Wilder: The Guardian Series (7 page)

Roman was still standing at the edge of the table, every
muscle tense. Celeste reached out for his hand hoping to coax him into sitting
down. The electricity sparked like a live wire when their hands touched and for
a split second he relented.

“Sit down with us,” she said sweetly.

He considered for a moment and then slid into the booth next
to Celeste.
 
Having Roman so close
to her sent a tingling chill down her spine. Natalie tried to get the casual
conversation going again, but there was no denying the tension in the air.
Celeste had an overwhelming urge to get up and make a run for the girls’
bathroom with Natalie, but she was worried about what would happen if she left
the two men alone.

Natalie began chatting with Patrick again, which gave Celeste
the chance to give Roman a questioning look. He looked anxiously back at her,
but would give no sign as to what made him so upset. The conversation carried
on awkwardly when to Celeste’s relief, she saw Nico’s smiling face enter the
diner. He came straight over and greeted everyone amicably as he pulled up a
chair at the end of the table.
 

“Well good evening all – and you are?”

“Patrick. You’re Nico right?”

“Exactly,” he replied, grasping Patrick’s hand tightly,
causing him to wince.

Celeste hoped that Nico’s appearance would brighten the mood,
and after a few minutes she could see that Roman had visibly relaxed. With the
drama seemingly concluded peacefully, everyone in the diner had returned to
their
normal conversations.

“So tell us something about yourself,” said Nico.

Roman eyed Patrick suspiciously as he searched for a
response.

“Before you two got here I was telling the girls that I just
started at the community college,” replied Patrick.

“Interesting, that’s where I go as well, and yet I’ve never
seen you. What’s your major?”

“I’m still undecided.”

“And what made you come to Oak Bluffs?”

“Nico, stop giving him the third degree!” interjected
Natalie.

“I’m sorry, I hope I wasn’t rude. I simply wanted to get to
know the guy vying for my ladies’ attentions.”

Celeste felt her cheeks reddening and took the opportunity to
head to the ladies room. Besides, after two beers she couldn’t put it off any
longer.
 

What a bizarre night
this is turning out to be!

When she stepped out of the bathroom, Roman was standing outside
waiting for her.
 
His posture was
tense, his hands clenched at this sides. “Celeste, listen to me, you need to
stay away from Patrick. He is not what he seems to be, and you could get hurt…”
he said, his eyes full of concern.

“What are you talking about Roman? Do you even know Patrick?
Why would he hurt me? You have been acting so weird ever since you walked in
here. Just tell me what is going on,” pleaded Celeste.

“I can’t, but please—you just have to trust me,” he
begged, his voice rough with emotion.
 

“Trust you? I barely know you Roman,” and she turned to walk
away, but he caught her by the arm and pulled her firmly towards him.

“Please Celeste, I promise I will explain everything to you,
I just can’t right now,” he whispered, his eyes locking onto hers, just inches
from her face. As strange as all of this seemed, the intense connection that
she felt with Roman compelled her to listen to him.

 
“Take Natalie and
go home and let Nico and me deal with Patrick.
 
Trust me,” he said as he looked into her
worried eyes.

There was something about that look and those mesmerizing
blue eyes that were so hauntingly familiar and made Celeste do exactly as he
asked.

Once the girls left the diner, Roman and Nico wasted no time
escorting Patrick into the back alley.

“What are you really doing here, Patrick?” Nico asked
forcefully.

“Whoa, guys, I think we got off on the wrong foot here or
something. I didn’t know those girls were with you, okay? I just came in here
looking for a bite,” he said facetiously. “I’m sure there are plenty of humans
to go around, right?”

“That’s not what my brother asked.
 
Now answer us: what are you doing here
in Oak Bluffs?” growled Roman as he shoved him up against the wall. A cat
jumped out of the adjacent dumpster with a
clang
startling the three of them. Patrick tried to break free of Roman’s grasp,
but he held strong. Tightening his grip around his throat, Roman hissed,
“Answer me.”

