Морган Райс - Betrayed

“Cain has his issues, you are correct. I do not excuse his behavior. But I do not give up on my people, even if they have problems. That is what this coven is about. We must learn to work through our differences, to overcome our inner faults. Cain is working on it. Not as hard as he needs to be, I admit. But he will be held accountable for his actions today, I assure you.”

Caitlin began to speak, but he held up his hand.

“Despite what you may think, I did not bring you here to reprimand you. On the contrary, I am quite proud of how you handled yourself today, and of how you stuck up for Polly.”

Caitlin suddenly felt her whole body relax. She had never, in her life, heard anyone say that they were proud of her. She suddenly viewed Aiden in a different light. She liked him. He seemed like the father figure she’d never had.

“I already know your side of the story. And I know his. In truth, I saw it all happen before it did,” he said cryptically.

That threw Caitlin for a loop. Could Aiden see the future? And if he could, why hadn’t he stopped it? She was more and more intrigued by him.

“So then why am I here?” Caitlin asked.

Aiden looked at her for a moment, then suddenly turned and looked out the window, at the river, and exhaled deeply. As he spoke, he looked out at the water.

“It was time for me to meet you,” he said. “To tell you about this place. I assume that Polly already filled you in,” he said and broke into a smile. “She is not, how do we say, afraid of a good conversation.”

“But there is more you must know. Pollepel Island is a very special place. I take in recruits selectively, and train them thoroughly. While everyone here is a misfit in their own way, is an outcast to the vampire community, everyone who leaves here is a force to be reckoned with. And we, collectively, are a force to be reckoned with. I do not like to think of myself as a leader. I prefer to think of myself as a mentor. I supervise all the training that takes place here, and I see to it that every vampire here becomes the best that he or she can be.

“When you leave here, I assure you, you will be the very best you can be in every skill of vampire warfare,” he said. “The funny thing is, no one who comes here ever wants to leave, and never has.

We are a band apart.

“We are also a family, and I take family matters very seriously. We train together, we dine together, we share duties, and we watch each other’s backs. Always. Which is exactly why behavior like Cain’s was so unacceptable. He very rarely acts this way. I’m sure that the presence of a new coven member is what disturbed him. It will not happen again, I assure you.”

He leaned back and collected his thoughts.

“If you want to stay here, if you want to be part of our family, there are certain rules that must be followed. You must be willing to share in our work duties. You must be willing to stand for guard duty. You must be willing to train your hardest, and to pledge an oath of loyalty to your fellow coven members. You are free to leave at any time, but if you leave without my permission, you may never return. We take this matter very seriously, so think strongly before you do anything rash.”

He fixed his eyes on her.

Caitlin’s mind reeled, as she thought it all through. She loved being here already, loved Polly, loved the island, and really liked Aiden. But she was also a bit nervous. To never leave without permission? The reality began to sink in that this might really be her new home. And more importantly, that she might not ever see Caleb began.

She was still furious at him, of course, and a strong part of her felt as if he’d abandoned her, that he loved someone else, that he didn’t even care anymore. So she shouldn’t even have cared, and shouldn’t have thought twice.

But there was still a small, nagging part of her that wondered. Did he still care for her? Was there some misunderstanding? And if so, should she go to him?

There was also a part of her that still worried about Sam. After all, he was her brother, and he had been taken hostage. A part of her felt that Sam had betrayed her, too, had somehow led Samantha right to the King’s Chapel to steal the Sword—and that even if she found him, he’d have no interest. But still, there was a small, nagging part that wondered. Was Sam in danger? Did he need her help?

And what of her search for her Dad? She still really wanted to know who he was, where he was.

She felt as if she had been so close. She wanted to get back out there, to look deeper. And if it was all true, if she really was the One, didn’t she have some sort of special mission? Shouldn’t she be out there saving the world, or something like that? Was it right for her to sit here, safe and protected on this island? Especially while war was breaking out in Manhattan?

She wanted to stay here, she really did, but a part of her worried that maybe she had a duty, an obligation, to be somewhere else.

“Wrong,” Aiden said suddenly, startling her, as he read her mind. “This is exactly where you are meant to be right now.”

The idea that he could reach into her mind and hear exactly what she was thinking freaked her out. Of course he could. She should have known better.

“But what of my brother?” she asked.

He slowly shook his head.

“Sam is under the influence of some very dark forces. I’m afraid there is nothing you can do for him now.”

Caitlin sat up, alarmed. “What do you mean? That makes it sound like he needs my help.”

“It’s too late for him,” Aiden answered firmly. “I know that is hard for you to accept, but you must. If you try to contact him, I assure you, you will only hurt yourself. And him. If you want to save yourself, and others, you must let him go.”

“And what of Caleb?” Caitlin asked tentatively, almost afraid to ask. She wanted to know if Caleb needed her, and more importantly, if he still loved her. But she was afraid to ask it, so she just let the general question suffice.

Aiden breathed deeply. “He dropped you here for a reason. This is where he wants you to be right now.”

What did that mean? Did that mean that he still loved her? That he wanted her safe and protected? Or that he wanted to get rid of her?

“You have to let Caleb go for now,” Aiden said. “You must focus on your training. You cannot be distracted. I can already feel how distracted you are by him, and that is a very dangerous place to be. Your thoughts must be clear. Completely empty. Do you understand me?”

Caitlin looked down and felt her cheeks flushed, embarrassed. She slowly nodded.

“And what about my search for my father?” Caitlin asked. “Is it true that I’m the One? What does that mean exactly? Does it mean I’m supposed to save the vampire race or something? Isn’t there something I’m supposed to be doing? Is it wrong for me to just sit here?” she asked, the questions all pouring out at once.

“You do, indeed, hail from a very special lineage,” Aiden said slowly. “Your father is a remarkable man. I know that you want to find him, and I know that he wants to see you. More importantly, you will indeed be the key to finding the weapon that can save both mankind and the vampire race.”

Caitlin looked at him intently.

“What do you mean? I thought that was the Sword? I thought we already found it?”

He smiled. “I see that you have not thought carefully of the riddle. I’m surprised at you.”

Caitlin thought. The riddle? What had she overlooked?

“The Rose and Thorn,” he continued. “Don’t you see? There are two sides to every dynasty, to every lineage. Caitlin and Sam. And there are two weapons as well. A weapon to attack, and a weapon to protect. The Sword is the weapon to attack. But there is one other weapon. An even greater one: the weapon to protect. The Rose and Thorn. The Thorn is the Sword. And the Rose is the Shield.”