by G. K. DeRosa
“Dani is right, let’s enjoy our moment of victory,” said Stellan. “I believe I have a bottle of champagne I’ve been saving for a special occasion such as this.” Stellan returned quickly with a tray of elaborate champagne flutes, and Celeste helped him pass them out.
“To Celeste,” toasted Stellan, “our new Guardian. May she have a long and blessed life and may all of her victories be as successful as this one.”
“To Celeste,” they all said in unison, clinking their glasses.
“You know, Magnus killed my father,” said Celeste, as she and Roman lay in her bed in the quiet darkness.
“He admitted it?” he asked, turning toward her.
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“I’m so sorry, Celeste. But now I understand why you attacked him like that. You were incredible!”
“I lost it when he said that. He was so snide about it too, like killing my father was too insignificant for him to even remember. I felt this overwhelming urge to rip his head off. It was much worse than when I was around you or Nico when I first became a Guardian. It was scary,” she said.
“It’s all part of being a Guardian, I believe. Your powers seem to be fueled by your emotions. But that’s a good thing, Celeste. You feel everything so intensely, and if you can focus that energy, you’ll be unstoppable.”
Celeste rolled over to face him. “Thanks for always making me feel better, Roman. Sometimes I worry that I won’t live up to everyone’s expectations though.”
“You already have,” he said kissing her sweetly.
She smiled looking into his deep blue eyes feeling as though she were being swallowed up inside of them – wanting to be.
“You were unbelievable today. It took a lot of courage to do what you did, and you didn’t even think twice about doing it. You have the heart of a hero, and I know you are going to be greater than anyone could ever imagine.”
“I love you Roman,” she whispered.
“I love you more than you will ever know,” he responded.
With Fabian’s impending arrival looming over them, Stellan had thought it best for everyone to remain at his house for a few more weeks. When Celeste had told her mom that she would be extending her stay, she hadn’t taken it well. Celeste tried to spare her most of the details; she didn’t want to give her mother more to be concerned about.
“I promise I’ll be home soon,” she said to her mom on the phone.
“I miss you sweetie, and I know that you’re doing very important things, but spending your last summer before college with your friends is important too.”
“I know Mom, which is why I was thinking about coming home for the day. Stellan is really happy with my progress, and he said I deserved a break.”
“That’s wonderful news! I know you’ll want to see Brian and Natalie, but do you think you can spare some time for your mother?”
“Of course, Mom. I’ll be home around noon, and we can have lunch together.”
“Perfect! I’m so happy I’m going to see you!”
“Me too, Mom. See you in a few hours,” she said. After she hung up the phone, she realized she was nervous about returning home. She had changed so much in the last few weeks, and she wasn’t sure she would fit back into her old life anymore.
“It’s not fair that I can’t go with you guys,” said Dani pouting. She had strategically positioned herself in front of the door with her jaw clenched and arms crossed.
“I’m sorry you can’t come Dani, but you know that if you go out in the sunlight you’ll burst into flames,” said Celeste, trying to sound sincere.
“This sucks! Being a vampire is no fun at all. I can’t go out in the daylight, I can’t see my friends or family, and you won’t even let me bite people!”
Nico attempted to suppress the smile that was forming at the edge of his lips. “Well maybe if you’re a good vampire, Stellan will work on a spell to let you walk in the daylight,” he said.
“You can do that?” she asked.
“There are many things that I can do, but sometimes there are things that I shouldn’t,” responded Stellan with a reproachful glance at Nico.
Dani crossed the room in an instant, imploring Stellan with hands pressed together tightly in supplication. “Oh please Stellan, if you can make it possible for me to go outside in the day, I promise I will never drink blood from a human again. I’ll even try to survive off of squirrels, birds, or even rats – I’ll do anything!”
“I don’t doubt your intentions Dani,” he said, pausing to pry his hands away from her iron grip, “but your instincts concern me. Bloodlust is a very powerful thing that most vampires are not strong enough to overcome.”
“But look, I’ve been around Celeste for days and I haven’t tried to bite her, not once!” claimed Dani.
“Yes, but Celeste can cut your head off with a single move,” said Nico. Dani looked over at Celeste in desperation, but she only shook her head discouragingly.
“I’m sorry Dani, it is simply too soon. You are still a very young vampire, and you need to get a handle on your emotions before I give you the ability to daywalk,” concluded Stellan.
“And besides Dani, even if you could come back with us, what would we do if someone in Oak Bluffs recognized you?” asked Celeste.
“I’m never going to get out of this stupid house!” Dani said in frustration as she stormed down the stairs.
Pulling into her driveway, Celeste was overcome with nostalgia at the sight of her home. She had only been gone for two months, and yet so much had happened that it felt more like years. She sat unmoving for a moment taking in all the emotions. Roman leaned across her and unbuckled her seat belt bringing her back to the present. Celeste turned to him, giving him a quick kiss and hopped out of the car.
