Wilder Legacy

by G. K. DeRosa

  “Was that the wrong answer?” asked Celeste, biting her lower lip when Roman remained silent.

  “No, of course not,” he said finally. He scooted over on the bed to sit beside her and took her hand. He examined the sparkling ring and ran his finger over her soft skin. “I just want what’s best for you. And maybe when I gave you this ring I didn’t fully think it through.”

  Celeste peered at him through the corner of her eye. “What are you saying?”

  “That spending your rather short life time with a vampire cursed to eternal life might not be the best option for you.”

  She yanked her hand out of his and glared at him. “This is because of the marriage contract that my grandpa and Mr. Caccia agreed upon, isn’t it?”

  Roman shrugged refusing to return her gaze. “It would give you a chance at a semi-normal life. You and Marco could be happy together. I know you care about him and it’s obvious how much he loves you. And he can protect you. You could have a real family and live out your days in Astor.”

  Roman’s words brought back the image of her and Marco and a baby girl at the pond from her vision a few weeks back. She gritted her teeth and shook her head from side to side. “No. I don’t want that.”

  “Celeste, you’re not thinking about the future right now, and rightfully so at your age. I have lived a very long time, and I can’t in good conscience deprive you of the possibility of one day having children. I can’t be responsible for ending the Wilder guardian bloodline.” He looked down, the internal torment emanating from his blue eyes.

  “So you’ve already made up your mind about this?” asked Celeste as a knot began to form in her throat.

  “I’ve been giving it a lot of thought since you told me about the agreement, and I know it’s the right thing to do. I can’t be with you just for now. The longer we keep up this false hope, the worse it will be for both of us.”

  “That’s it? You’re breaking up with me?” She could feel the hot tears threatening to spill over as she uttered the words.

  Roman turned to her and took her face in his strong hands. “I love you with all my heart, and I will always be here for you. I’m not breaking up with you, I’m letting you go. And believe me, it’s the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make in my life.” He leaned in and gently pressed his lips against hers. He could taste the saltiness of her tears and the pain nearly suffocated him.

  After a second, Celeste pulled away and leapt off the bed, sprinting out of the room and slamming the door behind her. She darted down the stairs, through the living room and past three sets of worried eyes without ever looking back. She kept running until she had reached the edge of the woods behind Stellan’s house. Completely exhausted, more from the emotional anguish than physical discomfort, she stopped, slumped against a tree and buried her head in her hands. There in the quiet of the forest, she sobbed, letting the pain entirely consume her. Her chest shuddered with each breath she took.

  How could she have been so stupid? She should have known that Roman would do something like this. He always thought he knew what was best for her, but he had no idea. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and tried to take a steadying breath. Why were the men in her life always trying to make decisions for her? She wasn’t a child anymore. After what felt like an eternity, Celeste rose to her feet and clenched her fists at her side. I’m not letting Roman decide this for us—or my grandpa or Marco and especially not Gianpaolo Caccia! “I’m going to do what I want to do!” she shouted into the stillness. A few birds squawked back at her and took flight from a nearby tree, disturbed by her outburst. But Celeste felt better already, and with a determined stride, she headed back toward Stellan’s house.

  ***

  Roman lay on Celeste’s bed with his head buried between the pillows, just wallowing in her scent. The intense feelings of guilt over hurting the one person he loved most in this world were suffocating him. A part of him wished he could simply end the pain and the torment. How could he live for the rest of eternity knowing he had given up on his one chance at true happiness? He grunted as he took in another long sniff of the familiar scented pillow. It was no use. It only brought him a momentary comfort and then reminded him of everything he had lost. For an instant, a distant memory made its way to the forefront of his mind. It had been the worst day of his life up until this point.

  It was 1923 and the Constantins had emigrated from Europe to the United States - New York City to be exact. His parents had been on the run from Fabian for nearly thirty years and he and Nico for their whole lives. Their father, Luka, had chosen Manhattan because of the immensity of the city and the amount of inhabitants. What city could be better to get lost in?

