by G. K. DeRosa
“Right,” said Marie. “After you called me, I did some digging and at first came up empty handed. No one had seen or heard anything about her in months.”
Celeste’s face fell at the news.
“But then,” Marie continued, “I went to get a mani/pedi in Fae this morning,” she paused to flash them her newly painted hot pink fingernails, “and you’ll never guess who was sitting right next to me.”
“Who?” asked Celeste.
“Astrid’s oldest sister, Elsa. She’s next in line to be queen after Elsbetta and unlike her mother is not the biggest fan of her youngest sister.” She stopped to take a breath as she looked around at the others’ faces anxiously waiting for her to finish the story.
“And?” interrupted Roman a bit rudely and Celeste shot him a reprimanding stare.
“So as we were sitting there, she got a phone call. I’m not sure who she was talking to, but they were definitely talking about Astrid. Apparently she’s spent the past three months banished in Xeria.”
“What’s Xeria?” asked Celeste.
“It’s where the bad fairies go,” answered Roman.
“It’s a part of Fae lands and Roman is right. If a fairy has been found guilty of a major crime as defined by the Faery Tribunal, they lose their wings and are sent to spend the rest of their lives in Xeria.”
“Wow, that sounds pretty severe,” said Brian, who had been silently listening in awe to the entire conversation.
“That’s exactly where she belongs,” said Roman.
“Well…” Marie hesitated, “that’s the thing. From what Elsa said, it seems like Astrid will be released soon.”
“What? Why?” asked Celeste, nearly jumping out of her seat.
“I told you from the beginning – royals aren’t treated the same as the average fairy folk. I doubt that Astrid was stripped of her wings. She was probably just sent to Xeria for an extended time-out,” explained Marie.
“When’s she supposed to be released?” asked Roman.
“I’m not sure. The fairy on the other side of me was getting a blow out and the hair dryer was too loud for me to catch the rest of the conversation.”
“This can’t be good,” said Celeste, rising to her feet. “It’s too much of a coincidence that I overheard that werewolf from the Black Devils talking about freeing Brazen and Astrid is set to be released from Xeria too.”
Roman’s eyebrows furrowed as he stood up next to her. “You’re probably right.”
“Thanks for the info, Marie,” said Celeste as she began walking toward the door. “Can you do me a favor and see what else you can find out?”
“Sure,” she said as she and Brian got up to follow them to the door.
“I’m going to have to talk to Dante and make sure Brazen’s guard is doubled. I don’t want to risk him escaping, especially since we haven’t even figured out how to kill him yet.”
“Good luck,” said Marie, “and I’ll let you know what else I find out.”
Chapter 4
“I’m sorry, Celeste, but I simply cannot spare any more guardians to patrol Brazen,” said Dante, “especially since this information you came across is mere hearsay and hardly from a reliable source.”
Celeste looked around the empty Council chamber and regretted that none of the other members were there to support her. Surely Dalla or Sierra would have backed her on this. “It’s a fairy source who heard it right out of the mouth of a royal. That seems pretty reliable to me. If Brazen goes free, it’s going to be your fault, Dante,” hissed Celeste as she pointed a finger at him.
Dante cleared his throat, narrowing his eyes at her. “Do not forget who you are speaking to, Celeste. I will let it go this time as I know what Brazen put you through, but I will not tolerate this level of disrespect from you.”
Celeste looked down at the floor and took a deep breath before glancing back up at him. “I’m sorry,” she said through gritted teeth. “What if I volunteer to take a guarding shift? And Marco? I know he’d do it.”
“That would be fine as long as it doesn’t interfere with your regular Guardian duties,” he conceded. “How is Marco, by the way?”
“He’s much better, thanks to Roman’s blood. It saved his life.” Celeste never neglected the opportunity to play up Roman’s contributions. She knew how Dante felt about her involvement with the Constantins and always feared the day would come when he would take a stand against it.
