Page 73 of Their Reckless Thief
“She’s stable for now,” Dr. Ellis said softly. “But the blood transfusions are barely keeping her symptoms at bay.”
I nodded, and we moved on. The next room was worse. A young woman lay motionless, her breathing shallow and labored. Her skin had a grayish tint, and her lips were cracked and dry. An IV dripped steadily into her arm, but even I could see she was barely holding on.
“This one?” I asked.
“Advanced stage,” the doctor said grimly. “The disease is progressing faster than we anticipated. The transfusions aren’t doing much, if anything.”
The third room was empty, the bed stripped bare. I glanced at the doctor, raising an eyebrow.
“She died early this morning,” he said, his voice tight. “We’ve already moved her to the morgue.”
I clenched my fists, the familiar frustration bubbling to the surface. “And the scientists? What the fuck are they doing about this?”
Dr. Ellis hesitated, then sighed. “We’ve been analyzing the blood samples, running tests... but whatever this is, it’s resistant to everything we’ve tried. We’re working as fast as we can, but progress is slow.”
“These women don’t have time for slow,” I snapped.
We walked in silence for a while, passing by more rooms filled with coughing and quiet sobs. The scenes blurred together—pale faces, trembling hands, hollow eyes. It all settled in my chest, heavy and suffocating. This was why I hated coming here. It wasn’t just the sickness or the death—it was the reminder of how powerless we all were in the face of it.
When we reached the end of the hall, I turned to the doctor. “Anything else?”
Dr. Ellis shook his head. “That’s all I’ve got for now.”
I nodded, then started back toward the entrance. My thoughts were a whirlwind of anger and helplessness, the images of those women burned into my mind. This wasn’t about following orders or keeping The Shadow satisfied. This was about control—about proving that we could fight back against whatever this was.
As I stepped out into the fresh air, leaving the stench of sickness behind, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were already losing.
I veilstepped directlyinto The Shadow’s office. The air in his office felt heavy, as it always did. The walls seemed to absorb every shred of light, leaving the space in a perpetual twilight, even with the curtains drawn back. I stepped into the room, the soft hiss of my veilstep fading into the silence.
The chair behind the massive desk was empty.
I scanned the room, my eyes narrowing. No sign of him. Typical.
“Looking for The Shadow?”
The soft voice came from the doorway. I turned to see Eldora, The Shadow’s personal assistant. She was impeccably dressed in her green robes, as always, her sharp features carrying an air of authority even I couldn’t ignore.
“You just missed him,” she continued, stepping into the office. “He said he was heading outside for a walk.”
I inclined my head. “Thanks.”
Eldora watched me for a moment, her expression unreadable, before she turned and disappeared back down the hall.
I didn’t linger. With a sharp inhale, I focused and veilstepped to the estate grounds. The warm late morning air hit me as I emerged, the faint scent of pine and damp earth filling my lungs. Ahead, The Shadow walked toward the woods, his silhouette tall and commanding even at a distance.
I veilstepped again, landing directly behind him.
He flinched, spinning on his heel. His hand instinctively shot to his side before he recognized me. “For fuck’s sake, Luca! You’ve got to stop sneaking up on me like that.”
A rare smile tugged at my lips. “That’s the point of veilstepping.”
He muttered something under his breath, running a hand through his dark hair. “I’m assuming you’ve got an update from the hospital.”
I nodded, falling into step beside him. “I don’t have good news.”
His pace didn’t falter, but his expression hardened, the sharp line of his jaw tightening. “Go on.”
I relayed the grim details. The transfusions weren’t working. The women were getting worse, and some had already succumbed to the disease. The doctor had no solutions, only more questions.
