by G. K. DeRosa
“What two?” asked Celeste, noticing Nico’s unintentional slip.
“It’s really nothing to worry about, Celeste,” said Roman, scowling at his brother. “I recognized two of the guys from the attack at the basketball game a few months back so we trailed them. They’re holed up in that abandoned house with Red and a few other remnants from the pack in Falls River.”
Celeste felt a lump in her throat forming as she gathered the courage to ask for the answers she really needed. “Were they there the night of the charity ball, when Natalie was killed?” she finally asked after a long pause.
Roman nodded his head.
Celeste took in a deep breath and tried to steady the rapidly quickening beating of her heart against her chest. “I want all of them destroyed,” she said in an eerily calm voice. She hadn’t forgotten her vow to Brazen. She would make sure that he and his pack were wiped off the face of the earth.
“Let’s try to take things a bit slowly to start, Celeste,” said Stellan, noticing the air growing thick with tension. “We have plenty of time to round up the remaining Black Devils. As Roman and Nico said, they seem to be laying low in Brazen’s absence.”
“For now,” she finished.
Just as Roman was about to interject, Celeste shot up from her seat. “Duty calls,” she said as the sapphire in the Wilder key around her neck began to glow. She couldn’t stop the smile that crossed her face when she felt the summoning. It had been much too long since her enforced time off.
“They sure don’t waste any time,” said Marco, getting to his feet.
“No they don’t,” said Stellan, but before he finished the sentence Celeste and Marco were gone.
All eyes were on Celeste as she and Marco materialized in the middle of the Council’s circular chamber. Dante and the four other members were seated at the long, elevated bench that Celeste had once looked up at in apprehension. Now she found herself happy to see the familiar faces.
“It’s good to have you back,” said Sierra, her lively eyes smiling through her purple-rimmed glasses.
“Thank you, Sierra,” Celeste answered with a tilt of her head. “It feels good to be back.”
“So I take it you are back to fully functioning duty?” asked Dante.
“Yes, Stellan has given me the okay. I’m ready and eager to get back to work.”
“Good,” said Dante. “Then I see no reason why not to get started right away. We just received word of a supernatural disturbance near the center of Oak Bluffs. It appears that a portal has been opened and a few demons have escaped.”
“What kind of demons?” asked Marco.
“Some lower level ones, so nothing the two of you can’t handle. I would like this taken care of swiftly before they cause any trouble in town. Vampires and werewolves are much easier to explain away due to their fairly human guises, but these underworlders will not go by unnoticed,” finished Dante.
“Sure, we’ll go find them right away,” said Celeste. She turned around to leave, but then stopped when she remembered the nagging question she’d had in the back of her mind for the past few weeks. “Dante, what ever happened to Queen Elsbetta’s daughter, Astrid?”
Dante cleared his throat and glanced nervously at the other members of the Council. “The Queen has assured us that she has handled the matter,” he said finally.
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“Celeste, we as a Guardian Council have no say over Fae affairs, especially not royal ones. I trust that the Queen has done what is right and her daughter has been duly punished,” answered Dante.
She threw her hands on her hips and looked up at the Council with a challenging stare. “So, basically you all have no say over someone that aided and abetted a werewolf pack that practically killed one-fourth of the inhabitants of Astor, attacked a basketball game and a charity ball full of innocent humans?” she asked outraged.
Marco put his hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her, but her eyes were blazing as she glared at Dante for an answer.
Balthazar spoke up. “Inter-realm relations with the supernatural community are complicated at best. We have not had a conflict with the Fae for many centuries and we would like to keep it that way. There are certain protocols that must be followed.”
“That sounds like a lot of diplomatic mumbo jumbo,” muttered Celeste. Then she remembered she had a fairy insider from whom she hoped she could get some real information. Surely Marie would know what had happened to Astrid.
“If that’s all…” said Dante dismissively.
