Wilder: The Guardian Series

by G. K. DeRosa

  “I don’t think there is anything you can do, Celeste. He has to move on, and it’s just going to take some time.”

  “I should go talk to him,” Celeste said as she turned back toward the picnic table.

  “I don’t think now is the best time. He probably won’t remember most of the conversation anyway.”

  “That’s kind of what I was hoping for,” said Celeste.

  Sitting at the edge of the table, Celeste took a gulp of her lukewarm beer and picked at the coleslaw on her plate. She tried to enjoy herself, but she had so many things running through her mind it was almost impossible. She glanced over at Brian who had his head buried in his supersized cup. Seeing him so upset was killing her inside, and not knowing how to fix it was even worse. She watched her classmates from afar, so happy and carefree, and she felt a twinge of envy. Part of Celeste wanted to be like them – their biggest concern was deciding their fall class schedules. Then she thought about Roman and Nico and even Stellan, if she hadn’t been chosen, she would never have met any of them. Roman made her feel whole again, and if she had never met him, she was certain that she would have spent the rest of her life feeling incomplete. She took another sip and as if he had sensed that she was thinking of him, she felt a vibration in her pocket and saw a text message from Roman.

  How’s the picnic?

  She quickly typed out a response and forced herself to snap out of her funk and went to join her friends.

  “Look at that junior, Lacey, all over Brian like a cheap suit!” said Natalie.

  She and Celeste were sitting across from Brian and his new friend and had a front seat view of the drunken flirtations. “At least it looks like he’s having fun,” said Celeste.

  “He has no idea what he’s doing. Brian would flirt with an inanimate object at this point.”

  The girls sat watching the incoherent encounter between Brian and Lacey for a while longer until Celeste couldn’t take it anymore and decided to intervene.

  “Hey Brian, I’m going to have to leave soon, and I was hoping we could hang out a bit before I did,” said Celeste.

  “Why don’t you come sit with my new girlfriend and me,” he said, patting the empty spot next to him. Lacey, also highly inebriated, flashed a huge grin and looked adoringly at him.

  Oh barf… “I’m fine right here, thanks.”

  “So you wanted to talk about something?” asked Brian slurring his words.

  “Not in front of her,” she said.

  “Why not? Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of my girlfriend, Lacey,” he said and proceeded to sloppily make out with her.

  Celeste felt an overwhelming feeling of jealousy take root in her stomach and spread throughout her body. She inhaled a deep breath and fought to suppress the urge to strangle Lacey on the spot.

  “Okay Brian, that’s enough. I’m taking you home.” She crossed over to the other side of the table and yanked him off of her.

  He looked up at her in surprise, trying to get his eyes to focus. “I’m not ready to go, and you can’t tell me what to do. You’re not my girlfriend or my mother!” he said, pulling his arm out of her grasp.

  “No, but I know your mother, and if she saw you like this she’d drag you out of here kicking and screaming if she had to.” Celeste’s voice had risen abruptly, and looking around she noticed everyone was staring. She lowered her voice, and tried to sound sweet and convincing, “Brian please, let me take you home.”

  He turned back to Lacey and enjoyed a last sloppy make-out session before letting Celeste lead him away.

  Celeste buckled her seat belt and reached over in front of Brian to make sure his was securely fastened as well. He could barely hold his head up.

  “What am I thinking? I can’t take you home like this. Your dad is going to kill you and as much as I’d like to see that right now, I want to spare them,” she said thinking out loud.

  “Whatever,” he responded.

  As Celeste backed the car out, she took one last rueful glance at her happy classmates and turned towards home.

  Moving Brian out of the car quickly and quietly was harder than Celeste had expected. She threw his arm over her shoulder and hauled his dead weight around the back of the house so his parents wouldn’t see him. She was thankful for her Guardian strength for the ability to move his 170-plus pound frame. As soon as Brian hit the couch in her living room, he passed out cold. Shaking out her sore shoulders, she was relieved she wouldn’t have to deal with drunk Brian for a while. She ran up the stairs to her room to gather some things she needed for her return to Stellan’s.

