“Do you know it?”
“Yes,” Lily said breathlessly. “It was an area in Paris in the middle ages. But it’s code. It’s not real y a field. It’s real y referring to a church, to a portion of land that they leased out hundreds of years ago. It must be referring to the Abbey of Saint Germain Des Pres. It’s the oldest church in Paris.”
Caitlin’s mind reeled with the information. That would make perfect sense, given its location, and how old it was. The moment Lily named the church, she felt it was the right place.
“I can’t thank you enough,” Caitlin said.
“There is more,” Lily said.
Caitlin looked at her. Lily stil looked shocked, as if she’d seen a ghost.
“That code you used: The Fields of the Scholars. When I was young, I was told that one day a person would come here, asking about it.” Lily turned and looked both ways, secretively. “I was told to guard the secret. Not to let anyone know, or to show it to anyone, until someone asked specifical y about it. I was told that whoever came along and asked, would be the One. And ever since then, I’ve been appointed to guard over the artifact. The one that wil lead you exactly where you want.”
Caitlin looked back at her in shock. She knew that Lily was royalty, but she had never guessed that she was guarding a precious artifact. Or that any human would be important enough to be entrusted with guarding a cherished vampire secret. She realized again what a special person Lily must be.
Caitlin was so curious as to what it was.
“What is it?” Caitlin asked breathlessly, her heart pounding.
Lily again looked in both directions, saw that no one was watching, and quickly took Caitlin’s arm and led her away.
“Fol ow me,” she said.
*
Caitlin walked beside Lily, down the endless marble hal ways, passing servant after servant, al standing at attention along the sides of the wal s. They approached another huge set of double doors, and several servants rushed to open them, bowing especial y low in the presence of Lily.
Caitlin looked at her again, and marveled at how royal y she was treated in this palace.
They descended a set of marble steps, turned down another hal way, then descended yet another flight of steps.
Final y, Lily stopped, and looked over her shoulder.
There was no one in sight.
She removed a smal key from inside her dress, inserted it into the door, and unlocked it.
They walked down another long marble hal way, and Caitlin was confused as it seemed to end in a marble wal . It looked like a dead-end.
Lily reached up and ran her hand along the wal , as if searching for something.
Final y, she found a hidden latch. She pressed, and as she did, the wal suddenly opened up, spinning open, and revealing a secret passageway.
Caitlin watched in surprise.
“I haven’t opened this wal since I was a child,” Lily said. “No one knows about it in the palace but me.”
The two of them entered the dark staircase, Lily grabbing a torch off the wal before they did, and headed down into the darkness.
It was dark and damp down here, lit only by the torch that Lily held before them. They turned down twisting and turning passageways, and entered a subterranean level covered in stone.
“At one time, this was the wine cel ar,” Lily said. “It hasn’t been used for centuries, though.”
They turned down yet another corridor, and again, it seemed to end in nothing but solid stone.
Lily reached up, combing the wal s, as Caitlin held the torch for her. Final y, she found a patch of mildew, scraped away at it, and pul ed at a smal knob.
Out of the wal , their opened a smal drawer.
Lily opened it, and began to extract something.
Caitlin held up the torch, and was shocked at what she saw.
It was a large, silver cross, bigger than the size of Caitlin’s hand, and as Lily held it up and put it into Caitlin’s palm, Caitlin could feel how heavy it was.
“It’s the cross of the Alutic,” Lily said. “It’s been in the royal family for centuries. It’s meant for you.”
Caitlin marveled at its weight.
“How do you know?” Caitlin asked.
“You asked about the Fields of the Scholars. It could only be meant for you. I don’t know how this wil help you in your search, but I know that somehow it wil .”
As she spoke to, Caitlin felt it to be true.
“But there’s one thing I don’t understand,” Caitlin said. “My brother, Sam, he dreamt of the Notre Dame. I was thinking that was my next stop. But after reading the letter, and seeing this cross…it al seems to be pointing me to the Church of Saint Germain Des Pres. So how is that connected to the Notre Dame?”
“Maybe you are meant to go here first. And whatever you find there wil lead you to the Notre Dame. I don’t know. But I do know that this church is your next stop.”
That felt right to Caitlin, too. She turned and looked at Lily, and her eyes fil ed with gratitude.
“I don’t know how to thank you.”
Caitlin reached out, and the two embraced, like long-lost sisters.
“Whatever I find may just lead me back in time,” Caitlin added, with worry. “If it does, I won’t see you again.”
Lily smiled back. “You’l see me. Humans have many lifetimes, too. And I’l tel you a secret: some of us know how to time travel, too.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY
Pol y stormed back into the room, pushing her way through the crowd, eager to be by Sergei’s side. She could not believe how rude and jealous Caitlin had been. She had thought she was a close friend. Now she saw that Caitlin, like everybody else, was just jealous. She had probably taken a liking to Sergei, too, and probably just wanted to steal him away.
