by G. K. DeRosa
“I gotta ask, not that we don’t appreciate the extra help, but why now?” interjected Dmitri. Javier, too, perked up at the question and looked expectantly at Celeste.
“Dante didn’t tell you?” she asked. They both shook their heads at her frowning. “Can we step outside for a second?”
The four of them stepped out into the corridor, the metal door closing behind them and the lock sliding securely into place. Celeste wasn’t sure if the door was completely soundproof so she whispered, “I overheard one of the Black Devils plotting with some demons about an escape plan.”
“And we heard from a credible source that Astrid, the fairy princess, was going to be released any day now from her banishment in Xeria,” added Marco.
Javier furrowed his brows and rubbed at his chin, the sound of his day-old scruff making a subtle scraping sound. “That sounds like pretty important information.”
“Dante probably didn’t want to send everyone into a panic,” said Celeste, more for his benefit than her own. She found it very strange that he hadn’t warned them. She was about to say more when she felt the familiar sensation of the Council’s summoning pulsing in the Wilder key that hung around her neck. “Duty calls.”
As she and Marco took off, Javier yelled after them, “I’ll send you the schedule this evening as soon as I’ve placed you in the rotation.”
“Thank you!” Celeste shouted over her shoulder before she and Marco disappeared.
When Celeste and Marco materialized in the Council’s chambers moments later, the room was empty. Marco arched an eyebrow at her as she searched the circular space.
“That’s weird,” she said, her voice echoing through the stillness.
Marco walked up to the bench and ran his hand across the raised wooden structure. “I’ve always wanted to know what it would feel like to sit up here.”
“Marco…” she warned.
“Come on, don’t tell me you’ve never wanted to see what it feels like to sit in Dante’s seat?” He took a step up and twirled the tall leather chair toward him. Just as he was about to lower himself onto the seat, Dante appeared in the middle of the room. He narrowed his eyes at Marco from across the space. Marco quickly stood back up and spun the chair back around. “Uh, yup, looks like you’re right, Celeste. It’s definitely real leather.”
She stifled the laugh that threatened to bubble out as Marco’s cheeks reddened.
“Come sit,” said Dante, getting right down to business. “There are some new developments we need to discuss.” A small circular table with three chairs appeared in the center of the room where he pointed.
Celeste sat down and said, “We were with Javier in the bunker when you called. We are going to be placed in the guard rotation.”
Dante frowned. “You won’t have time for that now.”
“What do you mean?” asked Celeste, crinkling her brows.
“I need you to go to Rome right away to see Alek.”
Both Celeste and Marco’s eyes bulged out comically. “For what?” she finally asked.
“Alek is the only one who will be able to reverse Brazen’s immortality. I’m tired of that troublesome werewolf and I want him dead.” He said the words through gritted teeth, and she got the distinct impression that there was more to this than he was letting on.
“Why the sudden change of heart?” she asked. Just a few days ago, Dante had completely dismissed her warnings of Brazen’s possible escape.
“I’ve received some new information,” he muttered.
“From whom?” asked Marco.
“It’s not important. I’ve told you what you need to do and that is all that should concern either of you.”
Dante’s mood swings were making Celeste’s head spin lately. Now Alek was supposed to be some sort of ally? “What makes you think he’ll agree to help us?” she asked.
“He will. Trust me.”
Celeste was getting tired of Dante’s vague answers. Knowing very well she wasn’t likely to get any real explanations, she stood up abruptly. “Fine, we’ll leave tomorrow.”
“Actually, Marco will not be joining you this time. I do believe that Brazen’s escape is a credible threat, and I would like him to stay in Astor while you are gone.”
“No, I need to go with her,” said Marco, jumping to his feet. “She can’t face Alek alone. What if he tries something?”
“Celeste will be perfectly safe, I assure you,” confirmed Dante. Again she detected a hint of reluctance in his voice. What in the world is going on with him?
“Fine. If that’s settled, I need to get going,” she said. “I’m meeting with the head of the Werewolf Alliance today.”
Now it was Dante’s turn to be surprised. He arched a dark eyebrow at her. “How did you manage that?” He didn’t mention that he had been trying over the past few weeks to get a private audience with him, ever since he was selected Master.
“I have sources too,” she answered icily.
“Good,” he said. “It’s important to maintain good relations within the supernatural community. And perhaps he can provide some insight into this Brazen escape plan.”
“My thoughts exactly,” she retorted.
“Very well then, you are both dismissed. And keep me apprised of the situation in Rome, Celeste.”
***
“It is extremely odd,” said Stellan as he paced in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows streaming light into Roman and Nico’s apartment. Celeste and Marco had headed straight over after the enlightening discussion with Dante.
“Something’s not right,” said Celeste. “I could tell Dante was hiding something big.”
Stellan pushed his glasses further up his nose and stared out the window. “I wonder if Dante has had contact with Alek himself. How else would he be so sure that he would help?”
“Well, you’re not going to Rome by yourself,” interjected Roman, who stood at the corner of the room with his arms crossed over his chest.
“We can all go with you,” offered Nico.
