EIGHT

Caitlin flew and flew. She had no idea where she was going, but wherever the wind took her would be fine with her. She felt as if she had nowhere to go, anyway, and nothing left to live for. Her beloved Caleb had betrayed her, and the only other person she cared for in the world, her brother, Sam, had probably betrayed her, too. After all, Sam had led Samantha, had led all of those evil vampires, right to her, right to the King’s Chapel. Was there anyone left in the world she could trust? Was it her destiny that everyone who came into her life ended up betraying her?

Caitlin flew far over the Hudson River, and looked down as it gleamed in the moonlight. The night air felt good as it brushed her face and hair, wiping away her tears. She was far from the island now, just a dot on the horizon. She flew further and further away, desperate to clear her head.

She dove low, within feet of the water, and flew just over its surface, nearly touching it. It felt good to be so close to the water. A part of her wanted to just keep diving, to submerge herself. But another part of her, the new vampire part, knew that would be pointless. A vampire could not die. Not even by drowning.

As she flew, groups of fish leapt out of the water all around her. They must have sensed her presence. Was it the vampire blood they sensed?

Caitlin climbed up high, high in the air, and as she ascended, her head started to clear again. She thought about everything that had happened. Already, the details felt fuzzy. Was it possible that she had blown things out of proportion? Now that she thought about it, what had Caleb actually done? Yes, Sera was there, and on the one hand, her presence was inexcusable. But the more she thought about it, the more Caitlin realized that she didn’t really know exactly why she was there, or how she got there. She didn’t really know for certain that Caleb had invited her. She didn’t really know for certain that the two of them were back together again. Was it possible, even remotely possible, that there was some other explanation?

Maybe she had reacted too quickly. She had always done that, could never control herself.

As Caitlin flew even higher, she made a wide turn, heading back in the direction of her island. She found herself drawn to go back in that direction, and a part of her wondered if she might even return. After all, where else could she really go?

As she headed in that direction, she felt a newfound sense of purpose. Maybe she should at least give Caleb one chance to explain. He had saved her life so many times. He had watched over her all these days, had nursed her back to life. Maybe he did still love her. Maybe…

Caitlin wasn’t so sure anymore. But the more she flew, the more she realized that she did owe Caleb at least one chance, one chance to explain himself.

Yes, she would give him that. And then she would decide.

*

Caleb was furious. Once again, Sera had landed into his life, causing destruction everywhere she went. He couldn’t recall, over the thousands of years, how many times he had asked her to keep away from him, how many times he had made it clear that he had no feelings for her, that he didn’t want her in his life. But countless times, at all the wrong moments, she managed to show up again. It was as if she knew, as if she sensed whenever he was with someone new, whenever he was with someone he really cared about. And she always showed up at exactly the wrong moment. She was the most territorial and possessive creature he had ever met. And he had been plagued with her in his life for thousands of years.

This time, he could not accept it. He would not allow it. She had ruined his relationships too many times, and this was one time too many. He cared more for Caitlin than anyone—vampire or human—he had ever been with. And Sera, like a moth to a flame, must have sensed that. This must have been what brought her out of hiding, what prodded her to track him down.

She had an excuse—she always had an excuse. That was the problem with her: you could never really one hundred percent blame her, because she always showed up with some urgent message, and it always had some legitimacy. In this case, of course, their coven was on the verge of attack. Kyle, she’d said, was back in New York City, with the Sword, and it would only be days until there was an all-out vampire war. She came bearing a message from his coven: they wanted him back. They would forgive his earlier transgressions. They needed every soldier they had in this time of war, and Caleb was one of their best.

So on the one hand, he could not be as upset with her as he would have liked—which made the situation even more maddening. On the other, he suspected that she had been waiting for exactly a situation like this to have an excuse to worm her way back into his life. But regardless of the news, she’d had no right to give Caitlin the impression that they were still together.

He stormed over to her now, still on the castle’s terrace, red-faced.

“Sera!” he snapped. “Why did you have to say that? Why did you have to use those words? There is no us! And, as you very well know, there is nothing that I have not told her. You came here to deliver a message from our coven. That is all. You gave the impression that there was some secret I was hiding, that you and I were still together.”

She was not deterred by his anger. If anything, she seemed to enjoy it. She had managed to ruffle his feathers, and it appeared that that was exactly what she’d wanted.

She smiled slowly, taking a step towards him, and raised a hand and laid it on his shoulder.

“But aren’t we?” she asked seductively. “You know, deep down, that we still are. That is precisely why this upset you so much. If you had no feelings for me, you would not care either way.”

Caleb threw her hand off his shoulder.

“You know that is complete nonsense. We have not been together for hundreds of years. And we will never be together again. I don’t know how many times I can say this,” Caleb said, exasperated. “I need you to stay out of my life. I need you to stay away from me. And most of all, from Caitlin. I am warning you to stay away from her.”

Sera’s face transformed with anger in the flash of an eye.

“That pathetic little girl,” she snapped. “Just because she is one of us now, doesn’t give her any more standing over me. She has nothing against me. I don’t see how you can even look her way. Not to mention that our coven never sanctioned your turning her,” Sera said, giving Caleb a dark look.

