Page 110 of Their Reckless Thief
Luca took a step forward, his expression betraying nothing of the tension I knew he had to be feeling. I held myself still at his side, every instinct telling me to mirror his calm, though every inch of me itched with nerves. Even as I focused on keeping my shoulders back and my spine straight, I could feel the prickling sensation of their gazes, like they were peeling back my layers to find out if I was worth their time or if I should simply be dismissed.
The eldest among the magistrates cleared his throat, the sound shattering the uneasy silence. “We have an issue that needs settling.” His piercing gaze landed on Luca. “It appears that you and your associates are not keeping up your end of the bargain.”
Luca inclined his head respectfully. “Magistrate Eldric, we are aware of the issues that have arisen. We’ve been actively working to address them?—”
The second magistrate, whose golden name placard readCaladorn, raised a hand, silencing Luca. “Word has reached us of the missing women,” he said, his tone laced with disdain, “and of the tainted drugs filtering into your territory, which have resulted in overdoses. It’s becoming a serious problem. Multiple deaths, and the gods only know where the women are. That is something we will not tolerate.”
The third magistrate, Vaelen, leaned forward, his voice hard with a quiet, simmering threat. “Our patience grows thin, Luca. This is Vincenzo’s problem to solve, and yet here we are, dealing with the fallout of your boss’s failures. We will intervene if he cannot take care of it himself.”
Luca’s jaw tensed, but he held his composure. “We’re doing everything in our power to remedy the situation, but The Shadow isdifficultto contain. We believe he’s been targeting us, taking the women, poisoning the supply.” He paused, glancingat each magistrate in turn. “These are not easy challenges to overcome, but we’re making progress.”
Eldric scoffed, his nose wrinkling in disgust. “The Shadow’s cesspool of a territory is hardly worth saving. We have avoided entanglement with that wasteland for centuries, and with good reason. It’s past saving. And yet, we’re expected to sit by while it spills into our world? While it stains the Veil itself?”
I watched Luca carefully, noticing the subtle way his shoulders squared, the barest clenching of his fists. He nodded slowly. “With all due respect, Magistrate, regardless of The Shadow’s territory or its reputation, it still houses a large population. Complete desolation of the territory surely isn’t the answer. Nevertheless, Vincenzo and I are responsible, and I assure you that we’re working tirelessly to keep these issues contained. We need time, nothing more.”
The magistrates exchanged a look, communicating silently before Eldric spoke again. “Very well, Luca. We will allow you one month to resolve these issues.” His voice dropped, and a shiver slid through my body at the finality in his tone. “Fail, and we will have no choice but to intervene. The Veil Guard will be dispatched to make arrests, and we will see to it personally that this problem no longer plagues our city. By whatever means necessary.”
Luca inclined his head, his face a perfect mask. “Understood.”
Just as he stepped back, the heavy wooden doors of the chamber creaked open, breaking the tense silence. A guard stumbled in, his armor clinking noisily, a stark contrast to the quiet that had ruled the room. “Apologies, Magistrates,” the guard began, his face pale. “But I?—”
Eldric’s hand rose slightly, and the guard froze in his tracks, his words dying in his throat. The silence was suffocating.Eldric’s pale eyes locked onto the man, and the air seemed to thrum with an almost imperceptible vibration.
“You were told,” Eldric said, his voice as calm and deliberate as ever, “that we were not to be interrupted.”
The guard’s knees buckled, a strangled gasp escaping his lips as his hands flew to his head. His body trembled, and a choked, guttural cry escaped him as he crumpled to the ground. His agony was palpable, radiating through the room like a dark ripple of power. I could only watch, frozen in horror, as Eldric’s cold gaze remained locked on him.
My pulse thundered in my ears, my instincts screaming at me to intervene, though I knew there was nothing I could do. Luca remained rigid beside me, his posture screaming restraint, though I caught the faintest twitch of his jaw.
“Enough,” Caladorn murmured, his tone light, almost disinterested.
Eldric blinked once, releasing the guard from his torment. The man collapsed completely, panting as though he’d just surfaced from drowning.
Vaelen leaned back in his chair, his silver hair gleaming in the dim light. “Let this serve as a reminder of what happens when our commands are ignored.”
The guard whimpered but managed to push himself shakily to his knees. “Forgive me,” he croaked. “It won’t happen again.”
Eldric didn’t bother replying, his attention already shifting back to us as though the interruption had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience. “One month, Luca. Not a day more.”
As we turned to leave, the weight of the Magistrates’ expectations pressed down on us. The stakes of this deal were higher than Luca had let on. I couldn’t shake the image of the guard writhing under Eldric’s gaze. One month to fix this. If we failed, there wouldn’t be another warning.
33
CELESTE
The daywe had been preparing for had come. Today, we would enter the Wraith territory and steal the key we needed to obtain the Mirror of Truths. My emotions were all over the place, especially since Vincenzo had made it perfectly clear he wanted me to prove my worth to him.
What confused me most was that I actually had a desire to please Vincenzo, to show him I was more than someone to fuck. My worth was in more than my femininity, the parts of me that Vincenzo was drawn to. I had the ability to get them what they wanted, and tonight, I’d show them what I was capable of.
After a few more hours of prep, testing our comms, and going over the plan one last time, we set out in one of Vincenzo’s luxurious SUVs.
After a few hours of silent driving, we finally entered the Wraith territory. When Dorian parked the vehicle in the Wraith Lord’s parking garage, just on the edge of the territory, I jerked away, straightening from where I’d been asleep with my head in Vincenzo’s lap. The change in atmosphere shocked me so much I could feel it in the marrow of my bones.
The air was colder, the light dimmer, as if the sky itself was drained of all warmth and color. A pale, silvery mist hoveredabove the ground, curling around our ankles with each step, as if it was trying to drag us deeper into the land of the dead.
My pulse raced as I scanned the eerie surroundings, never lingering too long in any one place, afraid that something might materialize in the shadows if I stared too hard.
I’d pulled off more heists than I could count, but this was different. This wasn’t simply about outsmarting some guard or bypassing an elaborate security system. Here, we’d have to keep our souls intact, avoiding the undead and other entities that wouldn’t think twice about damning us for eternity.
