amazed at the stupidity of these men. Before they could react, he reached back over his shoulder, extracted his sword with a cling, and in one motion, swung it, chopping off both their heads in a fraction of a second.
He watched with satisfaction as their heads rol ed, and both of their bodies began to slump to the ground. He put back his sword, and reached out and pul ed a headless corpse to him. He sunk his long fangs right into the open neck, and drank hardily as the blood squirted.
Kyle could hear the screaming of the prostitutes erupt al around him, as they saw what had happened. This was fol owed by the sound of doors slamming, window shutters closing.
The whole town was already scared of him, he realized.
Good, he thought. This was the sort of welcome he loved.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Caitlin and Caleb flew away from Paris, over the French countryside in the early morning, she holding tightly onto his back as he cut through the air. She felt stronger now, and felt that if she wanted to fly, she could. But she didn’t want to let go of him. She loved the feel of his body. She just wanted to hold him, to feel what it was like to be together again. She knew it was crazy, but after being apart for so long, she had a fear that if she let him go, he might fly away forever.
Beneath them, the landscape was ever-changing. Pretty quickly the city fel away and the landscape shifted to dense woods and rol ing hil s. Closer to the city, there were occasional houses, farms. But the further they got, the more the land opened. They passed field after field, rol ing meadows, an occasional farm, sheep grazing. Smoke rose from chimneys, and she guessed that people were cooking. Clotheslines spread out over lawns, and sheets hung from them. It was an idyl ic scene, and the July temperature had dropped just enough so that the cooler air, especial y up this high, was refreshing.
After hours of flying, they rounded a bend, and the new view took Caitlin’s breath away: there, on the horizon, sat a shimmering sea, vibrant blue, its waves smashing into an endless, pristine shoreline. As they got closer, the elevation rose, and rol ing hil s went right up to the shoreline.
Nestled in the rol ing hil s, amidst the tal grass, she saw a single building set against the horizon.
It was a glorious, medieval castle, designed of an antique limestone, covered in ornate sculptures and gargoyles. It was nestled high on a hil , overlooking the sea, and surrounded by fields of wildflowers as far as the eye could see. It was breathtakingly beautiful, and Caitlin felt as if she were in a postcard.
Caitlin’s heart beat with excitement, as she wondered, as she hoped to dream, that this could be Caleb’s place.
Somehow, she felt that it was.
“Yes,” he cal ed out, over the wind, reading her mind, as always. “This is it.”
Caitlin’s heart pounded with delight. She was so excited, and felt so strong, she was ready to fly by herself.
She suddenly jumped off of Caleb’s back, and went flying through the air. For a moment, she was terrified, wondering if her wings would sprout. A moment later, they did, supporting her in the air.
As the air ran through them, she loved the feeling. It felt great to have them again, to be independent. She rose and dove, swooping up, close to Caleb, who smiled back. They dove down together, then up, swerving in and out of each other’s flight paths, the tips of their wings sometimes touching.
As one, they dove down, closer to the castle. It looked ancient; it felt worn in, but not in a bad way. For Caitlin, it already felt like home.
As she took it al in, looked at the landscape, the rol ing hil s, the distant ocean, for the first time in as long as she could remember, she felt a sense of peace. She felt, final y, like she was home. She saw her life together with Caleb here, living together, even starting a family together again, if that was possible. She would be happy to live out her days here with him—and final y, at long last, she didn’t see anything that stood in their way.
*
Caitlin and Caleb landed together in front of his castle, and he took her hand and led her to the front door. The oak