Caitlyn

Caitlyn didn’t know how long she sat and cried, but when the tears had been wrung from her, she felt empty. Dapping her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket, she got to her feet on shaky legs. Bracing herself against the wall, she willed herself to be strong while instantly regretting her decision to come to this house tonight. It held more ghosts than memories, more sorrow than joy, and if Caitlyn could have found it in her to burn this house to the ground, she would.

But she could never find the courage to do so.

Pushing off the wall, she took a step forward and grasped the bedroom door handle. With a twist, she opened the door to the room she had shared with her husband. Caitlyn stood in the doorway, closed her eyes again, and let another memory play out.

She woke lying on her side, hair covering her eyes, and the duvet pulled down to her waist, exposing her bare upper torso. She shifted slightly, sighing as she stretched, the sun peaking in from a gap in the curtains.

“Ma chérie, please do not move. You will ruin my sketch.”

Brushing her hair from her face, Caitlyn curved her lips into a smile. “Why do you like to draw me when I happen to be asleep or naked? If you were not my husband, then it would be considered creepy, non?”

Giving her a wink, Sebastian grinned. “But I am your husband, so I can enjoy using my art to depict the beauty that is my wife. And such magnificent subject matter you make, my love.”

Caitlyn chuckled, her heart so full of love it almost burst. She had been keeping a little secret from him for a week or two, just to be certain. Having tried and failed for months to fall pregnant, Caitlyn could not face the agony of telling Bass that they were going to be parents if it would all fall apart in a month or two. They had gotten their hopes up many a time before and the disappointment had been soul-crushing.

But Caitlyn had gone to the healer to confirm that she was indeed having a child and everything was going according to plan. Having never imagined that she would be a mother, she had lost out on that relationship when her own mother died from complications of childbirth. Her father had done his best, yet Caitlyn knew she had missed out on such a strong bond.

Propping herself up on her elbows, she watched Bass as he moved his pencil over the sketchpad without so much as looking at her. Caitlyn let out a snort. “How can you be expected to make realistic art when you do not even spare me a glance?”

Sebastian’s gaze held hers with an intensity she had become accustomed to. “I do not need to look upon you to know every inch of you. I have touched every single part of you. I have kissed every part of your skin. I would know you even if I suddenly became blind. I would know you if I could not hear that huskiness in your voice. You are mine, as I am yours. I can see you as clear when I close my eyes, as I do when I look at you with wonder. And I thank God every day that we found each other.”

Getting out of bed, Caitlyn walked over and captured her husband’s mouth with her own. When they broke for breath, she leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “You are an amazing husband, and you will be an exceptional father.”

Surprise flashed across his face before he scooped her up, swung her around, and let out a whoop of pure joy. He set her down again, kissed her hard on the mouth, then dropped to his knees and pressed his lips against her stomach.

“You will be a beautiful girl, just like your mother.”

“It could be a boy,” Caitlyn told him.

“We are having a daughter. I can feel it in my bones.”

Caitlyn let out a squeal of laughter as Sebastian picked her up, lay her down on the bed, and made love to her well into the midmorning. Then they lay in each other’s arms and spoke of a future full of life, of love, and of babies they were blessed to have.

Looking over at the nook Sebastian liked to draw in, the one with the bay window that gave a delightful view of the city, Caitlyn always knew where she could find Sebastian when she called for him and he didn’t answer. This room had once been warm and cozy, pieced together with love and extreme care, but now, it was cold and not at all comforting.

Moving over to her dresser, Caitlyn reached out and took hold of a framed painting that rested atop the furniture. The frame was a simple black outline, but inside held the main reason why she had come back here today. A perfectly detailed drawing of Jessamine, Sebastian, and Caitlyn sporting a noticeable bump. It was the last picture Sebastian had created. The last photo where they were all happy. Part of her needed to keep it with her. And part of her didn’t think she deserved to have this happy memory.

For it was she who lit the spark that ignited the flames that engulfed her family. Caitlyn had played the scenario over and over in her mind a million times since the day she had rebuffed him, wondering if she could have done anything to dissuade him, show him that she was simply not interested, and not just because he was a vampire.

This house was a cocktail of sorrow, of loss, of love, of memories, of tragedy—a heart-breaking reminder that as strong as she had been, she had not been capable of saving those who meant the world to her. Caitlyn’s fist shot out, cracking the wall and causing blood to well on her knuckles.

Emotions Caitlyn worked very hard to shove down into a place where they didn’t plague her every day came rushing back aggressively and were devastating in their pursuit to bring her to her knees. A scream built up in her throat, begging to be released so that those who heard it would understand the pain deep down in her soul. However, the control she had over herself took over, and she managed to subside the trembling that had engulfed her body.

With a quick shake of her shoulders, Caitlyn clutched the framed artwork to her chest for a quick second before she yanked a shopper from a hook on the chest of drawers and slipped it inside. Her eyes scanned the room one more time, faltering as they caught sight of the bassinet near her side of her marital bed.

