Desired (7 page)

He strutted through the room, carrying the deer, then suddenly stopped and turned, doing a double take.

“Wow,” he said, in shock. “It looks like a new place!”

He stood there, staring, wide-eyed. Caitlin could see how impressed he was, and she felt happy.

She looked at the room herself, and saw that it was indeed transformed. They now had a gorgeous, dining room, replete with table and chairs for their first meal.

Ruth suddenly whined, and Caleb looked down, and saw her for the first time. He looked even more surprised.

Caitlin suddenly worried if he’d mind having the pup here.

But she was relieved to see that his eyes opened wide in delight.

“I can’t believe it,” Caleb said, staring, “those eyes…she looks just like Rose.”

“Can we keep her?” Caitlin asked, hesitantly.

“I’d love to,” he answered. “I’d give her a hug, but my hands are ful .”

Caleb continued with the deer, through the room, and down the corridor. Caitlin and Ruth fol owed him, and watched him set down the deer in a smal room, atop a huge slab of stone.

“Since we don’t real y cook,” he said, “I thought I’d drain the blood for us. Then we could drink together, for dinner. I thought I’d take care of the messy work in here, so we could just sit before the fireplace and drink in style.”

“I’d like that,” Caitlin said.

Ruth sat at Caleb’s heels, looking up and whining as he carved. He laughed, cut a smal piece for her, and reached down and fed it to her. She snapped it up and whined for more.

Caitlin headed back to the dining area, and began wiping down the goblets she’d seen. Before the mantle sat a pile of furs, and she gathered them up and took them out to the terrace, shaking them out in preparation.

While Caitlin waited for Caleb to finish, she looked out at the sunset, breaking over the horizon.

She could hear the sound of the waves, breathed in the salt air, and had never felt more relaxed. She stood there and closed her eyes, and she wasn’t even aware of how much time had passed.

When Caitlin opened her eyes again, it was nearly dark.

“Caitlin?” came the voice, cal ing out for her.

She turned and hurried back inside. Caleb was already in there, carrying two huge silver goblets of the venison blood.

He was in the process of lighting candles, al throughout the dim room. She came over and joined him, setting the furs back down.

Within moments, the room was completely lit, glowing with candlelight in every direction. The two of them sat together on the furs, before the fireplace, and Ruth ran up and set beside them. The windows were open and a breeze wafted through, and it was actual y getting cool in here.

The two of them sat beside each other, and looked into each other’s eyes as they toasted.

The liquid felt so good. She drank and drank, as he did, and she had never felt so alive. It was an incredible rush.

Caleb looked rejuvenated, too, his eyes and skin shining.

They turned and faced each other.

He reached up, and slowly touched her cheek with the back of his hand.

Caitlin’s heart started to pound, and she realized she was nervous. It felt like it had been forever since she had last been with him. She had imagined a moment like this for so long, but now that it was here, she felt like it was her first time with him, al over again. She could see that his hand was trembling, and she realized he was nervous, too.

There remained so many things she wanted to say, so many questions she had for him, and she could see that he was brimming with questions, too. But at this moment, she didn’t trust herself to speak. And apparently, he didn’t either.

The two of them kissed passionately. As his lips met hers, she felt overwhelmed with emotion for him.

She closed her eyes as he came in closer, as they met in a passionate embrace. They rol ed onto the furs, and she felt her heart surge with emotion.

Final y, he was hers.

Pol y strode quickly down the corridors of Versail es, heels echoing on the marble floor, rushing down an endless corridor with soaring ceilings, moldings, marble fireplaces, enormous mirrors, and chandeliers hanging low. Everything shone.

But she barely noticed it; it was second-nature to her. Living here for years, she could hardly imagine any other form of existence.

What she did notice, though—very much—was Sam. A visitor like him was not at al a part of daily life—and, in fact, was most unusual. They hardly ever had vampire visitors, especial y from another time, and when they did, Aiden never seemed to care. Sam must be very important, she realized. He intrigued her. He seemed a bit young, and he seemed to be bumble around a bit.

