for her. And more than anything, she felt al the frustration and anger that had built up in her from Caleb’s leaving her. The heartbreak. The depression. She was overwhelmed with rage. She could scream at the world. It wasn’t fair. She deserved better.
It just wasn’t fair.
A sudden, inexplicable rage flooded through her. She felt her arms and hands and shoulders bulge, and suddenly felt the strength of a hundred men. She leaned back, broke free of his grasp and roared. It was the vicious snarl of an animal, of a wolf. Of a vampire.
Caitlin turned, grabbed the man and threw him, and he went flying at ful speed, until he smashed into a tree, unconscious.
The other man, his pants down, suddenly stared at her wide-eyed, in shock, as if staring at a wild tiger that had just been unleashed from its cage. His expression changed from audacity to fear and cowardice. She could see him trembling.
But Caitlin had no sympathy left. She had transformed, into a beast, and she couldn’t hold back her primal urge. She lunged into the air, and kicked him hard in the chest with both feet. The man, his pants down, went flying through the air, and cracked his head hard against a tree. He slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Caitlin spun in time to see the big one charging at her. She waited, then at the last second, bent down, easily picked up, and hurled him through the air. He went flying headfirst, this time into a branch, impaling and kil ing him on impact.
this time into a branch, impaling and kil ing him on impact.
Caitlin walked over to one of the unconscious men, her rage stil not satisfied. One of them began getting up slowly, and she kicked him as hard as she could in the face.
It stil wasn’t enough for her. She wanted blood. She wanted revenge. Revenge for every act of cruelty in her life.
Sinking to one knee, she began to choke him. He awoke from his unconsciousness, and grabbed her wrist with both of his huge hands, trying to get it off. But he was no match for her. Her single, thin wrist held him pinned down in a vice-like grip, and his eyes bulged out of his head, as his face turned blue. It was clear he would be dead in moments.
“CAITLIN!” yel ed a voice.
Caitlin spun, shocked to recognize the voice.
Out of the forest, holding a staff, dressed in a long robe, a single man hiked towards her.
She released her grip, and slowly stood and faced him.
He came close, lowered his hood, and stared at her with his piercing blue eyes.
She looked at his timeless face, his long, silver beard, and knew it could only be one person.
Only one person in the world had that sort of affect upon her.
Caitlin faced her old master.
It was Aiden.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Pol y had been unable to stop thinking about Sergei. It felt like a drug had been injected into her veins. No matter what she did—walked, slept, ate, trained—the thought of him was always with her.
His dark, Russian features; the sound of his voice; his translucent skin, his sharp features; and his incredible, hypnotic singing voice. She had never met anyone remotely like him.
She also couldn’t stop thinking about the way he had treated her. He had been so brazen, so arrogant. No boy had ever treated her like that before. What was it about him? What made him feel so entitled? Why had she al owed him to treat her that way? And more importantly, when he had, why hadn’t she just walked away?
She couldn’t understand it. Logical y, she should hate him.
Yet, for some crazy reason she couldn’t understand, she couldn’t stop thinking of him.
Pol y strode down the hal at a quick pace. She had chosen her finest dress, a lightweight, light blue, with a white lace trim, elaborate white col ars, and which flowed from her neck down to her feet. She wore a large hoopskirt beneath it, making it flare out at her hips. It was hot in this July weather, and she had chosen the thinnest material she had, but stil , it offered little relief from the heat. She patted at the perspiration on her forehead as she went, which grew with each step she took.
Pol y wanted to arrive early this time. Sergei was giving another concert, at the far end of Versail es, in the Grand Trianon, and this time, she didn’t want to