It was a gray and drizzling November morning in Clocksville, and the stillness of the town was palpable. Celeste sat at the grand piano in the music room of her new mansion, fingers dancing absentmindedly over the keys. The melody she played was haunting, pulling from emotions she hadn't fully processed since Eleanor's visit.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Zion's voice crackling over the intercom system.
"Celeste, you've got visitors," he said, his tone clipped.
Visitors? Nobody visited without warning. Celeste stood, smoothing her silk robe as her heart began to race. "Who is it?"
There was a pause before Zion responded. "Marcus and Julian."
The names hit her like a punch to the chest. Marcus and Julian—her first binders, the men who had been so intertwined in her rise to power, and who had vanished when she no longer needed to feed. She hadn't heard from them in years.
"What do they want?" she asked, her voice sharper than intended.
"They didn't say," Zion replied. "But they don't look like they're leaving anytime soon."
Celeste descended the grand staircase, her face a mask of calm, though her nerves buzzed. Marco and Rollan flanked the foyer, their imposing figures standing between her and the two men she hadn't seen in so long.
Marcus was the first to look up. He hadn't changed much—still lean, with his piercing green eyes that seemed to see right through her. Julian stood beside him, his broad frame slightly hunched as if carrying an invisible weight.
"Celeste," Marcus said, his voice smooth as ever. "It's been a long time."
"What are you doing here?" she asked, crossing her arms.
Marcus stepped forward, but Rollan held out a hand, stopping him in his tracks. "Easy," Marcus said with a smirk. "We're not here to cause trouble."
"Then why are you here?" Celeste demanded.
Julian finally spoke, his voice quieter but laced with urgency. "We're here because of The Circle."
Celeste froze. "What about them?"
"They're watching you again," Marcus said. "And they're not happy."
The four of them moved into the sitting room, where the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Marcus leaned casually against the mantle of the fireplace, while Julian sat stiffly on the edge of a velvet chair. Celeste sat across from them, Marco and Rollan standing like statues by the door.
"I thought I was done with The Circle," Celeste said.
Marcus chuckled darkly. "You're never done with them. You know that."
"I paid my dues. Twice," she shot back, her voice rising.
"And in doing so, you became more powerful than they ever intended," Julian said quietly. "You've outgrown them, Celeste. That's what scares them."
"What does this have to do with you?"
Marcus's expression softened, and for the first time, Celeste saw something resembling vulnerability in his eyes. "We're still bound to you, Celeste. That doesn't just go away. And if they come for you…they come for us, too."
Celeste leaned back, her mind racing. She hadn't thought about Marcus and Julian in years, let alone the bond they shared. When she stopped feeding from them, she assumed the ties had severed. But now it seemed those bonds were stronger than she'd realized.
"What do they want from me?" she asked finally.
"They want to control you," Julian said. "To remind you that you're theirs. But you've become something else entirely—something they can't predict. That makes you dangerous."
"Dangerous enough to kill," Marcus added grimly.
The room fell silent, the weight of his words settling over them.
As the rain picked up outside, Celeste's mind turned to Eleanor's warning. The Circle was restless. They were afraid. And now Marcus and Julian were back, drawn to her like moths to a flame.
"Why should I trust you?" she asked, her voice steady despite the storm brewing inside her.
Marcus smirked. "Because we're the only ones who know what you're up against. And because, like it or not, we're still yours."
Julian nodded. "We can help you, Celeste. But you need to decide—are you ready to fight back?"
Celeste stared at them, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. Trusting them meant reopening doors she had fought to close. But if The Circle truly was coming for her, could she afford to face them alone?
The decision loomed over her like the storm clouds outside, and for the first time in years, Celeste felt the old pull of power—the fire that had driven her to the top.
"I'll think about it," she said finally.
Marcus's smirk widened. "That's all we needed to hear."
As they left, Celeste stood by the window, watching the rain streak the glass. Her world was shifting again, and she could feel the storm brewing on the horizon.
How did you like this twist y'all ? Marcus and Julian are back in the picture, bbbbut their intentions may not be as clear-cut as they seem?? Find Out More On Mother Celeste…