“Mom! I’m home!” Celeste stepped inside and was greeted by the familiar scents of her childhood home. The smell of chocolate chip cookies came wafting out of the kitchen followed by her mother. She smiled at her wistfully and raced into her open arms.
“It’s really great to be back home,” said Celeste. She and her mom sat in the sunny backyard and nibbled on warm chocolate chip cookies after lunch.
“Then why don’t you just come back already?” asked her mom.
“There are some things going on that I need to take care of, Mom. I can’t come back here until I do. It’s not safe for you or anyone.”
Her mom gave her a worried look. “And how about you, who is going to keep you safe?”
“You don’t have to worry about me, Mom. I have my Guardian powers now and everyday I’m getting stronger. Plus I have Stellan, Roman and Nico to protect me.”
“I don’t know Celeste. You are still my little girl, and I’ll always want to protect you.”
“I killed a vampire,” she blurted out.
“You did what?” she asked leaping out of her seat.
“I killed him, Mom, the vampire that killed Dad.”
Saying the words out loud opened a floodgate of emotions that she hadn’t realized she had been suppressing. Quite unexpectedly, she found herself sobbing like a baby in her mother’s comforting arms. Feeling embarrassed, she said, “I’m okay, I just feel everything so strongly now. It’s part of being a Guardian I guess.”
“Who was this vampire that killed your dad? And how in the world did you kill him?”
“It’s a long story Mom, and I promise I’ll tell you about it later. I’d rather not think about it right now,” she said pausing. “I had lots of help though; I couldn’t have done it without Roman, Nico and Stellan.”
“You are a very brave young woman. Your father would be so proud of you.”
“Remember how I told you I was having dreams about him? I see him all the time now. He’s been helping to train me. It all seems so real, it’s like he’s really there with me.”
“I’m so glad that he is helping you through this.”
“Me too. I guess it’s one of the positive side effects of being the Guar
dian.”
Her mom smiled ruefully. “I wish I could see him. I miss him terribly, you know?”
“You never really talk about him. You’re always so busy with your patients and the hospital. I used to think you had forgotten about him.”
“Of course not, Celeste! I’m sorry if how I acted made you think that. It’s easier for me not to think about him or talk about him. It hurts too much,” she said with tears in her eyes.
“I thought maybe you didn’t talk about him because he was a Guardian, and you were mad at him for that. And that you’d be mad at me too.”
“I could never be mad at either of you for that. I may not like the idea of it, but I know it’s a very important duty that you were chosen for.”
Celeste smiled at her mother gratefully.
“I don’t know if Stellan shared this with you, but he’s been keeping me updated on your progress.”
“No, he didn’t tell me that,” said Celeste. She wondered why he hadn’t.
“You think I’m just going to send you off to live with a man I hardly know without keeping an eye on you?”
Celeste laughed.
“It’s been very enlightening. He’s been very helpful actually in making me understand all of this.”
“I’m glad, Mom.”
“Tell me the truth though, how do you really feel about all of this?”
“It’s hard. Sometimes I just want to run away from it all, the responsibility, the training, the fear, all of it. But then other times when I have my sword in my hand and I’m swinging it through the air, everything just feels so right, like this is what I was born to do.”
Celeste’s mom looked at her proudly as she continued.
“Stellan has been great. He’s taught me so many things. He always seems to know the right thing to say. I could see why he and dad were close, and why he chose him to train me. And Roman, I don’t think I’d still be here today if it weren’t for him. He makes me stronger, like I can do anything when I’m with him. And he’s the one who gets me through all of this craziness.”
“Yes, Stellan has told me that he has been quite instrumental in your training.”
“He has been.” Celeste couldn’t help but smile when she thought of him.
“You’re in love with Roman aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Celeste admitted, her face reddening.
“First loves are very important, Celeste. I know I haven’t been as supportive as I should have been, but I trust your judgment. If you love Roman, I know he must deserve it, even if he is a vampire.”
“Thanks Mom, that means a lot to me.”
“Maybe when you come back home in a few weeks, we can have him over for dinner so I can get to know him a little better. He does eat, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah, he does. That would be really great,” she said.
“You know, you’ve grown up a lot these past few weeks. I can see it in your eyes. Something has changed.”
“I’m not a little girl anymore, Mom.”
***
“How is it possible that that traitor has gone missing?” asked Fabian, clenching his fist angrily.
“The word underground is that he’s dead – killed by the Constantins,” said Alek.
“That’s impossible! Magnus was over a thousand years old. Those two boys were no match for him.”
“Perhaps they had help.”
“Stellan?”
“That would be my guess,” said Alek.
“But it is not Stellan’s style to involve himself in this sort of thing. I know he cares for those boys, but he’s practically retired.”
“One thing is for certain: there is no way that the Constantins took Magnus out on their own. There must be a new player in town.”
“Whoever it is, we will have to make sure they do not interfere with my plan. There is too much at stake, and I will not risk losing my chance at finally being reunited with Lilliana,” finished Fabian.
