Морган Райс - Betrayed

Sera lifted her head one last time, struggling to get out her final words.

“Your child,” she said, “raise him well.”

And with that, she leaned back and died.

Caitlin leaned back and wailed in grief. It was too much. In just a short time, she had come to feel such a strong connection with Sera. She felt as if her sister had just been killed in front of her.

In her place.

And at the same time, she felt betrayed by her brother.

Caitlin looked over, at the Sword, sitting there, by itself, on the cement.

She gently lay Sera down, and went over and grabbed it. She held it with both hands and let out a primal roar.

At just that moment, the doors to City Hall banged open, and out charged dozens of Blacktides, right for Caitlin.

But she was ready. More than ready. An incredible rage flooded through her—a greater rage than she had ever experienced—and now she wielded the Sword. They had come across the wrong woman at the wrong time.

Seconds later, dozens of them lay dead, helpless to fight back against the Sword.

They kept pouring out the door, though, and Caitlin kept fighting.

Minutes later, hundreds of them lay dead. There were bodies piled on top of bodies, as Caitlin wreaked devastation beyond what she ever could have imagined. She was like a different person.

Finally, the vampires stopped streaming.

But Caitlin was not satisfied. She wanted more.

She would not stop until she entered the sanctuary, and killed Kyle himself.

But first, she’d find Caleb. Chained, like Sera had said. He was down there and chained. And she had to save him.

And now that she had the Sword, nothing would stop her.

Sam ran through the corridors beneath City Hall, faster and faster, twisting and turning. He could not believe what he had just on. His own sister. He had tried to kill her. Why? Had he sank so far?

Up until that moment, ever since he had been turned, he’d felt out of control, like he’d been in a haze. It had just been so hard to think clearly, to get a hold of his new skin, his new life, as if he had just been swept up in a giant wave.

But now, finally, the effects of being turned were wearing off, and he was finally able to see clearly, to think for himself. He realized that he had slipped. He had never wanted any of this. He despised Kyle and the entire coven. Most of all, he realized that he had been played by Samantha.

She had wanted him to rise to power for her own sake, her own ambition. She had used him.

But he didn’t care about power, or the Sword, or any of it. He just wanted to be left alone. And far away from her. But first, there was one thing he had to do.

At that moment, as he ran down yet another corridor, Samantha came running towards him, a frantic expression on her face.

“Where’s the Sword?” she asked quickly. “Did you kill Caitlin?”

Sam backhanded her, hitting her hard across the face, sending her flying across the corridor. She slammed into a stone wall, hard, and slumped to the floor.

Sitting there, she looked up at him, hurt and shocked.

He turned to her.

“Never say my name again!” he screamed.

She tried to answer, to plead with him, but he didn’t want to hear it. He never wanted to see her again.

“Sam!” she wailed through the halls, “let me explain!”

But it was too late. He ran and ran, and her cries faded, echoing off the chamber.

Sam wanted revenge. He wanted to destroy. He wanted to take down the Blacktide Coven, and he wanted to make it suffer.

He suddenly realized the best way to get revenge, the best way to make amends for what he had done—or almost done—to his sister. She would never forgive him. That much he knew. But he still had to try.

Sam turned down another corridor, sprinting down another set of steps, and soon he was down there. In the dungeon.

He raced past door after door, and finally came to the right one. He burst it open with his shoulder.

And there, in the small room, chained to the wall, was Caleb.

Without hesitating, Sam ran over to him and tore his chains off. Within seconds, Caleb was free.

Caleb looked back at him, suspicious.

“Why have you done this?” he asked, solemnly.

“For Caitlin,” Sam said. “Please tell her I love her.”

And with that, Sam bounded out of the room, down the corridor, down another corridor, up flight after flight. Within moments, he burst out the back of City Hall. He took a running start and soon he was flying, all by himself, deeper and deeper into the night.

Caitlin, wielding the sword, ran through the corridors beneath City Hall. She was determined to kill as many of them as she could, and to kill Kyle himself. But first, she had to save Caleb. She was determined to never be tricked again. That shape-shifting was cruel and devious, and she would not fall for it a second time. Sera’s words of caution rang in her ears with every step she took, as she sprinted deeper into the catacombs. Caleb will be chained.

As Caitlin turned down yet another corner, a lone figure appeared, running towards her.

Caitlin raised the Sword, ready for battle, and suddenly froze. She lowered the Sword.

There, standing just a few feet away, was Caleb again. He was free, roaming the halls.

A part of her felt that this was him, and felt such relief.

Another part, though, the logical part, remembered Sera’s last words. This could not be him. It was another trick. It had to be. Caleb would not be free. Why would he? It would not make any sense.

Be strong, she told herself. It cannot be him.

“Caitlin,” he said, overjoyed. “It’s really you!”

His voice—it sounded so much like him. She wanted more than anything to embrace him, to bring him out of there.

But she remembered Sera’s words, and her logic warned her to push it all out of her mind. It could not be him. It must be another trick. It was Sam again, or perhaps Kyle, or some other vampire. Shape-shifting. Preparing to kill her.

“Caitlin,” Caleb said again, taking several steps towards her, preparing to embrace her.

And as he approached, she pulled back the Sword and struck.

It was a clean strike, right through his heart. She closed her eyes as she did it, unable to look, even at someone pretending to be Caleb.

And when she opened her eyes, she felt her world collapse.

She looked at his face as he slumped to the floor, as the life force began to leave him.

His face was supposed to shift back. To Sam. Or Kyle. Or whoever was shape-shifting.

But it did not. It was still Caleb.

He was dying, and it was really him.

Caitlin sunk to her knees beside him, and let out a long, horrific wail. It was the wail of a tortured animal. It had been Caleb along. Her one and only love.

And she had killed him.

Caleb lay there, looking up, and even though he was dying, even though she had killed him, he still smiled at her.

She wept and wept, “Caleb, please, I didn’t know it was you.…I thought it was—”

“I know,” he gasped. “Don’t blame yourself.”

That was him. Strong to the end, holding everyone blameless. His heart was big enough for both of them.

And that struck Caitlin even deeper, made her cry uncontrollably.

He reached up and lay a hand on her wrist. His voice was very faint now.

“Caitlin,” he said. “I want you to know…about Sera…I didn’t love her…”

“I know,” Caitlin said between sobs.

Caleb nodded as his eyes began to close.

Caitlin couldn’t believe he was leaving. The one person she loved in the world, loved enough for her heart to break, and he was dying. Forever. And by her hand.

“Caleb!” she moaned, trying to get him to open his eyes.