by G. K. DeRosa
“Then what are you thinking? How come you agreed to let Celeste come with us?”
“I have a plan, but it’s risky and I don’t believe you will approve of it,” said Stellan.
“Tell me anyway” Roman ran his hands through his unruly hair in an attempt to calm his nerves.
“In a way, Celeste is our secret weapon. He doesn’t know what she is or what powers she has. If we can lure him out, and make him believe that he has a chance at capturing her, we can catch him unaware.”
Roman glared at Stellan. “So basically you want to use Celeste as bait?”
“Yes, but we will never lose sight of her. I can open a portal a hundred yards away from the warehouse and watch from there. Nico can be in the air and you and I will be hidden nearby. While Celeste distracts him, you and Nico can catch him off guard. I will come in behind you if needed.”
Roman narrowed his eyes when he finished. “I don’t like putting her at risk like that.”
“I’m in,” said Celeste appearing in the doorway.
Roman was not pleased, but with one look at her determined face, he knew there would be no arguing with her. Stellan filled them both in on the details of his plan while they waited impatiently for word from Nico.
Celeste couldn’t stand the mounting tension that filled the kitchen so she walked out to the back porch for some air. It had been over an hour, and still they hadn’t received word from Nico. Her heart was pounding with excitement and nerves. This was it, what she had been training for in the past month. She took a deep breath to steady her racing heart as she stared out into the tranquil forest.
Roman burst through the back door. “Nico just called to report that he found Magnus. He’s at the warehouse by Pier 11.”
“Then it’s time,” said Stellan, appearing just behind him.
Celeste followed the pair back into the house with a final deep breath.
“Are you ready?” Roman asked Celeste.
“I am.” She secured her backpack over her shoulder and reached out for his hand.
Stellan flicked his wrist, and the portal opened before them in a blue blur. The whirling vortex tugged at Celeste, pulling her toward it. She gripped Roman’s hand tightly, and the three of them dove in with weapons in tow.
Celeste glared at the old rundown warehouse as she crept slowly toward it. She hazarded a quick glance back up the pier toward the empty containers, but Roman and Stellan were nowhere in sight. It was up to her.
“Magnus! Magnus come out, I’m here to exchange my life for the lives of Nico and Roman,” she shouted. She stood a couple paces from the warehouse door and nervously rotated Roman’s mother’s ring around her finger.
I can do this. I must be strong.
Magnus emerged from the darkness, peeking his head out of the rusted warehouse door. His eyes widened. “What are you doing here, you silly girl?”
Celeste’s act had to be convincing for them to succeed. She put on her most sincere face and bravely continued. “Roman and Nico are missing, and I know you took them. I’m here to surrender myself, just please let them go.”
Magnus’s brows furrowed. Celeste could almost see the gears grinding in his head as he tried to figure out what to do. Finally, a wicked smirk crossed his lips. “Fine, I admit that I do have them. They are inside. Come with me, and I’ll show you.”
Every nerve in Celeste’s body was on edge, but on the outside she remained calm. Like a duck swimming on a still lake, outwardly she seemed unflustered but just underneath the surface, her feet paddled furiously. This is what it meant to be a Guardian; this is what she had been training for. The heavy weight of her sword in her backpack lessened her fear.
“Nice place.” She crept inside, eyeing the dark space.
“I was attempting to remain inconspicuous, which I’ve obviously failed at since you’ve found me.” He paused dramatically. “How did you find me anyway?”
“We all have our secrets.”
He chuckled, but did not pursue his questioning.
Celeste followed him deeper into the dank, empty warehouse, taking note as she walked hoping she could find her way back out if necessary. Finally they reached a dark room with no windows and only crude furnishings—a couple of folding chairs and a cot on the floor with a drab blanket tossed aside.
Magnus arrogantly cocked his head and held the door open for her to enter. As she slid by him, her eye caught the glimmer of an amber amulet hanging from his neck. Something about it grabbed her attention. As if noticing her interest, Magnus swiftly tucked it away under his shirt.
