“Scarlet, I know I owe you an explanation and that there is nothing that I can say to make this look like what it’s not.” she was still silent. “I could not bring myself to let this go. This is all I have of her and getting rid of it would mean erasing her. I can’t do that.”
She turned the picture to face her, “She is beautiful, and does look like her brother around the eyes.” She then put the picture on the sofa and cradled her knees to her chest.
“Remember the last time we talked, I told you that I wouldn’t push you about your past. And I won’t. I just need to know this part. The part about Sotera and her apartment, because I have this feeling you didn’t tell me everything. So please tell me about the love of your life.” She was bordering hysteria at the moment. Her calm voice didn’t hide the hint of desperation in it.
He thought about going to her, but at that moment it seemed hypocritical. He closed the door and walked towards the sofa, and sat once he picked up the picture. She was beautiful, but she wasn’t the love of his life, not anymore. He stroked her hair and she didn’t cringe away from him that was a good start.
“I won’t deny that she holds a special part of my heart but she is not the love of my life. You are, ever since I saw you there was something about you. I have told you this before and saying this again won’t sound any different.”
She raised her head before she spoke, “That is not what I asked you.”
He sat on the floor, pulling her legs to wrap around his waist. It would be hard to say it out loud but she had to hear it. “It was my fault she died. My past life caught up with us and my previous employers killed her to teach me a lesson.” His voice was surprisingly strong, he tried to hold on to it, but her eyes cut through it.
“Why do you still hold on to the pain? You don’t see what you are doing to yourself. Keeping this apartment is you torturing yourself and holding on to the guilt and pain.” He looked so defeated, the pain had dealt him a hard blow, and the woman who saved him was killed by the very thing she saved him from. “Stephan you need to let this go, to let her go. I know she loved you, I can see it in this picture. I’m sure she has forgiven you the same way Solara has. Now you have to forgive yourself.” She ran her fingers through his hair and cradled his head on her shoulder. “Baby you need to let this go let her go. We won’t survive this if you keep living in the past.” She needed him to understand her and what she meant. He had to understand how this would destroy their relationship.
She held him and stroked his hair for a while. “Can I ask you something, how many times have you been here since we were together?” She needed to know, it wasn’t a fair question, at the time but she needed to know.
“A couple of times, when I’m here I feel like she can hear me. The last time I was here is when we went to my place. When you fell asleep, I had to come here, to tell her about you, to tell her that I had fallen in love again.” He looked into her eyes hoping to form a connection with her that she would understand.
She remembered what he had said to her the next morning, you asked me to hold you while you slept. She didn’t need to remind him about it, instead, she told him about the conversation she had with the building manager. Her eyes were swollen and red, he could barely look at the evidence of the pain he had caused her. “Where are you going to put all her things?” she looked around the room, there was a whole lot of things in her apartment.
“I think I should give them to Solara, he would know what to do with them. But I would like to keep some things if you don’t mind that is.” He held up the portrait of himself and her. She wasn’t sure she wanted a reminder of his love, around her but she couldn’t deny him this.
“I am going to get a box for it, you won’t have to see it if you don’t have to.”
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. I think you need it.” She sighed and got on her feet.
“I think I should go to work now. Do you mind dropping me I am sure Solara will bring you back here? The two of you could decide what you want to do with her things. What you want to keep and what he should keep.” She gave in to it, she had to accept it or risk losing him. She gave the room a final look and walked out, she hoped that it was the last she saw of it.
They needed to move on past this, past her to find their life one that she did not shadow. At that moment she remembered what he had said about her death. She turned around to face him, he was halfway out the door.
“About your previous employers, do you think they would come back now? It’s been seven years right since you last saw them. They won’t bother you now.” She was worried afraid of facing the same fate as Sotera.
“You don’t have to worry, I already thought about that and I won’t let them hurt you. You could say I’m more prepared this time.” He flashed her one of his grins.
“Thank you for loving me enough to understand. I will protect you with my life you don’t have to worry. Let’s get you to work now.” He knew they hadn’t forgotten about him, but Vincent’s new information had given him hope.
He pulled her against him in a tight embrace, he buried his head in his hair and inhaled the sweet scent of her hair. He wanted to get lost in her hair, her arms that were around him. To bathe in every tear that she had shed for him, to cover every inch of himself in it. At least he knew how to get stronger. Strong enough to protect her. He placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked away from his past.
***
“So where have you been this morning.” Joany was asking the questions now. She wasn’t in the mood to argue with her.
“Kayla is covering for me, and I am working through both our breaks. But if that doesn’t satisfy you, you could cut out the hours I missed from my paycheck.” Scarlet walked past her to the back to get her apron.
Solara gave Stephan a bewildered gaze. “I’m I right to assume she didn’t take it that well, or she let you off the hook and decided to take it out on the rest of the world.”
Stephan sat across him and nodded, “The latter, I don’t think she can find it in herself to be mad at me. I won’t lie a part of me is glad, that I’m not getting the worst of it. But that’s because she feels sorry for me.” He shrugged at that moment he wouldn’t ask anything else of her.
Scarlet had dealt with a lot the past couple of months. Although she had to deal with his past love and she did it well, he wondered how she would react to his immortality or the fact that he wanted to kill her the day they first met.
He was deep in his thought when a different kind of smell filled the air. “Solara do you smell that?”
