by G. K. DeRosa
“We are totally going to kill the Bulldogs,” answered Donovan, “especially with our star player Brian here.”
Brian shrugged as embarrassment blushed his cheeks. “Yeah right. Donovan’s the man. He’s the starting center and has big universities lined up to snag him after this season.”
“I’m sure you guys are both going to be great tonight. I’ll be there cheering you on so you better make me proud. Beat those Bulldogs!” said Celeste, acting how she thought a typical college girl would and still noticing how it came out sounding forced and awkward.
“I gotta run to my next class,” said Donovan getting up. “Nice meeting you Celeste, and I hope I see you tonight at the game.”
Celeste nodded and gave him a friendly wave as he walked out of the café.
“What do you think about Donovan? He’s single – ”
“Don’t you even dare,” interrupted Celeste before Brian could finish. “Anyway, we’ve got bigger problems to worry about than my love life.”
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“I had a premonition that the Black Devils would attack at the game tonight,” she said.
“Are you serious?” he asked. Celeste nodded slowly.“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
“I was hoping we could find Brazen and put a stop to all of this before tonight, but all we’ve hit are dead ends so far,” she admitted. “Is there any way I could convince you not to play tonight?” Celeste put on her best pleading face, but she knew what Brian’s answer would be.
“No way!” he shouted.
“Shh! Keep your voice down,” Celeste hissed. “We kind of have a plan, but I need your help.”
“Sure anything,” he said.
“Nico’s getting us a ton of wolfsbane – ”
“Like in the movies?” Brian interjected.
“Yes, like in the movies. We’re going to plant it throughout the stadium in the bleachers and stuff. And we’re going to hand it out to people as they walk in,” she explained. “I need you to make sure that all of the guys on the team have some too.”
“Okay,” he said, “but I’m not sure how I’m going to convince a bunch of guys to wear some flowers.”
“We’re going to weave them into little bracelets. They won’t even be able to tell what they are. Just tell them it’s for good luck or something,” said Celeste.
“I can do that,” he said resolutely.
“Great. I’ll make sure to get them to you before the game,” she said taking another sip of his latte and starting to stand. “And Brian, I wanted you to know that Marie’s going to help us fight too.”
Brian frowned. “I don’t know if I like the sound of that.”
“I didn’t ask her to fight exactly; she volunteered. And to be honest, we could really use her help,” she said.
“Then I want to fight too,” he retorted.
“You know I can’t let you do that,” she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. Having Brian in the middle of this was going to be bad enough, there was no way she was exposing him to more danger. “Getting the guys to wear the wolfsbane is going to be a big help.”
“Whatever,” he mumbled.
“I have to run home and get some supplies then go and meet Roman and Nico, but I’ll see you later. And Brian, thanks.”
Celeste knew there was something very wrong the second she walked into Roman and Nico’s apartment. There were books strewn across the sitting room and shards of broken glass and ceramic littered the floor by the coffee table. She bent to pick up a battered remote as she stepped carefully into the great room. Nico was slumped on the couch with a glass of whiskey in hand and Roman stood staring vacantly out the floor-to-ceiling windows, oblivious to her arrival.
“What happened in here?” asked Celeste.
Roman turned toward her, his blue eyes a raging storm. “Stellan lost them,” he muttered.
Celeste was confused. “Who?”
“Our good-for-nothing half-brother and our mother!” Roman shouted, no longer able to reign in his temper.
Celeste’s eyes went wide. “How?” she asked. She didn’t seem to be able to put her thoughts together in longer than one-word questions.
Roman’s face was bright red and his jaw was clenched so tightly Celeste was certain he would crack all of his teeth. She looked to Nico for a response, but he just sat there sipping his drink and swirling the contents around in his mouth.
“Will someone please tell me what happened?” she finally spit out.
