Page 40 of Their Reckless Thief (The Below #1)

LUCA

The cottage was too fucking quiet. It was located on The Shadow’s estate and where I typically slept when he wanted me to stay close. It was a great option to catch a few hours of sleep in between assignments.

I’d spent the night tossing and turning on the narrow bed, my mind refusing to settle.

The mattress was firm, the sheets scratchy, and the place reeked of wood smoke from the old fireplace that barely managed to keep the chill at bay.

It wasn’t the physical discomfort that had kept me awake, though.

It was the looming dread of the day ahead.

I rolled out of bed as the sun began to rise, stretching until my joints cracked. The small space felt even smaller with the weight pressing on my chest.

After Vincenzo and Dorian had left last night, The Shadow had given me very clear instructions.

He wanted me to visit the hospital, get a progress update, and report back.

Simple enough. Except nothing about that hospital was simple.

It reeked of desperation, of decay, and of lives slipping through fingers like grains of sand.

I grabbed a protein bar from the cabinet and leaned against the counter as I unwrapped it.

The cottage’s kitchen was sparse —barely more than a sink, a single burner, and a few cabinets filled with canned goods and non-perishables.

I wasn’t the type to indulge in long, elaborate meals.

Food was fuel, nothing more. And right now, I needed enough of it to get me through the day without losing my temper.

Protein bars were one of the few things humans had gotten right, so I stocked up on them whenever I left The Below.

As I bit into the bar, I tried to prepare myself mentally.

The hospital always did something to me, a creeping unease that settled into my bones.

It wasn’t the sickness itself that got to me—it was what it represented.

The fragility of life, the relentless march of time, the inevitability of loss.

It dragged up memories I’d rather keep buried and reminded me of what I’d lost in moments of weakness.

Relationships, trust, people who’d mattered. .. all just ghosts now.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed those thoughts aside. I needed to keep my head clear. The Shadow wouldn’t tolerate excuses if I didn’t come back with the information he wanted.

I closed my eyes and veilstepped.

The hospital was a world away from the quiet of the cottage.

The moment I arrived, the scent of antiseptic and sickness hit me like a punch to the gut.

It was sharp and invasive, mingling with the faint metallic tang of blood that lingered in the air.

The sound was worse—coughing, labored breathing, the occasional murmur of a nurse, or the shuffle of feet down the sterile white halls. I hated it.

I made my way to the nurse’s station, my boots echoing softly on the tiled floor. A woman with tired eyes glanced up at me, clearly startled by my sudden appearance. She didn’t say anything, just gestured toward a chair. I ignored it.

“I need to speak to the physician on call,” I said flatly.

The nurse hesitated for a moment, then nodded and picked up the phone. Her voice was hushed, her eyes darting nervously to me as she spoke. I could feel her unease, but I was used to it. People always reacted that way around me, especially in The Shadow’s territory.

Within a few minutes, a dark-haired man in a white lab coat appeared. He approached with a confident stride, but I could see the wariness in his eyes. His name was embroidered on his coat: Dr. Sam Ellis. Not that it mattered. I wouldn’t remember it.

“Luca,” he said, his tone measured. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“The Shadow wants an update. Walk me through it.”

Dr. Ellis gave a curt nod and gestured for me to follow. We moved down the hall, past rooms that reeked of sickness and despair. Each step felt heavier than the last, the oppressive atmosphere pressing down on me.

We stopped at the first room, and the doctor opened the door.

Inside, a woman sat propped up on a hospital bed, her skin pale and clammy.

She was eating broth, her hands trembling slightly as she brought the spoon to her lips.

She glanced at us briefly, her eyes hollow, before turning her attention back to her food.

“She’s stable for now,” Dr. Ellis said softly. “But the blood transfusions are barely keeping her symptoms at bay.”

I nodded, and we moved on. The next room was worse. A young woman lay motionless, her breathing shallow and labored. Her skin had a grayish tint, and her lips were cracked and dry. An IV dripped steadily into her arm, but even I could see she was barely holding on.

“This one?” I asked.

“Advanced stage,” the doctor said grimly. “The disease is progressing faster than we anticipated. The transfusions aren’t doing much, if anything.”

The third room was empty, the bed stripped bare. I glanced at the doctor, raising an eyebrow.

“She died early this morning,” he said, his voice tight. “We’ve already moved her to the morgue.”

I clenched my fists, the familiar frustration bubbling to the surface. “And the scientists? What the fuck are they doing about this?”

Dr. Ellis hesitated, then sighed. “We’ve been analyzing the blood samples, running tests... but whatever this is, it’s resistant to everything we’ve tried. We’re working as fast as we can, but progress is slow.”

“These women don’t have time for slow,” I snapped.

We walked in silence for a while, passing by more rooms filled with coughing and quiet sobs.

