CURSE OF THE BLOOD MOON
Chapter 51- RITUALS

“Ok.” She opened it to replace a ring in it, but it wasn’t like any ordinary wedding band. It was a black band with something that resembled a diamond crescent on it. The inner band of the ring had her name engraved on it, followed by the words forever.

“Maybe she should just give me the ring, I don’t think she has the stomach for this.” Stephan saw how pale her face had gotten when Xavier dropped three metal knives into the fire.

“What’s going on here?” Scarlet was now getting frustrated, everyone was deliberately not answering her. She looked at the three engraved thick metal knives as they turned red in the fire.

“Come here.” Stephan held out his hand to her and she immediately took it.

She knelt beside him, with the ring in her hands. “Fill me in on this. What exactly are you doing and what did you mean by permanent.”

He held out his left hand to her, not answering her question, “Did you read what it says?”

“Forever. It’s a good thing we don’t expire.” She slid the ring on his finger and then kissed it. “I will love you forever.”

Scarlet looked up in shock when Xavier came behind Stephan a red hot knife in his hand, a metal bowl in the other. She didn’t know what was inside but the foul smell coming from it repulsed her.

“What do you think you are doing?” Scarlet growled at him and protectively shielded Stephan’s back.

Xavier stumbled behind ducking from the punch Scarlet threw at him, a startled look on his face.

“Why don’t you, just tell her what’s going on.” Nikki hadn’t spoken the entire time, and Scarlet had preferred it that way. But she welcomed the sound of her voice this time.

“Scarlet step back, Xavier knows what he is doing.” Stephan pulled her back into his arms. He bent over with her still in his arms, restricting her movement.

Scarlet didn’t know what was going on, she could only hear Stephan’s teeth grind against each other. He was obviously in pain but she didn’t know why. She couldn’t see, Stephan’s hold on her was too strong. She could smell something strange, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. It wasn’t something she had come across before.

“Oh, man.” Kayla’s voice rang in the air.

Show me

You don’t want to see this

Kayla!

It was the only way for her to see what exactly was going on. As terrible as it seemed or sounded she wanted to know what it was. Stephan was her husband and she was entitled to know.

Scarlet gasped as the source of the strange smell filled her head. It was the smell of Stephan’s skin burning. Xavier was using the hot knives to curve something in his back, using a fresh hot knife for each symbol and pouring molten black liquid in each incision.

She couldn’t see what was being curved and she knew Kayla couldn’t either. The blood that flowed mixed with the black liquid covered it up.

“What are you doing?” Scarlet couldn’t hide the emotion that bubbled from her throat.

“Shh, don’t worry. I’m fine.” Stephan whispered in her ear hoping to soothe her.

“ARE YOU CRAZY?” Scarlet once again struggled against his hold but didn’t budge. “I can see what he is doing to you.”

Stephan didn’t need her to tell him how, he knew how. “Kayla, stop it.”

Immediately the horror scene stopped and her mind was blank. She knew that Kayla wouldn’t pick this time to defy him. Scarlet sat huddled in silence, Stephan was still groaning but his hold never eased.

After a few minutes, it stopped the groaning, the smell of hot metal against flesh and skin. Victor had put out the fire and wrapped the knives in a black cloth.

Scarlet didn’t move, she was waiting for Stephan to move first. She sat there in her beautiful white gown, on her wedding day waiting to see the damage her new husband had caused to himself.

Stephan slowly stood up and raised Scarlet with him. He turned her around and smiled at her, before gently pressing his lips against hers in a deep kiss.

Scarlet went to wrap her arms around him, but he caught them before she could.

“Wait for a minute.” He smiled at her weakly. The pain expressed in his face wasn’t there in his eyes, instead, there was a look of pride.

“Step out of the way Scarlet.” Vincent was behind them with a bucket of water.

“Seriously.” She took a step aside, but instead of completely getting out of the way, she moved behind Stephan.

Her hand covered her gaping mouth when she saw his scared black, bloodied back. Her hand slowly rose to touch him, but she pulled back.

“What is this? You picked the day of our wedding to scar yourself.” She didn’t know what infuriated her the most. The fact that he had kept this from her or that he willingly chose to hurt himself.

“It’s not a scar. Step back let Vincent wash the blood off.” Stephan appealed to her.

Scarlet was furious although she wanted a straight answer, she wanted his back cleaned first.

Stephan welcomed the cold water that Vincent splashed on his back. He shook the water out of his hair then turned his attention to his furious bride.

“It’s not a scar, actually it’s a Scar.” He used Kayla’s pet name for her.

Solara covered his back with a dry towel but he didn’t flinch in pain. It didn’t hurt anymore his wounds were healed. He was thankful for this part of him because he couldn’t have recovered from any injuries he had.

“This isn’t the time to be funny.” Her arms were crossed over her beaded chest.

“Look.” Stephan turned to show her, the new addition to his body.

Scarlet carefully looked at his back, her fingers lightly tracing the scar on his back. She looked at the word engraved on his back.