Destined

Suddenly, another voice came: “Only for a moment.”

Caitlin wheeled, and her heart stopped in her chest.

Standing there, just a few feet away, was Blake. He slowly removed his mask, and stared back at her with the same intensity he had before, the same intensity she remembered from the very first time they’d met.

It all came flooding back. Their guard duty together on Pollepel, his cello playing, that night on the beach, their talk—she remembered all of it as if it were yesterday.

She wondered if he remembered, too. The way he looked at her, it made her feel as if he did.

But then again, how could he? That was in the future, and now she was in the past. Unless he had the power to see into the future. It seemed that most vampires had it, some stronger than others, so, she reasoned, it could be possible for him to remember, or, rather, to see into the future.

“Yes,” he said, reading her mind with precision. “I do.”

Caitlin felt herself blush, once again embarrassed by others reading her mind. At the same time, she felt overwhelmed with emotion, by the fact that he remembered.

He remembers. All of it. He really does.

That alone meant the world to her. Finally, she felt as if she weren’t so crazy, weren’t so alone. It felt like her first real connection to the 21st century. Finally, she didn’t feel like a complete stranger here, like none of it had ever happened.

“Caitlin?” Polly said slowly, bewildered, looking back and forth between the two. “You haven’t introduced me to your friend.”

Caitlin stood there speechless, not sure what to say.

“Um…” she started, but then stopped. She tried to think of how to explain, but she had no idea where to begin.

So she stood there, speechless, until it got awkward.

“I’m Blake,” he said finally, extending a hand to Polly.

Polly took his hand, warily. She looked at Caitlin, who was still staring at Blake as if she had seen a ghost. Not only was Caitlin overwhelmed by this connection to her past—but she also felt overwhelmed by her feeling of connection to him. She’d forgotten how striking he looked.

“You okay?” Polly asked.

Caitlin slowly nodded, still transfixed. That feeling she’d felt when they’d danced, when they’d held hands…she knew it was real. She had felt certain it had been Caleb. The connection had been overpowering. How could it be that it was not Caleb? That it was Blake? And how could it be that Caleb didn’t appear the entire night?

Caitlin felt certain that, since Caleb hadn’t appeared this night, with her searching so hard for him, with her willing him to be there, that he wasn’t here. She felt a mix of emotions, as her heart dropped, as the reality began to hit her that Caleb may not have survived the trip. Or maybe he had survived, but had ended up in another time and place.

At the same time, her heart soared at her feeling of connection to Blake. There was so much left unsaid between them. And she had no idea where to begin. On the one hand, she felt disloyal to Caleb to even talk to Blake. But at the same time, it seemed like Caleb was no longer here.

Polly looked back and forth between the two of them, each staring at the other, and seemed to grow uncomfortable.

“Caitlin,” she said, “I think you and I should go home now. It’s almost five. Most everyone’s left already.”

Caitlin nodded, but did not say anything, unable to peel her eyes away from Blake’s. He was so gorgeous, so perfect, so sculpted, his chiseled jaw standing against his perfect skin. His dark brown eyes shone, looking at her with an energy she had never felt.

“Actually, if you don’t mind, I’d like to accompany her for a while,” Blake said.

Polly began to protest, but he quickly added, “Don’t worry—I’ll bring her back safe and sound.”

“Caitlin?” Polly asked. “Is that what you want?”

Is that what I want? she thought. It was what she wanted more than anything. In fact, at that moment, she could not imagine herself anywhere else but with him. She felt as if she didn’t even have a choice. Like she didn’t want to have a choice.

“Yes,” was all Caitlin, finally, managed to say.

“Do you know where we live?” Polly asked, ever the protective friend.

Blake nodded back. “Of course. Everyone does. Isola di San Michele.”

Polly still seemed reluctant to walk away.

Finally, Blake stepped forward, and held out an open palm to Caitlin.

Caitlin hesitated just a beat, and then reached out and placed her palm in his.

Caitlin sat in the gondola, as Blake stood on the bow behind her, gently rowing them through the small, narrow canals in the inner city of Venice. It was so late now, the city seemed asleep, completely silent and getting darker by the moment, as more and more street torches extinguished.

The only thing left to light the night was the large moon above, and the occasional burning candle in a window sill. Caitlin could only hear the slight lapping of the water against her boat, the sounds of Blake’s wooden oar cutting through the water. It was so peaceful, so romantic.

This was a whole different Venice, one Caitlin hadn’t yet seen. It was quiet and empty. This was the inner Venice, the narrow canals that cut through the heart of the inner-city, twisting and turning, just like the alleyways did, but on water. Every hundred feet or so, she and Blake would have to duck so as not to hit their heads on a small, stone footbridge. The canals were so narrow, there was barely room for two gondolas to fit side-by-side.

Caitlin looked up as they went, and saw the crumbling interiors of the homes built on the city.

They all had doors that opened right onto the water, and most had their own gondolas tied to posts.

High above, clothes hung on lines everywhere. This was the quiet interior of Venice, where the locals lived. It felt ancient.

Caitlin wondered what Blake was thinking as they rode together in silence. He was one of the most silent men she had ever met, and it was always hard for her to tell what he was thinking. They had been quiet together for so long. On the one hand, she had a million questions she was burning to ask him; but on the other, strangely enough, she felt very comfortable with him just like this, in the silence. She didn’t really feel a need to talk around him in order to be comfortable, and she could tell that he didn’t, either. She thought back to their time on Pollepel, of how silent he been then.

Nothing had really changed. Centuries could pass, but people were who they were.

Which was all right with her. She was just thrilled to be with him, to be taking this ride. She closed her eyes, breathed in the saltwater air, and tried to freeze the moment. A moonlit, gondola ride in Venice. What more could she ask for?

Finally, though, some questions burned to the forefront of Caitlin’s mind, and she just had to ask them. She took a deep breath, hoping that she wouldn’t ruin the moment.

“How much do you remember?” Caitlin asked, finally.

The question hung in the air for what seemed like forever, so long that Caitlin began to wonder if he had heard it, if she had even asked it.

Finally, his response came: “Enough.”

Caitlin wondered what that meant. That was Blake. He was always so cryptic, never saying more than he had to. “Do you remember Pollepel?” she asked.

Again, a silence. Then, finally: “I wouldn’t call it remembering,” he said. “It’s more like looking into the future. Looking into a life that would have been. I see it, intellectually. But I haven’t experienced it.”

“Then…” Caitlin paused. “Can you see our time together?”

He paused. “Some of it,” he said. “It’s more like an impression. I have an impression of you from another time that is very strong. The details, though…are hazy. I think they’re meant to be.

After all, we need to start fresh each time, don’t we?”

“And what is your impression?” she asked.

She couldn’t see him, as he stood behind her, rowing, but she thought, in the silence, that she could hear him smile. “Very positive,” he said.

Then he added, “They say that there are certain people we are destined to see again and again, in every lifetime, in every place….I feel that with you.”

Caitlin knew exactly what he meant. She felt it, too. It wasn’t a matter of love. It was something stronger. Destiny. Fate. Inevitability. Being meant to be with a person, whether you liked it or not. It was that magical moment when the universe forced paths to cross, overrode anyone’s option of free will. It was that one moment in life when free will was forced to submit to something even bigger, more important. Destiny. And that, she felt, was even bigger than love. Love, she felt, true love, she could only have with one person in one lifetime, and that was something she could choose. But destiny—she felt that she could have a destiny with many people, and that she wouldn’t have a choice.

She was afraid to ask the next question, her heart pounding.

“Did you know I would be here tonight?” she asked.

There was a long silence. Finally, he said: “Yes. That’s why I came.”

“Are we destined to be together in this lifetime?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he said. “But I do know that I want to be with you.”

As they turned a corner, the small canal opened up into the huge grand canal. The lagoon spread out before them, its clear blue waters obscured in a mist that hung over everything, making the moonlit glow surreal.

Caitlin’s mind reeled. Her emotions were taking over, and she was having a hard time remembering why she’d come back to this time to begin with. It was getting harder and harder to think of Caleb. She had been so set on finding him. But now, she felt certain, more certain than ever, that he just wasn’t here. So then why had she come? Was she meant, instead, to find Blake? To be with him?

Blake pulled the boat up alongside the dock, tied it down, and sat beside her. Dawn was breaking, the sky beginning to light up in a medley of colors.

She turned and faced him, happy to be able to look at him finally.

“Time is such a precious thing,” he said. “It feels like it lasts forever, but it doesn’t. Life twists and turns so fast. One minute we may be together, and the next minute, separated forever.”

She thought about that, and realized he was right.

“It’s ironic,” she said, “that for such an immortal race as ours, time is the one thing we never seem to have enough of.”

He stared at her with a burning intensity, and she stared back, overwhelmed by her own emotion.

“I live in a palace in the countryside,” he said. “I want you to come with me.”

Caitlin didn’t know what to say. She was speechless. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she felt her mouth go dry. She didn’t have the strength to say no. She felt as if she were standing outside of herself, watching it all happen, that she was just a helpless passenger in the ride.

Blake suddenly leaned forward, and she knew that he was coming in to kiss her. Her world became dizzy, and she froze. She closed her eyes.

And then, a second later, she felt his soft lips touching hers.

And that was when she heard the noise.

They both suddenly broke the kiss and turned at the same time.

There, walking along the pier, was a young couple, swinging a child between them. The child practically bounded with joy against the breaking sky, and both parents’ seemed radiant. They were heading towards a boat, just a few feet away from Caitlin and Blake, and as they got there, the father turned and looked their way.

Caitlin’s heart stopped.

The man must have been struck by the sight of Caitlin, too, because his huge grin suddenly dropped, and he let go of the child’s hand slowly, as he turned and stared right at her.

The woman standing beside him, a tall redhead, turned and stared at Caitlin, too.

Blake, surprised and not understanding, looked back and forth between the two of them.

Caitlin’s world had just turned upside down.

There, standing just a few feet away, was Caleb.

Caitlin leaned back in the small boat, looking out at the breaking sky of dawn, and wished the world would end. As they headed further out into the Grand Canal, no land in sight, all she could see was water—and a part of her wished that she could just keep going, never stop, into the horizon, and off the face of the earth. She was so sad, so confused…she just wanted to curl up and die.

She had never felt so alone. The person rowing the boat was not Blake, or Caleb, but a complete stranger, a gondola driver that she had found at the pier, who she’d hired to bring her back to Polly’s island. Luckily, Polly had given her money earlier in the night, in case anything happened.

Blake had insisted on at least taking her home, but she had refused. Her feelings for him were too strong, and after seeing Caleb, she couldn’t bear to be in a boat with him for one more second.

She needed a chance to sort out her feelings, to try to process it all.

The irony was that, if they hadn’t run into Caleb at precisely that moment, Caitlin felt sure that she would still be in a gondola with Blake, maybe on the way, right now, back to his palace. They would probably have had a beautiful night, one which she would have never forgotten, no matter how long she lived. If she hadn’t had run into Caleb at that moment, she may have even spent the rest of her life with Blake.

But clearly that was not meant to be. It just wasn’t destined.

No. At that exact moment, at the exact second that Blake’s lips touched hers, at the moment she had finally given up on finding Caleb, destiny had to have Caleb cross her path. He had been out for an early morning boat ride, with his wife, and their son. They had been up early, the eager boy, anxious to get out on the boat, to take a morning ride.

Why had she had to notice him? And why had he had to notice her? And why did it all have to happen at the exact moment when Blake’s lips touched hers? Not only did she now feel more confused than ever about Blake, but she now also felt like a traitor to Caleb, like she had done something terrible. Did life have to be so cruel?

When she first spotted Caleb, after overcoming her shock, her guilt at kissing Blake, her first feeling had been joy, overjoyed to see the Caleb was alive, and in this place and time. She had jumped out of Blake’s boat without thinking, nearly tipping it over, and had run across the pier, right towards him, and had stopped herself just a foot away.

She had stared up at him, and he had stared back down at her. At first, she could have sworn she saw something like recognition flicker across his face.

But a second later, his face contorted to something like bewilderment. He continued to stare at her, but it wasn’t the stare of a lover, or even of a friend. It was the stare of someone who might have met you once, but who couldn’t figure out who you were.

“Who’s that, Daddy?” the boy, maybe ten, had asked, tugging at Caleb’s sleeve.

Caleb had ignored him, staring at Caitlin. Finally, Caleb, still looking at Caitlin, had said, “I don’t know, Jade.”

Caitlin could tell from his voice, from his demeanor, that he really, truly, didn’t know. And that was what had hurt her more than anything, hurt her worse than if she had been killed a million times. Here she was, she had come all the way back in time just for him, had put her life on the line, had lost their child together—and all for what?

On the one hand, it had worked—he was alive and well in another time. For that, she felt a huge sense of relief.

And yet, he no longer knew her. Aiden had warned her of this. He had said that time travel was unpredictable. Blake, who she barely knew, had remembered her. Yet Caleb, who she loved more anything, had not. It was too cruel.

At first she’d hoped that Caleb just needed some time to remember—but as she stood there, staring, recognition never crossed his face, and she felt more and more like a fool.

“I’m sorry, but do I know you?” he’d finally asked.

Sera had walked over, stood beside Caleb, ever protective. She looked happier, softer, than Caitlin had ever seen her. Of course she was. She was a woman in her prime, with her husband, and with their living child. She was not the embittered Sera of the future.

“Caleb?” Caitlin had said slowly, still hoping, even while her heart was breaking. “It’s me.

Caitlin.”

Caleb squinted for a second, then finally, slowly shook his head.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, “but I’m afraid I don’t know you.”

Caitlin saw Sera’s grip on Caleb’s arm, as she impatiently tried to steer Caleb back to the boat.

Sera clearly didn’t remember her either; yet she still looked very uncomfortable. Possessive, jealous.

As if she sensed something. Some things, Caitlin realized, never changed.

“Caleb,” Sera had said. “We need to go.”

And with those few words, Caitlin, his wife and child piled into the boat, and with a few strong rows, were heading out into the water. As they headed further and further into the canal, Caleb turned around once, and looked at her.

Then he turned back around.

Blake had come up beside Caitlin, standing there. Caitlin, feeling more embarrassed than ever, didn’t know what to say.

“Who was that?” Blake asked.

She didn’t know how to respond. She was upset that Blake had no memory of him either. Was memory was so selective?

And how could she answer that? Who was he?

Now, as she sat there, being rowed into the breaking sky, heading for Polly’s island, she ran it all through her mind, again and again. Her time with Blake; their dance; their gondola ride; their kiss; spotting Caleb…. It all seemed to blend together, and she had a hard time separating it. Why had it all had to happen at once?

She felt at odds, at loose ends. Was her entire journey now purposeless? Now that she’d found him, now that she saw that he was with Sera, that they had a child, what was the point of it all? She felt hopeless, utterly depressed. And she felt so stupid. Of course, she remembered now, that Caleb had once been happily married and had a child back in time. She just hadn’t thought it would have been this time. Right here, right now. Right at the moment when she was ready to reunite with him.

He was married, and had a child. She had to accept that. That was a sacred thing. He was taken.

The idea of it hurt her more than anything else, but she just had to accept it. It was a bond of marriage, and regardless of what might happen in the future, she could not interfere. She would have to let him go.

If that was the case, then what was the point of her coming back in time? Was it really to find her father, as that priest had said? Was Caleb just the lure to lead her down that path?

Or was her destiny to be with Blake instead? Was that the whole reason she had come back?

Was that fate’s way of winking at her?

On the one hand, since Caleb was taken, there was nothing wrong, she realized, in being with Blake. But a huge part of her still loved Caleb, still longed for him. The idea of being with Blake still, somehow, despite everything, felt disloyal. Disloyal to who? she wondered.

Why had it never entered her mind that things could go so wrong? She had imagined that possibly she could never find Caleb. But she had never imagined that something even worse could happen: that she could find him, and that he could be with someone else. And not even remember her. It was the worst thing she could possibly imagine. She should have foreseen it. But if she had, would she have done anything differently?

