Wilder Destiny

by G. K. DeRosa

  Roman looked at her, a remorseful look in his eye. “We were with Stellan researching,” he responded. “I’m sorry, I should have been there.”

  “No, it’s good that you guys are working on the werewolf thing. We need to find out who is responsible for Astor. I can handle myself.” Lie.

  Celeste’s mom intruded into the tense circle carrying homemade chocolate chip pancakes. “Come on kids, follow me. It’s Christmas, and we should be celebrating the holiday and not talking about all of this gloom and doom for at least one day out of the year.”

  The three of them gave her a half-hearted smile and followed her and the scent of sweet syrup and hot pancakes into the sitting room.

  After all of the presents had been opened, and everyone had had their fill of pancakes and eggnog, Roman nudged Celeste. “Can I talk to you for a second – privately?”

  Celeste nodded and led him out to the backyard. The mid-day sun warmed up the chilly day as the two of them sat across from each other at the wicker table. Roman pulled out a small box covered in red and white wrapping paper and placed it on the table in front of her.

  “I got you a little something.”

  “Oh Roman, you shouldn’t have. I didn’t get you anything since, well, you know…”

  “I wasn’t expecting anything in return,” he said with a wry twist of his lips. “Open it.”

  Looking up at his bright expectant eyes, she eagerly ripped open the package. When she opened the box, a pale blue sapphire ring set in white gold sparkled reflecting the glistening sunlight above. The jewel shared a remarkable resemblance to the blue in Roman’s eyes. She took the ring out and placed it on her right-hand ring finger, where his mother’s ring had once been. “It’s beautiful,” she said, the words catching in her throat.

  “I know it’s not the same, but I thought you could wear this in the meantime. I thought maybe it would bring you a different kind of strength.”

  Celeste’s heart thudded loudly against her chest. She could see the longing in Roman’s eyes and felt the heartache that mirrored her own. All she wanted was to jump into his arms and forget the terrible vision that plagued her. Instead she just muttered, “Thank you” and tried to impart as much feeling as possible into those two little words.

  He shot her a million-dollar smile, and she broke down sobbing.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “I don’t know if I can do any of this. It was your mom’s ring that made me a good Guardian. Without it, I’m nothing,” she said in between labored breaths. “That vampire almost killed me last night!”

  Roman sprung out of his seat and wrapped his strong arms around her shaking body. She buried her face into his warm chest, breathing in the familiar scent of him.

  “It’s not just the ring, Celeste. You are an excellent Guardian because you fight with everything inside of you, and you never quit. Anyone can have an off night. And with everything you’ve been going through lately, it’s completely understandable.”

  She raised her head and looked straight into his beautiful eyes as her sobbing subsided. “I know it’s not just the ring. I think it’s you too. You made me strong in ways that I couldn’t imagine.”

  Roman tenderly wiped a tear away from her cheek and pushed the stray curls out of her face. “You are strong on your own. You just have to believe that like I do.” Celeste couldn’t take her eyes from his full lips as he leaned in just inches from her own. She wanted to kiss him so badly, to get lost in his powerful embrace. Time stood still as they inched toward each other.

  Just then the back door swung open, interrupting the emotion-charged moment. Aunt Maddie poked her head out. “Everything okay out here?”

  Roman let go of Celeste, taking a hasty step back. The coldness immediately began to seep in where his warm body had been. Wiping her eyes and standing up, she turned toward her aunt and said, “Yeah. We’re coming back in now.”

  ***

  “Red finally came through for us,” said Roman as he burst into the living room. It had been almost a week without any news, and Roman had been spending most of his days cooped up in Stellan’s library. As he walked in on Nico and Natalie snuggling on the couch, Roman rolled his eyes, remembering the other reason why he’d been holed up at Stellan’s.

  “Who’s Red?” asked Nat as she untangled herself from Nico’s arms.

  “Just a friend of ours who owed us a favor,” Nico replied as he stood up and pulled her up with him. “I gotta go and take care of something with Roman. I’ll see you later though?”

