things that we need to talk about. I…”

The shrill ring of the phone distracted her from what she was saying. Kayla answered the phone and from the tone in her voice, she guessed it was a formal call. She listened for a while waiting to hear what it was about.

Seconds later there was a knock on her door. Kayla stretched to hand her the phone not making eye contact with her.

Scarlet took the phone and spoke into it. It was the dean of medicine at GWH informing her of the status of her fellowship. Excitement lit up on her face and as soon as she disconnected the phone she was bouncing on her bed.

Stephan and Kayla watched her they were happy for her although they didn’t know why. Scarlet was now lying on the bed kicking her feet up squealing. 

“What!” Kayla jumped on the bed beside her, making the double bed crowded for all three of them.

Scarlet was still squealing and what she was bubbling was incomprehensive. Kayla gave up on the word of mouth communication and decided to break her promise. She read Scarlet’s mind and found out the good news. She had been accepted for the fellowship and was to start in two months.

Kayla dragged her off the bed and they both began jumping up and down. Stephan watched bewildered at how ridiculous they looked, trying to have a conversation while bouncing about.

The girls’ noise could be heard all over the house and soon Solara and Vincent went upstairs to find out what the commotion was about.

“What’s going on?” Solara was the first to ask. Vincent didn’t bother to find out what the news was about. He was drawn to a happy situation and joined the girls in their excitement. The three of them joined hands and bounced around in a circle.

“Solara, could you please tell me what’s going on.” Stephan hadn’t attempted to ask any of the girls what the phone call was about. He knew it would be useless trying to talk to them.

After a second of concentration Solara stepped next to him to answer. “She got the fellowship at GWH, and it starts in two months.” Solara couldn’t help but join the happy parade. He knew it was Scarlet’s dream, Kayla had informed him of all the plans they had together.

Stephan wasn’t sure how to feel. Sure he was happy that she had finally gotten what she had worked hard for, but that would also mean she would have to leave. He didn’t want to be selfish, but he knew it would be best for her. She had those ambitions before meeting him, and so far he had turned her world upside down. He wasn’t going to take this away from her.

He broke into the circle and pulled Scarlet into his arms. “Congratulations honey.” He whispered in her ear before pushing her chin up with his finger so that he could kiss her.

“Thanks.” She was happy that finally, she had good news. She couldn’t remember the last time she looked forward to another day knowing that nothing could go wrong. Now she had finally caught a break and in two months she would start a new chapter in her life. The only thing she wasn’t sure about was the role Stephan would play in it.

She convinced herself to push all the tough decisions out of her head. She was going to celebrate this moment with her new family. The five of them were going to take the moment to enjoy themselves not thinking about hunters, feuds, beasts, or vampires.

Kayla ran out of the room and was back in the same second. She came back with a dusty bottle of champagne. “Scar, do you remember when we scrapped up our cash to buy this. It was for when our lives finally got on track. Well, it’s that moment.” Her eyebrows were dancing up and down as she spoke.

Scarlet did remember that day. Although she didn’t think it was the right time to drink it. It was for when they both got what they wanted. Technically Kayla had gotten her fellowship but it had been suspended, but now she wasn’t going to be able to do it. Her life had taken a drastic change in events.

She couldn’t bring herself to refuse. She was going to celebrate. It had been a good day. She got her friend back and her fellowship those were reasons enough to be thankful for.

“I’m so happy you are a vampire because that means I get to drink it alone.” She snatched the bottle out of Kayla’s hand and bolted down the stairs. 

She only realized her efforts were useless when in one fluid movement, Kayla was already downstairs, and she took the bottle from her hand, opened it, and was pouring it into five glasses. The guys followed behind chuckling.

Scarlet wasn’t sure what amused them most her attempt to outrun a vampire or the fact she thought she had her beat. They all gathered around the kitchen counter, staring at Kayla questioningly.

“Babe, you do know that Scarlet doesn’t need all those glasses. She could use one and top it up when she wants to.” He had his arm around Kayla.

“I know we are all going to join her. This is a big moment for her and we are going to support her.” She pushed a glass to each of them, staring them down so that they drank it.

Stephan was the first to pick up his glass and handed Scarlet hers. “I’m in. Scarlet has done a great job and I am happy to celebrate it with her.”

Vincent was peeping into the glass with one eye, inspecting the contents with a wrinkled nose, when Kayla slapped the back of his head.

“Pick it up, Vincent.” She had that no-nonsense tone in her voice.

Scarlet laughed she was glad to see that she hadn’t changed at all although she was now a different species. “K, don’t bully them they don’t have to drink it if they don’t have to. It’s the thought that counts.”

“Kayla you see, Scarlet understands.” Solara took advantage of Scarlet letting them off the hook. He wasn’t too willing to pour the tasteless liquid down his throat.

Now.

