CURSE OF THE BLOOD MOON
Chapter 18- TRY

Stephan picked up a fist full of sand and turned his hand over. He watched as the little grains sipped through his fingers. He had had an eventful couple of days and now, he was here to relax. He watched as the waves gently crushed against each other. He loved the beach, ever since he saw Sotera for the first time. He fell in love with it as he fell in love with her. His love for the ocean only grew when he watched Scarlet dance in it, under the stars. This beautiful gift from Mother Nature had been his one place of salvation and peace. Although it held the memories of the two women he loved most and lost, it also gave him the strength to go on.

He needed the strength to win Scarlet back. Stephan was on the path of ridding himself of his past or the path to his distraction. He knew if he failed he wouldn’t get Scarlet back and he could get killed. He didn’t worry about the latter as much as he did the former.

“What do you want?” he could feel Vincent approach him and his scent confirmed his identity. He didn’t turn back to look at him, his eyes fixed on the tiny white sand in his palm.

“There’s a problem and Kayla asked us to replace you.” He sat beside him, he thought that this position would be able to show that he was there as his friend. “Scarlet is in some kind of trouble.”

Stephan turned and looked at him, his palm grinding the sand in it. He swallowed hard, he had promised himself not to get involved in her life, not until he had permanently put his past behind him. He knew that there was a risk of her moving on without her but he would take it.

“I’m sure that Kayla and Solara can handle It.” he hoped that they would be able to, whatever it was. “What is the problem anyway?”

“Kayla says it’s serious. She, Solara, and Nikki flew to Washington.” He paused hoping that he would see the gravity of the situation. “She sent Xavier, Eric my brother, and me to replace you. She says it’s important for you to go there.”

“It must be if they all went there and she sent all of you to look for me. But I can’t go.” He stood up and faced the rest. With his index finger, he beckoned them to join them. “You can’t be around me right now. A lot of vampires are looking for me at the moment and that is why I can’t go to Washington.”

“Stephan you have to.”

“Scarlet got away from me to be safe, to protect her from all this craziness. If I go there it defeats the purpose of her leaving.”

Vincent looked at the rest for help.

Maybe you should tell him.

Victor looked right at him, but Vincent shook his head against his suggestion.

I can’t do that.

Their conversation didn’t escape Stephan’s notice. He moved between them blocking their eye contact.

“What is it?” Stephan couldn’t help but worry. He hoped the reason they had sent them for him wasn’t that serious.

“My brother..., actually we all know why they want you to go to Washington. Vincent, why don’t you try and call Kayla?” Victor stepped around Stephan to talk to his brother.

Vincent took a step away and dialed Kayla’s number. It was off, so he tried Solara’s. “Xavier, I can’t get through to either of them. Could you try Nikki?”

“Sorry, no pockets...” He tapped his hands on his shorts. “...means no phone. I think they are still in the air. You should probably wait a few hours before trying them again.”

“Or, you could just tell me what exactly is going on.”

Vincent didn’t dare volunteer the information, on one side he didn’t know how Stephan would react, and on the other, he knew how Kayla would. She specifically instructed them to tell him nothing until they called her. He thought that she didn’t expect them to replace him that fast.

“Scarlet is pregnant.” Xavier was more courageous than the rest of them.

Stephan staggered back as if he had just been shot by a gigantic gun. He turned and faced the ocean, he swallowed hard. He didn’t mind them seeing how torn he was about it, but he also didn’t want them to start comforting him. She had moved on as he thought she would. He assumed that the baby belonged to the ginger-haired man she was with at the coffee shop. He felt happy for her, he wasn’t able or willing to give her a child and now she would have one.

“That’s great news.” He whispered his back still turned against them.

“It is? I’m glad you think that Stephan.” Vincent stepped behind him, hopeful.

“But what does that have to do with me?” Stephan asked he was ready to run away. How could he face the love of his life when she was heavy for another man?

“Huh?” Vincent chuckled once, “It has everything to do with you.”

Stephan didn’t react, he still didn’t understand what he meant about that.

“Stephan it has everything to do with you because you are the father.” Xavier chipped in his amusement evident on his face.

Stephan turned and faced them, his eyes were black with suspicion. He thought they were up to something but this wasn’t something to joke about. “We all know that’s impossible.”

“Not!” Vincent coughed trying to mask his laugh.

“Eric?” he was the only one who hadn’t spoken and Stephan asked him because he wasn’t good at lying.

“She has been carrying, even before the attack. She found out the day she got sick at the diner and went to the hospital. But we knew even before then.” Eric let it all spill out.

Stephan glared at him shock mixed with anger evident on his face. “All this time? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It wasn’t for me to say.”

Vincent stepped in, he thought it was best to tell him what he knew, “Kayla says that she left because she wanted to protect the child. She feared for her own life but only decided to leave when she found out she was pregnant.” Vincent hoped he understood. “Stephan, she only left without telling you because she was sure you were going to stop her.”

Stephan combed his fingers through his black hair. He took a deep breath. “So what is the problem exactly?” He hoped that nothing was wrong with her or the child.