by G. K. DeRosa
“Not this again!” She turned and walked away from her father as he hurried behind her to grab her shoulder.
“I told you that the life of a guardian was not going to be an easy one. There are many sacrifices that must be made for the greater good. I know that you are young and it’s hard for you to think about things like marriage and having a family right now. But please, promise me that you will at least consider what I’ve said.”
Celeste couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He was supposed to be on her side. Instead, he was ready to marry her off because of some stupid guardian tradition. “Goodbye, Dad,” she whispered over her shoulder. Without a second look back, she disappeared.
Celeste awoke with a start, her hands clutching the sheets on either side of her as she struggled to identify where she was.
“Hey you’re okay, relax,” said Roman sitting beside her on the bed. He pushed aside the stray curls that covered her forehead and gently caressed her cheek. “Must have been some nightmare.”
“Yeah,” she said, sitting up and taking a breath to slow her erratic heartbeat.
Roman’s blue eyes looked troubled as he scrutinized her face. “You kept mumbling something about not wanting to get married.”
“I did?” she asked, her cheeks flushed.
“Look Celeste, I told you I don’t expect you to commit to anything right now. But if wearing that ring is putting too much pressure on you, then take it off. I promise I won’t be hurt.”
Celeste could see the uncertainty in the clouded pools of blue in Roman’s irises. “No,” she said, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders and giving him a squeeze. “This has nothing to do with you or the ring. I love it, I do. And I love you, always and forever.”
Roman pulled back so that he could look into her eyes. “Then what were you dreaming about?”
Celeste knew she would have to eventually tell Roman about the arranged marriage, but she just didn’t know how to put it into words. What was the right way to tell your boyfriend that you’ve been promised to someone else? She needed more time to think, especially after what her father had said about her duty. Finally, she answered, “You know, I really don’t remember what I dreamt.” Lie.
Roman didn’t press it further, but Celeste could tell that he knew she was hiding something. He always knew.
“Anyway, the reason I came in here to check on you is that Brennan thinks the Master of the Werewolf Alliance may be able to help us track down Brazen,” he said.
“Really? That’s great news!”
“He’s gone to meet with him and should be back in a few hours.”
“I better call my mom,” said Celeste as she glanced over at the cell phone on the nightstand. “She’s been pretty understanding about all of these sleepovers at Stellan’s, but I don’t want to push my luck.” She picked up her phone and saw a few angry text messages from Brian. “Oops, Brian’s not happy about us going to Fae without him.”
“He shouldn’t be involved in this anyway,” said Roman.
“That’s easy for you to say. It was hard enough to get him to stay out of this when it was just me involved. Now it’s his girlfriend too.”
Roman rolled his eyes. “Oh right, I meant to tell you. Marie went back to Fae last night to put her ear to the ground. Hopefully she’ll have some news for us today.”
“Well, I guess I should get out of bed,” she said pushing aside the covers. “It seems like we’re going to have a busy day.”
“Maybe just five more minutes,” said Roman with a mischievous look in his eye as he jumped on top of her. Celeste giggled and threw her arms around him as he attacked her with a barrage of kisses.
***
Stellan, Nico and Marco were all gathered in the living room when Celeste and Roman descended the spiral staircase, holding hands and giggling. Marco rolled his eyes as a nauseated expression crossed his face.
“I feel you man,” said Nico, noticing his grimace. Marco flashed him a sympathetic smile.
“Don’t hate, guys,” said Celeste as she and Roman took a seat on the end of the couch. Since Natalie’s death, Nico hadn’t quite returned to his “ladies man” ways of old. Celeste suddenly felt bad for not being more considerate of his feelings. He had been putting on a good front, but she knew it must have been a difficult few months for him as well.
Stellan cleared his throat, visibly uncomfortable with the current conversation. “Brennan should be here shortly. He just phoned and said he has good news.”
“Great,” said Celeste. “So since we have a few minutes, can we talk about my dad for a second?”