Dawn was breaking fully on the horizon now, shades of red and orange and pink flooding the sky, lighting up the lagoon and the water. She had been awake all night long, she realized, and now the world was beginning anew again.

She saw the island on the horizon, and knew she would be there shortly.

But a part of her wished she wouldn’t. A part of her wished their boat would just keep going, and fall off the face of the earth.

Caitlin ran. The sun was high overhead as she ran through a field of flowers, thousands of roses, impossibly tall, reaching up to her waist. They were all different colors, red and pink and white and yellow, and they brushed against her softly as she ran. Amazingly, they had no thorns, and the feel of the flowers was smooth on her legs, as their smell filled the air.

On the horizon stood her father, taller than ever, closer than she could remember. She could almost make out his facial features, and as she ran, she felt as if she were about to reach him.

But as she looked down, the field of flowers disappeared, and was replaced by a small, golden bridge. Her father, too, was gone, and on the horizon sat a city, with low buildings, all with red tile roofs. The small, golden bridge went up in an arch and came down the other side.

She ran across it, and underneath her, she saw the crystal clear water, glowing blue. She crossed the bridge, about to enter the city, and her father appeared again, at the entrance to the city gates. He stood just on the other side, and as she ran for him, there suddenly appeared two immense doors, freestanding, in the middle of the street, blocking her way.

She knew she could not get around them. They were tall, three times her height, and as she stopped before them, she was amazed to see that they were made of solid gold. They were intricately carved with the most beautiful figures, figures she could not understand. She knew that her father was behind them, on just the other side. She knew that if she could just open the doors, she could reach him, that he was waiting to embrace her.

She searched everywhere, but found no handle. So instead, she reached up, and ran her fingers along the carved, golden figures. She felt the smooth shapes and contours, was amazed at their depth of detail. It was like a piece of artwork.

“Caitlin,” came the voice. She knew that it was the voice of her father. It was a deep, soft, relaxing voice. She craved to hear it again.

“I am waiting for you,” he said. “Open the door.”

“I can’t!” she cried frantically.

“Caitlin!”

Caitlin opened her eyes and saw Polly standing over her, shaking her.

Caitlin woke up, disoriented. Had it been her father’s voice? Or Polly’s?

She sat up and looked all about the room, looking for her father. But it was just another dream.

It had been so vivid, like a meeting.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and squinted against the harsh sunlight streaking into the room.

Daytime. She tried to remember. When had she fallen asleep? Had she been sleeping all day?

Rose came up and licked her face.

“What time is it?” Caitlin asked, groggily.

“It’s late in the afternoon,” Polly said, “you’ve been sleeping all day. I didn’t want to wake you. I let you sleep as long as I could. But now, most the day’s passed, so I figured it’s ok. You’ve slept enough, right? I’m just dying to talk to you. How did everything go last night? What happened? Why didn’t you come back with me? Did Blake bring you back? How was your time with him?”

As always, Polly fired question after question, barely giving Caitlin a chance to think. She didn’t know which question to answer first.

“I didn’t come back with him,” she said. “I came back alone. I hired a boat to take me back.”

Polly’s eyes opened wide in anger.

“What happened?” Her expression darkened. “If he abandoned you there, I’ll kill him—”

“No, no,” Caitlin said, “it’s nothing like that. He wanted to bring me back. I asked him not to.”

“Why?” Polly’s expression changed again. “Oh, I see,” she said. “Things didn’t go so well? You don’t like him? Why, what did he say? What happened!?”

“No, it’s nothing like that either,” Caitlin said.

She got up, stretching her legs, needing to breathe a bit, to process it all. She wanted to answer Polly, but she barely knew the answers herself.

“I guess I just…needed time,” she said. “To think it all over, you know? I actually…I…ran into someone else last night…someone I used to know.”

Polly hesitated. “That…Caleb person you were talking about?”

Caitlin looked away, her heart pulling at even the sound of Caleb’s name.

“Yes,” Caitlin answered, finally.

“So? What happened?”

Caitlin thought. What did happen? She still could hardly believe it all. That Caleb did not remember her. It felt like she’d been stabbed in the heart. And seeing him together with Sera, so happy….It was more than she could handle.

“Things…I guess…just didn’t turn out as I expected,” Caitlin said.

“So? What about Blake? What’s wrong with him? You guys seemed to dance so well together.”

Caitlin tried to think. Blake was amazing. There was no doubt about that. And her feelings for him—they were very real. Why had it all had to happen at once? She felt so torn, so conflicted. She knew, intellectually, that Caleb was taken, and that it wasn’t healthy to dwell on him anymore. But at the same time, to be with Blake, right now, so fast, at this moment…it just felt too soon.

“There’s nothing wrong with him,” Caitlin said. “I just… I don’t know. I guess I just haven’t figured it all out yet.”

Polly nodded. “I hear you there,” she said. “Guys are impossible.” She sighed. “Anyway, sorry for all the questions. I was just really curious. I missed you. You have a way of growing on people.

Not to mention, it’s almost dinner time. And someone very important wants to see you.”

Caitlin wracked her brain. Who could that possibly be?

“Aiden,” Polly said. “He asked me to summon you.”

Caitlin walked down the outer corridor of the cloister, past column after column, through the low, arched ceilings along the inner courtyard. All throughout the courtyard she could see her fellow coven members training, heard the click-clack of their swords, as they relentlessly sparred with each other. It made her think back to Pollepel, made her realize that nothing really changes over the centuries.

Caitlin continued, heading towards the main church of San Michele, where Polly told her she’d find Aiden.

Aiden. She was excited to see him again, another link to her past, and yet nervous at the same time. Would he remember her? It seemed that some people, like Caleb and Polly, didn’t, while others, like Blake, did—or at least somewhat. What about Aiden? He seemed to see more than most, both in the past and the future. She had a feeling that if anyone would remember her, it would be him.

As always, her meeting with Aiden seemed to come at an opportune moment. She herself was brimming with so many questions left unanswered, felt so much at a crossroads. She couldn’t stop thinking of her morning’s dream, of her father, of those huge golden doors. She wondered what it meant. She felt, more than ever, that there was a mission burning inside of her, and that she needed to be on it. But she didn’t know exactly what it was, or where to go. Should she give up on Caleb altogether? Should she be looking for her father? If so, where? And what about Blake?

Was her journey back in time a huge mistake?

Or was it all for a reason?

She felt that if anyone knew the answers, Aiden would.

Caitlin opened the door to the ancient church, and walked inside.

It was completely empty, save for one person, kneeling at the far end of the room, before the altar. Caitlin did not need to go any further to know who it was. Aiden.

She walked down the center of the long aisle, her footsteps echoing.

She stopped a few feet behind him. He knelt there, his back to her, hands raised, apparently in prayer. He was so motionless, so still, she wondered if he was even alive. Before him, at the altar, was a huge cross.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, just before she was about to say his name, he spoke:

“Caitlin,” he said.

It was a statement, not a question. As always, he managed to make even the simplest thing mysterious.

“I’m glad to see you again,” he added.

As always, it seemed like everything he said could be interpreted many ways. Did that mean that he remembered her?

Caitlin was unsure how to respond.

Finally, he rose to his feet, turned and looked at her. His eyes shone an intense, light blue, and seemed to look right through her. He still had long silver hair and a silver beard to match, and he looked exactly as he had on Pollepel. It was incredible. He seemed like he hadn’t aged at all.

“Thank you for taking me back in,” Caitlin said. And then, added: “Again.”

Aiden broke into a small smile. “This isn’t quite Pollepel, is it?”

Caitlin’s heart soared. So. He did remember. Did that mean he remembered everything?

“What do you think?” he said, in response to her thoughts.

Then: “Follow me.”

Caitlin and Aiden walked slowly, side-by-side, along the outskirts of the island, right along the water’s edge. Caitlin was struck by the tranquility and beauty of the place. The island was covered in a lush, green grass, dotted with Italian Cypress trees, and, in the distance, lined with small cemeteries. Water was visible from everywhere.

They walked slowly in the silence. Caitlin began to wonder if Aiden would ever talk.

Finally, she could take it no longer. She had so many burning questions she needed to ask.

“How much do you remember?”

“Remember is a funny word,” he said. “It’s more like…seeing what might have been.”

Caitlin was alarmed by his choice of words. “Might have been?” she asked.

“When you travel backwards, you of course affect your future. Everything is connected. Your future, after all, is only the sum of your past. Whatever you are doing now, your actions last night, this conversation we’re having—all of your actions in this time and place—will change the future you would have had. It is all a chain of events. Alter one link in the chain, and the entire chain alters with it. You’re changing your future right now, by being here. And you will continue to change it, with every choice that you make.”

He turned and looked at her.

“The consequences are infinite. You are not just affecting this time. You are affecting all times to come.”

Caitlin’s mind reeled with the implications. She felt scared to say anything, to do anything; she felt burdened. Had she made a mistake to come back here? Then again, what choice had she had?

To just let Caleb die?

“I’m so confused,” she said. “I don’t know why I’m here anymore. At first, I thought it was for Caleb. It was for Caleb. I wanted to save him. I wanted to be with him. But now…he’s with someone else.”

Aiden sighed. “Time is a tricky thing, isn’t it? You want things to be exactly as they were. But they never are.”

“Then tell me,” she said. “Why am I here?”

“That is something you will need to find out for yourself.”

“But is there a reason? A point to all of this?” she pressed.

“There is always a reason. You look through a too-narrow lens. What you still fail to see is that Caleb is just one piece of a very large and complex puzzle. He was the driving force that brought you back, yes. But perhaps he led you back in time for another reason. You assume you brought him back in time. But perhaps all the while, he was leading you.”

Caitlin’s mind reeled.

“You do have a mission, don’t you?”

Caitlin stared, and suddenly her dream came back to her.

“I dreamt this morning of my father,” she said. “The same dream I always have, but this time, I saw these golden doors. They were so tall, so beautiful. I tried to open them, but I couldn’t. I knew that if I could just open them, I would reach him.”

“And what did these doors look like?” he asked.

“They were gold, and they had these carvings all over them.”

“Scenes from the Bible?” he asked.

As he said it, Caitlin suddenly realized he was right.

“Yes,” she said, excited. “How did you know? Do you know these doors? What does it mean?”

“It’s meaning is for you to find out,” he said. “Those doors you describe, they exist in but one place in the world. Florence.”

Florence. Caitlin remembered the priest’s words: you will find your father in Florence.

“Your father has sent you a message. He wants you to find him there.”

Caitlin thought hard. Had she failed in not going there right away? Should she have avoided Venice to begin with?

“Caitlin, you hail from a special lineage. It is not too much to say that the fate of the entire vampire and human races rests in your hands. And yet, you have not fully chosen to embrace your mission. Instead, you chase past lovers. You still follow your heart. As you knew from the start, your mission begins in Florence. It is time for you to embrace your responsibilities. You must lead us to the shield. And find your true father.”

“But I don’t know how to do that,” she pleaded.

“Yes you do,” he answered. “You already have the meaning in your dream.”

She looked at him. Florence. Those doors. At that moment, she knew that was where she needed to go.

The sky suddenly darkened, and a strong wind picked up, blowing his hair, and his eyes shone with more intensity than ever.

“You cannot escape your destiny.”

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, after all that they had been through together, she just had to know. Last night, everything had happened so quickly, perhaps he had just momentarily forgotten. Now, the following day, perhaps things would be different. Perhaps it had all come flooding back to him in the middle of the night.

If she looked into his eyes, now, in the daylight, and he told her again that he didn’t remember, or that he no longer loved her, that would be enough. She would be settled, and could go on her way. She would leave Venice behind, and continue on her journey alone. But until then, she still felt in limbo, and unable to move forward.

The sun was setting, and it got colder as she rowed, the current picking up, along with the wind.

She rowed more strongly, heading for the island on the horizon, following Aiden’s directions. When she’d told Aiden that she refused to move on without seeing Caleb, he had finally, reluctantly, told her where to find him. The small island of Murano, on the outskirts of Venice. But he had also warned her not to go looking for him, that it would bring trouble.

But what else did she possibly have to lose, if she lost him? She had to risk it. She had to follow her heart. She knew it wasn’t safe. But then again, love wasn’t safe, either.

Caitlin finally rounded a bend, and the island of Murano stretched before her. It was beautiful, unlike anything she had seen. It looked like a miniature version of Venice, except all the buildings were brightly painted in different colors. As the late afternoon sun lit them up, it looked like a living rainbow. It was cozy and cheerful.

As she rowed down the canal, between the small buildings, she felt a sense of peace and comfort. It surprised her that Caleb’s coven would choose this place. She would have imagined something more Gothic. As she headed deeper into the island, she looked for the church that Aiden had described: the church of Santa Maria e San Donato. That, supposedly, was were Caleb’s coven lived.

She rowed and rowed, her arms getting tired, and after asking a local, was pointed in the right direction. She headed down another small canal, and then the church spread out before her. It all suddenly made sense: here was a massive church in the middle of the small island. It looked ancient, large, semicircular, and foreboding, with columns all around. In some ways, it reminded her of the cloisters in New York. She could understand why Caleb’s people would feel comfortable here.

Caitlin tied her boat and got out, Rose by her side, happy to be on dry land.

She walked across the wide, stone plaza, empty in the late afternoon, headed up the steps, and through the front doors of the church.

It was dark in here, quiet. It was another enormous, ancient church, with endlessly high ceilings, and stained-glass windows on every side. There were hundreds of pews, simple and wooden, and all empty. In fact, as far she could see, the entire church was empty. No priest, nothing.

Caitlin walked slowly down the aisle, taking it all in. She finally reached the altar, and looked up, examining it. There was a large statue of an angel on a pedestal, and behind that, on the wall, several huge animal bones. She’d never seen bones that large. They looked prehistoric.

“The bones of the Dragon,” came a voice.

Caitlin wheeled.

There, walking towards her in the empty church, was a person she recognized. At first, she could not remember who it was. Then, as he came closer, she realized with a shock: it was Samuel. Caleb’s brother.

He looked like he’d always had, with long hair and a beard, serious, straightforward, battle-hardened. He was a somber man, she remembered, but he’d always seemed to be a good person.

He came beside her, and looked up at the wall.

“Legend has it that they are the bones of a Dragon,” he said. “Slain by a hero hundreds of years ago. Of course, it is not a legend. They were slain by one of us. Although, of course, we don’t take credit for it.”

She examined the bones, high up on the wall, and wondered. Then she turned and looked at Samuel. She wondered if he remembered her.

“I’m sorry to trespass like this,” she said. “I was looking for someone.”

“My brother,” he said flatly. It was not a question. She stared into his eyes, and wondered how much he knew.

“Do you remember?” she asked.

He nodded ever so slightly. She wondered if that was a yes.

“Caleb is with his son,” Samuel said.

The word son came out like a reprimand, and Caitlin wondered if he was giving her a message: back away. Leave Caleb and Sera and their son alone.

“I’d like to see him,” she said. “I need to see him.”

He stared at her, thinking.

“Our coven has lived here for hundreds of years,” he said, disregarding her question. “The Murano glass—people always said it seemed inhuman. They wondered how it could be so superior, the best glass in the world. Of course, it is our handiwork. We cannot use mirrors, so glass of this quality is the next best thing.

“We don’t thrive in harming others. We thrive in industry, like the human race. We are at peace now.

“But when someone new comes along, someone from another coven, and makes visits unannounced, and seeks to speak to people whom she shouldn’t, it can only bring us trouble.”

“I don’t want to cause any trouble,” she said. “I just want to talk to Caleb. Please.”

“Do you know what makes a vampire vulnerable?” Samuel asked.

She thought.

“It is not humans. It is rarely weapons. It is rarely even other vampires. We can handle our own against most everything.” He paused. Then added: “It is love.”

Caitlin thought.

“Love is the weak point of a vampire. It can change us. It can lead to our destruction,” he said.

“You have good intentions,” he added. “But that does not mean it will yield good results.”

With that, he turned his back on her and walked back down the aisle.

As she watched him go, she wanted to say a million things, but she was too bewildered by all of his comments. She didn’t know how to react.

