“Wow,” Sam whispered.
Sam couldn’t take his eyes off the view. That is, until he caught the reflection in Polly’s eyes. He found himself turning and staring at her, instead.
Polly must have sensed his staring, because she eventually turned and looked back at him.
Their eyes locked.
Sam could feel his breath shortening, his heartbeat racing. He had no idea what to say from here.
He found it relatively easy to interact with girls when he didn’t care as much. But he’d never found himself caring for someone as much as this.
Sam couldn’t understand it. Polly had always been so talkative; in fact, he could barely remember a time when she hadn’t filled the air with conversation. Now, on this painfully quiet walk, she had barely said a word. Why now, of all times, when he needed her to talk the most?
Finally, thankfully, Polly broke the silence.
“Why did you take the fall for me in our joust?” Polly asked softly, staring into his eyes.
Sam swallowed, not sure how to respond. He was determined, this time, not to mess it up.
“Because I could never hurt you,” he said. Then, feeling a burst of courage, he added, “I would always take the fall for you.”
Sam was proud of himself, and expected that Polly would finally understand how much he cared for her.
But to his surprise, instead, her brow furrowed in consternation.
“I don’t need you, or anyone else, to take the fall for me,” she snapped, clearly offended. “I’m a perfectly good fighter in my own right. I’d rather lose because I lost then lose because someone threw a match for me.”
Sam didn’t know what to say. This was not how he had pictured this going at all. He’d thought she’d be grateful that he took the fall, and couldn’t understand why she was so upset.
“Um…” he began, “I wasn’t trying to upset you.”
“Then why did you do it?” she answered, more firmly, her brow still creased.
Sam had no choice. He knew that it was now or never.
“Because I love you,” he heard himself saying, flatly.
It was a surreal moment, as if someone else were there, saying the words, planting them in his mouth. He could not believe that he’d somehow summoned the courage to say it.
Polly stared at him, seeming surprised, too, and slowly, her facial expression shifted from anger to disbelief. For the first time, Polly seemed speechless.
Sam’s heart was pounding in his chest, and he could barely breathe. But at least he had done it.
Now, if she didn’t feel the same, she could walk away. Sam half-expected her to respond that she liked him as a friend, but didn’t feel the same way about him, and then turn and walk away. He braced himself.
But, to his surprise, she stood in place, and stared back. He wished that now, more than ever, he could read her mind. But vampire mind-reading always seemed off limits when it came to matters of love. Sam knew that it was now or never.
As the sun broke through a dark patch in the clouds, lighting up the entire horizon, slowly lighting her face and glowing blue eyes, Sam stepped forward, leaned in and brought his lips to hers.
Her lips were the softest thing he had ever felt.
But at first, they didn’t kiss him back. He waited a moment, hoping that she would kiss him back, hoping he hadn’t made a fool of himself.
And then, a second later, she did.
And as she did, he felt his entire world melting into hers. And he knew that, finally, he had found true love.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
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 continued walking, onto the heavy oak of the bridge, and suddenly, there was a lone figure in the entrance, appearing out of the mist.
She felt her heart stop.
Blake.
Caitlin stopped in her tracks, her heart pounding, and as she did, he walked out to her. He reached out and took her hand, and accompanied her, leading her towards the entrance.
She knew, she just knew, that this was his castle.
A part of her wanted to turn and run; but she was helpless. She let him lead her, through the entrance, and as he did, the drawbridge slammed shut behind them, locking them in.
The castle was cavernous and dim, lit only by sporadic torchlight. She found herself being led up a marble, winding staircase, up and up, past an endless number of floors. He then led her down corridor after corridor, until finally, they reached a massive, arched door. She knew this was his room.
He reached up and opened the door and Caitlin, thinking of Caleb, wondering where he was, wanted to turn and run.
But as Blake took her hand, she found herself helpless to resist.
He picked her up and carried her in his arms into the room. His brown eyes blazed with the intensity that she remembered.
Slowly, gently, he laid her down on the biggest bed she had ever seen, onto the softest linens and pillows she had ever felt. He sat beside her, then leaned down, and gently kissed her on the lips.
Despite herself, she was helpless to resist.
Suddenly, there was a pounding on the door, a metal knocker slamming into the oak.
Caitlin’s heart stopped, as she knew that it was Caleb, coming to check on her.
“Caitlin!” screamed the voice from behind the door.
Caitlin tried to get up, but Blake held her in place. He lifted a single finger and placed it on her lips.
“Shhh,” he said.
The door banged again. “Caitlin!”
“Caitlin!” came a voice.
Caitlin woke with a start, sitting straight up in bed and breathing hard. Disoriented, she tried to figure out where she was.