Kayla knew that only Vincent and Solara would hear her, she was able to direct her gift to the person she wanted to hear her. The two men looked up at her then at each other. They gave up and picked up their glasses.

“To Scarlet my best friend. Congratulations.” With that short speech, Kayla threw the champagne in her mouth and swallowed. She opened her eyes to find everyone else except Vincent had drunk. 

He was still thinking about whether or not he should drink it when Kayla’s slit stare helped him with the decision. “Scarlet when I do something great, you better be prepared to drink a pint of blood.” He then quickly drunk it and slammed the glass on the table.

“The things I do for these women…” Vincent walked away mumbling to himself.

Stephan pulled her into his arms again. He loved holding her like this it was the only way he knew she was there with him. They would have to talk about what was to happen. He knew that Scarlet would go to Washington in two months. He needed to know what was to happen after that.

His grip around her waist tightened when Kayla came to take her from him. He hadn’t had enough of the warmth her body gave him, but he released her. A tag of war between him and Kayla would only hurt Scarlet physically. They would each end up with half of her.

Solara came up to him and put his hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it I’m sure you guys will figure something out. Look at it this way she will be safe in Washington while we figure this mess out. Until then we protect her.”

Stephan agreed with his theory, but to him, Scarlet would only be safe when he was there to protect her. For a human, many things could endanger her life. “I hope so let’s get back to planning.”

***

Kayla and Scarlet were in her room again. This time they were chatting about their past and what pains they had to go through for this day to come.

“Kayla I wish that you could still get to do what you want. It doesn’t feel complete with just me getting the dream.” That part did sadden her but there was nothing she could do about it.

“Scarlet I know you don’t see it but I am happy. This is my life and I am going to live it to the fullest.” She nudged her friend’s shoulder. “I can do whatever I want now. I don’t have an expiry date remember.” They were both laughing now.

“Oh Please! If you were stuck on eighteen I would be jealous. But you are twenty-three and still a year older than me. You never know… if Stephan and I are still together I might… I might join the club.” She had thought about it several times. She had two paths to take now and she wasn’t sure which one was the best for her.

“You need to think about it. Decide what’s best for you.” Kayla felt guilty for judging her. She was never given that choice so she skipped the hard part. “I never got the chance to make such a big decision. I’m very glad about that because I don’t know what choice I would have made.”

“But you should have been allowed to decide K. It’s not fair at all.” She weaved her fingers into her curly hair. She wanted to look into Kayla’s brown eyes. She was glad she hadn’t lost that she thought that it would take the strange amber of Solara’s eyes. Or even worse they would be different colors just like Vincent. One blue and one green, it was strange but she never thought of asking him about it.

“I know you said that you are happy. You should be any way you just cheated time. No wrinkles or cellulite in your future.”

“Thank heavens.” They were bowling in laughter again. Scarlet realized how much she had missed her friend the past few weeks. Now she had to make a decision that would also affect her.

Chapter 23- THE STARS COLLIDE

“He can read minds. Hear thoughts, I think it’s an invasion of privacy but it does come in handy at times.” Stephan chuckled at her horrified expression. “Don’t worry I told him your mind was a no-go zone. He never picked on your brain unless I asked him to. And that was only when you looked distracted or worried.”

Oh no!

 “Three months ago, August twenty-third you seemed to be distant. Like you were sad about something, so Solara checked for me… I didn’t mean to invade your privacy but I was worried.” 

“The day my parents died.” Her voice was so somber. “What exactly did he see?”

“Everything. You were in the car with them and you were the only one who survived. I’m so sorry about that.”

Scarlet shrugged her shoulders.

Stephan was hovering over her again. His warm breath on her neck tickled her. She felt his arms wrap themselves around her, this move was almost automatic when they were close to each other. And especially now that he thought she needed comforting. She leaned into his chest letting his embrace tighten around her. Her stomach fluttered he always had this effect on her since the day he touched her in the diner.

“How are you doing, nervous?” he knew the answer to that question yet he still asked.

“I am doing fine. Am sure everything will be fine.” She hoped everything would be fine, she needed her to be fine. She traced her fingers on the veins that were visible on his arms.

“Don’t worry too much about it relax and she will be relaxed.” She turned around to face him a questioning eyebrow raised. What did he mean by that?

With a hard smile on his lips, he answered her silent question. “If you are relaxed your whole body relaxes, and your heart won’t beat too fast. And your blood won’t rush. Kayla will be at ease if she doesn’t hear your blood pulsating in your veins. She will be able to hear it either way but it won’t distract her as much if you are calm.”

Vampire one-o-one, she would need to know all these things if she was going to keep the company of the living dead. She nodded and had her back turned against him again. Staring at Vincent she wondered how nothing ever seemed to bother him for long, he was like a child offer him a sweet and he forgets the booboo he just got.

