by G. K. DeRosa
A shiver went down her spine as his hands made contact with her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and began swaying to the music. As their bodies got closer, the threatening sensation swelled again. It was like every nerve in her body was on edge, telling her that something was terribly wrong. She tried to ignore it and fight against it, but it was too overwhelming. As if Roman could sense there was something wrong, he looked down at her questioningly.
“Sorry, I have to go check on something. I’ll be back soon.” She pulled away from him and disappeared into the crowd.
This can’t be happening… Why am I feeling this way around Roman?
Celeste darted back to the house as a wave of misery washed over her. If being the Guardian meant feeling this terrible repulsion toward Roman, then she didn’t want to be one. Roman was the first guy she had ever felt so strongly about, and she didn’t want to lose him. She pulled the fake fangs out of her mouth and tucked them into her purse as she impatiently waited outside of the occupied bathroom. Suddenly, an intensely ominous feeling overtook her. It was similar to the one she felt around Roman but highly magnified. She looked around, half expecting Roman or Nico to appear around the corner, but instead a tall man with a dark red mask walked toward her. As he approached, the terrifying feeling intensified, and every nerve in her body compelled her to run. So she did.
Celeste sprinted outside to the crowded pool deck and spotted Nico.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She was as pale as the sheet wrapped around his waist. “No. I don’t know. There was someone inside, and I just got a really bad feeling so I ran.”
“Where is he? What did he look like?”
“He was tall and dressed in all black. A red mask covered half his face and had jet black hair with a crazy white streak down the middle and an ugly scar above his eyebrow. I think he might have been a vampire.” She stuttered the last word out.
Roman appeared out of nowhere as if he had heard the “v word” from afar. “Celeste, go stay with Brian.” He took her arm and nudged her back out toward the party. “We’ll go check it out.”
“I want to come.”
“No, it’s not safe, Celeste. You’re not ready yet.” Roman gave her a stern look.
“What do you mean, I’m not ready yet?”
“Celeste, please, let us go and see if we can find this guy,” said Nico. “Brian’s on the dance floor looking lonely. Go keep him company. We’ll be right back.” They turned and stalked away.
As soon as they were out of sight, Celeste doubled back toward the house.
Chapter 14
“Do you sense anything?” asked Nico as they crept inside the quiet house.
“No, nothing. Which means he’s either very old and powerful enough to conceal himself, or there’s just a strange human lurking around the party.”
“I’m going to get an aerial view while you check in here.” Nico took off.
The house was practically empty; everyone was outside enjoying the DJ and music. Roman tiptoed around the kitchen, into the den, through the living room, but found no one. He focused in on his keen hearing and a muffled noise from upstairs caught his attention. He bolted up the stairs using his vamp-speed, and found himself face to face with Celeste at the top landing. The vampire had his powerful arm clenched tightly around her neck, his fangs inches from her flesh.
Roman stopped dead in his tracks and peered helplessly at her frightened face. The monster took a few steps back, dragging Celeste into an open bedroom. She was fighting to get away from him, but it was no use. He was too strong for her.
“Let her go,” roared Roman, “or you won’t leave this house alive.”
The vampire’s dark eyes regarded him through the crimson mask. “I would guess by your unnatural affection for this young lady wearing a rather naughty vampire costume that you must be Roman Constantin.”
“I am. And you are?” he asked, his voice unwavering.
“Obviously not as stealthy as I thought since you have found me. And what in God’s name are you wearing?”
Ignoring his snide question Roman continued, “I am going to ask you again, who are you and what do you want here?” He put on a false bravado. Inside he knew very well that this vampire was much older and stronger than he was, but that was not going to stop him from saving Celeste.
“I am actually here for you and your brother.”
“Fine, here I am and I assure you that my brother is not far behind. Let her go. She has nothing to do with this.” Celeste’s eyes caught Roman’s momentarily, his blue eyes blazing with intensity.
“I’m not so sure about that.” He scratched his chin. “You seem to be very attached to this pretty human. That could prove useful to me. And I simply can’t get over the irony of her choice of costume. Does she know what you are?” A flash of a smile crossed his sinister face.
“That is none of your concern.”
Celeste continued squirming, but she couldn’t break his iron grip on her neck. Behind her, Roman caught a glance at a snowy white falcon in the window. Nico. He was still in his bird form assessing the severity of the situation. Roman’s only hope was to catch this vampire by surprise; otherwise, they would be no match for him.
As if on cue, a drunken sorority girl stumbled into the room, teetering on high heels. “Nice costume man. You look really scary,” she said, waving her drink at the stranger. “Does anyone know where the bathroom is?”
The vampire whirled toward the girl, revealing Celeste’s panicked face straining against her captor.
“Hey, you’re the birthday girl, aren’t you?” She pointed at Celeste. “Are you okay?”
“No! Quick, run. Get help!” screamed Celeste.
“Get out of here!” echoed Roman.
The poor girl’s reactions were horribly slowed by the alcohol in her system. She turned to run, but was stopped dead in her tracks. The vampire had caught her in his dark gaze and was mouthing something that only she could hear. She stood frozen.
