by G. K. DeRosa
“Ciao bella!” said Marco, rushing toward her as soon as she came into view.
“Don’t!” hissed Celeste, putting her hand up to stop his advance. His dark brows twisted as he looked at her perplexed. “We need to talk now.”
“Okay,” he said. “What’s going on?”
“Not here,” she answered, glancing over her shoulder at Brazen.
“I’ll just get Dmitri to cover for me,” he said as he swiped his card against the reader and the door opened again.
Celeste marched a few paces in front of Marco in utter silence as they made their way back up to ground level. She assumed the bunker was covered in security cameras and didn’t want to risk anyone hearing this discussion.
“What is going on with you?” asked Marco, as he chased Celeste down the stairs of the police station and into the bright morning sunlight.
Celeste kept walking without turning back to answer, leading him through a narrow street that led to the lake behind the marble Council building.
“Celeste, please stop,” said Marco rushing to grab a hold of her arm.
She spun toward him her eyes filled with rage. “Did you know?” she shouted.
“Did I know what?”
“Did you know all along that your dad and my grandpa made an arrangement for us to be married?”
Marco’s face fell as he dropped her hand.
She didn’t need a response. The answer was clearly written all over his guilty face. “How could you lie to me for months?” She shoved at his chest in anger when he didn’t reply. “I trusted you. You—one of my best friends. How could you not tell me something this big?”
He just stood there with a blank look on his face.
“Did you befriend me on purpose back when we met at the Induction Ceremony? Was this all some elaborate plan to get me to fall in love with you?” Celeste couldn’t stop. All of the pent up anger she’d been holding in for months came rushing forward. “Answer me!”
“I’m sorry,” he said finally. “I didn’t know what to say. At first I just wanted to meet you and get to know you. I was a little weirded out by the whole arrangement too. But then I spent some time with you, and I started to really like you. I know how strong and independent you are and that you’d never agree to something like that, so I was hoping you wouldn’t find out. I thought maybe it could just happen naturally.” He shrugged and then lowered his gaze to stare at his feet.
“Well, you were wrong,” said Celeste, taking a step back. “I would never marry you. I can’t even look at you right now. Just go back to Rome, Marco. I never want to see your lying face again.”
Just as she spun on her heel to run away, the shrill blasts of an alarm pierced the tense air and she and Marco both jumped. The high-pitched squeal seemed to get louder and louder with each interval. Celeste clapped her hands over her ears and began running toward the center square, which seemed to be where the sound was originating. Marco darted behind her, struggling to keep up. When they reached the fountain, they found a mass of guards spilling out of the police station.
“What’s going on?” asked Marco, grabbing one of them by the shoulder as he ran by.
“Brazen’s escaped,” the man said as he dashed by them.
“Oh crap,” mumbled Marco as he watched the man disappear into the mass of guards. They had convened in front of the Council building and a tall man was shouting instructions. As soon as he pointed, the men scattered, dispersing in all directions, with more arriving every minute.
“We should go help,” said Celeste and she took off toward the crowd. Marco followed behind her, muttering Italian obscenities as he ran. As she weaved her way to the center, someone caught her arm, pulling her to the outside of the mass of densely packed bodies.
“Celeste, what are you doing here?” asked Dante. His usually pale face was rosy from exertion and sweat dripped from his brow.
“I just got back from Rome,” she answered, a bit out of breath herself after the sprint.
Dante caught sight of Marco just over Celeste’s shoulder, and his eyes narrowed as he accused, “You were supposed to be on guard duty. What happened? How did Brazen escape?”
“I, uh—I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened,” Marco mumbled helplessly, refusing to meet Dante’s blistering stare.
Celeste stepped forward between the two men. “It was my fault. I went to go get him to tell him about our meeting with Alek in Rome. We left Dmitri alone to guard him.”
Dante exhaled a frustrated sigh. “Marco, I will deal with your punishment later. Right now we need to find out how Brazen got out and find him immediately.” He turned toward Celeste. “Did everything go well with Alek? Did you get what we need to reverse Brazen’s immortality?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “Stellan has the potion for safe keeping.”
“Thank goodness you were successful,” said Dante, taking in a much-needed breath of air. “Go to Stellan immediately. We must be ready for anything.”
“Don’t you want us here—to help look for Brazen?” asked Celeste.
Dante looked around at the few dozen guards dispersed around the vicinity then shook his head. “I doubt he’s still here. If he managed to escape, he certainly wouldn’t risk sticking around in Astor.”
There were so many things Celeste wanted to ask Dante about Alek and the deal with Mr. Caccia, but she knew this was not the time. She would have to save that discussion for later. She gave Dante a nod and, reluctantly taking Marco’s hand, they disappeared. Seconds later, they materialized in Stellan’s sunny living room. They found him reclined in his favorite chair, glasses low on his nose, which was buried in a book. His eyes immediately shot up when he saw their frantic expressions.
“Brazen’s escaped,” said Celeste.
Stellan dropped the book he was reading and leapt up from his chair. “How is that possible? The Council assured me that his prison was impenetrable and he was being watched around the clock.”
