by G. K. DeRosa
Tossing the covers aside with a wave of her hand, Lilliana rose from the bed and slipped on her silk robe. With another wave of her hand, both sheets and bedspread fell perfectly into place and the bed was made. She smiled proudly. She had begun to practice magic in her free time, finding herself in possession of so much of it lately. She was pleased with her progress and with the fact that her powers were nearly fully restored. As she contemplated plans for the day, Lilliana heard the loud chime of the old doorbell from downstairs. Curious as to who could be visiting at such an early hour, she quickly made her way to the corridor where she found Alek, his generally immaculately gelled hair shooting up at odd angles.
“Mother,” he said, “stay here. I will go see who it is.”
Lilliana lingered at the top of the bannister, staring anxiously downstairs as Alek dashed down the staircase. She watched as Alek peered through the peephole, frowned, then opened the door just a sliver.
“Are you Alek?” asked the dark-haired stranger in a pronounced Russian accent.
“Who are you?” Alek responded, his surprise evident in his voice.
“I was sent by Brazen to bring back news of the attack at the Albsurori compound and to give this back to you,” he said, holding out the antique gold ring.
A perplexed expression crossed Alek’s pale face. “I have no idea what you are speaking of,” he answered. “I told that werewolf our business was finished when last I saw him.” Alek’s eyes lingered on the Albsurori ring as he spoke. He was tempted to snatch it from the man’s hand and slam the door in his face. He was about to do just that when two falcons, one black as night and the other as white as winter snow flew in through the small crack of the door.
“Damn it!” shouted Alek, instantly raising his hand and releasing a blast of fiery light which narrowly missed the white falcon.
“Stop!” Lilliana cried. She had been watching the entire conversation from the second floor landing and immediately recognized the two birds. She came rushing down the stairs, but before she reached the last step, her two sons had transformed and stood before her in their full human forms.
“Roman! Nico!” she cried as she ran to them, wrapping her arms around them both.
Alek spun around to seal the door, but it was too late; the stranger was in along with a tall woman, a dark-haired guardian and a curly-haired blonde he knew well. Alek turned back to take in the sight he had been dreading now for weeks. He frowned as he watched his dear mother, arms around his hated half-brothers, the trio finally reunited.
“Mom?” said Nico. “Is it really you?”
“Yes, my darling!” she answered. “I am so sorry for what happened when I first came back. I was out of my mind. I had no idea what I was doing.” She pulled his face close and gave him a kiss on both cheeks as the tears streamed down her own face. “And my handsome Roman – I can’t believe how long it’s been.” She took his face into her hands and pulled it down to her height to examine him more closely.
“Your memories are back?” Roman asked, his voice wavering. He couldn’t handle another disappointment if it proved not to be true.
She nodded happily, her long blonde hair bouncing off her shoulders.
Alek stood in the corner, his eyes cast down and his jaw clenched, but he did not utter a word. Celeste and Aunt Maddie looked on at the happy family reunion while Marco and Maks kept one leery eye on Alek.
“Has he been keeping you here against your will?” asked Roman, his voice rising in anger.
“No, Roman, he hasn’t. Your brother has been very good to me,” she responded, glancing over her shoulder at Alek.
Roman grunted and shot him a venomous glare. Nico, too, eyed him suspiciously.
As Celeste watched the scene unfold she was surprised to see that Alek made no further hostile moves. She kept going over what had been said when Maks had arrived at the door, and it seemed like Alek had no idea what Maks was even talking about. Could it be that Alek wasn’t behind the werewolf attack that killed Natalie after all? Celeste’s thoughts wandered as she twirled Roman’s ring around her finger and the Constantins continued their reconciliation. She could feel the darkness creeping in as memories of the night of Natalie’s death came to the forefront of her mind. She tried desperately to push them aside and instead focus on the huge smile on Roman’s face. With a deep breath, she managed to keep the darkness at bay.
“We’re taking you home,” said Roman.
“She is home,” interjected Alek, taking a step toward the three of them.
“Her home will never be with you,” growled Nico.
Celeste, Marco and the crew all snapped to attention at the tone of Alek’s and Nico’s voices. They knew this encounter had gone much too easily.
“Boys!” shouted Lilliana. “I will not have you fighting.” She moved in between Nico and Alek. “As I said, I am here with your brother of my own choice.”
“You can’t seriously mean to stay with him?” asked Roman.
She turned toward her son and a sadness crossed over her face. “Roman, I have to.”
“Why?” asked Nico.
“I’m sure you know by now that Fabian took Alek away from me when he was first born. Alek is my son just as you and Nico are. He was ripped away from me, and for my entire life I was led to believe he was dead. Although I know I cannot make up for all the years we lost, I need to try.”
“No,” whispered Roman, shaking his head. He couldn’t believe that his mother would actually choose to stay with Alek over them.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” she said, reaching her hand out to his. “I was lucky enough to spend a lifetime with you and Nico. But I only had a few moments with Alek. I owe it to him; he deserves to be loved too.”
“Do you have any idea what he’s done?” asked Nico. “Do you know what he’s capable of?”
“He’s responsible for the murder of thousands during his lifetime. He and Fabian did terrible unforgivable things,” continued Roman.
