“Are you happy to be back here?” she asked, gently prying.
“Yes, very much,” he answered.
She wanted to say: Then why do I see sadness behind your eyes? Is it me? Do you not love me as much as you thought?
But she was too scared to say it. And she didn’t want to push him away.
So instead, Caitlin fell silent. But she felt her heart slowly beginning to break.
She thought back on their relationship, of all the places they’d been. New York City. Boston. Edgartown. Venice. Rome. They had always been on the run; there had never been time for them just to be quiet, to be together. To enjoy themselves as a couple.
Now, that time had come. Maybe now that there were no more obstacles, that there was nothing between them, it was not as exciting for him. Maybe he was scared by being so close. Maybe the only thing that had made him love her, she worried, had been the circumstances, the fact that they could not be together.
Maybe now that they were together, he didn’t know what to do.
And was Caleb really the type of man that could live a domestic life, not on the run, not heading into battle? Content to just sit there and make a home and live in it?
She started to worry. Maybe he wasn’t. After all, look at how he had lived his life for the last thousand years. How could he possibly change all that now? Just for her?
Or, Caitlin wondered, was her mind just playing tricks on her? Was she just imagining the whole thing? Was she blowing it all out of proportion? Was she just being too sensitive, looking into things that weren’t there? After all, he did say it would be great. Had he really meant it?
Caitlin knew she had to get the bottom of this. She couldn’t live a lie. If for some reason he wasn’t interested in her, she had to know. She had to.
She felt herself slowly shaking, as she geared up to ask.
“Caleb,” she began softly, her throat going dry, her voice trembling, “Is everything okay?”
He looked at her, as if puzzled.
“You seem… sad,” she said. “Like you’re not entirely happy.”
“I…” he began, then trailed off. He stopped himself, and sighed deeply. “I am very happy to be with you.”
That was all he could say. And it sounded forced to her.
“Would you excuse me for just one moment?” he asked politely.
Caitlin nodded back, too upset to speak.
And with those few words, he turned and walked off the patio, and was soon out of sight.
Where had he gone? Why had he suddenly left?
Caitlin had no idea, but it confirmed her suspicions. He couldn’t just stand there, with her, and enjoy the view. Something was going on inside him. Something strong enough to make him want to walk away.
Caitlin slowly felt her world shattering.
What could it possibly be?
Then it dawned on her. Sera. The last time Caitlin had seen him, he’d been married to her. Maybe it was still fresh in his mind. Did he still have feelings for her? Was he thinking of her right now? Did their sleeping together last night bring back his feelings for her?
That must be it, Caitlin realized. She couldn’t imagine any other explanation. Caleb must miss her. She was on his mind. Maybe he was gearing up to tell her that he had to leave, to go find Sera.
Caitlin couldn’t read his mind, but she was a woman after all. And like any other woman, she felt her heart beginning to break into a million little pieces.
Caleb hurried off the balcony and through the rooms of his castle, overcome by emotion. Despite himself, he couldn’t stop thinking about his son, Jade. He couldn’t stop flashing back to the image of holding his dead body in his arms.
As he walked quickly into the other room, he burst into tears. He couldn’t let Caitlin see him like this. He’d had to get away from her quickly.
He had loved Jade so much. The boy was just like him in so many ways, and had been growing not only into a fine warrior, but into a fine young man. Caleb had never imagined not spending a life without him in it.
Now, he felt the grief of it suddenly weighing on him heavily. Once Jade had passed, Caleb had no regrets about coming back in time. On the contrary, he was thrilled to be away from Sera, whom he was never really close with, and thrilled to be back with Caitlin. He was thrilled to have had a chance to save her in the Colosseum, and thrilled to be at her side now. In fact, it was the only thing that was keeping him going.
He been so caught up in the whirlwind of events, in finding her and bringing her to this place, that he’d not had a moment until now to really feel the impact of Jade’s loss. But now it came out of nowhere, when he least expected it, and it overwhelmed him. Which was why he’d left Caitlin’s side so quickly. It was her first day here, they had just had an amazing night together, and he wanted her to be happy. He didn’t want to drag her down into his sadness.
Caleb walked from one room to the next, then went through a hidden door, leading to a narrow twisting staircase. He took it up, turning and twisting, heading up a small circular turret to the third and highest floor of the castle. Here, at the top, was a small sitting room, an open-air, stone gazebo, which he used to retreat to in times of worry. He sat on the ledge of the stone, in a well-worn groove, and looked out at the ocean.
He reflected on his life. He was happy to be here, in this time and place. He was happy beyond belief to be with Caitlin again. He was racked by grief over Jade, but the more he sat, calmly listening, the more he felt that Jade was still with him, even now. He knew that he could not travel forward in time, and he knew he could not see him again. He realized, with resolve, that he just had to accept how things were now, and let him go. He breathed deeply, slowly starting to feel better.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he wanted to have another child. This time, with Caitlin. The child that they never had. He knew that it was impossible for two vampires to have a child. But maybe, just maybe, there was some way.
Ever since he’d seen her again, he’d been trying to find a moment to tell her how much he cared for her. And to tell her that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
He was about to raise the topic, in Paris, by the river, but he’d gotten nervous at the last second, and hadn’t been able to summon the courage to tell her.
But now that he was here, in this place, the timing felt right to him.
He searched the walls of the stone gazebo, looking for the secret compartment that he remembered.
He ran his fingers along the stone, and eventually he found it. He pushed the lever, and a small crack opened in the stone. He pulled it with his fingertips, and a stone loosened.
Caleb reached in, and found what he was looking for. He had placed it here, hundreds of years ago. It was a small, silver box, encrusted with jewels.
Inside it, was his mother’s wedding ring.
She had given it to him once, and had told him to only give it to the one he truly loved, the one that he was sure he would be with forever. Being of his race, “forever” took on a whole new meaning.
Caleb had never given it to Sera, despite their marriage. Somehow, something inside him had prevented him from doing so. Somehow, even then, he knew it was not a relationship that was meant to last.
But with Caitlin, things were different. He wanted her to have this ring. He was certain that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. And now, he felt ready.
It was time for him to propose.
Caleb slowly opened the box, hoping the ring was still there.
It was. It was as magnificent as he remembered: a huge, six carat sapphire, perfectly cut, mounted on a band of sparkling rubies and diamonds.
He felt overwhelmed with emotion, as he thought of his mother, of Jade, and now, of Caitlin.
Of the family they might one day, some way, have together.
Now, he only hoped that she would say Yes.