“Nothing, I swear. A couple of weeks ago I was just a normal
guy, and then one day I wake up, and I’m a vampire. All I wanted to do was sink
my teeth into my little sister, so I freaked out and left town.
 
Oak Bluffs seemed as good a place as any
to start my new life so I stopped here,” he explained. “You two are the only
other vampires I’ve ever met. I’m just trying to figure it all out.”

“What were you doing outside of Celeste’s house the other
night?” questioned Nico, still unconvinced by his story.

“I was out flying around looking for a willing donor, and I
saw someone walking by themselves so I stopped for a closer look. Geez, what is
it about this girl that has you two so worked up?”

“That’s our business, not yours. This is my suggestion to you
Patrick: go home, pack your stuff, leave Oak Bluffs and never come back,”
threatened Roman.
 

Patrick looked over at Nico who was glaring at him. Patrick
seemed to weigh his options and soon realized he would be no match for these
two vampires who were obviously much older and stronger than he was.
 
“Okay, okay, there’s no need to get
violent. This place wasn’t that great anyway, I’m outta here.”

Roman and Nico watched as Patrick got into his car and drove
off, and both let out a sigh of relief.

“That was easy,” said Nico.

“Too easy,” retorted Roman.

“That guy didn’t know anything; he was a new vampire and
obviously didn’t have the brains to be behind any sort of plot against Celeste.
He probably really was at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Nico said as he
began walking towards the car.

“I’m not convinced little brother. It’s all too much of a
coincidence. I’m going to keep watch over Celeste tonight just in case. We
can’t risk anything happening to her.”

“I can go,” offered Nico. “When was the last time you got a
full night’s sleep?”

“I’m fine, I can handle it,” said Roman. The air glimmered
all around him and every molecule in his body vibrated for a split second. And
Roman was no longer Roman, instead, a majestic black falcon with piercing blue
eyes stood in his place. He flapped his powerful wings and took off into the
dark sky. Nico watched as his looming silhouette faded against the bright moon
and disappeared into the night.

As Celeste and Natalie drove home from the diner, they
couldn’t stop talking about their peculiar evening.

“What in the world was up with Roman?” asked Natalie. “Is he
always so intense?”

“I guess he kind of is, but this was way beyond normal,”
Celeste replied as she mulled over the entire series of events in her head.

“Patrick seemed like a nice enough guy, so I just don’t get
why Roman went all crazy when he saw us with him,” Natalie continued.

“Me either. He came into the diner acting like he didn’t know
him, but the way they stared each other down, you’d think they had been mortal
enemies or something.”

“Maybe he was jealous because you were talking to another
guy,” offered Natalie with a devious smile.

“Ha, funny, but it really felt like something much more
serious than that. I mean I can’t say I know Roman well at all, but there was a
genuine desperation in his voice when he told me to leave. It actually scared
me…”

“All I know is that he better have a pretty good explanation.
After all, I was having fun!”

Celeste dropped Natalie off at her house, and headed back home.
She suddenly felt exhausted. The bizarre evening had really drained her
emotionally, and she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

What did Roman mean
when he said Patrick could hurt me and that he wasn’t what he seemed to be?

Celeste’s head reeled with questions as she got into bed and
turned off the lights. She thought she would never get any rest, but moments
after her head hit the pillow she fell into a deep sleep with Rocky snuggled up
next to her. Meanwhile, outside her window a dark falcon perched in the oak
tree, keeping watch over her until daylight.

When Celeste headed out to school the next morning, she found
Brian sitting on her front steps.

“Walk with me to school?” he asked as he held out his arm for
her.

Celeste hooked her arm in his and recounted yesterday’s
events (as was the norm when they hadn’t seen each other for a day), the warm
sun shining down on them as they walked. She decided to exclude the part about
Roman’s strange behavior and focused instead on the shopping and prom portion
of her evening.

