by G. K. DeRosa
“But I love you both, and I can’t imagine my life without either one of you in it,” she said, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it tightly.
“But in different ways, right? I see the way you look at him, and I’ve never gotten a look like that from you.”
“Brian…”
“It’s okay, though, because I want someone who will look at me like that.”
“You will Brian, I know it. You’re going to make some lucky girl very happy one day. I just hope it’s not Lacey Green.”
He chuckled. “And don’t worry Cel. I’ll always be there for you, especially now that you’re going to be living in New York City. I’ll be coming up to visit every weekend!”
Celeste took a couple deep breaths and gathered her courage as she stood in front of Roman’s apartment. As she lifted her hand to knock on the door, it swung open and Roman stood in front of her wearing the same fitted black t-shirt and dark blue jeans he had worn on the first day they officially met. His stunning looks still had the same effect on her, even after everything they had been through.
“Hi,” she said slightly breathless. “Are you going somewhere?”
“Yes, actually I was heading over to your house,” Roman admitted.
“Really?” she asked.
“Yes, I wanted to talk to you. Come in, please.” He took a step back and opened the door so that she had to brush against him as she entered. A wave of electricity surged between them as their skin touched and their eyes met fleetingly.
“I’ve missed this place,” she said, looking away.
“It is nice to be back,” he said, gathering his composure. It had only been a few days since he’d seen her, but he’d already forgotten the intense effect she had on him.
“Is Nico home?” she asked.
“No, he went over to Natalie’s. He’s been over there a lot since we got back. Now that I think about it, I think he may have a thing for her.”
“You’re just realizing that now?” she said with a giggle.
“I suppose so,” he said grinning.
“So, you wanted to talk to me about something?” she asked. They had stopped in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, and they both stared out onto the tranquil lake ahead.
“Yes, I do, but if you came all the way over here, I imagine you have something to say as well?”
“Fine, I guess I’ll go first,” she said, steeling her nerves. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, about college, about my life as a Guardian, about Brian and about you.”
“And?”
“At first I didn’t want to listen to what you were saying, but after these past few days of reflecting on the realities of my new life, I realized you were right.”
“I was?” he asked, a look of disappointment crossing his face.
“Yes, I should be able to have a normal life, go to college and be the Guardian. If my father did it, then I know it’s possible for me. I still want to have the whole human experience.”
“You should. It’s what you deserve,” he said, turning away from her.
“But I want to have it with you,” she said, reaching for his face and turning it back towards her.
“With me?”
“Yes Roman. A normal life wouldn’t mean anything to me if you weren’t in it.”
“But--” Roman interrupted.
“Let me finish,” she said placing a finger on his lips to silence him. “I know that you are trying to protect me from a dangerous life filled with supernaturals, but don’t you see that that is the life I was destined for? And I need you to protect me from it, to stand by me and make me stronger. I can’t do this without you.”
“Celeste, you have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that, but how about five or ten years from now? What sort of future could I possibly give you?”
“While I’m flattered that you are already thinking about us in the long term, technically we haven’t even been on our first date yet!”
He couldn’t help but smile. “You are all that I see in my future, Celeste. You have been since the first day I met you, but--”
“No, no ‘buts’ Roman,” she said taking hold of his face and looking into his troubled eyes. “I’m a Guardian, and as much as I hate to admit it, I don’t think we have the longest life span. Let’s just think about now. You asked me to make a decision and I did so now you have to respect it. I choose you, I want to be with you, and I love you.”
“I love you too Celeste, so much,” he said. His body longing for hers, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her desperately.
Celeste looked into his smoldering blue eyes and could feel all the love that he felt for her and the pain that haunted him. She never felt so close to anyone in all her life. As they kissed heatedly the rush of emotions that took over her were more powerful than anything she had ever experienced. Celeste finally understood what real love was. It truly was nothing like in the movies; it was a thousand times better. So when he looked up at her questioningly, she nodded smiling and he picked her up in his arms and carried her into his bedroom.
When Celeste opened her eyes, she found herself in front of Dante and the rest of the Council.
“What am I doing here?” she asked nervously.
“Congratulations Celeste Wilder, you have passed Guardian training successfully. In fact, you have done better than most of our candidates ever have. You have a bright future ahead of you,” said Dante smiling proudly.