The scenes blurred together—pale faces, trembling hands, hollow eyes.

It all settled in my chest, heavy and suffocating.

This was why I hated coming here. It wasn’t just the sickness or the death—it was the reminder of how powerless we all were in the face of it.

When we reached the end of the hall, I turned to the doctor. “Anything else?”

Dr. Ellis shook his head. “That’s all I’ve got for now.”

I nodded, then started back toward the entrance.

My thoughts were a whirlwind of anger and helplessness, the images of those women burned into my mind.

This wasn’t about following orders or keeping The Shadow satisfied.

This was about control—about proving that we could fight back against whatever this was.

As I stepped out into the fresh air, leaving the stench of sickness behind, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were already losing.

I veilstepped directly into The Shadow’s office.

The air in his office felt heavy, as it always did.

The walls seemed to absorb every shred of light, leaving the space in a perpetual twilight, even with the curtains drawn back.

I stepped into the room, the soft hiss of my veilstep fading into the silence.

The chair behind the massive desk was empty.

I scanned the room, my eyes narrowing. No sign of him. Typical.

“Looking for The Shadow?”

The soft voice came from the doorway. I turned to see Eldora, The Shadow’s personal assistant. She was impeccably dressed in her green robes, as always, her sharp features carrying an air of authority even I couldn’t ignore.

“You just missed him,” she continued, stepping into the office. “He said he was heading outside for a walk.”

I inclined my head. “Thanks.”

Eldora watched me for a moment, her expression unreadable, before she turned and disappeared back down the hall.

I didn’t linger. With a sharp inhale, I focused and veilstepped to the estate grounds. The warm late morning air hit me as I emerged, the faint scent of pine and damp earth filling my lungs. Ahead, The Shadow walked toward the woods, his silhouette tall and commanding even at a distance.

I veilstepped again, landing directly behind him.

He flinched, spinning on his heel. His hand instinctively shot to his side before he recognized me. “For fuck’s sake, Luca! You’ve got to stop sneaking up on me like that.”

A rare smile tugged at my lips. “That’s the point of veilstepping.”

He muttered something under his breath, running a hand through his dark hair. “I’m assuming you’ve got an update from the hospital.”

I nodded, falling into step beside him. “I don’t have good news.”

His pace didn’t falter, but his expression hardened, the sharp line of his jaw tightening. “Go on.”

I relayed the grim details. The transfusions weren’t working. The women were getting worse, and some had already succumbed to the disease. The doctor had no solutions, only more questions.

The Shadow’s silence was unsettling, even for me. We walked deeper into the woods, the underbrush crunching softly beneath our boots.

Finally, he stopped, turning to face me.

His eyes glinted with cold resolve. “I need you to spend the rest of the day visiting the bordering territories. Speak to the lowest scum you can find. Threaten them, torture them—whatever the fuck it takes. I want answers to what we’re dealing with and how we can heal the women. I don’t care how you get them.”

I frowned, clenching my fists at my sides. “Do you really think they’ll have any useful information? Most of them don’t even?—”

He gripped my shoulder in a vise-like hold. “Do not question me, Luca.”

The venom in his voice made my jaw snap shut. His expression was a storm of fury, and for a moment, I felt the full weight of why so many feared him.

“My scientists are failing,” he hissed. “Our people are dying, and we’re no closer to finding a cure. So, unless you’ve suddenly become a fucking genius in blood alchemy, you’ll do as I say and figure out another way. Do I make myself clear?”

I nodded stiffly. “Crystal.”

He released me, his breathing heavy.

I took a step back, the tension in my chest tightening, but I forced myself to keep my voice steady. “I’ll handle it.”

“Good.” He turned and began walking again, his steps deliberate.

I pivoted and walked in the opposite direction, resisting the urge to veilstep. I needed the time to clear my head, to sort through the rising tide of frustration clawing at my insides.

The Shadow had saved me once, given me purpose when I’d been cast out, unwanted, and alone.

He’d offered me a chance to build a life when no one else would.

I owed him everything—my loyalty, my service, my life.

Sometimes, though, I wanted to wrap my hands around his throat and squeeze until he shut the fuck up.

He had no idea how much more I could offer if he stopped treating me like a blunt instrument. My shadows, my intelligence, my ability to read people—I could be his greatest weapon. But no, my tasks were always menial, like threatening street rats for scraps of information.

As the forest thinned and the estate came into view, I exhaled deeply, trying to shake off my irritation. The quicker I fulfilled his demands, the quicker I could get back to Vincenzo’s territory and check on the situation with Celeste.

Celeste .

Her name flickered in my mind like a spark, igniting something I didn’t want to acknowledge. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Her laugh, her fire, the way she looked at me like I wasn’t a monster. It was a distraction I couldn’t afford—but gods help me, I didn’t want it to go away.