by G. K. DeRosa
***
Roman paused for an instant in front of the guest bedroom door. He had a terrible hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach and he clenched his fists by his sides to attempt to keep his emotions under control. He steeled himself with a deep breath and raised his fist to knock before he could back out.
“Come in,” came Marco’s voice through the door.
Roman turned the handle hesitantly and found Marco fresh out of the shower. His charcoal suit was stretched out on the bed along with a black button down shirt and silver tie. “Do you have a minute to talk?”
“Sure,” answered Marco, tugging a t-shirt on over his damp hair. “What’s up?”
“Celeste told me about the marriage contract.”
Marco tensed, ready to dodge an angry fist coming in his direction, but to his surprise, none came. In fact, he was amazed by how eerily calm Roman looked and sounded. “I’m sorry,” he said finally. “This was something that was arranged way before I had any say in it.”
“Please, don’t give me that. I know you’ve wanted her from the start,” countered Roman, keeping his voice steady.
“Maybe, but I certainly don’t like the idea that this is something being forced upon her. I like to win my women fair and square.” A teasing smile crossed his face unbidden.
Roman took a couple steps toward him and stopped. “I’ve given it a lot of thought over the past few days and perhaps it is what’s best for Celeste.”
Marco’s eyes bulged out comically. That was the complete opposite of what he had expected to come out of Roman’s mouth. For once he found himself utterly speechless.
Roman paced in a small circle in front of Marco, weighing his words carefully. “I know that I cannot give her the life she deserves, but perhaps you can. I am certain that you love her, and I know you can protect her. More importantly, you can give her a family—something that I never can. And with the strength of your families’ bloodlines combined, your children will become powerful guardians and keep the world safe.”
“I don’t know what to say,” muttered Marco finally.
“Just promise me that you will love her as she deserves to be loved and always keep her safe.”
“Of course,” he answered, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Marco was still baffled, trying to make sense of the odd conversation. “Does Celeste know how you feel?”
“No, not yet. I’ll speak to her this evening after the dance.”
“You know she’s not going to agree to any of it, right?” asked Marco.
“Leave that part to me. I’ll make sure she understands that it’s for her own good,” said Roman, the anguish resonating in his voice.
“Okay,” said Marco, sounding completely unconvinced.
Roman nodded and turned on his heel, darting from the room before the overpowering pain swelling in his chest and threatening to choke him succeeded.
Chapter 16
Celeste smiled as she admired the ruby red gown laid out on her bed. It was a very bold color choice for her and she was sure that Natalie would approve. Glancing at her watch, she noticed she had about twenty minutes to spare before everyone arrived. Sitting down on her bed, she squirmed her feet into the fiery red stilettos—another Natalie-inspired purchase. She stepped into the dress and carefully zipped it up, examining her reflection in the mirror. Her hair and makeup were decent, not as great as Natalie would have done, but okay considering her own rudimentary skills. Her long blond curls cascaded down her back, covering her bare shoulders nicely.
Overall she was content, and yet she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in her stomach that something would go terribly wrong this evening. Added to that was concern over how Roman would act. They hadn’t spoken about the marriage agreement after their earlier talk, and the anxiety was driving her crazy. She almost wished Roman had lost it and yelled and screamed or done something, anything. Instead his eerie calmness was much worse. She knew Roman well enough by now to know that he was plotting something in that mind of his, and she was positive she wasn’t going to like it.
With a long sigh, Celeste patted Rocky on the head. He had been watching her faithfully as she dressed and rewarded her with a quick lick to the hand. Her phone sat at the end of her bed and began to vibrate just as she was about to pick it up to message Brian. It was a text from Roman.
On our way
I’m ready! See you in a few
Celeste sent a quick message to Brian and grabbed her matching clutch to shove her phone and lip-gloss inside. After one last glance in the mirror, she hurried down the stairs.
In keeping with tradition, Nico had been in charge of transportation for the evening. As Celeste peeked out the window impatiently waiting for the car to pull up, she wondered what extravagant vehicle he had picked out this time. She couldn’t help but think about the hospital charity ball that they had all attended in the winter and how horribly the night had turned out. If only I could have saved Natalie…
Celeste was pulled from her somber thoughts by the sound of an old-fashioned car horn resonating up the street. Looking up, she saw a white vintage Excalibur limousine pull up in front of her house. It was a classic from the Roaring 20’s with trumpeted air horns and matching chrome side-mounted spare tires. Most importantly, it had Natalie written all over it. With a big smile, Celeste ran outside to get a closer look.
“What do you think?” asked Nico as he jumped out of the car in an impeccably tailored black suit, his grin stretching from ear to ear.
“It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed.
“Just like you,” he said as he took her hand and kissed it gallantly.
“Natalie would have loved it,” she whispered, fighting back the tears that threatened to ruin her carefully applied make-up.
Roman and Marco had stepped out of the car while they were talking and Roman now stood hovering over Nico. “May I have my date back?”