Then, suddenly, as he was walking away, he stopped by the door. He paused, and then called out: “You will find Caleb by the docks. With his son.”

As Caitlin walked across the wide, stone plaza, heading towards the pier, the sun began to set, a beautiful orange and red light breaking through the clouds, washing over everything in the surreal light.

As she walked, Rose by her side, she spotted the docks in the distance, and was grateful that the island of Murano, unlike Venice, was practically empty, with very few people in sight.

She couldn’t see Caleb, though, and her heart sank. Had Samuel been misleading her? Why had he been so worried about her presence? Had he seen something that she had not? She had an increasingly ominous feeling, given the warnings from them both.

She searched in every direction, but still, no sign of Caleb.

Then, as she looked down, she saw, sitting there, on the edge of the dock, a boy. He looked to be about ten, and as she looked closer, she realized it was his son. Jade.

Jade was sitting there all alone, staring out at the water, his legs dangling over the edge. He was so cute, sitting there, an exact replica of Caleb. It made her heart break, as it made her wonder what her life with Caleb might have been like. It made her think of the child they would have had together, made her again mourn her lost baby. It made her wonder if she’d made the wrong decision to come back in time.

As Caitlin got closer, Jade suddenly wheeled. He was quick and alert, like his father.

She looked down at his burning blue eyes, and wondered if he was human, vampire, or somewhere in between. She vaguely remembered Caleb having told her that, when he first married Sera, she was human. And she knew that vampires could not procreate with other vampires. So she supposed the child was a half-breed. Like she had been.

Indeed, as they stared each other, even from this distance, she could sense a strong kinship with the boy. Her heart warmed, and she almost felt as if he were her own son.

Jade jumped up, his eyes opening wide at the site of Rose. He ran towards her and gave her a big hug, and she was equally delighted at the site of the boy. She reached up her paws, hugging him back, and licking him all over his face.

“What’s her name?” he asked, as he stroked her fur. He still had the high-pitched voice of a boy.

“Rose.”

“Can I keep her?” he asked.

Despite herself, Caitlin burst into laughter. She had forgotten how unexpected children could be.

“Um…I’m not sure. But you can pet her. It’s obvious she really likes you.”

“Really?” Jade asked, his eyes opening wider. He and Rose played with each other, fake wrestling: he threw her head back and forth, and she pretended to bite his arm, then let go. Caitlin marveled at the site. They looked like two old friends who hadn’t seen each other in forever.

“Rose, gentle,” Caitlin chided, alarmed at their rough play.

Rose immediately backed off, and ran to Caitlin’s side.

“She was just playing,” Jade said. Then added: “Who are you, anyway?”

It was hard to concentrate with his eyes on her. He looks so much like Caleb, so intense. Caitlin could recognize that this was a very powerful boy.

“I feel like I know you from somewhere,” he added.

“I’m Caitlin,” she said, extending her hand.

Jade reached up and shook it, trying his hardest to look like an adult. Caitlin smiled, and had to keep from laughing.

“I’m Jade,” he said.

“What are you doing out here by yourself, Jade?”

“I’m waiting for my dad,” he said, then suddenly turned back to the water.

Caitlin looked out, too, but there remained no sight of him.

“He usually comes in around this time. Before it gets dark. Mom said I could come down here and wait.”

Jade sat back down where he’d been, on the edge of the dock, his legs dangling off, his back to Caitlin, looking out.

“You can wait with me if you want,” he said, tentatively.

Caitlin felt grateful for the offer. She didn’t quite know what to say. This was not how she had expected things to go down. If she waited with him, would Caleb be mad to see her sitting there with his son? Would it make the wrong impression? And what if Sera showed up?

Then again, Caitlin didn’t know what else to do.

Rose didn’t hesitate. She went over and sat beside Jade. Caitlin decided to follow.

The three of them sat on the edge of the pier, looking out at the water, the sun breaking. Jade reached up and stroked Rose’s head.

“You’re the lady we saw last night, right?” Jade suddenly asked.

“Yes,” Caitlin said.

“My mom got mad after we left. She kept asking dad who you were. He said he didn’t know. She thought he was lying,” Jade said.

Caitlin bit back a smile. Kids were so honest. She was tempted to ask more, but she held off.

That wouldn’t be fair.

They sat in the silence, looking out, and Caitlin was surprised at how comfortable the silence was between them. It was almost as if he were a part of her family.

“Do you wait for your Dad here every day?” she asked.

Jade shrugged. “Mostly,” he said. “He said that when I’m bigger, next year, I can go with him.

This island is boring. I want to train. I want to learn how to fight,” he said, a determined edge in his voice.

Caitlin looked at him, surprised at the sudden strength in his voice.

“Why would you want to do that?” she asked.

“Because I’m going to be a great warrior one day,” he said. It wasn’t bravado. He stated it as simply as if he were stating a fact. And Caitlin believed him. She could sense it, coming off of him, off of every pore in his body. This was a proud, young child, a born warrior. He felt like an ancient soul, and a noble being.

“And what does your Dad think of that?”

Jade shrugged. “He wants me to go to school,” he said. “I hate school.”

Jade’s eyes lowered to Caitlin’s neckline, then suddenly opened wide.

“Wow!” he exclaimed. “What a necklace. It’s beautiful. Can I have it?”

Caitlin reached down and felt her necklace; she had forgotten, as always, that she was wearing it.

She was surprised by how transfixed the boy was to it; she felt bad saying no, but she couldn’t give it away.

But then again, why couldn’t she? And to Jade, of all people? If anyone else had asked her, she would have refused—but there was something about the way he looked at it. Somehow, for some odd reason, it suddenly felt right for her for him to have it. Perhaps, in some small way, it would connect her to Caleb, complete some sort of chain.

She gingerly removed it and handed it to him.

His eyes opened even wider as he took it.

“Really?” he said, clearly surprised that she had agreed. “My Dad would kill me if he knew that I asked you for it. He says I shouldn’t ask for things.”

Caitlin smiled. “I won’t tell.”

Jade put it on, and immediately, it looked like he’d always worn it. He was thrilled.

He turned back to the water, and they sat there in the silence, looking out. They watched together as the sky grew darker.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, he turned to her, and fixed his intense eyes right on her.

“Are you going to be my mommy?” he asked.

Caitlin was shocked. She was so caught off guard, she hardly knew how to respond. She was utterly speechless. Why would he ask such a question? Was he seeing something in the future? In the past?

As she opened her mouth to speak, suddenly, a noise came from the water.

“Daddy!” exclaimed the boy, leaping to his feet, nearly jumping out of his skin with excitement.

Caleb suddenly pulled his gondola right up to the side of the dock. He secured the boat and jumped onto pier.

Caitlin quickly jumped to her feet, too, caught off guard by the quickness with which he approached.

Jade hugged Caleb’s leg tightly.

“Daddy, did you meet Rose?” he asked.

Caleb looked down, as Rose licked his hand.

Caleb placed a hand on Jade’s head, and stared at Caitlin.

He paused. “Jade, can you give us a minute?” he asked, his eyes on Caitlin. “Run home to mommy. I’ll be right there.”

Jade hurried across the plaza, practically skipping with excitement.

“Come on, Rose!” he yelled.

Rose took off at a sprint after him. Caitlin was shocked. Rose had never left her side before, for anyone. It made her sad, but it also pleased her that Rose had found someone she loved so much.

Caitlin stood there, facing Caleb, who stared back at her with intensity. Her heart pounded, as she wondered what he would say. She had no idea what to say herself.

Did he, finally, remember her?

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 for me. The streets of Venice are yours tonight. You will rape and loot and rob and destroy and cause as much trouble as you possibly can. You will not get arrested again, I assure you of that. This is why I have freed you. I have done you a great favor. I expect you to do one for me. Does anyone here object?”

There was a brief, stunned silence.

“What makes you think you can tell us what to do?” suddenly shouted one particularly nasty-looking prisoner, a large bald man with a huge scar across his nose, approaching Kyle threateningly.

Kyle leapt towards him, and in one motion tore the man’s head clean off his body. Blood spurted everywhere, as the corpse dropped to the ground.

The crowd of prisoners stared back at him, shocked.

“Does anyone else have any objections?” Kyle asked. It was not a question.

No one else dared defy him.

“Then go!” Kyle yelled.

With a shout, they all scattered like mice, turning and racing up the stairs. Based on their jubilant yells, Kyle could tell they would cause the trouble he wished for.

But Kyle’s work was not done. He headed down the corridor, and descended yet a smaller flight of steps.

He arrived in an even lower, subterranean level of the jail, this one darker, more poorly lit, with fewer cells. And dead quiet. A few torches glowed faintly, and he went up close to a cell. He took a torch off the wall, and held it to the metal, and examined it: as he feared, these gates were not made of iron. They were made of silver.

As he held up the torch, suddenly, a face appeared at it—the grotesque face of a vampire of the Lagoon Coven, one of the darkness and nastiest of them all. He had huge fangs which stuck out of his mouth, tiny lips, and eyes that were entirely red. He practically snarled as he breathed. It was a disgusting creature.

All around him, these creatures slowly came to their bars, all grunting at Kyle.

Kyle reached into a pouch on his belt, extracted a powder, and stood back as he threw it onto the silver. He waited, then reached out, grabbed the bars, and tore them off the wall.

A dozen vampires, some of the nastiest creatures Kyle had ever seen, slowly filed out, all pent up, all ready to wreak damage.

“Follow me,” Kyle said.

He could feel them all following, close behind. These needed no instructions. Tearing things apart came naturally to them.

Kyle smiled as they ascended, heading for the night.

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 stared back at her.

“We were together once,” she added. She couldn’t stop herself; it was too late now. “Or, rather, we will be together once. I’ve come back in time to save you. I didn’t… I didn’t know you’d be with someone else. I didn’t know you had a child. Well at least, not at this moment in time…I’m sorry,”

she said, stuttering, feeling foolish, “I…didn’t mean to intrude. I had no idea. I was hoping you’d remember…I guess…I was…hoping things would be different. I realize…I know, this must all sound crazy.”

Caitlin, trembling, suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion. She could no longer control her tears, and she quickly turned to leave.

But as she did, she felt a strong hand on her wrist.

Caleb held her there, stopping her. She could feel the pulse racing through his palm.

Slowly, she turned. Tears poured down her cheeks as she stared into his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I never meant to hurt you. I do feel something between us. I really do. But I don’t know what it is. And…” he said, pausing, “I’m so sorry, but I just can’t remember you.”

Caitlin nodded slowly, understanding. At that moment, she realized that there was no hope anymore for them. She felt so stupid to have come back, to be standing here, to be intruding in his life this way. She felt terrible. She had been so selfish. She should have just taken last night as closure. Why couldn’t she have just moved on?

Now, at least, finally, it was beyond doubt. As much as it hurt, he clearly didn’t know her anymore. She had to move on.

“I’m sorry,” she said, wiping away a tear, as he loosened his grip.

She turned to go. Then, before she did, she faced him one last time.

“I just want you to know that I love you. And I always will.”

And with that, she ran and lifted into the air, her wings sprouting, and carrying her into the sunset.

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 got the best of him, and he prepared to take off after her.

He was about to take off at a sprint, to fly into the air, when suddenly, one of his coven members screamed out his name, and came running up to him.

“Did you hear?” his coven member asked, eyes wide in a frenzy. “What’s happening in Venice?

There’s been an outbreak of prisoners. They’re tearing apart the city. If we don’t do something, all the humans will die.”

Caleb furrowed his brow in concern.

“But how is this possible? Who is behind this?”

“We don’t know. But there is no time to waste.”

The coven member ran off, heading for the water.

As Caleb turned and looked, he saw all his coven members streaming out of the church, out of the surrounding cloisters, heading towards the water. As they did, they broke into flight, their wings sprouting, lifting them high into the air. His entire coven was being summoned.

His brother Samuel came running up. “Did you hear?” he asked, urgently.

Caleb nodded, and as he did, Samuel reached out and handed Caleb his ivory staff, while Samuel donned his golden gauntlet.

“Will you fly into battle by my side?” Samuel asked.

“Always,” Caleb said.

Just as they were getting ready to depart, Sera came running out, all geared up for battle, dressed in a thick, skin-tight, black suit, impervious to nearly any weapon, and carrying a short spear. She looked fierce, as she always did before battle.

Caleb was annoyed to see her here.

“We need someone to stay with Jade,” Caleb reprimanded. “He should not be left alone.”

“I’m not letting you enter battle without me,” Sera said. “Jade will be fine. The battle is in Venice, not here. There is nothing to fear. And I’ve ordered him not to leave the church.”

“I don’t like it,” Caleb said.

“My brother,” Samuel interjected, “we have no time to waste.”

Caleb offered Sera one last look, but he could see her mind was made up. She was the most stubborn person he’d ever met.

“Fine,” he said. “Let’s go.”

And with that, the three of them turned and sprinted towards the water, and within moments, were flying into the coming night.

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 scores of vampires flew overhead. It was Caleb’s coven, he knew, heading right for Venice. They were so easily led. They rushed to quell the violence, as he knew they would, and in doing so, left their island unprotected. Kyle had sensed Caitlin’s presence strongly on that island. Now, finally, he could go and kill her.

As they blanketed the sky, like a flock of bats, and descended to the shores of Venice, Kyle saw his moment of opportunity. He lifted off into the air, the sole vampire flying in the other direction, completely unnoticed, and headed right for Caleb’s Island.

His mouth watered at the thought of finding her there, all alone, and capturing her, or killing her slowly.

It was, finally, time for payback.

Jade stood at the waterfront and watched the sky. Rose sat loyally by his side, and had not left it once.

Jade knew that he should not have left the church, as he’d promised his mother. He felt bad for breaking his word, but he just had to see what was happening, to watch the battle. Battles like this didn’t happen often, and he was bursting out of his skin with excitement. He had run to the waterfront the second they’d left, and had watched as his dad had lifted into the sky. He was so proud of him, and of his uncle Samuel, that he nearly felt his heart leap out of his chest.

Yet he also burned with frustration. He would do anything to be among them now, to be flying at their side, carrying his weapons, helping them in battle. He was almost ten, after all. Why didn’t they treat him like an adult already? He just wanted one chance. He knew that if he were with them, he would prove himself, too. He couldn’t wait for the day.

Jade knew he couldn’t go back inside. He was too excited. He would stand there all night if he had to, watching the sky, waiting until each and every one of them returned. There was no place else he could possibly be.

In the meantime, since he was the only one left on the island, he imagined himself as its sole protector, the lone soldier appointed to stand watch, to guard over all of their precious possessions.

Yes, he realized, this was a very sacred obligation, and when his father and uncle and mother returned, they would be proud of him. They would all say, look at Jade: he stood guard for us fearlessly.

He’s just as great a warrior as us.

As Jade watched the sky for the slightest fluctuation, there suddenly appeared, in the distance, a lone figure in it, heading his way. Jade’s heart leapt. He could tell even from here that this was a vampire, and that it was not of his own coven. Who could it be? he wondered. And why was he heading this way?

Maybe, Jade realized with a pounding heart, that this would be his first test as a soldier. He tensed up, and held his spear high. He reached into his waistband and reassuringly felt his favorite slingshot and small pouch of stones. He had spent many days looking for the smoothest, roundest stones down at the waterside, and they all fit perfectly inside the sling he had created. He’d spent countless afternoons practicing with it, hurling the stones at tree branches, at targets in the water. He had even taken aim at birds recently, and had managed to kill quite a few. No one else took him seriously, but he knew that, with this weapon of his own design, he had become a force to be reckoned with.

As Jade watched, the figure suddenly came very close, diving and landing on the dock before him, just feet away.

Jade’s heart pounded and he felt his mouth go dry, as he saw the size of this vampire: he was enormous. He was dressed in all black, in some sort of battle armor, and as his wings retracted, Jade saw how muscular he was. He was even bigger than his Dad. Worse, he looked terrifying: half of his face was completely scarred, as if it had been torn off.

Rose tensed up, too, growling.

Jade again felt along his side, for his slingshot. But his hands trembled, and he was not so sure it would do him any good. This man looked like pure evil.

