by G. K. DeRosa
“I guess not,” he said as he continued walking.
She raced to catch up to him, not wanting to give him the last word. “Okay so maybe I hadn’t thought about that, but geez, I’m only nineteen!”
“So what’s that new ring around your finger?” he asked, staring accusatorily at the diamond band.
“It’s just a promise ring,” she huffed, shoving her hands in her pockets.
Suddenly, Roman appeared at her side, his stealthy vamp-speed catching both her and Marco off guard. “Are you guys coming or what?”
“She’s all yours,” said Marco as he sprinted ahead toward the others.
Roman peered at Celeste as she watched Marco race off. “Everything okay with the two of you?”
“Yeah, just a minor disagreement.”
“You let me know if you want me to beat him up for you,” he said with a teasing grin.
“I might take you up on that,” she responded with a smile. “How’s it going up ahead? Is Brennan having any luck picking up Brazen’s scent?”
Roman shook his head. “No, the forest is filled with way too many scents for him to home in on one that he’s not even that familiar with.”
“What if we went back to the caves where the Black Devils were hiding out last time? Maybe he can pick up his scent from there.”
A big smile crossed Roman’s face. “That’s why I love you, Celeste. Not only are you a kick-butt Guardian, you’re also a genius!” He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and grabbing her hand, vamp-sped them both to the front of the group.
“Change of plans,” said Roman as he caught up to Brennan. “We’re heading to the caves. I’ll take the lead.”
Brennan emitted a low growl in response, his beta wolf not wanting to give up the head position, but after a menacing glare from Roman he relented. A shimmery cloud appeared around the black wolf and in the blink of an eye Brennan stood before them in human form. “After you,” he said with an exaggerated hand gesture.
***
It was a few hours before dawn, and Alek lay awake in his bed watching the full moon taunting him from the dark night sky. It was no use—he hadn’t been sleeping well for days—not since the visit from his sickeningly do-gooder half- brothers. He was finding it impossible to put up with their existence and their growing relationship with his mother. And there was more: something was not right with her behavior either. He couldn’t quite place it, but something had changed. Glancing at his phone on the nightstand, he grimaced as it flashed 3:43 a.m. Alek threw the covers back and dragged himself out of bed. Pocketing his phone and wrapping himself in a robe, he left his room and quietly snuck through the hallway and up to the third floor terrace.
Outside in the refreshing night air, the strangling feelings of futility began to dissipate. He gazed up into the starlit sky and wondered if Fabian was looking down on him. A sneer crossed his face as he averted his gaze downward to the ground. It was much more likely that Fabian was in hell looking up and cursing him for his weakness.
The steady buzzing in his robe pocket startled him. He pulled the phone out and narrowed his eyes, not recognizing the number. “Who is this?” he answered.
“Alek, I believe we have a matter of shared interest,” said a delicate female voice over the phone.
“I’m not in the habit of conducting business with strangers.”
“I’m not a stranger at all. In fact, your father and I had a mutual understanding for many years,” she said.
Alek strained to make out the somewhat familiar voice, but still couldn’t quite place it. “My father had many friends and even more enemies. How can I trust you if I don’t even know your name?”
“Before I tell you, I need to be certain that you will not reveal any of this conversation to another soul, regardless of what your answer is.”
“Fine,” he answered. “What is your proposition?”
“We both have something the other needs. I want the Albsurori ring and you want the Constantins out of your life—and out of your mother’s life for good. I can make that happen for you.”
Alek furrowed his brow. He didn’t have the ring, and he hadn’t had it for some time now. Still, he was curious as to what this mysterious woman could offer him. “I’m listening,” he said. “How would you get rid of the Constantins?”
“Oh my boy, with the power that I am offering to you, you would have the power to defeat everyone who has ever stood in your way.”
Alek was now beyond intrigued. “And all you would want in return is the Albsurori ring?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“I’m sure you know that I am already very powerful. What makes you think you could make me more so?”
“Are you familiar with the Negrusurori?”
The name rang a bell in Alek’s mind. Dark magic, a powerful coven which everyone thought had long since been eradicated. “Yes,” he uttered. “I think it’s time we discuss this further in person.”
“Fine. As long as you can assure me that you will tell no one about this.”
Alek smirked as he thought about all the secret alliances he had been a part of over the years. “Of course,” he answered.
“Meet me at the fountain in front of the Spanish Steps in fifteen minutes,” she said and hung up.
Throughout that conversation, Alek tried to narrow down the identity of the woman on the phone. He did not like the feeling of walking blindly into something. Whoever she was, she knew exactly where he lived because she had picked a location minutes from his front door. She was also very likely a witch due to her knowledge of the Albsurori ring and the Negrusurori legend—and a powerful one at that, since she could transport herself to Rome from a location in the U.S. (indicated by the telephone prefix). A clear picture of this woman began forming in his mind as he hurried down the stairs to his bedroom to get dressed.