  “Father, must I really finish university?” asked Nico. The whole family sat around the dining room table in their small apartment in the Upper East Side as Lilliana passed around the serving plates.

  “Of course you do,” he answered sternly as he smoothed over his dark mustache.

  “But I nearly finished back in Oxford and now I will have to retake some classes again,” he complained.

  “Too bad you didn’t finish like I did,” said Roman snidely.

  “You did have a bit of a head start,” Nico retorted.

  “And I concentrated on my studies, while you were distracted by – other things.” Roman’s blue eyes twinkled mischievously.

  “Yes that’s right big brother. Unlike you, I have a social life and enjoy courting ladies.”

  “That’s enough now boys,” said Lilliana. “Nico, you will enroll in New York University as planned as soon as classes open up in the spring. And you Roman, will find a placement in the medical field also as planned. I am sure that one of the many hospitals in the city will be eager to hire you as a resident. Just because Fabian makes our life a bit more difficult does not mean that we must put everything on hold for him. I want my family to have a normal life.”

  “Yes, Mother,” said Roman and Nico in unison.

  Luka looked up at his wife affectionately and took a bite of the baked ham and mashed potatoes. “The meal is just perfect, my dear.”

  “Thank you,” she said with a smile. “You boys better save some room for dessert because I baked the most delicious cherry pie—”

  Her words were cut off by a banging at the front door. “Now who could that be?” asked Luka as he glanced at his watch. He rose from the table and made his way toward the door as Lilliana and the boys anxiously watched him. Peering through the peephole, his eyes widened in surprise when he recognized the visitor.

  He opened the door and Dalla rushed in.

  “What are you doing here?” asked Lilliana with a huge smile on her face as she hurried to embrace her dear friend.

  Dalla’s lavender eyes shone with concern. “I wish I could say that this was a social call, but I’ve come to warn you. Stellan and the Council have been tracking Fabian, and he is nearby. We don’t know why he’s here, but I was worried perhaps it was for you.”

  “But we only just arrived here a few weeks ago,” said Luka, running his hand through his dark hair.

  “Perhaps it has nothing to do with us,” said Lilliana.

  “It could be. I simply wanted to let you know as soon as we found out,” said Dalla ringing her hands nervously. “I must go, but please be careful.”

  Suddenly, a radiant red flash burst forth in the middle of the small apartment. “I’m so sorry!” yelled Dalla as she disappeared before their eyes. A ghostly image began to take form in the center of the crimson hue. It was a projection of Fabian and he was chanting in a demonic tongue. “Eternita exum overtum hex il famil vampyr…” Over and over he spoke the words, his voice rising with each iteration.

  “Boys run!” cried Lilliana. But it was no use, everyone seemed to be frozen in place by the spell. A dark cloud began encircling the room, drowning out the light and suffocating the senses. The murky mist floated through the air and made its way inside each of them, entering through their
eyes, mouths and noses. Luka grabbed at his own neck as the dense fog threatened to choke him. Both Roman and Nico bent over, overcome by fits of coughing. Lilliana could do nothing but watch helplessly as her whole family was consumed by the black vapor. Then it came for her.

  The horrid details of the day he and his family were cursed by Fabian to live out their lives as vampires swirled around in Roman’s mind. He had never been able to remember much from that ill-fated day and perhaps that was for the best. The memory now felt so real, as he recalled the excruciating pain that had ripped through his body as he was turned. He re-lived the complete feeling of helplessness as he watched it happen to his entire family, tearing through him as if it were occurring all over again. The horrific memories nearly distracted him from the discovery of one very critical detail: Dalla had been at their apartment that day. For some reason, he had never remembered that before. Roman furrowed his dark eyebrows as he processed the ramifications. Perhaps his mind had simply blocked out the particulars of that day, but perhaps not. It seemed more likely that someone had purposely removed that fact from his memory.