Jade swallowed.

The man took several step towards him. Jade wanted to step backwards, but he forced himself not to. Instead, he tried his hardest to act like a man, standing his ground, puffing out his chest and raising his chin. He tried to put on his meanest look. He would never allow himself to be a coward.

No matter who was approaching him.

“Stop right there and explain yourself!” Jade yelled out, trying to use his fiercest voice.

Unfortunately, his voice hadn’t yet changed—it was still too high-pitched, and it cracked a bit.

The man laughed out loud, and took two more steps forward.

“I warn you,” Jade yelled, “I am the son of Caleb! This is our island! You will do as I say!”

The man stopped, and this time looked genuinely surprised.

“Caleb, you say?” he asked. The man’s voice was dark and deep, coming out almost like a growl.

Jade took some comfort in this. It seemed like his father’s name had impressed the man.

“That’s right,” Jade said, emboldened. “And no one lands here without permission. So you had best leave right now!”

Jade again felt his side for the slingshot, but his hands were trembling, and it was hard to feel exactly where it was.

The man smiled back.

“Very interesting,” the man said.

The man looked about the island, as if smelling the air, as if trying to sense something. After a while, he seemed disappointed.

“Your father had a visitor. A woman named Caitlin. Where is she?” he asked.

“She left before everyone else did,” Jade said. “But she gave me her necklace. It’s mine now. She said I could keep it. And if you don’t leave now, my Dad will be back any minute,” Jade said, throwing out the scariest thing he could think of.

The man scowled, seeming disappointed.

“Where did she go?” he demanded.

“I have no idea,” Jade said. “And even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

The man smiled again, but this time his grin was more evil than before.

“You are a defiant little boy,” he said. “Just like your father. Unlike your father, you will pay the price for standing in my way. Your father has caused me grief throughout the centuries. In time, I will kill him myself, with my own two hands. But in the meantime, it will suffice for me to kill you.

Let this be a lesson for him.”

With that, the man started taking several steps toward Jade.

Jade’s eyes opened wide and his heart pounded in his chest. The time had really come: the time for battle. He’d gotten his wish.

But now that it was here, his hands shook so hard, it was hard for him to control them. Hard for him to think clearly, to remember. The slingshot. The stones. He found himself frozen, unable to move.

He wanted to act, but as the man came closer, a part of him was just too scared to actually break into action.

Rose, as if sensing Jade’s inability to act, suddenly burst into a snarl, and ran right for the man.

She leapt into the air, and dove right for his throat. It happened so fast, it caught the man off guard. Rose clamped her jaws down hard on this throat, making the man stagger back several feet, shocked. He grabbed at Rose and tried to pull her off, but he was unable. She bit too hard. Blood was everywhere, as she held onto his throat, unwilling to let go.

Finally, the man got hold of her, and threw her off him. He slammed Rose down so hard on the stone that, with a yelp, the wind was knocked out of her. Then, with a scowl, he lifted up his boot, and Jade could see that he was about to crush her head.

Jade broke into action. In one quick motion, he reached into his belt, extracted his sling, inserted a stone and, as he’d done a million times before, he pulled back his arm, aimed right for the man’s eye, and hurled it with all he had.

To Jade’s shock and amazement, it worked. The stone went flying at lightning speed, and struck the man, only feet away, in one of his eyes, knocking it out of his skull.

The man grabbed his empty socket and screamed and screamed, horrific screams, as blood poured from his head. Jade had saved Rose’s life.

But now the man turned on Jade, and looked at him with a snarl from hell. Jade reached down for another stone, but this time he was not quick enough. The man pounced on him with lightning speed, faster than anything Jade had ever seen.

The last thing that Jade saw was his grotesque face, filled with rage and fury, and heading right for him.

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, but Caleb took his staff, and thrust it backwards, its pointed end going right through his throat.

Two more charged at his front, but Caleb pulled the staff back and swung it down, cracking them both hard across the head, and knocking them to the ground.

Caleb caught his breath, and looked over and saw his brother doing well; but Samantha, with her short sword, was jumped from behind. He stepped in and tore the vampire off of her, wrestling it to the ground.

The vampire reached up with his long claws and tried to gouge out Caleb’s eyes. But Caleb grabbed them and twisted them around, breaking the vampire’s wrist. Caleb then rolled over, grabbed his spear, and punctured the vampire’s heart. It died with a horrible shriek.

After minutes of heated battle, finally, they were the victors. The few convicts who survived took off into the streets, while the rest of them were dead in the square. The vampires, too, all lay dead.

Caleb surveyed his coven members, and saw that, while several of them were bruised and beaten, none had died.

Caleb felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned.

Samuel pointed at the sky.

“The smoke,” Samuel said. “It’s coming from our island.”

Caleb and Samantha exchange a worried look at the same moment. With a running start, they leapt into the air, their coven members close behind.

Caleb felt his heart pounding in his chest, more disturbed now than he had ever been during battle. His island was on fire. And his son was all alone.

Caleb landed back on his island with all his coven members, and quickly searched for Jade.

“Jade!” screamed Caleb.

He ran to and fro, as Samantha ran to the church, and Samuel ran to the cloisters. They covered all their bases, looking in every direction as they fanned out.

Fires raged everywhere, lighting up the night, and Caleb knew that someone had attacked. He realized now that what had happened on Venice was just an elaborate decoy; that the real target was his island. That they had been tricked.

Caleb scoured the docks, looking everywhere—and finally, he stopped.

And his heart stopped within him.

There, lying before him, was Rose.

Dead.

There was no way, he knew, that Rose would have ever left Jade’s side. Unless something had happened to Jade.

Caleb searched again, and there, in the darkness, he saw the outline of a body. The body of a small boy, lying on the stone.

He felt his entire world collapse around him. He felt himself die inside.

He was unable to move, unable to breathe, to think. He felt himself in utter denial, screaming to himself that it could not be Jade.

But even as he began to approach, he knew it could be no one else.

He knelt by the body, and slowly turned it over.

Caleb leaned back and let out a horrible wail, one of an animal that would never recover. It was a wail that filled the night, that stopped the entire coven, and that rose up to the very heavens themselves.

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 stopped crying, she’d slowly started to ask herself where exactly she was going—and that was when she realized that it was, indeed, Florence. It felt right to her. She had followed her heart, and it had led to heartbreak. Now she needed to fulfill her mission.

She regretted that she had not done it sooner. She had been selfish. Clearly, she was an important person, and she could be of some great service. And the more she thought about it, the more the idea of finding her father stirred in her a new type of resolve. Finding him was something that she had always wanted, and if going to Florence held the answer, she felt no need to hesitate.

The only person in Venice she truly regretted leaving behind without saying goodbye, was Blake.

Now that Caleb was clearly taken, she thought more and more of her night with Blake. Their dance.

Their gondola ride. There had been something real between them. And she had just thrown it away.

He would probably never forgive her, and she’d only wish she’d had a chance to explain it all, to say goodbye properly. But in her current emotional state, she couldn’t trust herself to talk to him.

Boys were too hard for her, too confusing. They overwhelmed her emotions, made it hard for her to think clearly. They always seemed to distract her. She had a mission to fulfill, and she’d have to focus. Being on her own would make it much simpler.

Caitlin also felt sad at leaving Rose behind, but before she left, she felt how strong Rose’s connection was with Jade. She was in good hands with him. The two of them were clearly meant for each other, and at least it would keep Caitlin connected to Caleb in some small way.

Caitlin cleared a mountain range, and as she lowered, she saw before her, in the distance, a startling site: the massive, sprawling city of Florence.

She dove further, and found herself circling it. It was magnificent, unlike any city she had ever seen. Nestled in a valley, surrounded in the distance by a small mountain range, Florence was flanked by rivers, over which spanned small, beautiful arched bridges. The last light of sunset lingered in the air, and it was just enough to afford Caitlin a magnificent, bird’s eye view.

Everywhere were red, shingled rooftops, sloping gently downward, making it look like the city was aglow in red and orange. The buildings were low, most of them not more than a few stories high, and the skyline was punctuated with a plethora of church steeples. Some churches had domes, others, square towers. The grandest church of all towered over everything else, its massive orange, tiled dome seeming to rise up from the center of the city itself.

As she flew close to the city center, she saw huge mansions and palaces, the massive buildings towering over the smaller ones around them. Amidst the buildings, every several blocks, were open squares. She could already see that the city was not nearly as crowded as Venice. Thankfully, there seemed to be plenty of breathing room down below.

Caitlin circled the city a third time, taking it all in. The architecture was beautiful, so clean, so ancient. There were statues in all the squares, and people strolled leisurely, at ease, while others rode on horses. The rivers surrounding the city were aglow in red from the sky, and people casually crossed the many footbridges.

Caitlin had no idea where to begin her search. She had never been to Florence, and the city was so spread out. As she flew, she hoped for some hidden sense to kick in, some intuition, a message, perhaps, from her father. But nothing came.

She decided to approach the city from the outside, to get the experience of entering it for the first time. She also thought it wiser not to land right inside the city, in case she was detected.

She crossed over the river, just as it was getting dark, and landed in the woods on the other side.

Caitlin walked down a dusty dirt road, heading towards the river bank. Her immediate concern was finding shelter, and food. She was hungry. Not for food, but for blood. Being in the forest, and in the thick woods, stirred up her hunger. She could smell deer close by.

Caitlin heard a rustling in the branches, and she turned and saw a family of deer standing there, not more than 30 feet away, staring.

She jumped into action, choosing one, and chasing it down.

As it bounded left, then right, she stayed close on its trail. She remembered her time with Caleb, in Salem, his teaching her how to hunt.

He taught her well: moments later she found herself leaping onto a small deer and sinking her fangs into its neck. It was a direct hit. The deer went down, Caitlin on top of it. It kicked for a few seconds, but then it stopped, as Caitlin sucked the blood from its body.

As she drank, Caitlin slowly felt her life’s force returning.

And then she suddenly heard a click behind her—a loud, distinctive click.

She immediately recognized it as the click of a rifle.

She froze, and slowly turned.

There, standing over her, was a hunter, elegantly dressed, holding a rifle, aimed right at her.

“Don’t you move,” he said to her, threateningly.

Caitlin heard more rustling, and saw that he was accompanied by a group of about 30 humans, all pointing crossbows at her. She was completely surrounded.

She didn’t know what to do. She could kill the humans easily enough, but she really didn’t want to harm them. She didn’t want to have to spend her time here on the run, rushed out of the city before she could find what she needed.

She slowly turned, raising her hands.

“Get up,” he said. “On your feet.”

She slowly stood, hands held high, debating a course of action. The hunters behind him all seemed itching to fire. The arrows and bullets might not kill her, but they would surely hurt.

“I mean you no harm,” she said.

“We know what you are,” he grunted. “A vampire. Your kind bring nothing but evil. I killed one of yours just yesterday. Apparently, I didn’t kill enough.”

The man clicked back the action on his rifle, and raised it higher, right for Caitlin’s head.

She realized that he was about to fire.

Suddenly, there was a rustling in the woods, and the entire group spun and looked. A vampire had dropped him from the sky, had landed behind all of them.

Caitlin was shocked to see that it was Blake.

It was the distraction Caitlin needed. Before they could turn back her way, she sprang into action, grabbing the hunter’s rifle and tearing it from his hands just as he fired. She had managed to raise it just high enough, so that the bullet missed her head by an inch.

She yanked the gun from him, spun it around, and cracked him across the jaw with the butt of the rifle, sending him down.

Blake had sprung into action, too, knocking three of them down with a single blow.

The other archers turned back to Caitlin and fired, but she was faster than them, and had already leapt into the air. She came down fast and hard, kicking them all in the face. She swung the butt of the rifle wildly, knocking several others over. It would have been easier to kill them, but it was not what she wanted.

Blake was also in a frenzy, punching, kicking, elbowing, knocking them all out.

Of the entire group, only one managed to get off a shot. The arrow pierced Blake’s arm, as he let out a scream.

Caitlin spun, identified the hunter, and kicked him so hard, with both her feet on his chest, that he went flying back at super speed, into a tree. To his bad fortune, he went flying right into a sharp, protruding branch, and it punctured his throat. He was pinned to the tree, dead.

All the other humans were knocked out cold, unconscious.

Caitlin turned to Blake, running over to him, feeling responsible for his wound. He stood there, clutching it, the arrow still stuck in his arm.

“Break it off,” he said through gritted teeth.

Caitlin hesitated, then snapped the arrow. He screamed as she did.

“Now pull,” he said.

She looked at him, unsure, but he nodded, locking his jaw.

In one strong motion, she yanked the arrow as hard as she could. Blake screeched, as it went entirely through his arm. Blood poured everywhere, and Caitlin stopped it with her hands.

Blake reached down, tore a strip of fabric off of his shirt with his teeth, and handed it to Caitlin.

She took it, and wrapped it tightly around the wound.

Finally, the bleeding stopped.

Blake bent down, grabbed the tip of the arrow, and held it up to the moonlight.

“As I thought,” he said. “Silver-tipped. These were not hunters. They were vampire hunters.

Looking specifically for types like us.”

Caitlin looked at the arrow tip, and saw that he was right. She looked at his wound in concern.

“Will you be okay?” she asked.

He nodded, but not convincingly.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said.

Caitlin stood beside Blake on the stone terrace, leaning against the ornate marble railing. High up on a hill, she looked out over the forest, over the river, at the city of Florence. Her mind was still reeling, still trying to process how she got here, how it all happened.

She had never expected to be surrounded so quickly by a group of humans, especially armed with weapons capable of hurting vampires. She hadn’t known of vampire hunters, and it was stupid of her to let down her guard so much. She had been too focused on Florence, too excited to be here—and too hungry, too focused on feeding. It had been a stupid mistake.

Thank goodness for Blake. Seeing him there had been such a shock. She had thought that he’d forgotten about her, and that if he thought of her at all, it would only be with anger. After all, she had left him so abruptly, when he had been so kind to her.

After their encounter, he’d led her through the forest, up this hill, to this incredible mansion. It was, he explained, a palazzo. Sitting proudly high up on a hill, it had a wide, marble staircase, with thick, ornate railings winding their way up to this huge stone terrace. It all led to a magnificent, marble house, with huge oak doors, and glorious arched windows in every direction. Blake had led her inside, and had explained that this was one of his many houses. It was magnificent, fit for a king.

It sure beat spending the night in the forest.

After collecting herself and helping tend his wound, Caitlin had wandered out onto the terrace, to get some fresh air, to take it all in. He had wandered out after her, and now stood at her side.

She and Blake hadn’t said much, both still reeling from the shock of battle. He looked like he was in pain from the arrow, and Caitlin felt terribly about it. She was deeply touched that he had come for her, that he had saved her. Who knows what would have happened if he hadn’t arrived.

They stood there in the warm evening air, each looking out, each lost in their own thoughts.

The silence grew thick, and Caitlin began to feel nervous. She felt her heart start to be faster. She had no idea what to say. She wanted to thank him. But she didn’t know how to begin.

“Did you come down here just for me?” she asked softly, in the summer darkness.

He waited several moments, then nodded.

“Why?” she asked.

“I couldn’t forget you,” he said.

He turned and faced her.

“Our dance. Our boat ride. I thought what we had was real.”

He looked at her.

“Was it?”

She looked back at him, at the blazing intensity in his eyes, and could see how deeply he felt things.

“Yes,” she answered.

His face seemed to relax.

“Then why did you leave me?” he asked.

Caitlin sighed, trying to think what to say.

Finally, she simply said, “I’m sorry.”

“Do you always run when you’re interested in someone?” he asked, with a small smile.

She smiled back. “Now that I think about it, I guess I do.”

“That’s a bad habit,” he said, his smile widening.

He turned and looked at the city, and she studied him as he did. He was still very mysterious to her. He was a man of few words, and he was so soft-spoken. She could feel the intensity that burned off of him, and it scared her. He felt like a man who lived life on the edge. He seemed like a hopeless romantic, like someone who was always embroiled in a passionate affair.

