Wilder Legacy

by G. K. DeRosa

  Celeste had just sunk her spoon back into her now soggy Cheerios when she heard a knock at the door. Without looking up, she already knew who it was. She could sense him. “I’ll get it,” she said, rising to her feet and leaving Marco in the kitchen to finish his breakfast.

  She swung open the door and found Roman in a body-hugging white t-shirt and short running shorts. His shirt was clinging to his chest from the perspiration, and she couldn’t help but stare at the outline of his rippling abs. His dark hair was mussed up in an incredibly sexy way and she had to exert all of her willpower to keep from reaching out and running her hands through it.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked coolly, once she had finished ogling him from head to toe.

  Roman’s lips twisted into a grin. She had been pretty obvious with her staring and it was clear he had enjoyed the attention. “I need to talk to you.”

  Marco poked his head out of the kitchen and the two guys greeted each other with a stiff nod. Celeste ignored their icy exchange and led Roman up the stairs to her bedroom. As soon as she shut the door, she whirled toward him, ready to unleash the pent up frustration she’d been holding in since yesterday. Instead, Roman caught her by surprise, yanking her into his arms and smashing his lips against her open mouth. He clutched the back of her head possessively as his tongue darted around inside her mouth and his hands freely roamed her body. Celeste wanted to be strong, desperate to pull away to ask him what the heck was going on, but her body betrayed her. All she wanted was to be wrapped in his strong embrace and feel the warmth of his stunning physique all around her.

  After a few more heated minutes, she finally gathered her wits and put her hands up against his firm chest. As she backed away, she could feel his heart, still racing underneath her palm and it was too much. She took another step back, letting go completely. “What was that?” she asked, breathlessly.

  He exhaled sharply and raked his hands through his tousled hair. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

  “So why did you?”

  “Because all night long all I could think about was you and that I had made the biggest mistake of my life letting you go. The images that passed through my mind last night – of you and Marco – it drove me crazy! I know I told you that’s what I wanted, but—”

  “But what, Roman? You’re driving me crazy! You can’t just break up with me for my own good and then kiss me like that the next day.” Celeste slumped down on the bed and put her head in her hands.

  Roman bent down and sat on the floor in front of her, taking her hands in his. “You don’t know what this is doing to me. If you think giving you up is a decision I took lightly, you are thoroughly mistaken.”

  “That’s what pisses me off, Roman. It’s a decision you made without even consulting me. I’m tired of you, Dante, Stellan, my grandpa, Mr. Caccia – all of you making monumental choices for me.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, looking down at her hands and twisting the diamond band she still wore around her finger.

  “I get why you’re doing this, I do. I just wish that you would trust me enough to make up my own mind. I know what my duty is. Believe me, everyone has told me how important it is to extend the Guardian bloodline. Blah, blah blah.”

  “It is important,” he said, unable to return her gaze.

  “You know, there’s something I didn’t tell you,” she paused and tilted his chin up to face her. “Awhile ago, I had a dream or maybe it was a vision of the future. I’m not really sure. It was of me and Marco in Astor with a baby.”

  Roman’s expression went blank. He dropped her hands and sat back on his heels, letting her words sink in. He sighed long and hard as if his worst fears had just been confirmed.

  “It doesn’t mean anything for sure,” she whispered.

  He was silent for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity to Celeste. “Your visions have never been wrong, not once,” he uttered finally.

  She shrugged, the words all getting caught in her throat.

  “It doesn’t matter what I want or even what you want. What’s meant to be will happen regardless of our will,” he said.

  “So can’t we just enjoy our time together for now? Who knows what will happen. I could be killed tomorrow!”

  Roman shook his head sadly. “Don’t ever say that. And as much as I would like to pretend that the marriage contract and that vision never happened, I don’t know if I can.” He paused for a second and stared out the window, then he got back up on his knees and clasped her hands. “Celeste, to have a couple years of happiness with you and then have that torn away from me would kill me. I don’t think I would ever recover.”

  She could feel the hot tears pricking the back of her eyes, threatening to spill out. “I need you,” she said, as she let go of his hands to cup his face. She leaned in and gently pressed her lips against his. He put his hands around the back of her neck and they remained in silence, sitting forehead to forehead for a very long time.

  At some point, Celeste must have fallen asleep because she found herself immersed in a vivid dream. There was darkness all around her and something was scraping her bare legs. She looked down and realized she was crouched behind a bush. She peered up over the foliage and could just make out three figures in the distance. Squinting her eyes to make out the dark forms, she noted that one looked familiar, but she had to get closer to be certain. Getting down on all fours, Celeste crawled behind the line of bushes until she came upon a street light illuminating the three people, by now only ten yards away.

  She immediately recognized the profile of a younger version of her father, but her mouth dropped open in shock as she made out the other two figures standing in front of him. She’d never forget the first vampire she had ever killed: he had jet-black hair with a distinctive white streak down the middle. Magnus loomed over her father with a threatening gleam in his black eyes and behind him stood the petite, ivy-haired fairy Astrid.

