Page 141 of Their Reckless Thief
And then, in an instant, everything shifted.
I was no longer in Vincenzo’s mansion. The modern luxury dissolved into damp cobblestones and the muffled clatter of hooves on uneven stone. The world around me transformed, dipping me into an era lost to time. I took a breath, my nose filling with the scents of coal smoke, rain, and the faint aroma of fresh bread drifting from a nearby vendor.
Gas lamps cast a glow in the foggy, narrow alleyways, illuminating women in long, billowing skirts as they hurried past, their heads bowed as they whispered to one another.
I felt like a ghost, tethered here as if this place had been waiting for me—like I belonged here. My heart thundered with recognition. I drifted forward, pulled by an unseen force, until my gaze landed on a woman across the cobbled street, half-hidden in the shadows of a narrow alley.
She was strikingly beautiful and so hauntingly familiar. Her eyes, her hair… She looked like me. Her posture straightened, a quiet strength radiating from her. A name floated toward me, soft as a whisper, stirring something inside:Rachel.
My breath caught. Rachel. My great-great-grandmother, Rachel. Stories of her strength and power had been passed down to me when I was a young child. I remembered we’d had a framed photo in the hallway of her with other distant family members.
Rachel stepped farther into the alley. A tall, lean man in worn yet elegant clothes appeared opposite her. Everything about him screamed danger. He watched her intently, his dark gaze and low top hat giving him an aura of controlled menace.
“You need to be careful, Rachel. Your abilities are… unique. You have no idea the power you hold.”
Rachel scoffed and balled her hands into fists. “Why do you continue to appear to me?”
The man stepped even closer. He was close enough to kiss her, but he didn’t. “Your ability to see the future is both a gift and a curse. The visions have the power to heal, to destroy, to bend the will of anyone who is privy to information that should only be reserved for God.” He brushed his finger against her neck, and Rachel turned her face in disgust. “Many would kill for such power.”
I felt the echoes of Rachel’s fear. For a moment, she seemed to lean into his touch, her defiance wavering, yet she stood firm, straightening her back and staring the man in the eyes. “Whatare your motives? Why don’t you eliminate me yourself if I’m as dangerous as you say?”
The man’s smirk softened. “I’m drawn to your strength. I want to understand why you don’t fear me. Perhaps we’re not so different after all.” He touched her cheek for a brief second before he pulled away, taking a tentative step away. “Others will come for your power, and you’ll have to make sacrifices to keep it safe.”
I took note of the man’s pale skin and pointed teeth when he smiled faintly. This was a vampire speaking to my ancestor, warning her of the danger of using her psychic abilities.
The vision began to fade, Rachel and the man becoming blurry and the color muted. I tried to hold on to it, to ask Rachel more. I wanted to understand her psychic abilities and how she’d navigated her world seeing the future.
But it was too late. I jolted back to the present, my gasp loud in the silence.
I was left with the lingering foreboding of the vision, a dark and powerful truth about my blood and legacy pressing heavily on me. My great-great-grandmother had struggled with this power and had garnered the attention of a magical being all those years ago.
Cold,unforgiving light greeted me as I opened my eyes, but I was drenched in sweat, my pulse racing erratically, my mind still focused on Rachel’s face, her words, and the power I now knew came from her. My skin burned as if on fire, each heartbeat echoing the Phantomine’s fierce grip in my veins.
I stumbled forward, each step uneven as the walls blurred around me. I needed something—someone—to pull me fully back to the present. Before I knew it, I was in front of Vincenzo’sdoor. I didn’t knock. With a trembling hand, I shoved open the door with a force that made it slam against the wall.
Vincenzo, seated in his chair, shot to his feet at the noise, his sharp gaze locking onto me in an instant. The concern etched into his features twisted into a dark intensity as he took me in, his worry unmistakable.
“Celeste.” His voice, usually so measured and calm, was raw. His gaze raked over my disheveled state. “How much did you take?”
I tried to answer, but the words tangled in my throat, my vision tilting as the world seemed to crumble beneath me. The room started spinning, the edges melting together.
Before I could collapse, he caught me, pulling me against him as I struggled to stay conscious.
“You’re burning up.” He scooped me up and carried me into the bathroom, his movements quick, almost frantic. “You need to cool down.” He turned on the faucet, the water splashing against the porcelain clawfoot tub. I still tried to resist, every fiber of my body screaming at the coldness of reality creeping back in.
“I’m fine,” I mumbled shakily.
He ignored me as he lowered me into the icy water. It was brutal, tearing a gasp from my lips. I tried to squirm free, to escape the numbing cold, but Vincenzo’s hold on me was as brutal as the cold.
“Stop fighting, Celeste,” he commanded, though his tone was gentle. “This isn’t a choice. You’ve taken too much. You’re going to stay here until it passes. I need the cold to pull you from its grasp.”
The icy water jolted my senses awake bit by bit, but the ache, the hollow emptiness that the Phantomine always filled, was still there. I clung to him, nails digging into his arm as I fought theurge to break down. Everything was slipping, unhinged and raw, and I was terrified of what lay on the other side.
“Please. Please don’t take it away.”
Anger flashed across his face, but in his eyes, I saw only pain. He tightened his hold on me, brushing a damp strand of hair from my face, his voice soft but unyielding.
“No. You’re done with it, Celeste. You’re not going to kill yourself with this poison, not while you’re in my care.”
