by G. K. DeRosa
“Hi,” she said, trying unsuccessfully to keep the surprise out of her voice. “Nice to see you guys.”
“Hi, happy birthday,” each echoed back.
“We invited them,” interjected Nico as he and Roman suddenly appeared on either side of her.
“Great,” she said. “Feel free to grab some pizza or drinks from the kitchen.” Brennan and Curtis were all smiles, but Celeste couldn’t help but sense tension in Annabelle’s face.
“Thanks for the invite. Food sounds good,” said Brennan as the three of them turned and headed for the kitchen without another word.
Once they were out of earshot, Celeste whispered to Roman and Nico, “Why’d you invite them?”
“We’re trying to work on intra-supernatural community relations,” said Nico. “They’re no longer a part of the Black Devils and have rejoined the Werewolf Alliance. We thought it would be a good idea to get them on our side, especially now with what we know about Brazen’s imminent escape plan in the works.”
“Good thinking,” said Celeste.
“It was actually Stellan’s idea,” interjected Roman.
“Always stealing my thunder, brother,” retorted Nico.
From across the room, Mrs. Wilder was wildly clinking a champagne flute trying to get everyone’s attention. “It’s time for the cake!”
Celeste, along with the majority of the party attendees, moved to the dining room where the white-frosting topped chocolate oreo ice cream cake adorned the center of a long table. Marie came to stand next to Celeste as they waited for the candles to be lit. Mrs. Wilder was struggling with the last few, and so with a twitch of her nose Marie set the cake ablaze. Celeste noticed the subtle gesture and shot her a smile. Stellan, however, glanced over disapprovingly, sensing the magic from across the room, but luckily no one else seemed to have noticed her sly use of fairy magic.
Celeste moved to the head of the table with Roman by her side as she eyed the cake hungrily. She paused for a moment before blowing out the candles and addressed all of her gathered friends. “Thank you all for being here tonight. It really means a lot to me. I hope you’re having as much fun as I am!” And with that, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and blew out all nineteen candles.
As Celeste and her mom cut the cake and passed it around, Marie came up to the table with a petite blond girl following closely behind. Celeste felt a slight pulse in her stomach as the girls approached. Weird…
“Hey Celeste, this is my new roommate, Aria,” said Marie.
Aria stepped forward and smiled. She was the complete physical opposite of Marie. Whereas the fairy was tall and thin with long auburn hair, Aria was cute and petite, barely coming up to her roommate’s chin. She had a short pixie-cut hairstyle with splashes of hot pink streaked through her fine hair. “Hey Celeste, thanks for the invite. It was really cool of you,” she said.
Celeste ignored the odd sensation in her stomach and put on a smile. “Yeah, of course. Marie’s one of my good friends so I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”
“Sounds good,” she replied. “I’m gonna go take a spin around the place. There are so many hot college guys in here!” She grabbed Marie’s hand and pulled her back into the crowd.
Celeste pinched her brows together as she watched the two of them get enveloped into the mass of partygoers. Looking for Roman, she glanced around the space but her eyes caught Marco’s instead. He quickly came over when he read the disturbed look in her expression.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“I’m not sure exactly. I just got a weird vibe from Marie’s new roommate.”
“Weird like creepy new stalker roommate or weird like supernatural?” he asked with a smirk.
Celeste rolled her eyes at him. “I don’t know maybe I’m just being paranoid.”
Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering on the floor took Celeste’s attention to the far corner of the living room. From a distance she could see Brennan gripping Annabelle’s wrists as she struggled to break free from his grasp. Curtis stood next to the two of them, unsuccessfully trying to mediate. Celeste crossed the room in a second with Marco following behind.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, pushing by Brennan and looking directly at Annabelle. Her eyes were bright red and she glared at Celeste as she neared.
“Just drop it,” hissed Brennan, not letting go of his grasp on the girl but at least lowering their arms.