Marco grabbed Celeste by the arm before she could argue any longer. “Yes, that’s all. We’ll take care of the demons,” he said as he tugged her out of the room.
“Ugh!” she grunted as soon as the glass doors of the atrium swung closed behind them and the smell of fresh Astor air filled her lungs. “They can be so infuriating sometimes!”
“I know, Celeste,” said Marco walking toward the fountain in the center of the square, “but going off on them isn’t going to help anything.”
“I just don’t understand how the all-powerful Council can’t at least exert a little bit of authority over that conniving fairy, even if she is the Fae princess!”
“If it makes you feel any better, no one has heard anything about her since the encounter with Brazen. I overheard Stellan talking to someone about it on the phone,” he said.
“Well I’m glad at least someone is worried about her whereabouts,” she said, throwing her hands up in the air.
“Come on, let’s get back home. We have some demons to kill,” said Marco as he put an arm around Celeste’s shoulder.
Chapter 2
Celeste and Marco reappeared in her dark bedroom back at her house in Oak Bluffs. Glancing over at the glowing clock on the nightstand, she saw it was already past midnight. Luckily her mom was at the hospital working another overnight shift so they didn’t have to worry about frightening her with their sudden appearance. Fumbling blindly in the dark, Celeste found the light switch and quickly headed for her closet.
“Aren’t you going to call Roman and Nico?” asked Marco as he watched her pull weapons out of a duffel bag hidden behind a pile of clothes.
“Yeah, I will in a second. I just want to get some supplies so we can head off the demons before they cause any trouble,” she answered as she emerged from the closet with an axe and three sharp daggers.
“You don’t happen to have a crossbow in there do you?” asked Marco, as he searched for his weapon of choice.
“No, I wish. Most of my stash is at Stellan’s, including my sword. I just didn’t want to waste any time stopping there,” she answered.
“I guess we’ll just have to make do with this,” said Marco reaching for the medieval axe. He turned it over in his hand and examined the gleaming blade with a pleased look in his eye.
Celeste handed him one of the short daggers and pocketed the other two for herself. She led Marco through the hallway and down the stairs, their heavy footsteps echoing through the quiet house.
Finally out on the streets, Celeste could feel the adrenaline pumping through her body. She pulled out her phone and quickly typed out a message to Roman telling him where they were. She knew he was going to be upset that she didn’t tell him sooner, but for some reason she felt she needed to do this on her own. It was her first real fight in three months, and she needed to prove to herself that she could handle being back on Guardian duty. Of course, she wasn’t really alone, with Marco providing backup, but he’d never hover over her as much as Roman would.
Seconds later, she received an angry response from Roman saying he and Nico were on their way. She dismissed his message and focused back in on the mission. Dante had given them the location coordinates of the supernatural disturbance when they were still in Astor. Pulling up the map on her phone, she headed in the direction of the town square.
“So are you ready for this?” asked Marco, who had been observing her as he walked quietly by her side.
“Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it actually,” she said with a grin.
“Let me know if you need any help. I know you’re a bit out of practice,” he teased.
“Ha ha,” she retorted. “I’m pretty sure I’m in the best shape of my life right now, so you better stay out of my way.”
Marco laughed and quickened his pace to keep up with Celeste as she stepped briskly through the dark streets, the shining light of her cell phone leading the way. As they approached the center of town, an ominous feeling began building in the pit of Celeste’s stomach. Whatever was lurking, it was close. She turned toward Marco to signal they slow down, and for him to stay near. They walked gingerly, one behind the other, sticking close to the tall hedges that lined the sidewalk.
Celeste suddenly stopped short as a wave of nausea came over her just as she heard heavy footsteps approaching. She yanked Marco down to the ground, ducking behind the hedge at the intersection right across from the main town square and surrounding park. Two hideous creatures sped by in front of them, galloping toward the gazebo in the middle of the green. The repulsive four-legged beasts reminded Celeste of gorillas with hairy backs and sharp teeth only with the addition of sprawling, leathery, bat-like wings. She glanced in the direction they were running and could just make out a shadowy figure seated on the bench in the lovely white structure.
