FOUR

Caitlin was running. The field of flowers climbed as high as her waist, and as she ran, she cut a path right through it. The sun, blood-red, sat as a huge ball on the horizon.

Standing with his back to the sun, on the horizon, was her father. Or at least, his silhouette. His features were unrecognizable, but she knew that it was him.

As Caitlin ran and ran, desperate to finally see him, to embrace him, the sun sank quickly, too quickly. Everything happened too fast, and within seconds, the sun had disappeared completely.

She found herself running through the field in the middle of the night. Her father was still there, waiting. She felt that he wanted her to run faster, that he wanted to embrace her. But her legs would only run so fast, and no matter how hard she tried, he seemed to just get further away.

As she ran, the moon suddenly rose over the horizon—a huge, blood-red moon, filling the entire sky. Caitlin could see all the details on it, the indents, the craters. It was crystal clear. Her father stood, a silhouette against it, and as she tried to run even faster, it seemed as if she were running towards the very moon itself.

But it wasn’t working. Suddenly, her legs and feet were not moving at all. She looked down, and saw that the flowers had twisted themselves around her ankles and legs, and were morphing into vines. They were so thick, and strong, soon she could not move at all.

As she watched, a huge snake slithered towards her, through the field. She tried to struggle, to get away, but she was helpless. All she could do was watch as it approached. As it got closer, it leapt into the air, lunging right for her throat. She turned and screamed, and felt its long fangs pierce her throat. The pain was horrific.

Caitlin woke with a start, sitting upright in bed and breathing hard. She reached for her throat, and felt the two hardening scars. For a moment, she confused her dream with reality, and looked about the room for a snake. There was none.

She rubbed her throat. The wound still hurt, but not as much as it had in the dream. She breathed deeply.

Caitlin was covered in a cold sweat, her heart still pounding. She wiped her face and the sides of her temples, and could feel her cold, wet hair sticking to her. How long had it been since she’d bathed? Washed her hair? She couldn’t remember. How long had she been lying there? And where, exactly, was she?

Caitlin looked all about the room. It was the same place she remembered from some time ago—was it from a dream, or was she awake here at some point before? The room was entirely made of stone, and had one tall, arched window, through which she could see the night sky, and the enormous full moon, its light pouring in.

She sat on the edge of her bed and rubbed her forehead, trying to remember. As she did, she was struck by a horrible pain in her side. She reached down, and felt the scab of a wound. She tried to remember what it was from. Had someone attacked her?

Caitlin thought hard, and slowly, but surely, the details flooded back. Boston. The Freedom Trail. The King’s Chapel. The sword. Then…being attacked. Then…

Caleb. He had been there, looking down at her. She had felt her world slipping away, and she had asked him. Turn me, she had pleaded.…

Caitlin raised her hands and felt the two marks on the side of her throat, and she knew that he had listened.

That explained everything. Caitlin stood with a start, with the realization. She had been turned. She had been taken somewhere, probably for recovery, probably under Caleb’s watchful gaze. She tested her arms and legs, twisted her neck, tested her body….

She felt different, that was for sure. She was not herself anymore. She felt unlimited strength coursing through her. A desire to run, to sprint, to break through walls, to leap into the air. She also felt something else: two slight bulges on her back, behind her shoulder blades. Very subtle, but she knew they were there. Wings. She knew, she felt, that if she wanted to fly, they would open up for her.

Caitlin fell intoxicated by her newfound strength. She wanted desperately to test it. She felt so cooped up—she had no idea how long she had been here—and she wanted to see what this new life could be like. She also felt something else that was new: a sense of recklessness. A sense that she could not die. That she could make stupid mistakes, that she had infinite lives to play with. She wanted to push things to the edge.

Caitlin turned and looked out the window, at the night sky. The window was shaped in a wide arch, with no glass, and was open to the elements. The sort of thing one might see in an old, medieval cloister.

In the past, the old, human Caitlin would have hesitated, would have thought about what she was about to do, would have second-guessed herself. But the re-born Caitlin felt no hesitation. Practically the second after she thought it, she took off at a sprint, right for it.

With just a few short strides, Caitlin jumped up onto the window sill and dove out into the open air.