“I can’t, not after what she did,” growled Annabelle as she stared accusingly at Celeste.
“I’m sorry, am I missing something?” Celeste asked.
“Nah, don’t worry about it,” said Curtis as he stood in front of Annabelle, blocking her advance toward Celeste.
Roman suddenly appeared by Celeste’s side, having caught sight of the tense scene from afar. “What’s the problem?”
“You’re the problem,” growled Annabelle peering over Curtis’ shoulder. “You and your vamp brother and girlfriend killed Vinny. She promised me he wouldn’t be harmed.” She pointed vehemently at Celeste, hatred emanating from her eyes.
Celeste could see the anger building in the girl as her irises began to change into the citrine color of the wolf inside her. Celeste quickly glanced around at the packed space and knew that at all costs, she had to stop her from turning. If her wolf got loose in this tight apartment, it would be a bloodbath.
Roman peered at Celeste almost as if he were reading her thoughts. He gave her a slight nod and scooped Annabelle off of her feet and threw her over his shoulder.
“What are you doing?” she screamed and started pounding her fists on his back.
A few people around them turned to stare but Roman flashed a smile and said, “Someone’s had a little too much to drink,” and hauled her out the front door. Brennan and Curtis ran after them, weaving through the mass of people to get to the exit.
When they got outside, Roman dropped Annabelle on the grass. She stared up at him, her eyes narrowed and her teeth clenched as a low growl emitted from deep inside her.
“That’s enough,” said Brennan, glaring down at Annabelle. A flash of yellow shone in his eyes as he reprimanded her. She tried to hold his stare, but after a few seconds she was forced to submit, lowering her gaze.
Thank goodness for pack hierarchy, thought Celeste as she, Marco and Curtis joined the others outside.
“I can’t be here with them,” she muttered slumped on the ground.
“Well you’re going to have to get over it,” said Brennan.
Curtis crouched down on the grass next to Annabelle and put a placating hand on her shoulder. “You have to try. You heard what the decree was from the Werewolf Alliance. We must all follow it whether we like it or not.”
“What decree?” asked Celeste, not able to help herself.
Brennan turned his back to Annabelle to face the others. “I’m sure you’ll hear about it from your Council of Guardians. All members of the Black Devils have been banned from the Werewolf Alliance and forbidden to participate in pack matters. Brazen has been labeled a traitor and any remaining members of his pack must swear allegiance to a new Alpha or be killed on sight.”
“Wow, that’s a tough stance to take,” said Marco.
“We have a new Werewolf Alliance Master,” explained Curtis, “and he doesn’t mess around.”
“Who is it?” asked Celeste.
“His name’s Jaxon. He’s the former Alpha of the River Renegades pack, and he’s my father,” said Brennan with a gleam of pride.
Celeste’s eyes widened, suddenly thankful that she and Marco hadn’t killed these two young werewolves when they met them in the alley outside Anthony’s Pizza last winter. “I’d like to meet him,” she said finally.
Roman spun toward her. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Weren’t we just talking about intra-supernatural community relations?” asked Celeste. “This would be a good way to get started on the right foot.”
“I could
arrange that,” said Brennan.
For the first time tonight, Celeste really looked at Brennan and noticed there was something different in his eye. This wasn’t the same spiky blond teenager she’d met six months ago. He radiated a newfound confidence.
“Is there a new Alpha of the River Renegades?” asked Celeste.
“We’re in the process of selecting one,” answered Brennan. “Being Master of the Alliance is too big of a responsibility to hold along with being a pack Alpha.”
“I can only imagine,” said Marco with a sarcastic grin. Celeste shot him the death glance and he quickly shut up.
“Anyway, as Beta of the pack, I’m in charge until the selection process is over,” finished Brennan. He puffed his chest out and stood a little taller as he said the words.
A pleased grin crossed Celeste’s face. The current second in command of the River Renegades would make a strong ally, and Brennan could prove to be exactly what she needed to finally defeat Brazen.
