The day broke brisk and cold, and Caitlin woke up excited. Aiden had told her that the wedding preparations would begin immediately, on this day. She had woken Caleb when she’d returned and told him she’d be thrilled to marry him right away, and he’d been ecstatic. She’d slept the whole night in his arms, eager for dawn to break so that the preparations could begin.Aiden had told her that the traditional vampire wedding was preceded by a day of tournaments, of jousting and sparring to test each other’s skills. She was so curious to learn more about all the vampire rituals surrounding a wedding, and excited to begin the first step towards actually getting married. It still felt surreal to her.As Caitlin walked out the castle, dressed in her sparring gear, she held Caleb’s hand as they crossed the expansive castle grounds in the cold October morning, Scarlet and Ruth right behind them. In the distance, Caitlin could see the entire coven was already out and waiting—dozens of Aiden’s v
Sam hadn’t felt this happy in years. He’d a fun day of jousting with everyone, of joining in all the festivities surrounding Caitlin and Caleb’s tournament day. He also, he had to admit, felt thrilled to be near Polly. In truth, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. He wondered if she realized he’d taken a fall for her on the jousting field. Fate had them paired against each other, and he knew there was little else he could do: in a million years, he would never lay a finger on her.As they had rolled out vats of wine and of blood-infused alcohol, brought out huge slabs of meat roasting on a spit, Sam drank and ate and joined in the merriment. But he also kept finding himself looking for Polly. He spotted her hovering around Caitlin, already exuberant in her role as Maid of Honor, even more excited than usual as she discussed wedding preparations. Sam had kept waiting for an opportunity to take her aside, but none seemed to present itself.It was a rowdy and bustling crowd
Caitlin found herself walking, in the twilight, by herself, as the mist spread over the Isle of Skye. Her party long ended, she’d felt the need to take a long walk, to clear her head. As she walked, she looked down, and saw the mossy terrain, and noticed her bare feet were sinking into it, and she wondered why she hadn’t worn shoes.She looked up, and found herself crossing a small, arched footbridge, and as she looked over the edge, she saw a drop of hundreds of feet, down into the raging ocean. She somehow knew that if she slipped off this bridge, even an inch, her life would be over.She crossed the bridge, which seemed to take forever, and as she reached the other side, she looked up, and through the mist, there came into view an enormous castle—the largest and most fantastical castle she had ever seen, replete with arches and spires in every direction, and encircled by a moat. As she approached, slowly, the drawbridge lowered, creaking, and then landed with a slam.She continue
As Kyle swung in the air, upside down, tied by his feet to the silver rope, he looked up at Rynd—those large, lifeless black eyes, that awful scowl—and watched him swing the huge silver sword, aiming right for his throat. He knew this moment might be his last on earth. In a way, Kyle was relieved. He had been living for centuries too long, he knew that, and death might bring a peaceful reprieve.On the other hand, as Kyle thought about it, he realized that death, in his case, would not bring a reprieve at all—but rather a quick descent into hell. He knew what he had to look forward to was a millennium of battling with demons, of being tortured by sick creatures, and he was not especially looking forward to. More importantly, he still had unfinished business on earth. He thought of Caitlin, of Caleb, of Sam, of how much he hated them all, and of how he just couldn’t leave without tearing each one of them to pieces, making them suffer as he had suffered—and it gave him a whole new deter
As Caitlin walked with her bridesmaids through the moss-covered hills of Skye, the sight took her breath away. The early morning sun broke low and red on the horizon, lighting up the open expanse before them. The landscape was dotted with small lakes, and the grass they walked on was a vibrant green, greener than anything she’d ever seen. It felt to her as if they had come to the very beginning of the earth, a place so pure, it hardly seemed real.Just as Caitlin was starting to wonder where they were all hiking, Polly read her mind:“It’s called Faerie Glen,” Polly said, her voice filled with excitement, even more chipper than usual. Polly practically skipped as they all headed through the countryside. “It’s the only place in the world where, it is said, if you go there and make a wish, it will come true. And it’s an ancient vampire ritual for a bride to make one final wish before her wedding day.”Caitlin thought about that as she rounded yet another softly sloping hill, holding S
Scarlet skipped along the open meadow in high spirits, Ruth at her side. While everyone had been standing around making their wishes, she’d decided that she didn’t want to make a wish after all: everything she could ever wish for, she’d realized, had already come true. She was away from that horrible, awful foster parent who had beat her in London; she was safe and sound with Caitlin and Caleb; she had new parents who she loved; and she also had Ruth, who she loved like a sister. There was nothing else Scarlet wanted in the world. So she decided she’d leave the wish-making for grown-ups.Besides, Scarlet couldn’t just stand around with everyone else, wasting time; she had important work to do. She took her role of Flower Girl seriously, and since no one was telling her exactly what to do, she figured she would decide for herself. A flower girl, she decided, had a duty to go out into the fields and find the very best flowers that the world had to offer. She had the duty to harvest them
Caitlin sprinted through the open meadow, beside herself with grief and anxiety. How could she have been so stupid to take her eyes off of Scarlet? She blamed herself for not being a better parent. She should have had more of an instinct to keep an eye on Scarlet every second. And now Scarlet was missing, and she felt it was entirely her fault.She ran through the meadow, Polly and the girls at her side, all calling Scarlet’s name, all scanning the grass, all equally frantic. Caitlin couldn’t help but wonder if they all blamed her, too. After all, Scarlet was now her daughter—whether by blood or not. She was her responsibility. It was selfish of her to have closed her eyes for that long, to take time to make her wish.But then again, she reasoned, she couldn’t have expected it. She had never known Scarlet to be the type to just run off like that, unannounced, without any warning. Caitlin still couldn’t understand why she did. If there was any consolation, it was that Ruth was nowhere
Kyle hiked with Rynd and his men up a rocky hill on the Isle of Lewis. It had been a long flight to get here, and as they had flown over the Isle of Skye, Kyle had wondered about the wisdom of Rynd’s plan. Kyle had wanted to just dive down right there and launch a direct attack on Skye. But Rynd had insisted that was not the best approach; he had claimed that Skye was protected from vampire attack by an invisible shield. Rynd had suggested another, more devious, way.They had been hiking for hours, and Rynd had offered few details of his plan. Kyle was not used to following, to taking orders, and he was reaching his limit. Indeed, just as he was getting ready to confront Rynd again, finally Rynd hiked up alongside him.“Tonight is the Samhain Festival,” Rynd said. “Our kind will flock here from around the world. It is our night for power, the one night when evil has free reign. We will use the energy of this night to summon our evil cohorts from every corner of the earth. Whatever cr