“Yes, congratulations,” echoed Sierra, Seraphina, and Balthazar, whose names Celeste had recently learned after the battle with Fabian.
“Thank you,” she said. “I didn’t know I was being tested.”
“Well it’s more of a trial period really,” said Sierra.
“There is just one more thing before you officially become the new Guardian,” said Dante.
“What’s that?”
“You have to make a choice.” Celeste looked at him with a confused expression on her face. “We chose you to become the next Guardian, and I believe we made an excellent decision. But now it is your turn to choose whether you want to accept this duty.”
“You mean I don’t have to be the Guardian?”
“No, Celeste you don’t,” said Sierra.
“It has always been our custom to select a Guardian, but it is ultimately their choice to commit to the responsibilities,” explained Dante.
“What would happen if I didn’t accept it?”
“Your powers would disappear, and your memories of everything that has taken place over the past few months would be erased. You would no longer have any knowledge of the supernatural world, and you would simply go back to being an ordinary human.”
“You can do all that for me?”
“Yes, and we have. It hasn’t happened very often, but once in a while a nominee is not suited for this life, and they are set free.”
“Can I have a moment to think about it?”
“Yes certainly, take all the time you need Celeste,” said Sierra with a warm smile.
Celeste’s mind was racing as she thought about the possibility of a life without the responsibilities of being a Guardian. She could go to NYU and have a normal college experience, she could live a long life, get married, even have a family. She wouldn’t get terrifying premonitions anymore or have to spend hours training or living in constant fear. All of it would be over.
But all of my memories would be gone too…
Celeste wouldn’t remember anything about the supernatural world including the existence of vampires like her love Roman and her dear friend Nico. And if she wasn’t the Guardian, Stellan, her mentor, would never have existed for her either. And she would lose all of her gifts and the incredibly empowering feeling she felt when she held her sword. She would also undoubtedly lose her ability to visit with her father in her dreams. Celeste didn’t know if she could give all of that up to go back to being just a normal human. Suddenly, the thought of being normal didn’t look so attractive
to her when she realized all that she would lose. It ended up being a much easier choice than she had expected.
“I accept. I want to be the Guardian,” she blurted out loudly.
All of the Council stopped their idle chatter and stared at her in surprise.
“We are very pleased to hear that,” said Dante. “You were born to be the Guardian, and of that I am sure.”
“So what happens now?” she asked.
“You go on living your life, and on occasion we will summon you if you are needed. And of course you will continue to have premonitions, which will help guide you to those that are in danger. It is your duty to help them wherever they may be. And if you ever need our counsel, you know how to contact us.”
Celeste unconsciously reached for the Wilder key hanging from her neck. “Okay, thank you Dante. Thanks to all of you. I will do my best to make you proud.”
***
“Listen up everyone, I have an announcement!” said Celeste. She looked gratefully around the table at her dearest friends. They were all together at Ralph’s for a farewell dinner for Natalie, but all eyes were on Celeste.
“Natalie, I want to wish you all the best at Richmond College. They are so lucky to have you, and I’m really going to miss you!”
Natalie smiled with tears in her eyes.
“And about college,” continued Celeste, “I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I’ve decided to postpone going to NYU.”
“What?” everyone said in unison.
“Why aren’t you going?” asked Brian.
Out of everyone there – Roman, Nico, Natalie, Brian, and Dani Lynn (Stellan had cloaked her with a glamour spell so she could go out in public without being recognized), Natalie was the only one who didn’t know the truth about who Celeste was. Celeste knew she had to be careful about what she said in front of her.
Roman glanced at her and gave her a reassuring smile, and she continued.
“Before everyone freaks out, I’d like to point out that I said ‘postpone’. I already spoke to the university, and they have agreed to defer my enrollment for a year. As all of you know, I’ve been having some family issues to deal with, and I thought it would be a better idea for me to stick close to home for a year until I figure a few things out.”
“So does that mean you will be going to community college with us?” asked Nico.
“Exactly. I enrolled this morning, and starting next week I will be an Oak Bluffs Gator!”
“Wow Cel, that’s awesome news for us anyway. It looks like you’re stuck with me for at least another year,” said Brian.
“So now I’m the only one that’s leaving?” asked Natalie. “I’m going to miss out on all the fun!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll come visit you,” said Nico with a wink.
