by G. K. DeRosa
“Sorry about that. I’ve been wanting to talk to you all night, but I didn’t want to get beaten up by your boyfriend.” The bright smile from the other night was gone, replaced instead by dark circles under his bloodshot eyes that stood out in contrast to his pale ivory skin. Patrick lurking in the shadows waiting for her to come out of the bathroom just didn’t seem right to her. She tried to remain calm, and keep the conversation casual hoping that she could make her way back to a more public area.
“So what did you want to talk to me about?” asked Celeste.
“It was actually something I wanted to show you. It’s in my car – let’s go.” He reached for her arm.
“No, I don’t think so.” Celeste wriggled away from his grasp. “I have to get back to Nico. He must be wondering where I went.”
“It’s about your father’s death, Celeste. You may want to reconsider.”
Celeste’s heart froze at the mention of her father. “How do you know my dad?” The calmness in her voice had disappeared.
“I guess you’ll never know unless you come with me.”
Visions of Roman warning her about Patrick danced through her head, but if he knew something about her father, she had to find out what it was. Against her better judgment, she followed Patrick out to his car. She kept hoping to pass someone on the way, but the parking lot was deserted. Roman’s desperate voice echoed in her mind, warning her to go back, but she trudged on determinedly.
“I guess meeting you at Ralph’s the other night wasn’t a coincidence?”
“Not exactly,” Patrick confirmed.
“You came looking for me?” Celeste desperately tried to put the pieces together.
“You could say that.”
Celeste looked around, her heart rate skyrocketing, but there was no one in sight. “Do you know Roman and Nico? Is that why you were all acting so weird?”
“Not personally, but I know of them.”
“What does that mean?” she asked, walking more slowly and trying to stall.
“There are things you don’t know about them. But more importantly there are things about your father that you need to know, Celeste.” He walked up to the trunk of his car and opened it.
Faster than she thought humanly possible, he picked her up and forced her into the trunk. Celeste screamed and kicked frantically when she realized what was happening. Suddenly, everything began to move very slowly. She stretched out her arms, pushing against the trunk door as hard as she could. She struggled to get her legs under her as Patrick reached up to close the lid down on her. Before it slammed down, Roman appeared.
“Roman!” she screamed.
Patrick spun around and met with Roman’s stone cold fist then crumpled to the ground. Celeste was petrified with fear, completely numb. She stared in shock at Patrick’s limp body stretched out on the black top. Her heart rammed against her ribs. Roman reached in and scooped her out of the trunk, cradling her tenderly.
“You’re all right. Everything is going to be fine,” he whispered.
The edges of her vision blurred as she clung onto Roman, struggling not to faint. Suddenly, Nico appeared running from the direction of the gym. “Is she okay?” he asked, eyes wide with panic.
“Why weren’t you watching her?” Roman growled. “If I hadn’t been here…” He broke off as if remembering Celeste’s presence.
“Take her back into the gym, little brother. I’ll take care of Patrick.” Roman carefully lowered Celeste into Nico’s arms.
Celeste was still in shock and hadn’t been able to bring herself to speak yet, but as she looked up at Nico’s worried face, she finally blurted, “What just happened? We need to call the police! That guy just threw me in the trunk of his car!” Her voice was shaking and she noticed she was trembling.
“Don’t worry, Celeste, Roman will take care of it,” he assured her.
After a few steps, Celeste convinced Nico that she was capable of walking. She felt better as soon as she was on solid ground. She began peppering him with questions. “Can you please tell me why in the world Patrick just tried to abduct me? And I don’t want to hear some lame excuse like the one you gave me the other day. And how does he know my father? And how does he know you two? And why was Roman here anyway?”
“Celeste, slow down. Can we go back into the gym please? It may not be safe out here, and I’d feel much better if we were inside.” He surveyed the parking lot nervously. “And perhaps we shouldn’t tell anyone about what happened just yet, we don’t want to cause a panic.”
“Fine, but then you are answering all of my questions, Nico.”
As Celeste and Nico walked back into the dance, Natalie came running toward them. “Where have you two been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you! They’re about to announce the Senior Prom King and Queen.” It was a good thing Natalie was so consumed with the news of the announcement that she didn’t even seem to notice Celeste’s disheveled appearance.
Nico gave Celeste an apologetic look and followed Natalie up to the front of the dance floor where Brian was waiting with the gathering students. As they weaved through the crowd, Celeste whispered to Nico, “You are not getting away with this. As soon as they announce the winner, we are going to talk about what just happened.”
He nodded, pressing his lips together.
A drum roll rumbled across the room. “And this year’s St. Alice’s Senior Prom King and Queen are… Natalie Meadows and Brian Kennedy!” exclaimed the announcer. Natalie’s face lit up, and she took Brian’s hand as they made their way to the stage.
“Nico, you get over here and talk to me right now,” Celeste said during the crowning ceremony.
“Celeste, you don’t want to miss out on this very special moment for your friends. Come on, get your camera out. Natalie is going to kill you if you don’t take some good pictures.” He was purposely avoiding her.
