by Morgan Rice
Sergei stopped before the door, turned, and smiled at her for the first time. But it wasn’t a smile of love. It was an evil, crooked smile.
“Stupid girl,” he said. “I’ve gotten al I need from you. You are as useless to me now as you were the first moment I met you. And now your friend wil pay the price.”
And with that, Sergei stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Pol y sat up, put her head in her hands, and cried and cried and cried.
Al she could think, as tears poured down her face, was how stupid she had been. How mad at herself she was for believing in Sergei. How, al along, her friend, her only best friend in the world, Caitlin, had been right.
And worse, how she had returned the favor by putting her in danger.
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
Sam lay there, in Kendra’s huge bed, sprawled naked on top of the most luxurious covers he had ever seen. She lay in his arms, and they both reclined in a huge mound of silk pil ows. He felt like he had died and gone to heaven. He’d never been with anyone remotely like Kendra, and he hoped they could stay together forever.
His mind reeled, as he thought of the implications of what he had just done. He had real y turned her. She lay there, sleeping with her head on his chest, peaceful y enough, and for al the world to see, she was just as she had been before. But he knew that when she woke, she would be different. Changed forever. Turned. One of his race. Just as Samantha had turned him.
He recal ed how difficult it was for him when he first woke, and came to the realization. But then again, it wasn’t something he had asked for. It had been thrust upon him. In her case, she had asked for it, had begged him to turn her.
And she had received her wish.
He wondered what she would be like when she awoke. If she would stil love him as much. Or hopeful y, even more.
But he stil couldn’t escape the gnawing feeling that he had done something wrong. That he had transgressed some sort of sacred vampire rule. That somehow, he would have to answer for this.
Before Sam could finish the thought, Kendra suddenly opened her eyes, and sat bolt upright, immediately awake.
She stared at him, her eyes wider than he had ever seen them. Her eyes seemed to be glazed over, like the eyes of a wild animal. Alert. As she stared right through him, he began to wonder if she even recognized him at al .
“Kendra?” he asked, sitting up in bed. “Are you okay?”
She suddenly jumped up from bed in a single leap, landing halfway across the room, surprising him.
She quickly got dressed, her back to him, and she moved so fast, faster than anyone he had ever seen. It was unnatural. Clearly, she already had the speed of his race.
He slowly got out of bed, began to get dressed, and came over to her.
“What’s wrong? Is everything okay?” he asked again.
But she kept her back to him as she dressed, and he wondered why she was acting so strangely.
“Why don’t you come back to bed?” he asked.
She suddenly turned and faced him, and he saw the wildness in her eyes, and was almost afraid.
“Why would I?” she spat back.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“I already have al I need from you.”
Sam felt as if he had been punched in the gut. He could not believe her words. Had she real y said what he’d thought she had just said?
“What are you talking about?” Sam asked with more urgency, and he could hear the fear in his own voice.
She suddenly headed for the door, and he reached out and grabbed her arm, to stop her.
But she spun around, and with her incredible new strength, roughly threw his arm off of her. He was shocked. She stared at him with a ferocity he had never imagined, her aqua eyes glowing and unearthly.
“Don’t you ever put your hands on me,” she snarled in a low, guttural voice.
“Kendra,” he said softly. “It’s me, Sam. What’s happened to you? Don’t you recognize me?”
She suddenly broke into a laugh, a demonic laugh, right in his face, mocking him.
“Of course I recognize you, you pathetic little thing. And I never loved you. I was just using you.
You gave me what I wanted. Now, I’m done. I’m only going to spare your life because you turned me. But if you get in my way again, you wil suffer—the same way that your people, and your sister, are about to suffer.”
With that, she wheeled, grabbed the huge oak door, and tore it off its hinges.
The two servants stared back at her, in shock, and she spun the wood and knocked them both off their feet with it.
Then suddenly, like a wild animal, she bounded down the hal , leaping twenty feet at a time, tearing down the corridors of Versail es, smashing candelabra as she went.
She was like a one-woman wrecking machine.
Sam could not believe what he saw. He looked at the destroyed hal way, the unconscious servants, and wondered, with dread, what he had created.
He bounded off after her, chasing down the hal . As he did, he felt how much her words had stung. Had she just been playing him al along? Had he fal en perfectly into her trap?
And what did she mean about Caitlin? What was her agenda, exactly?
As Sam ran down the corridor, using his ful vampire speed, he caught a glimpse of her, far down a corridor, tearing through a room. As she did, she hurled human beings to the left and to the right, to terrible screams of mayhem.
Sam picked up speed as he fol owed. She smashed through yet another door, down yet another corridor, then final y, entered the main entry parlor of Versail es. She ran right for the main doors.
About a dozen guards, apparently alerted to her presence, stood before the door, blocking it with their bayonets. As she approached them, they lowered them towards her.
“Stay where you are!” one of them yel ed.
As Sam watched, she leapt up, high in the air, over their heads, and with a single kick, knocked open the huge double doors. They went crashing down with a bang.