Stephan released her and headed for the door, she hadn’t heard anyone knock. Solara and Kayla stood on the other side of the door holding hands. She was hesitant at first but after a slight tug from Solara, she entered the house.

“I thought vampires had to be invited in.” Scarlet was determined to make this as easy as possible and what better way to do it than to make fun of the situation they were in. She only hoped that Kayla understood what she was getting at and not get hurt by her attempt of cracking a joke. Kayla didn’t react immediately.

With one fluid movement, she had the glass of water Scarlet had cradled earlier in her hand and threw it at her. Stephan pulled her away but not before some of it had caught her shirt.

“And I thought water melted witches.” Kayla looked at Scarlet a smile creeping on her face. “Nope, that doesn’t work either. So I guess those theories are a bust.” She was chuckling now.

Scarlet could see the difference between the Kayla that tried to kill her to the one that stood before her now. She also saw the similarities between the Kayla before Solara and this one. They were the same. Stephan was right the only thing that had changed was her new lease on life and her diet. Other than that she was still the sarcastic girl she loved. She realized that everyone else in the room was still tense but she didn’t care about that. Kayla was back to her old self.

“Can I hug you please?” She was pleading now, the desperation in her voice evident. She looked to and fro Solara and Stephan she knew it was up to them to agree. Kayla knew that as much as she wanted to embrace her friend she would have to wait for them to okay it, especially Stephan.

Scarlet understood how she felt but unlike her, she didn’t need permission to hold her friend. Even if they knew it was too soon she didn’t care their opinion didn’t matter that much to her. She took a step towards her and realized that Stephan had moved with her. She would allow it but only if he didn’t crowd them, this was their moment. 

Kayla lifted her arms to hug her and Stephan lifted his to restrain her. One look from Scarlet and his arms dropped instead he moved closer to them. Scarlet took a deep breath before leaning into the embrace. She had to remember to stay calm, to relax her whole body and the pace of her heart. The calmer she was the better for Kayla.

They held each other for a few seconds when Kayla whispered in her ear.

“I love you Scar.” Scarlet tightened her embrace she didn’t want to let go. “By the way, you smell tasty.” They laughed before breaking the embrace. Apart from Vincent, the other two guys didn’t find her comment amusing. It didn’t matter to them so they ignored them. 

“My neck is off-limits, by the way, my head too.” She pointed a finger at Solara.

Vincent leaped in between them and gathered them in his arms. “So who’s up for lunch huh?” Stephan growled under his breath and Vincent retreated to a corner his hands raised in front of him an act of surrender.

They had a lot to catch up on, the two girls sat on the sofa with Vincent when the guys stood hovering over them. As uncomfortable as it was Scarlet, knew it was a necessary evil and she would have to tolerate it. She was eager to hear about the time they had spent apart. She was not particularly interested in the transformation part but she would listen if Kayla decided to talk about it.

Kayla told her about everything, she even talked about it before she had seen Scarlet. She apologized for attacking her and tried to explain what was going through her mind and body when she did.

Scarlet decided to change the subject, she didn’t want the happy mood to be destroyed. “So Vincent tells me that you have a special talent, do tell.”

Yeah, it’s kind of awesome. 

It sounded like she had said it out loud but she hadn’t spoken at all. She glanced at Stephan he didn’t seem to have heard anything but Solara and Vincent were smiling now.

“Didn’t I tell you it’s phenomenal? Do the other thing.” Vincent’s excitement was infecting her. She was eager to know what it was, she wondered if it was something cool like shooting fire out of her eyes. It was ridiculous but at that moment she didn’t doubt that anything was possible.

“No definitely not, I think only Clark Kent has the fire from the eyes thing pegged down. I read minds and put my thoughts into other people’s minds. Shooting fire from the eyes.” She laughed at how ridiculous it sounded. “You need a time out from all this, seems your losing your mind.”

“How comes Stephan couldn’t hear you?” Scarlet was curious every one else seemed to have heard her as clear as day.

“I have a shield that protects my mind from intrusion,” Scarlet remembered the night he had her floating around her room. She didn’t think that he used it to protect his mind too.

Scarlet knew Kayla’s talent would come in handy, they could have silent conversations without anyone interrupting. Everyone except Solara of course. They would have to have their conversations when he wasn’t around but that seemed impossible since he was glued to Kayla’s side. She needed to talk to her, get advice from her about Stephan.

They were still holding hands on the sofa when the guys went into the kitchen. Scarlet appreciated the privacy that they had subtly given them. She needed time alone with her friend, they hadn’t seen each other for six weeks and they needed the time alone. She was about to tell her about what she was thinking about before they had arrived. But she wasn’t sure how Solara could pick it up if she thought about it and would immediately tell Stephan. There was no point in whispering because they could hear the fat man down the street snoring. She decided to wait for a more appropriate time.

