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CHAPTER TWELVE
Last Updated:
2023-01-12 15:54:24
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Fated (Book #11 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Scarlet sat in the back of the small rowboat, rocking in the strong currents of the Hudson River, and wrapped her sweater tighter about her shoulders to ward off the cold breeze coming off the water. She had forgotten how cold the Hudson could be in November; she had also forgotten how strong the tides could be, and she braced herself against the spray, almost like waves in an ocean.There were too many people crammed in—Maria, Jasmine and Becca, Blake who was rowing, and a couple of his friends—and Scarlet looked out, shivering, not trusting this creaking, weathered boat, and was grateful to see that Bannerman’s Island was fast approaching, hardly thirty yards away.Scarlet had mixed feelings about coming here. She remembered times in the past when she used to love to come to Bannerman’s, a small, abandoned island in the middle of the Hudson, with its huge crumbling ruin of a castle, a relic of a former time, long abandoned, structurally unsound, overgrown with vines. In fact, the w
Last Updated : 2023-01-12Fated (Book #11 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Caitlin walked quickly across the Yale University campus, clutching her coat, which was too light for this weather, around her shoulders as a stiff breeze whipped through. It was already the coldest November she’d ever felt, and Caitlin felt chilled to the bone as she marched across campus, keeping her head down, trying to shield herself from the wind as she fought her way toward the Sterling Memorial Library. Caitlin glanced up at it, a massive Gothic building looking like a medieval church rising up into the sky, dominating the campus, and she felt as if she were approaching another era. This building was so out of context here, in this modern university, in this modern city, like a portal to another time and place.It was only fitting, she thought, that it should house some of the rarest books in existence, the most precious and obscure volumes on where the supernatural intersected with scholarship.It was the intersection that Caitlin was interested in. She did not want to go to
Last Updated : 2023-01-12Fated (Book #11 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Scarlet looked up into the black starry night, elated, her heart soaring with joy as she saw Sage flying down, descending right for her. At first she was sure it was a trick of her eyes, a hopeful dream. But as Sage got closer, she saw his beautiful eyes glistening under the light of the moon, and she knew it was true. It was really him.Scarlet’s eyes welled with tears as he landed before her, stepped forward, and wordlessly embraced her, holding her so tight, his black leather pants crinkling. She held him tight, too, not wanting to let him go, ever, She felt her tears pour down her cheek, overwhelmed with gratitude that he was alive, that he had come back for her.“What are you doing here?” she asked over his shoulder.“I came for you,” he replied.The sound of his voice reassured her immediately, a sound she could never forget. It was really him, here in the flesh. She clung to him, feeling as if she were holding onto the cornerstone of her world, the only thing left to make he
Last Updated : 2023-01-12Fated (Book #11 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Caleb walked into the local police station, Sam by his side, grim-faced as he thought of the business that lay before him. He was determined to confront that predator Kyle, the man who had tried to harm his daughter. He needed to look him in the eye, to know if all of this was nonsense, or if Scarlet had, indeed, truly turned Kyle into a vampire.Deep down, Caleb didn’t want to believe any of this; he still wanted to believe he was living out some horrible nightmare, that everyone was just making some awful mistake. He wanted to discover that Aiden didn’t know what he was talking about, that Scarlet was not truly a vampire, and that she had returned home and all was well. He just wanted everything to go back to the way it had been. They had all been so happy as a family once, everything so perfect in their lives. He had loved Scarlet, and she had loved him. How had it all gone so wrong so quickly?Caleb could not wait to look Kyle in the eye, to hear what he had to say about his daug
Last Updated : 2023-01-12Fated (Book #11 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Caitlin sat on the floor between the stacks in the dark, silent library, bleary-eyed, her back against the metal frame and every muscle in her body aching as she hunched over a stack of books in her lap. It had been a marathon of reading, and books were strewn everywhere, as if an avalanche of them had fallen down upon her. Her eyes were blurry and she rubbed them again, determined to keep going.Caitlin read beneath the dim emergency light, as she had been for hours, ever since the library had closed and its lights had shut down. She was grateful that she had not been detected, and she was determined to make the most of it, tearing through volumes, devouring them from the second the doors to the main library finally slammed close.Caitlin had had a long and lonely night, squinting through book after book, searching for any clues, anything she could find. She waded through volumes on lost cities, lost races, lost civilizations, reading the most fantastical things, most of it legend,
Last Updated : 2023-01-12Fated (Book #11 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Kyle marched up the steps to the local high school, squinting in the sun, not knowing why it was hurting his head so much as he approached the front doors. He felt stronger than ever, yet also pained by the sun, eager to get inside. He bounded up the steps, taking them ten at a time, shocked at his speed and strength. In just three steps, he reached the top, and he stood there before the astonished security guard.“Sorry, school’s in session,” the guard snapped. “Are you a parent?”Kyle looked him up and down. The guard was a huge man, at least six-five, nearly as wide as Kyle, with a square jaw and a belligerent look on his face.Kyle shook his head.“Do I look like a parent to you?” Kyle retorted.Kyle walked past him, heading for the doors, and he felt a beefy palm on his shoulder, stopping him.“Don’t touch that door,” the man said. “You don’t get in without a pass.”The guard shoved Kyle, sending him stumbling back a foot, and Kyle, enraged, suddenly lunged forward and tack
