Wilder: The Guardian Series (20 page)

***

“How could you have let her escape again?” asked Fabian
furiously, his towering figure looming over Magnus.

“I’ve already explained it to you. Roman and Nico appeared,
and as you had forbidden me to kill them or her, it was unlikely I would have
been able to get her out of a crowded party without drawing unnecessary
attention,” said Magnus.

“He’s incompetent just like the rest of them,” said Alek
contemptuously.

Magnus leapt at Alek with his fangs bared and rage in his
wild eyes, “I could snap your neck like a twig, boy. Don’t tempt me.”

Though Magnus was a full head taller than Alek, he casually
stepped away from him completely unflustered. Then with a voice dripping in
sarcasm asked, “What are you going to do to remedy this situation?”

“I will go back for her, and bring her to you as promised.”

“That may be easier said than done,” said Fabian, “especially
now that they will be more cautious after your last failed attempt.”

“I have a much less subtle tactic in mind this time,” Magnus
said, black eyes blazing.

***

Celeste, sweaty after her impromptu workout, sat at the bay
window taking in the warm summer breeze as dusk began to set in. As she gazed
out into the darkening sky, she felt that newly familiar, ominous sensation
come over her and saw a winged creature alighting in the oak tree outside.
Another question that she had been meaning to clarify with Roman was becoming
clearer now. The falcon peered intently at her, blue eyes questioning. Celeste
stood up and feeling rather silly, signaled for the creature to come in. It
flew in, and in the blink of an eye had transformed back into his human form.
Celeste plopped down on her bed taking a moment; imagining a bird turning into
a man and seeing it were two entirely different things.
 

“I’m sorry to stop by unannounced, but you didn’t answer any
of my calls,” Roman said.

“Sorry, but I was busy,” she said haughtily. “So it’s been
you in the tree for weeks?”

“Yes,” he admitted.

“But that was before we had even met.”

“Celeste, there’s a bit more to the story than what I have
told you so far,” he said nervously. “The truth is that one of the reasons that
Nico and I moved back to Oak Bluffs was you, well the Guardian, I mean. One of
our oldest family friends, Stellan, he used to be on the Council, and he knew
that the new Guardian was to be chosen. As I told you, my mother, before being
turned into a vampire, had also been part of the Council and had always kept an
eye on the hunter families. When you first met Nico, and he told you that he
had met some Wilders years ago, he wasn’t kidding. As your father said, you
come from a very long line of hunters.”

Celeste nodded and let him continue.

“Stellan had been in the habit of letting us know whenever a
new Guardian was to be chosen, and we would generally stay away. But this time
it was different. When he told me about you and your father, something clicked
in my memory, and I had to come here to see you.”

“So…”

“Please, Celeste, let me finish,” he said pacing anxiously in
front of her. “About fifteen years ago, Nico and I were living in New York
City, and I was in a rather dark period of my life. As I’ve told you before,
it’s not easy being what we are. I have to fight the dark urges constantly. I
had fought with Nico and taken off on the road only to find myself here in Oak
Bluffs. I was hunting, and I came across a stunning woman walking in the
streets alone at night. I descended upon her. As I was about to feed on her, I
saw the most beautiful little girl with blonde ringlets come ambling out on the
front porch calling out for her ‘Mama.’ Moments later, a Guardian came running
from the house, stake in hand. When he saw that I had spared his wife and
child, a look of astonishment crossed his face, and he put down his weapon. A
part of me wanted to die. I wanted him to end my life once and for all, but he
didn’t kill me. He gathered his child into his arms and helped his wife into
the house. He let me live.”

Celeste couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“I was that little girl? And they were my mom and dad?”

“Yes. Your father saved me. He may not have known it, but he
did. I’ll never forget the look he gave me that night. He made me feel like I
was worth saving. He gave me a second chance, when many others would not have
done the same. He made me realize that I could be redeemed, and that I could
start again and be better.” His normally bright blue eyes were clouded with
remorse.