Nico threw his hands up in the air dramatically and backed away with a chuckle. Marco lingered a few feet behind, waved at Celeste then followed Nico back to the car. Roman took Celeste by the tips of her fingers and twirled her in a circle. “He’s right, you do look stunning.”
Celeste thanked him, but couldn’t help but notice that Roman’s smile didn’t quite reach his expressive eyes. She leaned in closer and placed a swift kiss on his lips and saw the storm raging just below the surface of his cloudy blue irises.
“Wow! Awesome car,” said Brian as he walked down the steps of his house. “Nicely done, man.” He patted Nico on the shoulder as Marie and a petite blond followed behind him. Celeste stared at the somewhat familiar stranger and finally recognized the girl as Marie’s new roommate, Aria.
“Nice dress!” said Marie, staring Celeste up and down.
“You look super hot,” chimed in Aria.
“Thanks,” replied Celeste. “I didn’t know you were coming.” Again she felt a slight stir in the pit of her stomach and she stared at the girl curiously. She didn’t mean to be rude, but there was something about her that she couldn’t quite figure out.
“Yeah, sorry,” said Marie. “I told Brian and I thought he had told you and he thought I had told you, so we kind of dropped the ball.”
“No, no problem. You’re welcome to come with us.”
“I figured it would even out the guy-to-girl ratio a bit more, and since Aria doesn’t have a date she could have her pick of Nico or Marco tonight,” Marie said with a wink. Celeste felt a slight pang of jealousy at the comment but she swiftly swallowed it down.
“Oh Nico’s hot!” said Aria as she stared at him from across the walkway.
“He’s not really looking for a relationship right now,” Celeste snapped. Aria and Marie both gawked, surprised by her tone. Celeste felt the heat rushing up from her neck and she quickly turned away toward the limo. “Come on, we better get going,” she said over her shoulder.
“Everything okay?” asked Roman, noticing her flustered expression as he took her hand and h
elped her into the car.
“No,” she muttered as she picked up her dress hem and climbed in with a grunt.
Celeste sulked in silence all the way to the new Sheraton where the dance was to be held. She knew she was being irrational, but Marie trying to hook up Aria with Nico was driving her nuts. She watched from across the car as Aria blatantly flirted with him, swinging her pink-streaked short blond hair teasingly.
“What’s the matter with you?” asked Marco as he moved to sit on the other side of her. She just noticed he hadn’t said much the entire car ride either.
“Nothing,” said Celeste with arms crossed over her chest.
“I could feel the anger radiating off of you from across the limo,” he continued.
Celeste turned to her right to see that Roman and Nico were engaged in a heated conversation with Brian about basketball so she wouldn’t have to worry about them listening in. She pivoted back to Marco and let out a frustrated breath. “It’s just Aria. I don’t like her pawing at Nico like that.”
Marco glanced over and turned back with a smirk. “It’s not that bad. And anyway, Marie said I could have a chance at her too.”
Celeste narrowed her eyes at him and scowled. “Natalie just died a few months ago. I don’t think Nico should be moving on so quickly.”
“Celeste, don’t you think you’re overreacting a little? No one said anything about Nico moving on. There’s nothing wrong with some harmless flirting.”
“Ugh, you guys are all the same,” she muttered and spun away from him, again crossing her arms over her chest.
When they finally arrived at the hotel, Celeste forced herself to let go of the irrational anger she was feeling toward Aria. She shook out her head and shoulders and took a fresh breath of air, then let Roman help her out of the limo. “Can you at least try to have fun tonight?” he whispered into her ear, sending chills down her spine.
“I’ll try,” she said with a sweet smile and she actually meant it.
“Good,” he said taking her hand and leading her up the walkway of the modern new hotel. Inside, they followed the signs to the Peacock Ballroom and were greeted from afar by the sounds of loud dance music and their partying classmates.
“This must be it,” said Nico as he swung the ballroom door open.
The cream colored space was decorated with gold and silver streamers and balloons, with flowered centerpieces and candles adorning each numbered table.
“It’s nice but it’s no Roaring 20’s Casino,” said Celeste with a rueful smile.
Brian walked up to her side and putting an arm around her, gave her a squeeze. “Come on, let’s go find our table.”
As they weaved their way through the dance floor and around the circular tables, Celeste caught the eye of a familiar spikey blond werewolf.
“Hey guys,” said Brennan, walking up to them with his cousin Curtis in tow. Curtis nodded at the group, keeping his eyes on the ground.
“Glad you could make it,” said Celeste, “and thanks again for all your help the other day in Xeria.”
“I’m glad I was there,” he answered. “It just sucks we couldn’t find that other guy Declan and Astrid.”
“We’re working on it,” said Roman.
Marie walked up to the middle of the group and said, “I almost forgot to tell you—,” She cut herself off when she realized Aria was looking curiously at them. “Hey Nico, why don’t you and Aria go get us some drinks.”
Nico nodded, taking the hint, then led the smiling girl toward the bar.
Once they were out of earshot, she continued. “I think I found out how Astrid got Brazen out of Astor.”