  ***

  “How is it possible that we haven’t been able to locate the Constantins?” asked Fabian furiously. He was pacing the length of the grimy hotel room.

  “Perhaps your magic is waning,” said Alek.

  “Your life will be waning if you dare to be insolent with me! I am the most powerful wizard alive. No one is greater than me!”

  “Stellan must obviously be hiding them. He must be the second most powerful wizard,” he said with a smirk.

  “Instead of aggravating me, perhaps you could make yourself useful for once.”

  “Of course, my liege, what would you have me do?”

  “Get out there and search for them. Something is blocking my magic from finding them perhaps you can locate them the old fashioned way,” ordered Fabian.

  “Of course,” said Alek instantly transforming into an enormous vulture and flying out the door.

  ***

  “Roman,” said Stellan’s holographic form, as it appeared in the middle of their apartment, “I’ve found out some information about Fabian.” Nico overheard Stellan and came hurdling down the stairs. “Fabian is here in Oak Bluffs, and he’s with Alek.”

  Roman’s naturally olive complexion turned a pale white.

  “Who’s Alek?” asked Nico.

  “He’s Fabian’s apprentice, for lack of a better term. He’s young but also quite powerful and utterly devoted. He was spotted by one of my informants not far from Celeste’s house. It’s imperative that we get her out of there and back here where it is safe.”

  Roman had already dashed to the door with his keys in hand. “Celeste isn’t home—she’s at that picnic in the town square with Brian and Natalie.”

  “Wherever she is, find her and bring her back here as soon as possible,” warned Stellan.

  Brian started to stir at the sound of Celeste’s footsteps coming down the stairs. She looked tenderly at him and ran her hand through his unruly hair. She thought about the sight of Brian kissing Lacey and felt the jealous twinge again. She had to stop that, though, Brian wasn’t her boyfriend and he could kiss whomever he wanted. But then why do I feel this way?

  Brian cracked open one eye and, realizing where he was, attempted to sit up. “Oh man that was a bad idea,” he said slumping back down dizzily.

  “How are you feeling, drunko?” she asked, sitting down next to him on the sofa.

  “Like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck,” he said, rubbing his head.

  “Good,” she said whacking him in the stomach.

  “Ugh! Are you trying to make me puke? What was that for anyway?”

  “You were a world-class jerk today,” she said. “All I wanted was to spend a nice afternoon with my best friends, and you ruined it!”

  “I’m sorry okay? I wasn’t really feeling like myself.”

  “Yeah no kidding, and you were making out with that Lacey girl all over the place. It was disgusting!”

  “Oh right, so it’s okay for you and your boyfriend to make out, but it’s not okay for me?” he said.

  “That’s totally different--”

  “It’s not,” said Brian interrupting. “You’re the one that told me to move on, so that’s what I’m doing and now you’re upset at me for it?”

  “That’s not why I’m upset. I’m just mad that we didn’t get to spend any time together because you were wasted and making out with some r
andom girl.”

  “Cel, you can’t have it both ways. I can’t be in love with you forever and wait on the sidelines while you make up your mind.”

  “It’s not like that. There’s just so much going on right now that you don’t know,” she said with tears in her eyes.

  “So tell me then!”

  “I can’t!” she said angrily wiping the tears away.

  “Why not?”

  Celeste considered all the practical reasons of why she shouldn’t tell Brian, but in the end her heart won out. She was tired of lying to her best friend. “You know what, fine, I will tell you. I hated not telling you the truth. And it’s probably a good thing that you are still drunk for this.”

  “Why aren’t you picking up, Celeste?” said Roman desperately to her voicemail. He was speeding out of the town square back toward Celeste’s house.

  “She must be at home or at Brian’s house. Natalie said they left the barbecue a while ago,” said Nico.

