Page 39 of Their Reckless Thief (The Below #1)

I clenched my jaw to keep my anger from spilling over. “This isn’t about mercy,” I replied, my voice steady. “This is about survival. And if it comes to that, I’ll make sure you regret letting this happen.”

Luca’s gaze flickered between us. His shadows had retreated somewhat. We weren’t going to get anywhere with this, but I couldn’t leave without at least showing The Shadow that I wouldn’t back down.

“I need it to stop. And you will regret it if it doesn’t.”

The Shadow grinned, his perfectly white teeth glinting in the darkness. “Get the fuck out of my sight, Moretti, before I change my mind about letting you leave here alive.”

I turned to Dorian, who looked like he was one second away from lunging at The Shadow.

My blood was boiling as we walked out. Nothing had been resolved, and the stakes were getting higher by the second. The Shadow wasn’t going to cooperate, but this wasn’t the last time we would cross paths.

And next time... I wasn’t planning on walking away empty-handed.

I couldn’t focus. Useless. A fucking waste of my time. The Shadow was a dead end, my people were still dying, and I was no closer to finding the mirror. Time was running out, and every second wasted meant more lives lost, more damage done.

I needed to shift gears. Put pressure where it would actually break. The mirror had to be out there, and someone knew where. I was done playing nice.

I turned to Dorian, who had been pacing my study like a caged animal since we returned. His restlessness grated at me, but I couldn’t blame him. We were all at a breaking point.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time in the human world,” I said in a low growl that stopped him mid-step. “Why don’t you pay that stray bastard Fred a visit? See if he’s come up with anything on that mirror.”

Dorian turned to me, jaw tight. He didn’t say anything for a second, just stared at me like he was wrestling with himself. He hated Fred almost as much as I did. No, probably more. But this wasn’t the time for picking and choosing jobs. Fred was dirty, but he had connections. Connections we needed.

Finally, Dorian gave a sharp nod, his eyes burning. “Fine. I’ll handle it.” His words were clipped, but he didn’t argue. He never did when the stakes were this high.

Before I could say anything else, the air around us changed.

Something was wrong. I felt it down to my bones, an instinct I couldn’t shake.

The security system flared to life… alarms blaring, lights flashing in warning, the communication devices on the guards blaring all at once with frantic, overlapping voices.

“What the fuck is going on?” I snapped, turning toward Camilla and Alessandro, who had already appeared at my side, their faces pale and eyes sharp with focus. They were both as tense as coiled springs.

Alessandro tapped at his earpiece. “Boss, there’s been a security breach.”

The word breach made my blood run cold, but I forced myself to keep calm. I could feel the panic rising in my staff. Whatever had happened, it wasn’t small.

“Explain,” I growled, already moving toward the door, Camilla and Alessandro right behind me.

“There’s… there’s a woman’s body, boss,” Camilla said, her voice strained. “It was dropped from the sky. Right at the front door.”

For a split second, my mind went blank. The words didn’t register, not at first. A woman? Dropped from the sky? And then… my heart stopped. My vision tunneled, and the world around me slowed.

No. No, no, no. Please, no.

I didn’t breathe. I just moved.

I barely registered Dorian as he bolted past me, a blur of motion, his expression twisted in panic. I was right behind him, my feet pounding the floor with hard thuds that echoed down the hallway, but all I heard was the blood rushing in my ears.

We reached the front door, and I stopped dead in my tracks.

There, lying crumpled on the ground in a heap of blood and torn leather, was the small, lifeless body of a woman. Blonde hair matted with blood splayed out like a broken doll. Leather pants. Tiny frame. My vision blurred.

“ No. ” The word left me as a strangled breath, as if my entire chest was collapsing under the weight of it.

Dorian fell to his knees beside her, his hands trembling as he reached for the body. His eyes were wild with grief, and tears streamed down his face. He was shaking his head, muttering “No, no, no…” over and over like a prayer. My heart felt like it was going to explode in my chest.

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe.

It couldn’t be her.

It can’t be her.

Dorian’s hands hovered over the body, terrified to touch her, to confirm what we both feared. He gently rolled her over, and I braced myself for the sight, for the impact of it all coming crashing down on me. My mind had already made the leap. The world around me was crashing in.

But then…

The face.

It was beautiful, delicate, just like her.

But it wasn’t Celeste.

I let out a sharp breath. My knees almost buckled, but I held on to the doorway, gripping it so tight my knuckles turned white. The relief was immediate, but the fear and panic still clung to me like a second skin.

Dorian was still kneeling and staring down at the lifeless woman in front of him.

For a moment, I could see his relief too.

Then, his face twisted into something darker—something feral.

The tears stopped, and pure fury came over his face.

He punched the ground beside the body, and the sound of bone hitting concrete echoed through the air.

“This isn’t over,” he muttered through clenched teeth. “This isn’t fucking over.”

I knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder, and for a moment, we were silent as we stared down at the body. My mind was already whirling, trying to piece together what the hell this meant.

This was a perfect example of our own magistrates, and the Veil Guard, not doing their fucking jobs. They were incompetent, at the very least, which is why I was tasked with keeping the streets safe in my territory.

As I turned to leave, a small white square attached to the body caught my eye. It was near her right shoulder, half pressed into the concrete beneath her. I gently pulled it away and scanned the note.

If you ever step into my territory again, it’ll be Celeste.

The Shadow had sent a warning. Fuck that, it was a declaration of war, and I wouldn’t let it go unanswered.

Dorian took the note from me. “How the fuck does he know about Celeste?”

“He’s the Lord of Illusions, Dorian. Don’t you think he’s using every trick up his sleeve to keep tabs on us?” I rose to my feet, turning to Camilla. “Clean this up. And Dorian? Increase security.”

The Shadow had crossed a line, but before I could figure out how to retaliate, every bone in my body knew I needed to get to Celeste.

I had to protect her.