by G. K. DeRosa
“So are you going to tell us what happened or just keep us in suspense forever?” asked Nico.
Celeste pulled away from Roman, and wiping a stray tear from her cheek turned to the others. “It’s a long story…”
It was pitch black out, but Alek could not sleep. He paced in front of the window as snowflakes began to cover the ground. Every few minutes he would glance at his cell phone, clutched tightly in his hand. It had been hours since the attack, and he should have heard something by now. Finally, the call he had been anxiously awaiting came.
“Bring it to me now,” commanded Alek over the phone.
Seconds later, a portal opened and dumped Brazen unceremoniously on the hardwood floor just steps in front of Alek. Brazen quickly got to his feet, but it was obvious that standing was causing him some effort. He had a wicked slash across his cheek and a puncture wound on the right side of his chest. His clothes were ripped and ragged and covered with blood.
It had been quite a battle after all, thought Alek with a sneer. “Give it to me,” he said.
“Not so fast,” said Brazen, puffing up his chest. “We had a deal. I got you the ring and you make me immortal. As you can see, I’m not doing so great right now.”
Alek gave him a contemptuous glare. “Fine. A deal is a deal.”
“And while you’re at it, heal me too. That guardian Marco got me with one of his silver arrows,” he said, clutching at his oozing wound. “I’m lucky to be alive.”
Alek grunted. He snapped his fingers and a small vial with crimson red liquid appeared in his hand. “Take this when you get home. I recommend sitting down first,” he instructed. Brazen snatched the vial and placed it in the inner pocket of his worn leather jacket, at the same time producing a small pouch from within. He handed it over to Alek.
Alek untied the string and gently tipped the pouch over to allow the sapphire ring to tumble into his open palm. Picking it up with his other hand, he raised it toward the overhead lamp and watched it reverently as the brilliant jewel flashed in the light.
“What do you want that old ring for anyway?” asked Brazen.
“That’s none of your concern,” Alek spit back. “We are done here.” And with a wave of his hand, the whirling vortex opened up, sucking Brazen back in.
After recounting the entire traumatic event, Celeste could not keep her eyes open. She had been up for over twenty-four hours, and the adrenaline had finally stopped coursing through her system. As much as she tried to fight it, she passed out seconds after Brian and Marie left. Once Roman was certain she was asleep, he lowered his body down next to hers, barely breathing so as not to shake the bed.
Roman watched her intently as she slept, gently caressing her arm and murmuring soothingly. He marveled at the beautiful, courageous young woman she had become in the past few months. She deserved better than him, he had always known that, but he couldn’t bear to let her go. After a while, Stellan appeared in the doorway and beckoned him with a wave of his hand. Roman stood reluctantly and followed Stellan out to the living room, silently shutting the door behind him.
Walking out into the great room, he found Nico waiting impatiently by the fireplace. “Now that Roman’s here, what did you want to tell us?”
“There were a few things that Celeste left out of the story which are of extreme importance. Though Celeste and I believe that Marie is no threat, we thought it would be better to keep this information strictly amongst us for now,” began Stellan. Roman sat down next to Nico, his eyes filled with curiosity.
“Celeste’s sword put on quite a light show once again,” continued Stellan. Roman felt a sense of pride surging through him. He wished he could have been there to see her in action. “And this time she noticed that her Wilder key and your mother’s ring lit up when it happened.”
“What?” asked Roman.
“How could that be?” echoed Nico.
“I feared that this would come as news to the both of you. I was hoping you had seen it before.”
“No, I’ve never seen it glow before, but then again after our mother died we kept it in an old jewelry box for ages. I never took it out until the day I gave it to Celeste,” explained Roman.
“Yeah, and I think we would have remembered if it had glowed when mother used to wear it,” added Nico. He had always been a momma’s boy, tottering around behind her wherever she went.
“I’m going to look into this and perhaps consult with the witches. Though your mother lost her powers when she was turned, perhaps this ring held some special significance.”