  Natalie leaned into him and gave him one last lingering kiss. “Okay,” she said, a bit breathless. She grabbed her purse from the floor, and Nico watched her longingly as she walked out the door.

  “Enough with the sad puppy dog eyes, Nico. You’ll see her in a few hours,” teased Roman. “We’ve got a werewolf to see.” After a week of feeling useless, his eyes glimmered with anticipation. If this guy wouldn’t give up the details about whom Brazen had been working with, he’d be more than happy to get into a good scuffle with this low-life.

  Unlike the run-down house their last werewolf hunt had brought them to, this time they pulled in front of a new high rise in the larger neighboring city of Manchester. “Nice digs,” said Nico as Roman eased the Porsche into the valet.

  Strolling into the modern lobby with floor-to-ceiling tinted blue windows, the brothers gawked at the luxury. This place was certainly not like any other werewolf den they’d ever encountered. A security guard stopped them before they reached the elevator, and Roman had to use compulsion to get by the brawny man without causing a scene. Roman rarely used his vampire powers of persuasion, but sometimes it was unavoidable. After a quick ride on the ultra fast elevator, they found the apartment number that Red had given them. This werewolf, nicknamed Cerveza, was Brazen’s second in command. He should have taken over as Alpha with Brazen’s disappearance, but most of the Black Devils had scattered after the attack.

  Roman and Nico stood silently in front of the apartment door. Nico leaned his head in to place his ear against the sleek metal. “I don’t hear anything,” he mouthed silently. Roman took a step back to hurl himself forcefully at the door. Though it was made of a thick metal, it wasn’t strong enough to withstand vampire strength, especially not a ticked off vampire. Straightening, Roman found himself in the middle of an extravagantly furnished penthouse overlooking the sprawling city below. Seconds later, Nico was at his side taking in the opulent surroundings. There had been quite a loud crash when the door had busted open, but no one stirred inside the home. The two split up and noiselessly searched the massive apartment. Roman went through the gourmet kitchen and guest bathroom while Nico took the immense great room and one of the bedrooms. Meeting back in the hallway again, they saw a double door at the end of the corridor. Roman gestured with his head, and Nico covered his flank as they crept toward the door. He threw the doors open with a swift kick and found an unmade bed with clothes strewn carelessly about the bedroom.

  Roman’s sensitive nose twitched. The unmistakable scent of human blood was near. Straining his ears he could just make out the pounding sound of a frantically beating heart. Glancing over at Nico, he could see that he, too, could hear it, as his fangs unwillingly popped out as they searched the seemingly empty room. Roman followed a faint noise to the enormous walk-in closet; pushing expensive clothes and shoes aside, he finally found a hidden metal door. There was no handle, only a high-tech keypad on the wall.

  “How are we supposed to get in there?” asked Nico, appearing behind his shoulder.

  “The same way we got in before,” he answered. Roman stepped back and plowed into the door, but this time the thick metal door didn’t budge. He had however, succeeded in denting it, which meant it wasn’t entirely indestructible.

  “Let me try,” said Nico. Unlike Roman, he took a running start and charged the door with the help of his vamp speed. The door rattled, but stubbornly remained on its hinges.

  “
Together,” they said in unison. The brothers backed away from the door and on the count of three, they raced toward it with everything they had. Both hit the metal frame with a smack and the door crashed to the ground. As they barreled through the entryway, a half-naked girl ran behind a scruffy, bearded werewolf wearing nothing but boxers, a cowboy hat, and a gaudy gold chain around his hairy chest.

  Nico couldn’t help but laugh at the comical scene, until Roman shot him a glare that silenced him immediately.

  “Cerveza, I presume,” said Roman. The angry werewolf snarled, and the frightened young brunette backed further into the corner. “Listen, we’ll make this quick. We can see you have company, and we don’t want to ruin your good time.”

  “Get the hell out of my house, you dirty fangers,” he growled with a decisively southern accent.

  “Now, that’s no way to treat house guests,” said Nico. “Didn’t your momma teach you better than that?”