“Helvic demons,” whispered Marco.
“What the heck are those?” asked Celeste under her breath as she kept her eyes on the two monsters running further away from them on all four legs.
“Lower-level demons like Dante said. They hunt in pairs and are said to have a psychic connection to their mate. They’re pretty dumb, but can be quite fierce.”
“Can you see who that is in the gazebo?” she asked, squinting trying to focus better.
“No, it’s too dark,” answered Marco.
Once the demons were a good distance away, Celeste slowly rose to her feet and crossed the street to get a closer look. Marco followed her lead, crouching low then joining her behind the cover of a grand oak tree in the center of the park. They now had a direct view of the gazebo as the creatures lumbered ever closer to it. Upon their approach, the figure sitting on the bench rose, human-like and clearly standing on two legs. He appeared to be giving the creatures instructions as he motioned with his hands, but Celeste couldn’t make out a word of it.
“I have to get closer,” she whispered. “Stay here and watch my back.” Marco gave her a dubious look, but she ignored him. She got down on her hands and knees and began crawling toward the gazebo, hiding behind small bushes and trees as she went. Holding her breath, she cursed every fallen leaf that crunched loudly underfoot as she grew nearer. Finally just a few yards away, she was able to make out the dark figure. It was a werewolf, and not just any werewolf: he was a Black Devil. She clearly remembered his scarred face from the attack at the basketball game and from the charity ball. He was the one that had lunged at her and sent her flying over the edge of the bleachers nearly killing her.
Now that Celeste was within earshot, she strained to try and make out their conversation. The werewolf was speaking barely above a whisper and the helvic demons were speaking in a language that Celeste couldn’t understand. She tried to focus all of her power on her hearing, taking deep breaths and envisioning the flow of energy toward her ears. She felt a burst of current run through her and the Albsurori sapphire began to glow. Suddenly, she heard and understood bits and pieces of the conversation and she gasped loudly, unable to contain her surprise.
She clasped her hands over her mouth as three pairs of dark eyes spun toward her. “Darn it!” she muttered and leapt up just as the two demons caught sight of her. They jumped off the gazebo and hurtled toward her as the werewolf darted down the other set of steps to run in the opposite direction. She quickly pulled out the two daggers and thrust them out in front of her as the creatures advanced, snarling and grunting menacingly. As if of one mind, the two demons lunged toward her simultaneously. She managed to stab one in the chest as their heavy ape-like bodies landed on top of her, knocking the wind out of her as she hit the hard ground. The injured one let out a hideous screech as it rolled off of her, clutching at the dagger buried in its belly with humanoid hands. Its partner growled and snapped at Celeste’s face as she forced her arms up in an attempt to get out from underneath it.
Just then Marco appeared wielding the sharp axe, and with one mighty swing he succeeded in taking the helvic demon’s head right off.
“Thanks,” said Celeste as he extended a hand and helped her back onto her feet.
“That’s what I’m here for,” he said with a smile. “If I had my crossbow I would have gotten to you sooner.”
“Watch out!” she cried as she saw the injured demon coming up from behind. Marco spun around just as the hideous creature plunged the dagger into his abdomen. Marco’s eyes widened in surprise as his legs gave way and he fell to the ground. Celeste flung her dagger at the beast, catching him in the shoulder and diverting his attention from the wounded Marco. The demon gave out another shriek then pulled the dagger out of his arm and tossed it onto the grass. Turning toward Celeste, it charged.