“And none of that would have happened if he hadn’t been taking away from me. I am responsible for him,” Lilliana said earnestly. Roman couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
Alek never said a word, but a smile was beginning to form on his face. It sickened Celeste to see him happy after all the misery he had caused. Her heart filled with rage, and she could barely hear over the roar of her blood pounding through her temples. An invisible force inside of her propelled her forward. She pulled out her sword and was on Alek before anyone could move, holding the gleaming blade at his throat.
“Celeste, no!” shouted Roman, dashing toward her as he saw a flash of black cloud her hazel irises.
“Stay back,” she said, her voice eerily calm. “I need to know one thing. Just answer me honestly.”
Alek stared arrogantly back at her without a hint of fear in his dark eyes. “Fine,” he answered, putting his hands up in mock surrender.
“Did you send Brazen to come after the Albsurori ring again?”
“As I told your Russian vampire friend when he appeared at my door, I have no idea what you are talking about. I haven’t seen or heard from Brazen since before I brought my mother back,” he answered coolly.
“You mean since you made him immortal,” interjected Roman.
Alek put on an innocent face and shrugged his shoulders.
Celeste didn’t want to believe him. It would have been much easier to blame this all on Alek and put an end to him once and for all, but somehow she knew he was telling the truth. She glared at him for a few seconds longer before she dropped her sword, her eyes returning to a bronzy hazel.
“There’s something new in you,” Alek said as she walked away. “There’s darkness growing inside of you—I’d recognize it from afar. You’re not the same innocent young Guardian I met a year ago.”
Celeste’s breath caught as Roman reached out for her and pulled her into the comfort of his chest. But it was too late. Alek’s words had already shaken her to the core.
/> “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Roman hissed at him.
Alek’s lips twisted into a wry smile as he walked toward Lilliana. “You’ll see.”
“That’s enough now,” said Lilliana. “I believe Alek has answered the Guardian’s question, and perhaps now we can move past this and be civil toward one another.”
“Mother, that will never happen,” answered Roman as he gently stroked Celeste’s hair. Lilliana watched her son and furrowed her brows as a sudden understanding hit her like a lightning bolt.
“Roman, you and the Guardian?” she asked, perplexed.
“Her name is Celeste, Celeste Wilder,” he responded. “And yes.”
“Wilder?” she said as more memories began to flash through her mind. “I know that name from my days on the Council.”
“Yes, you should,” answered Roman. “You used to protect generations of the Wilder family. And now Stellan has been training her. Do you remember Stellan?”
A smile crossed her face as if she were remembering something. “Yes of course,” she answered. She took a step toward Roman and Celeste and simply stared at the two of them. “How remarkable.”
Celeste was beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable, but she didn’t move or say a word. She was terrified that the dark feelings stirring inside of her would resurface if she left the protection of Roman’s arms.
“Well, since you’re all here, would anyone like some tea or coffee?” asked Alek unexpectedly.
Everyone glanced over at him in shock with the exception of Lilliana who was beaming at her prodigal son proudly. Celeste couldn’t believe this. Maybe she really was losing her mind, she thought. Tea with Alek? This really was too much.
Lilliana retreated into the kitchen with Alek, and the rest of the befuddled crew sat down in the spacious living room.
“Am I the only one that thinks this is way weird?” asked Celeste as she sat down next to Roman on the antique upholstered loveseat.
“No,” answered Roman, “but we have to let this play out for our mother’s sake. She really thinks she can help Alek.”
“That’s our mother, all right,” said Nico. “She’s always believed she could save everyone. You have that in common with her, Celeste.”
Roman squeezed Celeste’s hand with a smile. “Don’t worry, because I’m not as trusting as either you or my mother. I’ll never trust Alek and the fact that he’s my half-brother won’t change that.”
“So what exactly are we going to do?” asked Marco.
The sound of footsteps approaching from the kitchen interrupted the conversation. Roman sat back on the loveseat and extending his arm around Celeste said, “We’re going to have tea.”
Lilliana and Alek appeared with a gleaming silver tea set and a tray of flaky pastries. Celeste’s eyes shot open at the sight of the chocolate-filled croissants. They had left so early this morning that she had skipped breakfast. Lilliana chuckled and offered her the plate first. “Please, help yourself,” she said.
Celeste glanced over at Roman and he gave her an imperceptible nod of approval. She picked up the buttery croissant as her mouth watered uncontrollably. She took a bite into the warm pastry and the sweet chocolate came oozing out, dribbling a bit on her chin. Celeste laughed as she chewed the croissant in delight, and Roman leaned in with a napkin to wipe her chin. The brief levity of the moment after all the tension had everyone a bit more relaxed. Soon everyone helped themselves to the pastries and steamy hot beverages then settled into a semi-comfortable silence.
Finally, Roman spoke dispelling the temporary reprieve. “Mother,” he said turning toward Lilliana, “in addition to coming to rescue you, we came here today to warn you.”
“About what?” asked Alek, perking up in his chair with a grimace.
Roman ignored Alek and continued speaking directly to Lilliana. “Dante, the new head of the Council knows that you are back and that you are staying with Alek. He is concerned about what he may be up to.”
