Caleb flew, holding Ruth, Caitlin at his side, and Scarlet on her back. Caleb marveled at how inseparable Caitlin and Scarlet had become since they'd met. It was strange looking at them, as it seemed as if they’d always been together.The four of them flew through the breaking sky of dawn, heading north towards his castle in Leeds. It had been a solemn departure this morning, as Caitlin and Sam had parted ways. The two had embraced, tears in their eyes, as they had each decided to go their own ways, to pursue their own clues. Caleb thought that Caitlin had made the right decision. Sam clearly needed to pursue his clue, and she needed to pursue hers.Polly had surprised them by announcing that she was going with Sam. Sam had seemed surprised by that, too. But Polly had quickly added that it was purely for professional reasons, that she thought, since Caitlin had Caleb, it would be better to balance out the numbers, and have her help Sam. After all, they were all searching for the same
Sam flew in the morning sky, Polly beside him, heading towards Warwick Castle. Polly kept her distance from him, and he kept his. He was surprised she had decided to join him; she had made it clear that she was only accompanying him for professional reasons, to even out the teams, two and two, in the search for the shield. She reasoned that Caitlin didn't need backup, already having Caleb with her, and that Sam just might.Sam resented that. He didn't need backup. He felt fine on his own. But he did like having Polly’s company, even though she talked too much at times, and he was glad she had chosen to accompany him. He smiled inwardly, realizing that it must have killed her to admit that she wanted to go with him, since she had been trying so hard, all along, to make such a point of keeping a distance from him.But since then, all through the flight, for hours, she had kept a far distance from him, and hadn't said a word. He was actually now beginning to wonder if she even liked him
Kyle flew through the London night, feeling happier than he had in ages. He hadn't had that much fun in he didn't know when. It put such joy in his heart watching that bear tear apart those humans, watching them trample each other. He smiled wider and wider, as he kept flashing to the images of the people screaming, being torn to bits—and one particular image, of watching the bear tear a man's torso in half. He felt like a kid again. He was happily surprised to realize that this night, and his entire time in London, was turning out to be much better than he’d expected.He flashed back to his infecting all those rats under the wharf, and he imagined them, even now, racing through the streets, infecting other rats, carrying the plague to the far corners of London. He could see in his mind’s eye all the fleas that the rats would host, and all the people the fleas would bite. The plague, in just a matter of hours, would begin to spread like wildfire. He laughed out loud. He couldn't help
Caitlin stood there, on the hilltop, staring back at Caleb, and she could not for the life of her figure out why he was acting so strangely. She had never seen him so nervous, so at a loss for words. She even thought she could see drops of sweat on his forehead, and she had never seen him sweat before. Why was he so nervous?Was being back here, at his family’s home, making him nervous for some reason? she wondered. And what was it that he wanted to talk to her about?Caleb suddenly knelt down on one knee, keeping his eyes fixed on her."Caitlin, I have lived for centuries, but you are the one and only love of my life. If I have to live a thousand more years, there's no one else I would rather spend it with."Suddenly, something clicked for Caitlin. He was down on one knee. He was talking about spending the rest of his life with her. He was reaching into his pocket, and as she watched, he pulled out a small, black velvet box.Her heart leapt into her throat. She was utterly shocke
Sam walked with Polly through along the river bank, on the outskirts of Warwick Castle. After his meeting with Aiden, he had stormed out of the castle, upset, and had run into Polly, who’d been catching up with her old coven members. Polly had seen the upset on his face, and had suggested that the two of them take a walk.They had been walking for hours now, along the riverside, Sam barely saying a word. He knew he was being rude, and should be talking more, telling her what was on his mind—but he had been too overwhelmed by his emotions. Everything that Aiden had said was whirling through his mind, again and again, each pronouncement going off like a new bomb.Caitlin was the chosen one, not he. His mission was only to guard Caitlin. He wasn't special. He had his own destiny. He didn't choose to be turned—Caitlin did. The person who turned him was darker, evil. He had evil blood running through his veins. He had a possibility of slipping to the dark side. He was way more powerful th
Sergei opened his eyes, and quickly raised his hands to cover them, as they burned from the light. He struggled to see where he was. He was lying in mud, on a steep slope on the bank of a river. He turned his head again away from the light, covering his eyes, which burned a hole through his skull. He looked up and saw that he was underneath some sort of rotting bridge, and he scrambled into the shadows, recessing further and further back.Finally, he could breathe again, and slowly opened his eyes. He took stock of his surroundings, and could tell right away that he was in London. He was, in fact, under the London Bridge, a bridge he could recognize anywhere. He looked up and saw the rotting wood underneath it, saw the huge, stone foundations on the other side, saw the parade of boats passing through the Thames. He recessed further, deeper underneath the bridge, and rats scurried to get out of his way. Deeper and darker in the shadows, he was beginning to feel more like himself."H
Sam stood on the training ground, holding a long staff, facing off with yet another of Aiden's men. There were dozens of his warriors there, and by now, Sam had faced nearly all of them. None of them had posed even the slightest challenge.Sam didn't know what it was, but it seemed as if everyone else were moving in slow motion next to him. He’d anticipated their every move, was always a second ahead of them, always felt when to sidestep, dodge, duck, or strike. It had been like cutting through butter, and Sam was amazed at his own skills and power. Facing him now was Cain—large, muscular, and holding a long staff just like Sam's. He charged, scowling.But he was no match for Sam. As Cain swung wildly, Sam blocked blow after blow. Cain couldn't get anywhere close.When Sam was ready, he knocked Cain’s staff clear out of his hands with one sharp strike, and the staff when flying over his head, and into the crowd. Sam then followed up with a hard jab in the solo plexus, knocking Cai
Caitlin flew through the air, Scarlet on her back, Caleb beside her, holding Ruth, and Lily on Caleb’s back. Coming off the proposal, Caitlin was still ecstatic, riding on cloud nine, and her life felt surreal. She had been brimming with joy the entire flight, ever since they’d left Leeds Castle, ever since the moment Caleb had proposed to her, and since they had adopted Scarlet. They had stopped only to pick up Lily at Windsor Castle, and to tell her the news.Lily had been so ecstatic and delighted, she hadn't stop screaming for ten minutes. She’d gushed over Caitlin's ring, and embraced them both. She’d insisted on coming with them, on being there when Caitlin broke the news to Sam and Polly and Aiden's entire coven.They had been flying for hours now, heading towards Warwick to break the big news, and all the while, Caitlin hadn’t been able to stop turning over in her mind the big moment when Caleb had proposed to her. It had been so surreal, had happened so quick, out of nowhere