Vincent came through the door and rushed by their side. “I was at the garage and I could smell something too familiar. You guys can’t tell me you didn’t catch that.”
Solara leaned his head to the right and he followed it. This was the last thing Stephan needed at the time. He had already had a rough time and couldn’t take anymore.
He walked up to the two visitors and asked him to step outside with him. Once they were outside Stephan’s anger took over. “What do you want? If the elders sent you, you can give them my message, no. I am not going back, nothing you offer me can convince me and I do not care about what you want.” He changed his stance as if he was ready to attack. Vincent and Solara stood behind him ready for anything.
“Your lack of manners astounds me, it may be because you are a half breed. I more than anyone, do not want you back. It is my army now and you returning will only make me you are second in command, if not third, they also seem to favor this young one who stands with you.” The vampire spoke with hate in his voice. It seemed he wasn’t coming to take him back to the Conselho but to chase him off. “I came here ahead of the hunters to warn you, they will be here soon. The young one’s scent led us here, so you need to leave. We have watched you for a while and if you favor your human friends you should leave or rather lay low.”
“That’s fine I have had enough of all of you,” Stephan explained the visit of the beasts, he thought they should know that he didn’t want any part in their feud.
The vampire in turn explained how it would be wise for him to stay clear of it. After giving him the warning he then promised to keep the hunters away from the area which according to him was a head start, but he would have to leave everyone else behind. Stephan’s scent wasn’t distinct and at times undetectable, he would need to be alone so as not to be discovered. That was not a choice he was willing to take, he wouldn’t leave his friends behind. They had become his family.
“Young one, Victor sends his regards. The fortress just isn’t the same without the both of you together. You complemented each other. Sadly, you decided to betray us. Go against your friends and family.” The leader spoke this time directly at Vincent, he pulled the last word expecting it to have some sort of effect on Vincent. He seemed to know him well.
Vincent nodded in acknowledgment he seemed glad about the message. Stephan and Solara were confused but decided to sort it out once their visitors had left.
“We will be on our way now. Please enjoy your evening, give our sincere apologies to your humans for the intrusion.” His lips curved into a grin, he knew what they were so defensive about, and the knowledge of this had given them an edge. Stephan knew they would use this against them when the time came.
***
They watched as their guests walked away. His past was getting too close for comfort. He thought about Solara and Kayla they could have their shot at happiness, all they had to do was get far away from the half breed with a bull’s eye on his forehead.
Vincent would have to use his talent to get to the other side of the world as fast as he could, considering he was also a target for the Conselho. He didn’t see him as his second in command, but stranger things had happened. Scarlet, what would he do about her if he had to run? He couldn’t leave her behind she had gone through so much already and he wasn’t about to break her heart. He would have to keep the promise he made to her this morning. He didn’t have any other choice.
“What are we going to do Stephan, this feud is coming too close to home to ignore it. I won’t have Kayla and Scarlet put in danger. You know them one can’t function without the other so we have to make these decisions together.” Solara was worried about the girls, he knew Scarlet would want to go with Stephan if he decided to run. Kayla would insist on going with them. Running away didn’t make any sense because it wouldn’t make a difference they would still be together.
“I don’t know what we are going to do, I’m going to have to think about it, figure something out. I hope we can rely on him giving us a head start as he so subtly put it. Vincent what do you think.” He looked over at his young friend. He welcomed all and any input.
“At this moment I think Solara should take the two girls as far as away as possible. But I don’t think you can stay away from Scarlet, but if Push comes to Shove we will have to consider it. You will have to come to terms with it.”
“Vincent who is Victor?” Stephan needed to know, now that their young friend had left too much of himself around to be traced. He needed to know if he was someone of interest and what danger he posed.
“My brother.” he flinched at the words as if they were too painful to say out loud. Stephan wanted to ask more but Solara’s light but firm touch on his arm stopped him, instead, he watched him walk back to the diner his head hanging low.
“Victor is Vincent’s twin, he left him behind. He wasn’t comfortable with what they were doing, but his brother relished it. He is ruthless the exact opposite of his twin. He isn’t happy about being separated from him, but he had to find his own. His brother seemed happy and when he refused to go with him, he left him behind. And from what I got from the vampires, Victor led them here, he is a tracker.”
At that moment Stephan understood what was meant about them complimenting each other, Victor would track and Vincent would catch them. They cut the workload in half. He knew all too well how valuable Vincent was to them and understood why they wanted him back. Vincent was an asset and with the two of them together, they would have an incredible advantage.
They had to remain separate or Victor had to join them, he wasn’t too sure about it. Victor loved the hunt and the kill. He wouldn’t fit in this life. They brought out the true meaning of good twin and evil twin, the opposite side of a coin. He had to find a way of making this easy for him, family should never go against each other despite the reason or the situation.
They went back into the diner. The girls were sitting at the booth with Vincent, his usual smile on his face. They were a good distraction for him. Stephan looked at Scarlet and let her beauty soak into him, he would have to quit his job, he now had a new one. He had to protect Scarlet and to do that he would have to be around her all the time. He didn’t mind it, and if there wasn’t an immortal trying to rob him of his happiness he would enjoy it. She was beautiful, the little she knew the better. He didn’t think her worries would come to life so fast, but he had made a promise.