Page 158 of Their Reckless Thief
The world around me darkened, familiar faces fading into shadows, the air thickening with a coldness that crawled into my veins. My vision blurred until I was surrounded by a fog, a living, breathing mist that felt too aware, too present. And then, he was there. The Shadow, his form hazy and indistinct, as though he were controlling exactly what I saw, letting me see only what he wanted.
The oppressive weight of his presence bore down on me, filling my lungs with dread his power a twisted, powerful thing that pressed into every corner of my mind. He didn’t need words to give me his message.
Stop, or else.
Images clawed at the edges of my vision, spilling into my mind like a nightmare I couldn’t escape. Vincenzo’s territory, once bright and full of life, was decayed and barren. The people were reduced to lifeless husks, their eyes empty, their movements mechanical like puppets under someone else’s control. The streets were desolate, haunting shadows moving through them with unnatural fluidity.
A hollow ache spread through my chest as I watched, helpless, the vision shifting until I stood alone in the ruins, an unending darkness stretching out over the bleak and desolate expanse. Everything and everyone I’d fought for was gone, lost to The Shadow’s relentless control.
“No,” I sobbed.
The images sharpened, the destruction amplifying, becoming more visceral. Blood stained the ground, its metallic scent thick in the air. Horror twisted in my gut as I realized the blood was on my hands. A silent accusation, a chilling reminder that every life taken, every hope crushed, was somehow tied back to me.
“No! No, please,” I screamed, struggling to pull myself from the vision, to claw my way back to reality. The images wouldn’t relent, wouldn’t release me. Pain, ruin, blood…So muchblood. It felt as if everything around me was collapsing, my world crumbling under the weight of his threat.
Right as the darkness threatened to consume me, warmth broke through it, a steady presence wrapping around me. Luca. I breathed in his familiar scent as his voice cut through the chaos in my mind like a beacon guiding me home.
“Celeste,” he whispered, his voice steady and sure. “You’re here. You’re with me. This isn’t real.”
The images still clawed at me, filling every corner of my mind with destruction, pain, and the horrifying realization that I might be the cause of it all. I clung to him, my breath leaving me in shuddering gasps.
“He’s going to take everything,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I’ll lose you. I’ll lose everything.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks onto my hands, mingling with the illusion of blood, a twisted metaphor that sank deep into my soul. The Shadow’s voice echoed in the back of my mind, chilling and relentless.
The blood is on your hands.
With an unwavering strength, Luca picked me up and cradled me in his arms. The terror slowly lost its grip on me, the vision finally beginning to fade. I buried my face against his shoulder, desperately trying to erase the images from my mind, to find solace in the arms that held me.
“You’re not alone, Celeste,” he promised. “He can’t take what’s ours. Not while we’re here with you.”
The world around me slowly settled as the darkness ebbed away, reality returning in soft hues of light and warmth. The haunting echo of the vision lingered, though, a reminder of The Shadow’s threat.
Luca’s low murmur reassured me, and slowly, the fear receded, ebbing away like waves pulling back from the shore.
A soft creak pulled my attention. I raised my head to see Vincenzo, Dorian, and Vivian standing close, their faces a mix of alarm and concern. Vincenzo touched my cheek, his eyes narrowing as they searched my face. There was no trace of his usual commanding expression, only worry.
“Are you all right,dolcezza?” His voice was soft, as though any louder might shatter the fragile calm that had settled around us. The intensity of his gaze bordered on desperation, as if he were trying to piece together what I’d seen, to understand the hold The Shadow had over us.
“I…” My voice wavered, but I forced myself to look up, to meet his gaze head-on. “I saw… Everything was gone. Everyone had been taken. He wants to strip it all away.” The words felt hollow compared to the terror I’d experienced, but Vincenzo’s eyes darkened and the muscles in his jaw clenched.
“He’s just fucking with your mind,” he said, though his tone carried a deadly promise. “He’s using every trick he has to get under your skin, to make you feel responsible. But he can’t break us,dolcezza, not unless we let him. The blood he sheds is on him alone.”
Dorian sat cross-legged at my feet and stroked my thigh. “We’re not going anywhere, babe. We’re in this together, all of us. Whatever he throws our way, we’ll handle it.”
Vivian remained slightly apart, arms folded, brow furrowed in thought. I could almost see the gears turning as she tried to make sense of what I’d experienced. When our eyes met, her expression softened, and she gave a single nod—her way of saying she was with me, even if she didn’t have all the answers yet.
“You’re stronger than you think, Celeste” she said.
Their words, their unwavering presence, bolstered me. I could still feel the cold echo of the vision, but here, with them, the nightmare lost some of its power. Their love and loyalty dulled it. I tightened my hold on Luca, drawing strength from each of them in turn.
With them beside me, The Shadow’s threats became exactly that—threats. And I’d do everything in my power to prove him wrong.
All three menhad insisted on staying with me while Dorian carried me to my bed. As I lay on Luca’s chest, the slow, steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my ear, my exhaustion pressed down on me like a weighted blanket. I wanted to open my eyes, to see him, to see the others, but my body resisted. Every muscle ached, my limbs felt like lead, and the dark edges of sleep tugged at me with an undeniable force.
“Celeste…” Luca’s voice was a soft murmur, tinged with a deep worry I’d never heard from him before. He traced light circles along my back as I drifted further into the fog. I foughtto keep my eyes open, to anchor myself to his presence, but my body refused to cooperate.
Then, from somewhere close, another voice broke through the haze—rich, deep, and familiar, cutting through the heaviness that threatened to pull me under entirely.
