Wilder: The Guardian Series (26 page)

“He is after that human girl that is always with the
Constantins. He has been making some inquiries about her.”

“Inquiries? What kind of inquiries?” asked
Alek.

“It seems as though he believes she is not simply some human
girl.”

“Well, that is interesting.”

“Yes, it is. Since he is the only one that has had contact
with her and lived to tell about it, it has made me curious as well,” said
Fabian.

“Magnus has sent word that he will no longer be fulfilling
your orders along with return of payment,” said Alek.

“This must be a very special girl that our friend has
stumbled upon to risk defying me for.”

“Yes, it is highly unusual.”

“Alek, I think it is finally time that we make our own visit
to Oak Bluffs.”

“Welcome my dear,” said Stellan with an elaborate bow. “My
home is your home.”

“Thanks for helping me, Stellan,” said Celeste. “I’m sure you
have enough going on without having to worry about training a newbie Guardian.”

“On the contrary, my dear, this is exactly what I should be
doing. I spent so many years on the Council and always felt that we could do
more for the guardians, and now I can.”

“I really do appreciate it.”

“Of course! And to be perfectly honest, before you came into
our lives, I was beginning to get a little bored.”

Roman chimed in
saying,
“You
certainly won’t be bored now that Celeste’s around. She’s a magnet for
trouble.” Celeste shot him a sidelong look, but couldn’t help but laugh in
agreement.

“Roman, please show her up to the guest bedroom at the end of
the hall on the second floor. It’s the same room your father used to stay in
when he came to visit me, Celeste.”

Celeste smiled and followed Roman.
 
He carried her suitcase and a large
duffel bag filled with miscellaneous weapons up the impressive spiral
staircase.

As Celeste began unpacking, Roman sat quietly on the bed
watching her.
 
She pulled out her
sword and laid it carefully under the bed. She could feel his penetrating eyes
on her as she moved from her suitcase to the closet, back to the suitcase, to
the armoire and so on. She found, to her relief, that the disturbing feeling
she once felt when she was around him had pretty much disappeared. Instead, it had
been replaced by a sense of longing when he wasn’t in her sight. And when they
touched, the exciting sparks had returned and become even more powerful. A
pleasant side effect of her new Guardian powers, she thought with a grin.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

Celeste stopped folding her clothes and stood in front of
him. “You.” She ran her fingers through his soft wavy hair. A muffled sound of
pleasure escaped from Roman’s lips as he exhaled.

 
“What about me?”
he asked, trying to keep his composure.

“Just how happy I am that you are here with me.”

“About that Celeste,” he said pulling away a little, “you
know Stellan doesn’t want me to stay.”

“Well I do. And I’m the trainee. I don’t feel safe without
you near me, and if I’m supposed to concentrate on training I shouldn’t be
distracted by concerns over my safety.”

“Excellent argument, but I don’t know that Stellan will be as
easy as I am to convince,” he said as he pulled her into his lap.

“But it’s true, I never feel as safe as I do when I’m in your
arms,” she said running her fingers down his bicep.

Roman leaned in slowly, looking into her sparkling eyes as
his lips neared hers and kissed her tentatively. His arms enveloped her in a
protective embrace as his hands ran through her cascading hair.
 
As the heat of the moment increased,
Celeste clung on to him more urgently as his searing kisses intensified. She
felt as though time were standing still and all the terrible things that had
happened over the past month were magically swept away.

“Roman will you be joining us for dinner or will you be
leaving before?” asked Stellan politely. The happy couple had finally descended
after a rather intense make-out session, and they were positively glowing.

“Actually, Stellan, I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve asked
Roman to stay and help me train,” interjected Celeste.

“Celeste, we’ve already talked about this, and I thought you
understood my position on the topic.”

“You’re right, I have heard your position on this, but you
haven’t heard mine.”
 
Stellan looked
at Celeste in surprise then to Roman who responded with a wry smile.