“I’m glad I gave it to Celeste. Perhaps it really does give its owner strength,” said Roman.
Stellan looked flustered. “I’m afraid there’s one more thing she left out.” The brothers picked their heads up, furrowing their eyebrows in unison. “Her ring was stolen by the werewolves.”
Celeste rolled over drowsily as the setting sun shined in through the window. Her eyelids still felt so heavy, but she knew she had to get up. Opening her eyes, she was startled when she saw Roman’s face just inches from hers.
“Sorry,” he said standing up abruptly, his cheeks rosy. “I thought you were still asleep.”
“I wish I was,” she said wearily. “But I should probably get home. I’m sure Mom and Aunt Maddie must be worried about me.”
Roman stood by the bed uneasily, wanting to stay but feeling compelled to leave. “Don’t worry about that, Stellan already called them to tell them you were here.”
“Good,” she said, “but I should probably get going anyway.” Roman nodded and began to walk out of the room. She pushed herself up off the bed and let out a slight groan.
He was back at her side in a flash. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she said shaking out her shoulders. “I’m just a bit sore from the fighting.”
Roman noticed the scrapes and bruises running down her arms and legs, and he felt terrible he hadn’t thought of it sooner. “Do you want some of my blood to heal you?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m sure I’ll heal on my own soon.” She knew it would be wrong to take his blood. She couldn’t have it both ways. It wasn’t right to be mad at him for his vampire attributes and then benefit from them when it suited her.
Tentatively, Roman reached out and gently began rubbing her neck and back. Her body began to relax under his strong hands, and she sighed reflexively as she leaned into him.
“I can’t do this!” she blurted out, suddenly springing away from him. Roman pulled his hands back as if they had been burned, a flash of hurt consuming his eyes. “I’m sorry, but it’s still too soon,” she said.
“It’s fine. I shouldn’t have done that. It’s my fault,” he muttered.
“I have to go,” she said as she turned away from him and began hastily collecting her things.
Roman accompanied her to the door, but before she disappeared through the threshold, Roman stopped her. “Celeste, wait! Please be careful – Stellan told us about the ring. I don’t know what it all means yet, but I will find out. I promise you.” She nodded and with a wistful glance, walked out the door.
It had been a long walk from Roman’s apartment back to her house, but Celeste found the chilly breeze reinvigorating. She needed the time alone with her thoughts, and when she stepped up onto her porch, she was feeling somewhat better. Mrs. Wilder and Aunt Maddie ran to the door as soon as she stepped foot through the entryway. They had been anxiously awaiting her arrival since receiving the call from Stellan. Her mother and aunt took turns hugging her, and a few tears were shed from all sides.
“I’m fine, Mom,” she said, as her mother fussed over her. Roman had tended to her cuts and scrapes while she had been sleeping, so they weren’t quite as nasty anymore. But her mother was a nurse who prided herself on the ability to heal others, so in spite of Celeste’s rebuttals, she hurried off to get her first aid kit.
“Let her do it,” said Aunt Maddie, taking her hand and leading her to the sofa. �
��It gives her the illusion of control. Watching you go off and fight like that is hard on her, so at least with this she feels like she can help out.”
Celeste was in no mood to take advice from her aunt now that she knew she had been lied to all along. Celeste turned away, gathering her thoughts. “How could you not tell me that you’re not a guardian anymore?” Celeste accused, spinning to face her.
Aunt Maddie paled and abruptly stood up, walking to the window. Without turning around she said, “How could I tell you? How could I tell my amazing niece, possibly one of the most promising guardians in the world, the thing that has brought me the most shame?” She hung her head and her shoulders slumped, never dropping her gaze out the window.
Mrs. Wilder’s footsteps came rushing down the stairs, and both women stopped speaking. As she walked in, the first aid kit tight in her hand, she noticed the tense silence and shook her head knowingly. She sat next to her daughter on the couch and got to work.