Chapter 6
The following morning, Celeste awoke with a smile. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she took in the source of her happiness. Roman lay beside her, one arm flung across her stomach and his head buried in the crook of her neck. He was breathing softly, the slight inhale and exhale of his breath tickling the sensitive skin behind her ear. She hated having to wake him, but she and Marco were scheduled to report to Astor in half an hour. She had used that fact as an excuse to convince her mom that she had to spend the night at Roman’s to discuss important guardian business with Stellan and the guys. Celeste knew perfectly well her mom wasn’t buying it, but she had agreed nonetheless.
Celeste carefully lifted Roman’s arm from across her tummy and laid it down gently on the bed. She then proceeded to move ever so slowly, inch by inch, until she managed to sit up without disturbing the still-sleeping Roman. This was proving to be a good exercise in stealth, she thought to herself with a satisfied grin. So far she was acing it. Just as she swung her legs off the bed, she felt an iron grip around her waist.
“Where do you think you’re going?” a sleepy-voiced Roman asked.
“How did you hear me? I was being so sneaky!”
“I woke up the moment your eyes opened,” he answered with a devious smile as he pulled her back onto the bed.
She struggled against him for a second and then gave up and curled into his arms. “I have to go in a sec. Marco and I are meeting with Javier today to go over guard duty training so we can get added into the rotation for Brazen.”
“You’re certainly not wasting any time getting back into things, are you?” he asked. Celeste could see the concern lurking in his blue eyes.
“I’ll be fine, Roman. Brazen can’t hurt me—not anymore than he already has.”
“I just worry about the darkness,” he said, laying his hand on her heart. “I know what it’s like and how it can consume you.”
“You think you’ve got the monopoly on all-consuming darkness?” she asked with a smirk. “I told you, I’m handling it. I guess it turns out we’re a lot more alike than you thought, huh?”
Roman took her hand and ran his finger over the diamond band then exhaled deeply. “Yes, I guess so.”
“I gotta go!” She jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom before he could stop her. “Thanks for the party last night. I love you!” she shouted as she slammed the bathroom door shut behind her.
Splashing some water on her face, she paused to think about what Roman had said. She hadn’t been completely honest with him. She was actually nervous about seeing Brazen. It was true that she had been keeping the burgeoning evil under control, but she also hadn’t needed to call upon it for strength. That was the part that worried her.
***
Strolling through the sunny and peaceful streets of Astor, Celeste could have almost forgotten why she and Marco were really here today. Almost. As they made their way toward the police station to enter the underground bunker where Brazen was being held prisoner, Celeste steeled her nerves for what was to come.
As they climbed the cement steps of the gray police station, Celeste noticed the glaring contrast between the grandeur of the marble Council building and the stark building before them. Before they reached the top step, Javier emerged from the entrance, holding open the heavy metal door.
“Nice to see you both again,” he said with a polite smile. “Dante has informed me that you two will be supplementing our guard rotation.”
“Yes, we’d like to help in whatever way we can,” answered Celeste. “We appreciate you taking the time to train us.”
“I’m surprised, to be honest. It’s my understanding that you’ve been rather busy with your own concerns,” he said, looking rather pointedly at Celeste.
Of course everyone knows about my bout in evil rehab…
“Everything’s been taken care of on my side,” answered Celeste quickly, hoping to put an end to the subject.
Javier was a smart man and he’d been a guardian for long enough to take the hint. “Good, I’m glad to hear it.” He turned and led them inside the building and toward the metal detector. “You’ll have to remove all your weapons and place them in this bin for inspection before you go through. Sorry, it’s protocol.”
Celeste pulled the Wilder sword off of her shoulder and searched through her clothing for the small knives and Stellan’s new dagger she kept hidden. Marco, too, organized an assortment of weapons in the plastic container, including the crossbow, his armament of choice.
