She kissed him one last time, then turned and walked out the room, closing the door softly behind her. She knew that if she stayed, she would end up in his arms, in the bed. And she first really needed to gather her thoughts. Not that she had any doubts about him. Or about their marriage. Or about their wedding. But she still felt conflicted, divided, over whether she needed to be out there, pursuing her mission. Was it selfish to put the wedding first?
As Caitlin walked down the empty, stone corridor, her footsteps echoing, she spotted a stairwell heading up, and saw natural light filtering down it. The castle roof, she realized. That was just the place she could go to get privacy and fresh air.
Caitlin hurried up the steps and into the twilight air. It was colder up here than she imagined, a late October wind driving strong. She wrapped her furs tightly over her shoulders, and was grateful for the warmth.
As Caitlin walked slowly along the ramparts, she looked out over the countryside in what little light was left. It was breathtakingly beautiful. On one side, the castle was perched beside a vast and lake, covered in mist. On the other side was a great expanse of trees and hills and valleys. This place felt magical.
Caitlin walked to the edge of a rampart, staring out, taking in the landscape – when suddenly, she sensed another presence. She didn’t know how that could be possible, as the entire roof had been empty. She slowly turned, not sure what to expect.
She couldn’t believe it.
Standing there, at the far end of the roof, was a lone figure, his back to her, looking out over the lake. An electric thrill ran through her. She didn’t need to see his long, flowing robes, his long silver hair, or the staff at his side to know who it was.
Aiden.
Could it really be? she wondered. Or was it just an illusion in the twilight?
She crossed the roof, slowly walking over to him, and stopped a few feet away. He stood so still, his hair blowing in the breeze, not turning. For a moment, she wondered if he was real. Then came his voice.
“You have come far,” he said, his back still to her.
Slowly, he turned and faced her. His eyes were a large shining blue, even in the dim light, and they seemed to look right through her. As usual, his face was expressionless. Intense.
Caitlin was thrilled to see him here. There had been so many questions she was dying to ask him, and as usual, he seemed to show up at just the moment when she needed guidance the most.
“I didn’t know if I would see you again,” she said.
“You will always see me,” he answered. “Sometimes in person, and sometimes otherwise,” he answered cryptically.
A silence hung between them, as she tried to gather her thoughts.
“There is only key left,” she found herself saying. “Does that mean I will see my father soon?”
He studied her, then slowly looked away.
Finally, he said, “That depends on your actions, doesn’t it?”
His habit of answering a question with a question always drove her mad. She had to try again.
“The new clue,” she said. “The page. The torn page. I don’t know where it leads. I don’t know what to look for. Or where.”
Aiden stared off into the horizon.
“Sometimes clues look for you,” he answered. “You know that now. Sometimes you must wait for things to be revealed.”
Caitlin thought about that. Was he telling her to do nothing?
“Then… is there nothing for me to do?” she asked.
“There is much for you to do,” Aiden responded.
He turned and faced her, and slowly, for the first time in as long as Caitlin could remember, he broke into a smile. “You have a wedding to plan.”
Caitlin felt herself smiling back.
“I wanted to. But I was afraid that it was frivolous,” she said. “That I should put on hold. That I should be searching first.”
Aiden slowly shook his head.
“A vampire wedding is not frivolous. It is a sacred event. It is the merging of two vampire souls. It brings more power to each of you, and more power to our entire coven. And it will only deepen your growth, your skills. I am proud of you. You have grown greatly. But if you are to evolve to the next level, you need this. Each union brings its own power. Both for the couple, and for the individual.”
Caitlin felt relieved, excited – but also nervous.
“But I don’t know how to plan this kind of wedding. I would barely even know how to plan a human wedding.”
Aiden smiled. “You have many friends who will help you. And I will preside over the ceremony.” He smiled. “I am a priest, after all.”
Caitlin smiled wide, liking the thought of that.
“So, what do I do now?” Caitlin asked, excited, nervous, not knowing where to begin.
He smiled.
“Go to Caleb. And say yes. Let love take care of the rest.”
Chapter Eight
Kyle trekked through the bogs of southern Scotland, fuming with hatred. With every step he took, he raged at the thought of Caitlin, running free, eluding him, in time after time, place after place. He dwelled on ways he could capture and kill her, exact revenge.
He had already exhausted nearly every method he could think, and she always seemed to slip through his grasp. He did manage to exact a small, petty revenge in poisoning her family. He smiled inwardly at the thought of that.
But it wasn’t enough. This had gone on already way too long, and the last time they’d met, he had to admit it, she had overpowered him. He was shocked at her strength, her fighting skills. She had actually outfought him. It was beyond anything he could have anticipated.
A part of him had feared this, which was why he had gone to such lengths to poison her, to avoid a head-on confrontation. But that, too, had backfired. He’d poisoned Caleb by accident, and while he felt certain that his poison had killed Caleb, he hadn’t had a chance to confirm it, as he’d had to flee in the night.
This was the last time and place, Kyle vowed to himself, that this would happen, that he would pursue her. Either he would kill her for sure this time, or he would die trying. There was no retreat, no surrender. No more times or places. This would be his last and final stand. Here, in Scotland.
And for this final stand, he had a grand strategy, the grandest of them all. The vampire poison had seemed a good idea at the time, but in retrospect, it was just too risky, left too much room for chance. His new idea, though, could not possibly fail.
In coming up with this new scheme, Kyle had thought back to all the times and places he had cornered in Caitlin, and tried to recall the time he had come closest to killing her. He concluded that it was back in New York, when he’d captured her brother, Sam, had him under his control, and used him to shapeshift and trick Caitlin. That had nearly worked.
Shapeshifting, Kyle realized, was the key. With this type of trickery, he could dupe Caitlin, gain her confidence, and then kill her for good.
But the problem was, Kyle did not possess this skill. He did, though, knew one person, in this time and place, who did.
His old protégé.
Rynd.
Centuries before, Kyle had trained a fleet of the most vicious, sadistic vampires who’d ever roamed the face of the earth. Rynd had been one of his shining stars. He’d become too vicious even for Kyle to handle, and Kyle eventually had to expel him.
Last Kyle heard, Rynd was living in this time and place, hiding out in the remote Southern corner of Scotland. Kyle would find him now. After all, Kyle had taught him everything he knew, and he figured Rynd owed him one. It was the least he could do for his old mentor. All Kyle needed from him was for him to summon his old shapeshifting trick, just once.
Kyle, ankle deep in mud, smiled at the thought of it. Yes, Rynd was exactly what he needed to dupe Caitlin, to finish her off for good. This time, it was a plan that could not fail.
Kyle looked up, taking in the scene. It was cold, and windy, and the dampness in the air seeped into his bones. It was twilight, his favorite time of day, and there was a heavy fog creeping over the ancient wood. It was just his kind of day. If there was anything Kyle loved more than twilight, it was fog. Kyle felt positively at home.