Rushing down the desolate streets of Rome, Alek finally reached the top of the Spanish Steps and could see a figure sitting at the fountain below. He took the steps two at a time, and then slowed as he drew nearer to the woman. She had his back toward him, her petite figure hidden under a long black hood. Hearing his footsteps, she finally turned to face him.
A pleased grin twisted Alek’s expression as the fine features of her face came into view under the dim streetlights. “Well this is an unexpected surprise. My week has simply been full of them…”
Dalla finally spoke, a mixed look of remorse and uncertainty marring her face. “You must never tell anyone,” she whispered.
“Of course not. I can’t imagine that Stellan would be pleased if he caught wind of it. And weren’t you one of my mother’s closest friends? How is it that you are willing to help me destroy her sons once and for all?”
“I have my reasons.”
“Yes, the Albsurori ring, I imagine,” he retorted. “Power is quite a fickle friend isn’t it?”
“Did you bring it?” she asked, ignoring his snide remark. Under the clear moonlit night, her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Alek frowned. “Not exactly, Dalla my dear. I don’t have the ring. I haven’t had it for months now.”
Dalla’s eyes shot daggers at Alek. “If you’ve come here only to deceive me, you will pay for this!”
Alek waved his finger in the air tauntingly. “Not so fast. I have every intention of following through with this agreement once I hear more about this Negrusurori you spoke of. I simply wanted to be honest with you. Your precious Stellan has been lying to you for some time now. Celeste has had the ring all along.”
For such a small woman, Alek was astonished by the magnitude of her anger. Her gentle lilac eyes turned into fiery pits of hatred as she processed what he had told her. Leaping up from her seat on the edge of the fountain, she clenched her small fists in fury as she waved them in the air, the hood of her jacket slipping off of her head as she paced maniacally. “It cannot be!” she shouted. “How could they all have kept this from me for months?”
“App
arently our friends are not always who they seem,” said Alek with a wicked grin.
She marched straight for him, a determined look in her eye. “I will tell you everything,” she growled, jabbing him in the chest. “You have the power of the Negrusurori and the Albsurori coursing through your veins. You must only unlock its potential.”
Now it was Alek’s turn to be stunned. “How is that possible? I was under the impression that the Negrusurori coven had long been extinguished.”
“They practically are. Very few remain, but believe me, you happen to be one of them. Your father, Fabian, was long believed to be a descendent, but it was only recently that it was confirmed. And your mother, well, you know she is an Albsurori witch. And with the combined blood of the two most powerful covens of all time, you could truly be unstoppable.”
With an evil gleam in his eye, he took Dalla’s hand in his own and bending down chivalrously he pressed his cold lips to it. “You have yourself a deal, my dear.”
***
There was no sign of Brazen or Astrid in the dark caves, but the suffocating smell of werewolves and death still permeated their old lair. Brennan had been able to isolate Brazen’s scent and commit it to memory. Back in wolf form, he once again led the others through the Fae forest.
“I feel like we’re chasing our tails,” said Nico with a wry twist of his lips.
“You’re so punny,” retorted Celeste. It was nice to break the tension with a bit of humor. They had been walking for hours and didn’t seem any closer to finding Brazen.
Roman chuckled and threw an arm around his brother, confining him in a headlock. “What are you going to do now?” he teased.
“Oh I don’t know, maybe something like this?” Nico twisted and threw his head forward, sending Roman flying over his back. Roman rolled into a perfect somersault and landed on his feet a few yards in front of them.
“Can anyone get in on the action or is this a private party?” asked Marco as he ran up next to them.
“You really want to give it a go?” asked Roman, appearing in front of him in a fraction of a second.
“Anytime, any place,” said Marco, staring at him dead in the eyes, his shoulders squared off and his jaw tight.
“I don’t think so guys,” said Celeste weaving in between the two. She had a feeling Roman had heard more earlier than he let on, and this testosterone driven display more than confirmed her suspicions.
Marie appeared from behind a tree with Brennan now back in human form trailing a few steps behind her. “It’s no good,” he said. “We must be looking in the wrong area. I can’t catch Brazen’s scent anywhere.”
“Maybe we should just go back and start fresh tomorrow,” said Celeste, as she glanced up toward the sky. “It’s going to be dark soon anyway.”
“I hate to give up but Celeste’s right. Hiking through this forest at night is dangerous,” said Marie. “We won’t find anything else today. I can bring you all back home and see if I can get some information from the underground. If Astrid has brought Brazen back into Fae, rumors must have started floating around by now.”
Celeste and the others nodded. They had spent the entire day trekking through the Fae forest without any success and they were all exhausted. “Let’s go home.”
Chapter 12
The gleaming Wilder sword slashed through the air, striking its victim with brutal force. It was a clean shot to the neck and the vampire’s head rolled to the ground, his black eyes bulging out in shock. Celeste spun around to face her next assailant, a four-armed demon with rough reptilian scales covering his entire body. He hissed at her and a forked tongue slid out from behind a row of sharp teeth. She ducked and plunged her sword into the soft spot of his underbelly. A disgusting, sooty ooze gushed forward, spattering her light blue hoodie just as the creature reeled back.
