by G. K. DeRosa
“All right, all right,” Red huffed. “No, I wasn’t lying back then, but I may have heard something about him being back in town now.”
“So where is he?” asked Roman.
“I don’t know,” he answered.
“I don’t believe you,” retorted Roman. “You’re a wolf pack aren’t you? Don’t you always know where your alpha is – psychically? Don’t you share some sort of pack bond?”
“We’re supposed to,” spoke up the young blonde guy, “but he’s blocking us or something. He’s been really paranoid ever since he came back.”
“So none of you knows where he is?” asked Celeste, addressing the group sitting before her.
They all shook their heads innocently.
“I don’t buy it,” said Roman clasping onto Red’s neck again. Red gasped as his grip tightened. “I’m asking you one more time – where is Brazen?”
Red’s arms began to flail as his face turned fifty shades of crimson. He opened his mouth as if to speak and Roman loosened his death hold.
“I swear I don’t know,” he coughed out.
“He’s telling the truth!” yelled the dark-haired girl from across the room. “No one knows where he’s been hiding out. He just shows up sometimes and gives us orders.”
Celeste thought about the guy that had entered her classroom the other day and then lured her to the woods. Maybe this bunch could help find him. She tried to visualize what he looked like, but there wasn’t anything particularly distinct about him. “Is there a guy in your pack that goes to Oak Bluffs CC? He’s around my age with sandy brown hair, medium height and turns into a small brown wolf?” asked Celeste.
They all shook their heads, but Celeste noticed that the dark-haired girl kept avoiding eye contact with her. Celeste took a step toward her. As she got closer, a menacing growl emanated from her core.
“You know who I’m talking about don’t you?” Celeste asked, pointing her sword at her.
The girl’s lips pulled into a tight straight line and her yellow-hazel eyes shone with defiance.
“Just tell her Annabelle,” said the blonde guy. “What has Brazen ever done for us?”
“It’s not Brazen I’m worried about, jerk,” she shot back.
Celeste searched her memory for the name of the blonde guy with the spikey hair. For some reason, she felt he was her best shot for getting some answers. B-something…Brennan!
Celeste put on her most sincere smile. “Brennan, tell your friend she can trust me. If she gives me the name of the guy that was with Brazen on campus the other day, I promise no harm will come to him,” she said.
“How about them? Are they going to promise too?” asked Brennan, pointing at Roman and Nico.
The brothers exchanged glances and nodded reluctantly.
“We can’t trust her,” said the girl. “She’s a Guardian. She kills werewolves as her day job.”
“She saved Curtis and me the other night,” Brennan admitted. The girl looked shocked and turned to the dark-haired boy for confirmation. He nodded in corroboration.
“So technically you kind of owe her,” said Nico.
Celeste took a step toward the girl again, this time keeping her sword down. “I promise nothing will happen to your friend. We just need to find Brazen.”
“His name is Vinny. He’s new in town, showed up when Brazen did. I don’t know much about him, but he hangs out at those containers by the pier,” she said finally.
“Thank you, Annabelle,” said Celeste.
“You guys got what you wanted,” barked Red, his voice hoarse, “now get out of here.”
“As always, thank you for your kind assistance,” said Roman with a sardonic grin.
***
Stellan sat by the warm fireplace with a sorcery book stretched across his lap, fatigue causing his head to bob without his control. He straightened up and pushed his glasses further up his nose, willing himself to focus.
Knock. Knock.
The light thumping sound at the door startled him, and he glanced at his watch before getting up. It was past midnight. Wrapping his robe tightly around himself, he walked to the door. A look through the peephole revealed Dalla’s petite frame enveloped in a thick fur coat.
“I’m sorry to come so late,” she whispered as soon as he opened the door, a cool breeze following her in.
“No, it’s fine. Is there something wrong?” Stellan asked worriedly as he led her into the sitting room.
“I needed to talk to you,” she said as she shed her white fur on the coat stand.