Celeste didn’t even bother to argue. Having the brothers there with her would certainly make her feel safer—and less out of place. Plus, there was always the excuse that they were visiting Lilliana. “I think that could work.”
“It’s settled then. I’ll make the arrangements,” said Roman.
“You can stay at my parents’ place,” said Marco. “My brothers could help out in any way you needed.”
Roman grunted and opened his mouth to reply, but Celeste cut in before he could get a word out. “That’s really nice of you Marco, but we’ll stay with Aunt Maddie. If I’m going to be in Rome, I can’t pass up the chance to spend some time with her.”
“Sure,” he said nodding. “I’ll just give my dad a heads up that you’re coming, in case of anything.”
“Thanks,” she said, shooting him a grateful smile. She knew how upset he must have been to have to sit this one out. She would be furious if Dante hadn’t allowed her to go.
Celeste glanced down at her watch. “Shoot, I gotta go or else I’m going to be late to meet Brennan.” She darted toward the door.
“I’ll go with you,” said Roman, following behind her.
She turned and held up her hand, stopping him. “Actually I was thinking it might be better if you and Nico hung back this time.”
Roman frowned. “Why?”
“I’m not going to be in any danger, and I think the Werewolf Alliance might be more open to helping us if I didn’t bring two vampires.”
He let out a long sigh, but eventually conceded. The werewolves and vampires had long been mortal enemies, and though he and Nico were not like most of their kind, a hatred still festered.
“Marco, why don’t you come with me?” she asked. “This way you can be their contact while I’m in Rome—in case anything comes up with Brazen.”
Marco smiled smugly as he sauntered past Roman to Celeste’s side, brushing Roman’s shoulder as he moved.
“Good luck,” Ro
man muttered through gritted teeth.
Celeste blew him a kiss and rushed out the door.
Marco drove under the bright yellow arches and pulled into the busy parking lot of the McDonald’s just off the highway. Celeste glanced around at the adjacent parked cars, but didn’t see Brennan anywhere.
“Are you sure this is the place?” asked Marco, scanning the lot.
Celeste picked up her phone and opened the Google maps app to confirm they were directly at the red pin marked. “Yup, this is the address.”
A few seconds later, a dark van with blacked out windows pulled up and parked a few spots away. The door slid open and Brennan hopped out, holding some sort of black fabric in his hands. Celeste turned to Marco and nodded, so he turned off the engine and the two got out of the vehicle.
“Thanks for coordinating this for me,” said Celeste as Brennan approached, his blond spiky hair shining in the sun.
“No problem,” he said. “There’s just one thing before I take you to meet Jaxon.” He held up the two pieces of black fabric, which she now clearly recognized as blindfolds.
“Is that really necessary?” asked Marco. His gaze stretched beyond Brennan and into the van, only to meet two sets of unfriendly eyes peering back at him.
“Look, I trust you Celeste. You did me a solid back there a couple months ago when you didn’t kill me and Curtis. We probably deserved it. But rules are rules and no one outside of the pack can know where the Werewolf Alliance base is located. So the question is, do you trust me?” He held out the two blindfolds, his lips curved mischievously.
Celeste and Marco exchanged skeptical glances then shrugged. “All right, let’s do this,” she said. She turned her back to Brennan and gathered her hair in a ponytail as he tied the fabric around her eyes.
Marco grudgingly did the same, muttering complaints as Brennan double knotted his. Brennan then took hold of both of their hands and ushered them into the awaiting van.
Celeste’s senses were on high alert as she bounced around in the back seat. She felt the van make a sharp left turn and then accelerate, meaning they were headed back onto the highway. Marco and Brennan were on either side of her and she knew there were two others in the front. No one talked much, but she could hear the driver and passenger breathing. They smelled woodsy, like freshly cut grass and a greasy lawnmower. She wondered if either of them were former Black Devils. She had, after all, vowed to kill all of them, and she hadn’t forgotten her promise.
“Not too much farther,” said Brennan, interrupting her dark musings.
Celeste felt the car slow and take the circular exit ramp off the highway. She wondered where they were going. If this was the exit she thought it was, there was nothing much out here but empty fields where corn used to grow. The road suddenly got bumpier and the van lurched from side to side. It sure felt like they were on a dirt road, and she assumed her supposition about the fields had been correct.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” complained Marco, his voice quavering with every bump in the road.
“Calm down, Guardian,” said Brennan, “we’re here.”
The van rolled to a stop and the other two werewolves got out, sliding open the back door. Celeste gratefully breathed in the fresh air after the stuffy ride and made a move to remove the blindfold.
Brennan caught her hand in mid-air. “Not yet.” He took her by the arm and led her down a dirt path with Marco following behind, guided by one of the other guys. They finally stopped in front of an entrance of some sort, Celeste assumed. She heard the clicking of a lock and then they moved through a doorway. The air inside was cool and damp and Celeste had the feeling that even if she hadn’t been blindfolded, she still wouldn’t have been able to see much of anything. It just felt dark.
“This way,” said Brennan, tugging Celeste’s arm to the left. “You’re going to have to go down some stairs.”
“Seriously?” she asked.
“Just hold on here,” he said, placing her hand on the railing, “and I’ll tell you when to stop.”