“Firstly, Roman is an excellent fighter, and I could use him
as a sparring partner. He is strong, fast and smart. He is a vampire after all,
and who better to learn from than the enemy?”

“While that is true--,” began Stellan.

“Secondly,” interrupted Celeste, “Roman has already saved me
from vampires a bunch of times, and I feel safer knowing that he is here. If
I’m not worried about my safety, I’ll be more concentrated on my training.”

“
Umhmm
…”

“And lastly, I know that my dad didn’t want me involved in
the supernatural world, but isn’t that a bit silly now? I am deeply involved,
and keeping Roman or Nico away from me isn’t going to change that.”

“Is this your doing, Roman?” Stellan shot him an irritated
glance.

“Hey don’t look at me, I had nothing to do with this.”

Celeste watched Stellan, her eyes anxious for a response. “I
see you have put a lot of thought into this, Celeste,” said Stellan.

“I have.”

Stellan sighed. “While it’s against my better judgment, I
will agree to allow Roman to stay for a few days until you’ve settled in. Once
you become acquainted with your new environment, I assure you that you will
have no concerns for your safety and in regards to a sparring partner, you’ll
find that I am far more nimble than I look.”

Celeste looked skeptically at Stellan’s wiry frame.

“That seems fair,” said Roman.

“But if I find that you are more of a distraction than
anything else, I will send you packing immediately, Roman.”

“I promise to be on my best behavior.”

Celeste and Roman exchanged victorious glances, both smiling
happily.

Celeste tossed and turned in her bed that night as a vision
overtook her subconscious. She was back in the white circular room, but instead
of the tribunal she had seen last time there was a round white table with two
people seated. She recognized the portly man and the silver-haired woman from
the day she was chosen to be the Guardian. As she looked curiously at them,
they stood and waved her toward them.

“Welcome Celeste, my name is Dante, and I am the head of the
Council of Guardians. I apologize for not introducing myself when we first met,
but the Choosing Ceremony is quite a lot to take in,” said the portly man. He
had a kind face and salt and pepper hair, but the deep wrinkles on his forehead
depicted a life burdened with significant responsibilities. Though he had some
extra weight on him, it was plain to see he had been handsome at one time.

“And I am Sierra. It is a pleasure to finally meet you,
Celeste.” Sierra on the other hand had beautiful smooth skin, her cheeks rosy
and her smile sweet. It was only the long silver hair that betrayed her true
age.

“Thank you, it’s nice to meet you too, both of you,” she said
extending her hand awkwardly.

“Please sit down.”

When she looked down at the white table a third metallic chair
had suddenly appeared. She pulled it out hesitantly, afraid it would disappear
before her eyes, and sat down.

“You must be wondering why we have summoned you here today,” he
said.

“Yes, I was. And can I only see you when I’m dreaming?”

“Oh this isn’t a dream my dear. We are in another realm
– Astor. It is a safe haven where the Council as well as many inactive
guardians
dwell
. It is easier for me to reach into
your mind to transport you here when you are asleep. Guardians are rather
difficult to influence, so the subconscious state makes for a smooth
transition. Eventually you will be able to come in and out of this realm as you
please.”

“Wow, that’s pretty cool. So this is like an alternate
universe?”

“Not quite, it is simply a part of the world not visible to
others as it is shielded by magic,” answered Sierra.

“Okay,” Celeste said with doubt.

Dante continued, “In any case, the reason that we brought you
here today is to see how your Guardian training has been coming along.”

“Yes, we want to make sure that your mentor has been
providing you with everything you need,” said Sierra.

“Stellan has been wonderful so far. I’m going to be spending
the summer with him training,” explained Celeste.

“And we couldn’t help but notice that you have been spending
time with some vampires,” said Dante.

Celeste was taken aback, and she shifted nervously in her
chair. “Is that against the official guardian rules or something?” she asked.

 
“No, not exactly,
but it has so rarely come up in the history of the Council that we have never
had to make a specific rule against it.”