Some part of her, some instinct, told her that once she was airborne, her wings would sprout. If she were wrong, it would mean a serious plummet, hundreds of feet down to the earth. But the re-born Caitlin didn’t feel as if she could ever be wrong.

And she wasn’t. As Caitlin leapt out into the night, her wings sprouted out from behind her shoulder blades, and she felt the exhilarating thrill of flying, of gliding through the air. She was delighted to feel how wide and long her wings were, thrilled to feel the fresh, night air washing over her face, hair, and body. It was nighttime, but the moon was so full and so big, it lit up the night almost as if it were day.

Caitlin looked down and was afforded a bird’s-eye view. She had sensed water, and she had been right. She was on an island. All around her, in every direction, there stretched a huge, beautiful river, its waters very still and lit up by the moonlight. It was the widest river she had ever seen. And there, in the middle of it, was the tiny island on which she’d slept. A small island, hardly more than a few dozen acres, one end of it was dominated by a crumbling, Scottish castle, half in ruin. The rest of the island was completely consumed by a thick forest.

As Caitlin flew in the air, up and down on the wind currents, turning and swooping and diving, she circled the island again. The castle was huge, magnificent. Parts of it were crumbling, but other parts, those hidden from outside view, in the interior, were perfectly intact. There were inner courtyards and outer courtyards, ramparts, turrets, winding staircases, and acres and acres of gardens. It was large enough to hold a small army.

As she dove, she saw that the interior of the castle was lit with torches. And there were people milling about. Vampires? Her senses told her that they were. Her own kind. They were walking about, interacting with each other. Some them were training, sword fighting, playing games. The island was abuzz with activity. Who were these people? Why was she here? Had they taken her in?

As Caitlin finished her circle, she saw the room she had leapt from. She had been staying at the top of the highest tower, opening up onto a huge rampart, a wide, open terrace. On it, there stood a single, lone vampire. Caitlin did not have to fly any closer to know who that vampire was. She knew it already, in her very heart and soul. His blood now ran through her, and she loved him with all her heart. And now that he’d turned her, she loved him with something even more than love. She knew, even from this far distance, that the loan figure pacing outside her room was Caleb.

Her heart soared at the sight of him. He was here. He was really here. Standing there, waiting, right outside her room. He must have been waiting for her to recover. All this time.

Who knew how much time had passed? He had never left her side. Even with all that had happened, all that was going on now. She loved him more than she could say. And now, they would be together for eternity.

He stood there, leaning over the ramparts, looking down at the river, looking both concerned and sad.

Caitlin dove right towards him, hoping to surprise him, to impress him with her newfound skill.

Caleb looked up, shocked, and his face lit with joy.

But as Caitlin came in for a landing, something suddenly went wrong. She felt herself losing her balance, losing coordination. She felt as if she were coming in too fast, and she couldn’t correct it in time. As she came in over the ramparts, she scraped her knee on the stone and landed too hard, taking a hard role on the stone.

“Caitlin!” Caleb exclaimed, running over to her.

Caitlin lay on the hard stone, feeling a new aching pain running up her leg. She was fine. If she had been the old Caitlin, merely a human, she would have broken several bones. But as this new Caitlin, she knew she would bounce back, recover from it quickly, within minutes probably.

But she was embarrassed. She had wanted to surprise and impress Caleb. Now she looked like an idiot.

“Caitlin?” he asked again, kneeling by her side, laying a hand of her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

She looked at him, grinning sheepishly.

“Some way to impress you,” she said, feeling like a fool.

He ran a hand along the side of her leg, checking her injury.

“I’m not human anymore,” she snapped. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

She immediately regretted her words, and her tone. It had come out like an accusation, almost as if she regretted being turned. And she hadn’t meant to take a harsh tone. On the contrary, she loved his touch, loved the fact that he was still so protective. She had wanted to thank him, to say all this and more, but as usual, she screwed it up, and said exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time.

What a terrible first impression as the new Caitlin. She still just couldn’t keep her mouth shut. Clearly, some things never changed, even with immortality.

