Remembering my vampire husband.

Thirty s!× Kennedy fears the worst.

Orcas

Once again I was out hunting for Serena's killer, the elusive murdering vampire.

I did smell of the perfume of the girl I interrogated tonight. If you can call her a girl.

This one was real nasty. She scratched my back open with her very sharp nails.

When I got done with her, she had no head, no heart. But left me a souvenir of her evil prowess of the hunt, those deep, painful scratches.

On my rush home to be with my wife, I smelled vampire at my own home, and now on my own wife.

I wondered how he knew to come tonight when I was occupied with my revenge.

But of course, he knew the moon was full last night.

I wanted to punish Kennedy for letting him in.

Lucas was smart, he used her own sister as a reason to come visit my little bird.

When I grabbed her arm as she walked away from me, she softly told me," That's too much love, it hurts my arm."

I am powerless to her. I had to let her go then.

I could see by her downcast eyes that she knew I was with another woman tonight.

I could never tell her why though. It would make her run from me in terror at seeing my true image in the moon light.

I can be a very savage beast.

A real scary monster, the one that your mother warned you about.

Hide under your covers Red, it will do no good though.

She touched my hand and brought me back to her attention.

" I'm tired. I've waited up all night for you to return to me.

And here you are angry with me, yet again smelling like the sweet perfume of your lover.

If you want to have other woman, it should be expected that I will have other men.

Those are the new rules. Goodnight Howle, the ball is now in your court."

I let her go.

I needed to shower better next time. I won't stop hunting. I refuse.

I went up to shower again. I turned to look at my back.

The deep scratches of that evil vampiress that tried to kill me were very painful.

Honestly, all of my victims were cases of self defense. They all attacked me, thinking I was a drunken, easy prey for them.

Kennedy chose to use the bathroom as I was assessing the damage.

I quickly turned around to face her, not realizing she could see my wounds in the mirror now.

She finished and flushed the toilet then came to wash her hands at the sink where I was.

" You're not seeing any other girls right?" She asked me, her perfect eyebrow elevated.

" I am not making love to any others, no." It was true.

She obviously saw my back and deduced it was from having erotic s*x.

The marks of another woman on my back were very hard to explain.

I saw something change in her then, I felt her sadness at seeing my painful back.

She should have run away in hurt and anger.

But instead, she pulled some ointment out of the drawer and slathered my back down.

" I am quite disappointed in seeing this Howle. I know that I am new to being a wife, a lover to you. I hope that you forgive me for not being enough."

She washed her hands and walked to her room, closing the door softly, in pain, not anger.

I knew that what I did to exact my revenge on the Moore clan, it was far more important than this wounded bird.

I wouldn't let my head be turned by her softness.

She thought I was cheating on her because she couldn't please me in our marriage bed. Not even a bit true.

**********

Orcas

I woke up the next day to the smell of breakfast.

She made me a huge meal of bacon, eggs, the works.

" I'm going for my morning run, enjoy your morning Howle."

I could see she didn't want to stay and talk.

I didn't say a word. I just let her go.

*********

Kennedy

Seeing the actual marks of his lover on his back, I realized then that he didn't care about me knowing he had another lover or lovers.

I could keep trying to please him. To make him see me, see that I am special.

I heard once that the key to a man's heart was through his stomach. So, I made him breakfast.

I was running near the little stream when I tripped on a branch and fell. I went right into that water.

I had to laugh at myself, my clumsiness.

I didn't see him until it was way too late. He jumped on me, knocking me over.

" Oh, hey Clover. How did you find me here in my prison?"

He whimpered seeing me all wet.

" Oh, you just missed an epic fall. I tripped and...well I went in hard."

I kept running, he joined me.

I had many thoughts in my head, mainly of how I could change myself to make Howle want only me.

I bent over, catching my breath. Clover sat next to me.

" I better get back, hopefully I can eat."

My stomach is all in knots imagining him in the arms of another.

" If I can get in better shape, maybe change my hair again, or dress better. Maybe I could be enough for him...ah who am I kidding Clover.

A man like Howle, he won't change for me. He has his own ideas of what a husband should act like.

Honestly, I was happy Luke came by last night.

He got me out of my own head, I should be worried about Bug not myself.

How do I repair the damage I did to make her hate me so much.

I wish...I wish I could go back to a time before, before she ran off to college.

Before mommy died. I could have been a better sister.

Maybe a better daughter. If I had been the one to feed mommy lunch that day, I would have given her each bite real slow, so she wouldn't have choked, you know?

I am full of regret today. I could have been much, much better to them both.

I won't let Howle know my flaws. I wish that I could use my powers to make him love only me.

He must not be happy. I have to let him go, so he can find his true happiness. I know he married me to protect me.

I'm not his type."

I stopped talking to myself, deciding to let Howle go.

I looked at my phone. The local news popped up.

Another vicious murder, last night.

As I read about this one, I felt a lump in my throat.

The victim was known for her skills at a nail salon. Hers had been very long.

Several were torn off in the attack. They suspected that she fought hard for her life.

" Oh, this is far worse than I knew. So much worse."

Clover licked my hand as I plotted how I would go back to town.

I had to tell the police what I now suspected. My husband is the moonlight serial killer.

It all adds up now.

He wasn't a cheater at all, he was a brutal killer.

Now I was physically ill. I bent over and threw up my morning coffee.

I sat down hard, holding my knees to my chest as I cried.

Clover whimpered. I shook my head. " It's bad, very bad. The worst possible thing that you could imagine, and I'm the only one that can stop him."