“So you came back to Oak Bluffs to see if I was going to
become the next Guardian?”

“Correct. When Stellan told me that the new Guardian was to
be chosen, I did a little calculating and some research, and I found out that
your father had been killed. As soon as I got back into town, I came to your
house to see if it really was you.”

“And you stalked me through the window,” she said.

“I was just trying to protect you,” he countered.

“Just when I feel like my life couldn’t possibly get any more
insane, you tell me this. I can’t believe you almost attacked my mom, my dad
almost killed you, and you met me as a toddler!”

Roman slid down to the floor and kneeled in front of her,
taking her delicate hands in his. “Celeste, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,
but there has been so much for you to bear lately! I didn’t want to add
another
piece of the puzzle until the
time was right.”

“It’s kind of an important bit of history, Roman. Did you
ever see my dad again? Did you know that he was killed by a vampire?”

“No, I never saw him again. I never came back to Oak Bluffs
until a few months ago. I only found out recently that your father had been
killed, and I have no idea who did it. You must believe that I would tell you
if I did.” His stormy blue eyes gazed into hers pleading her to trust him.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore. Every time I blink I
find out something new and terrible. I feel like my life is spinning out of
control,” complained Celeste.

“I’m so sorry, Celeste.”

“You know, my mom knew all along. She knew what my dad was
and that I could be the next one. She wanted to keep me from it all. She
doesn’t want me to be the Guardian.”

“She’s your mom, of course she doesn’t want that life for
you. She, above all people, wants to protect you.”

“What if I don’t want this? What if I can’t be a Guardian?”

“I’m afraid that that is a decision that only you can make,
Celeste. But remember, guardians are designated after much consideration; it is
not a selection that is taken lightly. They chose you for a reason, because
they saw something in you, the same thing that I see,” he said, a serious
expression crossing his handsome face.

“And what’s that?”

Roman sat down beside her, and reached out to cradle her face
in his hands. “A beautiful, courageous young woman with an extraordinary heart
and the capacity for immeasurable greatness.”

She smiled, and looked into the blue depths of his eyes. “I
don’t feel like any of those things.”

“You will, Celeste, I know it. I want you to come somewhere
with me tomorrow. I want you to meet Stellan.”

Celeste reached under the bed, retrieving her sword from its
hiding spot to place it carefully into her oversized backpack. Oddly, Celeste
now found its presence comforting, and she wondered if it had some sort of
magical, calming powers. She swung the backpack onto her shoulder and looked
anxiously out the window, hoping to see the black Porsche. If Roman was
correct, Stellan would be able to answer many of Celeste’s questions about the
guardians, the Council and the entire supernatural world. She felt nervous and
excited all at the same time.

Celeste felt strangely relieved to see the bright red BMW and
Nico’s smiling face pulling into her driveway. The tension between her and
Roman had gotten a bit intense lately, and Nico’s presence was a welcome
distraction.

“Well, hello beautiful,” Nico said kissing her on the cheek.

She and Roman exchanged brief pleasantries, and the threesome
set out on the road as the sun crept higher in the sky.
 

“And you must be the famous Celeste Wilder,” said Stellan,
welcoming them into his home.

“I don’t know about that,” she said blushing, “but I have
heard many things about you, and I really appreciate you meeting with me.”

Celeste surveyed the entryway as she walked in. There were
rows of shelves lining the walls filled with old books in ancient languages.
She stared up in awe at the high vaulted ceiling with mahogany rafters
stretching from end to end. As expansive as the home was, there was a certain
cozy feeling about it, like it had been thoroughly lived in. Celeste took a
breath and noticed a peculiar smell too, a mixture between mothballs and
incense. She felt strangely reassured.

“Well of course, it’s my extreme pleasure. It’s not every day
that I have a Guardian in my humble home,” responded Stellan graciously.

