of her dirty clothes and was about to change, when she spotted a luxurious bathtub in the corner of the room. It was already fil ed with water, and she could see by the steam rising off of it that it had been heated for her. There were bubbles in it, and it was surrounded by al sorts of soaps.
Caitlin closed the drapes of her sun-soaked room, went over to her tub, and stepped slowly inside it, naked. She felt the luxurious feeling of the steaming hot water, and felt every muscle in her body relax. She had never appreciated it more.
Caitlin leaned back, closed her eyes, and breathed.
Images flashed through her mind, and she tried to stop them. But it was of little use. She saw Caleb’s face, how he looked in the morning, as they sat on his terrace together.
She saw him laughing, as they were horseback riding on the beach.
She saw them flying together, dipping, swerving. And she saw him on the hil top, the beauty and serenity of his expression, right before that falcon landed.
She tried to push the image out of her head. That moment when everything had changed for her.
She wil ed herself to think of anything else. She thought of Aiden. Of their walk in the forest that morning. What he had said. What if the Shield is not something you find? What if it is something that finds you? What if it’s about what you are becoming?
She opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling as she thought about that. What did he mean by that? What exactly was she becoming?
Caitlin looked over at the end table, where she’d placed her father’s scrol . It lay there, in its gilded case, as if luring her to open it. She wondered what he could have possibly written to her. She wondered if she should open it now. A part of her desperately wanted to. But another part of her knew that if she did, and if it suggested a clue, she would have no choice but to fol ow. And she didn’t want to leave this new place so quickly. She was happy here. And she needed to train.
Stil , Caitlin’s curiosity was beginning to get the best of her.
She slowly got up from the bath, covered in bubbles, wrapped herself in a huge bath towel, and walked barefoot across the marble floor. She reached out and picked up the case. She held it up, examining it, feeling its energy.
With her heightened senses, she could feel how powerful it was. A jolt of electricity ran through her hands. She was on the verge of opening it.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Caitlin quickly put down the scrol , tied the towel tighter around her, and crossed the room. She slid back the latch and looked out, and saw a pair of blue eyes looking back at her, framing a freckled face, bright red hair, big ears, and a large smile.
She was taken aback. It was Patrick.
“Caitlin? Are you ready yet?” she recognized that voice. It was definitely him.
“Ready for what?” she cal ed back, confused.
“Aiden sent me. It sparring time. Let’s go. We’re gonna be late!”
“Just a minute!” she yel ed.
She crossed the room, dried herself, and quickly changed into her sparring gear. She pul ed her hair back, tied it in a bun, and tucked what was left of it underneath her high col ar, so it would be safe for battle.
She crossed the room, Ruth at her heels, and opened the door.
There stood Patrick, his back to her. He quickly spun, and broke into that huge, boyish smile of his.
Caitlin could not help smiling back. There was something about him, so boyish and goofy, that always made her smile.
“God, you girls take forever to get ready!” he said, smiling.
She came out, Ruth trailing, and fol owed him as he headed off across the field.
As they walked, he thrust a bamboo sword into her hand.
She loved the feeling of it, and ran her hand along its hilt.
“I’m Caitlin,” she said, not sure if he remembered.
He laughed.
“Don’t you think I know?” he asked. “Everyone’s talking about you already. They want to see what you got!”
They turned the corner, through the formal garden, and there, in the open field, were dozens of Aiden’s vampires.
They were lined up neatly alongside a huge sparring ring, while two of them sparred in the middle. In the distance, on the marble steps, sat a crowd