by G. K. DeRosa
“I just hope that she can go home to her family one day.”
Roman stopped and leaned against a towering oak. A hint of sadness flashed through his eyes. “It’s hard for vampires to live among humans, even well-adjusted ones. Dani would have to tell her family what she is, and unfortunately that doesn’t always go over well. Even if they did come to accept what she is, after a few years the good old citizens of Oaks Bluffs would notice that she hasn’t aged a bit and become suspicious. She wouldn’t be able to stay there for long.”
“Right, I guess I hadn’t thought about that,” she said. “So does that mean that you and Nico won’t be staying in Oak Bluffs for long either?”
Roman sighed. “We never really can Celeste. Even if it weren’t for Fabian chasing us, after at most five to ten years most people would start to notice that I’m just too devilishly handsome to be a thirty or forty year old.”
“This isn’t funny, Roman. When were you planning on telling me this?”
“We’ve only been back in Oak Bluffs for a few months now, Celeste. I figured we still had time. And I thought it would be a little presumptuous to start talking about our future since most of our days together involve you kicking, cutting, stabbing or staking me.”
Celeste couldn’t help but crack a smile.
“Besides, you’re the one that is leaving me at the end of the summer when you go off to college.” His expression darkened.
“Leaving you? Are you implying that we are together?” she asked with a mischievous grin.
“I don’t know, does it?”
“You are exasperating, Roman Constantin!” Celeste playfully punched him in the stomach.
“I love you, Celeste,” he whispered, his eyes gleaming with emotion. He pulled her close to him and took her face in his strong hands. “I’ve never loved anyone the way that I love you, and I’m sorry that I waited this long to say it.”
Celeste barely waited for the last word to come out of his mouth before jumping into his arms, her lips passionately locking onto his.
The next few weeks continued in much the same way: a never-ending cycle of waking, training, meditating and sleeping. In spite of Stellan’s original wishes, Roman stayed with Celeste the entire time. As tough as Stellan tried to be, he couldn’t deny Roman’s value and he apparently didn’t have the heart to kick him out. Celeste progressed more rapidly than anyone had anticipated. Stellan watched her proudly as she pinned Roman to the floor on numerous occasions.
After her typical morning meditation session, the rumble of a familiar engine pulled into the driveway. She hurried to the window and then raced outside.
“Nico!” Celeste ran into his arms as he hurried up the walkway.
“Hello, little brother,” said Roman just behind her. “It’s good to see you.”
“I think this fresh country air is doing wonders for you. I’ve never seen you look so relaxed, brother.” Nico patted his brother on the back.
“It’s the company,” chimed in Celeste with a big smile.
Dani lurked nervously by the car until Stellan finally invited her into the house. Roman stood protectively by Celeste’s side watching her every move as she neared.
“Hi Dani Lynn, how are you?” Celeste hovered by the couch, across from Dani.
“I’m doing a lot better, thanks. I can smell your blood, but I don’t have a blinding urge to tear into your neck anymore.”
Subtlety had never been one of Dani Lynn’s strong suits, and apparently it hadn’t improved when she became a vampire. “That’s great to hear Dani. And since we’re being up front, I might as well tell you that if you try to bite me, I’ll stab you in the heart without blinking.”
“Sounds fair,” she responded.
“I almost hope she tries.” Nico smirked. “That would be a sight I would love to see!”
“Watch it Nico or else I‘ll have to show you some of my moves,” teased Celeste.
“Now that would be something I’d like to see.” Roman grinned and elbowed Nico.
“I’ve heard she’s been mopping up the floor with you, brother.”
“I think ‘mopping up the floor’ is a bit of an exaggeration, but yes, she has come quite a long way—due in large part to my relentless motivational training.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” said Nico.
“Come on now children, enough of that trash talk as they say.” Stellan ushered them all into the candle-lit dining room. “Let’s sit down for dinner and Celeste can show Nico what she’s learned tomorrow morning,”
The following morning Celeste and Roman were up early for a jog followed by a round of hand-to-hand combat in the backyard. Roman held Celeste with both arms behind her back. She threw herself forward, tucking her chin to her chest and somersaulted to the ground taking Roman down with her. He landed flat on his back with a ground-shaking thud.
Nico appeared on the front porch. “Impressive.”
“Feel free to tag me out,” Roman panted.
Faster than Celeste’s eyes could follow, Nico switched places with Roman and he came at her. She ducked and missed his first blow then followed up with a leg sweep that sent him crashing to the ground. She hurdled on top of him and held a stake hovering just inches from his chest, a satisfied grin on her face.
“I was going easy on you,” he said as he gasped for air from the impact.
“Well, don’t!” Celeste ordered.
Dani joined Roman on the porch. She leaned against the wall, shielded from the morning sun to watch Nico and Celeste spar with long swords.
“She’s pretty good,” Dani said.
“Yes, she’s getting there.” Roman watched with a sparkle of pride gleaming in his eyes.
“So guardians are like vampire hunters right?”
He nodded. “Something like that. They protect the human world from all evil supernatural beings.”
“And are they strong like us? She seems to be.”
“Not quite as strong, but certainly not your average human either.”
