CURSE OF THE MOON REBORN
Chapter 19 JADE

Solara knocked on Jade’s door. He was feeling nervous, he wasn’t sure where their relationship stood after spending the afternoon together. His attitude on her arrival was less than admirable and he knew that one afternoon couldn’t change anything.

“Jade it’s Solara. Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

Solara walked into her transformed room. It was a reflection of her personality. She had gone shopping with Kayla earlier that week and he could see that everything she got was in black and white. She was gothic and very comfortable with being different.

“I like what you have done to the room.”

“Thanks.”

“And I’m glad you decided to reduce the number of metals on your face. Not that I had a problem with them in the first place.” Solara didn’t want to seem like he disapproved of her beauty choices.

Jade took out her eye ring and eight of her earrings. She thought it would be better to take them off so that she could fit easier with them.

“I decided it was time to lose some metal. Besides my chin ring was ripped off when I jumped the deer.” She was amazed that such a flesh tear didn’t hurt her at all.

“How was it? The hunt?” He hadn’t gotten any feedback from her, because when they returned she ran to her room to get cleaned up and he hadn’t seen her since.

“It was strange, weird but exciting.” Jade thought back to the rush she felt stalking the deer and chasing it through the forest.

“It’s always a rush knowing that you have that much power running through your body.”

“It’s electrifying.”

“Yes electrifying. I came to talk to you about something else.”

“I suspected as much.”

Solara wanted to tell her about his relationship with Kayla. Jade was now part of their family, she was Kayla’s adopted child and that made her his child too. He had to tell her about their past and he was going to ease her into it as smoothly as he could.

“Did Kayla ever tell you about how she became a vampire?”

“No. I never asked her. Why is there anything creepier than being the walking dead?” she chuckled.

“Not exactly. No scratch that, there is. You could be half dead and half alive or you could be two or three species woven into one.” He said, “Scarlet, Stephan, and SJ are different from everyone in the house. But they are so close. It’s like there is a chain that connects their lives. I think that is what Kayla hopes to achieve with the three of us.” Solara cleared his throat. Part of him wished that she shared his gift to make this all easier on him.

“You are nervous. You don’t have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable.” It was very easy for her to pick out his discomfort.

“Kayla and I dated when she was still human. I never thought that I would ever be attached to her, especially since when we first met, I was rude to her and she hated my guts.”

“I replace that very hard to believe.”

“Believe it. When Kayla doesn’t like you she doesn’t have any qualms about showing you. That is what attracted me to her in the first place. She is her person, what you see is what you get. She is realistic and optimistic at the same time. And the fact that she hated my guts and ignored me every chance she got made me go after her.” Solara laughed at the memory.

“Well, now you can’t keep your hands off each other, at least when you aren’t sour at each other about me.” Jade had always felt that her presence had caused a rift between the couple.

“It isn’t entirely about you. I changed Kayla because I was selfish. I fell in love with her and couldn’t imagine my life without her. I changed her without her consent and because of that she wasn’t able to be with her family.”

“But I never had a family, not a real one anyway.” Jade pointed out.

“I know that, but she did. She was afraid that she could hurt them so she stayed away. She never saw her grandmother for two years and when she finally did, she was dying.”

“She told me about her grandmother.” It was the first conversation that she and Kayla had when she woke up in her new identity.

“Kayla always wanted a family and I took that chance away from her. I even took away the one she already had. When her grandmother died, Kayla was numb, and she only started speaking again around the time she found you.”

“Then what is the problem?”

“I was jealous and guilty. I took away her happiness and I felt that I was the one to bring it back to her, but you beat me to it. What I am saying is that I know that she took you in to fill in the void that her grandmother’s death left in her, and to fulfill her one desire to be a mother.”

“I am glad she did. I never had a family before and now I am happier than when I was alive.”

“So please be that daughter she has always wanted. Make her happy in a way that I never could. Forgive my bad attitude and let’s move forward like a family.”

“I’d like that.” Jade smiled at him. She finally felt a connection with him.

“Me too.”

Me three.

“What was that?” Jade asked stunned.

“That was Kayla, and I think she has been listening in on our conversations.”

“That’s a neat trick.” Jade beamed.

Kayla peeped into the room, she was glad to finally see them bonding. She admired the picture of Jade and Solara as father and daughter. Finally, she was going to have the family she had always wanted.

******

“Stephan there is something that’s not right.” Scarlet looked at herself in the mirror, turning side to side to see each angle.

“What are you talking about?” He lay on the bed and watched her scrutinize her body. “You look as sexy as always.”

Scarlet stripped off her clothes and stood in front of him as still as she could.

“You are sexy.”

“Can you get your mind out of the gutter for a while? Don’t you think I look a little plump?” She smoothed her hand over her belly.

“I don’t know. I can’t say for sure.”

“You are no help.” She pulled on her robe and went to Jade’s room, she knew she would replace Kayla there.

Kayla and Solara tried to spend as much one on one time with Jade as they could. They wanted to make her feel more at home and to get used to the idea of them being her new parents.

“Solara out.” She held the door open for him. Confused, Solara slid off the bed and walked out.

“Ok, I need the two of you to take a look at something for me.” Scarlet let the robe slide off her body.

“Scar, I think Stephan is in a better position to advise. Considering he sees you naked every single day.”

“I just want to know if there is anything extra about me.”

“You are a bit plump around the middle, why?” Kayla examined her.

“Nothing, I thought as much. Thanks.” Scarlet put her robe back on then went back to her room.

“Is there something wrong with Aunt Scarlet?” Jade had gotten used to referring to Stephan and Scarlet as his aunt and uncle. Scarlet was ecstatic about it the first time she called her aunt.

“There are lots of things that I don’t understand in this house sweetie.”

Scarlet was on her way back to her room when she heard a knock on the door. She waited for someone to get it, but no one did. They never got any visitors and those that did come already knew their way around the house and never knocked.

She pulled open the door and Leo stood before her. Scarlet never thought that she would ever see him again, especially since Stephan had resolved everything to do with Rio and his past.

“What are you doing here?” She tightened the knot on her robe.

“I need to speak to Stephan. Could you please let me in?”

“No. Every time someone from his past drops by our lives is put in danger. I won’t let you stay here long enough to cause any harm to my family.”

“Leo? What are you doing here?” Solara came up behind Scarlet. He could hear her from the TV room.

“I came to see Stephan it’s important.” It’s Marquis. Stephan had told him about his family and their gifts, so Leo knew Solara would be able to read his mind.

“Come in.”

“What did he tell you Solara?” Scarlet knew something was up, otherwise, Solara wouldn’t ask him in. “He is not stepping foot inside this house until you tell me what’s going on.”

“Scarlet let him through.” Stephan came down the stairs.

“No!”