The Caitlin Chronicles Boxed Set

by Michael Anderle

  She attacked Mary-Anne with everything she had and destroyed the few remaining Mad in the process, unaware of the slowly dying battle. Humans stood silently and watched in fear and awe. Weres tensed, ready for action, but waited for a command.

  The vampire’s scream was like nothing they had ever heard. She seemed utterly oblivious to everyone and everything else around her. Her eyes blazed like a forest fire, and her fangs gleamed and dribbled saliva in a trail behind her.

  Mary-Anne gulped and planted her feet firmly into the ground to prepare herself. As the woman careened at her, she took a simple sidestep, grabbed the vampire’s arm, and used all the momentum she could to swung her in a half-circle before she released her.

  The woman plowed backward and shrieked with rage as she attempted to slow herself. She realized as she turned back to Mary-Anne that she was surrounded by dozens of humans and Weres, all armed with blades and pistols. The great shape of Bryce loomed in front of her.

  And yet, she still smiled.

  “This is the end,” Caitlin said calmly. “You stop now. No discussion.”

  Felicia smiled. “Do you think you can stop my power? Have you not seen what I can do? This city will be mine, and it’ll be free and run like it should have been years ago.” She glared at the town’s leader.

  Alicia looked at her sister with pity. “Flick…what happened to you?”

  The vampire grinned maliciously. “You always thought you were better than me, didn’t you? You always felt you could run the city and leave me in your shadow. From the minute we arrived, I never stood a chance. I sat and watched all the shitty decisions you made. All the while, I wanted to flush the wolves out and claim this concrete shithole, but did you ever listen? No? It was always ‘No, what about the lives that may be lost?’ ‘It’s not worth the risk.’ Well, fuck that. Once today is over, the city can rebuild, and with it, we can be great again.”

  Felicia spread her arms out wide and turned slowly to address the gathered survivors.

  “If we follow the way I offer you, we can really be free. But first—”

  Her eyes grew dark as she zoned in on Mary-Anne.

  “First, we have to destroy the remaining Unknown. There’s only room for one supreme being, and that’s me.”

  “Talk about a superiority complex,” Caitlin said, which elicited a small chorus of laughter from the Revolutionaries.

  Felicia glared at her.

  “It’s what happens with baby vampires,” Mary-Anne called across the circle. The power goes straight to their head and they think they are invincible. I’ve babysat a few in my time, and they’re always the same.”

  “If you need a spare babysitter, I’d be happy to lend a hand,” Cynthia said and raised a hand. “I have experience in dealing with kids thanks to Geralt.”

  More laughter followed. The children Geralt had kidnapped were now a part of the crowd and stood with their respective parents.

  Felicia looked taken aback, clearly pissed off at the turn this had taken.

  Alicia took a tentative step into the circle. “Sis. What happened to you?”

  The vampire’s breathing increased in pace and she scowled. So much rage and angst rose up at the situation she was now in that it almost distracted her.

  “If the Mad won’t kill you all, I’ll do it my fucking self!”

  Caitlin sprinted into the center, followed by Bryce, Triston, Alicia, Mary-Anne, Kain, and Dylan. They blocked the vampire in like a caged rat. She flailed in all directions with no more sly tactics and fueled only by pure emotion.

  Her claws raked Bryce’s face, and he roared. Dylan stumbled back into the bodies of the crowd. Triston aimed his pistol, but a second later, it was smacked out of his hand and into the air. Alicia barely raised her fists before there was the sound of bone breaking and blood flew from her nose. Kain looked startled and dove for the vampire but was immediately flung to the ground. For a brief second, it looked as though hair began to sprout on his flesh, but it quickly receded as he took a steadying breath.

  Mary-Anne and Caitlin were the only ones left to face her.

  The vampire spun around Felicia and managed to get behind her and pull both the woman’s arms behind her back. Felicia’s throat was exposed as she struggled and strained. She gained traction with every second as Mary-Anne’s grip loosened.

  “Now Kitty-Cat!”

  Caitlin poised her sword, about to drive it into Felicia’s heart, then paused.