“Good,” he said coldly. “When he’s up to it, the two of you can check with Javier to get you placed in the Brazen patrol rotation.”
“Fine,” answered Celeste. It had been awhile since she had seen Javier. The older guardian from South America had been their team leader when Brazen and the herd of demons had attacked Astor during the Induction Ceremony.
“If that’s all – ” said Dante with a dismissive wave.
Without a goodbye, Celeste walked out of the Council chambers and through the corridor to the airy center atrium. After that stifling discussion with Dante, she needed the fresh air of Astor to take the edge off her troubled thoughts.
Stepping out of the oppressive marble building and into the sun-filled center of town, she immediately felt better. The sun was out and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. She took a few steps and sat down at the fountain, running her fingers through the cool water. As she stared up into the vibrant blue sky, a group of young children in school uniforms walked in front of her led by an older female guardian, who was struggling to keep them in line.
It really would be wonderful to live here.
Celeste pushed the unwanted feelings bubbling up to the surface back to the lockbox in the recesses of her mind and turned her thoughts on returning home.
Moments later she reappeared in her kitchen back in Oak Bluffs. “What are you doing out of bed?” she asked Marco as she saw his head poking out of the refrigerator.
He jumped when he heard her voice. “Geez, don’t sneak up on people like that—especially those that almost died a few days ago.”
“Sorry,” she said as she walked up to him. “How are you feeling?”
“Totally recovered and hungry,” he said with a smirk as he pulled some bread, deli meats and mustard out of the fridge.
“I can get that for you,” she said. “Why don’t you go back up to your room?”
“I’m fine, Celeste. I’ve been sleeping for the past two days, and look – my wound is totally healed.” He lifted up his shirt and Celeste caught a glimpse of his washboard stomach.
“Looks good,” she said, quickly averting her gaze before the redness flooded her cheeks.
He smirked and turned away from her, proceeding to make his sandwich. “Man, I really miss the good salami and prosciutto from back home,” he said over his shoulder.
Celeste had been so preoccupied with her own life that she hadn’t stopped to think about everything Marco had put on hold for her. He had been away from Rome for over three months now. Luckily, Aunt Maddie and Maks had, in his absence, taken over the area assigned to him, but Celeste was sure he missed his boisterous family and his home. “Thanks for everything over the past few months,” she said after a pause. “I don’t think I ever properly thanked you for putting your life on hold for me.”
Marco put down the bread he was cutting and turned to her, his dark eyes sparkling. “Of course,” he said. “Il piacere e tutto mio.”
“What does that mean?” asked Celeste as the musical tones of the Italian language tumbled from his lips.
“It was my pleasure,” he said softly, taking a step toward her. Somehow he had managed to get just inches from Celeste’s nose. His inquisitive eyes searched her face and paused on her lips for an instant.
Celeste could feel her cheeks reddening under his intense gaze, and she took a few steps back. “As annoying as you can be,” she said, discharging the awkward moment, “I really appreciate your help with the evil rehab.” She let out a nervous chuckle as Marco finally dropped his penetrating stare.<
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“No problem,” he said with a shrug. “It was a good learning experience for me too. You never know when I might go all evil.”
Without thinking, Celeste threw a punch into his stomach. Marco winced, bending down and clutching where he had been stabbed. “Oh no! I’m so sorry!” cried Celeste, realizing what she had done. “Are you okay?”
Marco lifted up his shirt again pretending to assess the damage and caught Celeste’s eyes on his stomach once again. “Yeah, I was totally messing with you. I just wanted to see you blush one more time.”
She ripped her gaze away from his abs. Narrowing her eyes, she glared at him. “You’re lucky I need your help with something, or else I’d send you packing back to Rome.”
He rewarded her with a deep laugh, then went back to work on his sandwich. After finally sitting down at the table, he asked, “So how can I help?”