Roman frowned. He hated that Alek had put this idea in Celeste’s mind, and he knew very well she wouldn’t drop it until she found out the truth—no matter the consequences.
“I’ll take everyone’s silence as a yes,” she said, standing to take her spot in the center of the room. She recounted the vision she had of her father and his vague explanations, leaving out the part about the marriage agreement, of course. She made a mental note to discuss that with Stellan when things had settled down a bit. When she finished, four sets of eyes stared at her blankly.
“So you think your dad’s lying about who killed him?” asked Marco.
“I think there’s more to the story that he’s not telling me. For some reason, the men in my life like to protect me for my own good.” She threw an accusing smirk at Roman.
“Imagine that? The people that love you want to protect you,” he retorted with a scowl.
Ignoring his comment, she continued, “Stellan, you said that you could go through some of his old journals to see if you found anything. I know our main focus is finding Brazen right now, but if you could help me out, I’d really appreciate it.”
Stellan’s tired gray eyes looked worried, but he couldn’t say no to Celeste. He nodded at her grimly. “I’ll start researching right away.”
“Thank you,” she shouted as she ran over to give him a big hug. His sallow cheeks blushed a bright red as he mumbled uncomfortably.
Everyone’s eyes suddenly turned to the driveway, as they heard the rumble of an engine pulling in. “Brennan’s back,” said Nico, sniffing the air. He crinkled his nose, as if he found the werewolf smell particularly offensive.
Moments later, Brennan had taken center stage in front of the fireplace, his gold-flecked eyes sparkling with excitement. He slid a backpack off of his shoulder and unzipping it, revealed a medieval-looking dagger from a Ziploc bag.
“What is that?” asked Celeste.
“It’s the dagger of Lycanus,” said Brennan as he stared reverently at the dark blade. “The reigning Master of the Werewolf Alliance has for centuries used this dagger in the Alpha ceremony. Before becoming a pack Alpha, blood must be drawn. The blood of the last Alpha selected remains on the blade as a symbol so that when the next one is chosen their blood mingles together.”
“Bleh, sounds super unsanitary,” said Celeste twisting her mouth.
“Maybe, but lucky for us, Brazen was the last werewolf Alpha chosen in the area and we have the remnants of his blood.” Brennan pulled the knife out of the baggie and raised it in the air for all to see. “Stellan, do you think you can use this for the tracking spell?”
Stellan’s eyes twinkled as he rose to his feet to examine the medieval relic more closely. He held it by the hilt and turned it around in the light. “It might take me a little time to isolate his blood from the others, but yes, it could definitely work.”
Brennan grinned proudly.
“Nice job, Brennan,” said Celeste, standing to pat him on the shoulder. “This could be exactly what we need to finally put an end to the Black Devils once and for all.”
“Oh yeah, my da—I mean, the Master gives you permission to kill Brazen, but he reserves the right to deal with the rest of his pack.”
“Well, I’m glad he gives us permission,” said Nico sarcastically. “What if some of the Black Devils are trying to kill us? You’re saying we can
’t fight back?”
“No, that’s not what the Master is saying. Obviously if it’s self-defense, it’s fine. He just doesn’t want the Black Devils arbitrarily executed by a Guardian and a bunch of vamps. Even after what they’ve done, they deserve to be brought to justice by pack law.”
Nico was about to object when Celeste put her hand across his chest and held him back. “That sounds reasonable,” she said. Nico turned away with a scowl, muttering indignantly.
“I’ll begin working on this right away,” said Stellan, making his way in between the guys and dispelling the tension in the air.
“So what do we do while we wait?” asked Marco.
Brennan’s eyes flashed yellow. “You up for a little friendly sparring?”
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” said Celeste positioning herself between the testosterone-driven men surrounding her.
“I think it’s the best idea I’ve heard all day,” said Nico.
Celeste looked to Roman for help, but he just shrugged his shoulders. “It might be fun to let off some steam.”