“How?” asked Celeste, her eyes intent on Marie.
“Rumor has it that the Queen was given a charmed medallion when she was invited to Astor for the Induction Ceremony and that it has mysteriously gone missing.”
“So that’s probably how all the VIP supernatural guests were able to get by the wards that day,” said Marco.
“And Astrid must have known her mother had it, so she used it to sneak into Astor without setting off any alarms,” said Celeste.
“Exactly,” said Marie proudly.
“Well, at least it’s a relief to know that there isn’t a double agent living among the residents in Astor,” said Roman.
Nico and Aria returned, each juggling four glasses apiece and the conversation quickly ended. “Who wants champagne?” asked Aria with a mischievous grin.
Just as they were about to toast to the end of their first year of college, Annabelle appeared and stood by Curtis. “Are you going to hang out with them all night?” she hissed.
“Give it a rest,” growled Brennan. “We’re all here to have a good time.”
Scowling, Annabelle spun around and disappeared into the crowd on the dance floor.
“Not that I want to follow her, but who’s up for a dance?” asked Nico. Aria’s hand shot up in the air faster than the average vampire.
“Let’s all go,” suggested Marco, catching Celeste’s scowl out of the corner of his eye.
Roman led Celeste out to the dance floor and once they were in each other’s arms swaying to the slow music, he peered down at her. “Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?”
Celeste huffed. “It’s nothing. I’m just being silly.”
“Tell me,” urged Roman.
“I don’t like Aria flirting with Nico and I keep getting some weird vibe off of her,” she admitted.
“Why do you care—and what kind of vibe?”
“I’m not sure regarding the vibe and I care because Natalie just died not too long ago, and I don’t think it’s right.”
“Celeste, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Nico has had countless girlfriends in his hundred years on this earth and although I know he loved Natalie, it’s very likely he will move on.”
“I know,” she said. “I told you it was silly.”
“I am, though, more concerned about this weird vibe you mentioned.”
“It’s bizarre. It’s kind of like when I first met Marie and didn’t know what she was. It’s like a subtle blip on the evil radar.”
Roman’s eyebrow arched. “You think Aria is supernatural?” He glanced to his side and saw the vivacious blond laughing flirtatiously with his brother.
“I’m not sure exactly. I can’t get a read on her.”
Just as Roman was about to say something, Marco stepped up beside them. “Do you mind if I cut in?” he asked.
Celeste thought for sure that Roman would object and was astonished when he backed away with only a nearly imperceptible clenching of the jaw. She tried to catch his gaze before he walked off, but he refused to meet her eyes as he turned and stalked away.
“Did I miss something?” asked Celeste as Marco gently took her hand and placed the other on the small of her back. “Are you guys friends now or something?”
Marco chuckled. “I wouldn’t go that far, but he’s been pretty cool over the past two days since I’ve been staying with them.” He twirled Celeste in a circle before she could answer and then pulled her back in just inches from his face. “It was pretty nice of them to offer since you kicked me out.”
Celeste backed up a step, uncomfortable with his close proximity. “You’re lucky I’m even still talking to you.”
“I know,” he answered and spun her out again. She couldn’t help but giggle this time as the dance floor whirled around her. As her gaze traveled around the room, she caught sight of Annabelle at the entrance door with a familiar scarred face standing next to her.
Celeste’s heart skipped a beat as she recognized the big werewolf. She stopped instantly and let go of Marco’s hand, trying to get her bearings as the room still spun around her. “Marco,” she hissed, “it’s Declan, the guy we found with Brazen in Xeria—the one that took off with Astrid.”
Marco turned in the direction that Celeste was pointing, but all he could see were a bunch of college students. “I don’t see anyone
.”
Celeste pivoted back to the entrance door and sure enough there was no sign of Declan or Annabelle. She did, however, see Brennan dancing with a cute girl just a few feet away. She ran over to him, rudely interrupting. “Brennan, I need to talk to you now.”
The pretty brunette narrowed her eyes at Celeste, but she couldn’t care less. She took Brennan’s hand and yanked him away as he muttered apologies to the confused looking girl.
“Declan’s here,” she explained just as soon as they were off the crowded dance floor, “and I think Annabelle invited him.”
Brennan let out a frustrated sigh as he ran his fingers through his spiky blond hair. “Go tell the others, and I’ll start looking for them.”
Celeste and Marco split up to find their friends and warn them. As she weaved through the packed dance floor, her mind swarmed with visions of the attack at the hospital charity ball just a few months ago. Her heart started pounding and she could sense the corners of her vision were beginning to darken. She felt the darkness as it began to descend, consuming her as it bubbled up like a seething volcano.
“Celeste,” said Roman, appearing beside her and grabbing her by the shoulders. He gave her a quick shake. “You still with me?” He could see the blackness beginning to take over her irises.
She nodded her head and took a deep breath. “Yes. I’m okay. It’s Declan, he’s here.”
“I know. Marco just told us,” he said as he scanned the ballroom. “Nico took Aria outside and Marco is trying to find Brian and Marie.”