Celeste told him about the visit with Marie from earlier in the day and what she had discovered about Astrid. She also told him about how resistant Dante had been regarding the Brazen situation.
“Maybe I can have my dad talk to Dante,” suggested Marco in between bites. “They’re pretty close, so he might be able to convince him that Brazen’s escape is a real threat.”
Celeste paused for a moment and scrunched her brows as she considered. Marco’s dad, Gianpaolo Caccia, had been instrumental in escaping the Council’s wrath after she had taken an unauthorized trip to Rome a few months ago. He had fabricated a story about what had brought her there and vouched for her safety. He also didn’t tell Dante anything about what he knew about Alek and Lilliana and the real purpose of her trip. And yet for a reason that she couldn’t quite identify, Celeste didn’t want to get Mr. Caccia involved again. Perhaps it was the way her Aunt Maddie had reacted to him, but there was something about him and his relationship with Dante that made her uneasy.
“Well, what do you think?” repeated Marco, when Celeste didn’t answer.
“Nah, I don’t want to bother your dad. Dante said we could help out with Brazen’s guard duty in our spare time. Are you up for that?”
“Sure. I told you, I’m all better now,” he answered. “How about you? Are you ready to see him again?”
Celeste inhaled deeply before responding. “I’ll be fine,” she said finally.
“Are you sure? I don’t want you going all evil on us again.”
Celeste performed a quick full-body emotion scan like Stellan had taught her to do and felt completely in control. Sure, she wanted Brazen dead and all of his pack to pay for what they had done, but she didn’t have any insane murderous urges. “I can handle it,” she said resolutely.
That night as Celeste lay in bed staring at the familiar cracks on the ceiling, she thought about how much her life had changed in just one year. She glanced over at the clock on her nightstand and the neon green glowing display which read 11:37pm. “Twenty-three more minutes,” she whispered to Rocky who was lying at the edge of her bed. He nudged her leg with his cold nose and let out a whine. One year ago today, she had been chosen the Guardian, and her life had been irrevocably changed.
A loud flutter of wings at the open window broke her from her reminiscing. A smile crossed her face even before she turned toward the sound. There was only one person who would be coming to visit her at this hour and her stomach had done a small flip-flop to confirm it. She pushed the covers aside and ran her hand through her hair as she jumped up to the window. Perched on a thick branch on the towering oak tree just outside her windowsill was a sleek, black falcon. He tilted his head and peered curiously at her, his twinkling blue eyes radiant in the moonlight.
Celeste swung the window all the way open and the bird unfurled its powerful wings to fly into her room. As it landed, a shimmery mist encircled it and in the blink of an eye, Roman stood in front of her. As many times as she had seen Roman transform from a falcon into his human form, it still took her breath away. Before she could utter a word, Roman wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. Grabbing onto the nape of her neck with his other hand, he locked his lips onto hers. Celeste felt a rush of heat run through her as tiny sparks of pleasure darted up her spine. There was something different about the way he was kissing her; the hunger and desperation she felt radiating off of him was far from normal. After a few seconds, she was forced to break away to inhale some much-needed oxygen.
As soon as their lips broke apart, Roman whispered, “Happy Birthday, Celeste.” His warm breath tickled her ear, setting off a second round of chills racing down her spine.
Trying to regain control of herself, she took a step back and put her palms up on Roman’s chest. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage and from the look on Roman’s face, he could definitely hear it. “Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?” she asked still breathless.
“I wanted to make sure I was the first one to wish you a happy birthday,” he said with a shrug.
Again Celeste was brought back to a year ago when she and Roman had been watching TV, waiting for midnight on the eve of her eighteenth birthday. He had almost kissed her that night, but stopped for fear of losing control. It was the first time she had seen him so scared. She smiled at the fond memory.
“What are you smirking about?” he asked.
“I was just thinking about my last birthday and how you were with me then too.”
“I plan on spending every birthday with you for the rest of your life,” he said softly, looking down at her through dark lashes.