Roman, Marco, Nico and Brennan in a friendly backyard sparring match? Sure, what could possibly go wrong…
***
Alek stared across the table at the petite woman sitting before him in the small café. He had been forced to meet her in the outskirts of Rome to ensure they were away from prying eyes. “I apologize for not being able to invite you back to my home, but as you very well know my mother is there.”
“Of course,” answered Dalla. “Now is not the time to meet with my old friend, Lilliana.” Dalla had returned to Rome for another purpose. She glanced nervously around the café as she twirled the spoon in her cappuccino. “When is this secret ally of yours coming?”
“Relax, he will be here shortly. And I assure you that he is completely on our side.”
Dalla arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “I find that hard to believe from what you’ve told me.”
“Even guardians have a price and personal interests that can be manipulated,” responded Alek. His eyes flashed to the door as a short, round man with dark hair entered.
Dalla’s eyes widened as the man came straight to their table. With a broad smile, he extended his hand to hers. “Gianpaolo Caccia?” she asked, the look of astonishment plain on her face.
He took her hand and kissed it politely. “Piacere,” he said in his deep Italian voice.
Dalla turned to Alek for an explanation as Gianpaolo ordered an espresso at the bar, then pulled up a chair to sit down. “G.P. and I have been acquaintances for some time now,” began Alek, “but it wasn’t until recently that we discovered we had mutual interests.”
“And so we have found a way to align those interests in order to benefit us both,” finished Gianpaolo.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” said Dalla. “What common ground could the two of you have?”
“That is simple,” responded Gianpaolo. “The removal of the bothersome Constantins.”
“But why? Why would two vampires mean anything to you?” Dalla knew very well all the reasons why Alek hated Roman and Nico, but this made no sense to her.
“They stand in the way of what I want. They are ruining my carefully laid plans for my youngest son’s future.” Mr. Caccia then went on to explain the importance of the marriage agreement he had struck with Dieter Wilder all those years ago. “It is imperative that the Wilder and Caccia families are united to strengthen our guardian bloodlines.”
Dalla was left speechless for a moment. She was very aware of Gianpaolo’s close relationship with Dante and feared that this might all be an elaborate ruse to expose her as a traitor. “Does Dante know about this?” she asked finally, not able to move past that single thought.
“Of course not. I’ve simply been covering for Alek for a time now and steadily convincing Dante that he is not the threat.”
“So that’s why Dante had told Celeste not to go after him when Lilliana was first resurrected,” said Dalla, putting the pieces into place.
The waiter arrived with the espresso, and Gianpaolo took a sip eagerly. “Yes, it was quite simple to steer Dante in the right direction. He and I have been friends for a very long time and he trusts me completely.”
Dalla quickly realized that having this man as an ally would be of great benefit in keeping Dante and the Council off of their track. “And what is it that you plan to do?” she asked finally.
“Whatever necessary to help the two of you once and for all destroy the Constantin brothers,” he answered.
Chapter 13
Celeste ran to the door when she heard the doorbell ring, happy to leave the boys to their sparring in the sunny backyard. She glanced up toward Stellan’s study and saw the door was still closed. He had been holed up in there for the past hour, without a word. She was starting to get antsy and worried how much longer the friendly brawling would last out back.
Celeste reached the front door and opened it to see Marie’s smiling face. “Thanks again, so much, for coming,” said Celeste. Just as she was about to close the door behind her, Brian’s head poked through the doorway. “What are you doing here?”
“Sorry,” said Marie, “I tried to lose him, but he kept following me like a little lost puppy.” Brian narrowed his eyes as he glared at his girlfriend.
“No way am I missing out on this again. I should have been there with you guys yesterday,” he said.
“No, you shouldn’t have,” said Celeste, backing him against the bookshelves by the entrance. “You really need to go home. Even with this potion we got from Alek, taking Brazen down isn’t going to be easy. I don’t want you in the middle of all of this.”