She landed out the other side, and with one more leap she was flying in the air, heading off into the night.
Sam wanted to fol ow her, but he suddenly spotted something on the horizon, and his heart stopped.
There, racing towards the palace, was an angry mob of thousands of citizens.
They were charging right for the palace steps.
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
As Caitlin flew across the French countryside, far away from Versail es, the silver cross and her dad’s scrol in her pocket, clutching Ruth in her arms, she final y, for the first time in this place, felt as if she were on the right track. She felt deep in her bones that she was final y doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing. Searching for her father. Searching for the Shield. Fol owing the clues, doing what she was destined to do.
As she flew and flew, her head cleared even more as she got further away Versail es. She was mad at herself for not doing this sooner. She knew al along what her mission was: why couldn’t she just embark from the beginning?
She thought of Caleb. Her heart pul ed as she remembered how much she loved him, at how bad she’d felt when he’d left. At the same time, now that she was on her mission, she realized that if he hadn’t left, maybe she would have just settled down, and never sought out her father. She realized once again that, no matter how painful things seemed while they happened, if she looked back upon them in retrospect, over time, she realized that everything happened for a reason. That reason wasn’t always easy for her to see while it was happening. But the more distant she got from events, the more that reason started to become clear.
As Caitlin raced towards Paris, she started to feel a tremor of nervousness, of anticipation, at the idea of possibly meeting her father. Could it be that he had been waiting for her in Paris al this time? So close? That he would be at the Saint Germain Des Pres church? Or at the Notre Dame?
Would he embrace her, be proud of her? Would he give her the Shield?
Caitlin hoped that he would indeed be proud of her, that he would recognize what a woman, what a warrior, she had become. That he would acknowledge al that she has sacrificed to find him.
He would open up a whole new world for her, introduce her to his coven. And maybe she could final y have a place in the world, a people to belong to, a place to settle down.
She would like that.
Caitlin also thought about Sam, with a pang of regret. She wished that he was with her, at her side, helping her on her quest. But she realized that he was too caught up in his relationship, and there was simply nothing she could do about that. Sometimes, people just had to come to their own realizations, in their own time. She just hoped that everything would be okay for him. She had a sinking feeling, though, upon looking at Kendra, that it would not.
More than anything, Caitlin wished that Caleb was here with her now, at her side, as he had always been on her search.
She missed him desperately, missed having him there, missed not being able to share her ideas with him. And whatever she found, she wanted to find it together with him.
And if once again, for some reason, she had to go back in time, she desperately wished that he would be by her side.
But as Caitlin flew, she realized that she was much stronger now. She had become a warrior.
And part of what it meant to be a warrior was to be unafraid to go it alone if need be, to carve your own path in this world. To forge forward, even when no one else was wil ing to forge forward with you. It was about individual strength, and courage. And sometimes that meant the courage to do what no one else was doing.
Caitlin felt a new wave of strength come over her, emboldened by al of her training with Aiden, al of his lessons, and al of the sparring she had done. She wanted Caleb there, but she felt strong enough to handle this mission on her own.
As Caitlin flew, the landscape changed, and the thick forest of the French countryside began to give way to the urban landscape of Paris. Beneath her, Caitlin recognized the buildings, the tal church steeples, the occasional medieval church and abbey, and the more fashionable recent construction of the 18th century townhouses. From up here, it was a breathtakingly beautiful city.
But at the same time, as she looked down, real concern overcame her. Despite the late hour, the streets were flooded. They were absolutely packed with mobs of angry citizens, carrying torches. The tension and anger in the air was palpable; she could feel it, even from this height.
People screamed and ran throughout the chaotic streets, and worse, they were destroying property, throwing stones through windows, throwing torches into buildings. The crowd seemed to particularly center around the huge Bastil e prison, and spread out from there. She couldn’t believe it: it looked as if a war had broken out.
Caitlin had not expected this. She’d expected to simply fly to Saint Germain Des Pres, find what was she was looking for, and continue her search. She had not expected having to navigate an angry mob of citizens in the streets. She didn’t want to hurt anyone. But then again, she couldn’t let them get in her way.
As Caitlin flew over the left bank of the city, she spotted the tal , square tower of the Saint Germain Des Pres church. It was distinctive, especial y from this bird’s-eye view. In addition to its tal rectangular tower, it was attached to a large monastery, with a long, sloping roof. Its wal s were arched along its ends, giving a beautiful, cylindrical shape to the complex. It looked like other medieval churches she had seen in the countryside, and it was shocking to see such a medieval masterpiece here, right smack in the middle of the city.
Luckily, the crowds weren’t as intense in this part of the city.
Caitlin chose a dark al ey in which to land, where no one could see her, and descended quickly.
Stil clutching Ruth, not giving her time to walk or to relieve herself, Caitlin made her way quickly into what looked like a back entrance to the church. The huge front doors, she noticed, were locked and barred, and she didn’t want to enter through the public square, and give any rowdy humans a chance for an encounter.
