Wilder Revelation: The Guardian Series Book 3

by G. K. DeRosa

  “Let’s get out of here,” said Maddie. “Getting through this traffic is going to be brutal. But on the bright side, you’ll get to see some of the sights on our drive home.”

  Maddie had been right, getting out of the historic district took about twenty minutes with all the traffic from tour buses and tourist drivers. They did, however, get a fantastic view of the ancient archways of the Coliseum and a drive by of the old columns from the Roman Forum. It had been decades since Roman and Nico had been in Rome, and though they had seen the famous sights countless times, it didn’t make them any less remarkable.

  “So what’s the plan?” asked Nico.

  “I’ve been checking with my sources since you called yesterday, and I think I may have a good lead on Alek,” Maddie answered.

  “That’s great,” interjected Roman.

  “I’ll drop you guys off at our flat and give you a little time to freshen up, and Maks and I will go see a friend,” she continued.

  “We’re fine. We don’t need to rest,” said Nico. “The sooner we find Alek and our mom the better.”

  “That’s all fine and dandy, but we can’t risk Alek spotting the two of you. And I’d rather my informants not know you’re in town either,” she explained. “You two stay put for a few hours, and we’ll come back when we have confirmation.”

  Roman suppressed a groan. He hated waiting around and doing nothing. However, he knew that without Maddie and Maks’ help they would have nowhere to start and nothing to go on besides Marco’s vague description of a sighting. He was pleased that Stellan had agreed to forgo Marco’s help for that of Maddie’s. She was already proving to be a valuable ally.

  Maks led them up the stairs to the second floor walk-up apartment. The old building had been somewhat updated with colorful paint and semi-modern fixtures, but it still held an authentic old world charm. Roman smiled as he thought about how much Celeste would have loved this place. It had tall ceilings with vintage chandeliers and crown molding that looked original to the building. Maddie showed them to the small living room, which had a queen-sized pull out couch and large windows with views of the Tevere River.

  “Sorry if it’s a bit tight,” she said as she maneuvered around the suitcases.

  “It’s just fine,” answered Roman, turning to face her. “Maddie, I want you to know how grateful we are that you’re helping us – even after everything,” he trailed off, his gaze falling on Maks.

  “Like I said before, I’d do anything for my niece. I could never repay her for what she did for me, for us,” she said, taking a hold of Maks’ hand.

  “Yes,” said Maks, “I owe her my life.”

  Roman briefly nodded at Maks. This whole thing was somewhat surreal to him. He couldn’t believe the man he had almost killed and was essentially responsible for having been turned into a vampire was helping him now. “Maks, I don’t know what to say – ”

  “It’s in the past. I’d rather not drag it up again,” he interrupted, quickly cutting him off.

  Roman gave him an appreciative smile. “And thank you for not telling Celeste about any of this,” he added to Maddie.

  “Well after you explained to me what was happening to her, I knew very well what would occur if she knew we were involved. My niece is as stubborn as her father was,” she said with a rueful smile.

  “And as big-hearted,” Roman interjected.

  Maddie nodded remembering everything she had done to help her find Maks. “I know how much the two of you have helped Celeste in the past and how many times you’ve saved her life. I know she would want me to do anything I could to help you.”

  “Well, we really do appreciate it,” said Nico. “Thank you both.”

  Maddie gave him a smile and turned toward the door. “Okay, we are off to meet with our friend, and we’ll be back soon. Hopefully we’ll have more information to go on. In the meantime, make yourselves comfortable. There’s coffee in the kitchen, some fresh bread and of course Nutella.”

  After a few hours by themselves in the apartment, the brothers began to get a bit restless. Roman picked up the remote and flipped through a few stations, finally settling on a variety show on Rai Uno with a painted faced opera singer and dancing poodles. Nico was walking back and forth the length of the apartment, which were only a few of his long strides.

  “Why don’t you make us some coffee?” suggested Roman, getting more nervous by the moment because of his brother’s pacing.