  “What if I get you?”

  “Who cares?” Mary-Anne said. “If this is the damage vampires can still cause, kill me too! This bitch needs killing!”

  Still, she hesitated. Alicia, despite the situation, screamed, “No! Don’t. We can work this out.”

  Felicia cackled madly as she wriggled. She was almost free now.

  “Caitlin. Now!”

  She steeled herself, looked directly into Felicia’s eyes, and saw only the same crazed emptiness she’d seen in the Mad that now littered the ground.

  “For the city,” she whispered and thrust the blade through Felicia’s chest and hoped she hadn’t penetrated Mary-Anne as well.

  The vampire’s mouth opened wide, and blood dribbled from her lips. Caitlin watched in horror as behind her, Mary-Anne’s eyes closed and her face twisted in pain.

  “You’ll regret this,” Felicia said and attempted to move forward.

  Mary-Anne’s grip failed. Felicia pulled the sword from her chest and tried to grab the handle but instead, fell to her knees with a final rasping breath. Mary-Anne folded, too. A pool of blood seeped through onto her clothes.

  “Ma!” Caitlin shouted as hot tears rose. “No, no, no, no, no!”

  She looked at Caitlin, a weak grin on her face. “You’ll do amazing things, Caitlin Harrison,” she said, unaware that Kain and the Revolutionaries watched in horror around them. “You already have.”

  Caitlin tried to smile. “It’s Kitty-Cat to you, Ma.”

  Mary-Anne released a hollow chuckle and closed her eyes.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The Broken City, Old Ontario

  Caitlin stood on the roof of the library with Jaxon and looked out over the city. The sun had begun to rise, and clouds wisped overhead. She looked down into the streets and found it almost impossible to believe that a fight had even happened at all.

  She was so lost in her own thoughts that she hardly heard Kain behind her. He looked thin and tired, still not fully rested and recovered after his adventures in the sewers.

  He stood beside her for a long time before either of them spoke. Caitlin appreciated that, but it didn’t help the heavy feeling in her heart.

  “I bet you never thought you’d see anything like this again,” Kain said at last as he stared over the city.

  Caitlin shook her head. “All my life, all I’ve ever known is trees and wood. I’ve seen pictures of this in books, but there was a part of me that always believed that they were as made-up as the other fairy tales. That I’d have more chance of seeing a real-life dragon than I would of ever seeing the cities.”

  They both watched as a flock of birds flew through the sky and switched formation as they glided and wove over the streets and onward. Caitlin rubbed her wrist and hardly noticed the rough feel of the cotton bandages spotted with blood.

  “Caitlin...”

  “Hmm?”

  “It wasn’t your fault. You know that, right?”

  She held her wrist again and thought hard. The pain in her gut hadn’t eased one bit.

  “I know,” Caitlin said at last and took a deep breath. “That doesn’t make it any easier. Dozens of good people lost their lives out there, all because of a misunderstanding. How can anyone live in a world where there’s so much fear of not only the monsters out there but the good guys in here, too? We live in a world of Madness, but sometimes, I wonder which is worse. Us or them.”

  Kain nodded, pensive for a moment. He leaned conspiratorially closer to her and said, “It’s definitely them.�
��

  They laughed and blinked as the wind kicked up. Caitlin turned and caught a glimpse of the Black Lake through the gaps between buildings. She thought of the monsters she’d found there before and wondered what they were. Were they really Mad caught in the mud and who fought for survival?

  “You know you’re not giving up, right?”

  She snapped out of her thoughts. “I’m sorry?”

  “Well, you’ve got that look in your eye that stinks of ‘maybe I should call it a day.’ You know that’s not going to happen right?”

  “Why not?” Caitlin responded with little conviction.

  “There’s a whole room of people downstairs who have had their lives spared because of you. Hundreds of people down in the lobby are helping each other, feeding each other, and consoling each other, and it’s all because of you. You gave the people hope of a better life, and that’s what they’ll have. The feud is over. If you hadn’t been here, all that would be left is the Mad and some crazy vampire bitch. No one else made the effort to rally the gang and help settle the dispute. You did.”

