Page 18 of Their Reckless Thief
“Celeste?” His voice was low, almost a whisper.
I blinked, my breath catching in my throat. My heart was still racing from the vision, and for a second, I couldn’t respond. The vision had been so vivid, so real. Too real.
Vincenzo, who had been pacing a few feet away, suddenly stopped and turned toward me, his sharp gaze narrowing. “What the fuck just happened?” His voice was rough, laced with suspicion.
I swallowed hard, trying to shake the lingering effects of the vision. My head was foggy, disoriented. “I—I just zoned out for a second,” I said, forcing the words out. My voice sounded weak even to me. I needed to sound convincing, but, fuck, lying felt like moving through quicksand.
Vincenzo noticed the lie right away and descended upon me with his full wrath, but before he could reach me, Dorian Voss was in front of me. He stepped closer, his grip on my wrist loosening enough to be gentle but firm. He tilted my chin up with his other hand. Vincenzo was right beside him. Dorian’s eyes searched mine, concern etched across his features.
“Are you okay?” His voice was almost tender. “Is it a health situation? I know some humans have seizures.”
For a split second, I almost got lost in his gaze. The concern in his eyes... it was disarming. Almost comforting. My breath hitched as I fought to find my voice. I should lie. I needed to lie. But the words wouldn’t come.
Instead, the truth spilled out like a confession. “Sometimes I have visions. Of the future.”
The basement went dead quiet. Dorian’s hand dropped from my chin as he stepped back, his eyes widening slightly. I could feel the weight of their stares—especially Vincenzo’s.
He stepped forward, his movements slow and deliberate, like a predator sizing up its prey. His dark eyes flicked between Dorian and me, as if suddenly questioning everything.
“What did you see?” he demanded in a dangerous growl.
I hesitated, the words catching in my throat. Vincenzo’s anger was palpable, simmering just below the surface. I needed to tread carefully.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted, feeling the burn of his gaze on my skin. “Most of the time, it’s just pieces of information. Fragments. I have to piece them together.”
“Don’t bullshit me,” Vincenzo snarled, stepping closer, his towering presence suffocating. “What did you see?”
I forced myself to stay calm, even though every instinct screamed to back away. Dorian stepped closer, almost like he wanted to shield me.
“It’s true. About the fragments. But we were working together... to retrieve something. It went wrong. The guards, the magic—it all spiraled out of control. We were surrounded.”
Silence. Heavy, oppressive silence.
Vincenzo’s jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. He didn’t move, didn’t speak, but the tension rolling off him was enough to set my nerves on edge.
“What else did you see?”
I swallowed hard, my mouth dry. My pulse hammered in my ears, and the heat from Vincenzo’s glare burned a hole through my skull. “That’s it,” I said, trying to sound convincing. “Just that. A job goes bad. We don’t make it out clean.”
No one moved. The tension between Vincenzo and Dorian was a live wire, crackling and sparking. Then, after what felt like an eternity, Vincenzo finally stepped back. He didn’t take his eyes off me, though.
“You better not be fucking lying to me,” he warned, his voice low and dangerous. He turned and walked back toward Luca, who had been watching the whole exchange with an unreadable expression. “Because if you are, you’ll wish you’d never stepped foot in my fucking home.”
I exhaled shakily, my knees weak with the sudden release of tension. Dorian’s hand lingered on my shoulder for a beat longer than necessary before he dropped it, his eyes never leaving mine. “I already wish that. But cool.”
Vincenzo’s steely gaze never faltered. I held it. He had all the power, but I didn’t owe him meek submission.
“You good?” Dorian asked softly.
“Yeah,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure I believed myself. “Just... don’t touch me again.”
A ghost of a smirk played on his lips, but he dropped his hand from my shoulder. The spot where it was, now felt cold.
Vincenzo’s gaze flicked to Luca. “Search her,” he ordered, his tone sharp and commanding. “I want to know everything she’s carrying.”
Luca didn’t move right away. His silver eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that had the hair on my arms standing at attention. There was something about him…something dark and unsettling. He didn’t speak, didn’t offer any comfort or cruelty. He was an enigma cloaked in silence, wearing a perfect mask of indifference.
Luca stepped toward me, his long strides slow and deliberate. My breath caught in my throat as his shadow magic stirred around him, a swirling darkness that pulsed with a life of its own. I couldn’t tear my eyes away as the shadows thickened, spreading out from him like smoke, creeping along the floor and reaching toward me.