  Celeste gasped as she strained her ears to try to make out what they were saying. Her father had his sword trained at Magnus’ chest, but for some reason her dad wasn’t moving. Magnus didn’t look at all frightened; as a matter of fact there was an arrogant look in his eye. Astrid’s lips were moving quickly, but Celeste couldn’t understand her from this distance. She got down on all fours again and crawled a few more paces, cursing every twig and dried blade of grass that crackled underneath her.

  She stopped when she reached the end of the shrubs, no longer able to rely on them to conceal her crouched figure. Peering over the top of the leaves ever so carefully, she was able to catch their conversation. Astrid was chanting something and Celeste could make out just enough to understand that it was an immobility spell. That’s why her father seemed frozen in place. Now that she was closer, she was quite certain that her father’s age seemed to be the same as that of the time of his death. Was she reliving the night he was killed? A chill went through her as a cool wind rustled the leaves in the thick bush that concealed her. She had to do something to stop this. Focusing her thoughts on her sword, she easily summoned it with her mind and seconds later, it appeared in her hand.

  Without wasting another minute, she leapt out from behind the bush and sprinted at Magnus, her sword raised high in the air, its blade gleaming in the moonlight. In the thrill of the moment and with her adrenaline pumping, Celeste didn’t notice or find it odd that no one moved as she attacked. Lunging at Magnus, she plunged her sword into his chest and it slipped right through him like a hot knife through butter. And it wasn’t just the sword that glided right through him: her own figure soared through the air, passing through his form without any resistance then landing on the grass beyond him with a thud. Puzzled, Celeste pushed herself off the ground and scrambled to her feet, finally realizing that no one had even noticed her assault. The three of them still stood in the exact same positions, continuing their conversation as if she didn’t exist.

  What the heck?

  Celeste crept up behin
d Magnus and Astrid, clearly within sight of her father’s eye line, but his gaze never flinched. She waved her hands in the air and still nothing. She was completely invisible. She reached out and wrapped her hands around Astrid’s throat from behind, but it was no use. Her hands slipped right through, unable to make contact of any kind. Celeste let out a frustrated grunt as she clenched her fists at her side.

  Suddenly, Astrid stopped the chanting and her father dropped the sword from Magnus’ chest. It landed with a soft thud on the thick green grass. Magnus’ smile widened as his fangs burst into view. He leapt at her dad just as a choking scream erupted from Celeste’s core.

  Gripping the sheets on either side of her, Celeste’s eyes shot open as the tears streamed down her face. “No!” she cried as she shut her eyes tightly, trying to force herself to return to the horrible scene she had just witnessed.

  “Are you all right?” asked Roman as he rushed to her side. She hadn’t even noticed that he had been sitting quietly at her bay window. She couldn’t staunch the flood of tears that burst forth when he put his arms around her. He held her tightly as she gasped for air, her shoulders shaking. “It was just a dream,” he whispered soothingly as he rubbed small circles on her back.

  She buried her head in his chest and shuddered as over and over the vivid final scene replayed in her mind. “No,” she said as she lifted her head up to meet Roman’s worried eyes. “It was a vision of some sort. I think I just witnessed the last moments of my dad’s life.”

  “Shh,” muttered Roman as he rocked her gently. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

  After a few more minutes of sobbing, Celeste was finally able to steady her breathing. The shudders wracking her body began to subside as she glanced up at Roman, who still held her tightly against his chest. She tried to form words: “Alek was right. It wasn’t just Magnus. Astrid was there too.”

  “Astrid?” asked Roman, his eyebrows rising.

  “She was in the vision. She put a spell on my dad or something so that Magnus could kill him. That little fairy witch! I am so going to kill her!”

  ***

  “Roman and Celeste are on their way,” said Nico as he pocketed his cell and watched his mother’s expression as she sipped a cup of a tea. He had been more than surprised when he returned home and found the note from Stellan to meet back at his house. Though his mother still appeared tense around Stellan, it seemed as if the initial fury had passed.

  “So you’re going to make me wait until they get here to tell me how it went with the Albsurori?” Nico asked, sitting down next to her.

  “There’s no point in telling the story twice, darling.”

  Stellan stepped into the kitchen, leaving mother and son alone, and Nico took the opportunity to question her further. “Is everything all right between the two of you now?”

  “Of course not,” she said shaking her head. “He lied to me for decades about something of extreme importance. I cannot simply forgive him at the drop of a hat.”

  “But you should try,” said Nico, his face serious. “Whatever he did was to protect you. He may have gone about it in the wrong way, but of that much I’m sure. He’s always been there for Roman and me, and I know that was because of his love for you.”

  Lilliana smiled as she reached out her hand and cupped Nico’s cheek. “When did you become so wise? You were always my little boy, and now it seems you have become quite a smart man.”

  He blushed and gave his mother a coy smirk. “I’ve been around for a long time now, Mom.”

  “Tell me, since you’ve become so sage about matters of the heart, what do you make of your brother’s relationship with Celeste?”

  Nico let out an exasperated sigh, then he chuckled throwing his hands in the air. “I’m afraid those two are difficult for even me to figure out. I know they love each other deeply and I’ve never seen Roman so alive as when he is with her. But he’s stubborn and overprotective and thinks he always knows what’s best. Sometimes I think he doesn’t believe he deserves happiness.”