  “You’re wrong,” she said.

  Kain raised an eyebrow.

  “We did.”

  She threw her arms over his shoulders and squeezed him tight.

  “We should get back down there and help,” Kain said.

  Caitlin nodded, whistled for Jaxon to follow, and let Kain lead the way.

  Despite the casualties suffered overnight, she was surprised to see that the library was still a hive of activity. People wove around each other, slaloming past bodies lying on the floor in rest while others ate, some sang, some cried, and the majority comforted each other.

  It took a while to make her way to Dylan, and she breezed past many who came up to her and thanked her. She acknowledged their thanks with a simple nod of the head and a word or two until she reached her brother and burrowed into his arms.

  “Caitlin…”

  Caitlin didn’t reply. She didn’t need to. Her actions said all that needed to be said at that moment. Jaxon panted excitedly and wove between Dylan’s legs.

  “Easy boy.” He laughed as he released her and caught sight of the bandage on her arm. “What have you done?”

  “It’s not important.” She hit him playfully in the chest. “I still can’t believe you’re here. You need to tell me everything. What happened?”

  He looked around at the many men and women of Silver Creek who sat on the floor around him. Sully, Ash, Alice, and the others busied themselves with the wounded and fetched food and supplies wherever they could. “It’s a long story.”

  “I’ve got time.”

  Dylan opened his mouth to speak when Izzy rushed through the bookshelves and called Caitlin’s name. She apologized to her brother who simply nodded and grinned.

  “What is it?” Caitlin asked.

  “There’s something you’ve got to see.”

  She rushed outside after Izzy and stopped at a small gathering of city folk near the door, Triston and Alicia amongst them.

  “What is it?” Caitlin asked and pushed through the gathering to see what everyone was staring at.

  She gasped.

  A woman knelt on the street, her hands behind her head as Triston aimed his pistol directly at her forehead. She looked beaten and bruised.

  “Is that—”

  The woman was the very image of Felicia, except now her red eyes had been extinguished, and she looked incredibly weak.

  “Please…don’t…” The woman blubbered in fear. “Don’t…shoot…”

  Triston glanced quickly at his mother. “Well?”

  Alicia looked torn. Her first instinct was to shoot the woman who had destroyed their city and set a horde of Mad upon them that could have wiped them all off the earth.

  “Wait!” Caitlin said and ran to the woman’s side. “This isn’t Felicia.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I’ve spent months hanging out with a vampire. Do you think I don’t know one when I see one? Look…” Caitlin pointed at the woman’s wrist. The skin was silvered with scars. “Someone’s fed on her, not the other way around.”

  “That’s not Felicia?” Triston said and threw his hands in the air. “That’s it. I don’t know what the fuck is going on anymore.”

  “Please…” The woman sobbed more desperately now.

  Caitlin stepped closer and knelt beside her. “It’s okay. You have nothing to fear. Tell us who you are and what you’re doing here.”

  But the woman would say nothing. Caitlin, for once far more patient than the others, led the woman inside and into a quiet room. They brought her a drink and a morsel of food to calm her.

  “Now?” Caitlin asked and sat across from her on the floor. Kain joined her. Alicia, Izzy, and Triston stood behind them, and his hand toyed with the gun on his hip. Jaxon sniffed around the woman and licked her face. Surprisingly, she smiled.

  “My name is Miriam. I am a…how is it best to say…a traveler.”

  “A traveler?” Kain probed.

  “Yes. I do not come from this place. I found my way here some weeks ago after I sailed across the waters that you call the Black Lake. When I pulled up at the shore, it was dark. I was attacked by Mad with black, leathery skin and almost bitten. That is until a woman came—she moved faster than a speeding bullet and saved my life. I couldn’t be more grateful to this stranger, even if the very idea of what she was scared me to death.”

  “Felicia?” Alicia asked softly.

  Miriam nodded. “That’s correct. It seemed like fate that I should be saved by someone as strong as her. She told me that there was even a group of people here and a place where I could stay. It was only as we passed a building and we both chanced a look at the glass that we saw our reflections and realized how identical we were.”

