by Noah
Blood gushed everywhere, and dozens of Rynd’s men rushed in, kneeling and feeding. Rynd lifted the blade, and licked it clean.
Kyle felt his heart warm. He knew that this was going to be the start of a wonderful night.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Caitlin, still holding a sleeping Scarlet in her arms, walked with Caleb through the forest trail, following Aiden. Caleb held Ruth, who was severely injured, but still alive. It seemed that she might make it—albeit with a large scar across her face from where she’d been attacked.
They followed Aiden silently through the twisting and turning forest trail, deep into the woods.
The others had gone back to the castle, at Aiden’s request, leaving them alone. There was something Aiden needed to discuss with them, and clearly he wanted privacy.
As they walked, Caitlin was just so grateful to have Scarlet back, alive. Her mind was still reeling with the news. Scarlet. A vampire. Her daughter. There were so many questions she was burning to ask Aiden. But for now she just wanted to revel in the fact that Scarlet was still alive.
And that she was her daughter.
Caitlin had never been more overjoyed. Deep down, she had always sensed this to be true—
Scarlet, her daughter. Their bond had been so deep, so immediate, and she had thought so many times that she saw herself in the child. Yet she was shocked to actually hear it. It seemed that Caleb was shocked, too: he kept looking over at Scarlet with such deep affection, stroking her hair, and he seemed overwhelmed by the fact that he had a daughter. A real daughter.
Caitlin couldn’t help but think that her wish, at Faerie Glen, had really come true.
The woods opened up, the sun dramatically broke through the clouds, and stretched out before them was the edge of a cliff. On the horizon, there was an expanse of ocean.
Aiden went over and leaned against one of these, his back to them, looking out at the sky.
Aiden sighed, holding his staff, looking ancient as he gazed out at the expanse of ocean. Several minutes of silence passed, and Caitlin wondered if he was ever going to speak. Finally, he began.
“Scarlet is your daughter, the result of your union. You had her in the future. She traveled back in the past to be with you. She has no memory of this, and never will. But she is the daughter you never lived to see in the future.
“Back in Pollepel, you made a decision to give up everything to go back in time, to do whatever you could to save Caleb’s life. Even your unborn child. Now, that decision has been rewarded. Here and now, you are finally getting back what you had lost.
“Scarlet is no ordinary child. She is unlike any other vampire. She is far more evolved, and can sense and see things more deeply. As she grows, so will her powers. Beyond what you could ever imagine. You must watch her closely. At all times. Protect her with all that you have.”
“I will,” Caitlin responded, and meant it. She sensed she was being rebuked for taking her eyes off of her earlier.
“When you found Scarlet in the woods, you made a vow. Vampire vows are sacred. Any and every vow must be exacted. You vowed you would do anything, give up anything, to have her back.
Yes, she is immortal. But at the same time she had a destiny. Your love is what brought her back. It changed her destiny. And yours.”
Aiden turned and looked at her.
“You vowed that you would give up anything. And that vow will be exacted. You will, indeed, have to give up something. Something dearly precious to you.” Caitlin felt her heart pounding. “What?” she asked, afraid to know the answer.
But Aiden just turned and looked away, back to the ocean.
“I’m afraid that will be for you to discover. The wheels of fate.” Caitlin was horrified. What had she done?
“It’s not Caleb, is it? I won’t have to give him up, will I?” Aiden shook his head.
“No. But it will be something equally precious to you.”
Caitlin wracked her brain, with another pang of dread. Still, she would give up anything to have Scarlet back, and she was prepared to pay any price.
“Tomorrow is your wedding day,” Aiden pronounced. “A very sacred time in the vampire universe. It was destined for you to know this about Scarlet before you two exchanged your vows.
When the wedding is over, the next morning, you must resume your mission. Find the fourth key as soon as possible. Something dangerous is happening in the vampire world. There is an urgency. Do not delay.”
Caitlin watched as Aiden closed his eyes with a look of concern; clearly he was sensing something terrible on the way, watching some awful future unfold.