  The front door swung open, interrupting the remainder of the conversation as Roman, Celeste and Marco strode in. “What’s going on?” asked Roman as soon as he set foot inside.

  “Come and have a seat. There are a few matters we need to discuss,” Lilliana said. Stellan reappeared from the kitchen to join them and everyone found a seat around the coffee table.

  Celeste was pleased to see Stellan, not only because she couldn’t wait to tell him about her vision but also because she was happy to see Lilliana and him in the same room together.

  Once they had all settled down, Lilliana began. “I had quite a productive visit with Marja, the head of our coven. She is quite a lovely and wise woman. She has welcomed me back into the Albsurori with open arms. In fact, she wishes to make me the next leader of the coven.”

  “Seriously?” asked Nico.

  “Yes, I am quite serious. It is an exceptional honor to be asked, especially after everything that has happened.”

  “So Marja is retiring?” asked Celeste. She was dying to ask what Lilliana had told her about the ring, but she decided to hold her tongue for now.

  “She is, as soon as she can find a successor. She filled me in on the Black Devil’s attack on the compound and the abduction of her young daughter, then explained that naturally she would prefer to focus on her family at this time.”

  “Are you going to accept?” asked Roman.

  “I told her that I needed some time to consider. I too wish to focus on my family,” she said, giving Roman and Nico warm smiles.

  “She also told Marja that she was in possession of the Albsurori ring,” interjected Stellan with a pointed glance at Celeste.

  “You did?” Celeste gasped.

  “Yes, once she offered me the position, it made perfect sense. She trusts that I will keep it safe until a decision is made. If I choose to accept her offer, I will keep it. Otherwise it will pass on to the next person in line.”

  “So you didn’t tell her that I’ve had it all along?” she asked.

  “No explanations were necessary.”

  Celeste let out a sigh of relief.

  Stellan cleared his throat and stood up. “The problem is that if Lilliana does not accept the position, Dalla will most likely be chosen successor. Given her behavior as of late, I am concerned as to what that would mean for all of us.”

  “And that is exactly why I told Marja I would consider it. In all honesty, I have no intentions of becoming the next head of the Albsurori. That was my destiny many years ago, but the time for that has passed I’m afraid.”

  “Why wouldn’t you do it, Mother? You would make an excellent leader,” said Nico.

  “I want to spend whatever time I have with my boys.”

  Celeste caught a hint of sadness flash through Lilliana’s serene blue eyes as she said the words. It made her wonder what she meant by it. Surely witches lived extra long lives just like most supernaturals. Then she suddenly remembered Lilliana’s coughing fit while they were in Astor and the scared look in her eye. Do witches even get sick? Celeste scanned her face more closely and began to notice minute details she hadn’t been aware of before. Her skin was a few shades paler than it had been when they saw her in Rome a few short weeks ago, and there were dark circles under her eyes, which she cleverly attempted to hide with concealer. Even her long blond hair had lost some of its luster. Could there be something wrong with Lilliana?

  The conversation had been continuing around her while Celeste was immersed in her own thoughts, but she snapped out of it when she heard mention of the Queen of the Fae. “What was that?” she asked.

  “Marja told us that the Queen had reached out to her in regards to our recent trespassing in Fae lands,” said Stellan. “She told her that she had filed a complaint with the Council, but had assumed it would fall on deaf ears. She was hoping to get Marja and the coven on her side.”

  “And is she?” asked Roman.

  “No,” answer
ed Lilliana. “Marja is no friend to the Queen of the Fae. Though they maintain pleasantries for the sake of appearances, she confided to me that she does not trust her conniving ways.”

  “I don’t understand. Aren’t fairies literally incapable of lying?” asked Celeste.

  “Though that may be true,” said Stellan grimly, “they have become master manipulators in bending the truth to suit them. They are specialists at getting around a lie.”

  Roman glanced over at Celeste with a sad smile. “I think it’s time you told them about your vision.”

  Stellan looked at Celeste in shock after she had finished recounting the details of her latest vision starring the Queen’s daughter. He pushed his glasses further up on his nose as he considered the ramifications. “A fairy playing a part in the death of a guardian is extremely serious,” he said after a considerable pause. “It would mean much more than temporary banishment to Xeria, even if she is a royal.”

  “So how do we prove it?” asked Roman.

  “I doubt the Queen is going to take anything we say seriously, especially after her latest complaints about us,” said Marco. Silent during the majority of the exchange, it was clear Marco had been listening intently.

  “That is the ten million dollar question, as they say,” said Stellan as he paced in front of the couch.

  “If what Celeste saw really was a vision from the past, it’s possible that I could locate the images in her mind again and project them to the Council,” said Lilliana.

  “You can do that?” asked Nico.

  She nodded her head. “It will be difficult, but it can be done.”

  “We would need for more than just the Council to see it,” said Stellan, abruptly stopping in his tracks. “The Queen and her court would have to witness it in order to believe. And even still, they could always claim it to be some sort of witch magic.”