“Ouch!” squealed Celeste as her mother dabbed rubbing alcohol on the long gash down her forearm. Rocky padded over to her, his big brown eyes looking at her in concern. She patted him on the head, and he rewarded her with a slobbery lick.
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” she said as she touched her arm softly, “but you know that these cuts have to be cleaned properly or they’ll get infected.” Celeste sat obediently as her mom reapplied alcohol to each of her cuts, then put antibiotic cream on them, and finally covered every last one with bandages of various sizes. Throughout the procedure, her aunt sat by the window, her eyes glazed over as though her thoughts were somewhere far away.
“There! All better,” said her mom with a satisfied grin. It reminded Celeste of when she was young, and her mom would kiss her boo-boos and make them all better with the magic of love and Disney character Band-Aids.
After examining her mom’s work, Celeste stood up, but before she could round the couch, Aunt Maddie grabbed her by her good arm. “Wait, please. I want to explain.” Celeste almost pulled away, but when she looked into her aunt’s hazel eyes she could see the pain just under the surface. Her eyes were the mirror image of her dad’s, the warm hazel color speckled with hints of green and caramel, and Celeste felt moved to listen to her. She owed it to her dad. Her mother gave her an encouraging nod and Celeste sighed, then turned to face her aunt.
With a deep breath, Maddie began, “I told you how tough it was for me when I was first chosen to be the Guardian. The Council dispatched me to a strange place where I knew no one, and I was asked to fight and save people that meant nothing to me. I only had one person, one man who was the world to me.” She paused and hastily swiped at the tear that had begun to roll down her cheek. “Maks was my teacher, my mentor, my best friend, and I fell in love with him.”
Celeste’s own heart clenched as she watched her aunt struggle with her emotions. Celeste reached out her hand and squeezed her aunt’s.
Maddie continued, “We knew we shouldn’t get involved, and we fought our feelings for years. He was in St. Petersburg and I was in Warsaw, and I was so young. But it was impossible to hide, not after training and fighting side by side for so long. Maks requested a reassignment so that we could be near each other and when it was granted we finally gave in; we gave us a shot. We were happy for a while…” She smiled wistfully, her gaze again gone to that far off place. Mrs. Wilder put her hand on Maddie’s shoulder, and she snapped back to the present.
“What happened?” whispered Celeste, completely engrossed in the story. She couldn’t believe her straight-laced aunt could have ever done anything against the rules.
“We had finally moved in together. I was twenty-four, and we were planning on getting married the following year. It was a quiet Wednesday night in the middle of summer, and the two of us went out on patrol. Our route generally covered the Old Town of Warsaw, as that was where all the tourists were, and they made the most unsuspecting victims. We had just passed the Royal Castle when we heard a muffled cry down one of the small side streets. Maks went first, and I followed right behind. A dark shadow sped away as we approached, leaving behind a young blonde woman lying on the cobblestone road. She had a gaping wound in her neck and warm blood still flowing from it. Maks ripped off the sleeve of his shirt and wrapped it around her neck, then directed me to go for help. I did as he said, and when I came back with the ambulance just a few minutes later, he and the woman were gone.”
“What do you mean gone?” asked Celeste, shooting up from the couch.
“When we walked back down the street we found more blood and when I couldn’t find Maks anywhere, we called the police. I later found out that the blood at the scene was a match for his, along with an unknown female.”
“The blonde lady that had gotten bitten?” Celeste asked.
“Yes, I suppose so. They never found her either,” she finished.
“I’m so sorry that you lost Maks, Aunt Maddie,” said Celeste as she wrapped her arms around her aunt. “But I still don’t understand why you went rogue?”
“I had a feeling that whatever had attacked the woman must have come back for her after I left and found Maks instead. He was a strong fighter, and there was no way just any vampire could have taken him down. So I spent the next few months trying to put the pieces together to figure out what happened. I started to neglect my guardian duties and I got into some trouble. I was so hell bent on revenge that I didn’t care about anything else anymore,” she said.
“So you just left?” asked Celeste.