“How many guardians are there?” Dani continued her questioning as she watched.
“It’s hard to say exactly, but no more than a dozen in this part of the world at any given time.”
“So if I don’t get on Celeste’s bad side, I should be pretty safe from getting a stake in the heart, right?”
“Yes, it’s pretty unlikely that you will come across another guardian in your lifetime, unless you do something very bad.”
“Like what?” Dani Lynn inquired.
“Like go on a murderous killing spree, leaving countless bodies in your wake. Then the Council would send a guardian to find you and end your life.”
“You say that like you’ve seen it happen before.”
“I have,” Roman muttered and walked away.
As a reward for Celeste’s tireless training and rapid progress, Stellan agreed to allow her friends to come visit. Natalie had been texting non-stop since Celeste had left town, but she hadn’t heard much from Brian at all. Celeste was surprised when Natalie told her that they would be coming up together.
Natalie ran up the walkway with a big smile plastered across her face. “Hi! I missed you so much!”
“I missed you too,” said Celeste returning her enthusiastic hug.
Brian came up behind them and nearly toppled them over as he eagerly joined in the embrace.
“How are you stranger?” Celeste asked Brian, searching his eyes.
“I’m good, Cel. It’s really great to see you.”
“Come on in, I’ll introduce you to my Uncle Stellan.” Celeste ushered them inside as Stellan stepped out of the kitchen.
“This is such a lovely home you have.” Natalie gave Stellan a warm smile as she walked around the large open living room.
“Make yourselves at home children.” Stellan greeted them both. “Celeste has told me much about both of you. I’m sure you have a lot of catching up to do so I will make myself scarce.” With that, he retreated into
his study.
“So how come I never heard about this uncle?” asked Brian once he was out of earshot.
“He’s not really my uncle, just an old friend of my dad who recently moved back to the area.”
“Can we go outside? It looks so beautiful out back.” Natalie was checking out the backyard through the oversized window.
“Yeah, I was thinking we could go for a hike in the forest. There’s a river about a mile away, and we can go for a swim too.”
“Sounds cool,” said Brian.
Natalie went to one of the guestrooms to change, leaving Brian and Celeste looking at each other uneasily.
“So how’s your summer been? Too busy to text your best friend back?” she finally asked.
“Sorry about that. I joined this summer basketball team, and I’ve been playing everyday. Between that and helping out with Maxi the weeks have flown by.”
“Okay, I just wanted to make sure you weren’t avoiding me or something.”
“Maybe just a little bit.” He stood by the window, glancing through the glass. “I think this is the longest amount of time that we’ve spent apart, and I figured I should start getting used to being without you. I’ve spent most of my life in love with you without really knowing it, and now I have to try to move on.”
Brian spoke so nonchalantly, and it made Celeste’s heart hurt. But she knew he was right. “I understand that, and I’m trying to give you some space. It’s just hard because I miss you so much.”
He turned to face her. “I miss you too, Cel.”
Trekking through the tranquil forest with two of her oldest friends, a sense of peace came over Celeste. The thick foliage overhead provided a respite from the scorching noon sun, but still the drops of sweat trickled down her back relentlessly. She longed to jump into the refreshing waters of the river ahead.
“It is such a perfect day for a hike,” said Natalie.
“Yeah, it really is pretty nice out here.” Brian stared up at the thick covering of foliage overhead.
“So what have you been doing anyway?” she asked.
“Mostly spending time with Uncle Stellan, like I told you guys. He’s getting older and needed some company. Plus he’s like a Wikipedia on my dad so it’s been really fun hanging out with him and hearing stories from when he was young.”
“Well, you look great.” Natalie bumped her hip. “Been working out?”
“I’ve been jogging in the mornings and doing some yoga. It’s so peaceful out here, so I started meditating too.”
“Not a bad way to spend the summer,” she said.
“Enough about me, what’s going on in Oak Bluffs? Tell me everything,” said Celeste.
Magnus soared through the air, hovering just below the dense tree line. As powerful as he was, the bright sunlight still bothered him. He preferred the cover of darkness. Many centuries ago, he had done Fabian a favor. He had been awarded an amber amulet that was spelled to protect him against the sun. No one knew that the necklace hanging around his neck was the source of his day-walking abilities, and he fought to keep it that way.
Magnus had been tracking Dani Lynn for the past few hours and had finally been rewarded. Their shared blood had led him right to her. His plan had worked surprisingly well. When he arrived at the house, he immediately sensed that the one he coveted was nearby. He flew in circles around the perimeter of the house until his keen eyesight caught sight of Celeste in the woods.
Celeste wiggled her toes in the cool water as she reclined along the riverbank. Natalie popped up behind her, startling her from her quiet reverie.
“Brian’s passed out,” she whispered.
Celeste looked back up the path. Brian was stretched out on a blanket, cheeks rosy from the sun, mouth wide open. She smiled, remembering a similar sight last time they went hiking when they were just in grade school.
“Is everything okay with you two?” Natalie sat beside her, no doubt noticing the wistful expression that had crossed her face.
“I’m not sure to be honest. I hope so.”
“He’s tough. He’ll get over you.”
