Page 168 of Their Reckless Thief
“Working on it!” Her voice crackled with an urgency I hadn’t heard from her before. “There’s a junction up ahead. If you cut right, there’s a chance it will lead to the outer corridor and a side exit, but they’re closing in on every angle.”
Every turn felt more impossible, the maze of halls stretching out before us as shadows shifted and twisted, distorting ourpath. We pressed on as the sound of our pursuers grew louder, their snarls and heavy footsteps echoing through the stone halls.
Then we hit a dead end.
Dorian skidded to a halt, and my heart sank when I saw the solid wall of stone before us. I jumped off his back as the sentinels closed in from behind, their steps slow and menacing, savoring the inevitability of our capture. Vincenzo and Dorian positioned themselves in front of me. Dorian’s hair stood on end as he growled and bared his teeth. This was it. There was nowhere left for us to go.
“Celeste…”
I turned to Luca. His gaze burned with fierce determination as he stepped close and held out his hand. “Take hold of me. All of you.”
Vincenzo shot him a sharp look. “What are you planning?”
“I’m going to veilstep us out of here,” Luca replied, his jaw set. “It’s risky as fuck. I’ve never transported more than one person, let alone three, but it’s our only shot.”
I hesitated, but the look in his eyes told me he wasn’t backing down. With a trembling hand, I gripped Luca’s arm tightly. “Let’s go.”
Vincenzo and Dorian exchanged a quick glance, then Dorian shifted back to his human form. They put their hands on Luca’s shoulder. The sentinels loomed closer, their massive forms casting shadows over us, their weapons raised, ready to strike.
“Hold on,” Luca said. A darkness that pulsed like a heartbeat rippled through the air as the shadows gathered and swirled around us. A cold chill seeped into my skin as it wrapped around us, pulling us in.
I closed my eyes, feeling the weightlessness take hold, like being submerged in cold water, the world around me stretching and distorting. The last thing I heard was the roar of the sentinels closing in, and then?—
Silence.
An all-consuming, endless silence that would have overwhelmed me if it weren’t for the steady throb of Luca’s heartbeat against my hand. Then, with a sudden jolt, my feet hit solid ground, and I stumbled, blinking as the world came back into focus.
We were outside the fortress walls, the air crisp and clear, the stars above shining down like silent witnesses. I released Luca, my hands shaking as I looked around in disbelief.
Dorian was doubled over, vomiting into the grass.
“We made it,” I whispered, barely daring to believe it.
Luca staggered beside me, his face drained of all color. “Barely,” he managed through ragged breaths, but his usual confidence was there. “But we made it.”
52
VINCENZO
We gathered in my study,each of us bone-weary with exhaustion.
I reached for the goblet of blood on my desk and raised it to my lips, taking a slow, measured drink. The metallic tang grounded me, pulling my focus to the gravity of the moment. Each sip brought a fleeting sense of calm.
My fingers curled around the cloth bundle I held, refusing to loosen their grip. I finally had The Mirror of Truths in my possession. Cold anticipation settled into my bones as I carefully placed it on the desk. I unraveled it slowly, parting each fold with deliberation, the weight of the moment pressing down on me.
The cloth fell away, and the mirror gleamed in the dim light. Its surface was dark and impossibly deep, so much more than simple glass. It had an inky blackness to it, a depth that went beyond any mirror I’d ever encountered. It beckoned to me, drawing me in. I caught my reflection, and I almost turned away, unprepared for the vision I hoped it would show.
Show me,I commanded silently. The mirror’s surface rippled as if answering my call, drawing me deeper into its depths. The walls around me faded, and memories cascaded over me.
The first image hit me right in the gut. A friend from years past—one of my earliest allies, a man I’d trusted without question—stood with his back turned as he swore loyalty to my enemies. I felt the familiar pang in my heart, the same old wound splitting open. I’d buried the betrayal, but I’d never truly forgotten it. I clenched my fists as that age-old anger surged forth, as fresh and raw as it had been the day I’d uncovered his treachery. The image faded, only for another to take its place—a procession of faces, each one twisted in betrayal, disappointment, or disdain.
Lovers whose faces I once traced with lust now turned away from me. Women who had been drawn in by the allure of power, only to leave when they discovered the walls I kept around my heart. Allies who had sworn fealty only to break their oaths when the cost became too high. Each scene twisted before me in a loop, a painful reminder of the path I’d walked, of the betrayals that had led me to build a fortress around myself until all that was left was a kingdom of fear and loyalty bound by necessity.
The images in the mirror shifted again, and this time, it showed me something I hadn’t anticipated. I was here, in this study, but I wasn’t alone. Celeste stood across from me, her presence filling the room with a warmth I hadn’t known was missing from my life. She looked at me with a softness that cut through every wall I’d built around myself, her gaze unflinching, as though she saw every fractured piece of me and didn’t care. There was no fear, no guardedness. Instead, she extended her hand, beckoning me to take a step forward, her light casting out every shadow and completing me in ways I never knew I was lacking.
The vision pulled me in even more, and I saw the impossible. A future—ourfuture. It was an empire, but not one built on power alone. Its foundation was forged through loyalty and respect. Celeste stood at my side, her head high, as fierce as anyweapon, her loyalty unwavering even under the world’s scrutiny. In this vision, she wasn’t just a trusted ally or an asset; she was mine, and I was hers. Our partnership transcended power.
It clawed through every wound I’d buried, every betrayal I’d endured. Shewasmore than an ally, more than a fleeting connection. And the mirror was showing me what I had tried to deny for so long.
