Under the Blood Moon
Thirty-Seven
I stand, completely catatonic, just staring at Nikiya. Her eyes are red with anger, her nostrils flaring as she breaths harshly through her nose. Luke steps around me, and grips Nikiya's left elbow. She makes no acknowledgment that Luke is even in the room as she stares at me, I'm sure killing me over and over again in her mind. My breathing has stopped, and doesn't start up again until I feel Cauis' hand on the small of my back.
"I think you need to watch your tone, Nikiya." Cauis threatens her in a low voice.
For a split second, she acts as if Cauis hadn't said anything. But then, she grabs Cauis by his throat, and throws him across the open space of the living room. Without even thinking, I bring my hand up when Cauis smashes against the wall, flip my wrist, and then flick my fingers towards her, throwing her back into the foyer. I don't care how angry, or hurt, or confused Nikiya is. I will not allow her to continue to disrespect Cauis. He has been kind to her, even after she killed him. Nikiya's anger should lie solely on my shoulders.
Before I can blink, Nikiya is on her feet again, and pierces me with a bone chilling stare. She comes at me, and I wave my hand. I pop Nikiya and I out of the house, and into the thick woods that surround it.
I hold my hands up, and pant, "Nikiya, listen to me, please?"
She curls her lips over her teeth, stalking towards me. "Listen to you?" She screeches. "Listen to you? The woman who somehow erased my memories!" She laughs. "Oh, Esmerelda, I'm way past listening to you. The fear in your eyes, the hammering of your heart, the way you're already sweating a little, tells me everything I need to know. You killed Egor. I don't want to hear an explanation. I don't want to hear how you killed the man who saved my life!"
Nikiya lunges for me again, so I pop over to her other side. "Nikiya, please?" I beg her as she looks around for me.
She spins, and I wave my hand, freezing her in place. "No!" She screams at me. "I will not let you hold me prisoner as you try and convince me you did the right thing!" She tries to move, but hisses at me when she can't. "Let me go, Esmerelda, or I swear to God, I will kill you with my bare hands."
I come up to her, grinding my teeth together. Nikiya doesn't know the first thing about doing the right thing. If she wanted to, she would go on a killing spree just because she was bored. "Let me be very clear," I growl at her. "I made you kill Egor because of what his father did to me. And after seeing how vampires really live, the way all of you prey on humans who are just trying to live their own lives, I'm just ashamed I hadn't done it sooner. How many people has Egor killed over his years? Huh? Well, I can tell you, the night I killed him, he had already killed two innocent woman. Two, and that was just him having fun."
"We're vampires, Esmerelda. You act as if you were clueless to how we live. How we've always lived." She hisses back at me. "We're a predatory species. We hunt, we feed, we kill. That's who we are."
I wrinkle my nose in disgust. "Oh, I know all about how your kind live. I got a good look into it, and let me tell you, werewolves would never do the things your kind has done. We don't kill because it humors us. We don't experience unspeakable amounts of joy by harming others." I shake my head at her as I look her up and down, unable to stop saying anything. "No, Nikiya, that's all you. And yeah, I had an idea of how you live, but, Nikiya, how can you live with yourself knowing the pain and devastation you create?"
"You know nothing!" She screeches at me, trying to move. "You don't know what it's really like, living with a constant need to rip out someone's jugular. Werewolves may not go after humans, but they sure as hell come after us! You know nothing about the fear you and Cauis have caused my people!"
I raise my hand, lifting Nikiya off the ground, and flick my fingers outwards. Nikiya flies through the air, and connects hard with a tree. "I know that vampires are the most vile, and repulsive creatures to ever walk this planet. I know that, given the opportunity, vampires would kill every last human with a beating heart." I stalk to her, squatting down a step away from her feet. "And if I'm not mistaken, your life has greatly improved since we came into your life. What," I drop my voice, and speak slowly, "could you, Nikiya Davis, have to fear from us?
Nikiya curls her lips over her teeth again, and suddenly we both start hearing loud growls off in the distance, back towards the house. Nikiya and I both turn our heads to the sound. I curl my fingers, and pop us at the tree line in the backyard. Nikiya and I both gasp at the sight before us.
Cauis has shifted, and is currently going head to head with John. I curl my fingers again, making Nikiya glide forwards as I race to them. Cauis flips, twisting his body, and flies through the air. He growls at John, and bites down hard on John's shoulder. Blood starts flowing from the wound, so I bring my hand up, and freeze the two of them.
"What is the meaning of this?" I shout at Cauis.
"It's not what you think." I hear Septimus call out as he exits the back gate. As he comes closer to us, he explains, "It's just a sparing match."
