She looked around and realized she was awake, in her room, in Dunvegan Castle, and that she lay alone in bed. She saw Scarlet lying on her daybed, Ruth in her arms, on the far side of the room.
She looked out the window and saw the sun rising, the day beginning to break.
She wasn’t in Blake’s castle; she wasn’t anywhere near Blake. It had all just been a dream. A terrifying dream. She felt a wave of relief; and yet, at the same time, it had felt so real. Even though it was just a dream, she felt terribly guilty, as if she had cheated on Caleb. She had to forcibly remind herself that it was just a dream. She had done nothing wrong.
She looked over at her empty bed, looked around the room and saw no sign of Caleb. Where was he?
Then she remembered. As part of the vampire wedding ritual, the bride and groom were supposed to sleep apart during the days leading up to the wedding.
The door banged again.
“Caitlin!” yelled an excited female voice.
Caitlin got up, put on a silk robe, and hurried for the door.
Ever since she had seen Blake at the festivities, it had been hard for her to get him out of her head. And that upset her. She loved Caleb now, and Caleb only. Yet still, Blake haunted the periphery of her consciousness. She wished she could erase him completely from her memory, out of loyalty to Caleb, but she just couldn’t.
After she had spotted him, and he had disappeared again, she’d asked the others about him, and was shocked to discover that Blake lived there, with the coven. Caitlin hadn’t expected that. The idea had never even crossed her mind—especially since she had not seen him with the others upon first entering Skye.
As Caitlin crossed the room and opened the double doors, still nervous, she half-expected to see Blake standing there, despite the female voice.
But luckily, it was Polly. She stood there excitedly, with a big smile on her face. She looked happier and more content than Caitlin had ever seen her.
“Will you get up already?” Polly exclaimed, strutting past her into the room. “We’re going to be late!”
As Caitlin took a deep breath, closed the doors, and followed Polly into her own room, she was beginning to feel relieved again. Polly always had a way of distracting her from her troubles.
“Late for what?” Caitlin asked, confused.
“Just for preparations for the biggest day of your life!” Polly said, exasperated. “It’s the final day before your wedding! Today, we need to prepare everything for the big ceremony. The flowers, your dress, the feast, the ceremony—”
Caitlin held up a hand, already overwhelmed. She could tell that Polly was in her element, as if she’d been anticipating this forever. But this was hardly Caitlin’s expertise. All these preparations overwhelmed her; she just wanted to be married to Caleb. She didn’t feel the need for any of this pomp. And even if she did, it was certainly too early in the morning to process all of this.
“I’m hardly even awake, Polly,” Caitlin protested.
Polly smiled and strutted across the room and began picking an outfit for Caitlin, throwing clothes off a dresser and onto Caitlin’s bed.
“That’s what I’m here for,” Polly said.
Caitlin could see that she was determined, more excited than she’d ever seen her. She could also detect something else in her friend: a sense of peace, of contentment, one that she had never quite seen. Something had shifted within Polly: if Caitlin was not mistaken, it seemed as if she were in love.
Caitlin immediately thought of Sam. The last she’d seen the two of them, they were walking away from the party, hand-in-hand. Had something happened?
Caitlin examined Polly as she hurried over to her and excitedly draped a shawl over Caitlin’s shoulders.
“Polly?” Caitlin asked, smiling.
Polly finally turned and looked at her.
“I sense something different about you,” she said.
Caitlin noticed the slightest bit of red in Polly’s cheeks. Yes, she was definitely blushing.
“Nothing’s different,” Polly answered.
But Caitlin already saw what she needed to see. Sam and Polly were officially together.
The thought of it made Caitlin happy. There was nothing she’d like more than for Polly to be part of her family. Her sister. Her real sister.
Suddenly, the door slammed open, and in marched Taylor, Barbara, and several other girls from Aiden’s coven. They were all flushed, as happy and excited as Polly, dressed in fineries, carrying flowers. They cheered as they entered. They gathered around Caitlin, practically buzzing with excitement.
Caitlin was taken aback.
“It’s not my wedding day yet!” she protested.
“No,” Taylor said. “But it’s only a day away! And today’s your preparation day. There’s so much for us to do. It’s so exciting!”
Ruth barked, and Caitlin looked over and saw Scarlet standing beside her, tugging on her robe, looking up in excitement.
“Can I help, too?” she asked. “Please, mommy, you promised! You said I could be the flower girl! I want to help! With everything! This is my first wedding, after all!” The girls all broke into laughter, as Caitlin reached down and hugged Scarlet.
“Of course you can, sweetheart,” Caitlin said.
Caitlin turned to the others. “What about Caleb?” she asked. “Won’t he help plan, too?”
“Not today,” Polly said. “Today is the girls’ day. And to begin, I have a surprise for you.” The other girls quieted in anticipation, and Caitlin could tell they were all in on some secret.
Caitlin watched with curiosity as Polly strutted across the room, followed by the others, and approached a knob lodged in the wall which Caitlin hadn’t noticed before. Polly pulled it and revealed a large closet, recessed into the wall.
And there, sitting alone inside, was a sight that made Caitlin’s heart drop.
Sitting in the huge closet, hanging by itself, was the most beautiful wedding dress Caitlin had ever seen. It was endlessly long, made of lace, with a narrow, bejeweled belt around the waist. It had long sleeves, and fanned out at the waist, with a train that seemed to go on forever. Surprisingly, it had dramatic, high collars, framing the neck.
And most surprising of all, it was black.
Polly reached in and removed the dress. Two of the girls hurried over and helped, holding its train so that it wouldn’t touch the floor.
Caitlin was so overcome by this surprise, by the beauty of the dress, by the thoughtfulness of Polly and all these girls, she didn’t know what to say. She wanted to thank them, to gush over it, but she found herself speechless.