  “What if Fabian or Alek found her?” asked Roman with a look of panic in his eyes.

  “Just drive faster Roman; we’ll be at her house in five minutes.”

  “So Roman and Nico are vampires, your Uncle Stellan is a wizard and you’re a vampire hunter of some sort?” Brian asked incredulously. “I just want to make sure I’ve got this all straight.”

  Celeste had already repeated the story a few times, and Brian was beginning to get past his skepticism. “I’m a Guardian, a protector of the human race against all things evil,” she said matter of factly.

  “So why didn’t you take out our Vice Principal when you had the chance?”

  “I’m glad you think this is a laughing matter, Brian.”

  “Look Cel, I don’t know how to take all of this, but at least it explains why you’ve been acting so weird the past few months.”

  “I really wanted to tell you, but I just didn’t know how to, and I didn’t want to put you in danger. Stellan is not going to be happy with me for sharing.”

  “I promise I won’t say anything, not that anyone would believe me anyway. I hardly believe it myself.”

  “I know what you mean. It all came as a pretty big shock to me too, especially finding out about my dad.”

  “I just can’t believe those guys are blood-sucking vampires like in Dracula. I always knew there was something weird about them.”

  Celeste rolled her eyes at him.

  “And you – I can’t believe my best friend can kick demon ass. That’s kind of hot actually.”

  Celeste shoved him playfully. “I’m super strong too.”

  “I was wondering how I got to the couch...”

  “So now do you see why it could never work out between us?” she asked, looking at him seriously.

  “No, not really. I mean, what are the chances that things are going to work out between you and a hundred-year-old vampire?”

  “Brian, I’m not talking about that with you. And anyway my duties as a Guardian have to come first now. I don’t even know if I’m going to go away to college anymore,” she said.

  “But you have to! It’s what you’ve always wanted. You said your dad was a guardian and he still had a life. You can too. You don’t have to be the Guardian and choose to be with a vampire, you can have a normal life with me.”

  There was such a hopeful look in Brian’s eyes, and it broke her heart. She didn’t know what else to say. Looking down at the table, she noticed that her phone had died. She hoped Roman hadn’t been trying to reach her.

  Roman and Nico burst through the front door of Celeste’s house, the door barely remaining on its hinges. Celeste and Brian, who had been chatting obliviously on the couch, jumped up in surprise at their sudden entrance.

  “Why didn’t you answer your phone?” asked Roman, running to her and wrapping his arms tightly around her. “I thought something happened to you.”

  “Roman, you’re crushing me,” she said trying to wriggle free. “I’m okay, what’s going on?”

  Brian stared uncomfortably at Roman. Hearing about vampires was one thing, but being in a room with two of them had him slightly disconcerted.

  Roman seemed to have noticed Brian’s presence for the first time, and said, “We need to talk in private.”

  “It’s okay, you can tell me in front of Brian. I told him everything.”

  “You did what?” asked Roman, letting go of her abruptly.

  “I told him everything, Roman. I was tired of lying to my best friend. He deserved to know.”

  “What were you thinking? Are you going to tell Natalie too? How about your mailman?” He began to pace the living room waving his arms in the air agitatedly.

  “Calm down Roman,” said Nico.

  “No, this was a mistake. Humans aren’t supposed to know about the supernatural. It’s against the rules,” said Roman.

  “You of all people should probably not be too concerned about breaking supernatural rules considering your current situation. What’s that saying about throwing rocks at glass houses?” said Nico. Roman glared at his brother, and he immediately stopped talking.

  “Anyway it’s my secret, and it’s too late because I already told him,” interjected Celeste defiantly.

  Roman stalked up to Celeste and stood inches from her face. “It’s not too late. I can easily compel him to forget everything you said.”

  Celeste was not so easily intimidated. “Don’t you dare,” she said, finger pointed at his chest. “He’s not just some human you can manipulate, he is my best friend and I need him to know. I need someone to talk to about all of this.”

