Free Desired by Morgan Rice Page A

weighing on him heavily.
    Once Jade had passed, Caleb had no regrets about coming back in time. On the contrary, he was thril ed to be away from Sera, whom he was never real y close with, and thril ed to be back with Caitlin. He was thril ed to have had a chance to save her in the Colosseum, and thril ed 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 real y 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 smal circular turret to the third and highest floor of the castle. Here, at the top, was a smal 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 wel -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 stil 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 tel her how much he cared for her. And to tel 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 tel her.
    But now that he was here, in this place, the timing felt right to him.
    He searched the wal s of the stone gazebo, looking for the secret compartment that he remembered.
    He ran his fingers along the stone, and eventual y he found it. He pushed the lever, and a smal crack opened in the stone. He pul ed 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 smal , 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 stil 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.
    *
    Caitlin walked through the entire house again,