Betrayed by Morgan Rice Read Free Book Online

all. I don’t trust any of them. Not to mention, he is a human.”
    Kyle studied Samantha’s face closely.
    “If you do this thing, I will reward you with rank, honor and prestige. There will be a special place for you in my new coven. This will be a magnificent war, one of the most magnificent our race has ever seen. And you can be one of its chief architects.
    “But if you refuse…you will be tortured, slowly, cast into eternal pain, and your name will be wiped out from our coven’s history altogether.”
    The room was dead silent as Samantha thought. Her mind raced, trying desperately to think of a way out.
    “Why don’t you just kill him yourself?” she finally asked.
    Kyle leaned back and grinned, slowly.
    “Half the fun will be watching you do it,” he said. “One of my favorite hobbies is watching people kill that which they hold dearly.”
     

 
     
    EIGHT
     
     
    Caitlin flew and flew. She had no idea where she was going, but wherever the wind took her would be fine with her. She felt as if she had nowhere to go, anyway, and nothing left to live for. Her beloved Caleb had betrayed her, and the only other person she cared for in the world, her brother, Sam, had probably betrayed her, too. After all, Sam had led Samantha, had led all of those evil vampires, right to her, right to the King’s Chapel. Was there anyone left in the world she could trust? Was it her destiny that everyone who came into her life ended up betraying her?
    Caitlin flew far over the Hudson River, and looked down as it gleamed in the moonlight. The night air felt good as it brushed her face and hair, wiping away her tears. She was far from the island now, just a dot on the horizon. She flew further and further away, desperate to clear her head.
    She dove low, within feet of the water, and flew just over its surface, nearly touching it. It felt good to be so close to the water. A part of her wanted to just keep diving, to submerge herself. But another part of her, the new vampire part, knew that would be pointless. A vampire could not die. Not even by drowning.
    As she flew, groups of fish leapt out of the water all around her. They must have sensed her presence. Was it the vampire blood they sensed?
    Caitlin climbed up high, high in the air, and as she ascended, her head started to clear again. She thought about everything that had happened. Already, the details felt fuzzy. Was it possible that she had blown things out of proportion? Now that she thought about it, what had Caleb actually done? Yes, Sera was there, and on the one hand, her presence was inexcusable. But the more she thought about it, the more Caitlin realized that she didn’t really know exactly why she was there, or how she got there. She didn’t really know for certain that Caleb had invited her. She didn’t really know for certain that the two of them were back together again. Was it possible, even remotely possible, that there was some other explanation?
    Maybe she had reacted too quickly. She had always done that, could never control herself.
    As Caitlin flew even higher, she made a wide turn, heading back in the direction of her island. She found herself drawn to go back in that direction, and a part of her wondered if she might even return. After all, where else could she really go?
    As she headed in that direction, she felt a newfound sense of purpose. Maybe she should at least give Caleb one chance to explain. He had saved her life so many times. He had watched over her all these days, had nursed her back to life. Maybe he did still love her. Maybe…
    Caitlin wasn’t so sure anymore. But the more she flew, the more she realized that she did owe Caleb at least one chance, one chance to explain himself.
    Yes, she would give him that. And then she would decide.
    *
    Caleb was furious. Once again, Sera had landed into his life, causing destruction everywhere she went. He couldn’t recall, over the thousands of years, how many times he had asked her to keep