  As dark as his thoughts had been, at least they had succeeded in getting his mind off of Celeste for a short while. He rushed down the stairs to find his mother. Surely she would remember if Dalla had been there that fateful day so long ago.

  Chapter 18

  As Roman jumped off the last step, he nearly plowed into Nico who was standing stock still, staring dumbstruck at the shimmering light emanating from the center of the living room.

  “What the heck?” asked Roman as he stepped into the room and saw both Stellan and his mother circling the light.

  Seconds later, a petite form appeared and the illumination vanished. Dalla’s lavender eyes shot daggers at Stellan as she scanned the room. Then her eyes widened in surprise when she recognized Lilliana standing only a few feet in front of her.

  “Dalla!” Lilliana cried as she ran toward her dear friend with arms wide open.

  Dalla’s expression was unreadable as she stiffly hugged Lilliana back. “I didn’t realize you were here,” Dalla finally said.

  “I came to visit my boys,” Lilliana explained, motioning to Roman and Nico. Roman had moved to stand protectively beside his mother as soon as he recognized Dalla. After what he had just witnessed, he now trusted the witch even less.

  “Well, I am truly sorry that you will have to see this, but I must speak to Stellan immediately. He has wronged me and I deserve an explanation.”

  Lilliana turned toward Stellan, her blue eyes examining his perplexed expression curiously. “Is this true?”

  “I’m sorry, Dalla, but you are going to have to be a little more specific,” said Stellan as he stepped forward.

  Dalla narrowed her eyes at him, her lips twisted into a sneer. “You’ve had the Albsurori ring all along and you’ve kept it hidden from me.”

  Stellan’s gray eyes lowered to the ground. He knew the day would come that Dalla would find out the truth, but he certainly hadn’t expected it to be today, and with Lilliana here no less. Perhaps now was the time to get everything out in the open, he mused. “It is true,” he said assertively, meeting her fiery gaze head on.

  “How could you give it to a Guardian instead of me? Even after everything I told you!” Dalla appeared to be on the verge of tears, but she bit them back determinedly. “She has no right to that ring. It belongs to the Albsurori.”

  “Actually it belongs to my mother,” interjected Roman.

  Dalla spun toward him, her short silver hair whipping across her face. “Your mother was dead for years and the ring had been lost to us all. She was only entrusted with it because she was thought to be the next head of the Albsurori, an event that did not happen. Its rightful place is with my coven.” She turned to Lilliana, “I’m sorry, but it is true.”

  Lilliana took a step back, feeling as though she had been slapped in the face by her dearest friend. She didn’t recognize the angry woman standing before her. “I am sure that Stellan had a reason for keeping the ring from you.”

  He cleared his throat. “Yes. I wanted Celeste to have it.”

  Dalla threw her hands up in the air in frustration. “That ring is much too powerful to be entrusted to anyone but an Albsurori witch.”

  “You are wrong,” shouted Stellan. “It has proven invaluable for Celeste. It has magnified her powers and works perfectly in tandem with her guardian magic. The things that she has been able to do are like those I have never seen in any other guardian.”

  “Which is exactly why she shouldn’t have it,” Dalla hissed. “Where is she anyway?”

  Roman marched right up to Dalla and peered down at her threateningly from his full height. “I won’t let you anywhere near Celeste.” He was suddenly glad that their fight had sent her running. He clenched his jaw praying that she would stay away.

  Dalla backed away from a menacing Roman and chose to instead approach Stellan. Jabbing her finger in his chest she began ranting. “Stellan, if you don’t return that ring to me, I will tell the Council that you and Celeste have been lying all along. I doubt that Dante will take that news very well. Do you really wish to incur the wrath of the Council as well as that of the entire Albsurori coven?”

  Lilliana suddenly spoke up. “Dalla, I was under the impression that we were all old friends. There is no need for such threats. I am sure that Stellan will return the ring to its rightful owner. As a matter of fact, I had planned to go and meet Marja myself. I have heard great things about her and wish to make her acquaintance.”

