CURSE OF THE BLOOD MOON
Chapter 38- FREE WILL

“They do, but only for the battle if there is one. They wanted you to be here of your own free will.”

“Then why have they been sending hunters after me?”

“Not they, she.” He took a seat on one of the chairs in the room, “And now she has convinced the Council that you are a danger to the vampires. You have been doing some hunting of your own.” His eyebrow raised and his lips curved into a grin.

“I was at a bad place and since it was the hunter’s fault I decided to punish them.” Stephan leaned forward a grin of his own adorning his face.

“You did it effectively. Most of the vampires here are terrified of you and me on the other hand trust that I won’t get on your bad side. And if I do give me a heads up before you suck my blood leach.”

Stephan laughed, Leo always had an odd sense of humor, and statements that could easily get him killed always came across as humorous. “As long as you don’t have any plan to harm my family, we are cool. Besides you are too greasy for my taste.”

“A family man, that’s great.” Leo’s expression changed and the tone in his voice changed suddenly, “Stephan they are bringing you before the Council tonight. The charges are the murder of your fellow creators and the conspiracy to topple the current structure of power.”

“Are you serious? She sent her men after me, I didn’t want to come back here. And as for the dead vampires, it was self-defense.” Stephan clenched his fists at his sides. He couldn’t believe how complicated his life was getting.

“I feel like an idiot saying those words. But don’t worry I got your back, I’m a Council member now.” Leo frowned.

Stephan gave him a look that was black with suspicion. He never trusted anyone in the inner circle and he had enough reason to. For centuries he had been their hound dog, his main duties being to replace and kill. They never gave him reasons why just orders.

Leo knew very well how their system worked and he was genuinely surprised that he would choose to be part of it.

“Don’t look at me like that. I know what you are thinking and it’s not like that anymore.”

“It’s not? Is Salvatore still head of the Council?”

“Yes, but-,”

“But nothing, everything will run the same while that old fart has the last say.”

“It’s going to change.”

“Don’t try to sell that to me, you don’t need my vote. But one thing is for sure Leo, if you dare go against them, your body will be going one direction while your head goes the other.”

“Have a little faith, Stephan.”

“You have come at a bad time, I’m all out of faith.”

Leo sighed, he knew it was useless trying to make him see otherwise. Stephan had been under the Council’s service much longer than he had. He didn’t disagree that he knew them better than he would ever know them, but this was his moment and he wouldn’t turn down the glory he long waited for.

“Anyway, I brought you, someone, to eat.” He opened the door for a beautiful young girl who seemed to be dazed out of her mind.

“What’s wrong with her?” he waved his hand in front of her face but she didn’t blink.

“Marquis doesn’t like it when they are screaming the fortress down, so she takes them into another world. They die happy.”

“What happened to entertaining them first?” Stephan recalled the countless times his men lead a quorum of humans to a make-shift theatre, where the Council would put on a show for them before bleeding them dry.

“Too cheesy.” Leo chuckled.

“Well, I don’t feed on anything that walks unless it’s on four feet. Get me something that’s already in an ivy bag or bring me a mountain lion. Other than that I’m not hungry.” He turned the girl around and walked her out of his room.

“You have changed. Your human girl must have you in some sort of spell because the Stephan I knew wouldn’t have cared how many legs she had.”

“That was in the past. This is the present and to have the future that I want I have to dump those old habits.”

“I’ll send someone with it.” Leo laughed and left him to his solitude.

Stephan needed to feed sooner than later, he needed a clear head for the meeting that night. He felt it was more of a trial than anything else. He stared out of the window as the sunset. Soon the moon would take its place, center stage of everything under the sky. He knew that as long as he could still see it, he could still get home.

***

Scarlet felt a warm pressure against her nose and on her cheeks. She opened her eyes to replace her son staring at her, his face practically attached to hers. He was sitting on her chest. She looked straight into his silver eyes and felt like Stephan was with her.

“Hi.”

“Hi Mommy, you’ve been sleeping a long time.” he lifted his head but didn’t take his hands off her face.

