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CHAPTER SIXTEEN
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Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Caitlin stood beside Caleb, at the base of the Mount of Olives, her heart breaking inside. She had just completed her training and she knew it was time to say goodbye to Caleb.They had to part ways; there was no way around it. Aiden had made it clear that she was needed out there, on the search for her Dad, and that Caleb was needed here, to stay and defend the coven, with Aiden. There was nothing Caitlin wanted less than to have to part ways with him. She wanted him to join her, especially now, on the final leg of her search for her father, for their daughter. She hated her destiny. Why couldn’t they just stay together, live their lives together in peace? Why were they always destined to be torn apart?As she stood there, looking into Caleb’s eyes, she could see that there was nothing that he wanted more, too. But they were both dutiful warriors. They were both loyal to a fault, and they both knew where they were needed. They would not let others down. And they both knew that if Ca
Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Scarlet stood there in disbelief, watching as the old man held the vampire shield high above his head, the ground beneath her quaking. She watched as he transformed, became younger, stronger. Rays of light continued to shoot out from the shield, completely filling the room, and the other vampires continued to bow low to the ground, shielding their eyes from the intense light. She too, had to turn away, so much light filled the room. Beside her, Ruth whined.She managed to peek a glance, and as she did, she was confused by what she saw: shadows, then shapes, seemed to pour out from the shield. At first she thought maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her, but as she looked closely, she realized they weren’t. It looked like spirits were flying out of the shield, forming in the light. At first, they took the nebulous form of shadows; but then they hardened, turned into shapes. And within moments, these shapes transformed into people.Vampires.Scarlet was even more surprised to see th
Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER NINETEEN
Caitlin flew as fast as her wings would take her, racing towards Jerusalem. She held in her mind that it still was possible to find her Dad, to find Scarlet, find the Shield, and to get back in time to help Caleb, Aiden and the others. She wiped away her tears, and tried to brush the negative thoughts out of her mind. She insisted on holding in her mind that all would be well. She flew even faster, determined to defy fate, determined to make everything okay.Caitlin flew so fast, she barely even noticed the land of Israel below her, the rolling hills, beautiful in the morning light, barely even noticed the topography changing from mountains to valley to city. In fact, it wasn’t until she was flying directly over Jerusalem that she was shaken out of her reverie. She looked down, and was taken aback by the site.The city of Jerusalem, sprawled out below, was the most magnificent sight Caitlin had ever seen. She had been to extraordinary cities and countries in her lifetime, all through
Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER TWENTY
Scarlet stood with Ruth at the end of the dead end, bracing herself for instant death. She looked up at the dark figure flying down towards her, saw it raise a weapon, and hurl it down right at her. It looked like a long spear. She ducked, bracing herself, and figured this was what it felt like to die.Scarlet heard a noise of shattering metal, and braced herself for pain.But as she opened her eyes, she was unhurt. She realized the noise she heard was the sound of her silver chains breaking. She realized that the weapon had been thrown to free her. And as the vampire landed before her, she realized it was not an adversary. It was a friend. Someone she recognized. Someone she remembered from her time in Scotland. Someone who had saved her life once before.It was the man that Mommy once loved.It was Blake.*Blake reached down and undid Scarlet’s chains without hesitating. He undid Ruth’s muzzle, and she jumped on him, licking him, remembering him, too.“There’s no time,” he sa
Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
Caitlin stood there, inside the holy chamber of the holy Temple, staring down at the floor. She could not believe what had just happened. As she inserted the golden staff, a secret opening in the floor slowly slid back, revealing a staircase, descending down beneath the ground. A golden light radiated down below, shining up the steps, and it looked as if it were a stairway descending down into heaven itself.The pounding continued at the door, dozens of soldiers trying to knock it down, and Caitlin knew she had no time to lose. She hurried over and descended through the narrow opening, down the steps, towards the light. As she did, she felt the four keys burning in her pocket, and felt certain that this would lead her to her Dad.Caitlin hurried down the winding, golden steps, deep beneath the holy Temple, and found herself inside a tunnel system, shining with light. She could hardly believe it: the walls and the floors were completely lined with gold. It was the most opulent place s
Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Caleb stood there, at the base of the Mount of Olives, watching the sky. He had been unable to look away ever since Caitlin had left. Secretly, he hoped she would come back. But he knew she couldn’t.He felt a tightness in his chest, a sadness, and found it hard to breathe. He didn’t know why, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her, couldn’t stop feeling as if it might be the last time he ever saw her. He thought back to all the times they had been together, to all the centuries, to his proposal, to their wedding. She was his life. She meant more to him than anything on this earth. And to watch her go, to fly away like that, broke his heart. He knew, rationally, that she should return. But deep down inside, somehow he felt that she never would.So Caleb stood there, watching, hoping—and as he did, he began to feel something else: he began to sense a great disturbance in the universe. He had felt disturbances before, throughout the centuries, in his battles with Kyle, against the Bla
Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Caitlin stood in the midst of the thick crowd, staring up at the Eastern gate, the sun glaring behind it. She had to squint, and for a moment, she wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her. There was also such light radiating off the man coming through that it was hard for Caitlin to see where the sun ended and the man began.Caitlin watched as the man, seated on a donkey, rode in through the Eastern gate. The animal ambled through the thick masses, as all around him swarmed dozens of followers, dressed in long, flowing white robes. The man himself wore a long, white robe and hood, which was lowered, exposing his face to the crowd. He had light brown hair going down to his cheekbones, and a short brown beard. His eyes were large and hazel, and they radiated light, like two glowing marbles. In fact, there was such light radiating off of him that Caitlin had to squint. He had such an aura of peace, she could immediately sense he was different. This was no ordinary person.Caitlin
Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
Caitlin stood there, staring at Blake and Scarlet, speechless. Her heart soared at the site of them. Her eyes locked on Scarlet’s, and at the same moment, they ran for each other. Scarlet’s face lit up with joy, and beside her, Ruth, elated, ran to her, too.Caitlin picked Scarlet up in her arms and hugged her with all she had. She could feel Scarlet’s little hands hugging her back, squeezing tightly.Caitlin felt hot tears streaming down her cheeks, felt Scarlet’s tears on her own neck. She felt whole again. As if a piece of her had been returned. Her daughter was alive. And she was here, with her, back in this time and place. Safe.“Mommy mommy! I missed you so much,” Scarlet said, through her tears. Caitlin hugged her, never wanting to let her go.“I know, sweetheart. I missed you, too.”Ruth barked and whined, jumping on Caitlin; Caitlin knelt down, and she licked her frantically all over her face.Scarlet watched and laughed hysterically. Caitlin was so happy to hear that la
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Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
The entire drive home, Caitlin was sick with worry. She felt there was no rational person left in the universe. She had thought that driving into the city and speaking to Aiden would calm her, would make her return home feeling better, with everything explained and back in its rational order.But he had just made everything a million times worse. Now she wished she’d never visited him—and more than anything, she wished she’d never gone to the attic. She wished she’d never had that dream, and had never seen that journal. She wished she could just make it all go away.Just yesterday, everything was perfect in her life; now, she felt that everything was upside down. She almost felt that, by going to the attic, and opening that box, opening that book, she unleashed something horrible into the universe. Something that was meant to be kept locked away.A part of her still told her that all of this was ridiculous. Maybe Aiden had lost touch with reality after all these years of teaching. M
Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
Caitlin’s hands trembled as she drove. Her hands hadn’t stopped shaking since she’d put down her journal hours before. She’d read every page, then started over, and read it all over again. It was like watching her life flash before her eyes. It was like reading about a life that had been kept secret from her, a life she’d always suspected she’d had, but was afraid to believe was possible. It was like holding a piece of herself she never knew existed.It excited and terrified her at the same time. She no longer knew what was real and what was imagined. The line was blurring so much, she wondered if she was losing her mind.Being a scholar, a rare book expert, she also analyzed and scrutinized the book itself, with an expert’s eye. She could tell, scientifically, objectively, that it was real. An ancient book. Thousands of years old. Older than any book she’d ever held. That in itself would have been enough to stump her. It didn’t make any sense. How was it possible? In her own attic?
Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
Rhinebeck, New York (Hudson Valley)Present dayCaitlin Paine hurried through her house as night began to fall, trying to get everything ready in time. It was almost six o’clock, and in moments, everyone would be here. She rushed through her oversized, old Victorian house, floorboards creaking as she hurried from room to room, tidying. She wanted everything to be perfect for tonight.Caitlin hurried into her kitchen, grabbed the cake plate she’d been hiding, and carried it through the double doors. As she did, Ruth, her large Husky, followed at her heels, sniffing the cake and wagging her tail. Caitlin set it down in the center of the dining table, hoping her daughter, Scarlet, hadn’t seen it yet. After all, tonight was Scarlet’s big 16th birthday, and even though it was a weeknight, Caitlin had a special surprise in store.Caitlin had been looking forward to this all week. She’d tricked Scarlet into thinking they weren’t going to celebrate until the weekend, and had secretly
Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
Caitlin looked up at Jesus, unable to speak, unable to breathe. It was beyond what she could process. Yet at that moment, she knew it to be true.Jesus was her father.All this time, he had been the one she had been searching for.Your guide will appear at the Eastern gate.It was Jesus. He was her guide.And he was also her father.A feeling raced through Caitlin, a feeling unlike any she had ever had. It was a feeling of being special. A feeling of belonging. A feeling of pride. In her father, in herself. She was special. Her lineage was special. Beyond special.Caitlin could hardly even conceive what it all meant.She burst into action. After all, this was her father here, nailed to a cross, and she couldn’t stand to see him suffer. She jumped up, and took out the four keys, already knowing they would each be a perfect fit. As she inserted each key, the earth shook and the skies thundered. It felt like an earthquake, as lightning bolts came down all across Jerusalem. It was
Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
As Caitlin flew away from the Mount of Olives, Scarlet on her back, holding Ruth, her heart was breaking in a million pieces. She was so overwhelmed, she hardly knew what to think. Down below, she was leaving Caleb, her husband, dead. Blake, dead. Aiden, dead. And her brother, Sam, alone to fight that army. He had finally come back to her, had become the brother she once knew. Her heart had soared to see him come back to himself. And abandoning him now, like this—after she had vowed to never abandon anyone again—was the most painful of all. But at the same time, his remaining down there, fighting that army, was enabling her to flee, to search for their Dad—who, Aiden had said all along, was their last hope for salvation. Still, despite everything, she wished that Sam, the last familiar face in the world, could join her, could come with her to find their Dad together.Caitlin recalled Aiden’s words, centuries ago: she was the chosen one. Finding her Dad was her destiny, and her desti
Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
“Sam!” screamed a voice.Sam suddenly stopped, hypnotized by the voice, his sword frozen in mid-air.“SAM!” screamed the voice again.Sam turned and looked, and Caitlin saw who it was.Scarlet stood there, hands on her hips, red-faced, screaming at Sam.“Don’t you hurt her! That’s my mommy! What kind of brother are you?”Scarlet stepped forward, fearless, and positioned herself between Sam and Caitlin.Sam stared back, perplexed. He still held the sword, as if frozen.“It’s your job to protect her. Don’t you remember? IT’S YOUR JOB!”Sam blinked several times.“You promised to protect her. And me. What kind of brother are you?” Scarlet screamed, chastising him.There was something about the tone of Scarlet’s voice—something so honest and real—that it seemed to break through an invisible barrier, to reach Sam. It seemed to reach to the core, to break him out of a trance, to reach all the way to Sam himself, to the man who was once a brother, who was once an uncle.Slowly, Sa
Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER THIRTY
Caitlin faced off against Kyle, Rynd, Rexius, and his legion of vampires. As she stood there, she could feel the rage slowly overcome her. She hadn’t felt rage like this in she didn’t know how long. It was a deep, primal rage, and it overcame her like a storm. It was the rage of a creature with nothing left to live for. It was the most powerful thing she’d ever felt.Caitlin wanted vengeance. She needed vengeance. For Caleb. For Aiden. For Blake. For herself. Every ounce of her body geared up to fight this army. Her entire world turned red, and she knew that she needed to kill every last one of them.Caitlin leaned back and roared, the roar of a thousand dragons. The ground beneath her trembled, as her battle cry reached up to the very heavens.As the ground shook, she saw fear on the faces of Kyle and Rynd. They must have sensed that they were up against a changed person, against a person unlike any they had ever faced. This was the new Caitlin. The Caitlin who had completed her tr
Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
Caitlin raced through the air towards the Mount of Olives. She managed to put a good distance between herself and her pursuers, and wasn’t worried about them.What she was worried about was what she might find. She had a pit in her chest, a deepening sense of dread she could not shake, that something terrible had happened, that all the people she loved in the world were gone. She felt as if she were already an orphan in the universe.She thought back to Jesus’ words, and willed herself to be calm.Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to her life?Caitlin flew across the arid landscape of Israel, watching Jerusalem and the never-ending palm trees beneath her. She was drawn to this city, yet found herself hating it at the same time. This place was too intense for her, and she associated it with everything that had gone wrong in her life. She just wanted to get away—far, far away, with Caleb and Scarlet. Alone. Just the three of them. To a place where they could live out their
Found (Book #8 in the Vampire Journals) CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
Caitlin slowly opened her eyes, in excruciating pain. As the light hit her eyes, it felt like knives entering her forehead. She had to squint—even though it was dim in here, lit only by torches.She felt aches and pains all over her body and as she tried to move, she realized she was chained. She looked over and saw chains binding her hands and feet to a wall. She was standing upright, arms and legs outstretched, chained, her back against a cold stone wall, the cold metal digging into her wrists and ankles. She struggled against her shackles, and realized they were silver.She felt a huge welt forming on her cheek, and realized that was the spot where Sam must have hit her. The thought of that hurt her more than the lump. Sam. Her own brother. She could hardly conceive it. Had he so thoroughly turned to the dark side that he would attack even her?Apparently, he had. And that hurt her more than she could contemplate. Sam, she realized, was no longer her brother. Their relationship w
