Desired (28 page)

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

It was Sam and Pol y, both diving right for her.

Just in time. Just as Kendra was gearing up to kick Caitlin again, hard in the kidneys, Sam dove between them, and knocked Kendra back with a vicious elbow to her throat.

She went flying back, hard against the wal , and it saved Caitlin at the last second.

And as Sergei jumped up and prepared to stomp Caitlin in the head, Pol y dove in faster, kicking Sergei hard, planting both feet in his chest, and sending him flying across the room, smashing into the altar, and breaking the marble monument into pieces.

Caitlin jumped to her feet, so happy to see them, and so grateful for their help.

“Caleb!” she yel ed, and the three of them jumped into action.

They hurried over, and each took turns kicking Kyle so hard that they final y knocked him off of Caleb.

Caleb spun over, got on top of Kyle, and grabbed him by the throat, choking him. It looked like he had him for good this time.

Caitlin looked over and saw the masses charging them; she also saw Kendra and Sergei slowly starting to recuperate.

“Caleb!” Caitlin cried. “Let him go! There’s no time! We have to go!”

But this was clearly the face-off that Caleb had been waiting for. Caleb squeezed for al he had, the veins bulging in his face, as Kyle turned purple. Caitlin didn’t think he would ever let go.

“CALEB!”

Final y, reluctantly, Caleb let go. He spit in the unconscious Kyle’s face.

“Another day!” he spat.

Caitlin turned to Sam and Pol y.

“I found a key,” Caitlin said. “But it’s not meant for here. It’s meant for some other place.”

“Go!” Sam said. “Find it. Bring Caleb. Go now! We wil stay here and hold them back for you.”

“We can’t let you fight alone!” Caitlin cried.

“You have to,” Sam said. “This is no longer about you. It is about our mission. GO! The mission is more important.”

Caitlin instantly knew he was right. This was her chance, and she had to take it. There wasn’t a second left to lose.

“But how can the two of you fight them al off?” she asked worriedly.

Sam smiled, and as he did, Caitlin was shocked to watch him shapeshift before her eyes. Within seconds, he looked exactly like Kyle.

“I have a few tricks up my sleeve,” he snarled, in Kyle’s voice. It was eerie.

At that moment, Caitlin realized they’d be just fine.

She turned and grabbed Caleb’s hand, reached down and grabbed Ruth, and they leapt into the air, taking off, for the opening in the ceiling.

She looked back one last time, and watched Sam, looking like Kyle, give orders to Kyle’s people, and tricking them—

and she knew that they would be just fine.

Caitlin and Caleb flew out of the ceiling of the Notre Dame, and into the night air. They flew together over the smal Ile de la Cite. As they did, Caitlin was wracking her brain, trying to think where to go next, where that key might lead.

She kept thinking of the letter, kept turning her father’s words over and over in her head.

Don’t forget: the island is a big place.

It had bothered ever since she’d read it.
The island is a big
place. The island is a big place.

Was there somewhere else on the island
, she suddenly wondered,
that could hold the final key? Some place
close to the Notre Dame?

Her adversaries—Kyle, Sergei and Kendra—had managed to infiltrate her coven, and had discovered to meet her in the Notre Dame. But no one else had seen the second half of that letter.

And no one else realized that it led to something else. To one final clue. One final place. Everyone else thought the Notre Dame was the final destination, Caitlin realized. But it wasn’t.

“Where now?” Caleb asked, flying beside her.

Caitlin suddenly dove down, Caleb fol owing, and examined the island more closely.

It was fil ed with twisting and turning al eyways, with medieval houses. As she flew to the other end of it, the island tapered in a point, and she noticed something that made her pause.

There was another church. Not as grand as the Notre Dame, but stil large, and extraordinarily beautiful. There was nothing else remotely like it on the island, and she suddenly felt certain that whatever it was she needed, it was there.

The island is a big place.

Caitlin pointed. “There,” she said.

She dove down, Caleb by her side, and landed before the church.

It had a massive limestone edifice, reaching high into the sky, and coming to a point. Its façade was ornately carved, covered with gargoyles in every direction. It had a single, tal , arched door, and as she faced it, she knew this was the place.

“Do you know it?” she asked.

Caleb looked at her.

“Yes. The Cathedral of Saint Chapel e,” he said. “A very sacred place for our kind. It’s been around for thousands of years. Most people do not know of it. They know only of the Notre Dame.”

Caitlin turned to him.

“I feel that this is it. Whatever it is I am meant to find, I feel that it is here. My father, he said that the island was a big place. I think that what he meant was that the Notre Dame was not the only place on the island to search. That our final clue is
beside
the Notre Dame.”

They walked to the door, preparing to open it, when suddenly, the door opened wide, startling them.

Before them stood a tal , strikingly beautiful vampire, wearing a white robe and hood. She pul ed it back, revealing light blue eyes and long, brown hair.

She looked right at Caitlin and smiled.

“Caitlin,” she said. “We have been awaiting you. Welcome.”

Caitlin and Caleb exchanged a glance. The woman stepped aside, and they entered.

As they did, she closed and barred it behind them, using a type of metal Caitlin had never seen, three huge bars covering the doors.

“Titanium,” she said. “Invincible to vampires. No one can attack us here. You’re completely safe. You can rest at ease now.”

Caitlin sensed the woman’s positive, healing presence, and she knew that what she was tel ing her was true. For the first time in she didn’t know how long, Caitlin felt herself relax.
Safe. Finally
.