Roman huffed loudly and dragged his hands through his hair. “In all the worry about trying to locate Brazen and Vinny and the young witch, Stellan dropped his watch over our mother and Alek. This morning he projected his hologram to the house in St. Petersburg and it was empty. It’s been completely abandoned,” Roman explained.
“No…” uttered Celeste.
“It gets worse,” continued Roman. “The last few drops of blood that remained in the vial aren’t strong enough to get a read on, since Alek is now cloaking himself and our mother. Stellan tried tracking her with our blood too, but came up empty.”
Nico swirled the caramel colored liquid in the glass and the ice cubes clinked against the fine crystal. “We lost her again,” he mumbled.
Celeste’s heart sank. She felt terrible about the brothers losing the only link that they had to their mother, but also she worried what that meant for today’s impending attack. Roman and Nico were in no state of mind to defend hundreds of innocent people. She suddenly felt selfish for not considering their feelings, but there were just too many lives at risk.
“We’ll still fight today,” said Roman, answering her unspoken thoughts. Celeste always believed he could read her mind, and though he denied it adamantly, she couldn’t comprehend how in tune to her feelings he always was.
“I wasn’t – ” she started to say, but she stopped when her eyes met Roman’s. He knew her too well, and she wasn’t going to make him angrier by lying.
“Yeah, just give us a few minutes and we’ll be as good as new,” said Nico, tossing his head back and finishing off the whiskey.
“I’m really sorry about this, you guys,” she said. She couldn’t seem to find the right words. “We’ll find them though. Stellan will find a way – you’ll see.”
Roman grunted and trudged off to his room without another word.
“He’ll be fine. He should have had a few drinks like I did instead of breaking all the glasses,” said Nico. “I’m starting to feel better already.”
Celeste put her arms around his waist and pulled him into a hug. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
“Absolutely. There’s nothing that will do me better than kicking some werewolf tail,” he answered with a snarl.
Celeste managed a smile and squeezed his hand. “Let me make you some coffee to sober you up, and then I’ll go check on Roman.” Nico nodded and slumped back down on the couch.
In the kitchen, Celeste grabbed three mugs and made her way to the fancy coffee machine. She popped in a few pods and it got to work. She tried to ignore the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach as the aroma of fresh coffee filled the apartment. Everything is going to be fine. Nico had a point. Maybe he and Roman could channel that anger into something productive. Then they’d defeat the werewolves and could better focus on finding Alek and Lilliana. Or Roman will go off the deep end and completely lose control…
“Coffee ready?” asked Nico, shuffling into the kitchen, reeking of whiskey.
“Yup, here you go,” said Celeste, handing him the frothy cappuccino.
“You’re a life saver,” said Nico with a smile and a brotherly pinch of the cheek. “I’m going to go get some fresh air. Good luck with Roman.”
Celeste picked up her latte and Roman’s espresso, steeling herself as she headed toward his room. She knew if anyone could reach him in his current state, it was her. When she reached his bedroom door, it was closed so she knocked. After a few attempts with no r
esponse, she turned the handle and the door swung open. At exactly the same moment, Roman’s bathroom door opened and he sauntered out with only a towel around his waist. Celeste couldn’t help but stare as she took in his finely sculpted body. Her gaze wandered from his broad shoulders and defined pecks to his perfectly chiseled abs.
“Sorry!” she said finally, tearing her eyes away from his half-naked body and spinning around. “I knocked but you didn’t answer and…” She continued mumbling for a few more seconds before he stopped her.
“I was in the shower,” he said, “trying to cool off. I didn’t hear you knock.”
“Right. Good idea,” she said, peeking over her shoulder while still facing the door.
Roman disappeared into his closet and re-emerged moments later in a light blue t-shirt and jeans. “You can turn around now,” he said. She did and yet she continued to stare at his muscled body through the tight t-shirt, which brought out the bright blue of his irises. “Is that for me?” he asked eyeing the cup in her hands.
“Yes! I brought you some coffee,” she said blushing.