I point to John's bleeding shoulder, and say, "Sparing matches don't lead to bloodshed, Septimus."
"It's fine, Esmerelda." John says calmly from his frozen spot. "I told Cauis not to hold back." His eyes glance downwards, over to Cauis. "Quite and impressive bite you have there."
Really? I growl at Cauis. You choose now to have a fight with John? Now?
He insisted, Esmerelda. He renders in a pleading tone. I thought it would be better to placate him than to refuse him.
I huff, and curl my fingers, releasing them from my hold. The fact that Cauis did indeed just rile John up makes what I'm about to do ten times harder. I glance over to Nikiya, who is still suspended in the air. I take a deep breath, and look John directly in his eyes. "I killed Egor. Not Nikiya." I inform him in a hard tone. "I controlled her, and then I put false memories in her."
John lifts his chin, and glares down at me. "You?" He snarls. He looks me up and down, and then at Nikiya. "Is this true?"
"No idea." She replies sarcastically in an angry voice just behind me.
"It's true." I say to him, raising my voice. "Egor's father killed me, thousands of years ago. I was getting my revenge for it."
John pierces me with a look, and takes a step forwards. Cauis moves, and positions himself between us. "You went after a vampire? Even after I've shown you my people mean you no harm? After all these years of peace?"
I lift my chin and set my jaw. "Yes." I answer him fiercely.
John's eyes turn red, and he lunges for me. Cauis suddenly jumps, puts his front paws on John's shoulders, and throws him back. Septimus shifts, and starts running towards John. I growl, and wave my hand again, freezing everybody.
"Enough!" I bellow. I take a few steps forwards, placing myself in the middle of them. I slowly turn in a circle, looking at everyone. I stop when I'm facing John again, and say, "This does not have to start a war, John. If vampires can go after anybody they choose, then I should be able to seek vengeance on someone who killed me. This does not have to start a war."
John's eyes are still red as he looks at me in disgust, I'm sure mirroring my own face. "You think you can kill one of my people, one of my own good friends, and get away with it?"
I shake my head at him. "I never said I would get away with it. I said it doesn't need to start a war." I glance over my shoulder to Nikiya, and then to Cauis. I take a deep breath, and turn my head back to John. "As punishment for killing a vampire in our time of peace, I will give up my powers."
I hear Nikiya gasp behind me, and I see Septimus behind John widen his eyes. John and I stare at each other, neither of us blinking. "Give up your powers?" John repeats, his voice lowering. "Can you even do that?"
I nod my head. "I can transfer it into something."
John scoffs. "So that way as soon as I'm gone and on the other side of the world, you can just put them back inside you? No, thanks. I'd rather just kill you."
"Then take the object with you." I tell him dumbly. "I'll seal it, using your blood. And only with your blood can I release it."
He's silent for a moment, thinking it over. I wait patiently, knowing he will agree to it. After a few minutes, John says, "Release me from your hold."
I pause, and then flick my fingers. I hear Nikiya behind me land on the grass, and Cauis immediately comes to my side, putting half his body in front of mine. John walks the few steps up to Cauis and I, his eyes returning to their normal blue. He looks down his nose at Cauis, and then brings his eyes up to mine. "For now," he starts, "that's enough. But, if for any reason I deem you have not learned your lesson, I will come after every single one of you." He takes a step closer. "Including your children."
I throw open the door to Hope's flower shop, making it bang against a sign she has placed behind it. "Hope!" I call out, ignoring the looks from an elderly woman. "Sorry," I try to say nicely to the woman. "Shop is closing. Please, come back tomorrow."
The woman sighs, and puts down the flowers she's holding. I lock the door once she's outside, and turn. I start running towards the back, calling out Hope's name. When I get into her work area, I come right up to her, and grab her arm. She's about to say something, but closes her mouth when she looks at me.
"What happened?" She asks dropping her scissors on the table.
"It's happening." I answer her, nodding my head. "John and Nikiya learned the truth about Egor, so now I'm giving up my powers."
I see Hope clench her jaw as she takes a sharp breath through her nose. Her chest rises, and she shakes her head. "I'm not strong enough."
I grip both of her upper arms, and force her to turn to me. "Yes you are. I have seen you preform the spell."
Hope looks at me sadly, giving me a small smile. "But it's who you are, Esmerelda. How can you expect me to take that away from you?" She asks me as her voice cracks a little.