Last Updated : 2023-01-12Fated (Book #11 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER NINETEEN
Sage flew with Scarlet into the breaking dawn, high over the Hudson, the world spread out before them in shades of purples and pinks, and even though he knew he was dying, Sage felt that everything was perfect in the world. He loved the feel of Scarlet on his back, her arms wrapped around his chest as they flew. He loved that the two of them could enjoy the breaking dawn together, looking down at the river, the trees, and the rolling hills, the entire world alight with fall. The leaves shone a thousand different colors, reds and oranges and yellows, twirling in the wind, falling to the Hudson, lining the waters as they floated down the current, making the river seem alive with a rainbow.They flew and flew, following the contours of the Hudson, passing over a bridge, and Sage felt so excited to be with her, and to be bringing her to his great surprise. He could feel her excitement, and it made him all the happier.Sage thought back to their time together the night before, the most ma
Last Updated : 2023-01-12Fated (Book #11 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER TWENTY
Maria walked home down the familiar streets of town in the late afternoon, her friends Becca and Jasmine by her side, still wearing her jersey and shin guards, black paint beneath her eyes, her hair frazzled from the soccer match. She fumed, reliving the soccer game in her head, still annoyed that her coach had sidelined her so late in the game, especially after she’d scored a goal. She knew she was being aggressive, and maybe she had crossed the line when she kicked the other girl in the shin. But still, she knew she was the best player on the team, and the coach shouldn’t have sidelined her for that.Maria usually was a clean player, but she had been so frustrated as of late, she had begun playing dirty, tripping and kicking the other girls. It was just a matter of time until she was sidelined, she knew, but still, she was mad that it had happened today, when she was playing so well.As Maria walked, she thought about it, and she realized she didn’t know why she had been so angry l
Last Updated : 2023-01-12
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Fated (Book #11 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
Scarlet flew through the cold night air, racing along the Saint Lawrence River, heading north, upstate, into colder and colder territory. She wiped away her tears, and for the first time, felt a fresh sense of determination. For the first time, she felt emboldened, felt a purpose: to save Sage’s life. She was elated to realize that Sage was not dead, that he did not abandon her, that he was alive and wanted to be with her. That was all she needed to know. She would go to the ends of the earth for him, do anything for him, even give up her own soul.Which was exactly what she was prepared to do. She knew it was a trap, that she would be flying straight into the lion’s den. She knew that Lore had taken his cousin for a reason, that all of them were awaiting her arrival. That her death would be the key for them all to live forever.And she didn’t care. She closed her eyes and saw Sage’s face, and as long she could see his face, as long as she could rescue him from whatever danger he w
Fated (Book #11 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
Caleb drove like a madman on Route 9 and checked his rearview to see a dozen police cruisers trailing him. They were gaining fast, and he didn’t know how much longer he could shake them.“We’re not going to outrun them,” Caitlin said. “Should we pull over?”Caleb shook his head.“Too late for that,” he said. “They’ll throw us in jail. We’ll never save Scarlet. Not in time.”“But Scarlet’s upstate. It’s a ten-hour drive—we’ll never make it in time.”Caleb drove on, his mind racing with a million thoughts. He knew she was right. He knew the police would catch up to them soon enough. He knew they could not travel all the way upstate in this pickup. More than anything, he knew that they needed to rescue Scarlet. Nothing else mattered.As Caleb drove in desperation, racking his brain for what they could do, suddenly they passed a sign lit up in the night, going almost a hundred miles an hour, and he had an idea. Duchess Air Force Base. It made Caleb think of work. His fighter jets.C
Fated (Book #11 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
Kyle landed outside the tall stone gates heralding a long, tree-lined cobblestone driveway that wound its way longer than any driveway ever should, up to a massive private mansion. Kyle could have landed inside the gates—he could have landed right on the roof of the mansion if he’d wanted. But instead, he had flown over it, scouting it out from above, seeing the sprawling acres, the huge historic structure, the swimming pool and tennis court, the ancient oak trees, the sculpture scattered on the lawn, and he had felt sick from it. It was more than any one man should be entitled to. Much less this bratty little girl, Scarlet’s best friend.Vivian.Kyle thought it would be fun to land before the gates, to take his time walking up to the house and enjoying himself. After all, it was a beautiful fall day, and it would be a nice long walk up the driveway. He hoped he could even let them see him approaching, and strike terror and fear into their hearts. He smiled at the thought. Nothing wo
Fated (Book #11 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
