by G. K. DeRosa
Dani threw her hands on her hips. “I don’t know about you guys, but I am so ready to go home even if that means spending the rest of my days in the basement!”
“Go ahead; we’ll be right behind you.” Roman ticked his head down the passageway. “You can see some of Russia while you’re out there waiting.”
“Are you okay?” asked Celeste.
“Yes, I’m fine. Dante was right, your blood really is…special. I feel different somehow.” He gave her an indulgent smile. “There’s just something I need to check before we leave.”
Roman stood up slowly at first but in seconds his color and his strength had returned. He walked over to the table that Alek had wheeled in moments before the Council’s arrival, but the body was gone.
“Stellan, did you see what I saw?” Roman’s jaw ticked. “I know I was at the point of losing consciousness, but I could have sworn…”
“What?” asked Nico.
“It all happened so fast, I can’t be sure,” said Stellan, shaking his head.
“But it can’t be.” Roman shook his head. “I buried her behind our house in Oak Bluffs decades ago. But you thought it was her too?”
“It certainly did look like her.”
“What are you two talking about?” asked Nico.
“Fabian had her—he had our mother’s body.”
“At least what looked like your mother,” added Stellan.
“What?” Nico’s eyes widened. “How is that even possible?”
Stellan walked over to Fabian’s book of spells and skimmed over the page to which it had been opened. “It’s a resurrection spell—very dark magic. It looks like he needed your blood to complete it.”
“Why would Fabian want to resurrect your mother?” asked Celeste.
“Yeah, that makes no sense.” The crease between Nico’s brows deepened.
Roman’s puzzled look slowly turned to a knowing smile. “I think I know why. He loved her. Even after all that time and everything she did to him. He still loved her and wanted her back.” He glanced at Celeste. She caught his eye and warmth flooded over her.
“So where is her body now?” asked Nico.
“I don’t know. I lost track of it in the struggle.”
“Do you think Alek took her?” asked Celeste. “He was out of here in a flash once the Council showed up.”
“Perhaps, but it wouldn’t make much sense,” said Stellan. “I can try to track him down when we get back home.”
Roman gave him a thankful nod in return. He scanned the area around the cavern one more time, then Celeste took his hand and led him out.
Chapter 24
Waking up in her own bed still felt strangely unfamiliar to Celeste even though she’d been back for days now. After weeks at Stellan’s she had become used to the lumpy mattress and timeworn smell of the guest room, which she had begun to relate to her new life as a Guardian. Her bed seemed much too luxurious and her room too bright and colorful.
As she rolled over to the picture with her parents on the nightstand, she stared longingly at it. That was her old life, a life she hardly remembered anymore. It seemed more like a beautiful dream she once had. Her new life as a Guardian was filled with adventure, danger, fear and excitement—nothing what she had imagined her life to be.
“Good morning!” Her mom’s head peeked through the door.
“Hi, Mom.”
She sat down on the edge of the bed. “Do you know what today is?”
“Monday?”
“Yes of course silly, but what I meant was that it’s exactly one week from today that you start at NYU.”
“Wow, is it really?” Celeste ran her hand through her hair. “The past few days have been such a blur, I can’t believe how quickly it went by.”
“Well, you did practically sleep through them all. I’m not surprised that you lost track of time. Stellan must have really run you ragged with all that training.”
“He sure did,” she said with a half-hearted smile. Celeste hadn’t told her mother about Fabian and Alek and her near-death experience. Knowing that her daughter was the Guardian was one thing, but telling her all the dangerous details was quite another.
“Don’t you think you should at least go see Brian or Natalie? You haven’t seen any of your friends since you’ve been back.”
Celeste had been lying low since her return to Oak Bluffs. A wave of guilt washed over her as she realized she didn’t have much time left to spend with her friends before leaving for college. She hoped that things wouldn’t be so strained with Brian now that she had told him the truth. And then there was Roman… He hadn’t been the same ever since their talk about Brian back at Stellan’s house. She had spoken to him a few times, but he seemed distant. There was no doubt in her mind that he was avoiding her.
Real boys really are nothing like in the movies.
Celeste had to face reality soon, and as her father used to say, “There’s no time like the present.” Her mind was made up. She would get up, get dressed and stop hiding in her room. Brian’s house was the first stop on her list.
“Hey Cel!” Brian opened the door with a big smile. “I heard you were back. I was wondering when you’d come by.”
“I’m sorry it took me so long. I’ve just been exhausted and catching up on some much needed sleep. Being a ‘you-know what’ is quite draining,” she said lowering her voice.
“I bet. Don’t worry, you don’t have to whisper. No one’s home but me. Come on in.”
Celeste followed Brian into the familiar living room. Countless picture frames covered the coffee table and walls, many with pictures of her and Brian as children. They sat on the well-worn couch. When they were kids they used to pretend the couch was a fort and had spent hours battling imaginary villains. Being there brought back many sweet memories.
“So how have you been?” he asked.