She sat up, and was about to lay her hand on his shoulder and apologize, when suddenly, she heard a whining noise, and felt a furry cloud in her face. She leaned back, and realized what it was.

Rose. Her wolf pup, Rose leapt into Caitlin’s arms. Rose was whining with excitement, and licking Caitlin all over her face. Caitlin couldn’t help but break out laughing. She gave Rose a hug, and pulled her back and looked at her.

Still a pup, Rose had already grown, and was bigger than Caitlin remembered. Caitlin thought, and recalled when she last saw Rose, in the King’s Chapel, lying on the floor, bleeding, shot by Samantha. She had been sure Rose was dead.

“She pulled through,” Caleb said, reading her mind, as always. “She’s tough. Like her mother,” he added with a smile.

Caleb must have been watching over them both all this time.

“How long have I been out?” Caitlin asked.

“One week,” Caleb said.

One week, Caitlin thought. Incredible.

She felt like she’d been out for years. She felt like she’d died and returned to life, but in a new form. She felt washed clean, as if she were starting life again with a blank slate.

But as she remembered all the events that were transpiring, she realized that the passing of one week was also an eternity. They had stolen the Sword. And her brother, Sam, kidnapped. An entire week had gone by. Why hadn’t Caleb gone after them? Every minute counted.

Caleb got to his feet, and so did Caitlin. She stood opposite him, looking up into his eyes. Her heart started beating. She didn’t know what to do. What was the protocol, the etiquette, now that they were both true vampires? Now that he was the one who had turned her? Were they together? Did he love her just as much now that she was of his race? Now that they’d be together forever?

She felt more nervous, like there was more at stake, than ever before.

She reached up and gently lay a hand on his cheek.

He looked down into her eyes, and his eyes shone in the moonlight.

“Thank you,” she said, softly.

She had wanted to say, I love you, but it hadn’t come out right. She had wanted to ask: will you be with me forever? Do you still love me?

But despite everything, despite all of her newfound powers, she didn’t have the courage to say that. She could have at least said, Thank you for saving me, or, Thank you for watching over me, or Thank you for being here. She knew how much he had given up to be here, how much he had sacrificed. But all she could manage was, Thank you.

He slowly smiled, reached up with one hand, and gently pulled the hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. He then ran the back of his hand, so smooth, over her face, studying her.

She wondered what he was thinking. Was he about to express his love for her forever? Would he kiss her?

She felt that he was about to, and suddenly she got nervous. Nervous for what their new life would be like. Nervous for what would happen if it didn’t work out. So instead of savoring the moment, she had to go ahead and ruin it, open her big fat mouth when all she wanted to do was keep it shut.

“What happened to the Sword?” she asked.

His facial expression changed completely. It transformed from a look of love, of passion, to troubling concern. She saw it happening instantly, like a dark cloud passing over a summer sky.

He turned and took several steps towards the edge of the stone ramparts, his back to her, and looked out at the river.

You’re such an idiot, she thought to herself. Why did you have to say anything? Why couldn’t you just let him kiss you?

She cared about the Sword, that was true, but not nearly as much as she cared about him. About them, as a couple. But she had ruined the moment.

“I’m afraid the Sword is gone,” Caleb said softly, his back to her, looking out. “It was stolen from us. By Samantha, then Kyle. They caught us by surprise. I did not anticipate their being there. I should have.”

Caitlin walked to him, standing by his side and gently reaching up and placing a hand on his shoulder. She hoped that maybe she could change the mood again.

“Are your people all right?” she asked.

He turned and looked at her, even more troubled than before.

“No,” he said flatly. “My coven is in grave danger. And every minute I’m away, the danger grows.”

Caitlin thought.

“Then why haven’t you gone to them?” she asked.

But she already knew the answer, even before he said it.

“I could not leave you,” he said. “I had to see that you were all right.”

Was that all? Caitlin thought. Did he only care about seeing that she was all right? And as soon as she was, was he going to just leave?

On the one hand, Caitlin felt a surge of love for him, knowing what he’d sacrificed. But on the other hand, she wondered if he only cared about her physical well-being? Not about them as a couple?

“So…” Caitlin began, “now that you see that I’m all right…are you going to just leave?”