“Is it bad that I don’t want him to? I mean of course I want him to be happy, but things have been so strained lately. I feel like I’ve lost my best friend.”
“I’m sure the weirdness will pass. Once he meets someone it will be much easier. Just like it has been for you.” A mischievous grin flashed across Nat’s face. “Now tell me everything about you and Roman!”
“It’s been going really well.” Celeste was unable to hide the huge smile that spread across her face.
“That’s great! I knew he liked you.”
“Yeah, but that’s what I’m afraid of. Every time we get close, he pulls away. Everything has been going so well for the past few weeks, I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“Don’t be so negative, Celeste! You’re awesome and he’s lucky to have you.”
“No, I’m lucky to have you.” She reached out to give her friend a hug. “I’ve really missed you!”
“Me too! Oak Bluffs is no fun with you gone. Brian’s been playing basketball non-stop, Nico’s been holed up in his house, and poor Jessica is distraught over Dani Lynn’s disappearance. Everything’s falling apart without you. When are you coming home?”
“Soon, I hope.” Celeste picked up a dry leaf and ran it over her palm. “I want to spend some more time with my uncle. But I promise I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
A wave of frigid water drenched the girls. Confused, they looked all around for the origin of the attack. Wiping the water from their eyes and smoothing their hair out of their faces, Brian emerged from underwater just in front of them.
“How did you get in the river? You were dead asleep a few seconds ago,” cried Natalie.
“I snuck around behind the trees and swam underwater up the river to scare you.” Brian grinned from ear to ear obviously pleased with his clever prank.
“You are so dead Brian!” Celeste leapt into the water with Natalie right behind her.
As the three friends packed up their bags for the hike home, Celeste’s evil radar—so nicknamed by Nico—started to twitch. She surveyed the peaceful forest around them. Nothing. Wishing that Roman or Nico were with them, she glanced around suspiciously and pulled the knife out from her backpack and tucked it into her jeans pocket.
Celeste turned to her friends as anxiety swirled in her gut. “Hey, why don’t we jog back?”
“Jog? But I’m in flip-flops!” complained Natalie.
“Oh right. Okay, then, let’s just walk quickly to get some cardio in.”
“Geez, you have become quite the work out nut, haven’t you?” she asked.
Celeste picked up a few of Natalie’s clothes that had been scattered around the riverbank and hurriedly stuffed them into her bag. Brian shot Celeste a concerned look, but she ignored it. She hustled them through the darkening forest and back to the safety of Stellan’s house.
“Stellan, I felt something when we were out there,” Celeste whispered as Brian and Natalie changed out of their wet bathing suits.
Stellan peered over his glasses, dropping the book he had been reading in his study. “What was it?”
“I’m not sure, but there was something evil watching us. I looked around, but I didn’t see anyone.”
“It can’t be Dani, she’s been tucked away in the basement all day so that your friends wouldn’t see her. And Roman and Nico took the car into town to buy groceries for dinner.” His light gray brows drew together.
“Do you think it could have been Magnus?” she asked.
“Perhaps, but I don’t see how he could have found us.”
“I’m going to text Roman to hurry back.” Celeste pulled out her phone, her fingers flying over the keys.
“Hey Cel, can I borrow a towel?” bellowed Brian from the bathroom.
“Sure, I’ll be right there.” Celeste finished typing the message to Roman. She left Stellan in his study and ran over
to the linen closet to bring Brian a fresh towel.
“Are you okay?” Brian asked. “You seemed a little nervous when we were out in the woods.”
“I’m fine,” she said, changing the subject. “Roman and Nico are on their way over. They’re going to have dinner with us.”
“Oh.” Brian’s lips turned down.
“I thought it would be fun if we all got together since I know Nico’s been MIA a lot this summer. Natalie hasn’t seen him for a while, and I haven’t seen them much either.”
“But you have seen them?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Them or Roman?”
“Both.” Celeste took a deep breath. “Look Brian, I want to be honest with you. I don’t want to keep things from you, but I don’t want to hurt you either.”
“Just tell me the truth, Cel.”
“Yes, I’ve been spending a lot of time with Roman. He’s been coming out to visit me.”
“So are you two like together now?”
“Yes,” she mumbled, averting her eyes.
Roman and Nico arrived moments later with groceries in tow. Roman’s eyes were wild with worry. He immediately looked to Celeste, and she responded with a half smile confirming she was fine. As she watched him, she thought about how incredible it was to communicate with him without so much as a word. She didn’t think it was possible, but she felt more strongly connected to him every day. Brian entered the room and harshly brought her back to the reality that her friends could be in danger now because of her.
“Hello there, Brian,” said Nico as he followed Roman in, carrying an armful of groceries.
“Hey Nico, how’s it going? Let me help you with that.”
“Great, thank you.” He handed him some of the bags. “I’m doing well, doing a bit of traveling over the summer and you?”
“Not too bad, nothing too exciting though.”
“Where’s Natalie?” asked Nico as soon as he put the remaining bags down.
“Here I am!” Nat came bounding out of the bathroom and into Nico’s outstretched arms.
“I’ve missed you beautiful,” he said.