by G. K. DeRosa
“It’s late. Let’s just all go home and get a good night’s sleep. We can talk about it again in the morning when we all have clearer heads,” finished Celeste.
Stellan nodded, and his ghostly figure disappeared without a word.
Celeste turned toward Roman, but his eyes had that vacant stare they had acquired as of late. She turned to walk out the door, but Nico caught her arm.
“I’ll go with you,” he said. “Until we know what Alek is up to, we would feel better if you were protected.” He shot Roman a glare, and the pair walked out into the chilly night.
***
Dani Lynn ambled through the drafty old house, admiring the textured walls covered in fine fabrics and the elegant chandeliers hanging from the lofty ceilings. She had thought Stellan’s home felt stuffy until she saw this place.
“So where are we anyway?” she asked as she turned the corner and found herself in Alek’s study. One minute she had been in Oak Bluffs, and the next she was in the middle of nowhere. Glancing out the window, all she could make out were snow-covered fields in front of snow-peaked mountains as far as the eye could see.
“That is none of your concern,” he responded coldly. He was studying an almanac that detailed the phases of the moon, and he was clearly bothered by her interruption.
“I thought you said I was going to see what it was like to be a real vampire. I don’t even see a single human being anywhere. What am I supposed to eat?” she asked.
Alek was already beginning to regret his rash decision. He wasn’t even sure why he had brought her with him. A part of him simply wanted to take something away from Stellan, but still, there was something else. Was it his own loneliness that incited him to snatch away this irritating young vampire? He immediately shook off the strange feeling and responded icily, “You’ll eat when I say.”
“And when do I get to day walk? You promised that I could if I came with you,” she continued, oblivious to his tone.
Alek was astonished by her brazen attitude. She was truly unafraid of him. Either she was the stupidest vampire he’d ever met or the boldest. “Please stop talking, Dani. I am a man of my word, and you will be able to day walk as promised, but only when I say.”
Dani Lynn skulked back up the stairs to her room without another word. As soon as she was out of sight, Alek placed the enormous book on his desk. The black leather cover was dark and worn, but a trace of a golden image was still discernible. Alek ran his finger over the familiar symbol, the icon of the Albsurori coven intertwined with Fabian’s own sorcerer’s crest. A wicked grin crossed his face. He now had everything he needed; it was only a matter of time.
Knock. Knock.
“Aunt Maddie, are you in there?”
“Yeah, sure, come on in,” came her voice through the door.
Celeste opened the door and gasped. A large suitcase was on the bed and clothes and shoes were piled in it haphazardly, while more were strewn about the room. Aunt Maddie stood by the closet looking guiltily at Celeste.
“You’re leaving?” Celeste asked as she hovered by the doorway.
Her aunt cast her eyes down, unable to meet Celeste’s. “I’m sorry, I was going to tell you. I’m just not good at goodbyes.”
Celeste stormed into the room and began pulling clothes out of the suitcase and throwing them on the floor. “You can’t just leave!”
Aunt Maddie rushed over and began picking up the scattered garments. “I’m sorry Celeste, but I have to.”
“You were going to leave without saying anything? How can you do that after everything we’ve been through?” she asked desperately. Hot tears were welling in her eyes, and she was doing everything in her power to keep them at bay.
“I got a lead – on Maks,” she said. Celeste looked into her aunt’s frantic eyes and recognized the look of hope mingled with despair. It reminded her again of how similar she and her aunt truly were.
Celeste stopped throwing the clothes about the room and paused. “Where is he?” she asked, her voice softening.
“In Warsaw,” she smiled ruefully. “It figures.”
“So you’re just going to blindly run after him?”
“I have to! This is the first solid lead I’ve had in over a year. I have to find him,” she said.
“And what are you going to do when you do?”
Aunt Maddie sighed and slumped down on the bed. “I don’t know yet.”
Celeste sat down beside her and rubbed her back in a soothing circular motion, like her mother used to do when she was little. Aunt Maddie leaned her head into Celeste, wiping away the stray tears. Seeing her aunt like this was gut wrenching. The woman sitting before her was not the tough guardian Celeste had met only a few weeks ago; in her place sat a girl, just like her—with an impossible love and a broken heart. “I’ll help you pack,” Celeste relented.
They stood up and began collecting the mess of clothes on the floor. As Celeste neatly folded a pair of slacks and placed them in the suitcase, a faded Polaroid caught her eye. She pulled it out from under the stack of clothes and stared.
“That’s me and Maks back in Warsaw in 2000. Wasn’t he cute?” she said as she ran her finger over the picture fondly.
“That’s Maks?” asked Celeste as her face paled.
“Yeah, why?”
“I’ve seen him before,” she said, her voice trembling as she took short ragged breaths. “He was in my vision from the past, the one with Roman!” Her world began to spin, and she reached out for her aunt’s arm to steady her. The terrible gory scene she had watched flashed through her mind’s eye once more, and yes she was certain of it; Maks was there. She immediately recognized the bow and arrow tattoo on his blood-spattered neck.
“Celeste, what are you talking about? What vision?”