When the wave of emotion threatened to sweep her under its current again and drag her out to sea, Caitlyn darted from the room and stood at the bottom of the stairs with tears in her eyes. She should not have come here, she had made a terrible mistake.

“M’lady?”

Caitlyn didn’t look up at Charlotte, but could hear the concern in her voice. Those in her employment knew of the circumstances that drove her from Paris, knew of the monster and his wicked deeds. Yet, they remained loyal to her, and Caitlyn admired that.

“Worry not, Charlotte. I will be fine. I must take my leave.”

Heading out the door, she paused at the end of the stone steps and braced herself against the iron gates. Never would she have conceived that she would have the courage to step over the threshold of her former home and make it out sane.

“I cannot believe you came all the way back to Paris and didn’t call.”

A faint smile kicked her lips up. “I knew the moment I planted my feet on Parisian soil that you would come in search of me.”

Marcel stood on the walkway, the biggest smile on his face. He held his arms open and Caitlyn went freely into them, simply because she needed the comfort of someone who had known her, known Sebastian, had even been around her daughter.

Against her ear, Marcel whispered, “Do not do what I think you are here to do. Please, Caitlyn. The world will be a far worse place without you in it.”

“It must be done, mon ami. If not me, then who?”

Stepping out of their embrace, she regarded Marcel, the handsome vampire with skin of hickory and eyes of the warmest cocoa that now held a sadness in them. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. They stared at each other with an ocean of words between them, yet neither of them able to utter a thing.

Finally, Marcel spoke, his words full of emotion. “This could be the end, my lady. All the suffering, all the pain, all the loss we have endured, could come down to this very path the sire has set us on. Ask it of me, my lady, and I will be your shield, I will be your weapon, and I would gladly die for the cause. And there are many more who are of the same opinion as me.”

Caitlyn affectionately patted his cheek, something she had done many a time when Marcel was a child. “I would never ask it of anyone to die for me. All actions I take are for my own selfish purposes. Should I perish and manage to drag him into Hell as I go, then so be it.”

Marcel linked her arm through his, and they began to walk back toward the city. They strode in silence for a time, enjoying the crisp night air. When they came to a small café on the outskirts, Marcel steered her into a seat before taking the chair next to her.

A waitress appeared a moment later. Marcel asked for two glasses of red wine with a twist. The waitress merely nodded and disappeared for a second before arriving back with their drinks. Caitlyn lifted the glass to her lips, taking a sip before setting it back down on the glass table.

“Do you remember the time, many moons ago when you were a boy, and I took you to a funfair that had set up in town? We ate treats and played games, and you even won a bear?” Caitlyn asked him, the memory popping into her mind for no reason.

“It is one of my most cherished memories. The bear still resides in my home.”

Caitlyn smiled. “That day was the day I realized I wanted to be a mother. The joy on your face for such a small, mundane thing and the way you hugged me on the way home and told me you wished I were your mother, it broke my heart in the most splendid of ways.”

Marcel took a sip from his own glass. “You treated all of us in your care as if we were family. We never forgot that. Those of us who chose to live the immortal life, we will never forget the mortal life you helped us navigate through, and then the options you gave us for our new lives, whether it be as a vampire, a werewolf, or something else.

“I may have been sired by another of your blood siblings, but you will always be the person who made me who I am. Made us who we are. Never forget that you have done a lot of good in this world, Caitlyn, and that outweighs the terrible things we have seen and done.”

“Non, mon ami. There are no scales that can balance out the evil I have done in his name. I hid behind my grief and became someone else—something else. For a hundred years, I was the sire’s hunter, his assassin, and god Marcel, I relished it more than I ever did when I hunted vampires as a human. Perhaps somewhere in my mind I thought that ridding the world of vampires could sate the sorrow in my undead heart.”

Setting his wine glass down on the table, Marcel took her hands in his, even as Caitlyn glanced away. “You did what you did to survive, and nobody ever thought any less of you because of your actions. Having spent most of my human life in your presence and in that of Master Sebastian, I know he would be very proud of the woman you have become, Caitlyn.”

With tears in her eyes, Caitlyn looked back at Marcel. “Sebastian was a gentle soul who would never harm a fly. I have killed many people, humans and vampires alike. I never spoke of my life before I met him, and he died because of it.”

“You are not to blame for the sire not taking no for an answer. How could you be? He decided he wanted you and everyone else was insignificant.”

Caitlyn took her hands from Marcel’s. “Did you know he can walk in your dreams? My shields are strong enough now to escape that aspect of his power, but when I was human, he snuck into my dreams, trying to seduce me, and in those dreams, I responded. When he kissed me, I kissed him back. When he pressed up against me, my skin tightened and I craved him. And when he sank into me and our bodies became one, it was his name I cried out. I betrayed my husband and it cost him his life.”

Closing her eyes, Caitlyn remembered the first time the vampire had entered her mind.

The cavern was illuminated by a thousand candles as Caitlyn spun to face the presence in her mind. Rose petals littered the ground as she stepped forward, her feet bare against the petals. The elegant ball gown of the darkest black clung to her every curve, her small bump now gone as she placed her hands on her stomach.