  Nico shrugged his shoulders and disappeared into the kitchen. Alone, Roman glanced at his watch then realized it was now early morning back in Oak Bluffs. He decided to try Celeste again and picking up his phone, he smiled at the familiar face on his caller ID as he waited for her to pick up. Instead of ringing, though, it went straight to voicemail. Roman frowned. He knew it was still early and assumed she and Brian had had a late night of watching movies and eating pizza. He forced himself to dismiss the slight concern that began bubbling up inside of him as overprotectiveness.

  ***

  “Benvenuta in Italia!” said Marco with a huge smile and multiple kisses on each cheek.

  Celeste was still groggy from the incredibly long and boring plane ride, but tried her best to put on a convincing smile. “Thank you so much for picking me up,” she said as she handed her small suitcase to Marco who loaded it into the trunk of his sporty red Alfa Romeo.

  “But of course! You come to my city, I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said.

  “Are you sure it’s okay with your family that I’m staying with you?” When Celeste had first told Marco her plan about sneaking to Rome, he had insisted she stay with him. She hadn’t realized that in Italy it was perfectly normal for twenty-year-old guys to still live at home with their parents.

  “Celeste, I already told you it was fine. My parents are looking forward to meeting you. They’ve heard so much about this promising new Guardian from America,” he assured her.

  As they drove the outskirts of Rome on the autostrada in the speedy convertible, Celeste found herself squeezing her eyes shut numerous times. She had never seen such fast and crazy driving in all of her life. She clung desperately onto Marco’s hand every time he overtook a driver at over a hundred miles per hour.

  “What?” he asked over the roar of the wind in their ears. “Aren’t you having fun?”

  Celeste suppressed the urge to hurl and gave him a brave smile. “Maybe you could just slow down a little?”

  He answered with a laugh. “You have no problem taking on powerful sorcerers and battling blood-thirsty demons, but fast driving gets to you? You are truly incredible, Celeste Wilder.”

  After what seemed like a never-ending rollercoaster ride, they pulled into the long cobblestone driveway of a magnificent Mediterranean villa just outside of central Rome in Trastevere.

  “Wow,” whispered Celeste as she opened the car door.

  Out front was a crystal clear fountain with a bronze statue of the Roman goddess Venus. Surrounding the main walkway were meticulously cared for gardens. Tall, thin Cypress trees surrounded the perimeter and the classic Tuscan stone pines with their umbrella shaped branches covered the grounds. Even in the middle of winter, most of the foliage remained green and a few flowers were still in bloom.

  “You should see this place in the spring time,” said Marco with a proud grin. “It’s my mom’s pride and joy.”

  “I thought you were,” Celeste retorted.

  “Me too, obviously,” he said with a wink.

  Marco led Celeste up the stone stairs and through the marble columned entrance into the two-story bright peach mansion. Once inside, Celeste couldn’t help but stare at the ceilings with the vibrant frescoes that stretched across the domed roof.

  “This place just gets better and better,” said Celeste as she walked with her mouth open.

  “Mamma, Papa!” Marco bellowed.

  A short elderly man in a grey suit appeared seconds later, nodded politely and took Celeste’s suitcase.

&n
bsp; “Oh wait, I can do that,” said Celeste worriedly. The man looked to be well into his seventies, and she didn’t think he had any business carrying her heavy luggage.

  “Don’t let Luiggi’s small form fool you, he’s as strong as a bull,” explained Marco. As he was about to lead Celeste up the stairs, Mr. and Mrs. Caccia appeared from around the corner.

  “This must be the famous Celeste Wilder,” said Mr. Caccia, taking Celeste’s hand and kissing it gallantly with a small bow. “I am Gianpaolo Caccia and this is my wife, Isadora.”

  Celeste giggled as her cheeks reddened. Suddenly she knew exactly where Marco had gotten his irrepressible charm, and his looks definitely came from his mother. She had the same jet-black hair and dark inquisitive eyes coupled with a tall and slender physique. Mr. Caccia, on the other had, had clear green eyes and a rather rotund belly with rosy cheeks that reminded Celeste of Santa Claus.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet both of you,” she said, feeling quite nervous all of a sudden, “and thank you for letting me stay in your lovely home.”