Kayla seemed to be paying attention to the conversation taking place in the next room. “Boys in case you forget I can hear just as perfectly as the three of you. So I suggest you bring that conversation in here. We both have a part in this.”

Solara was the first to give in he shuffled his feet and stood in the middle of the living room, the others followed him shortly. 

Scarlet was getting worried the ride was not over yet. She leaned forward her chin in her hands. “What’s going on now?” 

“Mike called me this morning, he saw something again concerning Stephan.” He was talking to everyone in the room. “He says that the hunters are close and that it’s going to get messy.” He looked at Scarlet she was the weakest link in the room and she would need to be protected.

“Messy? What does he mean by messy?” Scarlet was on her feet she was worried about what he meant. She directed the question to Stephan, Solara was not answering her. They all were ignoring her and it was infuriating her.

***

“We need to come up with a plan of some sort. Did he happen to tell you how many they were?” Stephan was concerned he knew that if it came to a battle they could lose. 

But he hoped that the Conselho didn’t send more than hunters that they could handle. Being hugely outnumbered would only result in a loss on their part. He thought that since he was the only one being hunted for it would be a number they could handle. Kayla as an addition to their team was a huge advantage and the fact that she was still so young was even better. She was stronger and could be ruthless especially when it was Scarlet in danger.

“Can someone please answer me? What is going on?” Scarlet was still trying to be included in the conversation. Stephan wrapped his arm around her and drew her to his side. 

“Hush babe.” He didn’t want to explain to her that her life was in danger she had enough to deal with.

“Just because I’m the only person who is living in this room doesn’t mean I should get shut out. So someone better answer me.” She was furious now, just because she was not an immortal she would not allow them to treat her like a child.

“I’m sorry, we just don’t want to worry you. Do you remember I told you there were hunters sent after me? Well, they are getting close and this Mike guy says that it will turn bloody. Some of us could die and considering only four of us can face them it’s not good.” She was holding on to his arm almost sorry she had asked.

“He says he only saw six of them. The devil travels in sixes, doesn’t he? Anyway, I think we can take them. Kayla can watch Scarlet, Vincent and I can take one each and you can have the rest.” Scarlet shot him a murdering eye.

“What! This guy is the super immortal or hasn’t he shared that with you yet.” 

Solara was telling the truth. Stephan could do the heavy lifting. He would need to power up to do so. Considering it was the fight of his life he would need to take some human blood so would Solara and Vincent. The beast part of him was not always reliable, there was always a blind spot. He was not going to let them get past him to hurt her or take him away from her. But he didn’t think that she would be comfortable with that he may have to do without it.

“Vincent, what do you think?” Stephan knew he was the only one apart from him who knew their tactics. He needed all the input he could get and his background as a hunter would serve them well.

“At the moment I think it’s a good thing they don’t know that you are with a human. They could have used that against you. So she should not be around when they do come, they could go somewhere else. I say this because I think Kayla can handle herself well enough to serve as her sister’s keeper.” He looked at Kayla there was no doubt that she would be able to protect Scarlet long enough for them to neutralize the threat.

“I think the fact that we know they are coming is already an advantage. We should wait for them to come here before the girls can make a run for it. We don’t want to risk them following their scent elsewhere they will be without us knowing about it.”

 “Mike didn’t give me much of a timeline. I’m guessing it’s this month because in his vision the leaves were on the ground. So that’s autumn and it ends this month doesn’t it. We don’t have much time, so whatever we are planning needs to be done now.”

Chapter 22- THE STARS COLLIDE

Stephan knew how many nights he had spent away from her bed all too well, so when she invited him back to her room he was ecstatic. He had her back in his arms again and he mastered every feeling it gave him taking nothing for granted. 

She slept as she usually did deep peaceful sleep. He held her all night and all morning, he was glad it was Sunday again she wasn’t going in to work. He had the whole day with her, to spend uninterrupted much-needed time with her. He had asked Vincent to stay with Solara, the owner of the garage had taken the apartment back, besides he was needed there more than anywhere else. In the event, Kayla broke out into a sprint he would be able to catch her easily.

 “Hi!” She looked right at him her face expressionless. She got out of bed and go into the shower. 

Stephan waited for her on the bed, he was hoping they could talk, get everything out in the open. It seemed like the best solution to everything. She walked into the room a towel wrapped around her body. Her body was still steaming from the hot water. He could remember when making love to her was something he was against when she thought he was human. He wondered how she would feel about making love to a monster. The thought of not being physically intimate with her pained him, but he would wait until she was ready.

She sat at the dressing table in front of the mirror, stroking her hair with an ivory brush. He got up to stand behind her. She stopped and looked at him through the mirror. She got up just as he was reaching out to touch her and took her clothes to change in the bathroom.

