Page 150 of Their Reckless Thief
Luca entered then, his gaze flicking between us until it settled on me, taking in the panic on my face, then flicking to the marks on my arm. His expression darkened as he stepped forward. He knew. He recognized it.
“Celeste, it’s a marking from The Shadow. It’s only visible to supernatural beings and those who bear the mark.”
The realization dawned like a thunderclap.Only supernatural beings.
“What is this?” I asked, looking between Luca and Vincenzo. “What did he do to me?”
“It’s a shadow mark,” Luca explained, his gaze darkening as he traced the black marks with a finger, careful not to touch me directly. “A curse—a tracking beacon. The Shadow can locateyou anywhere. It’s how he finds his targets, keeps his eyes on them without ever having to be there himself.”
The Shadow had marked me. He could find me anywhere. The horror of it twisted deep, my stomach churning with the knowledge that he could now watch my every move.
Vincenzo clenched his fists, his face a mask of fury. “He’s using you as a pawn. Marking you like cattle.”
The marks pulsed as if to remind me of the control The Shadow now held over me. Every time I looked at them, the reality hit harder, like a noose tightening around my neck. I wanted to scream, to burn it off, but I knew there was nothing I could do.
A spark of raw, controlled rage lit in Vincenzo’s eyes as he turned to Luca and Dorian. “We’re going to end this. He thinks he can control her? He has no fucking idea what kind of hell he’s playing with.”
I met Vincenzo’s eyes, feeling a strange mix of fear and comfort. He’d protect me. He’d find a way to undo this. For now, though, all I could do was hold on to the belief that they’d figure out how to stop The Shadow before it was too late.
Alessandro’s arrival in the office felt like an ominous extension of the tension already clawing at the edges of the room. He walked in, face hard, holding an envelope between two fingers as if it had been doused in poison. A shiver crept down my spine, and my gut twisted as he extended it to Vincenzo.
“This was left at the front door,” Alessandro said, his voice laced with barely contained fury. “No one saw who delivered it.”
Fire flashed in Vincenzo’s eyes as he grabbed the envelope and tore it open. He barely blinked as he scanned the contents, his face a controlled mask, but I knew him well enough now to sense the storm brewing beneath the surface.
“What does it say?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
Without a word, he handed the letter to me. The Shadow’s handwriting was elegant but cold, each stroke of the pen as sharp and calculating as the man who’d sent it.
Vincenzo,
It seems our paths have crossed in more ways than one. I hear you’ve been meddling in the Wraith territory. A black-market auction? A little below your usual pursuits, don’t you think? And yet, here you are, sniffing around where you don’t belong.
As for your message… consider it received. Roderick’s little mishap was both entertaining and informative. I suppose I underestimated how far you’d go to protect what’s yours, though your efforts are a touch misplaced.
Let me be clear, Vincenzo. You keep pressing, and Celeste becomes my territory. My mark on her is only the beginning. If you don’t back off, I’ll ensure that it grows stronger, that it drains her. Slowly, perhaps. Painfully, certainly. I will reach her wherever she is, no matter how well you think you’re guarding her.
Keep playing this game, and I promise it will be her undoing.
The Shadow
My hand shookas I lowered the letter. Vincenzo watched me, his gaze darting between the letter and my face.
“I’ll fucking kill him,” he growled.
I couldn’t let The Shadow’s threats and sick games control us. No one could be allowed that kind of power over me—not him, not anyone.
“We’re not stopping,” I said coldly. “I won’t let him dictate our moves. The heist has to go forward.”
Vincenzo frowned, clearly torn between protecting me and maintaining the advantage. “Celeste, he’s not bluffing. This mark… He’s going to drain you if we keep pushing.”
“That’s why we need the Mirror of Truths,” I insisted, lifting my arm where the dark lines coiled and shifted against my skin. “We need it now more than ever. If we can see through his illusions, we’ll have a chance to stay ahead of him. This game he’s playing? It’s about power and control. I fucking refuse to let him have either. We have to keep moving forward as planned. There’s no other way.”
Dorian and Luca exchanged a look, both of them bristling with a shared, silent determination. Vincenzo finally nodded, though I could see the wariness in his eyes, the struggle of protecting me versus allowing me to take these risks and make my own decisions.
“This means we go all in,” he said. “If we’re going to confront him head-on, we can’t make a single mistake. We’ll get the mirror, but after that, you’re staying close, Celeste. No wandering off on your own, no taking unnecessary risks. You’re under our protection. We can’t risk The Shadow doing more harm to you. Understood?”
I met his gaze, my heart pounding with equal parts fear and resolve. “Understood.”