But there was something about him, something she couldn’t quite place. She felt like, somehow, she had some connection to him, that she’d met him before, or that he was connected to someone who was important to her.

Which was so strange, because just the night before, she’d had the most vivid dream. About a vampire girl named Caitlin. She could see her face, her eyes, her hair, even now. In the dream, she was told that this girl had been her best friend for life, and throughout the dream, it seemed like they were friends forever. She woke up feeling it was so real, that it was more a meeting than a dream.

She couldn’t understand it, but she woke up remembering everything about this girl, remembering al the times they’d spent together.

It didn’t make any sense, because Pol y knew she’d never been to any of those places. She wondered if maybe, somehow, she had been looking into the future? She knew that vampires visited each other in dreams, and that they occasional y had the power to see into the future and the past.

But these powers were also unpredictable. It could be a world of il usions. One never knew: was one seeing the future, seeing the past, and was one merely dreaming?

After the dream, Pol y had awakened looking for Caitlin, as if she real y knew her. She found herself missing her as she walked down the hal . It was crazy. Missing a girl she’d never even met.

And then this boy showed up, Sam. And for some crazy reason, Pol y felt his energy to be connected to hers. How, she couldn’t possibly know. Was she just imagining that, too?

Aside from al of this, she found herself feeling something for Sam. She wouldn’t say that she was head over heels for him. But she was not unattracted to him either. There was something about him. It wasn’t the feeling of being in love. It was more a feeling of being…intrigued. Wanting to know more.

Which made her al the more agitated that Kendra had already laid her eyes upon him. Not necessarily that she wanted him for himself. It was way too early for her to know that. But more because he seemed so innocent, naïve, impressionable. And Kendra was a vulture. She was a member of the royal family, one who had never been told No in her life, and she had a magical way of getting whatever she wanted, from whomever she wanted.

Pol y had always sensed that Kendra had some sort of sinister agenda. For years, she’d been trying to get every vampire in her coven to turn her. Of course, it was forbidden, and no one would oblige her. But now, she could tel , she’d set her sights on Sam. Fresh blood had arrived, and she was determined to try again. Pol y shivered, not liking the idea of what could happen to Sam if Kendra was determined.

Yes, this was certainly an unusual day for her. Her mind swarmed with emotions as she marched down the hal , and she realized she was already late. The new singer everyone had been talking about was giving a private concert for Marie and her entourage. The singer had been here for weeks, and al the other girls were going on about not only his voice, but his looks. She was eager to get a glimpse of him for herself. Pol y had been looking forward to this, and now she was doubly annoyed that she’d come in at the tail end of it.

That was the problem with this place, she thought, as she marched down yet another corridor. It was just too big. It was impossible to get anywhere on time.

Pol y stepped up her pace, and final y reached the end of another corridor, and two guards opened the immense double doors for her. She walked right through, and as they closed behind her, she was immediately embarrassed.

The entire room turned and looked at her; as the singer continued his performance, she realized she’d interrupted the concert. Her face reddened, as she sank to the back of the room, taking a seat among her friends.

Everyone turned back slowly, and as they did, she settled in, and realized the concert was almost over.

She looked up, and watched, and as she caught the first glimpse of the singer’s face, she was shocked. He was even more gorgeous than everyone had said. He had dark features, with dark eyes and dark, wavy hair. His face was perfectly chiseled. He was so regal y dressed, from head to toe, in a black velvet coat, with white stockings, and shiny black shoes. He stood in the center of the smal stage, and looked so confident, so in control. He looked like he might be…Russian.

But even more than that: his voice was mesmerizing. As he sang, Pol y was transfixed. She was completely riveted, helpless to do anything but listen, helpless to look anywhere else.

Pol y was lost in a daze as the singing ended, stil staring, stil hearing his final notes, while everyone else got up, clapping, and approached him. The entire room crowded around him, and he stood there, smiling, basking in the attention.