Stephan went to the living room her wondered how long he could stand her rejection. There was nothing to do but wait, his life was with her now and he would wait for as long as it took. He hoped it would be sooner than later, he knew time was running out and the hunters would eventually find him.

He reached for his buzzing phone. It was Solara he prayed it wasn’t more bad news. He couldn’t handle more bad news.

“If it is any more bad news you’d better hang up now, I don’t want to hear it.”

“No, it’s not. Kayla has been doing well. She wants to see Scarlet. It’s been well over a month since they last saw each other and she wants to see her. She thinks she has it under control. Besides I need to talk to you about something.” Solara needed to talk to Stephan about the seer there was more bad news but he thought he shouldn’t push his luck.

“Did you tell Scarlet about the bounty on your head? I think you should, you need to make these decisions with her now. Since you are out of the closet.”

“I thought you said you didn’t have any bad news. Anyway, she is barely talking to me so what’s more bad news. Sure give me three to four hours I’ll get it done by then.” He hung up the phone he could feel Scarlet coming into the room, he turned to face the direction she would come from.

“I have something to tell you. You could say more bad news. We can talk about us and where this all leaves us and our relationship.” He spoke in such a low tone that if she was any further she wouldn’t have heard a single word he had said. 

Scarlet didn’t understand his last statement and chose to ignore it, she then focused on what he had said before that. “More bad news, so what else is new?” she took a seat on the other side of the counter and looked straight at him.

He ignored her sarcasm and decided to start with the bad news then work his way to telling her of Kayla’s upcoming visit. “I already told you about my past, now let me tell you about my present and impending future. There is a feud brewing between the two sides the vampires and beasts.” She rolled her eyes at him she had had enough of them to last her a lifetime. He stared at her contemplating whether he should tell her at all. Her bad attitude was chewing on his last nerve.

“They want me to go and fight with them. They have already come to me personally to tell me what they want. The beast offered me my freedom after I fight for them. They know that the vampires will only enslave me after getting what they want. Although some of the vampires that did come were warning me to stay out of it. My return to the coven will upset the existing hierarchy of power so they want to keep their seniority. But the Conselho, the elders of the vampires want me back and they have sent some hunters for me.”

Part of Stephan was glad to see concern and fear in Scarlet’s reaction, at least she still cared about what would happen to him. 

“Solara and I went to see this friend of his. He can see into the future, according to him the hunters are still far off because they are not exactly sure of what they are looking for, and since my scent is not that common tracing me will not be that easy. They need someone who knows me well enough to recognize my scent from all the other beasts that exist. But a part of me thinks that they will do what the others before them, track Vincent’s scent and that will lead them to me. We are trying to come up with a plan in case that happens.”

Scarlet was quiet, he assumed she was processing all he had told her. “So what you are saying is these…um…for lack of a better word, creatures know where I live, who I am and they want to take you away from me. Have I got it right?”

Stephan was smiling now, take you away from me. Those words sank right into his heart, all wasn’t lost.

“And all this amuses you how exactly?” she was annoyed. “So what is going to happen now, what kinds of plans have you come up with and where do I fit in all this?”

Stephan took her to the couch and sat with her, they had to talk about their relationship and that was more important to him than anything else. “What are we going to do about us? We can’t live the rest of our lives with you mad at me. And you don’t have to worry you will be protected. Remember you have a monster and three other vampires in your corner.” 

She knew who the third vampire was. He didn’t have to spell it out for her. “We are going to have to stay alive first before we can make any plans. So let’s get that done first. I am not mad at you I am just sad, Kayla is my family and the two of you took her away from me.” She stood and walked across the room, she was sad. She was in pain.

“I know he loves her and wants to spend eternity with her, but I love her too. I loved her first and it wasn’t fair of him to take her away from me.” She was sobbing uncontrollably, although Kayla was technically still alive she felt at a loss. She was gone she wasn’t Kayla anymore.

He tried to soothe her looking for the right words to say. He understood Solara and if he thought it was possible he could do the same. Their minds seemed to be in tune because the next question she asked him stunned him. “Are you going to change me? Since love seems to be the reason and qualification to be part of your world?”

He answered as honestly as he could, “I don’t think I can. Beasts are born and vampires are created. I don’t know if I could kill you instead. There is no precedence for this so I don’t think it’s a good idea.” She shrugged at his answer. She didn’t know why she had asked him that, she wasn’t prepared for that kind of life. She wasn’t sure if she even wanted to live forever. Frozen at twenty-two did sound like a good idea but she didn’t think it was for her.

“I have good news for you. Kayla is coming to visit you.” He looked down at her. She was excited he had missed her smile. But she looked unsure, he couldn’t blame her. After her last encounter with Kayla, she had the right to worry.

