Page 38 of Their Reckless Thief
And I would never, ever allow myself to love again.
Celeste had been so stillunder the water, so fucking defeated. And the way she had looked at me when I pulled her out—like she didn’t care if I was saving her or dragging her deeper into hell.
That had done me in.
Was I any better than my father?
There were security cameras all over her room. I’d even tasked one of my security guards to watch the feeds around the clock and alert me if anything went awry.
I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes, trying to block out the image. Not just what happened, but her. Celeste. This woman had come barreling into my life like a storm, unraveling every piece of me with every glance, every smart-ass comment, and every defiant look she gave me. And now here she was, lying next to me, completely unaware of the war raging inside me... because of her.
I couldn’t live like this. I couldn’tfeellike this.
She needed to go.
I trusted her survival instincts would make her keep her damn mouth shut and not tell anyone what she’d heard during her time at my mansion. I didn’t, however, trust her not to harm herself.
I stared at her sleeping form, my mind racing with the twisted irony of it all. She thought she was so fucking strong, always trying to play the tough girl. But she was human. So fragile, so fucking delicate, like a flower petal that could be crushed with a single touch. I could snap her neck without even trying, could end her existence as easily as I’d saved it.
The thought of anyone else doing that to her, even if it was Celeste doing the damage to herself, made every cell in my body revolt. The idea of someone else hurting her, breaking her… That wasn’t going to fucking happen. Not while I still had breath in my lungs.
She has to go. For her sake. For mine.
I ran a hand through my hair and took a deep breath. I had to keep the mask on. The indifference. She couldn’t witness me break. She couldn’t know the chaos she was stirring inside me.
She stirred next to me, her eyelids fluttering as she woke. I watched her closely, my entire body tensing as she met my gaze. Those hazel eyes, still clouded with the remnants of sleep, locked onto me. For a moment, there was no barrier between us, only a shared understanding of something neither of us could name.
“Why did you stay?” she asked, her voice still husky with sleep.
I couldn’t answer her. If I said it out loud, I’d be admitting something I wasn’t ready to confront.
Instead, I clenched my jaw and slipped that mask back on. Cold. Distant. “You’re free to go.”
Her eyes widened in confusion, like she hadn’t heard me right. “What?”
I stood, rolling my shoulders to shake off the weight of everything I wasn’t saying. “Leave. Go back to your human life. Play at being normal. Never fucking come back to The Below.”
She sat up, gaping at me like I’d slapped her. “Are you serious?”
I leveled my gaze at her, feeling the fury coil tighter in my chest. “If I ever get word that you’ve tried to kill yourself again, or if you put yourself in another dangerous situation, I will personally come and kill everyone in your life. Then I’ll bring you back here, and you’ll live out the rest of your days in a padded room under my watch. And don’t misunderstand me. If Idecide you’re useful to me, at any point in the future, I will come get you, and you will have nowhere to hide. I still own you, you just won’t be living under my roof.”
She looked like she wanted to protest, but I wasn’t giving her a choice.
“Do you understand?” I snarled, rising to my full height over her.
Emotions flickered over her face—confusion, fear, and anger—as she struggled to keep up with the cold detachment pouring out of me. She wanted to fight back, to defy me like she always did, but she saw the seriousness in my look, the threat in every word. She knew I wasn’t bluffing. I never did.
She nodded, her lips parting slightly as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.
“Good.” I stepped back, straightening my shirt as if that would somehow iron out the mess I was in. “Now, get the fuck out of my house.”
Her eyes widened again, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she stared at me like she was seeing someone she didn’t recognize. And maybe she was.
She slipped out of bed and gathered her leather jacket and the clothing she’d worn when she’d broken into my house. I kept my gaze on her as she put on her boots, and that familiar tension took hold of my gut. Celeste had no idea what a storm she’d brought into my life.
But this… this was the only way to stop it.
She paused at the door, turning to look at me one last time. I didn’t move, didn’t speak, but kept my mask firmly in place.