For a moment, Celeste had forgotten that she hadn’t told her aunt or anyone other than Stellan about those horrific images. She hadn’t wanted her aunt to see Roman as a monster. But now she had no choice; she had to tell her. Roman had killed her fiancé and turned him into a vampire.
“I have to go see Roman right away. I’ll be back soon and explain everything. Please don’t go anywhere until I come back, and I need to take this,” she said as she grabbed the picture and shot out of the room.
“Okay, I won’t,” she promised but Celeste was already half way down the stairs.
This can’t be happening. The thought that Roman could have killed Maks and turned him into a vampire was too much for Celeste to bear. This has to be a mistake, some sort of terrible mistake. Storming into the brothers’ apartment, she found Nico spread out across the couch watching I Love Lucy re-runs. If she hadn’t been so upset, she would have teased him about one of his favorite shows.
“Where’s Roman?” she shouted, her hair a wild mess from the damp wintry weather.
“I’m here,” he responded, suddenly appearing in front of her. She jumped back, startled. “What’s wrong?” he asked, noticing the panic in her eyes.
Celeste pulled the old photograph out of her purse and shoved it in front of his face. “Do you recognize this man?”
Roman took the Polaroid and examined it more closely. “He doesn’t look familiar,” he said. Nico, too, got up from the couch to glance at it.
“So there’s been that many, huh?” asked Celeste, her voice bordering on hysterics. “You killed this man and you turned him! And you don’t even recognize his face?”
“What?” asked Roman, his blue eyes wide with shock. He picked up the photo again for a second look, but nothing triggered in his memory.
“Roman’s never turned anyone,” retorted Nico. “Have you?” he asked turning to his brother.
“No, of course not. Celeste, I’ve told you before, I did some terrible things in my lifetime, but I’ve never made another vampire.”
“Then how do you explain my vision? I saw this man, his name is Maks by the way. Oh, and he was my aunt’s fiancé!”
“No, it can’t be,” interrupted Roman a
s he ran his hands through his ruffled hair. A multitude of faces flashed through his mind – all the innocent people he had killed when he lost control. He tried so hard to block those memories, but here they were, bubbling up to the surface.
“It was him and he was there with you, and there was blood, so much blood…” she couldn’t finish the sentence. Her head was reeling again.
“There must be some mistake,” said Nico protectively. “Roman didn’t do this.”
“My visions have never been wrong so far,” said Celeste grimly. “I wish it was wrong this time.” The fire in her voice had vanished. Now she only felt completely numb.
Roman turned to look at Celeste. “What if I did do this? I used to black out sometimes when the rage was uncontrollable. I could have easily killed him. Maybe I turned him too.” He collapsed down on the couch and threw his head in his hands.
“No, Roman. I know you, and you didn’t do this. I refuse to believe it. No matter how out of control you might have been, you wouldn’t condemn someone to this life,” said Nico, sitting down beside him.
Roman threw his brother a grateful smile. “I wish I had as much faith in myself as you do.”
“When was this Maks turned?” asked Nico, turning to Celeste.
She had been silent, reliving the vision in her head. She snapped back to the present when she realized he was speaking to her. “My aunt said she was twenty-four when he disappeared, so I guess around ten years ago.”
Roman shot Nico a knowing glance. “That makes sense.”
Nico grimaced. “The end of the ravaging of Eastern Europe…”
“What are you talking about?” asked Celeste.
“There’s no need for gruesome details, but let’s just say that was one of Roman’s dark periods.” Celeste wondered how many dark periods Roman had had in his lifetime and how many people had died because of it. How could she have not known about any of this? How could I be in love with someone I don’t even know?
“I’m so sorry,” said Roman. “I don’t remember a lot during those years.”
“So is your aunt going to try to kill him now?” asked Nico, getting right down to business. “I know she didn’t like him much to begin with.”
“She doesn’t know yet.” Celeste really did not want to be the one to tell her, but now that Roman had pretty much confirmed it, she knew she had no other choice.
“Are you going to tell her?” asked Nico.
“I have to! She’s running off to Poland to continue her search for him. She’s been trying to find him for ten years,” she said, throwing her hands up in the air.
“Maybe I should apologize,” said Roman, his voice hollow.
“No!” shouted Celeste. “She may just try to kill you if you go near her, and I don’t know if I could stop her this time. I think I know what I have to do.”
As Celeste pulled onto her street, she let out a breath of relief. Her aunt’s rental car was still in the driveway. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Brian sitting on her front steps.
This is so not a good time.
Celeste hurried up the walkway as Brian flashed a bright smile as she approached.
“Hey stranger, where have you been?” As she got closer, he could see the worried expression on her face, and his smile quickly faded. “What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry, I can’t get into it right now. I have to talk to my aunt before she takes off on me,” she said as she blew right past him. She unlocked the door and before she disappeared inside, she turned back to Brian. “I’ll tell you all about it later. Sorry!”
Walking into her house, she found the packed suitcase at the door and Aunt Maddie pacing in the living room. She was having a heated phone conversation with someone, and Celeste’s curiosity got the best of her as she stood in the hallway listening. She couldn’t make out what was being said on the other side of the line, but whatever it was had her aunt raging mad.
