Betrayed. Morgan Rice

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      “Threescore and ten I can remember well,

      Within the volume of which time I have seen

      Hours dreadful and things strange; but this sore night

      Hath trifled former knowings.”

– William Shakespeare, Macbeth

      Copyright © 2012 by Morgan Rice

      All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author.

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

      Jacket art ©iStock.com /© Jen Grantham

Acclaim for the Vampire Journals

      “BETRAYED is a great installment for this series. Morgan Rice has really come up with a winner in this series. It is fast paced, filled with action, love, suspense, and intrigue. If you haven't read her first two novels, read them and then get your hands on BETRAYED. I read these books in order, but each of these books are also designed to read individually, so even if you haven't read the first two, pick up BETRAYED. I'm sure you will end up getting the first two – they are all definitely worth a read… or two!”

– VampireBookSite

      "TURNED is a book to rival TWILIGHT and VAMPIRE DIARIES, and one that will have you wanting to keep reading until the very last page! If you are into adventure, love and vampires this book is the one for you!"

– Vampirebooksite.com

      “Rice does a great job of pulling you into the story from the beginning, utilizing a great descriptive quality that transcends the mere painting of the setting….Nicely written and an extremely fast read, TURNED is a good start to a new vampire series sure to be a hit with readers who are looking for a light, yet entertaining story.”

– Black Lagoon ReviewsAbout Morgan Rice

      Morgan Rice is the #1 bestselling author of THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, a young adult series comprising eleven books (and counting); the #1 bestselling series THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY, a post-apocalyptic thriller comprising two books (and counting); and the #1 bestselling epic fantasy series THE SORCERER’S RING, comprising thirteen books (and counting).

      Morgan’s books are available in audio and print editions, and translations of the books are available in German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portugese, Japanese, Chinese, Swedish, Dutch, Turkish, Hungarian, Czech and Slovak (with more languages forthcoming).

      Morgan loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.morganricebooks.com to join the email list, receive a free book, receive free giveaways, download the free app, get the latest exclusive news, connect on Facebook and Twitter, and stay in touch!

Books by Morgan Rice

      THE SORCERER’S RING

      A QUEST OF HEROES (Book #1)

      A MARCH OF KINGS (Book #2)

      A FATE OF DRAGONS (Book #3)

      A CRY OF HONOR (Book #4)

      A VOW OF GLORY (Book #5)

      A CHARGE OF VALOR (Book #6)

      A RITE OF SWORDS (Book #7)

      A GRANT OF ARMS (Book #8)

      A SKY OF SPELLS (Book #9)

      A SEA OF SHIELDS (Book #10)

      A REIGN OF STEEL (Book #11)

      A LAND OF FIRE (Book #12)

      A RULE OF QUEENS (Book #13)

      THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY

      ARENA ONE: SLAVERSUNNERS (Book #1)

      ARENA TWO (Book #2)

      THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS

      TURNED (Book #1)

      LOVED (Book #2)

      BETRAYED (Book #3)

      DESTINED (Book #4)

      DESIRED (Book #5)

      BETROTHED (Book #6)

      VOWED (Book #7)

      FOUND (Book #8)

      RESURRECTED (Book #9)

      CRAVED (Book #10)

      FATED (Book #11)

      Listen to THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS series in audio book format!

      Now available on:

      Amazon

      Audible

      iTunes

FACT:

      60 miles north of Manhattan, there exists a small, obscure island in the Hudson River on which sits a crumbling Scottish castle. This island is known as Pollepel, and was named after a young girl, Polly, who hundreds of years ago, was stranded on the ice of the Hudson and ended up on its shores. Legend has it she was romantically rescued by her sweetheart, who married her on the island.

      One

      Pollepel Island, Hudson River, New York

      (Present Day)

      “Caitlin?” came the soft voice. “Caitlin?”

      Caitlin Paine heard the voice, and struggled to open her eyes. They were so heavy, though; no matter how much she tried, she could barely lift them. Finally, she managed to pry them open, just for a brief second, to see where the voice was coming from.

      Caleb.

      He was kneeling by her side, holding her hand in both of his, concern etched across his face.

      “Caitlin?” he asked again.

      She tried to get her bearings, to lift the immense cobwebs from her head. Where was she? She could see enough to see that this room was bare, made of stone. It was nighttime, and a large window let in the light of a full moon. Stone floors, stone walls, an arched, stone ceiling. The stone looked smooth and ancient. Was she in a medieval cloister?

      Aside from the moonlight, the room was lit only by a small torch, fixed to the far wall, and not giving off much light. It was too dark to see more.

      She tried to focus on Caleb’s face, so close, only a foot away, staring at her hopefully. His eyes seemed to light up, as he squeezed her hand tighter. His hands felt warm. Hers were so cold. She couldn’t feel the life in them.

      Despite her efforts, Caitlin couldn’t hold her eyes open a second longer. They were just too heavy. She felt… sick was not the word. She felt… heavy. She felt free-floating, as if she were in limbo, stuck between two worlds. She didn’t feel connected to her body, didn’t feel like a part of the earth anymore. But she didn’t feel dead, either. She felt as if she were trying to awaken from a very, very deep sleep.

      She struggled to remember. Boston… the King’s Chapel… the sword. And then… getting stabbed. Lying there, dying. And Caleb at her side. And then… his fangs. Approaching her.

      Caitlin felt a dull, throbbing pain on the side of her throat. It must have been from where she’d been bit. She had asked for it – had pleaded for it.

      But