It had come out too harsh. What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she be more kind, more gentle, as he had been? She certainly didn’t mean it. It just came out all wrong. What she had wanted to say was, Please, don’t ever leave me.

“Caitlin,” he began softly, “I want you to understand. My family, my people, my coven—they are in grave danger. The Sword is out there, and it is in the wrong hands. I need to get back to them. I need to save them. In truth, I should have left a week ago…and now that I see that you are recovered, well…it is not that I want to leave you. It is that I must save my family,” he said softly.

“I could come with you,” Caitlin responded, hopeful. “I could help.”

“You are not fully recovered,” he said. “That crash landing was not an accident. It takes any vampire some time to fully come into her own powers. And in your case, you also suffered a terrible injury from the Sword. That may take days, or weeks, to heal. If you came, you could injure yourself. The battlefield is no place for you right now. They will train you here. That is why I brought you.”

Caleb turned and crossed the terrace, leading her, and they looked down at the courtyard.

There, far below, were dozens of vampires, lit up under the torchlight, sparring, jousting and wrestling with each other.

“This small island holds one of the finest covens there is,” Caleb said. “They have agreed to take you in. They will teach you. They will train you. They will make you stronger. And then, when your powers are fully developed, when you are fully healed, I would be honored to have you fight beside me. Until then, I’m afraid I cannot let you. The war I am heading into will be very dangerous. Even for a vampire.”

Caitlin’s brow furrowed. She’d been afraid he’d say something like that.

“But what if you don’t come back?” she asked.

“If I am alive, I will return for you. I promise.”

“But what if you don’t live?” Caitlin asked, almost too afraid to utter the words.

Caleb turned and looked out at the horizon, and breathed deeply. He stared out at the clouds, and did not say a word.

Now was Caitlin’s chance. She desperately wanted to change the subject. He was determined to leave, she could see that, and nothing was going to stop him. And it was clear that he could not bring her. She felt a wave of exhaustion, and she knew that he was right: she was not ready to fight. She needed to heal.

She didn’t want to waste any more time trying to stop him. And she didn’t want to talk anymore about vampires, wars, or swords. She wanted to use their precious remaining time to talk about them. Caitlin and Caleb. Them as a couple. Their future. Their love for each other. Their commitment to each other. Where, exactly, did they stand?

More importantly, she realized, throughout all their time together, since she’d first met him, she’s always just taken him for granted. She had never stopped to take a moment, to look into his eyes and tell him exactly how deeply she felt for him. She was a woman now, and she felt it was time for her to step up and act mature, act like a woman. To tell him what she really felt for him. She needed him to know. Maybe he sensed it, sensed how much she loved him, but she had never uttered the words. Caleb, I love you. I’ve loved you from the second I met you. I will always love you.

Caitlin’s heart was pounding, more terrified for this than she had been for anything thus far. Trembling, she reached up a hand, and gently placed it on his cheek.

He slowly turned towards her.

She was ready, finally, to tell him what she thought.

But as she tried, the words got stuck in her throat.

At the same time, he suddenly looked at her with a flash of concern, and opened his mouth to speak.

“Caitlin, there is something I need to tell you—” he began.

But he never had a chance to finish his sentence.

There was suddenly the sound of a door opening, and Caitlin sensed immediately that the two of them were no longer alone.

They both spun towards the noise, and looked to see who it was.

It was a person. A vampire. A beautiful, incredible creature, taller, thinner, better built than Caitlin. With long, flowing red hair and bright green eyes.

As Caitlin realized who it was, her heart plummeted.

No. It couldn’t be.

It was her. Sera. Caleb’s ex-wife.

Caitlin had met her only once, briefly, at the Cloisters. But she had never forgotten her.

Sera walked towards them with the elegance of a creature who had been on this planet for thousands of years. Confident. Without slowing, her eyes on Caitlin all the while, she walked up beside Caleb.

She reached up a single, pale, beautiful hand, and slowly draped it around Caleb shoulder. She looked down at Caitlin with utter contempt.

“Caleb?” she said softly, a sinister smile across her face. “Didn’t you tell her about us?”

And with those few words, Caitlin felt as if a knife had been plunged into her heart.