“That man you spoke to the other night,” Blake continued, “the one with the child. How do you know him?”

Caitlin was at a loss. She had no idea how to explain it. “It’s complicated,” she finally said.

“Do you have feelings for him?” he asked.

Caitlin paused.

“Yes,” she said, truthfully.

She saw Blake’s face fall in disappointment.

“But,” she added, “that was in the past.”

He looked at her, confused.

“What I meant to say was…we’re no longer together.”

As she spoke the words aloud, it pained her to hear them—but even as she said it, she knew that it was true.

Blake looked at her with a new hope.

“I followed you to Florence hoping that you would say that,” he said. “From the moment I met you, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Last night, I visited your island, and Aiden told me you’d left for Florence. I don’t know why you’re here exactly, but I can sense that you’re searching for something. I want to help you. I want to be with you.”

He turned and faced her, and took a step closer.

She looked up into his eyes, at his smooth, flawless skin, and felt completely overwhelmed by his presence. She was unable to resist. He looked down at her, reached up, and slowly stroked her face with the back of his hand. She closed her eyes. She remembered that night on Pollepel, that same feeling she’d had. Now it came back, but stronger.

And as he leaned in, and his lips touched hers, she felt her heart swell again. She found herself kissing him back, meeting his lips with equal force.

She found herself melting, and knew that something inside of her was slowly coming back to life.

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. Lying next to Blake, feeling his energy, she felt she was exactly where she was supposed to be right now.

Caitlin lay there, studying his face, still sleeping, so peaceful. She wondered how far back they went, exactly how many lifetimes they’d known each other.

She finally crawled out of bed, her bare feet feeling good on the cool marble, and walked across the room, to the enormous window. She looked up: the window was at least fifteen feet high, with lace curtains that blew in the breeze.

She leaned out and watched the dawn break over Florence. The river lit up, glowing in the soft light. Birds chirped in the trees all around her.

A strong breeze came in, cooling her down on the warm summer morning, and blowing the drapes back. They billowed in the wind all around her, as she felt the wind caressing her face.

Caitlin looked into the distance, out at Florence, and for the first time in a long time, she looked forward to the day ahead. She couldn’t wait to explore the city, to continue the search for her father, for the Shield, especially with Blake by her side.

Finally, she was not alone.

Caitlin and Blake held hands as they exited his palace and made their way down the endless marble staircase. She felt like a new woman. She had bathed in the enormous bathtub, and had changed into a new outfit that Blake had given to her. He had actually laid out several outfits for her.

She had chosen a simple, black one, not too tight, one which was elegant and yet which seemed to fit in with the times. It had long, black pants, and a light, long-sleeved shirt, all black and all made of a silky material. The outfit was completed by a pair of open-toed sandals. She ached to see what she looked like in a mirror.

She wondered briefly why Blake had all those clothes, but she didn’t want to ask, to ruin the moment. After all, she figured, he had been alive for thousands of years, and it was only natural for him to have had past relationships. It didn’t bother her, and she was grateful for the clothes.

As they headed down the road, towards the river, it widened, and became busier, the occasional person and horse accompanying them. They blended into the crowd and, held hands. She looked up, and was glad to see that his wound had already healed.

They walked across the small bridge, crossing the river Arno for Florence.

“The Ponte Vecchio,” Blake said.

Caitlin looked over at him. He looked happy and content, in his element.

“It is known as ‘the gold bridge.’ See the merchants? All the little tables? This is where they sell gold. The finest gold in all of Europe. It is not only the entry bridge to Florence, but it also happens to be the place to come for jewelry.”

As they strolled across the bridge, offering an incredible view of the water and the city, Caitlin looked closely: small tables lined the bridge, around which stood merchants and customers, all examining various piece of jewelry.

He took her hand, and led her to a small booth.

She looked down, and was amazed to see it filled with gold bracelets, necklaces, rings, pendants…. They all shone in the light.

Caitlin fingered a bracelet.

“Try it on,” he said, smiling.

She shook her head and put it back. “I was just looking. I don’t have any money.”

He picked it up.

“Please,” he pleaded. “Money is no issue for our kind. I have money enough to last one thousand lifetimes, and one thousand more.”

Caitlin hesitated.

Blake reached over and placed it on her wrist. It was thin and elegant, the gold a brilliant yellow, and it was lined with small pieces of sea glass. It made Caitlin remember their time on Pollepel, when he had given her that piece of sea glass. Did he remember?

But it wouldn’t fit on her wrist.

He tried to open the clasp, but it wouldn’t budge.

“You need the key,” said the merchant.

She looked up, and saw that he was holding a small key. Blake took it and inserted it into the clasp, and it opened. She was amazed.

“It is designed to be opened only with the key,” said the merchant. “Only someone close to your heart holds the key. Only they can open it.”

Blake slipped it onto her wrist, then closed the clasp, and locked it. She tried to take it off, but it wouldn’t budge.

She looked it over, and held it up to the light. It was beautiful, the sea glass reflecting all different colors. She felt like she was wearing a part of Blake.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

Before she could finish asking the question, Blake had already paid the smiling merchant.

He took her hand, and they continued down the bridge.

Caitlin was in awe as they entered the city of Florence. It was one of the most beautiful places she had ever been. The streets were much wider here than in Venice, and not nearly as crowded.

They were lined with beautiful façades of buildings, townhouses, storefronts…. People, elegantly dressed, tipped their hats as they walked, and the occasional horse walked leisurely down the street.

There were sculptures and fountains everywhere. The streets were lined with cobblestone, and every few blocks they opened into an inviting square. This was a truly a city of light.

“So,” Blake asked, after walking in silence, “where to?”

“I need to find my father,” Caitlin said. “And an ancient shield. One that he will lead me to.”

“Your father was of our kind?”

Caitlin nodded. “I’m told that he came from a special coven. I’ve never met him.”

Blake nodded back. “That’s quite common among vampires. Often, the parents abandon the children. It’s safer that way. That way, if the parent gets caught or killed, the child is safe. Plus, there isn’t as much of a need to be together: the vampire connection is so much stronger between parent and child. Vampires don’t need to physically be with their children to be close to them. We can communicate through thoughts, thousands of miles away. And through dreams.”

That jarred something, made Caitlin think. Her dream. Those golden doors.

“Actually, that’s what led me here,” she said. “I dreamt of my father. And these beautiful, golden doors. It was like…I can’t explain it, but it was like…like he was pointing me towards Florence. I kept feeling that the answer was behind these doors. They were so unusual, so tall, and beautiful, and they had these carvings all over them.”

Blake stopped and looked at her. “You are speaking of the Baptistry doors,” he said, with all seriousness. “It can be none other than these.”

Caitlin’s eyes opened wide.

“Do they really exist?”

“Yes, of course,” he said. “They’re one of the more famous sites in Florence.”

Caitlin’s heart leapt with excitement. Finally, something tangible. A real, solid clue.

Blake took her hand. “Follow me.”

As Caitlin and Blake walked down Via Dei Calzaiuoli, it opened up into a huge square, Piazza del Duomo, and Caitlin was taken aback by the site. Across from them stood one of the largest, most ornate churches she had ever seen. It was built in a light stone, every inch covered with carvings, statues, designs, and interlaced with color—orange and green edgings. It was so ornate, so busy.

Its rear cathedral, rose in an enormous, orange dome—the one she had seen when first flying over the city, the same dome that dominated the city skyline. It was very beautiful, and clearly the most important building in the city.

“Wow,” she whispered.

“The Duomo,” he said. “The main church of Florence for hundreds of years. Quite overwhelming, isn’t it?”

It was. But she didn’t see any gold doors.

“But the doors…” she said, “…those aren’t them.”

“No,” he said. “Those doors you speak of are opposite the Duomo. In the Baptistry.”

He turned her shoulders and pointed. “Look,” he said.

Suddenly, Caitlin saw it. There, directly across from the Duomo, sat an octagonal shaped building, which looked small compared to the Duomo, yet which was still quite large, about one hundred feet in diameter, and rising about a hundred feet high. It was as ornately carved as the Duomo itself, in a matching stone and matching colors. But what made it special, what made it eye-stopping, was its magnificent, tall doors. All bright, shining gold. All elaborately carved, with images all over them.

Exactly as Caitlin had seen in her dream.

Her heart pounded. It was so surreal to see something in real life that she had only dreamt of.

Now, more than ever, she felt that it was a message, that she was close, once again, to finding her father.

In a daze, she walked up to the doors, and slowly held out her hand and touched them.

It was just as she remembered. She couldn’t believe how smooth the metal felt. She marveled at all their shapes, at the intricate detail.

Blake came up beside her. “This is the oldest building in Florence,” he said. “Built in 1100. It took them 21 years just to build those doors. All by hand. They look like gold. But they are actually bronze.”

She looked up, and marveled at how high the doors went. She looked closely at the depictions, at the small shapes of people and animals and angels.

“These figures,” Caitlin asked. “What are they?”

“Scenes from the Bible,” Blake answered. “The Old Testament, mainly. You see: there is Moses, receiving the tablets of God.”

Caitlin looked closely. She saw angels, demons, people standing with wings….It made her think of her kind.

“Yes,” Blake said, reading the thoughts. “Our kind are included. Do you really think a human could have carved these? These doors were carved by one of us.”

Caitlin surveyed them in wonder.

“My dream…it told me that my father would be behind these doors.”

Blake opened one of them.

Caitlin pulled back the other, slowly. It was heavy, made of solid iron.

“Let’s find out,” he said.

It was dim inside the Baptistry, light coming in only through the stained-glass windows. Caitlin looked up at the high ceilings, and in here, she could really see the effect of the octagon-shaped building. The panels of the ceiling, all brightly colored in frescoes against a gold background, came to a point, with a small circle in its center. Their footsteps echoed on the beautiful marble floor as they walked, and as she looked around, she saw other people milling about. Sightseers.

Despite its great beauty, Caitlin could find no hidden messages, nothing of any great significance. It was basically just an empty structure, with a small altar at one end of it. And her father, of course, was nowhere in sight.

She looked around, again and again, looking for any clue, any message. Frustrated, she finally gave up.

“I don’t see anything,” she said.

“Neither do I,” he said.

She thought again and again.

“What exactly happened in your dream?” he asked.

She thought of her dream again, tried to remember every last detail, wondering if she’d left anything out.

Suddenly, it struck her.

“What if the answer doesn’t lie behind the doors?” she asked, excitedly. “What if the answer is the door itself?”

He looked at her, puzzled.

She took his hand and led him out of the building.

They stood back outside, before the doors, and she stared intensely at all the carved figures. She circled the structure slowly, walking all the way around, inspecting each and every door. Each had different carvings. She could feel the electricity running through her veins. A message was embedded in one of these carvings, she knew it.

She ran her fingers along them as she walked, trying to sense which one it could be. She closed her eyes, and circled the structure again and again.

Finally, she stopped, feeling something. She opened her eyes and stared.

There it was. Before her was a carved figure of a structure, an old church, with a distinctive shape, tall, capped by three triangles, before which knelt a winged figure. To humans, it might look like an angel, but she knew it was one of her own. This was it. She felt certain of it.

“This place,” she asked Blake urgently, breathless. “What is it?”

He came close, examined it. “That is the church of Santa Croce. It’s not far from here.”

She felt it, more strongly than she ever had. Her father was here. And that was where she had to go.

She turned and took his hand. “Let’s go.”

Caitlin’s heart swirled with a range of emotions as she continued down the streets of Florence with Blake. She felt she was coming close, once again, to finding her father, and her heart beat faster at the thought of it. It also brought up a whole series of questions. Had he been living in Florence all this time? What had he been waiting for? What was he like? After he gave her the Shield, would that be it? Would it be over? Or would they be able to spend time together, as father and daughter?

Most of all, would he love her? Be proud of for? In her dreams, she felt that he was. But this was real life. Would it be the same?

She also felt nervous about Blake. Just being with him, holding his hand, walking down the streets of Florence, she felt so at peace, at ease. She had been so heartbroken over Caleb, and now it felt so good to have a man by her side.

But it had all happened so fast, and it was so hard to think clearly around him, and she still couldn’t quite sort it all out in her mind. Did she love Blake for who he was? Or did she only love him now because of what had just happened with Caleb? She wanted to get clear, to know that she truly loved him for him; but given her current state of emotions, it was so hard to tell.

Whatever it was that they had together, she didn’t want it to end. At least for the moment, it felt right. She wanted him by her side.

But as they continued walking through the majestic streets of Florence, each block more romantic than the next, she couldn’t help but worry that this would all soon come to an end. She wanted to freeze this moment, to make it last—but she knew that, like everything else in her life, it could not. She feared for what could happen next. What if her father really was there? What about Blake? Would he stay? And did he plan on sticking around? Or flying back to Venice? She was afraid to ask him. She didn’t want to know the answer.

But in the back of her mind, she suspected that she already knew: nothing could last forever.

They were on a beautiful, amazing journey together, but eventually, she feared, she would find what she was looking for, and he would have to go back home. When or how they parted ways, she didn’t want to contemplate right now. She just wanted it to last. She wanted so badly for everything to last.

And this tainted her enjoyment of the moment. She wished she could push all of her worries out of her mind, and just enjoy the moment, just enjoy the beautiful weather, the breeze, walking down the idyllic streets of Florence. And she did enjoy it. But not as fully as she would have liked. She couldn’t help feeling as if she were just in the eye of the storm.

She also felt worried because, for the first time in a long while, she felt at home. As much as she had disliked Venice, she loved Florence. It felt so comfortable, with its red tiled roofs everywhere, its abundance of art, its amazing architecture, fountains, rivers, bridges….For the first time since she’d come back in time, she felt really at peace, at home. She wanted to live here. She wanted to settle down, in one place, one neighborhood, one time. She wanted one family, one husband, to call home. Would this all be taken away?

As they turned down another side street, it opened up into a huge square, with a sign that read

“Santa Croce.” It was one of the bigger squares in Florence, sprawling for hundreds of feet, and lined with stores and cafés. It was dominated by a huge church, nearly as big as the Duomo, with similar coloring. It rose up in a distinctive shape. She recognized it immediately from the image on the doors. This was it.

“The church of Santa Croce,” Blake said, looking at it. “A very special place. It is the burial ground for many luminaries, including Michelangelo and Galileo. It is also home to a cloister.”

Caitlin felt more sure than she ever had. Whatever secrets she was searching for, she would find behind those doors.

They circled it, taking note of all the entrances. As they walked behind it, Caitlin saw that the structure stretched backwards for hundreds of feet, and saw, attached to it, the cloister.

“Our kind once lived here, for thousands of years,” Blake said. “It is a very special place.”

“And now?” Caitlin asked, her heart beating. She wondered if her father was living there now.

“I don’t think so,” Blake answered. “I believe it was abandoned centuries ago.”

Caitlin found a large, arched door leading to the cloister. She reached up, grabbed the metal ring and knocked. The sound reverberated throughout the courtyard.

She tried to open the door, but it didn’t give.

She looked over at Blake and he nodded back. She looked both ways, then leaned back and kicked it in. The door went flying open. They hurried inside, and she closed it behind them.

It was dark in here, lit only by the sunlight streaming in through a small window. It took a moment for Caitlin’s eyes to adjust. Once they did, she saw how beautiful it was. Like most cloisters she had been in, it was made of simple stone, with low arched ceilings, a courtyard, and open-air arched windows all along its side. A narrow corridor ran along the courtyard.

As they walked it, Caitlin looked at the interior, rectangular courtyard, lined with neatly trimmed grass. On all four sides of it were arched walls, so typical of cloisters. It was tranquil, very serene, and very empty. She felt like they had the place to themselves.

“It’s empty,” Caitlin said with disappointment. “I don’t sense my father’s presence. I don’t sense anyone.”

They walked down another corridor. As they walked, Caitlin noticed how much it felt like the cloisters in New York, and the cloisters on Isola di San Michele. They were all so medieval, so spare, so empty.

“I’m sorry,” Blake said, finally. “He’s not here.”

Caitlin sighed as she surveyed the walls, looking for any sign. Nothing.