Roman chuckled. Celeste knew he had noticed her blatant ogling of his body. She couldn’t have been more obvious, but at least it seemed to have improved his mood a bit.
“Thanks,” he said, taking an approving sip of the espresso. “You still remember how I like it, huh?”
“Of course I do – double, super strong and black. It’s hard to forget,” she said.
“I’m glad that not all the things you remember about me are bad ones,” he said and sank down on the bed.
“Of course not. Why would you say that?” she asked, moving to stand in front of him. “Some of my most cherished memories are ones that I’ve spent with you.”
Looking up into her eyes, he gave her a grateful smile. A surge of warmth filled her and she wanted nothing more than to lean down and kiss him, closing the insurmountable gap between the two of them. She paused, taking in his firm jaw line and clear blue eyes. Instead of kissing him like she wanted to, she placed her hands on his face and whispered, “You need to start believing in yourself as much as I do. When you do, I think we’ll both finally get what we’ve always wanted.”
He gave her a sad smile and nodded. “Thank you for everything.”
Celeste turned toward the door to let him finish getting ready just as Nico appeared in the doorway. “I’ve got the wolfsbane if we want to start packing it up.”
“Good,” said Celeste, glancing at her watch. “Marie should be here any minute now.”
Celeste’s heart was pounding wildly against her chest as she peeked into the crowded stadium. There were nearly one thousand people in attendance according to the girl at the ticket window. Nico’s charm (and with the help of vampire glamour) had convinced her to hand out the wolfsbane bracelets to all the attendees. Marie had been a huge help by magically dyeing them to match the Crusader colors of gold and royal blue. As Celeste stared into the crowd, the sight of everyone wearing the team-spirited trinkets eased her mind at least a little bit.
Now there was nothing left to do but wait. Marie had gone to find Brian to give him the wolfsbane bracelets for his teammates, and Roman and Nico were posted at the north and south entry gates keeping watch. Celeste fidgeted with her rings as she waited for Marie to return. Celeste and the boys had already placed small bouquets of wolfsbane underneath the bleachers as an extra layer of precaution. She hoped they had done enough. Stellan had decided to stay home to work on finding Alek and Lilliana, but was on stand-by in case things escalated at the game. Celeste hoped that his involvement wouldn’t be necessary considering how weak he looked when last she saw him.
“Celeste, you’re here!” came a singsong voice from the entranceway.
Celeste’s heart sank when she saw Brian’s little sister, Maxi, and his parents making their way toward her. Why in the world did Brian let them come tonight? She plastered a smile on her face and embraced the eight-year-old with pretty pigtails running toward her.
“I didn’t know you were coming tonight,” said Celeste.
“Neither does Brian. We’re surprising him!” she said with a mischievous grin.
“Hello there, Celeste,” said Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy. “It’s so nice to finally see you. You haven’t been over in awhile.”
“I know! I’ve just been super busy with school and my aunt was in town and then we all went on a little trip, but I definitely wouldn’t miss Brian’s big game,” she said.
“We’re going to run in and get some seats before they’re all taken,” Mrs. Kennedy said.
“Okay, sure,” said Celeste. “I’ll see you in there – I’m just waiting for a friend.”
As they turned to walk toward the bleachers, Celeste ran after them, desperate. “Wait! Did you get your spirit bracelets?”
“Yup, I got’em,” said Maxi, holding up the three colorful twines.
“Okay, make sure you all wear them,” said Celeste. “We have to support the Crusaders! And make sure to get a seat by an exit—you don’t want to get stuck in the mob when the game’s over.”
Mrs. Kennedy gave her an odd smile and Mr. Kennedy threw her an “I’m so not wearing that thing on my wrist” look, but she hoped Maxi would succeed in convincing him otherwise. She didn’t care if they all thought she was crazy, as long as they were safe. Her eyes followed them for a while before she lost them in the crowd. As she continued scanning the room, Marie popped up next to her.