Marco looked up guiltily. “It was my fault. I left my post.”
“There were still two other guards nearby!” cried Celeste, throwing her hands in the air. “And an impenetrable force field, three-inch bars and a whole series of underground corridors!”
“Then the question is how did he manage to get out?” asked Stellan, beginning to pace in front of the fireplace. “Even if they were one man short, it would have been nearly impossible for Brazen to escape from his cell, get through the guarded police station unnoticed, and travel out of Astor by himself.”
“Right. Werewolves can’t open portals and don’t have magic,” said Marco, feeling only slightly less guilty.
“No, but we all know who can,” said Celeste, anger lacing her voice.
“You think Astrid is somehow involved?” asked Stellan.
“Don’t you?” she asked. “Who else could it be?” Celeste was furious at the Council for not listening to her when she warned them about Brazen’s possible escape. “If Dante had only confronted the Queen of the Fae about her daughter instead of taking the diplomatic route, none of this would be happening.”
Stellan stopped pacing and turned toward Celeste and Marco, a steely look in his gray eyes. “Well, there is no point in sitting around and debating what might have been. We have the potion from Alek, and we have a good idea of who helped Brazen. We must act right away.”
“I’ll call Roman and Nico and see if Marie can get us into Fae territory again,” said Celeste.
Stellan began anxiously circling about the room as he muttered to himself. “I will try to track him, but if he is with Astrid, I’m afraid it may be impossible.” He disappeared up the stairs, his blue robe flying after him.
“We should call Brennan too,” said Marco. “The Werewolf Alliance would want to be in on this.”
Celeste considered for a moment. It was going to be hard enough to get into Fae territory unnoticed without a pack of werewolves slowing them down. On the other hand, it would be nice to have some backup. “On
ly Brennan,” she responded. “I don’t want Brazen to know we’re coming from a mile away.”
Marco nodded and went into the kitchen to make the call. Celeste pulled out her own phone and began typing a group message.
***
A few hours later, the crew had assembled at the edge of the pond outside of Oak Bluffs, ready to take the plunge into the watery portal that would bring them to Fae.
“We have to jump into the pond?” asked Brennan with a grimace.
“Yes,” Marie answered, shaking her head. “But like I told you, you won’t really get wet, not for long anyway.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right. I forgot that werewolves don’t like the water,” said Nico with a laugh.
Brennan let out a low growl.
“All right, you two, behave!” said Celeste, moving in between the pair. She was relieved that Brennan had shown up and wanted to make sure things went as smoothly as possible. A good relationship with the Master’s son would be a great step forward in supernatural community relations.
“Everyone ready?” asked Roman.
They all nodded, except for Brennan who was still eyeing the dark water skeptically.
“Follow me,” said Marie as she took a running start and gracefully leapt into the air. The tips of her toes hit the top ripples of the pond, and then she disappeared into its murky depths. One by one, they each repeated the descent through the secret portal.
***
Stellan sat at his desk with his head in his hands as he stared at the map in front of him. He had been trying for the past half hour —and failing—at finding Brazen. Without Brazen’s blood, the locator spell was practically useless. He stood up and walked to the bookshelf and ran his finger over a few dusty tomes. There had to be something here that could help them. Sending Celeste and the others to search blindly in the land of the Fae would surely prove futile. A noise downstairs interrupted Stellan from his search, and he rushed out to the corridor. Standing at the bannister overlooking the first floor, he found Dalla in the middle of his living room.
“What are you doing here?” he asked rather brusquely.
“I’m sorry,” she said with her head bowed down. “I should have come through the door, it’s just that I thought perhaps you wouldn’t answer.”
Stellan felt a pang of guilt at her words. He had once loved Dalla very much and he regretted the way things had turned out for them. As he made his way down the stairs, he got a better look at her puffy eyes and splotchy face. It was painfully apparent to him that she had been crying. He approached her slowly to gently wipe the smudged mascara from under one eye. She leaned her face into his hand and took a breath.
“Is everything all right?” he asked finally.
“No,” she said. “The Council informed us of Brazen’s escape. The Albsurori compound is in full panic mode. We only got our grimoire back a little while ago and Marja is concerned for its safety and that of her daughter after what happened last time.”
Stellan nodded and took her hand, leading her to the couch. “Celeste and the others are searching for him right now. We believe he’s hiding out in the land of the Fae again.”
Dalla’s brow perked up suspiciously. “I never did like Elsbetta, the Queen. I always feared she would one day turn against us.”
“We don’t know that she has,” said Stellan. “Her daughter Astrid was recently released from Xeria, her banishment ended. It’s much more likely that she is responsible for this.”
“I find it hard to believe that her mother would know nothing about it. From what I understand, she has been covering for that errant girl for ages.”
Stellan sat back and pushed his glasses further up his nose. “That’s quite an accusation. Do you have any proof of that?”
“No,” she said folding her arms across her chest. But there was something about the look in her lilac-hued eyes that told Stellan another story.
“Well then there isn’t much we can do.”