“What’s going to happen?” Caitlin asked in a whisper, almost wishing he wouldn’t reply.
Aiden merely shook his head.
Caitlin turned and looked at Caleb, and they exchanged a look of mutual concern. Then she looked back at Aiden. And to her complete shock, he was gone.
Vanished.
Caitlin and Caleb looked at each other, dumbfounded.
Caitlin’s mind was spinning. She felt overwhelmed by the implications of it all. Scarlet, their daughter. Back from another time. Her vow. The threat of her losing something precious.
Tomorrow, her wedding day. Resuming the mission. The trouble brewing in the vampire universe.
Her mind spun.
And then, to make matters worse, Caleb suddenly looked at her gravely, and she could see in his eyes that he had something he was afraid to tell her. Her heart started pounding. She didn’t know how much more she could take.
“I received a visitor,” Caleb said, clearing his throat, “right before I came to you. Sera. She came back in time looking for me.”
Caitlin’s heart was thumping in her chest, as her mouth went dry.
No, she thought. Not now. Not with only a day to go.
Caleb shook his head. “I sent her away. I promise you. You have to trust me. I thought you should know. I also thought you should know that she cursed us, vowed to tear us apart. I do not fear her. But I do fear for Scarlet. We must watch her very carefully.” Caitlin had to walk. It was all too much for her, and she felt her blood running cold. Now this.
Caleb and Sera. Why had she visited him? Did he still have feelings for her?
Caitlin couldn’t help but think of her dream the night before, of Blake. Of his lingering in her consciousness. Did Sera linger in Caleb’s consciousness, too?
Caitlin desperately needed time alone, to process all of this. She didn’t want to say anything, for fear that she would regret it. So she clutched Scarlet, still sleeping in her arms, and suddenly turned.
“I need some time alone,” she said.
With that, she took three big steps and leapt into the air, flying over the island, into the horizon, and far, far away from Caleb.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Caitlin walked along the sandy shore, holding Scarlet’s hand, the ocean waves crashing just feet away. It was a desolate and bleak shoreline, stretching as far as the eye could see, the dark gray sea blending into a horizon of gray clouds. The colors matched Caitlin’s mood. As always in her life, just when everything seemed to be so going so great, things took a sudden and dramatic turn for the worse.
She supposed that she should be grateful. After all, Scarlet was alive. That, really, was all that mattered. And she was more grateful for that than she could ever express. In fact, Caitlin squeezed her hand more tightly as they walked, afraid to ever let it go.
Just as she was reeling from the trauma of the event, from Aiden’s pronouncement of a terrible loss yet to come, she also had to hear this news about Sera. Caleb’s timing was terrible, though at the same time, she did appreciate his not keeping it from her. At least she had managed to wisely hold her tongue this time, and give herself time to cool down. She was proud of herself for not saying something she would regret, or taking hasty action, or rushing to blame Caleb for the situation.
Now that she was away from him, breathing the salty ocean air, walking with Sc
arlet, her head was beginning to clear. She was starting to realize that it was not Caleb’s fault, and there was nothing to blame him for. Yes, it was beyond annoying that Sera persisted in interfering in their lives. Yes, it bothered her that Sera had vowed to tear them apart. Of course, that was news that no bride would wish for on the day before her wedding.
But at the same time, Caleb was hers now. At least, that was how Caitlin felt. She wore his ring, and whether they’d had the ceremony yet or not, she felt that deep down, their souls were connected. After all, she was holding Scarlet’s hand, their child’s hand. What more proof could she want than that?
As she walked, her bare feet sinking into the sand, she realized she should let go of any upset with Caleb. Sera was really the one to blame. If anything, she should be grateful to Caleb for always deflecting Sera’s advances, and for being so honest with her.
Most importantly, Caitlin realized there was nothing to fear: there was no way Sera could ever tear them apart. Caleb loved her, Caitlin. She felt it. And nothing—and no one—could ever take that away. The more she dwelled on it, the more her anger toward Sera started to abate. She realized that Sera was just a powerless, pathetic creature, a lost woman who was unable to get on with her own life.