“We’ll all come visit you,” echoed Celeste.
“And you have to come to my games now that I’m going to be leading the Gators to victory,” said Brian. “I’m thinking a regional championship at least!”
As everyone chattered happily about the future, Roman turned to Celeste and whispered to her, “Are you sure about this?”
“I’ve never been more sure about anything,” she said and leaned in for a sweet kiss.
“Aww!” said Natalie. “I think it’s more than just family reasons making you stay in Oak Bluffs.”
Celeste smiled happily.
“Excuse me,” said a pretty girl with fire red hair as she approached the table. “I couldn’t help but overhear you all talking about college. I just moved into town, and I’m starting at Oak Bluffs Community College next week too. My name is Marie.”
As Marie introduced herself to everyone, Celeste’s evil radar gave a slight pulse. She looked around in alarm, and not seeing any immediate danger she focused back in on Marie. She had a sweet smile and a few cute freckles on her nose, so she seemed harmless enough. Still, Celeste was definitely getting a vibe from her: it was clear Marie wasn’t a vampire or a wizard, but also that she definitely wasn’t human. Celeste looked over at Roman for assurance, and he smiled casually.
“What is she?” she whispered under her breath.
“A fairy.”
“A what?”
“Shhh… they have excellent hearing,” said Roman. “We can talk about it later.”
When Celeste looked up, Marie was looking at her quizzically with big emerald green eyes.
“Sit down with us,” said Natalie. “We’ll tell you all you need to know about surviving in Oak Bluffs.”
As everyone sat around the table, Marie explained what had brought her to the small town. Celeste eyed her skeptically, but Roman seemed to be at ease so she took that as a good sign. She glanced over at Brian to see that he was gawking at the cute girl hanging on her every word. For some reason Celeste realized, his smitten gaze made her happy. She leaned over to give Roman a quick kiss on the cheek, and he reciprocated with a squeeze of her hand, which he was holding under the table. All of a sudden, a searing pain tore through Celeste’s head. She bit down hard on her lower lip to suppress a scream as a terrible vision flashed through her mind.
***
Outside a dark figure loomed in the shadows. Watching the happy group of friends and seething with anger, he vowed to get revenge on them all.
Want to find out what happens to Celeste next? The next book in my series will be released later this year. Sign up to my mailing list to be the first to know when it is out! www.wilderbook.com
Acknowledgements
A special thank you to my loving and supportive husband who always understood my need for escaping into a good book (or TV show!) And of course my mother who is the guiding force behind everything I do. And to my father who will always live on in my dreams.
A huge thank you to everyone that had a hand in the creation of this book. I could not have done it without you! To Robin Wiley, the first person to read Wilder and Celeste’s biggest supporter from day one. I don’t think I would have gone forward if it wasn’t for your constant encouragement. It means the world to me. To my dearest and oldest friend Dorothee Leiser who spent hours reviewing my manuscript and providing invaluable input as well as grammar and punctuation edits!
Thank you to all my friends, family, co-workers who let me bounce ideas off of them and listened to my struggles as a first time author and self-publisher. I appreciate it more than you all will ever know.
Author Biography
G.K. De Rosa has been an avid reader from a very young age. At the precocious age of two, while living in Italy, she had memorized an entire children’s book in Italian and expertly turned the pages at the exact right moments of the story. As she grew up, she always enjoyed literature, no doubt having been instilled with a love of story telling from her early years in Catholic school where she was greatly influenced by exemplary teachers who taught her the value of English and Literature. Though she did not pursue writing in college and instead went for the more traditional route of International Business inspired by her love for travel and all things foreign, after a move to New York City, she found her creative writing side calling once again. She began writing a restaurant review blog, City Lights and Tasty Bites, detailing her other passion – food! The hectic hustle and bustle of the city, combined with long commuting times gave her the opportunity to spend more time reading and rekindled a lost love. After reading countless books in many diverse genres over the two years in New York City, and returning to her home state of Florida, she felt compelled to write something for herself. She had always felt particularly drawn to Young Adult novels and having been an eternal romantic at heart, a fantasy romance was a natural choice. She currently lives in South Florida with her real life Prince Charming and their fur baby, Nico the German Shepherd.
Contact me:
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Email: [email protected]
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