  Dalla’s face dropped, turning a sickly shade of gray. Stellan knew very well why and a slight grin twisted the edge of his mouth. If Lilliana were the one to retrieve the legendary Albsurori ring, Marja would forever be in her debt and all of Dalla’s greatest fears would come true. She would never be chosen as the next head of the coven; that honor would instead pass on to Lilliana, who was originally selected, all those years ago. “Of course we are all friends,” Dalla said. “I do not wish to make Stellan or any of you an enemy.” She stepped toward Stellan and reached for his hand, her eyes pleading. “Return the ring to me and I will see to it that it returns to its rightful owner.”

  Stellan grunted but made no effort to respond.

  “Dalla is right,” said Lilliana speaking up. “It should go back to its rightful owner – and I am she.”

  Dalla’s lips pursed into a tight line. “Lilliana, there is no need for you to get involved in these mundane affairs,” she insisted. “You have only recently returned to the land of the living. Enjoy your time with your sons.” She tossed her a cynical smile.

  Lilliana could see the desperation in her old confidant’s face and coupled with the distrustful looks written across her sons’ and Stellan’s expressions, she smartly deciphered there was more going on than what she knew right now. She may have missed out on quite a lot since her death almost sixty years ago, but she was no fool. “While it has been lovely to see you, I will resolve this matter with Stellan, my sons and the Guardian.” Lilliana began ushering Dalla toward the door. “As the last one to be entrusted with the ring, I believe it is my responsibility. Don’t you agree, dear?”

  Without giving Dalla a chance to object, Lilliana opened the entrance door and abruptly escorted Dalla out. “Bye, bye. So nice to see you!” she called out as she shut the door behind her.

  “Way to go Mom!” exclaimed Nico.

  “Stellan, you and the boys have some explaining to do,” she said as she walked back over to the couch.

  “There have been some recent developments,” began Stellan, “and I felt it was best if the exact location of the ring remained a secret. And to be honest, Celeste has been facing some dangerous situations, so we all felt it was in her best interests to hold on to it.”

  Roman and Nico both nodded in agreement. “We had to keep her safe,” added Roman.

  Lilliana gave her son a reproachful look. “So you don’t trust Dalla? Since when?” she asked in co
nfusion.

  “I felt there was something off about her from the first time I met her,” said Roman. “It felt like she was hiding something. And I think I’ve only recently begun to understand why.”

  “What do you mean when you first met her?” she asked. “You boys have known Dalla all of your lives.”

  Nico stared at his mother with a perplexed expression. “Then why don’t we remember her?”

  “I think I know why,” said Roman, thinking back to the flashback he had earlier.

  As Roman struggled to put the hazy pieces of his memory back together, Stellan interjected. “She wiped your minds clean of any recollections of her after the death of your parents.”

  “What?” growled Roman. “And you knew about this?”

  “I believed that she was doing it to protect you. The fewer ties you had with the past, the safer you would be from Fabian,” explained Stellan. “I almost had you forget me as well, but I couldn’t leave the two of you by yourselves, with no one to protect and guide you.”

  Roman exhaled sharply as he slumped down on the couch. “So Mother, you remember that Dalla came to see us in New York City just before Fabian cursed us as vampires?”

  Lilliana’s mouth twisted into a grimace. “No, she wasn’t there. It was just the four of us in our old apartment when he came.”

  “I don’t think so,” said Roman shaking his head. “I had the strangest memory bubble up to the surface just before Dalla showed up today. It was basically an instant replay of our last day as humans. Dalla appeared in our home just moments before Fabian’s projected image did.”

  “Are you certain?” asked Stellan, removing his glasses and biting on the end of one of the earpieces.

  “It seemed very real to me.”

  Stellan began pacing as he chewed. His brows furrowed as his mind worked, seeking a possible explanation. Finally, he turned to Lilliana and took both of her hands. “There is something I have to confess. It has been eating away at me for nearly a century.” Lilliana looked startled. “Please sit down, and though I may not deserve it, I ask that you let me tell the entire story before you make any decision about me.”