  She shivered. Kain offered her a blanket from the corner of the room and draped it about her shoulders.

  “It was then that a strange look crossed Felicia’s face, although at the time, I didn’t really care. I was simply thankful to be safe and on my way to civilization.”

  Caitlin glanced at Alicia and could almost see the pieces begin to connect on her face. She could practically hear the penny drop.

  “So when did it all go tits up?” Kain asked. “When did the screw come loose in ol’ Felicia’s noggin?”

  Triston tutted. “Your friend has a way with words.”

  “I get straight to the point.”

  Caitlin grinned.

  “It was before we had a chance to get back to the library,” Miriam continued. “Felicia cornered me. She could smell my blood and spoke of an exchange—she would protect me if I allowed her to drink my blood. I accepted, hardly knowing what it meant. I was as scared as hell. Then, after she was full, she told me about… Well…you.”

  Alicia’s hand moved to her chest. “Me?”

  “It was after you’d been kidnapped. Felicia worried that if she kept disappearing or hiding in the daytime that people would grow suspicious. She said that no one had any clue what she truly was and that it was best to keep it secret for now.”

  “And that’s where it started,” Caitlin mused as she imagined the fear that must have been instilled in the poor woman. She tried to place herself in Miriam’s shoes. What must it have been like to have to pretend to be someone you weren’t in a city you’d never visited to serve a vampire who scared the shit out of you?

  “I can’t believe I had no idea,” Triston said, flabbergasted. “My own aunt and I couldn’t even tell—”

  “Why would you?” Caitlin reassured him. “Your mother had been kidnapped, and the troubles of the city were on your shoulders. I’m sure the last thing you expected was that a lookalike had been used to conceal the fact that your aunt had turned into a vampire.”

  “That raises a lot more questions than it answers,” said a familiar voice from the doorway.

  Caitlin turned and beamed as tears welled in her eyes. Mary-Anne stood in the d
oorway. Her hand clutched a cluster of bandages around her stomach. Jaxon yipped in delight and jumped up at her.

  “Calm down, boy,” Caitlin commanded but retained her grin. She held back her own urge to hug the vampire. “I’m glad to see you’re up.”

  Mary-Anne grinned. “I almost definitely wouldn’t be if it hadn’t been for you.” She nodded at Caitlin’s bandaged arm. Caitlin blushed.

  “Maybe now’s not the time to kiss each other’s asses,” Kain said with a wink.

  The vampire shook her head. She winced as she took a step and said, “If she wasn’t a vampire before Alicia was taken, then we have to ask ourselves who the hell turned her into one?”

  They all turned back to Miriam.

  “She spoke often about a redhaired woman who had come through town and wanted to know about the Mad. She had apparently asked questions about how they turned here—as if they’re any different to those anywhere else! Apparently, she seemed pretty obsessed with the science of it all and with finding ways to stop the spread of the Madness.

  “Felicia said once, when she was blood-drunk and tired, that the woman turned her so that she could protect the city while she continued to fight for a cure. She said that if we’re to survive, maybe it’s better to have someone of power watching over those who can’t protect themselves.”

  “Fat load of good that power did her.” Kain shuffled on his ass and did his best impression of a woman. “‘Ooh, I’ve got new vampy-wampy powers. Why don’t I set a whole shit-ton of Mad on the city and fight for world domination? Yeah, that’ll make use of the reason I was given fangs and a bad fucking temper.’”

  They all fell about laughing. Even Miriam chuckled as the weight of her burden fell slowly from her shoulders. At that moment, she looked younger than she had since they first met her.

  After the laughter died down, the woman looked contemplatively at Caitlin and the others. “So. there it is. Will you kill me now?”

  Triston turned to Alicia, who turned to Izzy, who turned to Caitlin.

  “Not this time.” Caitlin smiled.

  “We’ll get you a bed and let you rest up.” Alicia grinned. “You no longer have to pretend to be someone you’re not. You’re a part of this city now. Although…”