Caleb knew what that meant. It was a threat. She was warning him, his violation of the law. He could be punished severely for it—and she was threatening to let the others know.

“I’m not deterred by your threats,” Caleb said darkly. “You can tell anyone anything you want. I will face whatever they want to throw at me myself.”

“You disgust me,” Sera snapped. “Here we are, at war, our entire coven, our family at risk. And what are you doing? You are hiding out here, on some island, waiting for some pathetic little girl to get well. You should be home, defending your people, like the real man you used to be—”

“My coven cast me out,” Caleb snapped back, “after hundreds of years of loyal service. I owe them nothing. They are receiving now exactly what they deserve.”

Caleb exhaled.

“Nonetheless, I do care for them, and given that the situation is what it is, I will not let them down. I told you that I will return, when the time is right.”

“You said that you would return when she had recovered. Clearly, she has recovered. You’re out of excuses. You must return now!”

“I will honor my word, as I always do. But I want to be very clear on this point: I return only to help save our coven, the humans who might be slaughtered, and to help retrieve the Sword. Do not harbor any delusions that it is for any other reason. As soon as my mission is accomplished, I will depart again, for good this time, and it will be the last time you ever see my face. Do not harbor any fantasies that we are together again. Because we are not.”

“Oh, Caleb,” she said, with a dark little laugh, “you can believe whatever you like, but you know deep down that you and I have been together forever, and that we will always be together. The more you fight it, the closer you become to me. I know how much you love me. I can feel it, every day.”

“You are delusional,” Caleb said. “You are getting worse with time.”

Sera smiled wider. “That’s right,” she said, “tell yourself that. Fight your feelings. Fight what both of us already know.”

Sera suddenly took two bold steps to him, draped her hands around his throat, and with one quick motion, yanked him hard towards her.

Before he could react, she planted her lips firmly on his, kissing him with tremendous force.

Caleb recoiled, disgusted. He reached up and shoved her away. And as he did, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone landing on the parapet beside them.

Caitlin.

*

As Caitlin approached the island, she felt hope rising within her again. Her head was clear now. Caleb, she realized, had done nothing wrong after all. She had been stupid. She should have given him a chance to explain. For all she knew, Sera had come uninvited, and there was absolutely nothing between them. Why had she been so rash?

As she swooped lower and the island came into view, she saw the huge stone castle sprawled out below her, the scores of vampires down there on the ground, training in the torchlight. It was a beautiful place, and she was grateful that Caleb had taken her here. She started to feel that everything would be OK after all, as she took one final turn and rounded the bend, landing on the upper rampart.

But as she came in close, as she landed, her heart stopped within her.

There were Caleb and Sera. And this time, they were kissing.

Kissing. The thought of it pierced Caitlin’s insides worse than the Sword. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t breathe. They were kissing. Kissing.

So, they were together. There was no misunderstanding this time. He was still in love with her.

He had tossed Caitlin out as if she were nothing. And he had done it all right in front of her eyes.

Caleb rushed over to her, and this time, Caitlin didn’t run. She stood where she was, frozen in shock, as she felt the rage well up within her. She felt herself becoming fierce, fiercer than she had ever been as a human.

“Caitlin,” Caleb began, “this is not what it seems. Please, let me explain—”

But as Caleb approached her, as he began speaking, Caitlin simply reached out a finger and pointed at the horizon.

“LEAVE!” she screamed, scowling.

It was an order. It was not a question, and it didn’t leave open any room for discussion.

Caleb stood there, frozen himself, apparently shocked at her ferocity. He must have seen how resigned she was.

“I SAID LEAVE!” Caitlin screamed again. “I never want to see you again. As long as I live!”

Caleb stood there, looking shocked and hurt himself, like a little boy who had just been scolded. It looked like there was so much he wanted to say to her, but that he could also tell she would never hear a word of it.

He slowly lowered his head, despondent.

He turned and walked to the edge of the rampart, took two long strides, jumped onto the edge of the railing, and leapt off. He was soon flying, his giant wings flapping, and heading off into the night.

Caitlin could see Sera turn her head and look after him, watching him fly away, looking worried, like she wanted to fly after him. But she also looked torn, like there was something she wanted to say to Caitlin before she did.

Sera suddenly took several steps towards Caitlin, coming within feet of her.

“I hate you,” Sera said, slowly, her voice dripping with venom. “I will always hate you. You tried to take my man away from me. And it will never work. Caleb doesn’t want you. He wants me. Only me. And that’s the way it’s always been.”

Caitlin was in too much of a fury to bother responding, and she had nothing to say to her anyway.

Sera’s wings expanded behind her, as she got ready to depart. Before she turned, she leaned in close to Caitlin, and whispered one last thing: “I have something with Caleb that you will never have. Not as long as you live. I’m sure he never told you, and I’m sure he never will.”

Caitlin stared back at her with equal rage, wondering what else this vile creature could possibly tell her that could cause her any more upset than she already had. She didn’t think it was possible.

But as she heard her next words, she realized that there was, indeed, something that could make her feel even worse.

“Caleb and I have a child.”