After descending what felt like ten floors, Brennan finally came to a halt and signaled for the group to stop. “Okay, you can take off the blindfolds now.”
Celeste ripped the black band off of her head and squinted for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. Not that it was very bright wherever they were, but after seeing nothing but pitch black for the past thirty minutes, even candle-lit lanterns proved bothersome. Directly in front of her stood an immense oak door with a multitude of carvings etched into the thick wood. Celeste didn’t have the time to try and make them out, but one she clearly recognized was the pictogram of the full moon. She felt a slight shudder down her spine.
“Before we go in, you have to surrender all of your weapons,” said Brennan. “Rules are rules.”
Marco stared incredulously at him. Celeste pulled her sword off of her shoulder and began searching through her clothing for the other miscellaneous weapons she had tucked away. After letting out an irritated grunt, Marco began to do the same.
“That’s everything,” said Celeste, handing over her cache to Brennan.
He nodded toward one of the burly werewolves behind them, who stepped forward reaching for Celeste.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked, dodging his grasp.
“Pat down,” explained Brennan.
And before he could continue, Celeste cut him off, “I know, I know, rules are rules.”
Once the full disarmament procedure was completed to their satisfaction, Brennan produced an ancient-looking key tucked inside his jacket and jammed it into the keyhole. With a mighty heave, he swung the heavy door open.
Chapter 7
The headquarters of the Werewolf Alliance was nothing like Celeste had pictured. Unlike the pristine, white, circular room of The Council chamber, this place was dark, musty and medieval in appearance. In fact, it reminded Celeste of a primitive torture chamber, with thick cement-blocked walls and no windows in sight.
“Welcome,” said a hulking, blond-mustached man. He was seated in the center of the room on an elaborate throne carved out of granite. His curious eyes surveyed the guests as they entered while his fingers impatiently drummed the armrests, which were intricately carved into the shape of wolves’ heads. On either side of him sat a massive wolf – one snow white and the other jet-black.
“Thank you for meeting with us,” said Celeste, keeping her back straight and eyes intent on his. She was very familiar with pack decorum regarding the Alpha and she had to make sure that this man respected her—and that he knew she wouldn’t bow down to him. As she and Marco continued the long walk toward the throne, the two wolves emitted low growls that steadily increased as they approached. Celeste continued marching forward, head held high, not heeding the veiled warning.
A shadow of a smile flickered past the Master’s lips. “Ghost, Nero, enough!” Immediately, the wolves’ hackles lowered and the growling stopped. Brennan moved forward, standing next to his father, his lips drawn in a tight line.
“I understand you requested this meeting, Guardian,” he said directing his question to Celeste. “My son has spoken highly of you which is why I agreed. Now how can I help you?”
“Please call me Celeste, and I hope that we can help each other.”
He let out a low chuckle. “Well then Celeste, you may call me Master Jaxon, and I am all ears.”
“Master Jaxon, I believe you and I have a common enemy, and that it would be in both of our best interests to join together to defeat him.”
“I assume you are referring to Brazen. I understand he caused quite a bit of trouble for you,” Jaxon said, as he ran his hand over his bald head. “It was my understanding that he was being detained in Astor.”
“He is for now. I encountered one of his old pack members and overheard him plotting his escape.”
Jaxon turned toward his son, arching a brow as a frown darkened his expression. He cleared his throat then continued, “M
y pack has been rounding up all of the former Black Devils, but as it seems, some have gone unaccounted for.”
“I’d like to offer my assistance,” said Celeste. “Both Marco and I can aid in your efforts. If we want to be sure that Brazen is stopped permanently, none of the Black Devils can remain in existence.” Her harsh words reverberated through the vast interior as she paused to let them sink in.
“I agree,” Jaxon said finally. “And what is it that I would have to do in return?”
“The same as you have been doing. Round up the pack and keep things in control. I am working on a way to cure Brazen of his immortality, and once that has been done, we’ll be rid of him once and for all.”
“Fine,” he replied with a look of admiration in his eye. “There is just one thing I must insist upon.” Celeste nodded for him to proceed. “I am the Master of the Werewolf Alliance and thus must be the one to administer punishment on any of the packs under my jurisdiction. You have my authority to proceed as you will with the Black Devils, but you may not interfere under any circumstances with the abiding packs.”
“That sounds fair,” said Celeste as she shot a look at Marco.
“Very well, then. It has been a pleasure doing business with you,” said Jaxon as he rose to his feet. He extended a muscular arm to shake both Celeste’s and Marco’s hands.
“Thank you,” said Celeste, her hard exterior beginning to melt away now that the negotiations were over.
Without a word, Brennan stepped forward and led them down the long walkway and out of the dark chamber. As soon as the heavy door shut behind them, Celeste let out a huge sigh of relief.
“Good job in there,” said Brennan. “I think he really liked you.”
Marco squeezed Celeste’s shoulder and offered her a reassuring smile. “This is good. The Master of the Werewolf Alliance will be a valuable ally for us and for the Guardian Council as a whole.”
Celeste nodded and gave him a smile that actually reached her eyes for the first time since they descended into the werewolf den.