This was Celeste’s chance now that her captor was distracted. She gathered her strength and flung her head back as hard as she could. The impact of her skull against the vampire’s nose made a sickening crunch. He released his grip, dazed, and in that moment, Nico flew through the window speeding toward the vampire. The screeching falcon’s talons ripped into his face mercilessly. The distraction was just enough to give Roman a split second to yank Celeste out of his grasp.
Finding himself without a valuable hostage and at a disadvantage, the uninvited guest transformed into a bat in the blink of an eye and whizzed out the window. Nico darted after him, but it was no use. He was gone.
Celeste collapsed in Roman’s arms and was trying to pull herself together so that she could stand up unassisted. The girl, too, seemed to have passed out when she was released from the monster’s gaze and was lying on the ground unconscious.
“It’s fine. I’m okay.” Celeste rubbed the back of her head.
“Why don’t you come sit down for a minute?” Nico patted the bed back in his human form.
Reluctantly, Celeste sat down so Nico could examine her head and neck for bruises. When he was satisfied that there wasn’t any permanent damage, he looked up at Roman. He was scowling, lost in thought.
“Okay, so is anyone going to say anything?” asked Nico.
“I told you to stay outside.” Roman spun at Celeste.
She ignored him. “What did you mean when you said I wasn’t ready yet, Roman?”
“I don’t know. It just came out in the heat of the moment. It didn’t mean anything,” he said avoiding her eye contact.
“So the fact that I just head-butted that vampire seems totally normal to you?” She stood up, looking pointedly at both of them.
“Points for style,” said Nico with a smirk.
“Don’t get me started, Nico. I’ll get to you later. You and that white bird have some explaining to do.” She turned on her heel to face his brother. “Roma
n, answer me. I know that you know something you’re not telling me.”
“That I’m not telling you something? I think you’ve got it backwards.” He stormed out of the room.
“Whoa, what’s going on with the two of you?” asked Nico.
“I have to go talk to him,” she said and rushed out behind him.
Celeste ran down the stairs to try to catch up with Roman, which was hardly fair since he was using vamp-speed.
“Hey, where have you been?” Brian appeared from the bathroom underneath the stairs.
“Just taking a quick break from the dancing.” She tried to sound as normal as possible. “Have you seen Roman?”
“Yeah, I think he left. I saw him go out the front door.”
Without even responding, Celeste took off toward the entryway. As she hurdled through the front door, she practically tripped over Roman who was sitting on the steps brooding. Luckily, her newly heightened reflexes kicked in and she was able to maintain her balance, avoiding further embarrassment by falling on top of him.
“I thought you left,” she said as she attempted to pull herself together.
“I was leaving, but then I stopped. I was worried that whoever that vampire was would come back, and I thought it would be irresponsible of me to do so.” He stared straight ahead without looking up.
Celeste sat next to him on the steps, and the two of them remained in silence staring blankly ahead refusing to look at each other. Finally, it was Celeste who broke the silence. “Do you know what I am?”
Roman hesitated for a moment and then sighed. “Yes.”
“So you knew all along?”
“Yes, but it’s not that simple…”
I could kill him for lying to me! Celeste’s blood was boiling. What is going on with me? Why am I so angry?
She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Her nerves were fried and being so close to Roman was not helping. A part of her brain was screaming at her to rip his head off. She struggled to shut off the voice in her mind.
Roman looked at her worriedly. He couldn’t help but think about Stellan’s warning about her emotional state. “I didn’t tell you because we didn’t know for sure,” he finally said keeping his voice calm and controlled.
“But last night, when you were at my house, you knew what was happening to me?”
“No, not exactly. I’ve never seen someone get chosen to become the next Guardian. I had only heard about it. I knew it would happen on your eighteenth birthday, but that was all.”
“So that’s why you stayed?” She heard the disappointment in her own tone and chided herself for it.
“Not entirely, but yes that was one reason.”
The adrenaline had stopped pounding through her veins, and Celeste was starting to feel normal again. She took another deep breath. “It was a great birthday gift.”
Roman had been eyeing her nervously trying to gage her emotional state, but noticed the change in her immediately. “When you came out of the vision, I wanted to talk to you about it. It certainly didn’t seem like you wanted to talk to me.”
“I did want to, Roman, but every fiber in my being was telling me not to.”
“I figured as much.”
Celeste turned toward him, looking deep into his beautiful blue eyes that now held a twinge of sadness. “We’ll get through this, I know we will.”
“I’m not so sure Celeste. The vampire that came after you today was ancient and extremely powerful. If he’s after Nico and me and he’s using you to get to us, I don’t know if I can protect you.”
“But you did today, and that’s all that matters. And anyway I’m going to be an invincible Guardian, right? I must have some cool powers or something.”
Roman grinned. “I will admit that move you pulled back there was pretty cool.”
Celeste started to feel like herself again. “I know, right! I have no idea where that came from by the way. It was like I wasn’t even in control of my body. And it’s weird, but I think I feel stronger and more agile already.”