“That’s just silly. Alek isn’t up to anything,” she replied, taking a graceful bite of her brioche.
Roman raised an eyebrow skeptically, but didn’t comment. “Regardless, he is aware of your power and is concerned. He does not know that Alek is your son, and Celeste, Marco and Dalla have purposely left out that bit of information. We would like to keep it that way.”
“Dalla?” she asked, looking up from her teacup.
“Yes, she is on the Council now. Do you remember her, mother?” asked Nico.
“Of course I do. She was my best friend, like a sister to me,” Lilliana answered. Then she furrowed her brows and a curious expression came over her face. “There’s something I’m not remembering though – something important about her.”
Roman and Nico exchanged worried glances. “What is it?” asked Roman.
“I don’t know. My memories are still a little fuzzy at times. I’m sure it will come to me eventually,” she responded and then paused for a moment as if to grasp onto a fleeting thought. “Anyway, you were saying?”
“I told the Council that you had lost your memory, and you didn’t have any powers,” interjected Celeste.
“She was trying to protect you,” explained Roman. “The Council fears what the two of you together are capable of.”
Alek cracked a wicked grin. “I’m glad they think so highly of me.”
“In any case, you mustn’t use magic, Mother,” said Nico. “Dante has ordered Celeste to kill you if your powers return.”
All eyes turned to Celeste whose cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. “I wouldn’t of course,” she mumbled. “It would just make things very difficult for me with the Council.”
“This is just preposterous. I will go see this Dante myself and straighten things out. My powers have returned, and I’ve been practicing magic daily. I am not someone they need to fear,” Lilliana stated. “I was once practically on the Council myself, after all.”
“We know that, but the Council is going to take some convincing especially while you are keeping his company,” said Roman, tilting his head toward Alek.
“You can’t do anything to put yourself at risk,” said Nico. “We’ll deal with the Council. Just make sure Alek doesn’t do anything to try to destroy the world while you’re with him.”
Alek offered a sinister chuckle. “You all give me so much credit,” he said as he took a sip from the dainty porcelain cup. “I have no immediate plans for any such destruction. I am merely enjoying my time in Rome with my long lost mother.”
Roman snarled under his breath. Celeste placed her hand on his knee and squeezed gently. “And you swear you had nothing to do with Brazen’s attack?” asked Celeste again.
“I already told you I didn’t. And as I see that you still have the ring in your possession, you should know that it couldn’t have been my plan. I always get what I want,” Alek responded.
Celeste glanced down at the Albsurori ring from which Stellan had removed the cloaking spell for today’s mission. She wished it were back up again. She felt very exposed now that everyone knew she had it.
“May I?” asked Lilliana, holding her hand out. Celeste nodded quickly, extending her hand out to her. Lilliana studied the ring, turning Celeste’s hand as the sapphire sparkled in the early morning light. “May I ask how you got it?”
“I gave it to her,” responded Roman.
“For my eighteenth birthday,” added Celeste, glancing back at him with a sweet smile as she reminisced about that life-changing day.
“I had no idea what it was,” he continued. “I just remembered you always said it gave you strength, and I wanted Celeste to have it.”
“That it did,” his mother answered. “I wasn’t aware of its true power until many years later. And once I learned all about it, I hid it away for safe keeping.” Lilliana let go of Celeste’s hand and sat back in her chair.
Celeste didn’t feel right keeping the ring when its rightful owner sat in front of her. After a momen
t of consideration, she slipped it off her finger and held it out to Lilliana. “Here,” she said, handing it to her. “It’s yours. You should have it back.”
Alek’s head snapped toward the ring, his eyes bright with interest.
“No,” interjected Roman, pulling her hand back more harshly than he had intended. “Celeste, you have to keep it.” Lilliana looked at her son in astonishment. “I’m sorry, Mother. I hope that’s okay with you.”
“I see that you feel very adamantly about it. How can I say no?”
For a moment the room was quiet, and Celeste felt horribly uncomfortable. So far she wasn’t making the best impression on her possible future mother-in-law. Thankfully after a few minutes, Aunt Maddie broke the awkward silence. “As lovely as this has all been,” she said standing, “we need to be getting back home.” Maks rose next to her as a show of solidarity. “What are you guys doing?”
That was truly the million-dollar question. Roman and Nico had come to liberate their mother from her supposed captor and yet it seemed she had no desire to be freed from anything. Celeste had sought vengeance for Natalie’s death and even she couldn’t deny that it was becoming increasingly apparent that Alek had nothing to do with Brazen’s plan, nor did he seem to be aware of the wealth of power held inside him from the merging of the two covens’ blood running through his veins. All in all, the rescue attempt-slash-attack had been a bust.
“Mother, are you sure you don’t want to come back with us?” asked Roman, rising from the loveseat and taking her hands in his.
Lilliana couldn’t forget her promise to Alek. She had sworn not to go back with her sons if he allowed her to see them. He had kept his word and not harmed them and now she knew she must keep hers. “Not right now, my son,” she responded. “It seems you have quite a lot to deal with anyway.” She gave Celeste a sidelong glance.