“Okay. I’ve just been getting settled back in at home, and now I can’t believe I have to leave again.”
“Yeah, that’s right.” He fiddled with the hem of his shirt. “You’re heading off to the big apple in a few days.”
“That’s the plan.” Celeste shrugged.
“You know, Natalie is leaving this weekend too. We should all hang out before you abandon me here.”
“Absolutely! And enough with the guilt trip, you’re the one who decided to stay in Oak Bluffs.”
“I know, and I’m actually okay with it now. I made the Oak Bluffs Community College basketball team so that should be cool.”
“That’s great Brian, congrats! I’m sure you will be their star player.”
“Right…So are you going to tell me about what happened with that wizard guy or are we just going to skirt around the subject for the rest of the day?”
“I don’t even know where to begin…” Celeste recounted the entire harrowing tale.
“How is Celeste doing—happy to be home?” Nico found Roman on the living room couch. He had just come back from a jog and little beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.
“Yes, I’m sure she is.” Roman stared straight ahead.
“That sounds like you don’t know. Are you avoiding her again?”
“I’m not avoiding her exactly.” He stood abruptly. “I’m simply giving her some space so that she can make a decision.”
“What kind of a decision?”
“Why must you be so nosey, Nico?” Roman crossed his arms over his chest.
“Because I care about your happiness, and if I didn’t interfere in your love life, it would be non-existent like it has been for the past hundred years.”
“Maybe there is a reason for that.” He trudged to the window and stared through the glass, the crease between his brows deepening.
“Just tell me what sort of ultimatum you gave her now.”
“It wasn’t an ultimatum; I simply gave her an out. She’s leaving for college in a week for goodness sake. What kind of a life can she have with me? I know she has some sort of feelings
for Brian, and we all know he loves her. They could be happy together and lead a normal life.”
“Is that what Celeste wants?”
“She says it’s not, but she’s not being rational.” He spun toward his brother. “She’s not thinking about the long term. She has no idea what it’s like for us, Nico. She doesn’t belong in our world.”
“Whether she belongs in it or not isn’t your decision to make. And let’s be honest, being the Guardian is not going to lend itself to a normal life either.”
“No, but without me in her life, she’d have more of a chance.” Roman sighed.
“I don’t understand why you insist on punishing yourself. You’ve convinced yourself that you don’t deserve her, and it’s just not true. There is no doubt that she makes you a better person, but you make her better too. Don’t you see that?”
Roman shook his head. “Shouldn’t you be getting in the shower?”
“Don’t you let her go, Roman. It will be the biggest mistake you’ve ever made.”
“That sounds like a story right out of Buffy The Vampire Slayer—the TV show, not the movie,” said Brian when Celeste finished her story.
“Yeah, only there were way fewer hot guys!” Celeste laughed. It felt good talking to Brian like this, not having to keep anything from him.
“I’m really glad you’re alive, Cel. I know I joke around about it, but that is some pretty crazy stuff.”
“I know, but it’s my life now.” She paused and took a sip of her iced tea.
“What are you going to do when you’re in college? I bet there’s a ton of demonic activity in New York City.”
“Great, thanks Brian. I hadn’t even started thinking about that yet.”
“So how does Roman feel about you leaving?” he asked, his tone nonchalant but Celeste new better.
“I don’t know. We haven’t really been talking much lately.” She shrugged, averting her gaze.
“Why not?”
“It’s complicated…”
“Come on Cel, you can tell me.”
“It’s kind of about you.” Her eyes finally met his.
“Me?”
“He thinks that I would be better off with you than him…”
“Well, I can’t argue with him there.” He smirked.
“He knows how you feel about me, and he wants me to be happy—have a family and all that. He can’t give me that so he thinks he should let me go.”
“This guy is already planning a family for us?”
“Brian!” She punched him in the arm. “Stop joking around, this is serious.”
“Okay, okay, don’t hit me! You know I love you Cel, and I probably always will.” Brian moved to the edge of his seat. “But I’ve been thinking about you a lot over the past few days, and I don’t want you to choose me because I’m the safer choice or the more comfortable option. I want you to choose who you love and who you can’t see yourself living without.”
She squeezed his hand. “But I love you both, and I can’t imagine my life without either one of you in it.”
Brian drew in a breath. “But in different ways, right? I see the way you look at him, and I’ve never gotten a look like that from you.”
“Brian…”
“It’s okay, though, because I want someone who will look at me like that.” His gaze fixed on hers.
“You will Brian, I know it. You’re going to make some lucky girl very happy one day. I just hope it’s not Lacey Green.”
He chuckled, rolling his eyes. “And don’t worry, Cel. I’ll always be there for you, especially now that you’re going to be living in New York City. I’ll be coming up to visit every weekend.”
Celeste took a couple deep breaths and gathered her courage as she stood in front of Roman’s apartment. As she lifted her hand to knock on the door, it swung open. Roman stood in front of her wearing the same fitted black t-shirt and dark blue jeans he had worn on the first day they’d met. She inhaled sharply as she took him in. His stunning looks still had the same effect on her, even after everything they had been through.