  “Of course, it is our pleasure,” he answered. “A granddaughter of the great Dieter Wilder is always welcome in our home.”

  “You knew my grandfather?” asked Celeste, completely caught off guard. Her memories of her grandpa were vague, mostly muddled images of old photos she had seen. He had passed away before her fifth birthday.

  “Oh yes,” he answered. “He and my father were best friends. They used to spend many summers here hunting pheasants in the woods out back.”

  Celeste smiled. “I’d love to hear more about my grandpa one day. I never knew much about him. My dad barely talked about him at all,” she said.

  “Of course,” he replied. “I remember your father as a child as well. He was always such a bright and inquisitive young boy. But stubborn! I remember your grandfather telling me stories about him as he grew into a man.”

  “Mom said they didn’t get along very well,” she said.

  “That’s because they were so similar,” Mr. Caccia explained.

  “Gianpaolo, let the poor girl go up to her room and get some rest. She’s just arrived and you are talking her ear off without letting her even have a seat,” reprimanded Mrs. Caccia. “Marco, take her up to her room and let her relax a bit.”

  Marco led Celeste up the stairs and Mrs. Caccia bellowed up behind them, “Dinner is at three!”

  “Okay, Mamma,” shouted back Marco.

  “Sorry about that,” he whispered to her. “They can be kind of intense.”

  “I think it’s cute,” she said, as she followed him through the long corridor.

  “This is my room,” he said pausing in front of an open door. Celeste peeked in and couldn’t help but laugh at the old posters of Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson that lined the white walls.

  “What? This was my childhood room. I haven’t really had time to update,” he said with a shrug. He kept walking and stopped at a room on the far end of the corridor. “This will be your room.”

  Celeste walked in and noticed her suitcase was already on a luggage rack in the corner of the room. It had a huge king-sized four-poster mahogany bed complete with an ivory canopy. “It’s beautiful!” she said, as she walked to an expansive window that overlooked the gardens in the front of the house.

  “I’m glad you like it. The bathroom is right through that door,” he said pointing to a door in the far corner. “Make yourself at home. You have about three hours until dinner so just relax, and you know where to find me if you need me.” He took a step toward the door, but Celeste stopped him with a tug to his arm.

  “Thank you for doing all of this without even questioning me,” she said. Celeste still hadn’t told him about the darkness and impending doom that went along with it. She knew he would be mad at her when he found out how much she was risking.

  “Celeste, I know what’s going on. Roman told me when I called the other night,” he admitted.

  “He told you everything?” she asked, her eyebrows rising in surprise. Marco nodded. “And you still agreed to help me, knowing I could go full on evil at any moment?”

  Marco took her hands in his. “I know you well enough to know that you would do it with or without my help. And I would rather be able to keep an eye on you than have you try to do this alone.”

  “Thank you,” she said, pulling him into a hug.

  “Stop thanking me and get some rest or else I’m not going to let you go anywhere tonight,” he said trying to keep his voice stern. “Roman, Nico and Stellan are going to kill me if anything happens to you, so please, promise me you’ll relax and stay calm.”

  “I will. I promise,” she said, as she stepped toward the luxurious bed. “I’m going to take a nap right now!”

  The steady buzzing of a cell phone caused Roman to stir. Groggily, he grabbed the vibrating phone off the white Ikea coffee table.

  “Hello?” he mumbled.

  “Roman, is Celeste with you?” came Stellan’s panicked voice over the phone.

  Roman’s eyes shot open and his heart began pounding, all traces of sleepiness vanished. “What do you mean is she with me?”

  “She never came back last night, Roman. She and Brian went home to get her belongings, and I must have dozed off in my chair. This morning I woke up and she wasn’t here and she’s not answering her phone.”

  “I can’t believe this!” roared Roman as he raked his hands through disheveled hair.

  Roman’s outburst roused Nico, who was fast asleep on the couch. Nico glanced nervously at his brother as he rubbed his eyes.