  Roman picked Cerveza up by the throat before he could even blink and dangled his large form a few feet off the ground. “I hear that you know who hired Brazen and your sorry crew to attack Astor. I want a name.” The man clenched his jaw tight.

  “Listen Cerveza– can I call you that? Or do you prefer Beer?” taunted Nico as he loomed closer. “I don’t know if you heard, what with you living all high and mighty up here in this penthouse while the rest of your pack scrapes by in a hovel. But we just killed two of your guys for being difficult. Don’t make us kill you too.”

  “You pretty boys don’t have the nerve,” he hissed.

  Roman’s eyes darkened, and he tightened his grip on the guy’s throat. His fangs dropped as the werewolf’s throbbing artery pulsed underneath his hold.

  “Roman, don’t!” warned Nico, seeing his brother’s cool exterior quickly crumbling. The last thing they needed was for Roman to lose control again and accidentally snap the guy’s neck.

  “Tell us now!” growled Roman with such force that it sent the scantily clad girl into a quivering mess on the floor. Cerveza twisted his head ever so slightly toward her, and Roman recognized his strained expression. He knew that look well. He had seen it reflected in his own eyes whenever Celeste was in danger.

  “Nico, get the girl.”

  “No!” gasped Cerveza.

  Roman loosened his steel grip and dropped the werewolf back onto his feet. “Tell us what we want to know now, or my brother rips her pretty little head off.”

  Nico was fairly certain this was just an idle threat, but something about the dark gleam in his brother’s eye gave him a chill. He worried when Roman teetered so close to the edge. Hopefully, Cerveza would buy it as neither of the brothers had killed a human in years, and Nico certainly didn’t want to start now.

  With another glance at the terrified girl huddled in the corner, and Nico looming dangerously close, the werewolf let out a long sigh. “It was that platinum-haired sorcerer, the one with the face of a young boy. He hired Brazen to attack the Council and get the ring.”

  “Alek?” asked Nico with a noticeable gulp.

  “Yeah, that’s it—the one who used to hang out with Fabian. He’s a freaky thing, makes my skin crawl.”

  Nico looked over at his brother whose face had blanched. He wasn’t quite sure if he was still breathing. He elbowed him discreetly, and the vacant look in his eyes dissipated.

  Roman took a breath, the first he had taken in a few minutes. Steeling himself to maintain focus, he asked, “Why does Alek want the ring?”

  “I have no idea. Like I said, that little guy is pretty disturbing. When we met with him, we got in and got out as quick as we could.”

  Roman abruptly let go of his throat. Cerveza took a step back and rushed over to the petrified young woman. “Are we done here?” he asked as he gently took the trembling girl into his arms. “I got a pretty good thing going here as you can see. Since Brazen disappeared, I kept the entire payout for myself. I’d like to live long enough to enjoy it.”

  “Sure,” said Nico, putting his hand on Roman’s shoulder to lead him out.

  Roman and Nico drove straight from the upscale condo to Stellan’s house. This was bad, and the brothers knew it. There was no telling what Alek could be capable of with the additional power of the ring. Now that he had it, he would surely make a move against them and worse, against Celeste. A heavy silence weighed on the pair as they sped along the highway toward Oak Bluffs.

  “No, it can’t be,” murmured Stellan. He had been perfectly still as Roman broke the news, but now he wouldn’t stop pacing. “Oh my. The consequences of this could be disastrous. Terrible, simply terrible.” In addition to the pacing, Stellan had begun muttering unintelligibly as he chewed on the earpiece of his thick black glasses.

  “Stellan!” shouted Roman as he grabbed his shoulders and shook him. “This isn’t helping. We need to find Alek and get that ring back.”

  “And shouldn’t we inform the Council about this? And Celeste?” interjected Nico.

  “Yes, yes, quite so,” he said as he stopped pacing and his gray eyes came into focus. He looked at the two pairs of intense eyes staring anxiously back at him, and then snapped to attention. “I will go to Astor immediately. Roman and Nico – go to Celeste and tell her everything. Dani – start pulling every single book we have on Alek or Fabian.”

  Roman and Nico were out the door almost before he had finished, and Dani scurried up the stairs as he continued barking orders. If Alek was coming, they were going to be prepared.