“Are we really going to have this conversation again?” asked Brian, crossing his arms over his chest.
Marie rolled her eyes and stepped into the living room, leaving the two best friends to hash it out on their own. As she glanced outside, she caught sight of Nico and Brennan engaging in some hand-to-hand combat. “What’s going on out there?” she asked, interrupting the argument going on behind her.
Celeste threw her hands up in the air. “I give up, Brian. You just better not get killed,” she said jabbing her finger into his chest. Then she walked over to join Marie at the window.
“Are you sure they’re not going to kill each other?” asked Brian when he saw Roman and Marco going at it with broadswords.
“Ugh!” cried Celeste, as she hurried outside to the back porch.
Both Marco and Roman were covered in sweat, with drops of perspiration on their foreheads glistening in the sunlight. And yet they continued. Marco lunged at Roman with the sword, but he deftly twisted out of the way at the last minute sending Marco flying forward with the force of his own momentum. Roman spun back around to swing his sword across Marco’s chest, ripping a huge hole through his designer shirt.
“You’re going to pay for that,” said Marco as he examined the tear. Leaping up, he thrust his sword upward, catching Roman in the throat. The blade stopped just as it made contact with his skin, leaving a tiny trail of blood.
“No more!” shouted Celeste as she ran out into the grassy field. “I think we’ve all had more than enough of this show of manliness for the day.” All eyes went to Celeste in the middle of the yard. Marco dropped his sword with a grunt and Roman fingered the cut under his chin with a frown. Nico and Brennan had been scuffling around on the ground, but both now stood up, brushing the dirt off of their jeans.
“We were just having some fun,” said Nico as he sauntered up beside her.
She took one look at Marco and Brennan and then at Nico and Roman and shook her head. “Not everyone here heals as fast as the two of you,” she reprimanded, looking pointedly at the vampire brothers.
“It’s just a few bruises and scratches, right Marco?” said Roman, resting his hand on Marco’s shoulder.
“Right,” he said with a snarl, shrugging his hand off.
“I’ve got some news,” yelled
Marie from the back porch. The guys had been so preoccupied with the fighting that no one had noticed her and Brian’s arrival.
“Why don’t you guys get showered off and we’ll meet inside in fifteen minutes to discuss, you know, important stuff like how we’re going to find Brazen,” said Celeste as she gave Roman a chastising glare.
Exactly fifteen minutes later, the group was gathered in the living room, all eyes on Marie. Marco and Brennan were looking a bit worse for wear, each sporting a few bruises while Roman and Nico seemed like they had just stepped out of an Armani photo shoot, their hair neatly gelled back and wearing designer outfits. Celeste bit her lip to keep from making a nasty comment. As a werewolf, Brennan would heal quickly and even Marco should be better in a few hours, but still she was annoyed. They should be focusing on Brazen now.
Marie cleared her throat and began, running her fingers through her long auburn hair as she spoke. “I spent the night in Fae catching up with some old friends and if the rumors are true, Brazen is definitely somewhere on our lands. Astrid was released from Xeria just two days ago, but no one has seen her.”
“I don’t understand why we can’t just go to the Queen and force her to help us,” said Celeste. “She’s essentially aiding in harboring a fugitive.”
“That’s not how she sees it,” said Stellan appearing at the top of the spiral staircase.
“Stellan!” shouted Celeste. “Did you find him?”
“I did,” he said with a proud smile. “He’s in Fae all right. In fact, he’s in Xeria.”
“I guess it makes sense,” said Marie. “No one ever goes there willingly. Even the Queen’s guards don’t wander inside Xeria—they’ll only keep watch over the entrance.”
“What’s it like in there?” asked Marco.
“I’ve only ever heard stories, but from what I know it’s a pretty miserable place. It’s a barren land without plants or animals. There’s no sun or moon or any difference between night and day. It’s just always gray. The people that live there have all been banished from the rest of Fae because of something they did. Their wings have been clipped and they were stripped of their fairy magic.”