Instead, she went around the rear of the building, and saw a smal , arched door, probably used by the priests. This, too, was locked. But Caitlin, stronger than she’d ever been, simply looked at it, closed her eyes, and breathed, focusing on becoming one with the doorknob. When she finished, she heard a click, and saw it open by itself. Aiden’s techniques had final y sunk in.
Caitlin walked into the open door, proud of herself for not having to kick it down, and closed it firmly behind her, locking it.
It was dark in here, with just a few lingering candles, dwindling down, spread on the altar, probably the remnants of some evening worshippers. The only other thing that lit up the interior was the moonlight, streaking in through the immense stained-glass windows, which soared al the way up to the ceiling.
Caitlin looked up and took it in. It was some of the most beautiful glass she had ever seen, rows and rows of it dominating the wal s, culminating in a high, arched ceiling with Romanesque columns.
On the wal s were painted huge, ancient frescoes. The stone, too, looked ancient, and she could tel that this church was different, that it had been around forever.
She remembered Lily having told her that this was the oldest church in Paris, thousands of years old, and as she looked at it now, she could tel that it was. It was incredible to her. Here she was, in the year 1789, standing in a place that was already ancient. It made her feel insignificant in time.
Caitlin walked down the long aisle, feeling drawn towards the altar. Her footsteps echoed on the immaculate, shining black and white tiled marbled floor. There were hundreds of smal wooden chairs set out in neat rows and this place looked big enough to hold thousands. Along the wal s were smal arches, and smal statues of various medieval saints.
As Caitlin final y reached the far end, she came to a single, simple altar, recessed into the wal . It contained a large statue of Mary, holding a cross, built upon a marble pedestal.
Caitlin took out the large cross that Lily had given her. She held it up and examined it. As she did, she was shocked to see that it appeared to be the exact size of the cross in the statue’s hand.
As she looked closer, she was also shocked to realize that the cross the statue held was actual y empty. As if waiting for a cross to be inserted into it.
Could it be? Caitlin wondered.
She climbed onto the pedestal, reached up, and held up her large silver cross. She inserted slowly, wondering if it would fit. As she inserted it, she was shocked to see that it was, indeed, a perfect fit.
As she pushed her cross, locking it firmly into place, she heard a noise, and looked down to see the pedestal of the statue swing open.
Caitlin hurried down, and pul ed open the secret compartment. The marble opened slowly, with a scraping noise, letting out ancient air and dust.
Caitlin reached in, grabbing hold of something. She pul ed it out.
She couldn’t believe it. It was another encased scrol , the same size and design as the one that had held the first half of her father’s letter.
She opened it slowly, hands trembling, and her mouth dropped open as she realized what it held.
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
As Sam stood there, in the entryway of Versail es, watching hordes of masses storm the steps, he broke into action. He ran to help al the guards, who were scrambling to restore the huge double doors. But the human guards weren’t strong enough to lift them back up in time.
Sam leapt forward, and, using his strength, pul ed them up by himself, restoring them back into place. He quickly scanned the room, and spotted a huge, wooden beam mounted above the fireplace. It looked like the size of an ancient tree trunk, and like it would take twenty men to lift.
Sam ran over to it, and to the shocked look of the guards, he hoisted it alone, carried it acros
s the room, and slammed it in front of the doors, barring them.
Just in time. Moments later, there came the pounding of hundreds of fists at the door, as the masses tried to get in.
Thanks to Sam, the door seemed to be holding. At least for now.
As Sam stood there, he was soon joined by Aiden, the twins, and al the other coven members.
Guards, too, flooded in from al over the palace, and soon Pol y and Lily, and even Marie Antoinette, joined the room.
Everyone was in shock at the chaos.
“What has happened?” Marie asked.
“There have been reports that the Bastil e has been stormed, my lady,” one of the guards yel ed, frantic. “The masses are in disarray. They’re destroying everything in the streets. And now, it has spread here. I think it is a revolution!”
Sam could see the horrified expressions on the faces of Marie and her entourage.
Aiden stepped up, and mobilized his team.
“Taylor and Tyler, you protect the East wing,” he ordered, and they burst into action.
“Cain, you cover the Western entrance. I wil help hold these doors myself. And Lily, please accompany Marie back to her quarters. The rest of my men wil guard you.”
Sam walked up to him. He turned and looked at Sam, and Sam felt as if he was staring at him with disapproval.
“Go help your sister,” Aiden ordered, disapprovingly. “You have harmed her enough already.”
Sam felt a pang of guilt race through him, as he thought of Kendra and her ominous words about Caitlin.
Pol y ran up to them.
“It’s al my fault!” she cried. “I was deceived by Sergei. He asked where Caitlin was going. I told him about the Notre Dame!”
Aiden shook his head. “Go and join Sam. She wil need al of your help. And no matter what happens, make sure nothing stops her from getting the Shield.”