After they made it through the security check and their weapons were returned, Javier led them to a hidden staircase and down the long bleak corridor, which ended at the bunker elevator. Celeste clearly remembered running through here with Stellan and Dalla on the day of the attack on Astor, but she hadn’t had a moment to look around back then. Javier swiped his badge on the control pad and the sleek metal elevator doors glided open.
“I might as well give these to you now,” said Javier as he stepped inside the elevator. He held out two white key cards and handed one to each of them. “I don’t need to tell you how vital these key cards are or what a disaster it would be if you lost them, do I?”
Celeste and Marco both shook their heads. As the elevator plunged down into the depths of the earth, Celeste could feel her ears popping. She had always wondered how deep the bunker was buried. “How far down are we?”
“1,073 feet below sea level,” Javier answered as the doors slid open. Celeste noticed a guardian standing by the elevator. He peered at them curiously for a moment, then returned his gaze to the floor. “Now, when you get your guard schedule, I expect you to report directly down here at the designated time.”
“Yes sir,” said Marco with a salute.
“Follow me,” he said not even cracking a smile at Marco’s attempts to lighten the mood.
Celeste suddenly remembered that Brazen’s attack had caused the death of Javier’s partner, Milena. He probably hates Brazen as much as I do. After a series of more corridors and a few left and right turns, which Celeste was positive she would never be able to remember, they stopped in front of a massive steel door. Another guardian in all black nodded solemnly upon their approach. Javier swiped his card by the panel and the door crept open, its hinges squeaking in protest against the considerable weight.
Inside stood a decent sized cell with three-inch steel bars and a hairy werewolf huddled in the corner. Celeste didn’t need Javier to tell them that the enclosure had been protected by an impenetrable force field; she could feel the magic of the powerful barrier in her bones.
Javier put his hand up near the steel bars and it bounced back like a spring. “Completely impermeable,” he said. Just to drive the point home, he asked Celeste for her sword which he then thrust through the bars. The sword was ripped out of his grasp and flung backwards through the air, landing on the cement floor with a clang.
“Pretty powerful stuff,” commented Marco.
They had been so focused on the cage
that they hadn’t noticed the guardian standing in the corner. He finally took a step forward and introduced himself. “I’m Dmitri,” he said, extending his hand formally. “It’s nice to have you on the team. I’ve heard a lot about both of you.”
Celeste and Marco took turns shaking his hand and introducing themselves. When Celeste stepped up, she thought there was something familiar about his face. She raised her brow as she stared at his sharp features trying to place him.
“Dmitri is Milena’s son,” said Javier softly.
Celeste felt a pang as her mind flashed back to the beautiful raven-haired guardian wearing the elegant red dress at the Induction Ceremony. The last time Celeste had seen her, she lay still on the ground, her gown torn to shreds and pools of crimson blood marring her motionless form. “She was very brave,” whispered Celeste as she squeezed the young man’s hand.
“Thank you,” he said, his onyx eyes shiny.
“Now then,” said Javier, clearing his throat and getting back to business, “the guard rotation is pretty simple. There are four-hour shifts during which time you may not move from your post. There is always a guard on duty in here, as well as just outside the door along with one at the elevator as you have already seen. While on duty, you may have your choice of weapon at your disposal. You will also have this—” Dmitri handed Javier a small black object which resembled a TV remote.
“Is that a taser?” asked Marco.
“A magically upgraded taser, to be exact,” answered Javier with a gleam in his eye. “One blast from this little bad boy will render your victim completely incapacitated.”
“Cool.”
Javier glanced toward the huddled form in the corner of the cell with a disgusted grunt. “Did you hear that Brazen? I know you can hear me in there, you worthless bastard.”
Brazen hadn’t moved from the far wall he was slumped against, which was perfectly fine in Celeste’s opinion. She wasn’t looking forward to a reunion, not after what he had said to her when she saw him last. “Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of him,” she said, putting a hand on Javier’s shoulder, hoping to calm him.