“You are exasperating!” Celeste shook her head and took her iPhone out so that she could capture the momentous occasion. Never mind the fact that I almost got abducted by a stranger in the parking lot of my senior prom.
As Celeste contemplated all the ways she was going to torture Nico into explaining himself, Roman marched into the room. His usual cool demeanor was gone. He looked like he had been in a fight - his shirt was crumpled and his messy hair hung carelessly over his eyes. He hissed into Nico’s ear, but it was loud enough that she could hear. “It’s taken care of. Do you think you can handle getting her home safely, little brother?”
Celeste whirled on him, desperate to get answers. “Roman, you owe me an explanation.” She poked a finger into his firm chest.
“A simple thank you for saving your life would have sufficed,” said Roman, batting away her finger.
“And now it’s time for the last dance,” came the announcement from the DJ booth, momentarily interrupting the tension-filled moment.
Nico looked at Roman and then at Celeste, both were fuming. “I know what will make everyone feel better, a nice calming slow dance.” He pushed the two of them together and disappeared into the crowd.
Celeste glared at Roman, reluctant to give in so easily, but what with being only inches away from him she was quickly losing her resolve. Roman let out a frustrated breath and closed the distance between them. When he put his hands on her hips, the familiar sensation of electricity sparked everywhere he touched her. Their eyes met as she rested her arms loosely around his neck, and as she gazed into them, the fear and anger began to drift away.
“Thanks for saving my life tonight, Roman,” she said breathlessly.
“It was my honor and my duty.” He lowered his gaze. “And I apologize for not being honest with you about Patrick from the beginning. I know that I owe you an explanation, and I wasn’t lying when I said I would give you one. I was just hoping that all of this wouldn’t have started so soon.”
“All of what?” she asked.
“We have a lot to talk about Celeste, but this is neither the time nor the place.
” And with one quick move, he skillfully dipped her in time with the music leaving Celeste entranced by his deep blue eyes and breathless once more.
Chapter 9
“Are you sure you don’t want to ride back with us in the limo?” asked Natalie, poking her head out of the sunroof. “We are going to grab a snack at Ralph’s on the way.”
Before Celeste could respond, Roman interjected. “Don’t worry about her Natalie, I have my car so we can drop her off on the way home.”
“How are the three of you going to fit in his Porsche?” she asked Celeste. “Oh I get it… You’ll have to sit on Nico’s lap – how cozy!”
Roman looked nauseated and Celeste just shook her head with a weary smile. She waved goodnight to a despondent Brian as they pulled away in the limo.
As soon as they had situated themselves in the Porsche, (and yes, Celeste indeed had to sit on Nico’s lap, to her chagrin), she asked, “So did the police come and arrest that creep Patrick?”
Nico looked to Roman for insight.
He shook his head. “Well, no, not exactly.”
“Roman, stop the car! I am not going anywhere with the two of you if you don’t start explaining yourselves immediately.” She wiggled, trying to break free of Nico’s grasp. “Maybe it’s completely normal to get thrown into the trunk of a car by a complete stranger from wherever you came from, but this doesn’t happen in Oak Bluffs, and it definitely doesn’t happen to me.”
Roman pulled over to the side of the road, and Celeste jumped out of the car. Nico hurried behind her. “Celeste, please get back in the car. It’s the middle of the night and you can’t be walking in the road.”
At that, Celeste spun around and slipped on the uneven pavement. Still wearing her fancy high heels, she was unable to regain her balance. She began to fall. In a flash both Nico and Roman were at her side, but they weren’t fast enough to catch her. Her head hit the pavement with a thunk, and she passed out from the impact.
“Quick, do something Roman!” Nico said in a panic. “What if she has a concussion or something?”
Roman picked up her head and a splatter of blood marred the concrete. He had to look away, as he felt his canines extending at the sight of the fresh blood. He took a moment to steady himself, and with a quick bite to his own wrist, he positioned it delicately on Celeste’s mouth and forced her to drink his blood.
“Come on, let’s take her home. We can watch over her there until she wakes up.” Roman picked up her limp body and gently placed her on Nico’s lap in the car.
At the apartment, Nico carried a still-unconscious Celeste into the spare bedroom and laid her carefully on the bed. “What are we going to do?” He paced at the foot of the bed. “She’s going to be awake soon, and we can’t keep dodging her questions – unless you want to keep her knocked out for a few more days.”
“I know,” said Roman, raking a hand through his hair. “I was just hoping we could put this off until after her birthday, but I don’t think there is any way around this.”
“Can’t we compel her to forget everything that happened tonight?”
“You know that doesn’t work with other supernatural beings,” he replied, throwing his hands up.
“But she hasn’t come into her powers yet, so maybe it would work,” Nico continued.
“No, it won’t work. I tried the other night when I was outside her window to reach into her mind, and it was useless. I had no influence over her.” Roman hovered over her still body, and gently brushed a stray golden curl away from her face. He rarely used his powers and he didn’t even understand what made him break his rule with Celeste.
“So what are we going to do then?” Nico asked.
Roman sat at the edge of the bed. “I suppose we are just going to have to tell her the truth.”
“We can’t! Stellan warned us about interfering.”