Either that, or Caitlin just couldn’t stand the fact that Pol y had such a great man in her life.
Whatever her reasons, Pol y certainly didn’t need any advice from her. She knew, deep down, that Sergei was the one for her.
Pol y pushed her way through, and got close to Sergei. He was surrounded by a dozen admiring girls, and Pol y felt her jealousy rise. She shoved her way in, right in front of his face, forcing him to look at her.
Final y, he did. He looked somewhat resentful, though, as if she were interrupting him.
But Pol y felt that she knew the real Sergei, deep down, and that he was just putting on a show, for other people, that he was afraid to publicly show his true feelings for her.
“I loved your concert,” she gushed.
He merely raised an eyebrow and looked away, and began talking to someone else.
Pol y knew that, too, was just part of his act. She knew he was hopelessly in love with her, and that he was just trying his best not to show it.
It was okay. Pol y had staying power. She would wait until al these hangers-on disappeared, and then she would talk to him, one-on-one, and know how he truly felt.
*
Sergei final y left his backstage area, and Pol y positioned herself in the hal way so that when he walked out, he had to see her. He stopped, surprised.
“Have you been waiting for me al this time?” he asked.
Pol y nodded. “These are for you.”
She reached out and handed him a bunch of flowers.
He took them without a word, and began walking quickly away.
Pol y joined him, walking alongside him.
Final y, he broke the silence. “You can tel me again about my voice,” he said, as they walked.
Pol y was thril ed that he wanted her opinion.
“It was amazing.”
“Is that al you have to say about it? Just amazing? Wasn’t it greater than that?”
Pol y raced to think of better adjectives.
“It was magnificent. The best I’ve ever heard.”
Sergei nodded his head with something like approval.
“I know,” he final y sa
id. “It was one of my better performances.”
Pol y raced to think of something else to say to him, some excuse for them to spend time together. She walked quickly, trying to catch up.
“I was hoping…” she began, “I was hoping that we could celebrate your performance.”
Sergei suddenly stopped, turned and faced her. His blazing eyes seemed to stare right into her.
There was a long silence.
“What did you have in mind?” he asked.
Pol y thought. She real y hadn’t had anything planned. She had just been desperately looking for an excuse to spend more time with him.
She shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said hesitantly.
He stared at her for what felt like forever, and final y, he sighed, as if resolved.
“Very wel then,” he said. “You can fol ow me to my room, if you wish.”
Pol y stood there, her heart pounding, overwhelmed with excitement. Had she heard correctly?
Sergei turned and walked away, and she hurried to catch up.
“I’d like that,” she said, as she walked. “Very much.”
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
Sam couldn’t get over the concert. He had never heard classical music before, and he couldn’t get over that guy’s voice. The guy seemed like kind of a jerk, but he had to hand it to him: he real y could sing.
More importantly, his night with Kendra had been amazing.
She hadn’t stopped cuddling up to him the whole night. He never knew what to expect with her: she was hot and cold. It seemed that once she’d gotten sight of Caitlin, she’d become super territorial and possessive. She barely left his side since.
He didn’t mind. He felt like she was total y into him, and nothing made him happier. He felt completely glued to her side.
As soon as the concert ended, she’d taken his hand and led him out the room, away from al the people—and he hadn’t resisted. She didn’t want to stick around and talk to the singer. She wanted him to herself. And she clearly had plans for them for the night. With a mischievous smile, she led him away, and he had been thril ed.
She led him down a back hal way, through a huge chamber, and up a flight of steps.
“You haven’t seen my room yet,” Kendra said with a smile.
“It’s the grandest in the palace, except maybe for Marie’s.
Of course, it should be.”
Sam couldn’t wait. He thought back to his time with her, after horseback riding, and how amazing it had been.
They ascended another flight of marble steps, and a servant opened a set of double doors for them, and then, as they entered, closed it behind them.
They barely got a few feet, when she turned and began tearing off his clothes.
She covered his face and neck in kisses, and he reciprocated, caught up in her whirlwind of passion.
“Sam,” she whispered in his ear, as she pul ed off his shirt.
“Wil you do something for me?”
Sam could hardly think straight.
“Yes,” he said, kissing her neck.
“Anything?” she asked.
He nodded, as he kissed her.
“I want to be with you forever,” she said, kissing his neck.
“So do I,” Sam said, and he meant it. He’d never been so obsessed with a girl. He couldn’t help thinking back to his time with Samantha. That had been intense, too. But nothing like this. She was the whole package for him. In fact, if he were given the choice to marry her on the spot, to spend his whole life with her, he would do it.
“I know how we can spend forever together,” she said.
“How?” he asked her, between kisses.
She pul ed her head back, took his face in her hands, and stared at him. Her aqua eyes transfixed his.
“You can turn me,” she said.
Sam was shocked at her request. Immediately, he sensed that would be forbidden. That if he did it, he would be an outcast. That they would both be on their own. He remembered the one rule he had been given when first introduced to this place—and he certainly didn’t want to break it.