***

She was anxious to see her friend wondering how she had changed from the last time she had seen her. She assumed that she must be feeling better if Stephan was allowing her to see her. Their last encounter was anything but friendly, Kayla had looked at her like she was something to eat then lurched at her. If Stephan hadn’t been in her way she could either be dead or one of them. She thought about immortality, living forever. Frozen forever. She didn’t have to worry about getting sick, being run over by a car, or drowning. 

She thought about what Stephan had said beasts are born vampires are created. Did that mean that vampires couldn’t have children? She could live with that easily. She didn’t hate children but she was never particularly fond of them. Children were Kayla’s thing and now she could never have that. Unlike Kayla she had the opportunity to change her mind, she knew that at the right time and with the right person she could consider it. 

It was not the right time and Stephan didn’t seem like the right person, as much as she loved him, he wasn’t the ideal father. She knew he would be able to protect and provide for them. Loving them would not be an issue he had enough love in him for the whole world. He could easily do it but someone or something was always trying to kill him. Raising children in fear, always looking over your shoulder, and waiting to be attacked wasn’t the right way to do it. It would not be fair to either one of them. Besides he was partially frozen, she didn’t think he had the potential to father children.

She wondered if he thought they were forever. Forever was something she didn’t have if she chose her humanity over her true love. She wondered how long he would stay if she did choose to remain human. She looked at him, the way he held her and looked at her, she could feel his love for her radiating from him. Would he stay with her? Love her the same way at eighty as he did at twenty-two. Would he stay and watch her die of old age or would he leave and give her a chance at real life. Would he let her be with another man who wasn’t him? Have children and have a home to call her own. Part of her didn’t think he would.

He kept tightening his arms around her, she had always thought he was possessive. She didn’t mind when she thought he was human, even at that moment, he told her who he was. But after seeing the lengths Solara went to, to keep Kayla by his side, this possessiveness frightened her. She hadn’t seen his true capabilities. Yes, she had experienced his shield and how he could manipulate its force field, but he was also a beast. Did his beastly instincts take over when he was challenged? Did they precede everything else that he was or once was?

Although she didn’t think they would ever be apart. If they ever broke up or if she didn’t choose him, when the time came she hoped his human nature would let her go, allow her to live a normal full life. The human experience with all its human problems and challenges.

She pushed the thoughts out of her mind, at that time all she wanted to be with him everything else she would figure it out later. As for now, Kayla was on her way, she hoped she was back to normal she was the only one she could talk to. 

Kayla was her best friend and her sister. She wondered how she would fit in her life if she chose to leave Stephan. She hoped that she wouldn’t lose her completely to his world. But for now, when their love was still strong and was above all, they would be a family all five of them. She watched as the water in her glass sloshed to the side as she twirled it around, trying to equivalent it to her life. A swirling mess that she was about to drown in.

Vincent was part of them now more than ever, she hoped he was coming. She could use the comical relief, the past few weeks everything had been so serious. She didn’t know much about him but was sure she would soon know who he was. Information about their world kept on seeking her out all the time, it was just a matter of time before his story caught up with her.

She wondered how Vincent had been able to leave his previous vocation. According to Stephan, it was difficult if not impossible to escape their clutches. What had prompted him to leave, a love interest, or did he seek a better life. 

Stephan stood up to answer the knock on the door, it was Vincent. He had his usual beaming smile on his face.

“I ran, Solara insisted on driving Kayla here. The car ride was too slow for me so I got off.” Vincent winked at Scarlet before he breezed into the room.

He always lifted her spirits, the little brother she never had although he could be a century older than she was he never acted like it. He was like a child. “So I guess your talent is speed,” Scarlet asked him. She didn’t think it was much of a gift but it seemed right for him. It matched his impatience.

“Uh… sort of. My talent is tied to someone else. So you could say I am not entirely complete.” His voice seemed so sad, she didn’t understand why. Stephan leaned to her and told her that he would explain later. She hoped it wasn’t something tragic, she had enough of that.

“So how far are they?” Stephan’s deep voice filled the room. He always seemed like he talked out of a boom box, his voice was so deep and at times so light. She assumed that the fluctuations depended on his mood and situation.

“They will be here in a minute, big guy. Kayla seems fine in an immortal way. She has a handle on things.” Vincent seemed convinced but they couldn’t be sure until she got there. 

Scarlet hoped that Kayla did have her urges under control. She needed her friend more than ever now. Her head snapped up at his next comment.

“You are going to be jazzed once you find out what she can do. It’s awesome in a freakish way, it’s better than Solara’s gift. You should have seen his face.” He chuckled as he switched through the channels. He was irritating in a good way. She judged by Vincent’s expression that whatever gift Kayla had gotten from the misfortune it was incredible, she hadn’t seen him this excited. Although he got excited over everything this it was different.

“What exactly is Solara’s talent?” She had never thought to ask before, she had not bothered about Solara for a while. She blamed him for Kayla’s situation and rightfully so.