Caitlin sat in the passenger seat, holding onto the handle, as Caleb made a hard turn onto their street and pulled up to their house, screeching to a stop before it. Caitlin leaned forward and craned her neck, peering into their lit-up house, hoping beyond hope that Scarlet had returned.It had been a whirlwind of a drive ever since the train station, where Caleb had picked her up. Caitlin had been speechless as Caleb, all bruised up, had filled her in on all that had happened with Kyle, with his escape, with the shooting in the high school and how lucky he was to be alive. Caitlin was both horrified and grateful that Caleb had not been killed. She had warned him to stay away from Kyle until she had discovered the weapon they needed—if she ever discovered it. He had not listened; she’d had a feeling that he would not.Caitlin had filled him in, too, on her research, on the clues she had discovered, and on where she felt they needed to go next to solve this. Caleb had listened with ra
Fated (Book #11 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
Sage felt a burning pain in his arms and legs as he struggled against the Askelon shackles, to no use. He hung there, on the huge Askelon cross, his arms bound on either side of them, his legs tied below, and looked out and saw thousands of his kind, more of his people than he’d ever seen gathered in one place, all swarming around the grand hall in Boldt Castle. It was an immense hall, hundreds of feet high, shaped in an arch, and they swarmed about in agitated chaos, some of them buzzing through the air, others pacing the ground, while Sage hung there, in the center, an object of display and scorn.Sage felt so weak; he had been dragged from his recharging station before he’d had a chance to recover, and he felt himself dying. He knew his time had come. His only regret was that he wanted more time with Scarlet, or at least a chance to say goodbye. He thought of her showing up at their meeting place, and his not being there, and it broke his heart. He could only imagine how hurt she h
Fated (Book #11 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
Caleb drove faster as he pulled into the gates of Scarlet’s high school andspotted commotion up ahead. He rode in his pickup, Sam by his side, determined to come here on the off chance that Kyle had come here looking for Scarlet.But Caleb had never expected to see the sight before him. There was chaos in the parking lot, kids screaming, running and racing down the steps, and as Caleb gained speed, his heart pounding, he realized something here was very, very wrong. It looked like a FEMA disaster scene.The front doors of the high school were torn off their hinges, broken glass was everywhere, and kids screamed as they fled from the school, pouring down the steps out to the parking lot, clearly running for safety. Caleb had a sinking premonition as he watched the whole scene that it all had something to do with Scarlet. And something to do with Kyle.“Get ready,” Caleb said, tensing up. “He’s here.”Sam reached into the glove, took out two pistols, locked and loaded them, and place
Fated (Book #11 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Scarlet stood at the edge of the Hudson River as the sun began to set, standing inside the old, abandoned ruin of the gazebo, their destined meeting place, a place they had both been to before. In this lonely, desolate area hidden by trees, on the edge of the shores, was a private place that only Scarlet and Sage knew about, a place they could mistake for no other. She had been looking forward to meeting him here with such excitement, looking forward to their next time together more than she could say.Yet now Scarlet cried as she stood there, looking out at the river, watching the sun set, hardly able to comprehend that she was standing here alone. Sage had promised he would meet her here by four o’clock. Now it was after five.Sage’s ominous last words rang in her head: If I’m not there by four, you can be sure that I’m dead. I would never leave you. I would never abandon you.Scarlet wept and wept. She had been standing there for an over an hour. Obviously Sage had not made it ba
Fated (Book #11 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Caitlin sat in the Beinecke Rare Book Library on the Yale campus, hunched over the Voynich manuscript, a librarian standing discreetly over her shoulder, hands clasped, waiting, watching over her. Caitlin reached out, latex gloves on, and studied the book, fingering each page gently.Caitlin had been grateful that they had allowed her, after she’d displayed her scholars’ credentials from Columbia, to examine the book. The librarian had taken her to a private table in a private room, here in this special branch of the Yale library, and had set it down before her, allowing her to peruse it under her careful watch.Caitlin sat there, exhausted, her heart thumping wildly, sensing that this book held a great secret, that the key to finding out what happened to the lost vampire race lay here, in this manuscript. Caitlin could not just show up in Egypt at the Sphinx and hope to enter. There would be guards and no obvious way to get in, if an entrance even existed. She needed to know more. S
Fated (Book #11 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
Lore raced through the air, following the Hudson, heading toward where he knew Sage must be. There was only one place Sage could be if he wasn’t at Scarlet’s side: the recharging stone. Of course Sage would go there. It made perfect sense. Sage, the stupid romantic that he was, refused to feed on humans, to suck out their energy, and he would be weaker than the others of their kind. He would need energy, especially with them all dying, and especially if he wanted to spend his last days with Scarlet before he died. The recharging stone would be the only place that could give him enough energy without a human feed. It would buy him a few more days, and Lore shook his head in disgust as he thought about it. Sage was a stupid romantic. He had always been weak. And now it would be his downfall.Lore flew along the shores, delighted with himself for manipulating Maria the way he had. Now, finally, he could execute his plan. His real plan, of course, was to live forever. To do that, he nee