“Please have a seat.” He motioned to the plastic chair.
“No thanks, I’d rather stand.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Now where are Roman and Nico?”
“Patience, little girl. I have a few questions for you first.”
Magnus eyed her up and down and apparently unable to come to a satisfactory conclusion, he continued, “What are you?”
“What do you mean what am I?”
“You associate yourself with vampires and a wizard, so I hardly believe that you are an ordinary mortal girl.”
“Think what you want Magnus, but I’m not telling you anything.”
Obviously annoyed by her obstinacy, Magnus turned away from her, the crease between his eyebrows deepening. Celeste glanced around eyeing the blacked-out skylight above her head. Suddenly, Magnus spun around, inches from her face, with a crazed look in his eyes and fangs protruding. She jumped back, startled, but quickly regained her composure. She unsheathed her sword from her backpack, pointing it at him menacingly.
“Oh my, this is just wonderful!” He chuckled. “I was right! You are the new Guardian. I would recognize that symbol anywhere.”
Without flinching Celeste asked, “You know my family symbol? Have you met others like me?”
“Of course, little Guardian. I have undoubtedly killed many of your family members along with countless other guardians.”
Celeste’s head spun, but she couldn’t stop now. “Were you the one who killed my father?”
“I suppose I might have. It’s hard to keep track these days. I’ve killed so many people in my thousands of years on this earth. What did he look like?” An evil glimmer sparkled in his black eyes.
A blinding anger swelled through Celeste, and she lunged at Magnus with her sword. He effortlessly batted her aside, as easily as a horse swats a pesky fly with its tail. She got back up and charged at him once again. Instinctively, she reached for the amulet around his neck and tore it off the chain. The look of alarm on his face confirmed its importance; although why it was significant Celeste still had no clue. As he was preoccupied with retrieving the jewel, which had clattered onto the floor, Roman and Nico crashed through the skylight above and landed on top of him.
Magnus was momentarily dazed by the impact, and he struggled beneath the weight of the pair. The bright morning sun filled the dark room, and Magnus shrieked as the scorching rays burned his white flesh.
“The amber amulet is what protects him from the sun. Don’t let him get it!” yelled Celeste, finally putting the pieces together.
She rushed toward them and plunged her sword burying it deep into Magnus’ chest, but missed his heart. With a howl, he fought off his attackers and broke free. He escaped into the shadows as he pulled the sword out and it clanged to the floor. The burns and wound had slowed him down though, and as he tried to transform to escape, Roman tackled him to the ground. Nico was right behind him about to pounce when Magnus’ strength returned and he flung Roman off of him like a rag doll.
“Valiant effort boys,” Magnus sneered.
His wound was almost healed, and without that advantage it was unlikely they would take him down. Celeste watched wide-eyed as Magnus ran straight toward her. She stood unmoving with sword drawn, the sun bouncing off of her golden curls.
“Ha! You really are the Guardian aren’t you?” He paused in front of her just a few inches from the scorching rays of the s
un with a look of admiration. “It will be my pleasure to kill you.”
He lunged toward her with fangs bared, pushing her out of the light and knocking her sword to the ground. From the corner of her eye, she saw Roman and Nico just a few feet behind him. She hesitated for a moment, and then squeezed her eyes shut and let his fangs clamp down on her neck.
Distracted by the frenzy of the bloodlust, the vampire didn’t hear the brothers close in on him from behind. Roman hurled himself on top of Magnus who was forced to release his grip on Celeste. She squirmed free then ripped the sleeve from her shirt to staunch the blood flowing from her neck. Roman pinned Magnus’ torso to the floor while Nico held his lower half down in the sunlight.
Magnus shrieked in anger.
“Now!” yelled Roman.