Chapter 21- SUNRISE

“Stephan, do you realize what you are saying is impossible, vampires and shifters don’t exist.” She crouched next to him.

“Vampires and Beasts do exist, I am proof of both.” He made a note to correct her. She picked up on it and fell silent.

She couldn’t believe how she had been with this man for a year and didn’t realize how far gone he was. She decided to turn him against himself to prove that he was what he claimed to be. “Show me something. If you are what you say you are you must have some sort of gift. Show me.”

Stephan stretched out his hand and slowly raised it. As he did that Scarlet got off the ground, and rose as his hand got higher and higher.

“That is what I got from being a vampire. I have a shield and I can use it to create a force field around you to lift you off the ground.” Scarlet went from being a skeptic to being terrified to be excited in a matter of seconds. Stephan raised his head when he heard her giggle like an excited child. He rose to his feet forgetting his hand would rise as he did. She hit the ceiling.

“Ouch! Hey, watch it.” She began to fall but landed in his arms. She stared at him. She had always known he was extra-ordinary, but nothing prepared her for this. He put her back on the bed, she now wanted to know everything she was curious about.

Stephan sat with her as he had before. He took a deep breath before he continued. “They were supposed to share me but the vampire had other plans. She killed the other woman the instant she had her back turned to her. I became her second in command, there was no one as powerful as I was. I obeyed her because she was my creator, I had nothing left. I couldn’t go back home and I couldn’t leave her because she promised to slaughter my family. 

“I was her puppet and she pulled the strings. I was ruthless, I didn’t care for the value of life, human or otherwise. She had managed to erase any feelings of compassion from me. I was a soulless monster who killed for pleasure and amusement. 

“I was not able to form any meaningful relationships with any of the other hunters there, because they all feared me. She on the other hand was the only contact I had. There was nothing I didn’t do for her, I was her executioner, her warrior, and… And her lover.” He chuckled once when scarlet’s brow went up questioningly.

She decided to change the subject. “So how did you leave?”

“After a couple of decades my family was dead and all their descendants had relocated elsewhere. I thought about leaving a couple of times but I didn’t have the courage. Besides that life was all I knew.” He shrugged and tilted his head to the side.

She recalled what he had told her once, Sotera saved me from my past life.

“Sotera,” she said the name like it was a blessing. Scarlet never thought that she would ever be this happy to hear her name. But she was because of her she had him. She could love him.

“Sotera saved me in a way. She gave me the courage that I didn’t have. From the moment I saw her, I knew she would change my life. And she did. But she died because of it, it was like she gave her life for mine.” Stephan’s voice caught in his throat. She knew he couldn’t tell her about the night Sotera died. He would keep that to himself, it was his horror he didn’t need to share what tormented him with her.

He opened his arms to her and she climbed onto his hips into his embrace. There was nothing she could say, and since he was quiet she decided to remain in the silence. Her being there for him was worth more than all the word she could conjure up. She could feel the pain he had. She knew Sotera’s death wasn’t anything he would like to relive. She wouldn’t torment him by asking him to tell her about it. She ran her hand up and down his back and used her other hand to play with his hair.

 “So tell me besides never aging, and floating people around the room what other perks are there.”

Stephan smiled at her curious little girl’s look, he was going to tell her everything she wanted to know even the little silly things. “I don’t need to sleep, I don’t need to eat at least not human food and I can run thirty thousand miles without breaking a sweat. Oh, and I have incredible super strength and I can take the form of any animal I want.”

“Nice! Am glad to know it wasn’t my cooking that put you off. I always thought you sneaked somewhere to eat.” She was laughing then she suddenly stopped when a thought crossed her mind. “What do you eat?”

“Don’t worry you are too skinny for me.” His laughter froze in his throat at her icy glare. She didn’t like the idea of being dinner.

“I think I should tell you something, it’s not that serious but don’t get upset with me.” He only went on when she gave him a brownie salute. “You remember there was a time you and Kayla had gone out, you were walking by the peer. The man who jumped you, that was me.”

A look of horror crossed her face, “It was you! I knew I recognized you from somewhere. Wait a minute …you wanted to kill us.”

“It was a bad time. I was in a bad place. Sotera’s death screwed up with my head. When I was with her I only fed on animals but I gave that up when she died. But I haven’t killed anyone else after being with you.” He sounded so sincere, he had her chin in his fingers now, and he wanted her to look into his eyes. He was telling her the truth and he wanted to make sure she knew it.

“I guess the universe owes me one.” 

“If Sotera was a vampire that could mean that Solara is too. What about Vincent, he is a vampire too, right?” Stephan was reminded of the point of this conversation. Why they were here talking like this, full disclosure. She had handled everything else well so he thought it would be better to tell her about Kayla.

“I bet Kayla knows. She must have freaked!” His silence turned her frantic. “What is it? Tell me Stephan now!” 