Pol y slowly made her way through the crowd. She could see the adoration of al the other girls, and she stepped up herself and took a look.

He turned and looked at her, fixing his eyes on her. He seemed to look at her with a bit of disdain, with a brazen, arrogant look, as if to say suggest that she should look up to him.

“I…enjoyed your concert,” Pol y said, realizing she was nervous.

“Of course you did,” he said. “Why wouldn’t you?”

The other girls giggled, and Pol y thought his comment was somewhat rude. Stil , she couldn’t bring herself to look away.

“Wel , if you’re just going to stare like that, you might as wel tel me your name,” he said.

Pol y stammered, caught off guard. No one had ever talked to her like that before. Part of her told her she should just walk away; but another part just couldn’t bring herself to.

“Pol y,” she said breathlessly.

“Pol y,” he mimicked back, with a giggle. “Like a bird.”

Pol y reddened, as the other girls giggled. She did not know whether she was in love with this man, or hated him.

How could he be so arrogant?

“Wel , Pol y,” he said, with a faint accent, “I’l have you know my name.”

He slowly held out his hand, which was pale and soft, like a girl’s.

“Sergei,” he announced proudly, as if she should be thril ed to know it.

She took her hand in his, staring, unable to look away.

“Sergei,” she repeated, breathlessly.

And despite herself, despite the fact that he suddenly turned away and talked to the other girls, despite every red flag that screamed for her to walk away, she knew that she was already, hopelessly, in love.

Caitlin woke gently, slowly opening her eyes, feeling completely rested and relaxed. It was the first night in as long as she could remember in which she hadn’t dreamt of her father—in fact, in which she hadn’t dreamt at al . It was also the first time night in as long as she could remember in which she hadn’t been awakened abruptly, when she was able to sleep as long as she would like.

Caitlin woke to sunlight streaming in through the windows on al sides of her, and to the sound, through the open windows, of crashing waves. She could smel the fresh ocean pouring through the room.

She looked over and realized she was sleeping with her head resting on Caleb’s chest. They were both undressed, under the covers, and she was sleeping in his arms.

She looked up, and saw that his eyes were closed, and he was stil fast asleep.

For the first time in as long as she could remember, Caitlin felt completely at ease. Here, in this place, in this time, in Caleb’s arms, she felt that nothing could ever go wrong.

She wanted to freeze the moment, to hold onto it. Final y, it felt like there was nothing threatening on the horizon, nothing looming that could make life change.

Caitlin looked around the room, and glanced at the silver case with her father’s letter inside, stil unopened. As she looked at it, she had a moment of worry: she felt that if she opened it, if she read it, it would lead her somewhere, and things would change. She looked away from it, more determined than ever
not
to open it.

She got up from bed and walked across the room, her bare feet nice and cool on the stone, and took the bejeweled case, and hid it behind a drape. She didn’t want to look at it. She didn’t want anything to change. She was
determined
for nothing to change.

Caitlin slowly got dressed, putting on the new clothes that the nun had given her. She had washed them the night before in the stream, and had hung them out to dry on the edge of a gargoyle outside her window. She was surprised by how fast they had dried, how fresh they had become, as she put them back on. She felt ready to face the day.

Caitlin had to figure out what to do to replace her wardrobe.

Now that she was final y settled—

and in an enormous castle with endless closet space—she was sure she could figure something out.

If need be, she would take up sewing, knitting—whatever was necessary. With al the sheep everywhere, she was sure there had to be a local farmer who sold some kind of clothing. It wouldn’t be 21st century fashion, but then again, that wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted to blend in, to become a part of this time, this place, these people. More than anything, she just wanted to live here, to make this her home. Whatever they wore, she would be happy to wear, too.

Caitlin opened the huge double glass doors, and stepped out onto the patio. The sun-baked stone felt nice on her feet, and she lifted her chin and felt herself being warmed by the sun. The nun had given her fresh skin wraps, and fresh drops for her eyes, and the sun didn’t bother her at al .