There was something about the way he was looking at her that sent her heart fluttering again. Perhaps she could sense the nervousness emanating from him, but inexplicably her breath quickened and her mouth went dry. Suddenly, Roman was down on one knee, pulling a small black box with a bright red bow out of his back pocket.
Celeste inhaled sharply as her eyes widened in disbelief.
Roman reached out to take her hand in his, and she couldn’t help but notice it was trembling. She squeezed his hand more tightly and looked into his dancing blue eyes. “Celeste, I love you with all my heart, and I have since the first day I met you. In over a hundred years I have never met anyone like you– no one has ever made me feel so complete. When I used to think of my future, all I saw was eternal condemnation and now all I see is you.”
“Roman, I – ”
“Please let me finish before you say anything, Celeste.” She nodded and he continued. “You have to remember that in my time, people did things a bit differently. I realized the other day that I had never made my intentions official to you or your mother.” He paused and opened the satin black box, revealing a platinum band encircled with small diamonds.
Celeste’s mouth dropped open when she saw the sparkling ring. She tried to make a sound, but the words seemed to be caught in her throat.
“This is a promise ring,” he continued with a gaping smile, “and it’s a symbol of my love to you and the vow that I’m making today to love and protect you for the rest of my life.”
Celeste let out a huge breath, a mixture of relief and a tiny twinge of disappointment coursing through her. She sank down onto the bed, then pulled Roman up off of his knee to make him sit next to her.
“Before you say anything,” he said, “I want you to know that I don’t expect you to promise me anything in return. I know that you’re young and you have your whole life ahead of you. I just needed you to know exactly how I felt.”
“Oh Roman, I’ve always known – ”
Roman cut her off by gently placing his finger on her lips. “Hold that thought,” he whispered, “someone’s coming.”
Seconds later, Celeste heard a faint tap on her bedroom door. Roman’s beaming smile turned into a frown as she stood up to answer it. Opening the door just a few inches, she saw Marco’s face peeking through the slit.
“Hey, sorry, I hope I didn’t wake you,” he said, noticing the state of her disheveled hair. “I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday.”
C
eleste smiled and opened the door further, revealing Roman sitting on her bed with a scowl. “Thanks,” she said. “That was really sweet of you.”
“Roman,” said Marco as he nodded toward him.
Roman stood up and grabbing a blanket off of Celeste’s bed came up behind her and wrapped it around her bare shoulders.
“Sorry, I didn’t know you had company,” said Marco, clearing his throat.
Celeste could feel Roman’s heavy glare over her shoulder as Marco stood his ground in the doorway. “No, it’s fine. Roman just stopped by to wish me a happy birthday too.”
“Are you usually in the habit of coming into Celeste’s room at this time of night?” Roman questioned, the hairs on the back of his neck bristling.
“For something important, sure,” Marco retorted. “You know we’ve been living in the same house for the past few months.”
Roman grunted. “Well, not for long,” he muttered under his breath.
“All right guys,” said Celeste, rolling her eyes, “it’s getting late and I need my beauty sleep. Goodnight, Marco. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” She closed the door as he stood unwavering, his eyes trained on Roman.
Geez, I feel like a bone caught between two growling dogs…
When it was just she and Roman again, the tension hadn’t abated as much as she had hoped. She looked over at her bed and the small black box lying open on top of it.
Roman noticed her expression and exhaling sharply said, “I meant what I said. You don’t have to say anything.”
“Roman, of course I do. The ring is beautiful and the words that went with it were even more so. You really are spoiling me with all of this jewelry,” she said with a smile as she looked down at her hands – one with the Albsurori ring and the other with the sapphire he had given her as a Christmas present.
“I’m glad you like it,” he said, but his voice was laced with disappointment.
She took a step forward and cupped her hands around his face. “I love it,” she said, “and more importantly, I love you. It’s just a lot…”