  “Are you sure you can handle dinner tonight?” asked Mrs. Wilder. She stood in front of the empty refrigerator, rummaging through the shelves hoping to find something.

  “Don’t worry about it Mom. I’m an eighteen-year-old, demon-fighting college student. I’m pretty sure I can handle defrosting a frozen dinner for me and Aunt Maddie.”

  Her mother shook her head and gave her a smile. “I’m so lucky to have raised such a capable girl. Kills demons and so domesticated!” She pulled out a tray of lasagna from the freezer. “Your dad would not be happy if he knew I was raising you on frozen dinners. At least this is homemade.”

  Her mom’s mention of her father triggered her memory. “Mom, before you go, I forgot to ask you something.” She turned back toward her. “When dad died, why didn’t we move to Astor?”

  Mrs. Wilder walked back into the kitchen and pulled out a chair. “Sit,” she said. Celeste did as she was told and looked up at her mother with expectant eyes. She took a deep breath and began, “You were so young when your dad died, just a scared little ten-year-old. I wanted to do what was best for you. When Dante came to me to discuss the possibility – ”

  “Wait! Dante came here to Oak Bluffs?”

  “Yes, he did. He was very fond of your father. He insisted that we move immediately to Astor. But I knew that your dad didn’t want this life for you. If we had gone with him then, it would have pretty much set your fate in stone. We wanted to give you a chance at a normal life. Stellan agreed with me, since he knew your father’s wishes as well as I did, and he convinced Dante it was best for us to stay here.”

  “But wasn’t that dangerous?”

  “Stellan promised to keep an eye on us from afar. He actually left the Council so that he could devote all of his time to us.”

  “He never told me that. I always wondered why he had left the Council,” said Celeste. “I can’t believe he did that for us.”

  “He did it for you, sweetie,” she said with a squeeze to her shoulder.

  A feeling of warmth flowed through Celeste as she thought about Stellan giving up so much for her. He had been watching out for her during the tough years after her father’s death. She had mistakenly assumed she had been abandoned, but he had been there all along.

  Just then, two screeching falcons shot through the open window, tearing her away from her comforting thoughts. Before they hit the ground, the house filled with an air of magic, and Roman and Nico appeared before Celeste and her mom in their fully male form
s.

  “Sorry to barge in like this,” said Roman as he fumbled for words. He hadn’t expected Celeste’s mom to still be at home. “Mrs. Wilder, a pleasure as always.”

  “Well, I’m guessing this is pretty important, so no need for the formalities,” she replied.

  “We need to talk now,” he said, his eyes intent on Celeste.

  “Mom, don’t you have to get to work?” she asked. She hated to worry her.

  “I still have ten more minutes. Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”

  “No, I can handle it – college student and rebel demon hunter, remember?” she said as she gave her mom a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Okay,” she replied grudgingly, “and be careful.” She picked up her oversized bag and threw it over her shoulder. She turned back and shot her daughter a final concerned glance before she reluctantly closed the door behind her.

  The moment Celeste’s mom was out the door, Roman began. “It’s Alek. He’s the one behind all of this. He hired the Black Devils to attack Astor and steal your ring.” The words tumbled out of his mouth in a frenzy, as if holding them in had been causing him immense discomfort.

  “No…” Celeste’s head was reeling. Flashes of the past summer raced through her mind and panic bubbled up inside of her. Fabian and Alek had tormented their lives for months, and they still made frequent appearances in her nightmares. Now Alek was back in real life. She suddenly felt her legs give underneath her. Roman swooped in, his strong arms catching her just before she hit the cold tile floor.

  Dazed for only a second, she shook her head and willed herself to stand up. “I’m okay,” she said as Roman helped her back onto her feet. She leaned against the kitchen countertop for support. Two pairs of eyes were boring into hers, and she could feel the excessive concern radiating from them. She wasn’t going to do this; she wasn’t going to break down like a little girl. She was the Guardian after all, and she would fight. She tightened her jaw and looked up at them determinedly. “So what’s the plan?”