I wrap both my arms around her neck, and pull her into a tight hug. "I am not just a witch, Hope." I console her. I pull away from her, and tuck a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. "I am also a werewolf, a mother, and a mentor. Please, Hope? I can not let John fear me ever again." I close my eyes, and let out a deep breath. "He's threatened to kill Valerio and Aemilia." I whisper to her opening my eyes.
Hope bites down on her bottom lip, and looks down at our shoes. She nods her head, sniffs hard, and brings her head back up. She wipes a single tear away, and gushes, blowing hot air across my face, "At least you have the hard part taken care of."
I laugh humorlessly at her. "It's a simple spell. It won't take much magic, and you are more than capable of doing it by yourself."
Hope smiles sadly at me, nodding her head. She's quiet for a second, chewing on her bottom lip again. "When?" She asks, her voice cracking a little.
I force a smile, and pull my phone out of my pocket. I open the browser, looking for when the next blood moon will be. The air gets knocked from my lungs, and I turn the phone around to show Hope. "Tomorrow night." I breath, using the last of what air I had left inside me.
I thought I would have more time.
Cauis
I cuss myself as John walks out the front door shortly after Esmerelda left. Why did I agree to fight with him? I growl, and cuss myself again, hitting my palm against my temple. Luke comes up to me, shaking his head.
"Is it true?" He shouts at me.
I look at him, and nod my head. "Yeah."
Luke straightens, and raises an eyebrow. He looks over his shoulder, and then back to me. "Thank you." He mouths to me.
I look at him confused. Thank you? I ask him taking a small step back.
Luke takes a step with me, and says, I hated Egor. He has no respect for human life, as I'm sure you know. Luke shakes his head. I guess I don't have that part of vampire in me. He fixes his face, turning it serious. Egor needed to be put down.
I feel both my eyebrows shoot up. You're welcome? It was Esmerelda though. Not me.
Luke looks up to the ceiling and smiles. The things she is capable of.
Was. I correct him. Or did Nikiya leave that part out? He looks at me perplexed, so I continue. Esmerelda is giving up her powers as payment for killing him.
Is John making her do this?
I shake my head. Esmerelda had a vision three years ago that this would happen.
Luke looks shocked. His eyes turn huge, he runs both hands through the side of his head, and takes a few steps back. "Oh, man." He breathes out loud. "Yeah, no, she didn't mention that."
I grab his arm, and turn him. Go to Esmerelda's office. I order him. After I slam the door, I yell, "Do not discuss anything Nikiya related out in the open. Is that understood?"
Luke instantly drops his head at my command, and says, "Yes, Sir." He brings his head back up, and looks at me. "Why not? And for how long has this been going on?"
"Only a week, and because she fed Egor information about Esmerelda coming after him." I inform him. "We still don't know if she has been telling John anything yet or not."
"I'll find out." Luke offers, and then flashes from the office.
I hadn't even ordered him and he was willing to do this. Even with being part vampire, I can already tell which side he's on. His wolf is still in control. I smile, remembering him saying years ago that he was more vampire than werewolf. No, Luke, you just needed time to really adjust.
I leave Esmerelda's office, and go in search of Valerio. The idea of John coming after my children has had me feeling like a bucket of ice water was thrown over me from the second the words parted his lips. I take the stairs three at a time, and run full speed down the hallways. For the first time, I despise having such a big house.
I round the corner, and feel my lungs deflate. Septimus stands just outside my son's door, protecting him. "Where's Aemilia?" I ask him rushing to his side.
"Eric has her in the library." He replies. "They're both safe. I won't let anything happen to either of them."
I put a hand on his shoulder, and squeeze it. "Thank you, Septimus." I let go, and open Valerio's door. "Hey buddy," I greet him, trying not to show him how scared I am. He's reading the childrens book Abigail got him, just like always. He showed it to me right after she gave it to him. It has all kinds of stories in it. "Any good ones?" I ask him sitting at the foot of his bed.
He shakes his head. "There's nothing in here that I haven't read already."
"Sorry," I pause, listening for any signs John might be nearby. "Valerio, I need you to listen to me." He looks up at me, and then sits up on his knees in the middle of the bed. "You are never to be outside of this house unless someone is with you."
"But why?" He asks groaning a little.
"Because I said so." I push the full Guild Leader weight onto him, hating myself when he chokes on a small sob, dipping his head. "I'm sorry," I say gently to him. I reach over to him, and pull him into my lap. "I just need to make sure you are safe."
Septimus suddenly opens the door, and then quickly closes it. "He will be safe, Cauis. I promise you." He vows. "As long as I'm around, nothing will ever happen to your children."
I smile at him, and nod my head. "I know, brother."
Thanks for reading!
~Stefanie