Morgan Rice - Betrayed

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.

His eyes fluttered open, just a little bit.

“I’m pregnant,” she said. “You have to know…I’m pregnant.”

Caleb’s eyes opened one last time, as he looked at her in recognition, and smiled. “Pregnant,” he echoed softly.

And then, with his final burst of strength, he said: “We will always be together.”

And with that, she felt his body go limp in her arms.

And with every pore of her body, she knew that he was dead.

She looked over and saw the Sword, and her body filled with such hatred at this instrument that had caused so much ruin in her life. She reached over, grabbed its hilt with both hands, leaned back, and drove it with all her might, right into the stone floor, deeper and deeper, until it was driven all the way up to the hilt. As she did, the entire building shook on its foundation, its walls beginning to crumble.

She leaned back her head and roared, the cry of an animal who had lost every reason to live.

Caitlin flew over the Hudson River, Caleb’s dead body in her arms, heading right for Pollepel Island. She dove in, coming lower, aiming for the castle courtyard. The cold river air brushed her face, her tears, but unlike other times, it didn’t calm her. Nothing could calm her, ever again.

Caitlin could see her former covenmates below, training amid the torchlight. She knew that she was banished, and knew they might even have orders to kill her on-site, as Aiden had warned, but she had no choice. She had nowhere else to turn. And she had to see Aiden. She had to know if there was a way, any possible way, that he could revive Caleb. She refused to let him go. And if it turned out there was no way, she would take her own life with his.

She threw caution to the wind as she landed right in the courtyard, to the stunned expressions of her former covenmates. They all stopped training, and in frozen silence, looked at her with eyes wide open. They must have seen her pain, the grief etched across her face, as she held Caleb’s dead body in her arms. She landed in the center of the dusty courtyard, crying, and within seconds, Aiden appeared, marching right for her.

“I warned you!” he said. “I told you that no good would come of your leaving. And I told you that Caleb would die,” he said sternly. “I could have you killed for returning here. You have violated my law.”

“So kill me!” Caitlin screamed back. “I don’t care anymore. I don’t care about your rules, or this island. I just care about him. Caleb. He’s dead. You have to bring him back,” she yelled, pleading. “There must be a way. There must be a way to bring him back. You have to help me!” Caitlin screamed, sobbing.