by G. K. DeRosa
“You are a very brave young woman. Your father would be so proud of you.” She gave her a pleased smile.
“Remember how I told you I was having dreams about him?” Her mom nodded. “I see him all the time now. He’s been helping to train me. It all seems so real, it’s like he’s really there with me.”
“I’m so glad that he’s helping you through this.” Her mom’s eyes were shiny.
“Me too. I guess it’s one of the positive side effects of being the Guardian.”
Her mom smiled ruefully. “I wish I could see him. I miss him terribly, you know?”
“You never really talk about him. You’re always so busy with your patients and the hospital. I used to think you had forgotten about him.”
“Of course not, Celeste! I’m sorry if I made you think that. It’s easier for me not to think about him or talk about him. It hurts too much.” Tears flooded her eyes.
“I thought maybe you didn’t talk about him because he was a Guardian, and you were mad at him for that. And that you’d be mad at me too.”
Mrs. Wilder adamantly shook her hea, and reached her hand across the table to grab her daughter’s. “I could never be mad at either of you for that. I may not like the idea of it, but I know it’s a very important duty that you were chosen for.”
Celeste smiled at her mother.
“I don’t know if Stellan shared this with you, but he’s been keeping me updated on your progress.”
“No, he didn’t tell me that.” She wondered why he hadn’t.
“You think I’m just going to send you off to live with a man I hardly know without keeping an eye on you?”
Celeste laughed.
“It’s been very enlightening. He’s been very helpful in making me understand all of this.”
“I’m glad, Mom.”
“Tell me the truth though, how do you really feel about all of this?”
“It’s hard. Sometimes I just want to run away from it all, the responsibility, the training, the fear, all of it. But then other times when I have my sword in my hand, everything just feels so right. Like this is what I was born to do.”
Celeste’s mom regarded her proudly.
“Stellan has been great. He’s taught me so many things. He always seems to know the right thing to say. I could see why he and dad were close, and why he chose him to train me. And Roman, I don’t think I’d still be here today if it weren’t for him. He makes me stronger, like I can do anything when I’m with him. He’s the one who gets me through all of this craziness.”
“Yes, Stellan has told me that he has been quite instrumental in your training. He also explained a little more about his past.”
“He has been.” Celeste couldn’t help but smile when she thought of him.
“You’re in love with Roman aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Celeste admitted, her face reddening.
“First loves are very important, Celeste. I know I haven’t been as supportive as I should have been, but I trust your judgment. If you love Roman, I know he must deserve it. Even if he is a vampire.”
“Thanks Mom, that means a lot to me.” She reached across the table and squeezed her mom’s hand.
“Maybe when you come back home in a few weeks, we can have him over for dinner so I can get to know him a little better. He does eat, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah, he does. That would be really great.”
“You know, you’ve grown up a lot these past few months. I can see it in your eyes. Something has changed.”
“I’m not a little girl anymore, Mom.”
“How is it possible that that traitor has gone missing?” Fabian clenched his fist.
“The word underground is that he’s dead—killed by the Constantins,” said Alek, looking up lazily from his spot on the unmade bed.
“That’s impossible! Magnus was over a thousand years old. Those two boys were no match for him.”
“Perhaps they had help.”
“Stellan?”
“That would be my guess,” said Alek.
“But it is not Stellan’s style to involve himself in this sort of thing. I know he cares for those boys, but he’s practically retired.” Fabian moved to the window and cautiously peered out.
Alek paused, considering. “One thing is for certain: there is no way that the Constantins took Magnus out on their own. There must be a new player in town.”
“Whoever it is, we will have to make sure they do not interfere with my plan. There is too much at stake, and I will not risk losing my chance at finally being reunited with Lilliana.”
Roman and Nico had been driving in silence each lost in thought. Nico turned to look at his brother and noticed a smile on his face.
“You seem different, you know?” said Nico, breaking the stillness.
“How so?”
“Happier I suppose, and more determined.”
“Umhmm…”
Nico scrutinized his brother’s profile. “I don’t know exactly, but it’s good to see you like this. It’s like you have a renewed purpose in life. I take it things are going well with Celeste?”
“Don’t be nosey, little brother.” Roman grinned, keeping his eyes fixed on the road.
“Oh come on, Roman, it’s the least you can do considering you pretty much stole her from under my nose.”
“I did no such thing. Don’t forget who spent nearly every night in a tree for weeks watching over her.”
“Aha!” Nico announced victoriously. “I knew you felt something for her even back then.”
“Fine, Nico. Everything is going well with Celeste, and I am happy. I feel like I finally have a purpose in this eternal life we are forced to lead, but all of that terrifies me. I have so much more to lose now.”
“You’re not going to lose her.”
“You don’t know that.” Roman’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles whitening. “Fabian is coming—he could be here already for all we know. Who knows what he will do once he finds out what she is. Assuming he doesn’t kill us all, what kind of life could we even have together?”
Nico put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Roman, you need to stop and take a breath. Let’s focus on one thing at a time, okay? First we’ll find Fabian and kill him, just like we did with Magnus. And then you can worry about living happily ever after with Celeste.”