With one fierce stab, Celeste ran her glimmering sword straight through Magnus’ heart. His black eyes bulged out as he realized imminent death was upon him. He convulsed for a moment and then disintegrated into a pile of ash.
“Wow, that was disgusting.” Nico swept off the mounting dust.
“Are you all right?” Roman asked Celeste.
“I think so. I just need to sit down.” Celeste collapsed to the ground.
Roman sat down on the floor cradling her as a single tear rolled down her cheek. He gently wiped it away.
“Excellent job my dear.” Stellan appeared from nowhere with a fiercely proud look in his eye.
“Nice of you to finally show up,” said Nico, dusting himself off.
Stellan offered his hand, and Celeste took it, picking herself up off the ground. She looked up at him and couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face.
“Well the good part about killing ancient vampires is that there is no body to get rid of.” Nico smirked, stretching out lazily on Stellan’s couch.
“Way to look on the bright side,” said Celeste.
“We should all be celebrating.” Dani bounced on her tiptoes. “Magnus is dead, and I can finally come out of the basement!”
Dani’s giddiness was contagious and soon they were all laughing, but in the back of Celeste’s mind she knew that killing Magnus was only a temporary reprieve. Fabian was still out there.
“Dani is right, let’s enjoy our moment of victory,” said Stellan. “I believe I have a bottle of champagne I’ve been saving for a special occasion such as this.” Stellan returned quickly with a tray of elaborate champagne flutes, and Celeste helped him pass them out.
“To Celeste.” Stellan raised a glass. “Our new Guardian. May she have a long and blessed life and may all of her victories be as successful as this one.”
“To Celeste,” they all said in unison, clinking their glasses.
That night, Celeste rolled over as she and Roman lay in her bed in the quiet darkness. “You know, Magnus killed my father.”
“He admitted it?” He turned toward her.
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“I’m so sorry, Celeste. But now I understand why you attacked him like that. You were incredible.”
“I lost it when he said that.” She swallowed thickly. “He was so snide about it too, like killing my father was too insignificant for him to even remember. I felt this overwhelming urge to rip his head off. It was much worse than when I was around you or Nico when I first became a Guardian. It was scary.”
“It’s all part of being a Guardian, I believe. Your powers seem to be fueled by your emotions. But that’s a good thing, Celeste. You feel everything so intensely, and if you can focus that energy, you’ll be unstoppable.”
Celeste inched closer to him. “Thanks for always making me feel better, Roman. Sometimes I worry that I won’t live up to everyone’s expectations though.”
“You already have.” He gave her a sweet kiss.
She smiled looking into his deep blue eyes feeling as though she were being swallowed up inside of them—wanting to be.
He caressed her cheek, running his thumb over her soft skin. “You were unbelievable today. It took a lot of courage to do what you did, and you didn’t even think twice about doing it. You have the heart of a hero, and I know you are going to be greater than anyone could ever imagine.”
“I love you Roman,” she whispered.
He pulled her into his chest. “I love you more than you will ever know.”
With Fabian’s impending arrival looming over them, Stellan had thought it best for everyone to remain at his house for a few more weeks. When Celeste had told her mom that she would be extending her stay, she hadn’t taken it well. Celeste tried to spare her most of the details; she didn’t want to give her mother more to be concerned about.
“I promise I’ll be home soon,” she said to her mom over the phone.
“I miss you, sweetie, and I know that you’re doing very important things, but spending your last summer before college with your friends is important too.”
“I know, Mom, which is why I was thinking about coming home for the day. Stellan is really happy with my progress, and he said I deserved a break.”
“That’s wonderful news! I know you’ll want to see Brian and Nat, but do you think you can spare some time for your mother?”
“Of course, Mom. I’ll be home around noon, and we can have lunch together.”
“Perfect! I’m so happy I’m going to see you.”
“Me too. See you in a few hours.” After she hung up the phone, anxiety bubbled up inside her. She had changed so much in the last few months, and she wasn’t sure she would fit back into her old life anymore.
