Caitlin just nodded, gritting her teeth as a yearning need to be with her daughter swelled within her.
“She’s in danger, Caleb,” Caitlin said, holding back the tears that threatened to choke her.
Caleb looked back out the windshield and set his jaw. “We’ll be with her soon. I promise you. Everything will be okay.”
Caitlin desperately wanted to believe him but a part of her was skeptical. Scarlet had flown willingly to this place, to this castle filled with vicious Immortalists. As her mother, Caitlin had felt she had no choice but to follow. As a vampire, Scarlet was certainly in more danger than your average teenager.
Another pang of longing struck Caitlin. But this time it was worse than before. It wasn’t just the pain of separation from her daughter that Caitlin was feeling, it was something even worse.
Scarlet was in mortal danger.
“Caleb,” Caitlin said hurriedly. “She’s down there and she’s in trouble. We have to land. Now.” The urgency in her voice made her words come out in a hurried whisper.
Caleb nodded and leaned his view to the side. Below them, the black waves churned.
“There’s nowhere to land,” he said. “I don’t want to attempt a water landing. It’s far too dangerous.”
Without missing a beat, Caitlin said, “Then we’ll have to eject.”
Caleb’s eyes grew wide. “Caitlin, are you mad?”
But even as he spoke she was reaching for the parachute pack and strapping it on.
“Not mad,” she said. “Just a mother whose daughter needs her.”
No sooner had the words left her lips than the aching need for her daughter flooded through her again. She could just about make out a shape in the distance and thought that perhaps it was a building.
Raindrops had begun to fall, drawing lines down the glass and reflecting the bright moonlight, and Caleb’s grip tightened on the tiller.
“You want me to ditch the plane,” he said, calmly, more as a statement than a question.
Caitlin clicked her parachute pack into place. “Yes.”
She held out another pack to Caleb. He just looked at it, the expression on his face one of incredulity.
“There’s nowhere to set the plane down,” Caitlin added firmly. “You said so yourself.”
“And if we drown?” Caleb said. “If the waves are too strong? The water too cold? How can we help Scarlet if we’re dead?”
“You need to trust me,” Caitlin said.
Caleb took a deep breath. “How sure are you that Scarlet’s near?”
Caitlin leveled her gaze with Caleb as another pang of longing rushed through her. “I’m sure.”
Caleb sucked air between his teeth then shook his head.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he said.
Then he quickly slipped off his shoulder straps and slipped the parachute pack on. Once he was ready, he looked over at Caitlin.
“This won’t be fun,” he said. “And it might not end well.”
She reached out and squeezed his hand. “I know.”
Caleb nodded but Caitlin could see the fear on his face and the worry in his eyes.
And then he slammed his palm onto the eject button.
All at once a rush of air swirled around them. Caitlin felt her hair tangle in the ice cold wind and felt herself propelled upwards at a rate so fast her stomach seemed to drop as though left behind.
And then they were falling.
CHAPTER THREE
Vivian woke with a start to find herself lying on a chaise lounge in her back yard. The sun was long gone, and moonlight glittered off the surface of the swimming pool. From the windows of her family’s mansion, a warm orange glow spilled across the perfectly manicured lawn.
___Vivian sat up and was hit by a wave of pain. It seemed to radiate from her very pores, as though every single one of her nerve endings was on fire. Her throat was dry, her head pounded, and there was a pulsing sensation like daggers behind her eyes.
Vivian gripped the sides of the chaise lounge to steady herself as nausea rippled through her.
What’s happening to me?
Memories began floating to the surface of her mind, of teeth bearing down on her, of an excruciating pain in her neck, of the sound of someone’s grotesque breathing in her ear, the smell of blood filling her nostrils.
Vivian gripped the sides even harder as horrifying memories flashed through her mind. Her heart beat hard and her stomach plummeted as she remembered all at once the moment Joe___ had turned her into a vampire. In her grasp, the chaise lounge cracked.
Vivian leapt up, alarmed by her strength. As she did, the pain she’d been feeling immediately dissipated. She felt different, almost as though she were inhabiting a new body. A power that had not existed before surged through her veins. As a cheerleader she had been strong and athletic – yet what she felt now was something more than just peak physical fitness. It was beyond strong. She felt invincible.
It wasn’t just power. There was something else building up inside of her. Anger. Rage. The desire to cause pain. The desire for revenge.
She wanted to make Joe suffer for what he had done to her. She wanted to make him hurt as much as he had hurt her.
She’d just begun walking toward the mansion, determined to pick up the pieces, to find him, when the patio doors flew open. She stopped in her tracks as her mother, dressed in her pink fluffy pom-pom slippers, silky dressing gown, and Prada sunglasses, peered out. Typical that her mother would wear sunglasses even when it was dark. Her hair was in rollers, a sign she was preparing to go out, probably to one of her stupid society functions.
At the sight of her mother, Vivian’s newfound rage began bubbling to the brim. She clenched her hands into fists.
“What are you doing out here?” her mother cried, using the high-pitched critical voice that set Vivian’s nerves on edge. “You’re meant to be getting ready for the Sandersons’ party!” She paused as Vivian took a step into the light. “Dear God, you look like death! Come inside quickly so I can sort out your hair.”
Vivian’s long, blond hair had once been her pride and joy – the source of envy amongst her school peers and a powerful magnet for hot boys – but right now, Vivian couldn’t care less about how it looked. All she could think about were the new sensations ricocheting through her body, the gnawing hunger in the pit of her stomach, and the desire to kill that pulsated through her veins.
“Come on!” her mother snapped, making the rollers on her head quiver. “What are you just standing there for?”
Vivian felt a smile tug up the corner of her mouth. She took another slow step toward her mother. When she spoke, her voice was cold and emotionless.
“I’m not going to the Sandersons’ party.”
Her mother glared back, her glance filled with hatred.
“Not coming?” she cried. “That is not an option, young lady. This is one of the most important events on the calendar this year. If you don’t come all kinds of rumors will start flying. Now hurry, we only have an hour before the car arrives. And look at your nails! You look like you’ve been crawling through dirt!”
She wore a look of incredulity, mixed with disbelief and shame.
Vivian’s anger only deepened. She thought of the way her mother had treated her her entire life, always placing her prized society functions first, only caring about Vivian inasmuch as she fit into the perfect image she wanted to project to the world. She hated this woman, more than she could say.
“I’m