“I’ve heard rumors of this place,” Blake said. “A very powerful coven lived here once. Centuries ago. Maybe your father was a member.”

“Maybe,” Caitlin said, looking around for any possible clue.

Finally, she realized there was nothing more to find here.

“Let’s see the church,” she said.

As Caitlin entered the main church of Santa Croce, she felt a wave of energy. She closed her eyes and felt a tingling in her hands and feet, felt an almost palpable electricity in the air. She was positive that whatever it was she was meant to find was in this room.

“What’s wrong?” Blake asked.

She stood there, frozen, and slowly opened her eyes.

“It’s here,” she said. “Whatever he wants me to find. It’s in this room.”

Blake surveyed the room with a new sense of wonder. So did Caitlin.

The church of Santa Croce was a remarkable feat of architecture. It was the largest that Caitlin had ever entered. The main room was hundreds of feet long, with a ceiling hundreds of feet high.

The enormous room was lined with gigantic columns, and all along its walls were painted beautiful frescoes. The floor was marble, and enormous stained-glass windows allowed in a beautiful, fractured light.

As she walked along the edge of the room, she look closely at the walls, in amazement. Lodged into it, in small alcoves, were sarcophagi. Elaborately carved, these sarcophagi look much like the ones she had seen in the cloisters in New York. They looked like a perfect resting place for a coven of vampires, and she could imagine, back in time, their living here. Indeed, as she looked at them now, she almost felt as if vampires would rise from each one of them.

But as she walked, what really struck her was the floor. There, in the distance, was a series of shapes, protruding from the floor. As she got close, she could see that it was a cluster of tombs, embedded in the floor, marble shapes of human beings, supine, rising up from the floor itself. It was as if the floor were a living graveyard, as if these bodies were getting ready to rise. She thought of the sarcophagi in the cloisters in New York, and she felt certain that this was a sacred place for vampires.

She sensed an energy coming off of one of them, and she leaned in close, and read the inscription. Her heart stopped.

“What is it?” Blake asked, coming close.

“That sarcophagus,” Caitlin said. “The name on it. Elizabeth Payne.”

Blake looked at it, then looked back and Caitlin.

“Who’s that?” he asked.

“My mother,” she said, staring. “They say vampires can be buried in many places. This is the second tomb of hers that I’ve seen.” She looked closely around the room. “I don’t know what it means, but I know that I’m in the right place.”

Caitlin scrutinized everything in the room with a new perception. She scanned the frescoes, the statues, the altar, the sarcophagi, looking for something, she didn’t know what. But she felt certain she’d know it when she saw it.

And then suddenly, she did.

She couldn’t believe it. There, in the center of the room, beside a large marble column, was a limestone, circular staircase, twisting and turning, winding its way up, about fifteen feet, to a large, stone pulpit. It looked exactly like the pulpit in the King’s Chapel in Boston. The pulpit where she’d found the Sword. But this one was larger, and entirely carved of stone.

As Caitlin stared at it, she knew that the answer she sought was inside it.

She found herself pulled towards it, like a magnet, and found herself climbing, ascending its stairs. As Blake watched, she twisted her way higher and higher, and finally reached the top.

At the top was a small, circular landing, and from up here, she had a commanding view of the church. She wondered how many priests had stood up here during the centuries.

She examined its small, stone walls, its ledges, looking for a clue, anything. Remembering the pulpit in Boston, she reached out and felt the walls carefully, checking for a secret compartment.

Suddenly, her fingers ran across something that didn’t feel quite right. It was the tiniest crack, between the marble. She slid a finger in, running it alongside it, looking for a secret latch.

She found it. It was the tiniest lever. She pushed it as hard as she could.

As she did, she heard the hissing of sealed air, released for the first time in centuries. She pulled at the stone, and there, indeed, was a secret compartment.

She looked inside, and her eyes opened wide in amazement. She was utterly shocked by what she saw.

But before she could react, Caitlin felt herself constricted.

Disoriented, she looked up, trying to understand what was happening, and as she did, she saw a silver netting, seemingly dropping from the sky, encasing her, wrapping around her. She saw a dozen vampires, tightening it around her, and felt herself falling to the ground.

She looked up, and the last thing she saw was Kyle, standing over her, half his face disfigured and missing an eye. He looked down at her with an evil grin. He lifted his foot, aiming for her face, and she saw it coming down, getting closer, and closer.

And then her world was blackness.

Caleb stood in the rear of the funeral gondola, standing straight, chin proudly forward, as he rode with as much dignity as he could muster. Lying in the boat before him, wrapped in a black shroud, was the body of his boy. It was a boat just for the two of them, the customary funerary gondola, all-black, and longer than usual.

Sera would not join him. She had been inconsolable, and she had blamed Caleb. Although he was the one who’d asked her to stay with Jade, she was being irrational, and faulted him. She’d refused to attend the funeral, and refused to even be in his presence. She’d insisted on a divorce.

Caleb was reeling. It was so much at once, but the greater pain, to be sure, was Jade. He and Sera had been at odds lately, anyway, and he knew the day was fast approaching of their divorce. But Jade—that was a different matter altogether.

Caleb did his best to hold back his tears, but it was a futile effort. He had loved this boy more than he could ever possibly express, had seen all his hopes and wishes and dreams in him. It was not possible for full-blood vampires to procreate, and this boy had been the product of his union with Sera before he’d turned her. It was an illegal union, which was later sanctioned, and thus Caleb was one of the few vampires who actually had a child. But a child like this would never come along again, he knew. As he rode, as he looked down at the body, he knew that all his hopes and dreams would be buried with it.

More than that, he truly loved the boy. He had a warrior’s spirit, a heart bigger than any adult he’d ever met. Caleb had been proud not only to be his father, but also to know him as a friend, as a compatriot on this Earth. It devastated Caleb to know that he would no longer be with him. He would miss waking up to his being there, his companionship, their conversation. It was like a part of Caleb had been chopped off.

Next to Jade, also wrapped in a shroud, was Rose. Even in the short time they’d spent together, the two of them had a stronger connection than he’d ever seen. He knew that being buried together would be what the boy wanted.

As Caleb rowed, his entire coven rowed with him, hundreds of funerary gondolas, all-black, right behind him. Samuel rowed closest. They all headed solemnly through the grand Canal, heading towards the Isle of the Dead.

As they reached the island, the water gates opened wide to greet them. It was a rare thing for two vampire covens to come together on any issue, but in this, they were all unified.

Dozens of additional funeral gondolas waited to greet them, Aiden’s coven anxious to accompany them, to pay their respects. Aiden stood in the lead boat. As Caleb rowed through the middle, they accompanied him and his people.

When they finally reached the plot of land set aside for Jade, they all, as one force, accompanied the boy and Rose to their final resting place. Church bells tolled in the background, and wails of grief rose up.

Aiden presided over the ritualistic vampire burial, as Caleb personally shoveled the dirt.

“…to resurrect another day,” Aiden finished chanting, “in God’s ultimate grace.”

Caleb stood there, tears in his eyes, feeling surreal, out of touch with his body.

Person after person walked up to him, to try to offer condolences. But there were none to be had.

As Caleb stood there, his grief slowly morphed to anger, to a slow, quiet rage. His boy had been killed. He had not died accidentally, but had been deliberately killed, in cold blood. It was the work of an evil vampire coven, one that had set out to destroy Caleb, and had found his boy instead.

Caleb wanted revenge. He needed revenge.

And he was not alone. His entire coven demanded vengeance, too, as did Aiden’s coven. This was an attack on all of them, and was completely unacceptable. The covens were united.

Caleb finally cleared his throat, and spoke up in a loud voice.

“My fellow members,” he began. “What happened today was an attack not just on me, not just on my son, but on all of us. The malevolent coven coordinated this attack, this breach of our shores, and we must answer with equal force. I will fly today to exact revenge on this horrible, unjustly murder. To exact revenge for all of us. If need be, I will fly alone. But I welcome you to join me, to avenge the cruel and merciless death of my innocent boy.

“Are any of you with me?”

A huge roar of approval rose up, and Caleb’s heart swelled at the support.

“Then fly with me now!” he yelled.

With that, Caleb took three steps and flew off into the air, by himself.

It took but a moment for him to hear the fluttering behind him of thousands of wings.

It was an entire army, mobilized for war.

As Caitlin tried to open her eyes, she had a splitting headache. She slowly raised her head and looked about, trying to get her bearings. She blinked several times, and realized that she lay curled up on the floor of a stone cell.

There was a small, barred window, way high up, and she could sense that the bars were made of silver, would be impossible to break. A harsh ray of sunlight came through it on an angle, lighting up her face, and she squinted in pain. She rolled over, getting out of the way.

In the darkened corner, Caitlin breathed, slowly sitting up, trying to collect yourself. Her head was absolutely killing her, as she tried to remember.

She remembered being in a church. Santa Croce. She remembered being with Blake, ascending a pulpit. She remembered finding that secret compartment, opening it.…

And then there had been a net thrown over her, her tackled to the ground. And then Kyle, looking down at her, his face grotesque. Kicking her.

She sat up straighter and looked around, feeling a throbbing bruise on her cheek. She was in a jail of some sort, probably put here by Kyle. She wondered how long she’d been here. Her throat was dry, and she felt weak. She listened, and in the distance, she heard what sounded like a faint cheer, followed by a massive vibration that shook the floor. She wondered where on earth she was.

She also wondered why she was alive. Why hadn’t Kyle killed her? He was not one to show mercy. The only reason he would’ve kept her alive was if he planned on torturing her. Caitlin swallowed.

She wondered how she’d gotten into this mess to begin with. Everything was going so great, her idyllic time in Florence, her getting so close to finding her father, the clues all adding up. She had been so confident that she was almost there, right at the finish line.

Things had gone so wrong, so quickly. But how? She hadn’t sensed Kyle’s presence, or any of his people, at any point. He’d managed to sneak up on her so quickly. How had he found her? Had he been following her the whole time?

Caitlin wondered how that could be possible. The only person who knew she was there was Blake.

Blake.

Suddenly, her heart stopped. Had Blake led her to Kyle? Had he been deceiving her this whole time?

She felt her heart break at the thought. It hurt her more than anything she could imagine.

That had to be it. She’d been betrayed. She couldn’t see what other possible explanation there could be. There was no other way Kyle could have found her. And what about Blake? She couldn’t remember seeing him getting captured in the church. Granted, she couldn’t see much as she was taken down so fast. But she didn’t remember hearing him crying out, screaming.

And if Blake had been captured, wouldn’t he be here, in the jail with her?

“Blake?” she called out.

She cleared her throat, rose to her feet, and screamed: “Blake!”

Her scream echoed again and again throughout the empty chambers, as if coming back to taunt her.

No answer. That settled it. He must have betrayed her.

She felt like such a fool for loving him. She felt so deceived, so betrayed. So stupid.

Caitlin suddenly heard the creaking of an iron door, followed by footsteps.

She stood on her feet, in the corner, and waited, prepared to fight for her life if need be.

She had a feeling, though, that it would be futile. Kyle was not a man to leave anything unplanned for. Knowing him, he probably had several backup plans to keep her locked down, tortured, or killed. Her chance of escape, she knew, would be almost none.

Kyle suddenly came into view. He appeared on the opposite side of the silver bars, faced her and grinned. It was more like a scowl.

Kyle had certainly seen better days. Half of his face was disfigured, and now he was missing an eye. He looked hideous, grotesque.

“How do you like your new accommodations?” he asked.

Caitlin said nothing, just stared back at him. Finally, she spit on the floor in his direction.

He laughed—an evil, creepy noise.

“You’re right,” he said. “Blake led us right to you. A lamb to slaughter. How could you have been so naïve? Well, finally, I have the upper hand. You have been a thorn in my side for as long as I can remember. It’s thanks to you that my face is disfigured like this. That was my punishment for letting you go.…Not this time.”

Caitlin could feel the evil emanating off him, like a tangible thing. She had a sinking feeling that this might be the last moment of her life, and she prepared mentally to meet her fate.

“Before I kill you,” Kyle continued, “I want you to know that I’m a very kind man. I’m going to offer you two options. To die quickly, easily and painlessly—or to die slowly, brutally. You still have a chance for the former, if you comply with what I have to say. If not, make no mistake about it: your fate will be beyond painful.”

“I’m not afraid of dying slowly,” Caitlin answered with contempt. “I’d rather die in one thousand hells than give you whatever you want.”

Kyle smiled wider.

“You are a girl after my own heart,” he said, licking his lips. “It’s a shame that you and I never had a chance to be together. We would be a splendid couple.”

She felt sick at the thought. “I had rather die,” she answered.

He laughed out loud. “Don’t worry, you will. Very soon. But before you do, I will make you this offer: give me the object that you found in the pulpit. We searched, and found nothing. Tell me what you did with it, where you managed to hide it before we caught you. Did you break it? Did you swallow it? What was it? Tell me, and I will spare you. In fact, if it’s an answer I like, I might even let you go.”

Caitlin thought, wracking her brain. She tried to remember, but her head was still foggy. What object was he talking about? What was it that he thought she’d found?

It started to slowly come back to her. What she’d found in the secret compartment. Kyle hadn’t seen it, so of course he thought it was an object. What a fool.

What he didn’t know, and what she would never tell him, was that there was no object at all.

That it was a message. Inscribed in the stone. A message just for her: the Rose and the Thorn meet in the Vatican.

He would never understand what that meant. And she would never tell him.

Now, she was pleased. Let him think that there was a missing object.

“Yes,” she lied, “I did find an object. And I destroyed it with my bare hands. Just like I would destroy you, if you were man enough to open these bars and give me the chance,” she spat back, defiant.

At first, he scowled, but then he broke into a grin, wider and wider.

“You do not disappoint,” he said. “Well, at least I tried. Now it’s on to the good part. It’s going to be fun watching you die slowly and painfully. In fact, I’m going to make sure that I have a front row seat.”

Caitlin suddenly heard another cheer, this one louder, and felt the entire room shake. She wondered again what it could be, and where she was.

“You still have no idea where you are, do you?” he asked. “No, I can tell that you don’t. You are one hundred feet beneath the earth, in the basement of the Roman Coliseum. Above us, the stadium is in use. By the grand vampire council. There are thousands of us up there, watching the games.

Watching the brutal fights between vampire and human, between human and human, and between vampire and vampire. These fights offer us brutality beyond what we could ever hope to see elsewhere. It is one of our favorite spectator sports.”

He got so close to the cell that she could smell his bad breath.

“And do you know who’s going to be next in the show?” he asked.

He laughed aloud.

“Did you ever think you’d die here, of all places?”

Kyle turned to go, but before he did, he stopped and faced her.

“By the way,” he said, “a present for you.”

He threw something between the bars, and it landed on the floor of her cell.

Caitlin looked down at it: it looked like a small, silver necklace. It looked like her necklace.

“As the boy died, he called out for you. He seemed to really like you. Too bad you weren’t there to protect him,” Kyle said with a snort, then turned and stomped away.

Caitlin stopped breathing as she bent down and picked up the necklace. She looked closer, hoping beyond hoping that it wasn’t really hers.

But it was. The one she had given to Jade.

There was no way that Kyle could possibly have this, unless it was true. Unless he had really killed Jade.

Caitlin felt a grief unlike any she’d ever known. She curled into a ball in the center of the floor, and broke down and sobbed. Her cries rose up, louder and louder, and mingled with the sound of the distant roar.

Caitlin stood in silver shackles, before the entrance to the Coliseum. She’d been dragged there by two vampire guards, who’d shackled her in her cell by her hands and her feet, and led her up the stone stairs, down a ramp, and to this place. Now that she’d reached the upper levels, traveled down the ramp, and was really here, looking out, the view was awe-inspiring. And terrifying.

She had once gone to a baseball game, and she remembered the feeling of walking down the tunnel and first entering the bleachers, when the whole stadium opened up and thousands of eyes were upon her. This felt like that. But bigger. It was the biggest and most intimidating thing she had ever seen.