Caitlin’s thoughts turned to Scarlet. She looked down at her, and marveled at how peaceful and content she seemed, skipping in the sand, looking out at the sea, chasing the seabirds running along the shore. She felt so connected to her. Caitlin was overwhelmed to think that Scarlet was hers. Her daughter. Her real daughter. And now that she knew she was her mother, she felt a greater responsibility than ever. To guide her, to teach her who she was, what it meant to not be of the human race. Caitlin recalled when she had first found out she, herself, wasn’t human; it had been quite a shock.
“Mommy?” Scarlet suddenly asked, kicking a seashell, “what is a vampire?” Caitlin felt a chill. Scarlet’s timing was uncanny. She could not believe how easily she’d read her thoughts.
“Well,” Caitlin began, trying to think of how to explain this to a child, of how to choose her words, “a vampire is a very special person. One that has special talents and abilities. One that has a special way of eating, and one that can live a very, very long time.” Scarlet furrowed her brow. “Longer than other types of people?”
“Oh yes,” Caitlin said. “A lot longer.”
“Is that what I am?” she asked. “A vampire?”
Caitlin looked down at her shining eyes, looking up at her, and knew that she had to be completely honest. Children demanded that.
“Yes, honey, you are. And, in your case, that is a very beautiful thing.”
“Are you one, too? Is Daddy?”
“Yes,” she said. “We all are. Our whole family.”
“Does that mean that we all get to live a long time? Together?” Caitlin stopped and knelt down, and looked her in the eyes.
“I sure hope so,” she said.
Scarlet frowned.
“But I heard that vampires are scary. Does that mean I’m scary?” Caitlin smiled.
“No, love, you’re not scary at all. You’re perfect. Only some vampires are scary. Just like some humans are scary. Other vampires are very, very nice. Even nicer than some humans.”
“Is that my kind?” Scarlet asked.
“Yes it is. We never hurt any humans. We eat animals, just like humans eat animals.” Scarlet seemed to relax a little bit.
“When those wolves attacked me,” Scarlet began, “I felt them biting me. I felt their teeth in my neck. And then everything went black. I was sure that I was dead. It was like I was supposed to be dead. But I didn’t die. I don’t understand. Does that mean that I can’t ever die?” Scarlet stared back at her intensely, and Caitlin could see that she desperately wanted the truth.
Caitlin cleared her throat, and looked her in the eyes.
“You are like your Mommy and Daddy. Which means that you can’t die. Not like humans die.” Scarlet looked down at the sand, then off at the water, as if debating how to react. Finally, she looked back at Caitlin.
“I always knew I was different. Sometimes, I can hear things. Not like normal people. It’s like…
I can hear people’s thoughts. Like yours, sometimes. When I try to.” She looked at Caitlin. “Is that strange?”
Caitlin knelt down and smiled at her, brushing the hair out of her face.
“You’re not strange. You just have very special gifts. And you may have even more gifts, ones that we don’t even know about yet. But that doesn’t mean you’re strange. It just means that you’re special. Like us.”
“Like all of us,” came a voice.
Caitlin wheeled, shocked at the sound of the strange, male voice so close behind her, and immediately protective of Scarlet. Caitlin didn’t understand how anyone could have crept up on her, especially here, in the middle of nowhere.
Until, that is, she saw the face staring back at her. And her jaw nearly dropped open.
Standing there, a foot away from her, was Blake.
*
Caitlin stared, speechless. Blake looked exactly as he did the last time she saw him: he still had those perfect, chiseled features, the longish, wavy brown hair, the large, green eyes and that far-off, distant look, like a haunted loner.
Blake. It was really him. She thought of her dream the night before. Had it been more than just a coincidence? Had he visited her in her dreams? Of all people, alone on this desolate beach, why did it have to be him? And why now, just as she was sorting through her feelings for Caleb, just as she was preparing for her wedding day?