“I’ll deal with Stellan. And anyway, she would have found out eventually.”
“Not if she isn’t chosen,” Nico reminded him.
“Look, you said it yourself; you feel her power already, her attraction. So do I, so did Patrick. I don’t think there is really any doubt about what she is,” He shook his head wearily.
As Celeste floated in a state of half consciousness, she had another dream. But this one, unlike all the prior terrible ones, was pleasant. Her father was alive again, and he was teaching her, no training her, how to fight and to use weapons and develop her powers. He told her that the stories of frightening monsters that he had often read to her as a child weren’t fairy tales at all, but in fact were real.
“Celeste, it’s going to be your duty, just as it was mine, to protect the world against these horrific creatures,” her dad said.
As terrifying as it sounded to Celeste, there was something inside her that seemed to understand and take it in stride. It was almost as if she had subconsciously known all along.
“I’m very proud of you, Celeste, and I know that you are going to be an incredible force of good in the world. I will always watch over you and keep you safe.” As he said goodbye to her, Celeste pulled her dad close for a hug and cried as he disappeared before her eyes
Celeste awoke with a start, tears rolling down her cheeks. As she looked around the room disconcertedly, she recognized Nico sitting at the foot of the bed, and Roman pacing nervously behind him.
“What happened? My ankle hurts…” murmured Celeste.
“You fell when you were trying to run away from us,” explained Nico. “Do you remember that?”
“I remember that I’m mad at you two.” She tried to sit up.
“Be careful, we don’t want you to pass out again,” said Roman, approaching her cautiously.
“I’m fine.” She raised her hand to her head and it came away sticky. “Was I bleeding? I don’t even have a bump.”
“Yes you were, but we cleaned it up for you,” said Nico. “Roman’s a great nurse.”
“But I don’t even feel a cut on my head –”
“Remember that talk I kept promising you?” Roman interjected. “I think it’s about time we had it.”
Chapter 10
Roman’s dark brows furrowed. Celeste noticed how uncomfortable he looked (a look she had never seen before), and almost felt sorry for him as he squirmed in the black leather armchair across from her. She waited for him to start as she situated herself in the bed under the warm comforter, while Nico remained silent at the foot of the bed.
“I suppose we should start from the beginning,” he said, fidgeting with a pen in his hands. “Our father, Luka, descended from a wealthy family out of what is now Eastern Europe. Our grandparents had a large estate, and their son was handsome, noble and well-to-do and thus could have had any woman he desired. When he met our mother, Lilliana, it was love at first sight.” A faint smile slid across his face, and then he continued. “At first she did not wish to be courted by him, which of course made him want her all the more. He knew that she felt something for him, but he simply could not understand what was holding her back. It was only with time after Lilliana could no longer fight her feelings for him that she told him the truth.”
Roman paused to take a breath. “Lilliana came from a family of great witches, and she had been destined to marry Fabian, a powerful sorcerer.”
“I’m sorry, did you just say witches and sorcerer?” Celeste interjected.
“Celeste, please let me finish. I know this sounds insane, but before you stop me, I need to tell you everything.”
She bit her tongue and nodded.
“Lilliana’s betrothal to Fabian had been arranged even before she was born. She could not go against her family’s wishes, and she dared not cross Fabian, as he was known for his immense power and cruelty. But none of that mattered to our father—he loved her and could not bear to live without her. The very night that she revealed who she was, he convinced her that in order to be free, they must escape together. They married in secret and spent the next twenty years on the run. Duri
ng that time, Nico and I were born. Any time we began to feel comfortable in one particular place, we were forced to move on, constantly worried that Fabian would one day find us. Over the years, Fabian grew in power as well as in his hatred for our father for stealing his betrothed all those years ago.”
With a reassuring glance, Nico urged him to continue.
“As Fabian’s thirst for revenge intensified, he devised a punishment worse than death for our family. He created a curse that would make us immortal, forcing us to run from him for the rest of time. It took away our mother’s power as a witch, and condemned us to an eternity as vampires. Since we were turned through a spell, and had not suffered death, we, unlike other vampires, kept our humanity. It was our mother who found the strength to fight against our most terrible predatory instincts, and she found ways for us to survive without killing humans.”
Realizing that the story had come to a close, Celeste stared at Roman, wide-eyed in disbelief. His eyes bored into hers, anxiously awaiting a response.
“So you’re telling me that you and Nico are vampires? And that your mom was a witch, and there has been an evil sorcerer chasing you around the world for years?”
“For 116 years, to be exact,” said Nico.
“Either you guys are crazy, or I really did hit my head too hard on the side of the road.” She pushed away the comforter and sat up.
“I know it’s a lot to take in, Celeste, but sadly I promise it is all true,” confirmed Nico. “And it’s not just vampires and witches, there’s a whole supernatural world out there that humans have no idea exists.”
As insane as it all sounded, she couldn’t help but remember the dream she had just had about her father.
But that was just a dream; it wasn’t real…Or was it?
“Prove it.”
“Prove what?” asked Roman.
“That the crazy story you just told me is true. How do you expect me to believe any of this?” she asked, her voice rising.