Page 153 of Their Reckless Thief
“Thank you.”
He brushed a thumb over my cheek, wiping away a tear I hadn’t even realized was there. “Nightmares are brutal, but they can’t touch you when you’re awake. You’re stronger than them, love.”
I let out a shaky breath, my heart still beating too fast. “I don’t feel strong right now. I feel like I’m losing control of everything. And Ireallywant a hit of Phantomine.”
“You’re not losing control, babe. Not while I’m here. In fact, I think it’s time I tell you a story.”
“A story?”
He nodded, a gentle smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Whenever I had nightmares as a kid, my parents would tell me this story. It’s about a prince and princess who ruled over nature.” He leaned back against the pillows. “They were connected to the world around them—trees, rivers, flowers—everything that grew under the sun was theirs to protect. They loved it all fiercely, but there was something special about the trees. They could feel every breath of wind, every pulse of life in the forest.”
I relaxed against him, letting his words paint the world he described. I could almost see the tall, ancient trees reaching toward the sky. It was so different from the dark, tangled web of my dreams.
“But one day, something dark entered their kingdom,” Dorian continued. “Something twisted and full of malice. It threatened to destroy everything they held dear, to turn the forest into nothing but ash and ruin.”
He paused, looking down at me, and for a moment, I felt as if he were letting me glimpse a raw and untouched part of himself.
“Did they survive?” I asked.
He smiled gently. “Yes. Their connection to nature was their greatest strength. When the darkness came, the prince and princess reached out to the roots of the trees, to everything they were tied to, and that gave them power. The trees protected them, surrounded them in a barrier of strength and life that nothing dark could break through. The darkness tried to consume them, but it couldn’t touch them because they were too deeply connected to something pure.”
Quiet fell between us as I absorbed the story, letting it settle into the places the nightmare had touched. The idea of such peace, of a connection so deep it could keep even the darkest shadows at bay, was almost painfully beautiful.
“That sounds perfect. To be tied to something so meaningful, something unbreakable.”
Dorian looked at me, and the warmth and strength in his eyes nearly took my breath away. “I have that peace,” he said, tucking my hair behind my ear. “Because I have you, Celeste. And I hope my love for you will anchor you.”
The raw honesty in his voice made me ache with a feeling I was unfamiliar with. Until this moment. His words wrapped around me like a promise, and for the first time, I felt as though maybe I was someone’s strength, too. I didn’t have to face the nightmares alone. He would be here, ready to stand beside me, ready to face whatever came next. And somehow, that was enough to keep the darkness at bay, at least for tonight.
47
LUCA
The silencein my apartment pressed in on all sides, stronger than the bourbon I’d poured to slow the storm in my mind. It wasn’t working. Every sip tasted bitter, every drop a reminder that I couldn’t keep Celeste safe from The Shadow’s grasp. He wasn’t physically tormenting her, but he had her mind and her soul in his grasp.
I’d left her with Dorian to give her a second to rest. That was the excuse anyway, but honestly, I needed a break to gather my thoughts, and yet, all I’d done was replay her suffering in my mind. I couldn’t stand the idea of her getting sicker with every passing day, while he sat in his fortress, watching, waiting with some backward sense of higher authority.
It ends now, I told myself. I’d make him see the error of his way.
I tossed back the last of the bourbon and placed the glass on the table. I was going to face The Shadow. I was going to tell him the truth. Every fucking detail.
I stepped out of my apartment, rolling my shoulders as I prepared to veilstep. There was always a brief flash of transition, a kind of weightless fall into darkness before I landed. And then, as I blinked into focus, the illusion broke.
At first, The Shadow’s territory looked like it always did: barren, desolate, a wasteland most would never give another thought. As the illusion faded, the truth of The Shadow’s territory unfolded before me, striking in its beauty and almost unreal in its vibrancy. Gone were the gray, desolate lands people expected, the barren rocks, and thick, oppressive mist they’d come to associate with The Shadow’s realm. Instead, lush, rolling hills stretched into the distance, covered in deep green grass that looked softer than velvet.
Far beyond, the fae mountain range stood proud and snow-capped, jagged peaks shimmering faintly under the late-afternoon sky. The faint sound of waves crashing against a rocky shore only a few miles away drifted to my ears. Dusk softened everything, casting shades of gold, rose, and lavender across the land as though some unseen hand was painting a masterpiece. This was no wasteland, as The Shadow portrayed it. It was a carefully hidden sanctuary, as majestic as it was dangerous, a beautiful deception that most would never comprehend.
The interior of the territory was a fortress of elegance, with stone structures dotting the landscape in deliberate clusters, each building exuding a quiet yet undeniable opulence. Towers and arches framed the streets, their surfaces carved with ancient, intricate designs. The stonework itself bore the history of the territory—the stories etched into each brick, each archway—telling of a legacy The Shadow’s ancestors had crafted with patience and precision.
As I walked the busy streets, I saw shifters, fae, and other supernatural creatures moving with a purpose. Their clothes were well-made, vibrant in color, with designs that hinted at both luxury and practicality. A baker swept the street outside his shop, smiling at a pair of children playing nearby. Vendors sold their goods and chatted with passersby, and craftspeople displayed their wares proudly.
Beneath the polished surface, however, I knew there lurked something darker. It was in the quiet exchanges, in the hesitations that spoiled the people’s smiles. For all the beauty, for all the fortifications and careful care, there was a murkiness woven into the heart of this paradise—a poison The Shadow kept from spilling over the edges.
This place, for all its wealth and power, had an illusion of its own. The people were sheltered, yes, but they were also shielded from the reality of their lives. This place was a carefully constructed kingdom where beauty masked the reality of the pain, a paradise that exacted a silent toll from those who resided within its bounds.
As I moved deeper into the territory, weaving through the meticulously tended streets and past shops and homes that looked as if they’d been plucked from another world, I realized that The Shadow and I were two sides of the same coin.
We were both willing to do whatever it took to protect those under our care.
