Page 107 of Their Reckless Thief
I tried not to think about the fact that, despite everything, she was still the best at this. She could slip into her role like she’d never left it. Her fire, her drive, her intelligence—they were part of what made her so damn captivating.
“I’ve reconfigured the frequencies on the mics,” Vivian said. “You’ll all be connected to each other, but I’ll also be able to listen in from my end. If anything goes wrong, you’ll hear from me immediately. I can pinpoint who I’m talking to, Celeste, whether it be one individual or the whole group.”
Dorian smirked. “Sounds like you’ve thought of everything, Viv.”
She shot him a quick, confident grin. “Of course I have.”
I cleared my throat. “Celeste, Vivian, you need to realize that we’ll be moving through the Wraith Lord’s territory, which means we’ll likely encounter spirits, ghosts, and the undead. Just because Ciro’s letting us in doesn’t mean we won’t have our work cut out for us.”
Dorian raised his hand like a child. “Wait a second. What about the vision Celeste had when she first broke into Vincenzo’s? She said something about seeing a failed heist with us. Should we be worried?”
Celeste’s brow furrowed. “I don’t remember the details, but we were in a courtyard.”
Camilla turned to Vivian. “Will we be in a courtyard at any point during this heist?”
Vivian frowned as she pulled up map images on her screen. “I’ve not seen any courtyards. Like I said, you’ll be inside the black-market auction house, and then underneath it at the vault.”
“Courtyards aren’t exactly the type of thing you see in the Wraith territory,” I assured everyone.
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. We were ready, as ready as we were ever going to be. Anxiety built in my chest, adrenaline starting to pump through my veins. This was it. The plan was set. We were about to step into the unknown, and I needed to stay focused.
No distractions. No getting too close to Celeste.
I forced myself to push her from my mind, but when she asked one final question, that fiery determination in her voice sent a shiver through me.
It didn’t matter how hard I tried.
I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
After Vincenzo adjourned the meeting, he walked straight to my side. “I need you to take some time today and train Celeste. She’s a good fighter—we all saw that when she tried to defend herself against us—but she doesn’t know how to fight against the type of beings we may encounter in the Wraith territory.”
I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. “I’m not sure that’s the best idea.”
“Are you telling me I’ve had a fucking bad idea? That I don’t know what needs to happen?”
I instinctively took a step backward. “No, not at all. If you think training Celeste is best, I’ll do it.”
“Good.” He turned and walked away without another word.
What the fuck was he thinking? There was no way in hell this was a good idea. Celeste was reckless, stubborn, and entirely too confident. Apart from that, training required being in close proximity to each other. Warning bells went off in my head, and tension knotted in my gut, as I felt that familiar pull I had spent entirely too long trying to ignore.
But the thought of leaving her training in someone else’s hands? No. I was the best person to prepare her for the kind of danger she was going to face, no matter how much it gnawed at me. I couldn’t let anyone else handle this. Not when I knew her weaknesses better than anyone. Not when I’d been watching her like a hawk, even when I shouldn’t have been.
So, there we were. Just the two of us in the private gym. The fluorescent lights buzzed above us, casting a sterile glow over the room. It felt like a cage, one I couldn’t escape from.
I tossed Celeste a pair of boxing gloves and watched her carefully as she strapped them on. Her eyes—defiant, challenging—met mine. She was too damn confident. Too independent. At some point in her life, she’d have to realize that people were not reliable enough for her to rely on.
“We’re starting with combat training. And don’t get any ideas. I’m not going easy on you.”
“I didn’t ask you to,” she shot back, stepping into the center of the mat. Her body was taut, muscles coiled, ready. Her form was sloppy, her footwork too loose. She was going to get hurt if she wasn’t careful.
“You’re holding your stance too wide,” I snapped, stepping closer, my shadows swirling restlessly around me. “You’ll be thrown off balance.”
She huffed but adjusted anyway, muttering something under her breath.
“What was that?” I asked, stepping closer, pushing her.
“I said I don’t need your fucking micromanagement.” She growled at me. “I can handle myself.”