“That certainly sounds like your special abilities kicking in.”
Celeste took another deep breath and noticed that all the rage rushing through her just moments ago was gone. “I almost forgot: what are we going to do about that girl upstairs?”
“Don’t worry about it. Nico will take care of it.”
“No, Roman! He can’t kill her.” she exclaimed, jumping to her feet.
“Relax. He’s just going to compel her. She won’t remember anything that happened.” He took her hand and pulled her down next to him.
“Oh okay, good.”
“More importantly, what are we going to do about the fact that you’ve essentially been programmed to hate and kill Nico and me?”
“I could never hate you, Roman.” She hesitantly placed her hand on his.
Roman squeezed it, watching her, waiting expectantly for a reaction. “What do you feel?”
Celeste inhaled deeply. “It’s hard to explain. It’s kind of like when you have a really bad feeling that something terrible is about to happen and just when you think you’re going to have to run or do anything to get away, something pulls you back.”
“Sounds pleasant…”
“It’s not that bad, and I think I’m getting a better handle on it already. I noticed that when I’m around you or Nico the bad feeling isn’t as bad as the vibe I got around that scary vampire who tried to take my head off.”
“You must feel varying degrees of evil. I’m glad we’re only evil lite…”
“Stop it, Roman. What’s important is that I think I can learn to control it.” A glimmer of hope swirled in her chest.
“I’m sure you will.” He stood up and pulled out a small gift box tucked away in the folds of his toga. “This is for you.”
“You got me a present?”
He kneeled down beside her. “I know I’m old, but I still know that an eighteenth birthday is a special occasion for a young woman, and a gift is appropriate. I found this, and I thought of you.” A shy expression crossed his handsome face.
Celeste untied the pretty red bow and opened the box carefully. Inside was an antique gold ring with a dazzling blue sapphire.
“It’s beautiful, Roman!” She slipped it on her finger with a huge smile on her face.
“It was my mother’s.”
“This is so special. I can’t believe you would give this to me. I’m truly honored.”
“I thought you could use it. It was my mother’s birthstone, and she said it always gave her strength.”
“I love it!” She pulled him into an embrace. They remained locked in each other’s arms for a few moments, but then Celeste was forced to pull away.
“You know, my mother was part of the Council of Guardians, but when she was turned vampire her official duty was terminated. However, she was never fully able or wanted to escape her duties. She always kept an eye on special guardian families throughout the years, particularly the Wilders.”
“Wow, really?”
“Yes. And that’s why I know that she would want you to have it.”
Celeste gave him a big smile as she admired the sparkling ring.
“Celeste! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Natalie’s voice rang out as she came barging outside. “It’s time to cut the cake.”
What seemed like hundreds of people gathered around Celeste in the middle of the dance floor waiting for her to blow out the eighteen candles on her beautifully decorated white fondant with black piping cake. She paused for a moment thinking about what to wish for. A part of her wanted to wish that none of this had ever happened—that she had never met Nico or Roman or learned about the supernatural world. She especially wished that she had never become a Guardian. As she reflected on the past twenty-four hours, a bigger part of her felt that somehow everything was finally as it should be.
So she closed her eyes, wished that she would become the greatest Guardian that ever lived, and blew out the can
dles.
Chapter 15
The next morning, Celeste awoke with a smile on her face. The prospect of her life as a Guardian didn’t seem so bad now. She performed a quick scan of her emotions and everything seemed in check – no intense anger, no burning desire to kill vampires, no supernatural alarm in the pit of her stomach. She could be the Guardian and still live a normal, or at least semi-normal life. She was graduating the day after tomorrow, and all she wanted to do was enjoy the momentous occasion with her friends and family.
She bounced down the stairs in search of her mom.
“Good morning day-after-birthday girl.” Her mom sat at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee. A weary expression crossed her face and something else too. Celeste couldn’t quite put a finger on it – was it anxiety, fear? “How was the party?” Her mom forced a cheery smile.
Celeste decided to do the same. “It was so great, Mom! Natalie did an amazing job with all the planning, and the decorations were over the top as usual. I have a bunch of pictures on my phone that I’ll show you.”
“Great, I can’t wait to see them. So what’s your plan for today?”
“I want to go through more of dad’s stuff in the attic. I didn’t even get halfway through it the other day.”
As soon as Celeste’s mom’s car pulled out of the driveway, she climbed up the creaking stairs to the musty attic. She sorted through more pictures, miscellaneous knick-knacks and yellowing newspaper clippings, among other things. One old newspaper in particular caught her attention; it was from eight years ago, just a month or so before her father died. The headline read “Mysterious Death Blamed on Wild Animal Attack.” She went on to read the editorial, which explained that a woman had been found with bite marks on her neck. She had bled to death on the side of the road. A shiver went down Celeste’s spine as she imagined another creature that could have caused that horrific death. She put the article aside, and continued digging in the trunk. She finally reached the bottom, and when she pushed aside a heavy photo album, a small keyhole appeared. The key to a hidden compartment?