“About Kayla, something happened. Don’t worry it’s not that bad, I don’t think it is. The other night Solara and Kayla were together he sort of lost himself. She isn’t dead but he bit her.”

“He what!” she was pacing around the room. “So what happened is she ok?”

He could tell she was getting frantic, “She is fine. It’s just that she has um… she has been transformed into a… a vampire.”

She froze and slowly turned to face him, “Why did he do that? Wasn’t he thinking?”

“He wasn’t thinking. He just wanted to be with her. He turned her so that they would always be together. You need to understand him, he didn’t want to hurt her he just loved her too much.”

He held her from behind praying that she would remain this calm, that she would understand him. She pushed out of his arms and headed for the door.  

“I want to see her. I don’t care what you think right now. You owe me this, so take me to her.” She was already out of the room, and out the front door.

 When he got to the car she was already strapped in. He couldn’t deny her this, while they drove there he called Solara to give him a heads up. He needed them to keep her under control he would never forgive himself if Scarlet was hurt by her friend.

They were quite the whole way, he didn’t attempt to make any contact with her, he was afraid she would pull away from him. He wasn’t ready to face any rejection from her. 

Vincent let them into the apartment, he was not too happy about them tempting Kayla like this but he had no other choice. Stephan stretched his hand in front of Scarlet indicating that she walked behind him. Kayla was on her feet, Solara stood by her side ready to grab her just in case.

Kayla smiled she was happy to see her friend, she seemed normal but they couldn’t be sure. She already had a couple of mood swings and they weren’t about to trust her calm, smiling face just yet.

“K, how are you feeling?” Scarlet stretched to peer at her from behind Stephan. He wouldn’t let her get any closer to her.

Kayla didn’t respond she looked like she was concentrating on something like she was holding her breath and was afraid to release it. She looked beautiful, she always did. Scarlet couldn’t see much of a difference between the before and after, she still had that rich beautiful complexion, the mile-long legs, and the curly hair. She was Kayla.

Without thinking much of it, she stretched out her hand towards her friend, and Kayla reached for it. It didn’t sit well with Stephan but Solara reassured him with a subtle nod. She looked at her friend her eyes full of concern and love. She was the only family she had. When their fingers came into contact, Scarlet gasped she was shocked at how cold she was. She pulled her hand away, a reflex action that she would soon regret. Kayla was hurt by that simple action, she recoiled and stood back with Solara. 

“Scar…” Her tongue licked her lips.

Solara reached for her arms, he tried to hold her but she was too strong. She pulled out of his hold easily, she was reaching for Scarlet. Vincent came from behind and grabbed her. She sent him flying across the room.

Scarlet was shocked at the power her friend now possessed, but she knew that she was coming for her but a part of her wasn’t worried about it. Stephan was there with her and unlike his other two friends, he was stronger. He caught her mid-air and held her to his chest. She bucked against him but he didn’t budge, he didn’t want to hurt her but he had to hold her in place.

 “Go Scar please go.” 

Scarlet was furious, she stormed out of the house. She didn’t talk on the way home and when they did get home she asked Stephan to stay in the living room, she didn’t allow him in her room with her. She didn’t want any contact with any of their kind. It was his fault that their lives had been disrupted, because of him Kayla met Solara and because of Solara her friend tried to kill her.

She thought of all the dreams they had now chucked off as a waste of time. There was no way Kayla would function as a normal person now, first. After all, she wanted to kill everything in her path, and second, because she wasn’t human.

***

She didn’t say more than three words to him at a time, and those words were usually to ask him how Kayla was doing. Stephan couldn’t stand the silent treatment but he would not impose on her, she was entitled to be mad. She usually walked by him like she didn’t notice he was there. It hurt him but he bared it.

Days went by and people asked after Kayla, all she told them as she wasn’t well, in the meantime Vincent took over her shifts. His ability to do everything faster than everyone else helped. He would pick up some of Scarlet’s orders too, she didn’t look well and he thought it was the least he could do. Scarlet’s attitude didn’t change towards him, he was still Vincent in her eyes and she always liked him.

A couple of days had passed she hadn’t seen Kayla since that day she attacked her at Solara’s apartment. She tried to but Kayla didn’t trust herself and refused her visits. Kayla had left the apartments a couple of times since then, she took strolls down the street and back up, and she was working hard to control herself. There hadn’t been any other incident. 

Solara kept her on a steady diet of animal blood, he even gave it to her when she wasn’t thirsty. He thought it would be a faster way of her getting used to it. He didn’t mind hunting for her though she would have to learn to do it herself. She had a preference for carnivores they tasted better than the other beasts. He had to go deep into the forest for that but he didn’t mind.

She was making progress and they hoped she would be back to her usual life soon, there was nothing that prevented her to pick up her life where she left it off. Working at the diner and moving back to her home, though Solara would move in with her to keep an eye on her.