“I don’t have a ring—yet,” he said. “But I hope you won’t hold that against me. I promise that when the time comes, I will get you the greatest ring you’ve ever seen.” Polly looked down at him, and broke into a smile.
“What are you asking me, Sam?”
Sam suddenly realized that, in his nervousness, he forgot to say the most important thing.
He smiled up at her.
“Polly?” he said, “will you marry me?”
Polly burst into a huge smile, and screamed. “YES!”
Sam stood, and Polly wrapped her arms around him in the tightest hug he’d ever felt. He lifted her, and spun her around, again and again, feeling his own joy in her response.
“YES YES YES!” Polly screamed. “A thousand times, yes!”
As Sam spun her around, again and again, he could feel her joy, her happiness coursing through him. And at that moment, he finally knew what true love was.
*
Caitlin looked up at Caleb as he held her in his arms, looking down at her with pure love. His eyes were shining with excitement, as he led her through the huge crowd, vampires cheering all around them. As Caleb parted the way through the crowd, leading them, Caitlin was overwhelmed.
Her wedding night had been incredible, like a dream, from the ceremony to the feast, to the drinking, to the dancing….It was grander than any wedding she could have dreamed of.
On the one hand, the festivities never seemed to end, but on the other, the night went by in a flash. Caitlin couldn’t believe it was already ending. And now, here she was, late into the night, holding Caleb’s hand as he led her away.
Caleb led her through the cheering crowd, across the small drawbridge, over the moat, and through the grand castle entrance. He led her down the torch-lit, stone corridors, and up the winding, ancient stone staircase. As they reached the top, he picked her up, and carried her down the hall, past their room, and to the entrance of another room. Caitlin was surprised. She had never seen this room before. It was framed by huge, golden arched doors.
“The king has lent us his room for the night,” Caleb announced with a grin, as he gently pushed open the doors with his shoulder.
Caleb carried her into the room, and as he did, she was awestruck at its opulence. It was unlike any other room in the castle, with huge, vaulted ceilings, several large windows, and an enormous four-poster bed, draped with furs, on top of which were strewn hundreds of rose petals. Petals also lined the floor, and candles were lit in every direction. Caleb closed the door behind them, carried Caitlin across the room, and placed her down gently in the bed.
The entire day and night had felt like a dream for Caitlin, and this was the perfect conclusion.
She didn’t know what she had done to deserve all this, to be so lucky. As she sank into the softest furs she had ever felt, she looked into Caleb’s eyes, and wanted to hold onto this moment, onto him, forever. She didn’t want anything to ever change. But even now, even on her wedding night, she knew that somehow it would. She tried desperately to push the thought out of her mind, to think only happy thoughts.
Caleb leaned in and kissed her, and she kissed him back.
“I love you with all my heart,” Caleb whispered.
“I love you, too,” Caitlin responded.
And she really meant it, with every pore of her body. She knew, after all they’d been through, that she’d finally found the one true love of her life, her destined partner, and that she would give anything to stay by his side forever. She thought back to her decision, lifetimes ago, on Pollepel, to go back in time and risk it all for him. She felt so grateful that she had done it.
As they rolled over in bed, Caleb leaned over and blew out the candles around them.
Now, finally, with all the obstacles behind them, all the ex-lovers, all the missions, all the misunderstandings, Caitlin finally felt confident—was determined—that nothing ever get between them again.
Yet somehow, deep inside, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something ominous on the horizon, that their biggest trial was yet to come.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Sera flew through the midnight sky, looking down on Caleb and Caitlin’s wedding celebration.
Down below, she saw hundreds of torches lighting up the night, hundreds of vampires gathered, drinking, dancing, celebrating. She watched it all with a burning rage.
In fact, Sera felt more rage than she usually did. Ever since she had mated with Kyle, ever since they had fed on each other and exchanged blood, Sera had felt different, infused with an entirely new energy. Her rage had multiplied to a level beyond which she’d ever known, and she found herself feeling angry about nearly everything. She could feel Kyle’s energy and violence coursing through her, and she felt nearly out of control with hatred.
Sleeping with Kyle had been repulsive; it had been the last thing she had wanted to do. But she did what had to be done. It was more important to her now to get vengeance on Caleb, and most of all, on Caitlin. Tearing their lives apart. That was what she lived for now.
If Sera couldn’t have Caleb, then nobody could. Especially that pathetic creature Caitlin. To have to fly over and watch their celebration, watch their marriage, felt like a slap in the face. It felt as if they were spiting her, as if they were rubbing it in her face. Sera seethed with rage as she flapped her wings above all of them, taking it all in.
As Sera circled, she looked for any sign of the King. Kyle and Rynd had instructed her carefully, had told her all about King McCleod, about his weakness. He was a human with a penchant for vampires. He’d been in desperate search of a vampire to turn him, and this was, Rynd reasoned, the one weak point of the island: McCleod’s desire.
They had dispatched Sera to go and find this McCleod, and to seduce him. Then, they could manipulate him, get him to do anything they wished—including ambushing Aiden’s people with his human army.
Sera was happy to execute the mission, but she resented their thinking that she needed to offer him anything in order to seduce him. After all, she was Sera: gorgeous to vampires and humans alike. She could seduce anyone she wanted, anytime she wanted. She didn’t need to offer them anything but herself.
And seduce this king, she would.
Finally, as Sera circled lower, she spotted the king. He was impossible to miss: he was seated at the head of a table, surrounded by followers, all obsequious in his presence. The huge fur mantle draped along his shoulders indicated it could be no one else.