Before her was laid out the Roman coliseum, a massive arena, made entirely of stone. The stone was crumbling and deteriorated, and it had clearly been thousands of years since its heyday. But this vampire coven had somehow managed to bring it back to life. They didn’t seem to care that they sat in crumbling bleachers. And they’d managed to cover up the crumbling floor with a floor of their own, turning this ancient relic into a functioning Coliseum once again.

Tens of thousands of malevolent vampire sat in the bleachers, looking down, cheering. Caitlin was surprised to see how deep the floor of the Coliseum actually went, sinking hundreds of feet beneath the earth, in a maze of tunnels and traps and compartments. The floor they put over it was covered in dirt and dust, which rose up in clouds in the sunlight. The two vampire guards prodded her forward, dragging her down the entranceway, and out onto the main floor.

A huge roar rose up, as Caitlin appeared out in the open. The sun beat down on her, and she squinted at the glare, trying to get her bearings.

The guards unlocked her shackles and gave her another hard shove, and she went flying into the stadium, rolling onto the ground.

Another roar erupted from the crowd.

Caitlin got to her feet and looked around, her eyes slowly adjusting to the bright light. She was standing alone, thousands of evil-looking vampires looking down at her, shaking their fists. She scanned the bleachers and saw, up high, in a special box, stood Kyle. Beside him stood the Grand Council, old, decrepit looking vampires in black robes and hoods.

The one in the center stepped forward and raised his hands, and the crowd quieted.

“My fellow vampires,” he said, pausing dramatically. “Let the games begin!”

Another huge roar shook the Coliseum.

Caitlin heard a clang, then another, and looked down to see that the guards had thrown some weapons at her feet. She picked up a shield, a sword and a spear, which she shoved into her belt. She was dressed in a canvas tunic, crude and simple and rough against her skin.

She couldn’t believe this was all happening. These sick vampires truly intended to kill her slowly.

Somehow, they had managed to revive the cruel gladiator sport that people here had once enjoyed thousands of years ago. Weak, tired, confused, she felt a sense of despair, and wondered how she would ever survive.

Before Caitlin had a chance to take hold of her weapons, there came charging at her a dozen huge, muscle-bound warriors, all clad in full armor, all wielding fierce weaponry.

Caitlin could sense, as they approach, that they were humans. Still, they looked like formidable warriors, battle-scarred, and it looked like they had done this many times before. And survived.

They sprinted right for her, screaming with a battle cry, clearly wanting blood.

Caitlin focused, centered herself. She tried to remember all the things Aiden had taught her, all the techniques on Pollepel. She tried to breathe, to find the peace in the center of the storm.

She waited, a disciplined warrior. As they came within feet of her, she suddenly leapt into the air, way up high, did a somersault above their heads, and landed agilely behind them. She swung back around her as she did, and chopped off three of their heads.

The others kept running, falling into the dust, knocking each other over.

The crowd roared in surprise and delight.

The remaining warriors turned and faced her, indignant. They charged again.

This time, she stood and fought. She parried with them, blow for blow.

They were strong, and when one of their swords came down on her shield, she felt it reverberate throughout her entire body.

But she fought back valiantly. After all, she was quicker and faster than all of them. She was still a vampire.

Despite appearances, it was a mismatch. They were humans, and they fell like humans. Probably just a first attempt by the Grand Council to warm her up, to see if she could handle the first wave of warriors. She got slashed and bruised, but nothing serious enough to bring her down.

Within minutes, the dozen warriors were but a heap of bodies around her.

She stood there, victorious, and the crowd quieted, then jumped to its feet and roared.

Even from here, Caitlin could see that Kyle and the Council were not pleased by this.

“Send in the Lions!” screamed the Council leader.

There came a roar of approval, and Caitlin hoped that it was not what it sounded like.

To her dread, it was. A side chamber opened in the Coliseum, and in raced ten lions, all charging right for her. They were huge, male lions, faster than she could have imagined, with long claws, and fangs bared. They gained speed with each passing step.

Caitlin reached down and extracted her short spear, and hurled it at the lead lion.

A direct hit between the eyes. He fell.

But the others didn’t stop charging. She leapt high into the air just as one was about to pounce, leaping higher than the lion, and as she did, drove her short sword into its mane, behind his neck.

Down it went.

She landed on the back of another line, reached under, and sliced its throat, and it went down with her.

Another lion pounced on her from behind, knocking her over, it’s claws scraping up her back painfully.

On the ground, she wheeled, and sliced off its head with her sword.

The others pounced, too, but she was too quick for them. She suffered many scratches, and a nick from the fangs, but using her sword, she managed, after a long and gruesome fight, to bring the rest of them down.

Again, the crowd roared with approval.

She looked up and saw that Kyle and the judge were madder than ever. It looked like they had not expected her to make it this far.

The Council leader turned to Kyle, and he nodded back gravely. The judge then held out his thumb, and turned it down.

As he did, a huge metal door opened, and out came a single warrior.

He was clad in all black armor, with a black helmet, holding a sword and a shield.

Caitlin could sense, even from this distance, that he was not human. It was a vampire, and a formidable one. This frightened her more than all the rest.

Moreover, she could already sense that this was no ordinary vampire. It was someone she knew.

Even from here, she could sense it.

And then, she realized: it was Blake.

Blake.

He lifted back his helmet, and stared at her. Caitlin’s heart wrenched with grief at the sight.

So, she realized. It was true. He had deceived her after all.

Blake shook his head.

“Caitlin!” he yelled out. “I did not betray you. They captured me, too. I promise you. I did not lead them to you.”

“Then why do you stand there, ready to fight me?” Caitlin called back.

“I’ve been forced into this stadium,” he yelled back. “But I will not fight you. As I told them before.”

Blake walked out to the center of the stadium, faced Kyle and the judges, and threw down his shield, helmet, and sword.

“I will NOT fight her!” he screamed back at them.

The crowd booed in disapproval.

Caitlin was shocked at this turn of events. Was it just another trick? Was he just waiting to deceive her again? Or had she been wrong all along about him? Had he been faithful to her all this time? Now, she was not so sure.

The judge stood. “If you do not fight her, you will suffer in unimaginable death!” he yelled back.

“Choose!”

“Kill me as you will,” he yelled back. “I shall never fight her!”

The crowd booed again, and the judge nodded at the guards.

Suddenly, Caitlin felt herself being shackled from behind by several guards, the silver shackles rendering her helpless as she was dragged off the stadium floor. She dug her heels in, trying to resist, but it was no use. They dragged her into a holding pen, off to the side.

She watched Blake, standing there, defiant. And in that moment, she realized. It was not a trick.

He had never betrayed her. Not only that, but he was preparing to sacrifice his own life for hers.

Even worse, she had gotten him into this mess: if he had not come with her on her mission, he would be back safe at home right now. She felt worse than ever. And she felt so mad at herself for jumping to conclusions, for assuming the worst. Why couldn’t she have given him the benefit of the doubt?

As Caitlin stood chained in the pen, helpless, she suddenly saw a side door of the Coliseum open, and two dozen of the most vicious looking vampires she had ever seen charge out, on horseback, for Blake.

Blake wheeled and hurried to grab his sword and shield.

He faced them down as they charged, prepared to make a stand.

They came at him in full force, slashing at him, and he fought back bravely, knocking several off their horses. Soon, they were mostly on foot, coming at him from every direction, and he fought like the skilled warrior he was. He killed two of them in a single blow.

But he was outnumbered. As Caitlin watched, her heart breaking, she saw that he was getting weaker, slashed in several directions. He was not going to win.

Caitlin felt the injustice of it all, and suddenly felt the rage overcome her. A hot flash raised up, from her toes up through her body, and she felt herself infused with a superhuman strength. She willed herself to be stronger than she had ever been, and in one strong motion, she reached back, and with all her might, snapped her chains.

She leapt over the wall, grabbed her weapons, and sprinted for Blake The crowd roared in approval, jumping to its feet.

Caitlin charged at the group of vampires encircling him. One vampire, on his horse, was about to stab Blake from behind, and Caitlin took aim and threw her spear at him; it went right through the back of his neck, and he fell off his horse, dead.

The crowd roared.

She grabbed the fallen vampire’s sword, leapt onto his horse, and charged at the others, swinging as she went.

The rage built and built, and Caitlin felt a primordial strength that she never had. She charged and swung and struck and jabbed, and she was a whirlwind of destruction.

Within minutes, she managed to kill several of the vampires around Blake.

She dismounted and stood at his side.

The two of them stood there, back to back, fighting, only a few vampires remaining.

Blake, emboldened, managed to kill the vampire facing him, while Caitlin killed one more, and focused on the other two.

She attacked one, stabbing him in the heart, but as she did, she left herself carelessly open to attack. The other vampire lunged at her open back, his sword aiming right for her kidney, and Caitlin saw it coming. But she couldn’t react in time. She knew that it was too late, and that she would certainly die.

She braced herself for the horrible pain—but to her surprise, it didn’t come. Instead, she heard a horrible scream, and she looked over to see Blake standing there, to see that he had stepped in the way, and had taken the blow for her. The vampire had stabbed him, instead, right through the heart.

Caitlin stepped up and chopped off the vampire’s head. As she did, her bracelet, the one Blake had bought her, fell off her wrist, to the ground.

At the same time, the vampire fell to the ground, the last of them, dead.

Blake sank to his knees, dying.

As he collapsed to the ground, Caitlin caught him, let him gently down. She reached up and tried to remove the sword from his heart, but he grunted out in pain, and she knew to let it be.

She cradled his head in her hands, and knelt over him, crying.

“I want you to know,” he said with effort, blood dripping from his mouth, “that I never betrayed you.”

“I know,” Caitlin said through tears. “Blake, I’m so sorry.”

He nodded, then smiled at her weakly, blood on his lips.

“I love you,” he said. “And I always will.”

He put his hand into hers, thrusting something into her palm, and then closed his eyes, dead.

She looked down, and saw that it was a piece of sea glass. The piece from Pollepel.

Caitlin leaned back and wailed, a horrible wail of grief. She had never felt so torn apart. She would have given anything for that sword to have struck her instead.

The crowd, at first shocked, now erupted into a roar of approval.

“CAITLIN! CAITLIN!” they chanted. Their screams and stamping shook the entire stadium.

It was clearly not the reaction that Kyle and the judges had hoped for.

They both got up and stormed away from their balcony, shutting down the games for the day.

Caitlin ran. She was in a field of flowers, up to her waist, the flowers a brilliant medley of colors.

It was a bright day, the sun directly overhead, and in the distance, her father waited.

But as she ran, the flowers turned into a field of swords, all plunged into the earth, their tips sticking up and shaking in the wind. She ran through them, cutting a path, heading for her father.

This time, there was nothing between the two of them. As she ran and ran, he got closer. She ran for all she had, and soon, she was in his arms.

She could not believe it, but she was really in his arms.

He hugged her, and she could feel his strength coursing through her body. It was the hug of a father who loved her, the father she’d always longed to have. She wanted to crane back her head, to look up at his face, but she was too happy to just be in his arms.

“I’m so proud of you,” he said over her shoulder. “You are your father’s daughter.”

She smiled, feeling totally encased in warmth.

“When will I see you?” she asked.

“Tomorrow,” he said, firmly.

He pulled her back, and looked down at her intently. The fierceness of his eyes burned through her. They were like two burning suns, staring right at her, and she almost had to look away from the intensity of it.

“Tomorrow. We will be together, forever.”

Caitlin sat upright, breathing hard.

She looked all about herself, and realized that it was just a dream. She was back in her cell.

It had felt so real, felt as if her father had been with her, right there in the room. As she rubbed her arms and shoulders, she could still feel his warmth.

What had the dream meant? It was so different than the others. She had never had one like it before.

She would see him tomorrow. Did that mean that this would be her last day on earth? That she would be crossing over to the other side, seeing him in heaven?

She thought back to the day before, to the fierce fighting. She stood and stretched her limbs slowly, and felt an ache in all of them. She was covered with cuts and scratches and bruises, wounds which, for a vampire, should have healed more quickly. But these were deep wounds: sword slashes, buckler punctures, lion bites. She was rusty. It ached for her just to walk across the room. She had no idea how she could survive another day of fighting.

More than anything, she pained to think of Blake. She remembered his last gruesome moments, as he was killed by those vampires. His dying in her arms. His final words. She felt like dying herself.

She had been so wrong about him. She should have run to his defense sooner. She blamed herself. And she wished the sword blow had been for her.

Caitlin looked up, as several vampire guards suddenly appeared, the silver shackles at the ready.

They opened her silver cell door, and she knew that within a matter of moments, she would be back out there for round two.

She thought of her father, of how they would be together soon. At least, that was some solace.

Perhaps, soon, this would all be over.

Standing at the entrance tunnel, Caitlin was unshackled by the guards, and she walked freely out into the Coliseum’s floor. She needed no prodding this time. She was eager to meet the day, to fight again, to finally meet her destiny. She was tired, deeply tired. Everyone she had loved, she had lost.

Sam. Caleb. Blake. Her father. Rose. Jade….There seemed to be no end to the loss.

She was tired of trying to hold onto everything. If today was going to be her last day—and she felt that it was—then she was prepared. She would go down in style. She would give all these ghoulish vampires the spectacle they wanted, and fight with more ferocity than she’d ever had.

As she walked out onto the Coliseum, thousands of vampires rose their feet, chanting her name:

“CAITLIN! CAITLIN!”

Caitlin looked up and saw the judge stand in his booth, Kyle at his side. They both scowled down at her.

“And now,” yelled the judge, “the elephants!”

A huge roar rose up. On the far side of the Coliseum, an enormous door opened.

Caitlin couldn’t believe it. Charging right at her, single file, was a herd of elephants. She counted six of them. The ground shook with each step they took.

They raised back their heads and roared. The roar alone nearly split her ears.

The crowd, thrilled, cheered them on.

On top of each elephant rode a vicious vampire. These vampires were different—bigger than the others, covered in a slick black armor from head to toe, with grotesque masks covering their faces. They carried long swords, javelins, crossbows, and all sort of weaponry.

Caitlin looked down at her puny sword and shield, and realized she was terribly outmatched. It wouldn’t even be a fair battle.

She closed her eyes and breathed deep. She tried to enter another realm, to enter a state where fighting meant not fighting. She tried to remember everything that Aiden taught her.

When you are outmatched by strength, do not resist. Use your opponent’s strength against him.

Caitlin tried to block out all the noise, all the action around her. She forced herself to focus on the closest elephant, charging right for her.

The vampire riding it leaned back and aimed his spear at her.

She pretended not to notice, as moments later, he hurled it.

At the last second, she rolled out of the way, let the spear plunge into the ground beside her.

It was a close call, and the crowd gasped in disappointment.

She rolled over, extracted the spear from the ground, and knelt down low. The elephant was only feet away, and as it lifted its huge foot, about to stomp her, Caitlin lodged the base of the spear into the ground, its tip pointing up, and got out of the way.

The horrific screech of the elephant filled the air, as it stepped down on the spear tip. The screech shook the entire stadium, as the spear lodged its way into the elephant’s foot.

The elephant collapsed to its knees with a tremendous crash, and its rider went flying off, headfirst into the ground. As the animal collapsed, belly first, it crushed its rider beneath it.

The other elephants, right behind it, couldn’t stop in time. They all tripped over their compatriot, and they all went crashing to the ground, rolling every which way. All of their riders went flying off.

The crowd roared.

Caitlin took advantage of the chaos. She grabbed a spear and threw it, piercing one vampire right through the neck.

She bounded on top of another elephant, ripped the sword from its disoriented owner’s hand, and decapitated him.

She leapt from elephant to elephant, tracking down each vampire, attacking with the sword.

In moments, she had killed nearly all of them, all too shaken to react on time.

Except for one, and he managed to dodge her strike. He spun around, and cracked her hard in the back of the head with his shield.

She felt the pain in her head as she fell to her face.

He jabbed his spear right for her throat, but she rolled out of the way just in time.

She leaned back and kicked him hard, right in the groin, and as he knelt down, she spun to the side and kicked him hard across the face. He went down.

She jumped to her feet, raised her sword, and before he could get up again, she decapitated him.