Stellan poured them each a hot cup of tea and sat down beside Dalla in front of the crackling fireplace. “What is it?” he asked.
“It’s Dante. He has it in his mind that Lilliana needs to be eliminated.”
Stellan’s expression grew somber.
“I had a feeling Celeste hadn’t told you yet,” Dalla said. “That’s why I decided to come over.”
“Celeste knows?” he asked.
“Dante has asked Celeste to take care of it personally,” she explained. “She managed to convince him that Lilliana isn’t a threat for now, but I know Dante and he won’t let that go unchecked for long.”
“This is not good,” muttered Stellan.
“Celeste told the Council that Lilliana has lost her memory and can’t practice magic. Though it was a clever lie to buy us some time, we both know that Lilliana is very capable of performing magic, even with her amnesia,” said Dalla.
“Yes, I clearly remember the protection spell she cast around Alek when he was injured after the resurrection,” said Stellan, chewing on the end of his glasses. “She is still quite powerful, even after being dead for a lifetime.”
Dalla took Stellan’s hands in hers, pleading. “Now are you convinced that we must go after Alek and get the Albsurori ring back? It’s the only way to defeat him and save Lilliana,” she practically shouted.
“I’ve been trying to find a way to return her memories,” he said pointing at the book on the chair. “Without access to Fabian’s grimoire, it’s difficult to determine what spell he used to undo the memory loss. A resurrection spell is extremely tricky, and I wouldn’t want to undo the wrong element.”
“And God knows we wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to Lilliana,” she muttered under her breath.
“Hmm?”
“Nothing. Perhaps I can help,” she said. “Fabian’s familial line and the Albsurori have long been tied. I may find something in our coven’s library,” she suggested.
“Yes, fine that would be very helpful,” said Stellan, but his grey eyes had glazed over and Dalla could tell his thoughts had gone elsewhere.
“You’re thinking about her, aren’t you?” Dalla asked, her eyes revealing a look of betrayal.
He turned to face her. “I am simply concerned for her. And I wonder if we did the right thing all those years ago,” he said sullenly.
A fiery flash crossed Dalla’s lilac eyes. “You still blame me for this?”
“I just wonder if all of this could have been avoided if Lilliana had known the truth all along.”
“No! I had to keep the truth about Alek from her to protect her from Fabian,” Dalla insisted, “and to protect everyone she loved.”
“I don’t know,” said Stellan as his mind drifted to that fateful day almost a century ago.
It was Christmas Eve and Stellan and Dalla had come to visit the Constantin family. They were living in a small town outside of Paris in Normandy, in the peaceful countryside far away from Fabian’s reach. At the time, Lilliana was still a witch and between her own powers and the help of the Council, the family had managed to evade Fabian for the past six years. Roman and Nico had been born during that time and were now active little boys.
“Nico, come sit on my lap,” said Stellan as the chunky little toddler with mischievous eyes waddled over to him. Even then Roman was a more cautious child, suspiciously eyeing the visitors. He stayed in the corner, reluctant to give in too ea
sily to their affectionate advances.
It had been a few years since Stellan and Dalla had seen Luka and the boys. Visiting was difficult because of the constant fear that Fabian might be tracking any one of them. Lilliana, however, they saw frequently as Stellan sat on the Council and Lilliana was considered a close ally and confidant. Given her situation, she was unable to devote as much of her time as she would have liked, but she was what Stellan called “an honorary Council member.”
“It’s truly a shame that neither of your handsome boys inherited their mother’s beautiful blonde locks,” said Stellan as he ruffled Nico’s dark mop of hair.
Lilliana smiled affectionately at her son. “I think they’re just perfect with their father’s dark hair and skin,” she replied with a fond squeeze to Luka’s shoulder.
Stellan looked at Lilliana tenderly and smiled back. Then he turned to Dalla and noticed that her eyes were brimming with tears.
“Excuse me,” Dalla said as she stood abruptly and raced to the bathroom.
Stellan, Lilliana and Luka looked at each other in surprise. “I’ll go see what is the matter,” said Stellan, putting a giggling Nico down to follow after her.