***
Roman and Nico had been driving in silence each lost in thought. Nico turned to look at his brother and noticed a smile on his face.
“You seem different, you know?” said Nico, breaking the stillness.
“How so?”
“Happier I suppose, and more determined.”
“Umhmm…”
“I don’t know exactly, but it’s good to see you like this. It’s like you have a renewed purpose in life. I take it things are going well with Celeste?”
“Don’t be nosey, little brother,” Roman said with a grin.
“Oh come on Roman, it’s the least you can do considering you pretty much stole her out from under my nose.”
“I did no such thing,” he said defensively. “Don’t forget who spent nearly every night in a tree for weeks watching over her.”
“Aha!” Nico announced victoriously. “I knew you felt something for her even back then!”
“Fine Nico. Yes everything is going well with Celeste, and I am happy. I feel like I finally have a purpose in this eternal life we are forced to lead, but all of that terrifies me. I have so much more to lose now.”
“You’re not going to lose her.”
“You don’t know that Nico. Fabian is coming—he could be here already for all we know. And who knows what he will do once he finds out what she is. Assuming he doesn’t kill us all, what kind of life could we even have together?”
Putting a hand on his brother’s shoulder, Nico said, “Roman, you need to stop and take a breath. Let’s focus on one thing at a time, okay? First we’ll find Fabian and kill him, just like we did with Magnus. And then you can worry about living happily ever after with Celeste.”
“If only it were that easy,” said Roman.
Chapter 17
As Celeste drove to the quaint town square for the annual end-of-summer barbecue to meet Brian and Natalie, she thought about the orientation package she had just received from NYU. For as long as she could remember all she had ever wanted was to go to college there, and now it couldn’t be further from her mind. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go; she simply couldn’t imagine juggling college with her duties as a Guardian. Celeste wished that her father were here to talk to, since he was the only one that would truly understand.
How did he do both?
And then there was Roman: how could she leave him? Celeste was relieved to see the park up ahead so she could put off her worrying to another time. All she wanted was to enjoy this beautiful summer day with her friends like a normal teenager.
“Celeste, over here!” said Natalie as she waved her over eagerly.
Celeste crossed the grassy lawn to join her and Brian and a group of their former classmates. They all hovered around a long picnic table clad with a red and white checkered tablecloth and covered with half empty plastic cups and barbecue favorites.
“I’m so glad you made it home for the barbecue—it is an Oak Bluffs summer tradition after all,” said Natalie, “and this could be our last one together.”
Celeste looked at her friend sadly and stuck out her lower lip in a pout. “I know.”
“Celeste! You made it!” said Brian as he stumbled over.
“Whoa there, are you okay?” She grabbed him by the shoulders to keep him from toppling her over. His bright green eyes were shinier than normal and there was a noticeable slurring of his words.
“Yeah, great, never been better!”
As the words came out of his mouth, Celeste was overcome by the intoxicating smell of beer. “Are you drunk in the middle of the day?”
“No, of course not,” he said with a big goofy grin.
“He’s been drinking for hours,” said Natalie with a scowl.
“Nothing wrong with that,” he said. “We are celebrating right? Summer’s almost over, and everyone’s going away to college, and I’m going to be stuck here in Oak Bluffs for the rest of my life while you all move on without me.” There was an awkward silence as everyone seated turned to stare at Brian.
; “Hey, why don’t you come with me, and we’ll get you some water,” said Celeste, grabbing his hand like a disobedient child.
“I don’t want any water. I’m going to sit right here with my new friend, Lacey and drink my beer,” he said, as he plopped down on the bench and put his arm around the girl. Celeste recognized Lacey from one of her classes. She was a junior – semi-popular with a cute blonde pixie cut hairstyle.
“Come on Celeste, let’s get you a drink, then maybe Brian won’t seem so obnoxious,” said Natalie, glaring at him.
Celeste poured the frothy beer into her cup and as it slowly filled she thought about Brian. She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen him like that. Sure, he would get drunk sometimes, but never like this and never so full of hostility.
“What is going on with him?” Celeste wondered out loud.
“He’s been having a rough time lately, I think,” said Natalie. “With you being gone and the summer ending and everyone getting ready to go away for college, he’s been acting weird.” She shrugged and dropped the spout hastily back on the keg.
“Did he say something to you?”
“No, of course not. He’s too proud to admit it when he’s sober anyway.”
“I had no idea he was feeling that way.”
“Have you talked to him much at all lately?” Natalie asked her.
“No,” Celeste said. “And thanks for making me feel like a bad friend!”
“You’re not a bad friend, and he knows that. You just don’t love him the way that he loves you and that’s bound to make things weird.”
“Has he said anything about me?”
“He told me that you told him that you and Roman were together. He said he was okay with it, but I know he’s not,” said Natalie, pausing to take a sip of the beer.
“I don’t know what to do Natalie. I can’t help how I feel, but I don’t want to hurt Brian. Everything I do or say is wrong. How can I fix this?”