“Hi,” she said slightly breathless. “Are you going somewhere?”
“Yes, actually I was heading over to your house.”
“Really?” Her pulse quickened.
“Yes, I wanted to talk to you. Come in, please.” He took a step back and opened the door so that she had to brush against him as she entered. A wave of electricity surged between them as their skin touched and their eyes met fleetingly.
“I’ve missed this place,” she said, averting her eyes.
He glanced around his apartment. “It is nice to be back.”
“Is Nico home?”
“No, he went over to Natalie’s. He’s been over there a lot since we got back. Now that I think about it, I think he may have a thing for her.”
Celeste giggled. “You’re just realizing that now?”
“I suppose so,” he said grinning.
“So, you wanted to talk to me about something?” They had stopped in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, and they both stared out onto the tranquil lake ahead.
“Yes, I do, but if you came all the way over here, I imagine you have something to say as well?”
“Fine, I guess I’ll go first,” she said, steeling her nerves. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, about college, about my life as a Guardian, about Brian and about you.”
“And?”
“At first I didn’t want to listen to what you were saying. After these past few days of reflecting on the realities of my new life, I realized you were right.”
“I was?” A look of disappointment crossed his face.
“Yes. I should be able to have a normal life, go to college and be the Guardian. If my father did it, then I know it’s possible for me. I still want to have the whole human experience.”
“You should. It’s what you deserve.” He turned away from her, his lips twisting.
“But I want to have it with you.” She reached for his face and turned it back toward her.
“With me?”
“Yes, Roman. A normal life wouldn’t mean anything to me if you weren’t in it.”
“But—” Roman interrupted.
“Let me finish.” She placed a finger on his lips to silence him. “I know that you are trying to protect me from a dangerous life filled with supernaturals, but don’t you see—that’s the life I was destined for. I need you to protect me from it, to stand by me and make me stronger. I can’t do this without you.”
Roman clasped her hands. “Celeste, you have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that, but how about five or ten years from now? What sort of future could I possibly give you?”
“While I’m flattered that you are already thinking about us in the long term, technically we haven’t even been on our first date yet!”
He couldn’t help but smile. “You are all that I see in my future, Celeste. You have been since the first day I met you, but—”
“No, no ‘buts’ Roman.” She gripped his chin and peered into his troubled eyes. “I’m a Guardian, and as much as I hate to admit it, I don’t think we have the longest life span. Let’s just think about now. You asked me to make a decision and I did so now you have to respect it. I choose you, I want to be with you, and I love you.”
“I love you too Celeste, so much.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her desperately.
Celeste gazed into his smoldering blue eyes. All the love and pain that haunted him swirled through those brilliant irises. She never felt so close to anyone in all her life. As he deepened the kiss, a rush of emotions filled her chest. It was more powerful than anything she had ever experienced. Celeste finally understood what real love was. It truly was nothing like in the movies; it was a thousand times better. So when he looked up at her questioningly, she gave him a reassuring smile. He picked her up in his arms and carried her into his bedroom.
When Celeste opened her eyes, she found herself in front of Dante an
d the rest of the Council.
“What am I doing here?” she asked, her heart hammering.
“Congratulations, Celeste Wilder, you have passed Guardian training successfully,” said Dante smiling proudly. “In fact, you have done better than most of our candidates ever have. You have a bright future ahead of you.”
“Yes, congratulations,” echoed Sierra, Seraphina, and Balthazar. Celeste had recently learned the rest of the Council members’ names after the battle with Fabian.
“Thank you. I didn’t know I was being tested.”
“Well it’s more of a trial period really,” said Sierra.
Dante leaned forward in his seat. “There is just one more thing before you officially become the new Guardian.”
“What’s that?”
“You have to make a choice.” Celeste glanced up at him with a confused expression on her face. “We chose you to become the next Guardian, and I believe we made an excellent decision. But now it is your turn to choose whether you want to accept this duty.”
“You mean I don’t have to be the Guardian?” Her eyes widened.
“No, Celeste you don’t,” said Sierra.
“It has always been our custom to select a Guardian, but it is ultimately their choice to commit to the responsibilities,” explained Dante.
“What would happen if I didn’t accept it?”
“Your powers would disappear, and your memories of everything that has taken place over the past few months would be erased. You would no longer have any knowledge of the supernatural world, and you would simply go back to being an ordinary human.”
“You can do all that for me?”
“Yes, and we have. It hasn’t happened very often, but once in a while a nominee is not suited for this life. They are set free.”
“Can I have a moment to think about it?”
Sierra gave her a warm smile. “Yes certainly, take all the time you need, Celeste.”
Celeste’s mind raced as she considered the possibility of a life without the responsibilities of being a Guardian. She could go to NYU and have a normal college experience, she could live a long life, get married, even have a family. She wouldn’t get skull-piercing premonitions anymore or have to spend hours training or living in constant fear. All of it would be over.