On the other hand, it seemed so natural, like the perfect way for them to be together, forever.
And it was what she wanted—and she was the one asking for it.
“I…” Sam began, not knowing what to say. “I’m not sure if it’s…al owed.”
Kendra suddenly pul ed back and frowned, a storm of emotion crossing her face.
“Of course it’s al owed!” she snapped. “The only people who say it’s not are just jealous—
jealous they don’t have a human they love that they can turn.”
Sam had never thought of it that way. Maybe she was right.
Maybe he had just been misled.
“I…” he began, then stopped, stil not knowing what to say.
She suddenly looked down, and her eyes wel ed with tears.
She looked so sad, Sam could hardly stand it.
She slowly nodded.
“Now I see,” she said. “You don’t real y love me, as I love you.”
Sam felt his heart breaking. He never wanted to hurt her.
He took her by the shoulders, and pul ed up her close and looked into her eyes.
“Kendra, don’t say that,” he said. “I do love you. I real y do.”
Even as he said it, he knew the words to be true. It felt surreal to him, that he would feel that strongly about her so quickly, but he did.
Her eyes suddenly fil ed with hope again.
“But you don’t want to be with me forever?” she asked.
“I do,” Sam said. And as he said it, he realized it was true.
“So what’s wrong then?” she asked. “Is it that you are afraid? Afraid of what others wil say?
Afraid that they wil punish you?”
Sam scowled. “I’m not afraid of anyone. And I don’t have to answer to anyone.”
She smiled back, looking victorious.
“That’s what I thought about you. That’s the man that I thought you were.”
The more she spoke, the more Sam felt that she was right.
After al , why should he have to answer to anyone?
“Then show them,” she said. “Prove it. Prove it to me. Turn me. Make me yours forever.”
She came in and kissed him hard on his mouth, and as she did, he could no longer resist the primal instinct overwhelming him.
He suddenly leaned back, and with a primal snarl, his front teeth extended, longer than he ever imagined they could.
And he plunged forward and sunk his teeth deep into her neck.
She cried out with a gasp of pain—but it was too late now.
His teeth were deep in her neck, and as she leaned back, he held her head with one hand, and with the other plunged deeper, unable to stop himself, as he felt her life force fil his veins.
He drank and drank and drank, as if there were no tomorrow.
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
Pol y lay in bed, besides Sergei, both of them naked, beneath the sheets. She rested her cheek on his shoulder, and looked up at him, studying his face. He lay there, eyes open, staring at the ceiling, expressionless.
His features were so perfect, so chiseled. She wondered how she had gotten so lucky.
She thought back to what a wonderful experience it had been, sleeping with him. Now, more than ever, she knew that they were meant to be together forever. She would do anything for him at this moment.
She reached up, and ran her hand along his chest. Final y, he turned to her.
“Tel me about your friend,” he final y said.
Pol y was confused.
“The one that stormed out after my concert.”
Caitlin. Pol y was annoyed. Why did he have to bring her up now? Why did she have to ruin a moment like this?
“That was nobody,” Pol y said. “I’m sorry she ran out.”
“What’s her name?”
he pressed.
“What’s her name?” he pressed.
“Caitlin,” Pol y said.
Pol y saw what looked like recognition in Sergei’s eyes. It made her think, made her wonder about everything Caitlin had said. About how she had known Sergei before. Had any of it been true?
No, of course, that was ridiculous. But why was he asking about her now?
“And where was she going, in such a rush?” he asked.
Pol y shrugged. “I don’t know. Who cares about her?”
Sergei suddenly turned to her, with complete intensity.
“I do,” he said harshly, “or else I wouldn’t be asking.”
Pol y was taken aback. She didn’t know what she had done to offend him. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“Then answer my questions,” he pressed.
“What do you want to know?” Pol y asked.
“Where exactly was your friend going?”
Pol y shrugged again, thinking.
“I have no idea. She probably went looking for her father, I guess. She always is.”
“Did she mention any place specific?”
Pol y racked her brain. She suddenly remembered something.
“Wel , she did mention something about a dream. About her brother. About some kind of key in a church.”
Sergei’s eyes opened wide. Pol y was surprised at how interested he was. He suddenly sat up, and grabbed her shoulders fiercely.
“What church?”
Pol y was scared by his intensity. She didn’t understand what was going on.
“I don’t understand. Why does it matter? Why’s it so important?”
He shook her, roughly. “Tel me!”
“It was the Notre Dame,” Pol y said, suddenly scared. “She said something about the Notre Dame.”
Sergei suddenly threw her across the bed, and she landed hard on the floor.
He then threw off the covers, dressed, and hurried across the room.
Pol y burst into tears.
“What’s wrong with you?” she cried. “Why are you being so mean? Where are you going?”
Pol y couldn’t understand what was happening. Just a minute ago, her world had been perfect.