Walking through the narrow corridor he heard muffled crying coming from the bathroom. “Dalla, my dear, are you all right?” asked Stellan through the bathroom door. He heard the lock unlatch, and he gently turned the handle.
Inside, Dalla sat on the floor, her head buried in her skirts. Stellan quickly picked her up off the floor and wrapped her in his arms. “What is the matter my darling?”
“Oh Stellan, I can’t. Seeing Lilliana and Luka so happy with their beautiful boys… it simply breaks my heart,” she said in between sobs.
“What do you mean?” he asked, thoroughly confused.
“Her boys are so fortunate and yet her first son – ” and again she broke into sobs.
Stellan rubbed her back as he tried to console her. “Oh Dalla, it is a shame that her first son died. But surely he is in a better place now.”
“No!” she cried. “You don’t understand – he’s not!”
Stellan looked completely bewildered. “What are you saying?”
“Lilliana’s baby didn’t die, Stellan. Fabian took him; he’s still alive. And God knows what terrible things he has been doing to that poor boy!” she blurted out.
Stellan’s legs gave way and he crumpled to the floor beside her. The feeling of the cold tile underneath him awakened him from the numbness he felt inside. “It can’t be,” he muttered.
“Princess Elsbetta of the Fae has been raising him with her own children. Fabian struck a deal with her. I don’t know the details, but I’m sure they weren’t good,” she admitted.
“You’ve known about this all along? How could you let this lie go on for years now?” asked Stellan, shocked. He stared at the woman he loved, the woman he thought he knew.
“I saw the baby, Aleksander, by accident right after I had seen Lilliana, and she had told me he was dead. I saw him with my very own eyes in the arms of a fairy midwife. I ran to stop her, but Fabian saw me. He threatened me and swore me to secrecy or else he would kill everyone I loved – including you and Lilliana,” she explained, the words rushing out of her mouth after so many years.
Stellan merely shook his head. “I have to tell Lilliana the truth.”
“No!” she shouted. “No one must ever know. Stellan, promise me that you will not speak a word of this to anyone ever.”
“It was the worst mistake of my life,” said Stellan, gripping his teacup until his knuckles went white.
“I knew you had never really forgiven me for my role in keeping the truth from Lilliana,” said Dalla, grimly. “Nothing was ever the same for us after that day.”
“You weren’t the only one at fault, Dalla. I should have spoken up. I have no one to blame but myself for all of this,” he said, resting his tired head in his hands.
“We can fix things now,” she said. “We will find a way to return Lilliana’s memories to her, and we will make it up to her somehow.”
Stellan forced a smile on his face, but his heart was troubled. He didn’t believe Lilliana would ever forgive them for what they had done. Could all of the bloodshed and lives destroyed over the past century been avoided if they had only told the truth back then? Unfortunately, that was a question no one would ever know the answer to.
Celeste twirled the Cheerios around in her bowl as she looked at the empty seat across the kitchen table. Marco had only been gone for a few days, but Celeste already felt his absence. She had gone patrolling by herself the night before, and though it had been quiet, thankfully, she missed having a hunting buddy. Roman and Nico had of course offered to accompany her, but she repeatedly declined. Celeste knew she was never going to get over Roman if she spent so much time with him and his brother. Roman hadn’t taken the denial well. As she walked through the quiet streets, she had been pretty sure there was a black falcon flying overhead all evening, but she did her best to ignore it.
“Good morning, sweetie,” said her mom, taking off her coat and setting down her purse at the front door.
Celeste looked up from her bowl of cereal. “You’re home late. I thought you were upstairs sleeping already,” she answered.
“It’s this charity ball that the hospital is putting on. I should have never volunteered to be on the committee. It’s been so much work!”
Celeste’s thoughts immediately turned to Natalie at the mention of balls and dance committees. She felt a pang of guilt that she hadn’t been able to spend more time with her best friend over winter break.
“When is it?” asked Celeste.