“But stil , we have little time to lose,” the woman said. “I trust you have the key?”

Caitlin looked back at her surprise. She wondered how she knew.

The woman smiled further, “Of course I know. We are of your father’s people. We watch everything that you do.”

Caitlin extracted the smal , gold key from her pocket, and reached out to give it to her.

The woman pul ed back her hands.

“No. I don’t want it. That’s yours to keep. Only you can open it.”

The woman suddenly turned and walked quickly down the long, marble aisle of the church.

Caitlin and Caleb began to fol ow her in the huge, empty edifice, their footsteps echoing.

Caitlin looked up and noticed the soaring ceilings, tapering to a point; she saw the endless rows of arched, stained-glass windows, hundreds of feet high, and was overwhelmed by the beauty of this place. It felt like they were walking inside an enormous kaleidoscope.

As they walked down the aisle, Caitlin wondered where they were going, and Caleb turned to her.

“I’m so sorry,” he said softly, out of earshot of the woman.

“For Sera. For leaving you. For everything. I hope that you’l forgive me.”

It felt so good to hear those words. She was overwhelmed with emotion. She didn’t trust herself to speak at that moment, so she just held out her hand.

Caleb took it, and his skin felt so good to her. She felt comforted by his presence, as they walked together down the aisle.

“This church was built thousands of years ago,” the woman said. “A very special place for our race. It was built specifical y to house the most important and valuable of treasure. Here, among many other treasures, we have fragments of The Cross, along with the real Crown of Thorns.”

The woman turned down another corridor, then down a flight of wide, marble steps.

They entered the lower level of the church, and it took Caitlin’s breath away. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. It had a low, arched ceiling, painted a vibrant, celestial blue, and interlaced with shining gold arches. This place looked like a treasure chamber, and in the torchlight, it was positively glowing. It was spectacular. Caitlin felt as if she had just entered King Tut’s tomb.

“Down here, we keep the most valuable of artifacts. A special silver chest was built to hold them al , a chest which took twenty years to build. Inside of that chest, you wil find what you need.”

As they continued, the room opened up, and Caitlin was shocked to see standing before them, waiting, dozens of vampires, al dressed in white, al with white hoods. They each held a silver goblet, each one fil ed with a white liquid.

In the center stood a single vampire, a man with a long silver beard and piercing green eyes. He stared kindly at Caitlin and Caleb, holding a smal silver goblet for each of them.

The woman gestured for them to approach.

They walked right up to him, and Caitlin felt herself starting to tremble. Was her father here?

“Drink,” he said softly.

They each took a goblet and drank the white liquid.

Immediately, Caitlin felt restored. She recognized it as the white blood of her father’s coven. She also grew lightheaded.

The man stepped aside, and revealed behind him a huge, glowing silver chest.

“Your key,” he said softly.

Caitlin handed him back the goblet, stepped forward, knelt, and inserted her key into the smal lock on the chest.

It turned with a little click, and slowly, she opened the heavy lid.

Inside, nestled amidst piles of jewels, was a second chest, with an even smal er lock.

Caitlin was puzzled.

“I’m sorry,” Caitlin said. “This is the only key I have.”

The man shook his head. “You also have another key.”

The man shook his head. “You also have another key.”

Caitlin racked her brain, but had no idea what he was talking about.

He pointed at her neck.

She reached down, and suddenly remembered the antique, silver cross she wore. Could that be it?

She gingerly took it off, and inserted it into the lock of the smal er chest.

She was shocked to see that it fit.

She turned, and it opened.

There, in the smal chest, was one large, silver key. The same exact size key as the one she had received in the Vatican. She knew immediately that this was the second key she needed to reach her father.

She was ecstatic.

But at the same time, she was frustrated, hoping she would find al three keys at once, to find her dad here, in the room.

She took it, rose and stood beside Caleb, feeling increasingly lightheaded, as she faced the man.

“There are but two keys left,” the man said. “And then you can unlock the gates, receive the Shield, and meet your father for yourself. We are proud of you. And so is he.

“Your father, though, waits for you in another time and place. I am sorry to say it is not here.

Are you wil ing to go back again? To continue your journey?”

Caitlin turned to Caleb, but she already knew her answer.

She was prepared to go back, and she saw from his eyes that he was, too.

“Then kneel.”

The two of them knelt, holding each other’s hands.

“Lower your heads.”

They did so, and as they did, Caitlin felt her heart pounding.

There were so many questions left unresolved. Where would they end up? Would they be together? What about Sam? Pol y? Ruth? She had so many questions she was burning to ask Caleb.

She felt the entire coven gather around, and felt several of them laying their hands on her head.

“We hereby lay thee down to rest,” echoed the chorus of vampires. “Caitlin and Caleb, to resurrect another day. In God’s ultimate grace.”

Ruth came in and lay beside her, whining. As the words were repeated a second time, then a third time, Caitlin felt her world grow lighter.

At the last second, before it al disappeared, she turned to Caleb, and saw him turn to her. She looked deeply into his eyes, and knew, just knew, that next time, they would be together forever.

“I love you,” she said.

“And I love you,” he answered.

And those were the last words she heard, as she felt herself growing ever lighter, dizzier, drifting into the ceiling—until her entire world was blackness.

COMING SOON…

Book #6 in the Vampire Journals

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Also by Morgan Rice

TURNED (Book #1 in the Vampire Journals) LOVED (Book #2 in the Vampire Journals)

BETRAYED (Book #3 in the Vampire Journals) DESTINED (Book #4 in the Vampire Journals)