Celeste hazarded a quick moment to scan the area around her and found she was completely surrounded. Demons of all kinds had burst forth out of nowhere and were all advancing toward her. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold them back. Behind her, she heard the rush of heavy footfalls. Turning around just in time with her sword raised, she rammed it through the heart of a massive wolf. The animal slumped to the ground and morphed back into a human right before her eyes. Brazen? She rolled the body over so that she could get a better look at his face, but this bearded man was younger and not the one for whom she was desperately searching. Before she had time to think about it, another demon rushed her from behind, swiping a deadly claw at her back. Celeste cried out as the razor sharp nails dug into her skin, but it didn’t stop her for long. She whirled around on the beast, slashing her sword at it while it struggled to defend itself. Celeste was breathing heavily now and just when she thought she wouldn’t be able to fend off one more attacker, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.
Ready to attack again, she wriggled out from underneath it and spun toward her new assailant. When she looked up and saw the familiar hazel eyes and smiling face, tears of joy began to flood her sight. “Daddy?” He took her hand, and she was suddenly blinded by a brilliant blaze of light. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and when she reopened them, she found herself in a sunny field, still gripping her dad’s hand. “None of this is real.”
“No, it’s not sweetie,” replied her father with a sad expression. “You were having a nightmare.”
Celeste wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tightly, never wanting to let go. “Well, thanks for saving me anyway.”
“From where I was standing, it looked like you had things pretty well under control.” He looked down proudly at her, the sun casting a halo over his head.
Celeste sighed. “Looks can be deceiving.”
“Come on, let’s walk and talk. It’s been awhile since we’ve had a chance to catch up.” He put his arm around her shoulder and began to walk toward the clear blue pond a few hundred yards in front of them. Tall willow trees surrounded the small body of water, providing shade for the families of elegant white swan huddled along the bank on the warm day.
As Celeste took in the beautiful scenery around her and reveled in enjoying her father’s company, she almost forgot about all the troubles from the past few days. Almost. She should be focused on finding Brazen, but how could she pass up the chance to ask her dad about the circumstances surrounding his death? She just couldn’t push Alek’s words out of her head, even though she had done a good job at shoving them to the furthest corner of her mind—until now. “Dad, I need to ask you something important.”
He stopped walking and turned to face her, a serious expression on his face. “Of course. What is it?”
“I know we’ve never talked about it, and I’m sorry if it’s painful to bring up, but didn’t Magnus kill you?”
Kristof Wilder’s eyes shot open in shock. Celeste could tell he certainly wasn’t expecting that question. “Yes,” he said finally. Celeste had never been able to tell when her dad was lying. He had obviously kept secret his life as a guardian, for her entire life—and yet for some reason she felt he still wasn’t telling her the whole truth. “Why would you ask that?”
“It was something Alek said the other day when we were in Rome. He made it seem like Magnus wasn’t the one that was truly responsible for your death.”
“This is not a road you want to go down, Celeste,” he said in his best stern dad voice. “Alek is simply trying to rile you up. What’s done is done and there is nothing that can bring me back.”
“That isn’t exactly the clear cut answer I was expecting, Dad.” To Celeste, it sounded like he was trying to get her to drop the subject in order to protect her.
“I understand that Brazen has escaped from Astor,” he said, changing the subject. “Don’t you have enough to deal with already?”
Celeste shrugged. Maybe he was right and she should try to forget about Magnus and what really happened the night of her father’s death. But how could she? “We’re working on locating Brazen,” she answered. �
�We have the antidote to the immortality spell so now we just have to find him.”
“Then perhaps I should leave you to your duties.”
“Wait, Dad!” she cried as she grabbed his arm. “There’s one more thing I need to know.” He looked at her apprehensively. “Did you know anything about grandpa arranging a marriage between me and Marco Caccia?”
This time his brows furrowed as a perplexed expression crossed his face. “My father did what?” His cheeks began to redden as the heat rushed up from his neck.
“Did you know that Aunt Maddie was supposed to marry Mr. Caccia’s oldest son, Matteo?”
He snorted. “Yes, I was aware of that. It caused quite a stir between our two families. There was a time I thought the rift would never be mended.”
“Well, apparently grandpa found a way to fix it,” said Celeste.
Her father was quiet for a moment as he considered the implications. “I know you’ve been spending quite a bit of time with Marco. What do you think of him?”
“Dad! I can’t believe you think I should even consider this. It doesn’t matter what I think of him. I’m not marrying someone because it was arranged!”
He took a step toward his daughter and looked into her eyes, the mirror image of his own. “Celeste, I know this may sound like an antiquated ritual, but it was very common in hunter families. It strengthens the bloodline.”
“Yeah, yeah. I already heard all about that from Aunt Maddie and Marco. I don’t care. I won’t let some ancient custom rule who I marry.” She crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest.
“This is because you’re in love with that vampire, isn’t it?”
Celeste spun at her father, her eyes aglow with anger. “His name is Roman,” she hissed.
“Celeste, I’m sorry, but your duty is to extend the Wilder guardian bloodline and you can never do that with a vampire.”