“If only it were that easy.”
Chapter 21
Celeste drove to the quaint town square for the annual end-of-summer barbecue to meet Brian and Natalie, her thoughts on the orientation package she had just received from NYU. For as long as she could remember all she had ever wanted was to go to college there. Now it couldn’t be further from her mind. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go; she simply couldn’t imagine juggling college with her duties as a Guardian. Celeste wished that her father were here to talk to. He was the only one that would truly understand.
How did he do both?
And then there was Roman: how could she leave him? Celeste was relieved to see the park up ahead so she could put off her worrying to another time. All she wanted was to enjoy this beautiful summer day with her friends like a normal teenager. Celeste threw the car in park and opening the door, she pushed aside all the thoughts racing through her mind.
“Celeste, over here!” said Natalie as she waved her over.
Celeste crossed the grassy lawn to join her, Brian, and a group of their former classmates. They all hovered around a long picnic table clad with a red-and-white-checkered tablecloth and covered with half empty plastic cups and barbecue favorites.
“I’m so glad you made it home for the big cookout—it is an Oak Bluffs summer tradition after all,” said Natalie, “and this could be our last one together.”
Celeste regarded her friend and stuck out her lower lip in a pout. “I know.”
“Celeste! You made it!” Brian stumbled over with a red cup in hand.
“Whoa there, are you okay?” She grabbed him by t
he shoulders to keep him from toppling her over. His bright green eyes were shinier than normal, and there was a noticeable slurring of his words.
“Yeah, ggrrreat, never been b-better!”
As the words came out of his mouth, the intoxicating smell of beer wafted over her. “Are you drunk in the middle of the day?”
“No, of course not,” he said with a big goofy grin.
“He’s been drinking for hours.” Natalie scowled.
“Nothing wrong with that.” He raised his cup. “We are celebrating right? Summer’s almost over, and everyone’s going away to college. I’m going to be stuck here in Oak Bluffs for the rest of my life while you all move on without me.” There was an awkward silence as everyone seated turned to stare at Brian.
“Hey, why don’t you come with me, and we’ll get you some water.” Celeste grabbed his hand like a disobedient child.
Brian dug his heels into the ground, and Celeste released her hold on him. “I don’t want any water. I’m going to sit right here with my new friend, Lacey and drink my beer.” He plopped down on the bench and put his arm around the girl.
Celeste recognized Lacey from one of her classes. She was a junior—semi-popular with a cute blonde pixie-cut hairstyle.
“Come on Celeste, let’s get you a drink, then maybe Brian won’t seem so obnoxious,” said Natalie, openly glaring at him.
Celeste poured the frothy beer into her cup and as it slowly filled she thought about Brian. She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen him like that. Sure, he would get drunk sometimes, but never like this and never so full of hostility.
“What is going on with him?” Celeste wondered out loud.
“He’s been having a rough time lately, I think.” Natalie glanced over at the picnic table. “With you being gone and the summer ending and everyone getting ready to go away for college, he’s been acting weird.” She shrugged and dropped the spout hastily back on the keg.
“Did he say something to you?”
“No, of course not. He’s too proud to admit it when he’s sober anyway.”
“I had no idea he felt that way.”
“Have you talked to him much at all lately?” Natalie arched a brow.
“No,” Celeste grumbled. “And thanks for making me feel like a bad friend!”
“You’re not a bad friend, and he knows that. You just don’t love him the way that he loves you and that’s bound to make things weird.”
“Has he said anything about me?”
“He mentioned that you told him that you and Roman were together. He said he was okay with it, but I know he’s not.” Natalie paused to take a sip of the beer.
“I don’t know what to do, Nat. I can’t help how I feel, but I don’t want to hurt Brian. Everything I do or say is wrong. How can I fix this?”
“I don’t think there is anything you can do. He has to move on, and it’s just going to take some time.”
“I should go talk to him.” Celeste sighed and turned back toward the picnic table.
“I don’t think now is the best time. He probably won’t remember most of the conversation anyway.”
“That’s kind of what I was hoping for.”
Sitting at the edge of the table, Celeste took a gulp of her lukewarm beer and picked at the coleslaw on her plate. She tried to enjoy herself, but she had so many things running through her mind it was almost impossible. She glanced over at Brian who had his head buried in his supersized cup. Seeing him so upset was killing her inside, and not knowing how to fix it was even worse. She watched her classmates from afar, so happy and carefree, and she a twinge of envy unfurled in her gut. Part of Celeste wanted to be like them—their biggest concern was deciding their fall class schedules.
Then she thought about Roman and Nico and even Stellan. If she hadn’t been chosen, she would never have met any of them. Roman made her feel whole again, and if she had never met him, she was certain that she would have spent the rest of her life feeling incomplete. She took another sip and as if he had sensed that she was thinking of him, her phone began to vibrate. It was a text message from Roman.
How’s the picnic?
She quickly typed out a response. Then she forced herself to snap out of her funk and went to join her friends.