“I did huh? Well, I was pretty tired.” She looked at his puzzled face, and the confused cute look made her smile.

“But you’ve been sleeping for months. Come play with me.”

“I will, I just need to talk to your Aunty K first.”

SJ stuck out his lower lip and pouted. His little hands folded against his bare chest.

Scarlet lifted herself and supported her body on her elbows. She looked at the little boy and found that he was only wearing little white shorts.

“Aren’t you cold?” As soon as those words left her lips she realized how silly it sounded.

“I don’t feel the temperature change. But Aunty K told what me it’s like. She said the only reason I can’t feel it is because I’m special.” He gave her a wide smile.

“Where are your clothes, baby?” Scarlet sat up and cradled her son.

“They don’t fit anymore.” He shrugged his shoulders as if it was something common.

“Let’s go see what we can replace.” She lifted him and supported his none existent weight on her waist.

He wrapped his little hands around her neck as she carried him down to the living room. She wondered why her room was so far from the rest of them. It was on the third floor at the far corner. The house was already large enough to get lost in.

The boys were playing play stations again. Eric was chomping down a pizza while he watched the twins battling it out. Kayla and Solara were out on the porch swing. They were taking a moment for themselves, she couldn’t blame them considering the madhouse they were running.

“Sorry to bother you guys, but do you know where I can get him some clothes. The ones he has don’t fit anymore.” She switched him to her other hip when he started fussing.

“They are in your room. We got him all the children sizes, so we have enough clothes for the month.” Kayla tickled the sole of the little boy’s foot.

“He’s still growing fast, soon he will be bigger than all of us.” Solara smiled at the little boy as he used his mother’s hair as a mustache.

“Will I be as big as daddy.” His eyes lit up every time he spoke of his father or heard his name mentioned. Her heart broke for him, she knew that there was a chance he wouldn’t get to see his father ever again.

“Let’s hope not, because I won’t be able to carry you anymore.” Scarlet tickled the boy and he twisted in her arms, giggling in laughter. “Why don’t you go up and pick out what you want to wear. Take one of the boys to help you.” She set the boy down and he sped off.

“He’s growing fast. I wonder when the beast side of him will start to set in.” Solara asked a rhetorical question.

“What do you mean by that? Right now I just want him to be my baby, not a vampire or a beast.” Scarlet was shaking the idea of her son turning into a mini jaguar.

“Scarlet you knew that would happen. What else did you expect?” Solara was confused by her remark.

“I know that. That’s not what I mean Solara. I am changing because of that, don’t know into what yet.” She arranged her thoughts trying to make them understand what she was saying. “I want him to remain as innocent and naive as he is right now. I don’t want him exposed to this life, not yet.”

She was a mother trying to protect her child from all the bad things in life. This was no ordinary life where she only had to worry about perverts with wondering eyes or crazy nannies and kidnappers.

The world that he now belonged to had beings with no souls, no compassion, and no reservation in taking away lives.

She had lived this life with Stephan for the past year and she hadn’t gotten used to the grotesque part of it.

SJ’s loud squeal pulled her out of her thoughts. She went into the house to replace all three boys chasing him around with his clothes in their hands.

Scarlet watched as her son proved what a handful he was. They cornered him, but he was able to slip away. She opened her arms to him and he leaped into them giggling.

“I’m sorry, but thanks for trying.” She took the clothes from them and dressed her son herself.

She looked up at the sky as the sunset and the darkness set in. And when the moon was high, she looked up at it thinking of how many times it had looked down on her and Stephan.

At supper, it was just Scarlet, Eric, and SJ who ate the pizza. She was glad in a way because she knew she didn’t need to rely on blood to survive. Although it was impossible she thought she was a beast.

She sat outside with SJ, just before putting him to bed. She pointed up at the moon and told him how it reminded her of his father. She told him of the nights they spent out at the beach but was sure to leave out the parts his young mind wouldn’t understand.

He fell asleep in her arms, under the stars just as she had before. But she was in Stephan’s arms. She missed him more each passing day and having his son in her arms, eased the pain of not having him with her.