He stared back at her, and a slight smile formed at the corner of his lips.
“Hello, Caitlin,” he said in his soft voice.
Scarlet stood between them, and Caitlin could sense her curiosity, as she looked back and forth between them, trying to figure it all out.
“Hello, Blake,” she answered flatly.
Caitlin didn’t know what to say. She felt herself trembling inside, torn by a million conflicting emotions. She wanted to thank him for saving her life; to apologize to him for all that she’d put him through; she even felt the need to apologize to him for marrying Caleb.
But most of all, she just wanted him to stop looking at her that way, with those intense eyes that prevented her from looking anywhere else, from thinking of anything else. She thought back to their first time together, on Pollepel, of their standing guard together on that sunken parapet in the river.
On the one hand, it felt like lifetimes ago; on the other, it felt like it was just yesterday.
She had to forcibly shake herself out of it, to remind herself that she was with Caleb now. That Blake was lifetimes ago. That was the problem with vampire relationships and with immortality: nothing seemed to ever stay in the past. People and relationships always came back, full circle, again and again, no matter when and where you were. Nothing ever died. Ever.
“Your wedding is tomorrow,” he stated flatly.
She wasn’t quite sure how to respond. She felt nervous and guilty the same time.
“I’m happy for you,” he added.
“Thank you,” she said, trying to stay calm.
“Who’s that, Mommy?” Scarlet asked, tugging on her pants, pointing at Blake.
Caitlin wasn’t sure how to respond.
Before she could, Blake looked down and smiled at her. He walked over to the shoreline, collected a handful of small rocks, and gestured to Scarlet. She came over to him.
He reached over and handed her a few of them, as she opened her palm.
“Do you see these?” he asked.
She nodded back, studying the rocks.
“Choose the ones that are flat. Like this one,” he said, taking one of his and placing it in her palm.
“Then throw them like this, sideways.”
Blake reached out and threw the rock into the waves, and it skipped along the water. It jumped several times, and as it did, Scarlet squealed in delight.
Scarlet tried to copy him, but it didn’t work. He corrected her grip.
“You need to just skim the surface of the water. Don’t throw it straight down. Try to throw it sideways.”
Scarlet tried a second and third time, and it still didn’t work. But the fourth time, she managed to get it to skip once. She screamed in delight.
“Mommy mommy! Look what I did! The rock bounced off the water!” Caitlin couldn’t help but smile as Scarlet burst into action, picking up as many rocks as she could find, and trying again and again.
Blake stood, watching her, smiling. Then slowly, he came back to Caitlin.
“Do you miss me?” he asked, softly. She could see the sadness and intensity in his eyes, and she could feel how much he missed her.
She checked her feelings, and realized that somewhere, deep in her consciousness, she did miss him. She did, from time to time, think of their days together, no matter how much she tried to push them away.
At the same time, she loved Caleb. Not partially, as with Blake. But entirely. She may have thought of Blake from time to time, but she didn’t actively pine for him. She didn’t feel as if she needed him, or anyone else, to be complete, to give her anything that was missing. She felt entirely complete with Caleb. The residue of Blake might still linger somewhere in her past, but, she realized, that was natural. The way she figured, anyone in life who at one time means anything to you is bound to leave some sort of impression. But that didn’t mean that she was still devoted to him. Nor did it mean that she was betraying Caleb. She was finally beginning to realize that the two could co-exist in her consciousness; if she tried to drive occasional thoughts of Blake out, and they just wouldn’t go away, it didn’t mean that she was doing anything wrong. Or that she was still attached to him.
She did realize, though, that even if she didn’t have control over her deepest, unconscious thoughts and impressions, she did, very much, have power and control over her conscious thoughts, choices, actions, and her words. She had a responsibility to discipline herself to not actively think of Blake, to let any passing thoughts of him go without dwelling on them, and to instead choose to actively focus on Caleb. She also had a responsibility to choose her words carefully, and to communicate clearly to Blake, so that there would be no confusion on his part.