“Look at that junior, Lacey, all over Brian like a cheap suit!” said Natalie.
She and Celeste sat across from Brian and his new friend. They had a front seat view of the drunken flirtations. “At least it looks like he’s having fun,” said Celeste.
“He has no idea what he’s doing. Brian would flirt with an inanimate object at this point.”
The girls watched the incoherent encounter between Brian and Lacey for a while longer until Celeste couldn’t take another minute of it. She had to intervene. “Hey Brian, I’m going to have to leave soon, and I was hoping we could hang out a bit before I did.”
“Why don’t you come sit with my new girlfriend and me.” He patted the empty spot next to him. Lacey, also highly inebriated, flashed a huge grin and glanced at him adoringly.
Oh barf… “I’m fine right here, thanks.”
“So you wanted to talk about something?” asked Brian slurring his words.
“Not in front of her.” Celeste ticked her head toward Lacey.
“Why not? Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of my girlfriend.” He proceeded to sloppily make out with her.
Overwhelming jealousy took root in Celeste’s stomach and spread throughout her body. She inhaled a deep breath and fought hard to suppress the urge to strangle Lacey on the spot.
“Okay, Brian, that’s enough. I’m taking you home.” She crossed over to the other side of the table and yanked him off her.
He looked up at her in surprise, trying to get his eyes to focus. “I’m not ready to go, and you can’t tell me what to do. You’re not my girlfriend or my mother.” He yanked his arm out of her grasp.
“No, but I know your mother, and if she saw you like this she’d drag you out of here kicking and screaming if she had to.” Celeste’s voice had risen abruptly, and looking around she noticed everyone was staring. She lowered her voice and attempted to sound sweet and convincing, “Brian please, let me take you home.”
He turned back to Lacey and enjoyed a last sloppy make-out session before letting Celeste lead him away.
Celeste buckled her seat belt and reached in front of Brian to make sure his was securely fastened as well. He could barely hold his head up.
“What am I thinking? I can’t take you home like this. Your dad is going to kill you and as much as I’d like to see that right now, I want to spare them.”
“Whatever,” he responded.
As Celeste backed the car out, she took one last rueful glance at her happy classmates and turned toward home.
Moving Brian out of the car quickly and quietly was harder than Celeste had expected. She threw his arm over her shoulder and hauled his dead weight around the back of the house so his parents wouldn’t see him. She was thankful for her Guardian strength for the ability to move his hundred-and-seventy-plus-pound frame.
As soon as Brian hit the couch in her living room, he passed out cold. Shaking out her sore shoulders, she was relieved she wouldn’t have to deal with drunk Brian for a while. She ran up the stairs to her room to gather some things she needed for her return to Stellan’s.
“How is it possible that we haven’t been able to locate the Constantins?” roared Fabian. He paced the length of the grimy hotel room.
“Perhaps your magic is waning,” said Alek.
“Your life will be waning if you dare to be insolent with me. I am the most powerful wizard alive. No one is greater than me!”
“Stellan must obviously be hiding them. He must be the second most powerful wizard.” A snide grin pulled at Alek’s thin lips.
“Instead of aggravating me, perhaps you could make yourself useful for once.”
“Of course, my liege, what would you have me do?�
� He dipped into a bow.
“Get out there and search for them,” ordered Fabian. Something is blocking my magic from finding them perhaps you can locate them the old fashioned way.”
“Of course.” Alek inclined his head and transformed into an enormous black vulture, flying out the door.
“Roman.” Stellan’s holographic form appeared in the middle of their apartment. “I’ve discovered some information about Fabian.” Nico must have overheard Stellan and came hurdling down the stairs. “Fabian is here in Oak Bluffs, and he’s with Alek.”
Roman’s naturally olive complexion turned a pale white.
“Who’s Alek?” asked Nico.
“He’s Fabian’s apprentice, for lack of a better term. He’s young but also quite powerful and utterly devoted. He was spotted by one of my informants not far from Celeste’s house. It’s imperative that we get her out of there and back here where it is safe.”
Roman had already dashed to the door with his keys in hand. “Celeste isn’t home—she’s at that picnic in the town square with Brian and Natalie.”
“Wherever she is, find her and bring her back here as soon as possible,” warned Stellan.
Brian began to stir at the sound of Celeste’s footsteps coming down the stairs. She gazed tenderly at him and ran her hand through his unruly hair. The image of Brian kissing Lacey flitted through her mind, again inciting a twinge of jealousy. She had to stop that. Brian wasn’t her boyfriend, and he could kiss whomever he wanted. So why am I feeling this way?
Brian cracked open one eye and attempted to sit up. “Oh man that was a bad idea.” He slumping back down.
“How are you feeling, drunko?” she asked, sitting down next to him on the sofa.
He rubbed his forehead. “Like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck.”
“Good.” She whacked him in the stomach.
“Ugh! Are you trying to make me puke? What was that for?”
“You were a world-class jerk today. All I wanted was to spend a nice afternoon with my best friends, and you ruined it.”