“We can get the Albsurori ring back from Alek and defeat Brazen and that wayward fairy once and for all,” she said. “I know you were in Rome and you saw Lilliana. Now that she’s back to her senses, surely she would agree to return the ring to its rightful owner.”
“And who would that be?” asked Stellan with a twisted smile. He still couldn’t understand Dalla’s obsession with the ring. And he certainly didn’t want her knowing that Celeste had it all along.
Dalla wrinkled her brows at him. “Marja, of course. As head of the coven, it would rightly belong to her.”
“Then why are you so desperate to get your hands on it?” He took a firm hold of her shoulders and swirled her toward him. “I’ve known you for over a century, Dalla, tell me the truth.” She tried to wriggle out of his grasp for a moment and then finally gave in, realizing he wasn’t letting go.
“I want to be the next head of the Albsurori!” she shouted. “It’s my turn and I deserve it. If I recover the ring, surely I will be given the title.”
Stellan was shocked. He knew Dalla was an ambitious woman with lofty goals of her own, but all of this simply to be head of the coven? “I see.”
“Don’t look at me like that, Stellan. Marja has young daughters and after what happened with Sophie in the winter, she is worried for their safety. They are targets because of who she is. If Marja steps down, I need to be the one to take her place.”
Suddenly the pieces clicked in Stellan’s mind and he smiled ruefully. “You’re worried that now that Lilliana is back, Marja will offer the title to her.”
Dalla’s round face flushed. “No, that’s not it…” She stood up and walked toward the window, turning away from him.
“It is,” he said. “I can see it in your eyes. You’re jealous of her.”
She spun back toward him with a venomous gaze. “So what if I am? Lilliana was always the golden child. Everyone loved her, everyone protected her. What about me? I deserve to have this.”
“Lilliana was cursed to live as a vampire and run with her family for decades from Fabian. I hardly believe she had the perfect life.”
“Of course you always defend her!”
Stellan stood up, visibly irritated. He had tried over and over again to give Dalla the benefit of the doubt, but he couldn’t any longer. “I think it’s time for you to go.”
Dalla stared at him incredulously. “So this is it? You won’t help me get the ring back, after everything we’ve been through?”
“I’m sorry, I can’t. You are not the same person I was once in love with. I don’t even recognize the woman you have become.”
A bright flash of light illuminated the room and Dalla was gone.
Chapter 11
All was quiet as Celeste and the crew trekked through the vibrant Fae forest. Luckily, they hadn’t encountered any of the Queen’s guards upon entering through the portal. Now that summer had arrived, the trees were alive with brightly colored foliage providing excellent cover, and the lush green grass on the forest floor cushioned their footsteps. As they awaited word from Stellan on the locator spell, they trudged on, hoping to come across some sort of sign of Brazen. Brennan took the lead, now in wolf form, trying to catch a scent to track, but so far they had found nothing.
Celeste fell back to admire a beautiful aquamarine two-headed rose, plucking it off of the bush and smelling its sweet yet peculiar aroma. When she stood back up, Marco was at her side.
“Celeste, we need to talk.”
“I have nothing to say to you,” she said, picking up her pace to catch up with the others.
Marco grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her back. “Please, you need to hear me out.”
“Why should I?” she spun around and wriggled out of his grasp.
“Because I love you, and I can’t stand you being mad at me.”
Celeste’s eyes widened but before turning back to face him, she glanced up ahead to see where the others were. Apparently, they weren’t in earshot because no one else seemed to have heard Marco
’s inappropriate declaration. She twirled toward him and hissed, “Are you crazy? Do you know what Roman would do to you if he heard you say that?”
Marco shrugged. “I don’t care, and it’s the truth anyway.”
Some of the fire went out of Celeste’s eyes as she took a deep breath. “You’re not in love with me. You’ve just been brain-washed by your dad’s crazy scheme of an arranged marriage.”
“Hey, it was your grandpa too.”
“Yeah, well, he died so it’s only your dad that’s holding on to this ridiculous fantasy,” she retorted.
“Is it really that ridiculous?”
“Yes!” shouted Celeste, but she had already slowed her pace and stopped racing to get away from him.
“What if this hadn’t been arranged? What if we had met like we did in Astor and things had developed naturally?”
“Those are a lot of ‘what ifs’ and the fact still remains that you lied to me for months.”
Marco was now walking side-by-side with Celeste, her angry marching come to an end. “I already told you I was sorry for that. I wanted to find a way to tell you myself, but the timing was never right. I was going to tell you after St. Petersburg, but then you and Roman got back together.”
“Yes, exactly. Roman and I are together, like I’ve told you a thousand times before. I love him, Marco. I’m sorry.”
Marco’s dark eyes lit up in frustration. “Do you really think you’re going to marry a vampire?”
“I’m nineteen! I’m not thinking about marrying anyone right now.”
“Well maybe you should. Do you realize that with your aunt marrying a vampire and you possibly following in her footsteps, you’d be responsible for ending the Wilder guardian bloodline?”
Celeste felt like she had been punched in the stomach as all the air suddenly was sucked out of her. She stopped dead in her tracks. She hadn’t even considered that her decision could affect the future of her entire family.