“Natalie’s costume is great. She is going to look so cute in
it!” she said. “What are you going to wear?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it that much. I
mean, a suit is a suit, whether it’s the 20’s or the 80’s, right?” he asked
with a sidelong glance.

Celeste laughed, and said, “You better come up with something
good. Natalie is really excited about prom, and she’s put so much time and
effort into it. Actually, I was supposed to ask you if you’d help out with
decorating the gym on Thursday night. Natalie already dragged me into it, so I
think it’s only fair that you help too.”

“Sure, Cel, anything for you,” said Brian.

As they were walking under the familiar archway of St. Alice
High School, Celeste’s phone rang. She signaled for Brian to keep going and
stopped to answer it when she saw the caller I.D. read Nico.

“Good morning beautiful!” said Nico as she picked up the
phone.

“Unless you are calling with an explanation, I don’t really
have time to talk, I’m about to walk into first period,” she said curtly.

“I know
,
I’m sorry Celeste. I just
wanted to check up on you and see how you were doing. Can we grab a coffee or
something this afternoon?”

“Sure, I guess we could do that.”

“Okay great, I’ll pick you up from school then. See you
later.”

Celeste tried to focus on Mr. Wilson’s lecture about the
Vietnam War, but her mind just kept wandering. She couldn’t believe that this
was her last week in high school. Prom was in just a couple of days, then final
exams, her birthday, graduation, and her life as a high school student would be
over. She really wished that her dad could be here to see her graduate and head
off to college. He had gone to NYU too, and she was sure that he would be
thrilled that she was following in his footsteps.

Celeste was interrupted from her thoughts by the shrill
ringing of the fire alarm echoing through the building. All of the students
filed out of their classrooms like they had practiced hundreds of times during
mandatory fire drills. As they marched outside and met in their designated
areas awaiting further instructions, something at the edge of the woods behind
the school caught her attention. She squinted to try to focus better, and could
have sworn she saw Patrick. His bright auburn hair stood out against the dark
foliage of evergreens, and he was wearing the same tan leather jacket from the
night before. He was staring in her direction. She looked around searching for
Natalie to confirm her suspicions, but when she looked back at the woods
Patrick (or whoever it was) was gone.
 

When the final bell rang, Celeste grabbed her backpack and
found Nico in his fire engine red BMW M5, waiting for her with a gleaming smile
and radio blaring. It was hard for her to stay mad at him; he just had such a
way about him. As she got in the car, he gave her a swift kiss on the cheek,
and they sped off to the café.

The café was filled with the pungent aroma of freshly roasted
coffee beans, and Celeste’s stomach gurgled in anticipation. After the barista
handed them their frothy cappuccinos, they retreated to a comfy sofa in the
corner to talk.

“So about last night,” began Nico uncomfortably, “I’m sorry
Roman overreacted the way he did. He can be a little overprotective at times. I
guess it’s a side effect of being the big brother-slash-father figure of the
family.”

Celeste blew on her steaming mocha latte and took a careful
sip. “That seemed like something way more than simple overprotectiveness. Does
he know Patrick or something?”

“Not exactly…but he knows guys like Patrick. The type who
would come into a small town diner and prey on innocent high school girls with
alcohol,” he stammered.

“I know we’re pretty sheltered in Oak Bluffs, but that’s what
Roman meant when he said that Patrick could hurt me?” asked Celeste
incredulously.

“Yes, exactly,” he answered without looking up from his cappuccino.

“It seemed much more personal than that.”

“I’m really sorry if he frightened you. My brother does have
a flair for the dramatic at times.”

Celeste looked at Nico, still unconvinced. “I think his
paranoia is rubbing off on me because I thought I saw Patrick today at school.”

“What?” he asked, almost choking on his hot
coffee.

“I’m not one hundred percent sure it was him, because he was
pretty far away. I must have been imagining things. Why would he be at my
school?”