me.”
Caleb stepped closer and grabbed her by the shoulders.
“Sera, I’m not playing games anymore.
Where is he!?” he demanded.
She looked him right in the eyes, then slowly smiled and turned, heading down a spiral stone staircase.
“Fol ow me,” she said, her back to him.
Caleb fol owed her down the staircase, through the lower courtyard of the castle, his heart beating with anticipation to see his boy again. He wondered what he looked like, how old he was.
He fol owed sera as she walked into a huge, master bedroom, with gigantic windows facing the ocean. But he did not see any sign of him.
As soon as he walked in, she closed the door behind them.
She walked over to the huge, four-poster bed, sat on the corner of it, and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt.
She looked up at him and smiled seductively.
“Caleb,” she said, “you know why you’re here.”
Caleb looked at her, puzzled.
“What are you talking about?”
“You know as wel as I do,” she said. “Stop playing games.
You know that Jade is not here.”
Caleb felt his blood go cold. He could barely speak.
“Tel me where he is,” he hissed.
She stood up, smiling wider, her shirt unbuttoned, and walked closer to him, laying one hand seductively on his shoulder.
“Stop playing dumb,” she said. “You know that our son is no longer alive.”
With those words, Caleb felt as if he’d been stabbed in the gut. He reflexively pushed Sera back, away from him.
She looked at him, shocked that he would push her away.
He felt his anger overflowing, as he realized, at that moment, that he had been tricked. He felt like such a fool.
And more than anything, he felt crushed that Jade was no longer alive.
“How could you have done this!?” he wailed, hearing his own voice breaking. “You lied! You tricked me!”
“Oh grow up!” she snapped back. “You’re not real y that naïve. You knew there was no way he could live. But our love— that stil lives. Yes, I needed an excuse to bring you here. But now that you’re here, we’re together. That’s al that matters. And now, we can have a new child!”
Caleb wheeled and began to storm from the room, not trusting himself to even look in her direction. He was too furious, and too devastated.
But before he reached the door, he felt her icy grip on his arm, her nails digging into his flesh, as she spun him back around.
Now, she was scowling.
“Don’t you dare walk out on us!” she hissed. “Not after al we’ve been through!”
He glared back at her.
“Mark my words,” he said slowly, in a voice of steel, “I wil never see you again as long as I live.
Whether it is this life, or any other life. Nothing you can say or do wil ever bring me back into your presence.”
And with that, he shook off her arm, and stalked out of the room.
“Caleb!” she shrieked. “Caleb! Come back to me! I’m sorry!”
As Caleb hurried up the spiral staircase, heading to the roof, he could hear her wails and screams echoing throughout the huge, empty, medieval castle. And even as he reached the roof and flew off into the sky, he could stil hear her wailing, as her screams became one with the wind and birds and crashing of the waves.
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
Sam walked arm in arm with Caitlin through the formal grounds of Versail es. He had been so shocked to find her here, and to see her fighting. He had been so proud, watching his big sister. At first, he hadn’t realized it was her. He had just stood there, with the others, watching in awe as the tournaments continued.
He had been shocked to discover that the greatest warrior of them al was actual y his big sister.
He was in awe of her skil s. He’d never seen anyone fight that way. It was a combination of a human warrior, and a vampire master. She moved with lightning speed, striking, slashing, dodging, doing things he couldn’t even imagine. It was like watching art in motion.
After it had been over, after they had embraced, Caitlin had been surrounded by wel -wishers, people congratulating her in every direction. Even Aiden had come over, and had nodded approvingly. Sam had wanted to talk to Aiden, but Aiden didn’t even look his way, and immediately disappeared. And having found Caitlin, Sam felt no reason to need to talk to Aiden anymore anyway.
Caitlin had clearly been in her element. Sam had felt a rush of admiration