  “So I’m not enough?” asked Roman, doubt creeping into his eyes.

  “This isn’t about you Roman! Keeping all of these secrets has really been weighing on me. I’ve always told Brian everything, and it’s important to me that he knows.”

  Brian stood speechless, watching the heated exchange. Nico had also been holding his tongue.

  “We can discuss this further on our way back to Stellan’s,” Nico interrupted. “Fabian is here in Oak Bluffs, Celeste. That’s why we stormed into your house like the SWAT team. We’ve gotten a bit off track, but we have to leave now.”

  Celeste’s face paled at the mention of Fabian being so close by. “I want to come with you,” said Brian.

  “No!” said Celeste, Roman and Nico in unison.

  “I’m sorry Brian, but it’s too dangerous, and I don’t want you involved. It was my fault for telling you about all of this in the first place, but I won’t let you get hurt because of me,” she said.

  “What if that wizard guy hurts you?” asked Brian, taking a step towards her.

  “I won’t let that happen,” said Roman, stepping in front of him.

  “Well that’s comforting,” he said.

  “I’ll be fine, Brian. I’ve become a pretty awesome fighter. I promise I’ll show you my moves when I get back,” she said, attempting a smile.

  “We have to go,” Nico implored.

  Brian pulled Celeste into his arms and squeezed her tightly as Roman glared at him from the door.

  “Be careful,” he said, ignoring Roman’s scowl.

  “I will. I’ll see you soon, I promise.”

  Brian watched worriedly as the three of them rushed into the car and sped out of the driveway. As he watched the car disappear down the road, he looked up and saw a massive vulture flying overhead.

  Roman drove all the way to Stellan’s house in silence. Celeste hadn’t said a word either. Only Nico made an occasional quip from the back seat. It wasn’t the first time that she and Roman had fought, but for some reason it felt different this time. She could tell that Roman was hurt, but she didn’t understand why. Being a Guardian was her secret, and she didn’t know why he had gotten so upset that she had told Brian.

  Was Brian right? Is my relationship with Roman destined to fail? Can I really be the Guardian and have a normal life?

  “Thank goodness you made it back safely,” said Stellan as they
rushed up the drive just as twilight set in.

  “I’m so glad you guys are finally here. I’ve been so bored,” said Dani Lynn, popping up from the basement.

  “I’ll grab the bags from the car,” said Nico. “It looks like it’s starting to rain.”

  Without a word, Celeste went to her room to unpack her things, and Roman took a bottle of vodka out to the back porch.

  “Well, they’re in a mood,” said Dani walking away dejectedly.

  “What’s the matter with them?” asked Stellan.

  “Lover’s spat,” said Nico.

  “This isn’t exactly an appropriate time for that.”

  “Tell that to them.”

  “Can we do anything to remedy the situation?” asked Stellan.

  Nico replied, “Doubtful. I’m pretty sure they don’t even know why they are fighting. If you want to know my opinion – Roman thinks that Brian is better for Celeste than he is. Seeing them together just makes it worse so fighting with her is easier. Celeste loves them both in different ways and is having a hard time choosing the right path given her new supernatural reality.”

  “You are wise beyond your years my boy,” said Stellan with an affectionate pinch to Nico’s cheek.

  “I try,” said Nico with a grin.

  As Celeste hung up the last of her clothes, she heard a light tap on her door. Her stomach clenched uneasily.

  “Come in,” she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

  Roman walked in and she could smell the faint scent of vodka emanating from his lips as he exhaled. “Do you love him?” he asked abruptly.

  “What?” asked Celeste, turning to face him.

  “You know exactly what I mean. Do you love Brian?”

  “Roman, I am not having this conversation with you, especially not when you’ve been drinking.”

  “Please, just answer me. I need to know.”

  She looked into his tormented blue eyes and felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She knew she had to be honest with him.