As the monster sped toward her, it occurred to Celeste that she was now out of weapons. She cursed herself for not having stopped at Stellan’s to retrieve her sword. In a split second the demon would be on her, and she would have no way of defending herself. She grasped at the Wilder key on her chest and twirling the Albsurori ring around her finger, she shut her eyes and concentrated all of her power on the Wilder sword. She could feel the heat emanating from both sapphires as they began to glow just as the demon pummeled into her and knocked her flat on her back once again. As her head hit the ground, out of the corner of her eye she saw her gleaming sword just inches from her grasp. It had appeared out of nowhere just like the time in the caves when she was imprisoned by Fabian. With one hand, she held off the snarling animal on top of her while with the other she splayed her fingers and grabbed hold of the cold metal hilt.
Before the demon knew what was happening, Celeste had thrust the sword into its back. It howled violently as it rolled off of her and clambered to get the blade out of its flesh. But it was no use: the Wilder sword was made of a mystical metal that was lethal to all supernatural creatures. Within moments, the monster’s hopeless struggle ended.
Celeste sprung quickly to her feet and rushed to Marco who was still lying motionless on the ground. “Are you okay?” she asked as she knelt down next to him to examine the gaping wound. He nodded faintly. He had pulled the dagger out and blood was flowing a deep crimson color, staining his white shirt and the ground all around him. She quickly took off her sweatshirt and used it as a bandage to wrap around his torso to staunch the bleeding. “I’m going to call an ambulance. You’re going to be fine, just hold on a little longer.” She pulled her phone from her back pocket as tears began blurring her vision. Just as she was about to press send, she heard the shrill cry of a falcon overhead. Glancing up into the night sky she saw two falcons, one black and one white, descending toward them. Celeste let out a huge sigh of relief as seconds later, Roman and Nico appeared before her in their fully human forms.
“What happened?” asked Roman, his eyes wide with terror as he saw the bloodstains all over Celeste’s clothes.
“I’m fine, it’s not my blood. It’s Marco. Please, you have to heal him,” she cried, tugging at Roman’s arm.
Roman kneeled beside Marco and bit into his wrist in one swift motion. Celeste tilted Marco’s head back and opened his mouth and Roman placed his arm directly above it. The drops of life-saving blood pooled on Marco’s tongue and Celeste urged him to swallow. He was barely conscious, but somehow she managed to get it down his throat. “Please don’t let it be too late,” murmured Celeste as she held tightly to Marco’s hand. As she anxiously waited for him to open his eyes, she couldn’t help but think of her vision from earlier that day. The sensation of pure h
appiness she experienced had felt so real. I can’t lose you.
Roman stood up abruptly, feeling slightly uncomfortable at Celeste’s visible show of affection. As he looked on, Marco’s eyes opened slowly and he began to cough as he tried to sit up. “No, stay still,” said Celeste as a huge smile crossed her face as the relief set in. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tightly.
“Whoa there, be careful,” he said. “I feel like my insides were ripped open.”
“They were,” she said, her eyes brimming with tears of happiness as she looked down at his wound, which had already started to heal.
“Bleh,” he said, making a gagging sound. “I have the nastiest taste in my mouth.”
“Oh shut up,” she said as she hugged him again.
“If I had known all I needed to do was almost die to get your attention, I would have done it a long time ago,” he said with a smirk, his dark irises sparkling.
Celeste narrowed her eyes at him, but she couldn’t argue with him now, not when she was so relieved that he was okay.
Upon Celeste’s urging, Stellan opened a portal in the middle of the town square to transport the still-healing Marco back to his house.
“I can walk by myself,” Marco complained when they appeared in Stellan’s living room. Celeste had insisted that Roman carry him through the portal, much to both of their chagrin.
“You almost died, Marco,” she exclaimed. “You need to take it easy for a little while.” She nodded at Roman who carried him up the stairs and into his bedroom, but only after countless objections.
After she made sure Marco was comfortable and had fallen asleep, she quietly closed the door to his room and returned downstairs to join the others. As soon as she walked into the living room, her eyes met Roman’s angry glare.
Here it comes. “Before you say anything, Roman, I want to apologize. I know I should have called you guys before going out there,” said Celeste.