“I was about to. I was going to find and kill the vampire that took Maks away from me, even if that meant following him to the ends of the earth. But one night as I patrolled alone, I rounded a corner and found myself face to face with Maks. Only it wasn’t really him, not anymore anyway. He was a monster. His fangs were buried in the neck of a young girl and as he looked up at me, I saw nothing of the man I once loved. I turned around and I ran.”
“Oh my God, Aunt Maddie, that’s terrible!” The similarity of the scene that her aunt witnessed to her vision of Roman made Celeste’s skin crawl. “Did you ever see him again?”
“No,” she said with a frown. “I looked for him though. I searched all over Eastern Europe for him for years. And that’s why I left and gave up my Guardian duty. But I never stopped being a Guardian, not really anyway. I was always a hunter at heart, and as I searched, I protected the innocent and I killed demons.”
“That’s why you hate vampires so much. That day with Roman when you first arrived – it all makes sense now,” said Celeste.
She nodded her head slowly. “Now you know the real story about ‘crazy’ Aunt Maddie.”
“You’re not crazy,” said Celeste, putting an arm around her aunt’s shoulder. “You were in love.”
Chapter 9
Stellan peered up over his horn-rimmed glasses as Roman walked into his study. He had been nose deep in an old Wicka book and appeared irritated at the intrusion. After Celeste left, Roman had come back to Stellan’s to help research his mother’s ring.
Disregarding Stellan’s cross expression, Roman cleared his throat and began. “I was thinking that the attack in Astor and Celeste’s ring could somehow be connected.” Stellan’s scowl lessened, his interest piqued. He motioned for Roman to take a seat. “How much do you know about Dalla?”
This time an uneasy air crept across Stellan’s face. “I know her well enough. Why?”
“I was searching for more information about my mother’s ring, and as it turns out, both my mom and Dalla are from the same coven of witches. Don’t you think that’s a strange coincidence?” asked Roman. Stellan nodded his head. “But still the more important question remains: why would Brazen and his pack have any reason to attack Astor or steal the ring?”
Stellan let out a sigh and rubbed his temples wearily. There was something both men were missing, and he felt it – a little glimmer of a connection that he just couldn’t grasp. “I was aware that Dalla and Lilliana were in the same coven. A
s you know, your mother was part of the Council for a short time before she met your father. Their coven, the Albsurori, was very powerful and frequently worked side by side with the Council and many guardians.”
“Do you know Dalla well?” he pointedly asked again.
“Yes, I do. I’ve known her for many years. We have history, as they say, and I can say without a doubt that she had nothing to do with this.” Stellan appeared irritated at the insinuation.
“You’re sure about that?” Roman pushed. “Because according to this,” he held out a book that he had behind his back and opened it to a page that had been marked. “My mother’s ring was pretty powerful, and it’s been missing for decades. It belonged to the leader of the Albsurori and was passed down for generations.”
Stellan read the ancient script and his eyes widened. “It magnifies natural power,” he read aloud. As he continued reading, he discovered that the possessor of the ring was endowed with great strength and amplification of his or her natural abilities. The first leader of the Albsurori coven had been gifted the ring by a wizard centuries ago, and since then it had been passed on through their descendants in utmost secrecy.
“Then why did my mother have it?” asked Roman.
A wistful smile crossed Stellan’s tired face. “She was destined to be the head of the Albsurori. She was to marry Fabian, and with their combined magic, they would have been the most powerful rulers the supernatural world had ever seen.”
Roman paused to contemplate how different everything would have been had his mother never met his father. Would Fabian have been his father? Would he have become the cruel monster that wreaked havoc on all their lives? He shook his head, pushing away the bad memories. “So my mom had been given the ring and inadvertently ran off with it when she and my father escaped.”
“That’s what I presume. It’s likely that your mother never knew the power that the ring held. Shortly after she went into hiding, the head of her coven was killed and a new leader, Marja, was chosen. Perhaps Marja never even knew of the ring.”