Celine removed her finger from Celeste’s lips, her wound already beginning to heal until it was completely healed. Within moments, Celeste’s eyes opened. Confused, she rose slowly looking around at everyone. “What happened? Why am I here?” she asked.
Celine turned to Theodore, “I need to go, keep her hidden, keep her safe.”
“Celine, wait,” Gray called after her.
Celine was in no mood to wait; she walked toward the main entrance. The doors blew open in front of her and she left the house.
“I’m going after her,” Gray said, pulling on a light jacket.
“Um, did the dead lady just sit up and talk? Was she not dead?” Damien asked.
“Yep.” Michael turned his back on the scene as Josie left the house. “Are we hallucinating? Have we been drugged?”
“No idea, but I think we should… I… I… hell, I don’t know what we should do. Follow Gray?”
“Getting out of this house, best idea ever, let’s go.” They snuck down the stairs, skirting past the people in the foyer, to leave the house.
“Gray!” Michael called, “Wait up.” They ran to catch up to him. “What the hell just happened? Have we been drugged? Where is Josie, is she okay?”
“She’s about to do something stupid, we need to find her, I’ll explain everything later. Come on, we need to find her.” They climbed into the car.
Celine walked into the bar, her eyes narrowed as she looked around until she found her target. He was sitting alone at the bar, nursing a vodka. Celine approached him, taking the seat next to him. “Stefano, fancy seeing you here,” she said.
“Celine! What a lovely surprise, although it’s not that much of a surprise. I thought you may visit me soon. I assume you know?”
Celine smiled coolly at him. “Yes, I know, that’s why I’m here. I’d really like to step outside and discuss it with you.”
The man threw his head back, laughing loudly. “Oh, I bet you would,” he said, “but I’m not that stupid.”
“Aww, Stefano, I don’t remember you being such a coward.”
He sipped his drink, wincing as it went down. “Now, Celine, let’s not resort to name calling.”
Celine put her hand on the glass he was drinking from. It shattered under her touch. She looked into his dark, nearly black eyes. “The next thing I break is something in your body, now let’s step outside, shall we?”
He leapt out of his chair, arm cocked back to strike her but his arm was frozen, unable to move forward. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Stefano.” He set his jaw, anger coursing through him but unable to do anything about it. He reluctantly followed her from the bar into a back alley. It was deserted. Fear shown plainly on his face.
“Did you think I would let you get away with it?” Celine questioned.
“I was just following orders. Besides, I thought you were powerless, human, please.”
“Please? Please what? Please make it quick? Did you make it quick when you strangled my sister?” she asked, drawing his throat into her grasp like a magnet draws metal. She lifted him off the ground, choking him. He gasped for breath, struggling, trying to pull her grip from his throat. She tossed him like a rag doll against the brick wall of the building. He collapsed into it, sliding to the ground. She lifted him again, tossing him across the alley.
She lifted him again in her grasp, tightening her grip on his throat. “Stop,” he choked out, “please.”
“Don’t stop, Celine,” a new voice joined in. “Kill him.” Marcus stood behind her shoulder.
Celine’s grip tightened, continuing to choke the life slowly from the man. “Kill him, Celine. Kill him.”
Celine wavered a moment, brow furrowing. “KILL HIM!” Marcus urged. A memory raced across Celine’s mind. A similar event, the Duke standing behind her, this time a knife in her hand. He urged her to kill the man in front of her, “Kill him,” he had said, “He killed your father in cold-blood, Celine, make him pay.” Her hand faltered on the man’s neck.
Marcus steadied her arm. “No, Celine, kill him. Your sister is DEAD because of him.”
Celine’s hand began to shake. Anger and rage had filled her when she had seen her sister’s dead body but if the Duke wanted her to do it, she couldn’t listen to him. A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked at the man in her grasp. He deserved to pay but perhaps not at her hand.
“Celine!” Gray shouted, entering the alley with Damien and Michael racing behind him. Gray stopped short of entering the alley, ensuring Michael and Damien were kept shielded from the Duke’s view. “Don’t.” Celine peered into Gray’s eyes, then back to the man in her grip. She dropped him; he fell to the ground in a heap, gasping for air.
Marcus growled with rage. “We’re not finished, Celine,” he said, as she walked away from him. “You’re back now, truly back, I can feel it, I can sense you again. You will be mine. You can’t defeat me.”
Celine walked to Gray, allowing him to take her into his arms. She embraced him for a moment before pushing back from him. “We need to talk about what will happen next. He will not stop this time.”
“Okay, but I think you need to take a breath…” Gray began.
She shook her head. “No, Gray, I don’t. For the first time since this started, I don’t. I’m not Josie anymore. I don’t need to rest or relax.”
“Okay, if you’re sure. What next?”
“I need to see Alexander and we should check on the children.”
“I’m sorry,” Damien said, breaking out