“Are you aware that some supernatural creatures are
inexplicably drawn to guardians?” asked Sierra. “Has Stellan told you about
that?”

She shook her head.

“No one knows why it happens or why it affects some and not
others, but it seems that your light attracts their darkness.”

Celeste shivered. She wasn’t sure if it was from the cold
room or Sierra’s words.

“I am curious,” said Sierra peering through her purple-rimmed
glasses, “how can you stand being around them?”

“I’ve been working on controlling my feelings. Stellan taught
me how to.”

Sierra shot Dante a look of approval.

“I am impressed that you have been able to master your
impulses so quickly,” said Dante.

“It’s hard, but I have to do it,” she admitted.

“Still, we don’t see how consorting with vampires could be
conducive to your studies and training,” he continued.

Celeste felt a twinge of anger bubble up inside of her. “Roman
and Nico aren’t just any vampires. They are good, and they’re on my side. They
have been very helpful to me so far, and they’ve saved my life
a lot
. I may not even be here today if
it weren’t for them.”

“We are familiar with the Constantin brothers. We are also
aware of the Patrick and Magnus situations, which is honestly the only reason
why we haven’t removed these vampires from your life.” Celeste was shocked.
Did they really have the power to get rid
of them?
“For whatever reason, they seem to want to protect you, which is
ultimately our goal as well,” finished Dante.

“Then I don’t see why we are even having this conversation,”
said Celeste haughtily.

“It is our duty to check in on you from time to time
Celeste,” said Sierra. “We only want what is best for you. Becoming the
Guardian is a long and arduous journey, and we hope to help you in whatever way
possible.”

 
“Your father was
an exemplary Guardian, and we have no doubts that you will become one as well,”
Dante added.

“Thank you,” Celeste said, reigning in her temper.

“One last thing before you go, do you have the Wilder family
key your father left you?”

“Yes, of course,” she said pulling it out from under her
shirt.

“Good, if you ever need to reach us, simply hold the key in
your hand and focus in on your powers.”

As Celeste lay in bed wide-awake staring at the ceiling, she
reveled in her discussion with the senior Council Members. She finally felt as
though she were a part of something. The idea of being the Guardian didn’t seem
as scary now that she knew she had a Council she could rely on and a whole
secret realm she could visit. But Dante’s words about Roman and Nico had her
worried. She hoped that her powers would grow quickly so that she could return
soon. Maybe she would even be able to see her father there again, she thought.
She pulled the covers up over her head and shut her eyes. She couldn’t wait
until morning came so she could tell Roman and Stellan all about it.

The days flew by for Celeste under the steady schedule of
early morning runs, a few hours of sparring with Roman, and evening meditations
as her new normal. She could feel herself getting stronger, faster and more
confident in handling an assortment of deadly weapons. Her sword was still her
favorite, but Celeste now could handle a stake, crossbow or dagger with the
greatest of ease. Roman had also taught her how to turn virtually any inanimate
object into a deadly weapon. From chairs to tree branches to pens, Roman had
borne the brunt of her newfound resourcefulness and ferocity.

“As much as I hate to admit it, having Roman here is proving
to be quite useful. The fact that Celeste can stab you with a knife or shoot
you with an arrow and you heal within minutes makes for excellent practice
scenarios,” said Stellan as he watched the two of them go at it in the backyard
as the sun began to set.

“You should have seen her try to break my neck a few hours
ago. You would have really enjoyed that,” said Roman, ducking to avoid a blow.

“I almost got him too. He was just a little too fast for me,”
Celeste said proudly. She signaled to Roman for a time out, and walked towards
Stellan.

“Then we need to work on your speed,” he said. “Since most of
your opponents will be stronger than you given their supernatural abilities,
the Guardian must rely on the element of surprise. You, my dear, are especially
lucky as you have been given the gift of premonitions, you must use that
knowledge to your advantage.”