Finally, she hung up the phone and having noticed Celeste’s presence she attempted a smile. “Good, you’re back,” she said.
“What was that about?” asked Celeste.
“Nothing, just my useless informant. He was tailing Maks and lost him,” she said as she let out a frustrated sigh. “Are you going to tell me about Roman and this cryptic vision you were talking about before you raced off? I’m kind of in a hurry.”
Celeste gulped. “Aunt Maddie, you have to promise me that no matter what I say, you won’t go off and kill Roman.”
“What?” she asked. “I don’t think I like where this is going.”
“Promise?”
“Okay, okay.”
“Please sit down,” said Celeste as she steered her toward the sofa.
Aunt Maddie lowered herself onto the couch, but sat just at the edge, which made Celeste nervous that she could spring up at any time. She hastily recounted the story of the vision she had a few weeks back, and her recent visit with Roman and Nico.
When she finished her aunt gaped at her, mouth hanging open. “That monster killed my Maks! I told you Celeste, all vampires are evil! How could you be with him?” She attempted to stand, but Celeste pushed her back down. She couldn’t let her aunt go off on a rampage no matter what Roman may have done.
“Aunt Maddie, you promised. And I haven’t been with him, not since the vision. But that’s beside the point,” she said. “We don’t know for sure what happened. I’ve never had a vision from the past before, so it’s possible that it’s not exactly as it seems.”
“It sure sounds accurate to me. He must have been there in the alley that night attacking that girl. When I left, he must have come back for Maks and taken him,” her eyes began tearing up at the memory.
“But Roman doesn’t remember any of it. And he and Nico both swear that they’ve never turned anyone before.” She prayed it was true.
“And you trust them? A pair of sick, twisted vampires? You should know better.”
“They’re not like the rest of them,” said Celeste meekly, but even to her ears it sounded weak.
“Celeste, the only thing that is keeping me from driving a stake into Roman’s heart right now is my love for you. I need to get out of here before I do something I’m going to regret,” she said as she turned toward the door.
“Aunt Maddie wait!” cried Celeste. “Let me come with you.” Her aunt dropped the suitcase and spun back around to face her. Her hazel eyes were wide and shiny with unshed tears. “Let me help you find Maks. It’s the least I can do.”
“You can’t just abandon your Guardian duties here, Celeste,” she responded. “I won’t let you follow in my ill-chosen footsteps.”
“I’m not abandoning anything. I’m just going to help my family,” she said calmly. “I’ll talk to the Council. I can make them understand.”
“I don’t know, Celeste. This is going to be very dangerous, and we won’t have the Council backing us up. We would be working completely on our own.”
“I can handle it,” she answered resolutely. Gone were the fears that she wasn’t a good enough Guardian or that Alek was plotting something evil to destroy humanity. All that mattered now was that she discover if Roman really was the monster she feared he might be.
The flight to Warsaw had been booked for the following evening, which also happened to be New Year’s Day. The irony of the date didn’t get by Celeste. This trip could very well determine her and Roman’s future, so it was only fitting that it should be the first day of a new year. It was a chance to start over, and she hoped above all else that what she found would clear Roman’s name. Otherwise, she would have to admit that it was truly over for them.
Celeste pulled out her cell phone and typed a quick message.
Urgent meeting at Stellan’s – can you and Nico be there by 3pm?
Seconds later came the reply from Roman.
Yes, of course. Are you ok?
Yah, I just need to talk to all of you about something important.
Celeste put her phon
e down and unzipped the dusty suitcase she had lugged down from the attic. January in Poland was sure to be freezing, and she had no idea where else this hunt might lead them. A small part of Celeste was excited; after all, she had always wanted to go to Europe. On the other hand, a sense of dread loomed over her, terrified at what she might find out. She took a deep breath and began piling clothes into her luggage.
Just as Celeste was zipping up the overflowing suitcase, her mom barged into the room. Her face was red and she was short of breath, as if she had run all the way up the stairs.
“You are not going traipsing around Eastern Europe with your aunt!” she shouted.
“Oh, she told you,” said Celeste avoiding her mom’s fiery glare. She was hoping to break the news to her mom herself. Celeste knew she wouldn’t be happy.
“That’s all you have to say?” she asked incredulously as she took another step closer to her daughter.
“Mom, you have to understand – ”
“No, I don’t!” she interrupted. “There are some things that I have no control over, like you being the Guardian, but this… this is not your duty. I love Maddie, I do, but she doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to making good choices.”
“That’s exactly why I need to go with her. Don’t you see? She’s always been on her own. She never had someone like you or Stellan, or even the Council to guide her. I can help her and bring us both back safely,” said Celeste.
Some of the fire went out of Mrs. Wilder’s eyes as she took a deep breath and sat down on the bed. “You are always putting your life at risk for others, and I understand it when it’s to save the world or whatever, but to track down a vampire?”
“He isn’t just a vampire to Aunt Maddie, just like Roman’s not just a vampire to me,” she said, sitting down next to her mother.