Free Desired by Morgan Rice Page B

looking everywhere for Caleb. She was baffled as to where he might have gone.
    Just then, she heard a creaking door, and saw him coming down from a spiral staircase. She hadn’t even known that staircase existed. She realized he had been coming from the roof, and wondered why he would go up there.
    And then she realized. There was no reason why he would, unless he wanted to get as far away from her as he could.
    To be alone. Her presence was bothering him, she realized. He wanted to distance himself from her, perhaps even prepare himself to tel her something she did not want to here. That he had changed his mind about their living together. Like asking her to leave.
    Caitlin felt her heart sink, as Caleb approached and as she caught a glimpse of his troubled face.
    She felt that he was getting ready to break up with her. He was going to tel her that he had invited her here too quickly, that he hadn’t real y thought it through. That it had al happened too fast. That he wasn’t cut out for domestic life.
    That he wanted her to leave.

    As he walked closer, she could see the redness in his eyes, and her heart pounded. Had he been crying? Then there was no doubt about it. He was bracing himself to tel her something that she did not want to hear.
    Caitlin felt herself trembling with upset.
    “Caitlin,” he said softly, looking down at the floor.
    He could not even look her in the eye. That could only mean one thing.
    Caitlin had never felt more upset. Where would she go now?
    “Caitlin—” he began again.
    But she held out a hand, and stopped him. Whatever words he was about to speak, she didn’t want to hear them. She didn’t want to have his words of rejection echoing in her mind forever.
    “I know what you’re going to say,” she said, her voice shaking.
    His eyes opened wide in surprise. “You do?” he asked.
    Caitlin nodded. “And I don’t want to hear it.”
    Caleb looked disappointed. She couldn’t understand why.

    She was saving him the trouble of having to break up with her.
    “I’m sorry this al happened so fast,” Caitlin said. “Maybe if it happened slower, things would’ve worked out better.”
    Caleb looked puzzled.
    “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m leaving now.”
    And with those words, she turned and marched out on him.
    “Caitlin!” he cal ed out behind her.
    But she didn’t want to hear it. She didn’t want to hear him tel her that he loved her, but that he loved Sera more. She couldn’t bear to hear those words.
    Caitlin found herself crying as she hurried through the main hal and then out the door of his house that she had grown to love so quickly.
    She looked down and saw Ruth at her feet, whining, and she picked her up, and held her tight, kissing her, as tears ran down her cheeks.
    Caleb fol owed her out the front door.
    “Caitlin, wait, please!”

    But she couldn’t. She took a few running steps and leapt into the air, Ruth in her arms, and within moments, she was flying, flying, far away from this place.

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER TEN
    Kyle strutted right down the middle of a wide, cobblestone boulevard, late at night, cutting through the center of Paris.
    He felt relatively satisfied, having just come from the red light district, and having fed on several more prostitutes. He could stil feel their blood swirling through his veins, and slowly, he was beginning to feel himself again.
    He hated time travel. Hated it. And he hated Caitlin for making him do this. He thought of al the fun he was missing back in New York, of the raging war— his war—and fumed at her. He fantasized of al the ways he would exact revenge upon her. Gradual y, his spirits began to lift.
    Kyle turned down al eyway after al eyway, keeping an eye open for any more victims, but finding the streets empty. It was nearly daybreak, and it seemed most people had gone to sleep. He had already drank his fil . If he kil ed any more victims at this point, it would just be for pure recreation.
    Kyle thought