“Hey,” she said. “Mission accomplished. I gave the bracelets to Brian and watched as he handed them out to everyone on the team.” Marie was all decked out in Crusader colors with her bright auburn hair in a high ponytail tied with a gold and blue ribbon.
“Thank you,” Celeste responded wishing she had dressed in the team’s colors too. “And how’s Brian doing?”
“He’s a little tense, both because of the big game and you know the other thing. He’s worried about you.”
“And you!” retorted Celeste.
“You think so?” she asked, looking somewhat insecure for the first time since Celeste had met her.
“Of course! He practically bit my head off when I told him you were helping.”
Marie smiled. “He didn’t say anything to me about it.”
“I think he’s just mad that he can’t help with the fighting,” Celeste said. “It’s probably like a macho guy thing.”
“I guess,” said Marie. “Speaking of the fighting, I haven’t seen any werewolves. Have you felt anything?”
“Nope, nothing yet,” she said glancing at her watch. “The game starts in five minutes, though, so we better get to our posts.”
Marie nodded and went to take her place by the stands. With Roman and Nico guarding both entrances and Marie and Celeste inside, there was no way the Black Devils would enter undetected, or so they hoped.
Celeste nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the shrill buzzer signaling the start of the game. She took a deep breath and tried to get a hold of herself as she watched the tip off from her first row seat. Brian was starting as point guard, and she couldn’t help the sense of pride that came over her as she saw him in action. She hadn’t seen him play in a while and he really was in fine form. When he ran past her, he shot her a smile and a wink and the freshman girls seated next to her nearly fainted. She had to admit, Brian did look pretty hot in his royal blue and gold uniform, his muscular arms in full view.
As the minutes ticked by without incident, Celeste began to relax. She eventually began to lose track of time watching flashes of blue and gold run by and hearing the steady thumping of sneakers back and forth across the court. She had been checking in sporadically with Roman and Nico via text message, but all was quiet outside. Celeste even found herself enjoying the half-time show with the perky cheerleaders doing flips and aerials. To top if off, the Crusaders were winning, so everyone’s spirits were high.
As Celeste watched the Crusader mascot, a knight riding a stuffed horse, run inanely
across the court, a sweaty Brian came over to say hello.
“You’re doing amazing out there!” said Celeste. “You’re killing them!”
“Thanks,” he said sounding a bit winded. “How’s it going over here?”
“Everything’s quiet so far,” she answered. “Did you see your parents?”
“Yeah,” he said, shaking his head. “I can’t believe they picked tonight to surprise me and come to the game.”
“I know,” said Celeste, “but don’t worry. I’m keeping an eye on them and I made sure they had the wolfsbane bracelets. Although I don’t know if you’re dad is actually wearing one.”
“I better go check on them,” he said.
“And Marie too,” yelled Celeste as he jogged away.
Just as Celeste was about to go find Roman and Nico, someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to see three girls with varying degrees of giddy smiles on their faces. Celeste looked at them curiously.
“O.M.G., you know Brian Kennedy?” asked a pretty blonde one.
“Yeah,” answered Celeste, “he’s my best friend.”
“You are so lucky,” said another one. “He is so hot!” Then the three girls burst into laughter and scampered away.
Celeste just shook her head and marched toward the north gate, making a mental note to tell Marie she better watch out for some competition after this game. On her way out, she passed by the Kennedys and was relieved to see all three of them wearing the bracelets. She waved as she hurried past.
“Everything okay out here?” she asked, finding Roman at the door.
He nodded. “Nothing going on at all.”
“That’s good,” she said. “I’m going to run over to see Nico before the game starts back up. Text me if you see anything suspicious.”
“Will do, boss,” he said with a grin.
Celeste looped around the outside of the stadium to the south gate, but when she got there, she didn’t find Nico standing guard. She slowed her pace, treading lightly and scanning the area around her. As she turned the corner, she heard footsteps coming toward her and felt a slight stir in the pit of her stomach. She pulled the small silver stake from her boot and held it behind her back.