“Well, aren’t you a vision.”

A voice as smooth as silk dragged her eyes to him, and Caitlyn felt ashamed as her heart skipped a beat. The finest tailored suit clung to his frame, snug and fitted to perfection around a mass of muscle and strength. A crisp white shirt without a tie, unbuttoned to show off the golden tones of his skin.

His face was one cast from the Heavens, his angelic appearance as seductive as the smile that played on his full lips. Stubble caressed the area around his mouth, crept up the sides of his cheekbones, and came to meet hair that fell just above his ears.

Her body heated as his eyes wandered over her much as a predator inspects its prey. He looked up at her then, and, by God, his eyes held Heaven and Hell in the emptiness of his gaze.

“You have no right to bring me here. Send me back.”

His chuckle touched the most intimate parts of her as he came forward. “I could not stay away from my soulmate. You were created to be mine, Caitlyn, and I will have you.”

“I would rather die,” she snarled in response, “than be yours. I will never succumb to a vampire. I will stake you and leave you naught but ashes on the wind. Be gone, foul demon, and leave me in peace.”

Quick as lightning, he was in front of her, his arm tight around her waist, the other hiking up her dress. “You will be mine, my rose. And I will do anything to possess you. I have never laid eyes upon a more beautiful creature and I offer you the chance to become immortal and rule by my side as my queen.”

Caitlyn tried to wriggle free of his grasp, but found herself incapable of moving as the monster plunged two of his fingers deep inside her and moved them deftly as her body reacted to his touch. Tears streamed down her face while her body trembled, forcing her to bite her lip to prevent from crying out.

When he finished, satisfied by his deeds, he sucked his fingers and groaned. “You even taste of roses; sweet and succulent. Until we next meet, my rose.”

Caitlyn had shot up in bed, horrified at the ache between her legs, and Sebastian rubbed her back unconsciously in his sleep.

“I can see the memories in your eyes, Caitlyn. Leave them in the past and look to the future. You have a man who by all accounts worships the ground you walk on. You have a family, though not of your blood. Go back home to Cork and be with them. Leave the sire to his posturing. Please.”

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Caitlyn replied, “I do this to protect them. His blood runs in my veins. I have the power now to save them all, like I could not before. Donnie will move on. He has too. My sacrifice will rid the world of his evil and finally, you all can be free.”

Caitlyn stood, extending her arms, and it was Marcel this time who came to meet her embrace. “Stay out of this fight, Marcel. Allow someone into your heart once you have mourned the husband you lost, and I promise you will be free of the shackles of his rule. Free to live and love as you please. That is all I ever wanted, and now it is up to you to carry on the mantle. I will slay the beast, unto my own end.”

She kissed his cheek. “If you happen upon Donnie or any of my family, please tell them I am sorry. And that I went willingly unto death.”

Caitlyn left Marcel where he stood, part of her glad that she had the chance to say goodbye to a boy she considered her own, much like Melanie had become a daughter to her. And Marcel had been right about one thing, blood does not always mean family. Family are those who make you want to be a better person, who share in your success and mourn with you your losses. Derek, Donnie, Ricky, Melanie, and Sarge, along with those she had helped over the years were her family.

And she would gladly fall upon the sword to ensure their happiness.

Yanking his fangs from the girl’s neck, he tossed her down onto the floor and motioned for his vampires to take her dead carcass away. A knock sounded at the door of his room and Markus came in with an iPad in hand. He pulled a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and cleaned his mouth free of blood. He took the tablet from Markus, making sure his fangs had rescinded, and smiled at the young woman on his screen.

“Daughter, I hear you have been up to much mischief and mayhem in my name. I approve.”

Kenzie had schooled her expression, but the tell-tale tick in her jaw made him aware that she was angry at something. She had begun to waver in recent years, eager to find the vampire who killed her family, unbeknownst to her she had been with him this entire time.

“Everything I do, Father, is in your name.”

No emotion behind those words. Despite her angry demeanor, he tended to be resound in his absolute certainty that he had created the perfect soldier in Kenzie.

“What’s next, Father?”

Smiling at his little hunter, he simply said, “I have another name for your list, but he can wait. Have a night off to recharge. Have some fun. You are only young once, Kenzie.”

“As you wish, Father. Will I see you soon?”

“Yes, my daughter, you will.”

Ending the video chat, he handed the tablet off to Markus and folded his arms across his chest. His second-in-command surveyed him first, always contemplating his words and actions before committing to anything.

“Sire, if I may…but the girl seems to be even more reluctant than before to do her duty.”

“Kenzie will do as instructed. And when she becomes of no more use, she is yours to do as you wish.”

“Sire.”

Tilting his head to the side, he studied Markus and knew the dark urges that raged within his second. And to have within his grasp a woman who would stay a teenager forever would be a dream come true for Markus.

“Sire, her predecessor has arrived in Paris. She was spotted visiting her former residence and conversing with Marcel.”

Rubbing his hands in glee, he turned away from Markus. “It’s time for phase two. Tell them to ready the plane.”