“Stop kissing up to her, Stellan, it’s not like she’s going
to try to kill
you
,” Nico teased.

“You on the other hand, Nico, are not so safe,” she said with
a wink.

In truth, after the four-hour car ride with two vampires,
Celeste was feeling antsy. It took all of her strength to fight her budding
murderous urges.

“Roman, Nico, why don’t you make yourselves useful and get
started on lunch. I’d like to speak to Celeste alone for a bit.”

Roman looked at Celeste for approval, and when she nodded,
the brothers headed toward the kitchen.

“Why don’t we go sit outside? It’s much more pleasant,”
Stellan said.

…And out of vampire
earshot.

Stellan led Celeste out to the rustic back porch overlooking
the woods and sat beside her on the wooden bench. The air smelled so pure in
the countryside, and Celeste filled her lungs with it, reveling in the
refreshing sensation.

“Let’s get right down to it then,” he said with a pleasant
smile. Celeste let go of the breath she had been holding. “I’m sure it’s of no
surprise to you that Roman and Nico have kept me apprised of your situation.”

 
“No, they told me
that you were the one who told them about me in the first place.”

“Very true, my dear. You see, after all this time, I still
keep in touch with Guardian affairs, and I’ve been in the habit of informing
the boys over the years. I care deeply about both of them, as I did their
parents. I try to keep them safe and up to date with supernatural matters that
may concern them.”

Celeste nodded, her inquisitive eyes urging him to continue.

“When I found out about you, I informed them as well, simply
because of their proximity to you. I had no idea that Roman would want to come
back to Oak Bluffs, and it wasn’t until yesterday that he finally admitted why,
as he did to you.”

“Right, because he knew my dad.”

“Yes, and to be perfectly honest, Roman is not the only one
that has been keeping secrets. I haven’t told the boys this, but I also knew
your father. I knew him very well. In fact, I was on the Council when he was
made a Guardian so many years ago.”

It took every ounce of Celeste’s self-control not to burst
into tears or hysterical laughter – she wasn’t sure which was in order.
Everything was a lie: her father had lied to her, her mother lied to her and
now she was meeting one of her father’s oldest friends whom she had never even
heard of.

“So you knew my grandfather and my great-grandfather too? I
just found out I come from a whole line of guardians apparently.”

“Yes, I have met many generations of Wilders during my time
on the Council. You come from a special family, and I’m honored to have the
opportunity to train you and help you to become what you were born to be.”

“
You
are going to
train me? You’re the one my dad was talking about in the video…” Celeste eyed
his slim wiry frame skeptically. She didn’t think he was capable of teaching
anyone to fight.

“Yes, Celeste. Many years ago, I made a promise to your
father that if anything ever happened to him, I would step in and help you in
whatever way I could. As a matter of fact, I received an email from your mother
just a few days ago. She of course had no knowledge of who the recipient was,
but it was your father who had instructed her to contact me.”

“But my dad died almost eight years ago. Why didn’t you come
to me before this?” Celeste demanded.

“I’m sorry Celeste, but your father was very clear that he
didn’t want you exposed to anything in the supernatural realm unless you were
chosen. Once Roman told me you had been selected, I was going to come find you
and tell you everything. Before I could, they suggested you come here, so I let
them think it was their idea.”

“Why didn’t you want them to know the truth?”

“I was curious about their attachment to you, and I didn’t
want them to be influenced by me. Of course, at the time I didn’t know about
Roman’s personal history with your father. I had warned them to stay away from
you, Celeste. It was my fault for telling them. They should never have come
into your life. I’ve now put your life at risk because I was trying to protect
them. Fabian is not someone with whom we should trifle, and he has been after
the Constantin clan for decades. I’m afraid I’ve given him a way to get to them
now.” Stellan looked away for a moment, but not before Celeste caught the flash
of worry in his kind grey eyes.

“But Roman and Nico are strong, and I’m going to be the
Guardian so I can protect them too.”