Celeste raced down the stairs to be sure to get shotgun in the car for the drive back home. As she headed for the door, Dani blocked her exit.
“It’s not fair that I can’t go with you guys,” she said pouting. She had strategically positioned herself in front of the door with her jaw clenched and arms crossed.
“I’m sorry you can’t come, Dani, but you know that if you go out in the sunlight you’ll burst into flames;” Celeste tried to sound sincere.
“This sucks! Being a vampire is no fun at all. I can’t go out in the daylight, I can’t see my friends or family, and you won’t even let me bite people.”
Nico attempted to suppress the smile that was forming at the edge of his lips. “Maybe if you’re a good vampire, Stellan will work on a spell to let you walk in the daylight.”
“You can do that?” Dani’s eyes widened.
“There are many things that I can do, but sometimes there are things that I shouldn’t,” responded Stellan with a reproachful glance at Nico.
Dani crossed the room in an instant, imploring Stellan with hands pressed together tightly in supplication. “Oh please Stellan, if you make it possible for me to go outside in the day, I promise I will never drink blood from a human again. I’ll even try to survive off squirrels, birds, or even rats—I’ll do anything!”
“I don’t doubt your intentions, Dani.” He paused to pry his hands away from her iron grip. “But your instincts concern me. Bloodlust is a very powerful thing that most vampires are not strong enough to overcome—especially young ones.”
“But look, I’ve been around Celeste for days and I haven’t tried to bite her, not once!”
“Yes, but Celeste can cut your head off with a single move,” said Nico.
Dani looked over at Celeste in desperation, but she only shook her head.
“I’m sorry Dani, it is simply too soon.” Stellan moved to the door. “You are still a very young vampire, and you need to get a handle on your emotions before I give you the ability to daywalk.”
“And besides Dani, even if you could come back with us, what would we do if someone in Oak Bluffs recognized you?” asked Celeste.
“I’m never going to get out of this stupid house!” Dani stormed away, racing down the stairs.
Pulling into her driveway, Celeste was overcome with nostalgia at the sight of her home. She had only been gone for two months, and yet so much had happened that it felt more like years. She sat
still for a moment taking in all the emotions. Roman leaned across her and unbuckled her seat belt, bringing her back to the present. Celeste turned to him, giving him a quick goodbye kiss and hopped out of the car.
“Mom, I’m home!” Celeste stepped inside and was greeted by the familiar scents of her childhood home. The smell of chocolate chip cookies wafted from the kitchen followed by her mother. She wistfully smiled at her and raced into her mom’s open arms.
After lunch, Celeste and her mom sat in the sunny backyard and nibbled on warm chocolate chip cookies. “It’s really great to be back home,” said Celeste.
“Then why don’t you just come back already?”
“There are some things going on that I need to take care of, Mom. I can’t come back here until I do. It’s not safe for you or anyone.”
Her mom gave her a worried look. “And how about you, who is going to keep you safe?”
“You don’t have to worry about me. I have my Guardian powers now and everyday I’m getting stronger. Plus I have Stellan, Roman and Nico to protect me.”
“I don’t know, Celeste. You are still my little girl, and I’ll always want to protect you.” She squeezed her arm.
“I killed a vampire,” Celeste blurted out.
“You did what?” Her mom practically leapt out of her seat.
“I killed him, Mom, the vampire that killed Dad.”
Saying the words out loud opened a floodgate of emotions that she hadn’t realized she had been suppressing. Her chest heaved and she sobbed like a baby in her mother’s comforting arms. Feeling embarrassed, she said, “I’m okay, I just feel everything so strongly now. It’s part of being a Guardian I guess.”
“Who was this vampire that killed your dad? And how in the world did you kill him?”
“It’s a long story, and I promise I’ll tell you about it later. I’d rather not think about it right now.” She paused. “I had lots of help though; I couldn’t have done it without Roman, Nico and Stellan.”