Caitlin stood by herself on the end of the gondola, rowing it across the wide canal of Venice. Polly was worried for her to go by herself, but after much pleading, she had let her borrow her boat. Caitlin felt that she could handle it, and she really needed to be alone. She needed time and space to think. And most importantly, in the place where she was going, she didn’t want anyone by her side. It was a place she had to go alone. Rose was the only one she took; she sat at her legs appreciatively, happy, as always to be at her side.After her meeting with Aiden, Caitlin had realized that he was right. She had to fulfill her mission. She had to at least to try, to get on the road, to follow the clues, to see where it led her.But at the same time, she realized that she could not embark without closure with Caleb. She needed to know with absolute certainty that he truly didn’t remember, that he truly didn’t love her, that he was truly happy with Sera. After all she had been through, af
Kyle hurried down the staircase, deep into the Venice jail, and as he reached the lower levels, he saw that it was exactly as he remembered it. There was a low, arched ceiling, like a wine cellar, and on either side, were dozens of cells, behind thick iron bars. It was loud down here, hundreds of prisoners’ hands sticking out through the bars, yelling out to Kyle as he walked down the aisle.He wasted no time. He tore at the iron bars with his bare hands, and the iron gave way as he bent it back with a groaning noise, just enough for the prisoners to squeeze out. He did this with each cell as he went, opening one after the other, and in moments, the corridor was flooded with rowdy prisoners, thrilled and bewildered. They all looked to Kyle, all seeming to wonder who he was, how they had earned such good luck. They were jubilant, shouting, victorious.Kyle held up a hand, and they quieted.“I have freed you all tonight,” Kyle began in a loud, commanding voice, “to fulfill a mission f
Caitlin looked into Caleb’s eyes. As he stood there, she sensed that some part of him did recognize her, was trying so hard to remember.“It’s strange,” he said. “I dreamt of you last night. I hardly know you, yet somehow, I couldn’t shake the thought of you.”Caitlin’s heart soared with hope.“Do you remember me at all?” she asked.“Somehow…I feel like I do,” he said. “But…I just can’t recall. How do we know each other?”She paused, debating what to say. Would all of her words, all of her actions, as Aiden warned, now influence the future? What if she said the wrong thing?She decided to just tell him the truth. This was her moment. It was now or never.“We know each other in the future,” she said, her heart racing.Would he think she was crazy?Even as she said it, she wished she hadn’t. She worried if, by saying it, she somehow created a rip in time, told him something he wasn’t meant to know, affected how things would play out down the road.He furrowed his brow as he sta
As Caleb stood there, watching Caitlin leave, he felt overwhelmed, confused. A mix of emotions swirled within him, as his brain struggled to understand, to remember. He felt certain, somewhere, that a part of him knew this mysterious girl. But he just had no idea how.As he watched her go, he felt a sadness within himself which he could not explain. He had never experienced anything like it. A part of him wanted to run after her, to call after her to stop. But if she listened, he would have no idea what to say to her. After all, he didn’t know her. And he didn’t understand his own feelings.Perhaps he was just going crazy, just letting some irrational emotions, some strange premonitions, take over and get the worst of him. He had to stay strong, he reminded himself, to remain rational. After all, none of it made any sense. He didn’t even know her.But as he stood there, watching her, he could not escape the feeling that he was letting someone precious get away. His emotions suddenly
Kyle watched with glee as his plan was executed perfectly. All around him, Venice was in shambles. The pathetic humans ran for their lives, as the hundreds of released prisoners terrified them in every direction. Finally, the humans had finished being so happy, had stopped their stupid games, stopped their music, tore off their masks, and ran for their lives.They didn’t get very far. The convicts were on a rampage of looting, raping, and killing, while the released vampires went right for blood. They killed people on the spot, either tearing off their heads, or diving right for their necks and sinking their fangs in deep. They fed and fed, and soon the squares of Venice looked like a battleground. Bodies lay everywhere, storefronts were smashed, tables were turned over…And it was all just beginning. Kyle had not been this happy in years.Kyle waited, searching the skies, and as he watched, perched on the waterfront, he finally saw what he was looking for. The sky darkened as score
Caleb fought with his coven in the streets of Venice, in the midst of heated battle. With Samuel at one side and Sera at the other, he swung wildly with his ivory staff, killing the convicts left and right. The three of them, outnumbered, were charged by a dozen convicts, but these were only humans, and the three of them prevailed.But Caleb was caught off guard as a dozen vampires suddenly charged their way. He recognized them immediately—they were of the Lagoon Coven, hardened criminals that he thought were rotting beneath the prisons. Their presence immediately alerted him to the fact the someone had released them, had been behind all this mayhem. That this was all a deliberate plot.But he hadn’t much time to contemplate it, because soon, they were in the thick of battle.Caleb and his men got separated. One vampire leapt for Caleb’s face, but Caleb stabbed him in the throat. Another grabbed his shoulder, but Caleb wheeled and head butted him. Still another charged from behind,
Caitlin flew, the sky streaked with a million colors in the sunset.After her heartbreaking goodbye with Caleb, she had lifted into the sky and had not stopped flying since. She had cried for hours, but now, finally, the tears subsided, hardened on her face. She was slowly coming to a new, steely resolve. As she had always been in life, she was on her own. She had never been able to rely on the comfort and safety of a father, or brother, or boyfriend.She had wanted to say goodbye to Polly, and to Aiden and the others. But she couldn’t bring herself to. She felt that she had to get as far away from Venice as possible. She couldn’t stand the thought of being anywhere near Caleb when he couldn’t even remember her. It hurt too much.She knew she had to get to Florence—she had known that since she’d arrived—and while she hadn’t set out for any particular place, she found herself heading in that direction. South. Hundreds of miles away from Venice.After hours passed, after she had stop
Caitlin woke to the morning light breaking through the large, arched windows. She reached over to the bedside table, put two drops in each of her eyes, closed them, and waited for the sting to go away.She opened her eyes and looked around. She saw that she was lying in a huge, king-size bed, in a massive bedroom, with soaring ceilings, moldings over all the walls, and a marble floor draped in a huge, sheepskin rug. She lay on the finest of silk sheets, covered by fine linens and blankets, her head resting in an impossibly soft pillow. She’d never been in such a luxurious place in her life.And as she looked over, she saw that she was not the only one in it.Blake lay beside her. And they were both undressed.She tried to remember. After that kiss, they had gone inside, had spent the night together. It had been a magical night, and thoughts of Blake filled her mind. A part of her, of course, still thought of Caleb.But that part was slowly fading, becoming smaller and smaller. Lyi