  “I’m sorry, this is all my fault. I should have never let her out of my sight,” said Stellan.

  “No, you shouldn’t have. But we all know how stubborn Celeste can be,” Roman answered with a sigh.

  “She’s in Rome,” said Stellan. “I was able to track her this morning. I was hoping she was already with you.”

  “Well, if she’s in the city but not with us, I have a pretty good idea of who she is with,” said Roman. “I’ll let you know when we find her.”

  Roman hung up the phone and threw it angrily across the room.

  “Are you really that surprised?” asked Nico.

  “Am I surprised that Celeste did something stupid by putting her life at risk to help us again? No, I guess I’m not,” Roman replied as he stood to collect the pieces of his cell phone from the floor. Luckily there didn’t seem to be any permanent damage to the resilient little flip phone. “If Celeste really is with Marco, it’s him I’m going to kill.”

  Nico gave him a sleepy-eyed smirk. “What time is it anyway? It seems like Maddie and Maks have been gone for a while.”

  “It’s almost three, and yes they have been,” Roman said as he began punching numbers into his phone. He tapped his foot on the tile floor as the phone rang and rang then eventually went to voicemail. He tried two more times without any luck. “Neither Marco nor Celeste are picking up.”

  “They’re probably scared to,” retorted Nico.

  “Well, I’m just going to have to find out where he lives and drag Celeste out of there myself.”

  “Drag Celeste out from where?” asked Maddie, catching the end of the conversation as she walked into the apartment with Maks in tow.

  Roman exhaled a deep breath. “She’s here in Rome. She managed to get away from Stellan, and I can only assume she’s with Marco.”

  Maddie shook her head ruefully. “That’s our Celeste.”

  “How did it go with your informant?” asked Nico, briefly changing topics.

  “I’ve got good news,” she said with a smile. “We have positive confirmation on Alek’s residence. They’re in a house just outside the Villa Borghese.”

  “That’s great!” said Nico. “So what do we do now?”

  “I’m sorry Nico, but we need to find Celeste first. Maddie, do you know where Marco lives?” asked Roman.

  “Yeah, I’ve been there before – the Caccia family estate is kind of unfor
gettable,” she answered.

  “Good. Let’s go there and on the way we can discuss the plan to rescue our mother,” said Roman, not wanting to waste another minute.

  ***

  After a restful nap and a steaming hot bath in the gigantic claw-foot marble tub, Celeste felt like a new person. She had even meditated for twenty minutes without any creepy darkness surfacing. She took that as a sign that she was doing the right thing, and hoped that finally stopping Alek would get rid of this evil inside her for good. As she walked down the grand staircase to meet the Caccia’s for dinner, she admired the beautiful paintings on the walls and frescoed ceilings. It made her think of the pictures she had seen of St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Though she knew very well this was a business trip, a small part of her hoped she could see some of the sights in Rome while she was here.

  “Ah, there she is, our guest of honor,” said Mr. Caccia as Celeste stepped into the elegant dining room. The elaborately carved walnut table stretched at least twelve feet, with ten place settings set and a few women in uniforms hustling around the table, placing silverware and lighting candles.

  Celeste looked down at her ratty jeans and worn cream sweater and suddenly felt extremely underdressed. “I’m sorry, I should probably go change into something – ”

  “Nonsense,” said Mrs. Caccia, cutting her off. “You have had quite a long journey, and we only wish for you to be comfortable.”

  Celeste gave her a grateful smile. “I didn’t know we were expecting more company,” she said as she glanced at the empty seats around the table.

  “It’s just my brothers and their wives,” said Marco.

  “Oh, okay,” said Celeste as she made her way toward the empty seat next to Marco.

  “They should be here any minute now,” said Mrs. Caccia as she turned toward the entryway. “I believe I hear Matteo’s car now.”

  “So how many brothers do you have again?” whispered Celeste to Marco.

  “There are four of us – Matteo is the oldest, then comes Cristiano, Paolo and I’m the youngest,” he explained. “Matteo is married to Clara and Cristiano’s wife is Emanuela…”