“Next week, thank goodness. Then I’ll finally be able to get back to my real job – helping sick people,” said her mom as she slumped down at the kitchen table beside her.
“Let me know if I can help with anything,” offered Celeste as she reached over and rubbed her mom’s shoulder.
Her mom’s tired eyes lit up. “Well now that you mention it,” she began eagerly, “we are a little low on attendees. Why don’t you and your friends come? I can get you discounted tickets, and you know it’s for a good cause.”
Celeste laughed. “Sure, Mom. I’ll see if I can round up some of the crew.” As soon as she agreed, she regretted it. She didn’t have the best luck with dances and now she had just agreed to go to another one and bring her friends. Should I invite Roman? Is that weird? This had disaster written all over it.
“Great! This will be so much fun,” said her mom. “And this time we’ll actually get to go to the dance together.” After seeing the excitement in her mother’s eyes, she knew there was no way to back out now. Celeste rolled her eyes dramatically and her mom laughed. “I promise I won’t embarrass you.”
Celeste was about to respond when a blinding pain ripped through her skull. It felt like a thousand knives stabbing her in the temples all at once. She screamed and grabbed the sides of her head as her sight began to blur and the visions broke free. In spite of the pain, she tried to focus on the images flashing through her mind. She recognized the gym at Oak Bluffs CC and the basketball players in their blue and gold uniforms. The bleachers were crammed with laughing, cheering students and then all of a sudden their enthusiastic cheers turned to screams of panic as a pack of wolves rushed in. Then everything went black.
When Celeste awoke, she was laying on the couch in the living room with an ice pack wrapped in a towel on her head. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw her mother’s worried face hovering just above her.
“Thank goodness you’re finally awake,” she said with a sigh of relief. Celeste noticed she was clutching her cellphone tightly but then dropped it on the table. “I was about to have Stellan come over. You were out for almost half an hour.”
Celeste sat up and the living room spun around before her. She closed her eyes trying to steady herself and took a few deep breaths. “I’m fine. It was just a premonition.”
“That’s what I guess
ed, but I was still so worried. Your face looked like you were in terrible pain,” said her mom, gently rubbing Celeste’s back.
“Yup, comes with the whole Guardian package,” she said. She hated seeing that frightened look in her mother’s eyes. “I’m okay, I promise.” And she attempted a weak smile.
“Maybe you should lie back down and rest a little?” she suggested, not the least bit fooled.
“I can’t. I have to report to Stellan what I saw. And Roman and Nico and I have to find those werewolves before they cause any more trouble,” she said rising slowly from the couch.
“Was the premonition bad?” her mom asked.
“Nah, no big deal. Just a typical Tuesday on the job,” Celeste said with a smirk. “You go get some rest, and I’ll see you later.” She gave her mom a warm hug and ran up to her room to contact the others. The Oak Bluffs Crusaders were taking on their big rivals the Falls River Bulldogs on Friday, and Celeste was pretty sure that was the basketball game she had seen in her premonition. That meant that they only had a few days to find this Vinny, the new werewolf, and convince him to give up Brazen’s hideout before her disturbing vision came true.
Tracking Vinny down proved fairly easy once they discovered his last name. It was simply a matter of breaking into the administrative office of the college and going through the confidential student files. Luckily, Nico was more than happy to oblige when the task was presented. Celeste was relieved he had volunteered because she really didn’t want to add breaking and entering to her permanent transcript.
Unlike his hapless werewolf colleagues, Vinny lived in a rather nice apartment right off campus, not far from Roman and Nico’s place. This guy was perfectly playing the role of typical college freshman and doing his best to blend in.
Roman, Nico and Celeste walked up the stairs to the second floor apartment, and paused in front of the entrance as Roman put his ear to the door to listen in. All was quiet. Celeste had convinced the brothers to try a more subtle approach with Vinny. She was hoping to get him to cooperate like she had the young werewolves the other night, plus she had given her word to that werewolf girl, Annabelle, that they wouldn’t hurt him.
