almost killed again, until Caleb saved me again, and turned his back on his own people to take me away.
Then there came the searching for my father, my true father, for the mythical vampire sword that he would lead me to and which would save mankind. Or something like that. The way I saw it, it was really a search to find out who I was. Or what I was.
Caleb and I searched together, from one town to the next, all up the East Coast. From the Hudson Valley to Martha’s Vineyard to Boston. There was our night of riding horses on the beach, of spending the night with him for the first time….It was amazing.
But just as our romance began to take off, danger came for us. I found the Sword, and I was attacked by Sergei, Kyle’s awful sidekick, who stabbed me in the back with it.
Dying, I begged Caleb to turn me.
He listened.
I was brought to Pollepel, an island in the Hudson River, to recover—once again, saved by Caleb. He left me, though, to go back with Sera, to go back to his people. He said it was just to help them, to save them from the war. I had been so jealous. Instead of giving him the room he needed, I believed he loved Sera.
I trained on that island, and met Polly, my best friend, and Aiden, my mentor and teacher, and Blake, a mysterious boy who I loved but never really understood. I trained and fought and became a much better warrior.
Became more of myself.
And then I found out that I was pregnant, and that rocked my world. I just knew that Caleb was in danger. I left the island, to save him. Aiden told me that if I left, I could never come back. I chose Caleb. He was more important to me.
I joined Sera, and together, we fought to rescue Caleb, who’d been captured in the vampire wars. We found him, captured in Kyle’s coven. And we were about to free him.
But Sam had been caught in the grip of Kyle’s terrible influence, and he used his shapeshifting powers in an evil way. He tricked us, and he even tried to kill me. But Sera had stepped in, and gave up her life for mine.
But Sam had actually killed me, because he tricked me to kill Caleb. With my own hands. With the Sword.
Aiden had told me that there’d be one chance to save Caleb: if I went back in time. I had agreed to lose our child, to give up everything, to try. Aiden told me I could never come back. I let it all go for Caleb.
I found myself in Italy, in 1791. Assisi. Venice. Florence.
Rome. It was a whirlwind. In Venice, at first I couldn’t find Caleb, and then when I did, I had my heart broken to discover that he didn’t remember me. I fell in love with Blake, though, and in Florence, I finally found a clue to lead me to my father. But again, Kyle appeared, and stole it away, and captured us both.
In Rome, I fought for my life, in the Colosseum, in Kyle’s cruel games. It was because of me that Blake died, taking a stab for me. Nothing hurt worse than that.
How many people will have to die to keep me alive?
Then their came Sam. I thought he would try to kill me, but he saved me instead. As did Caleb, who finally remembered. The three of us fought our way out together, and made it to the Vatican.
There, I met my people. My true people. They gave me the first of four keys I need to find my father. And then sent us back in time. Yet again.
And here I am now. In this new time and place. Finally reunited with Caleb—or so I thought. I felt sure that this could be the time and place where we could finally be together. When everything was perfect.
And now, it all seems to be falling apart, once again.
And who am I now? A daughter without a father? A sister without a brother? A girl without a boyfriend?
Should I be searching for the Shield? Should I be searching for my father? Should I be chasing after Caleb?
Should I wait for him here?
Or should I leave this place forever?
*
Caitlin burst out the front door of the castle and ran in the night, through a waist high field of grass. As she ran, she tried to set off,