The stunned stadium was completely silent for a moment.

Then, suddenly, as one, they all jumped to their feet, roaring her name.

The judge, outraged, leapt to his feet.

“BRING IN THE GIANT!” he yelled.

Before Caitlin could catch her breath, another side compartment opened, and in rushed a massive giant.

The crowd roared.

Caitlin’s eyes opened wide in disbelief. She had never seen a monster like this. This creature was at least one hundred feet tall, and, like a Cyclops, had just one eye, in the center of its head. She didn’t imagine that such things even walked the earth, and she could see its muscles rippling out in every direction.

It leaned back its head and roared, and the Coliseum shook; if possible, it was even louder than the roar of the elephants.

Caitlin swallowed. She had no idea how to fight a creature like this.

Before she could even react, the giant, surprising her with its speed, took a huge step towards her, swiped his hand down and swatted her.

Caitlin was thrown across the Stadium, hundreds of feet, slamming into a wall, and felt the wind knocked out of her.

The crowd roared.

Caitlin was on the ground, her head killing her, trying to catch her breath. She was still in shock that something that big could move that fast.

The giant swung again, bringing his fist down to crush her.

She rolled out of the way just in time, and the blow left a huge hole in the earth, where the giant’s hand got lodged.

Caitlin rolled over, grabbed her sword, and in one quick move, brought it down hard on the giant’s wrist, before he could extract his fist.

It worked: she managed to chop off his hand.

The giant leaned back and screeched, blood squirting like a river from his arm, all over her, all over the vampire audience. Instead of being horrified by it, the vampires seemed to relish it, even tried to lap up the blood as it landed on them.

The giant, in a fury, chased after Caitlin with a vengeance. But it was too clouded by anger. It couldn’t think straight. It swept at her wildly with its free hand, missing each time. Caitlin ran and ran, trying to make it to the long javelin she saw in the distance.

Finally, she made it. She grabbed it, rolled hard, just missing the giant’s swipe, and then leaned back and hurled it with all she had, aiming right for the giant’s eye.

A direct hit. The long javelin went through the giant’s eye, and out the other side.

For a second, the giant froze. Then like an enormous tree, it fell sideways. It crashed to the ground, shaking the Coliseum so hard that it knocked the vampires out of their seats.

The crowd went crazy. It jumped to its feet, roaring and roaring.

“She has won clemency!” the crowd members screamed. “Let her free. Let her free!”

A huge chorus of approval ripped through the stadium.

But the judge did not give in. Instead, he looked at Kyle, who nodded back, and then he stood.

The crowd quieted.

“Bring in our last warrior!” he yelled.

Caitlin was so tired, so out of breath, so disoriented. She couldn’t imagine what else they had to throw at her. She felt confident that, whatever it was, she would not have the energy left to face it.

The doors opened, and out came a single warrior, a man about her size, about her height, looking a lot like her. He wore dark, fitted armor, and held a gleaming sword and shield.

His helmet up, she could clearly see his face.

It was the one warrior she knew she could never kill.

Facing her, was her brother Sam.

Caitlin’s heart whirled with emotions.

Sam. Her little brother. Here. Back in time. In Rome. In the Coliseum of all places. On the one hand, she was thrilled to see him.

On the other, he stood there, in battle gear, facing her down, a weapon in hand. And with a look on his face meant to kill. How could this be?

How had it come to this? What had they done to him?

She could sense, even from this great distance, that he was a vampire. She tried to sense his feelings towards her, but it was obscured. As if he were deliberately blocking them.

More than anything, she felt sad. Betrayed. Confused. Was it not enough that he’d had to ruin things for her in the 21st century? Had he had to come back now, and still make things hard for her?

And after all that she had done for him. All through his life, she had always looked out for him, always been the one he could turn to. She’d always tried to help him, to save him.

Had it really come to this? Did he really hate his own sister enough to kill her? Or was he just still dazed? Under the influence of this evil coven’s spell?

“Sam!” she yelled out. “It’s me! Caitlin. Your sister!”

She hoped that by vocalizing it, he would come to himself, would recognize her, snap out of it, lay down his weapons.

“I don’t want to fight you!” she yelled. “I don’t want to hurt you!”

The crowd booed.

Sam walked out towards the center, closer and closer to her. But instead of dropping his weapons, as she’d hoped, he lowered his face mask with a definitive clang, and raised his sword and shield.

The crowd roared in approval. Even Kyle smiled down.

Caitlin’s heart pounded. She really didn’t want to hurt her little brother.

Before she could think, before she could decide what to do, she found herself being charged by Sam.

He swung his sword down at her with a ferocious speed, and Caitlin barely managed to duck out of the way.

The crowd roared.

“Sam!” she cried, desperate, and afraid. She was afraid he would hurt her—but even more, afraid she might be forced to hurt him. “Listen to me! Please!”

But he swung at her again, and she leaned back and barely missed the below. He was faster than she had thought, and extremely powerful.

As he came at her with a flurry of blows, she raised her shield. She blocked them, but she felt herself getting pushed back, further and further. She couldn’t bring herself to swing back. But his blows were so unexpected, so strong, they threw her completely off balance.

She stumbled and fell to the ground, and the crowd roared, on its feet, tasting blood.

“KILL HER!” the crowd roared, on its feet.

“Bring me the spear!” Sam yelled.

Caitlin was shocked at her little brother’s voice. It was so deep, so dark. It was the voice of a man.

Kyle, high up, nodded down to an attendant, and he came running out and handed Sam a huge, golden spear.

Caitlin used the time to scurry back to her feet, to backup, to consider all her options.

What could she possibly do? Kill her own brother?

No. She could not. She was tired of fighting. And if even her own brother wanted to kill her, then what was the point in living anymore?

She stared at him, hoping one last time that he would come to, that he would see it was his sister.

And then she dropped her sword. And her shield. And closed her eyes.

She stood there, defenseless, wide open, an easy target.

Sam faced her, and slowly lifted the heavy, golden spear.

“KILL HER! KILL HER!” chanted the crowd.

Caitlin opened her eyes.

In that moment, she felt the whole world in slow motion. She saw every last detail, heard every little sound, as the rest of the world was slowly muted out. She felt the breeze on her skin, noticed the brilliance of the sun. She felt strongly that this would be her last moment on Earth.

And she looked forward to it, to finally seeing her father. What a fitting way to see him, she thought. Sent by his own son’s hand.

Sam took a step forward, reached back, and suddenly, he hurled the spear.

As Caitlin opened her eyes, she was shocked by what she saw.

At the last second, Sam had turned on his heel, and hurled the spear not at her—but rather, had aimed it up, at the bleachers.

Directly at Kyle.

It all happened so fast, was so unexpected, that Kyle had no time to react.

Before he could get out of the way, the spear went through his arm, and kept going, through the judge’s heart. The two of them shrieked, stuck together.

The entire crowd jumped to its feet, in shock and outrage.

“Kill them!” Kyle screamed.

But before anyone could react, the sky suddenly turned black.

Flying over the Coliseum, there suddenly descended hundreds of vampires.

Caitlin didn’t need to look up to know who it was.

There, up in the sky, leading them, was Caleb. By his side was Samuel, Aiden, Polly, and hundreds of others.

Caleb wasted no time. He dove right for Kyle, grabbing him by the throat, wrestling him down to the bleachers.

The hundreds of other vampires descended, too, prepared for battle against the thousands. It was all-out war, hand to hand.

Sam came running over to Caitlin, tearing off his helmet.

“I hope you understand,” he said. “I had to trick them. To catch them off guard. I never meant to hurt you. It was the only way,” he said. “I’m here, I’m back in time, because I love you. And because I’m sorry.”

They embraced.

But they had no time to waste. Thousands of vampires were pouring out of the bleachers, charging for them.

Sam turned to her. “Can you still fly?”

She nodded, and they both took off into the air, flying, rising high above the din of vampires sprinting for them.

As they flew over the bleachers, they passed Kyle, wrestling with Caleb.

Caleb had the upper hand, but for a moment, he slipped; Kyle took advantage, grabbed his sword, and reached back to stab Caleb.

Sam and Caitlin dove low. Just in time, she kicked the sword out of Kyle’s hand; Sam, right behind her, then kicked Kyle hard in the face, sending him flying head over heels over the balcony.

Caitlin reached down and grabbed Caleb.

“Are you okay?”

He looked at her.

“Caitlin,” he said, his eyes brimming over. “I know now. I know who you are. I remember everything,” he hugged her tight. “And I’m so sorry.”

She felt her whole world warm up inside her, as she hugged him back.

She pulled him back and looked at him with intensity.

“I know where it is,” she said quickly to Caleb. “The Shield.”

Sam and Caleb both crowded close, anxious to hear, their eyes opened wide.

“Follow me,” she said.

Caitlin, Caleb, and Sam flew over Rome, racing to bridge the short distance from the Coliseum to the Vatican. Caitlin had never been to the Vatican before, and she followed Caleb’s lead. She’d been worried for a moment that Caleb wouldn’t come at all. Back there, in the Coliseum, he didn’t want to leave; he’d been set on diving down and finding Kyle in the crowd, on exacting revenge for Jade. But Caitlin had begged to him let it go for another time. She argued that he would endanger them all by getting bogged down in a fight with those thousands of vampires, and that they’d never accomplish what was more important for the race: finding the Shield. Finally, reluctantly, he’d conceded.

As they rounded a bend, Vatican City came into view, and Caitlin was shocked. She had somehow expected the Vatican to be a single building, and was surprised to see that it was in fact an entire city. From this bird’s eye view, she could see building after building, dominated by the huge, dome of St. Peter’s Chapel. She was breathless at its magnitude.

“We’ll have to land at the main entrance,” Caleb said. “The Vatican is heavily guarded by our kind. There’s no way in or out without permission. It’s the oldest and most powerful vampire coven there is. No one has ever tried to attack them, not even Kyle’s people, and no one probably ever will. They stand guard over vampire relics and secrets unlike any the world has ever known.

“They also have weapons unlike any the world has ever seen. If we arrive at their doors, and they don’t grant us permission, they may very well kill us on the spot. Knocking on their door is not something one does lightly. The only way they’ll let us in is if they perceive you to be one of their own, one of their coven. That will depend on who your father was. Let’s hope.”

Caitlin sensed a presence behind her, and as she turned, saw, on the horizon, a swarm of black.

Hundreds of vampires of the Grand Council were following them. Caitlin saw Kyle at their head, arm bleeding, and scowling with fury.

“Looks like we have company,” she said.

Caleb and Sam turned, and frowned.

“No time to waste,” Caleb said.

The three of them took a sharp dive, right down to the entrance of the Vatican.

They ran up to its huge, main doors, and they suddenly opened. Out came a short, old man, wearing a white cloak and hood.

He pulled back his hood to reveal glowing, light green eyes. He stared at the three of them, then took a step towards Caitlin.

“You’ve arrived,” he said to her.

It was clear that he had been expecting her. The three of them exchanged a look of relief.

He turned and they followed him inside, and he shut the door behind them.

Seconds later, they heard a loud crashing at the door, as the hundreds of other vampires tried to get in.

Caitlin, Caleb and Sam wheeled, ready to fight.

“Do not worry,” the man said calmly. “Regular vampires are defenseless against this building.”

Caitlin looked up, and saw other vampires trying to fly over the wall, to dive down. But as they did, they bounced back, as if hitting an invisible shield.

“It is protected. Only the holy can enter.”

They walked quickly down the corridor, passing a beautiful open grass courtyard, with a fountain in its center. It felt very much like a cloister inside, as they passed rows and rows of arched stone walls.

They followed the man into another building, and down an endlessly long corridor. The ceiling was high and arched, covered in brightly painted frescoes.

They walked and walked, at a fast pace. It felt like they were walking forever, until finally they turned down yet another corridor, climbed a set of stairs, and entered the most magnificent room Caitlin had ever seen.

She looked up, awestruck.

“The Sistine Chapel,” Caleb whispered.

The three of them entered the huge room, and she could not look away from Michelangelo’s ceiling. Every inch of it, spanning hundreds of feet, was covered in brightly-painted scenes. It was so vibrant, so life-like, it felt like a living thing.

Caitlin heard a shuffling, and looked over and saw hundreds of vampires in the room, all dressed in white, wearing white hoods, and lined up patiently along the walls.

In the center of the room, on a raised dais, stood an altar, and before that stood three more vampires. Their dress was more elaborate than the others, in white robes with gold trim.

The vampire that led them in gestured for the three of them to approach the altar.

Caitlin walked slowly up the dais and before the three vampires, accompanied by Caleb and Sam.

Her heart was pounding. Was her father among these men? What was this coven, exactly? She felt closer to her father than she’d ever had. Felt as if he were in this very room with her.

The vampire in the center slowly pulled back his hood and stared at her with his huge, glowing, light blue eyes. His eyes were so large, so translucent, it felt as if he were not of this Earth.

“We are members of the most holy and most ancient and most powerful vampire coven ever known to man. We have lived thousands of years longer than anyone else, and we guard secrets that no one else is fit to protect. It is thanks to us that the human and vampire races have managed to survive. Few know of our existence—and even fewer are members. Your father is one of us. Which means that you, too, are one of us.”

Caitlin’s heart pounded in her chest. The implications of it seemed overwhelming. These were her father’s people. Here, in the Vatican. She felt so proud of him, and felt special herself. Yet she also burned with questions.

He suddenly held out a small, jewel-encrusted box.

“Your key, please,” he said.

Caitlin looked back at him, puzzled.

Key?

She didn’t have a key. Had they mistaken her for someone else?

He looked down and pointed at her necklace.

Caitlin reached down and felt it, forgetting it was even there. Her necklace.

She removed it, stepped forward, and slowly inserted it into the small keyhole.

She turned, and to her surprise, it opened softly.

Inside it, was another key, large and gold.

“Take it,” he said. “It belongs to you.”

Caitlin reached in and took the key, her mind racing. It was heavy, smooth. She could feel an incredible power coming off of it.

“It is one of the four keys,” the man said. “Only you can find the other three. When you have all four, you will meet your father. And he will give you the Shield.

“You are on a very sacred mission,” he added. “You must find him. For all of us.”

“But where is he?” she asked.

“He does not live in this time,” he answered. “You will have to go back, further.”

Caitlin’s mind spun. Go back in time? Again?

The vampire nodded, and the hundreds of vampires in the room came forward and crowded around them, in a tight circle.

The three vampires stepped forward, and each held out a jewel-encrusted chalice, filled with a white liquid.

“White blood,” he said. “The holiest of bloods. You must each take three sips.”

Caitlin, Caleb, and Sam each took a chalice.

Caitlin drank, taking three sips, wondering what would happen. She was surprised by how sweet it was.

More and more vampires crowded around them, closer and closer. They all lowered their heads, as if in prayer, and began to chant.

“…to resurrect another day,” they finished chanting, “in God’s ultimate grace.”

No, Caitlin thought.

She began to feel light-headed. This can’t be happening. Not so soon. There was so many questions she had left to ask. Who were these people? How long had they lived? How had they know her father? What was he like? What was the next step on her mission? What time and place where they sending her to?

And there were so many questions she needed to ask Caleb. How much did he really remember?

Would he go back with her, together, this time? Would he remember?

And most of all, did he still love her? Would he love her again? Would they have another child?

She needed some time to prepare for the transition. Even just a few minutes.

But it was not meant to be.

As the vampires continued with the funeral service, repeating it a second time, she felt increasingly light-headed.

She grabbed Caleb’s hand tightly, and she felt him grab hers back. It felt so good to be with him, to be by his side. She hoped it would never end. She hoped that this time they would go back together, never leave each other’s sides. She never wanted to be apart from him again.

As they began the funeral service a third time, she felt him lean over and whisper, “I love you, Caitlin. And I always will.”

She felt herself getting lighter and lighter, drifting towards the ceiling, towards the sky, towards some far-off place where heaven and earth met.

And she knew, she just knew, that there was something bigger than this world. That there was some magical opening in the universe where destiny and love prevailed. And that, no matter what, she and Caleb would be together again.