Page 59 of Their Reckless Thief (The Below #1)

I waved at Luca, and he sighed heavily. Then, the look in his eyes changed as he watched Celeste, something dark and possessive flickering there. He stepped forward, the shadows at his feet shifting as he moved through the crowd.

Celeste practically beamed as he approached, holding out a hand to him.

For a moment, Luca hesitated, but then he took her hand, pulling her into his arms. At first, he was stiff, unsure, but as she moved against him, I saw the change.

His eyes darkened, his hands became more confident, and soon enough, he was guiding her movements with restrained hunger.

I watched Luca’s hands roam over her body, his face close to hers. It was the first time I’d seen him so unguarded. Celeste clearly had the same effect on him that she had on me… and Dorian.

We were in trouble.

We took turns, moving with her, dancing as a group, and when it was my turn again, I couldn’t resist pulling her close and grazing my lips over the shell of her ear.

“I told you, dolcezza , you’re mine.”

She rolled her eyes, but a flush crept into her cheeks and her breath quickened. Despite all her protests, she knew it too.

As much as I hated sharing her attention, as much as I wanted her all to myself, I couldn’t deny that having her here, surrounded by all of us, was its own kind of power.

The second I saw her eyes, I knew something was wrong. Celeste looked at me, wide-eyed, like she was searching for help but couldn’t find the words. Her pupils were dilated, too much for the low lighting in the club, and that flush in her cheeks wasn’t only from the dancing.

“Celeste?” My heart raced, a sensation that had only recently entered my life.

Her drink slipped from her hand, and the glass shattered on the ground. My instincts kicked in, and I wrapped my arm around her waist just as her knees buckled, her body sagging against mine.

“Vincenzo...” Her voice was faint, her eyes rolling back as she fought to stay conscious. I could barely make out the words as her lips moved slowly, her breath shallow.

I didn’t wait another second. Scooping her up effortlessly, I held her close to my chest. Her body was limp, her breathing uneven. Cold dread washed over me, and I definitely wasn’t used to feeling it.

I glanced toward the others. Dorian’s face was deadly serious.

Luca was at Vivian’s side, checking on her as her head began to sway, eyes narrowing at Celeste’s sudden condition.

Had she somehow ingested contaminated Phantomine?

What had happened? Vivian’s face went pale as she tried to reach out to Celeste, her hands shaking.

“Get her home,” Luca muttered in that low, calm voice of his, though the tension in his body betrayed his worry.

Dorian was already nodding, moving toward Vivian to steady her. “I’ll take care of her. You focus on Celeste.” His voice was hard with an intensity I rarely heard from him.

I didn’t need anyone to tell me twice. Holding Celeste firmly against me, I bolted out of the club, weaving through the crowd with vampire speed, my heart hammering harder than it had in centuries.

The world blurred around us as I tore through the streets of The Below, my focus locked on one thing: getting Celeste to safety.

Her head lolled against my shoulder, her breath shallow and weak. The sickening thought hit me like a punch to the gut. Had someone poisoned her? Had she been targeted in the middle of my territory, right under my watch?

I cursed under my breath. She had been fine moments ago. Was it something in her drink? Or something more insidious? Whatever it was, I wouldn’t let her slip through my fingers.

I burst into the mansion, the heavy doors slamming behind me. The guards were startled but didn’t question it when they saw the urgency in my eyes.

“Get the healer,” I snapped to one of the guards. “Now.”

He sprinted off as if a fire had been lit under his ass. I carried Celeste up the stairs and into my private chambers, laying her down gently on the bed. Her skin was cold to the touch, her breathing shallow, and her pulse raced under my fingers.

“Stay with me, dolcezza ,” I whispered, brushing her hair away from her pale face.

Minutes felt like hours as I paced back and forth, glancing at the door every few seconds. The healer couldn’t come fast enough. I wasn’t used to feeling helpless, but right now, that’s exactly what I was.

Finally, the door swung open and a tall, imposing figure entered. The healer, an old vampire who had been in my service for centuries, approached without a word, his face grim as he knelt at Celeste’s side.

“What happened?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I admitted, rubbing my jaw. “She was fine one minute, then she collapsed.”

The healer nodded as he felt for her pulse on her wrist. His brow furrowed as he closed his eyes, sensing something beyond the physical. I waited, holding my breath as the tension mounted.

After what felt like an eternity, he opened his eyes and looked up at me, his expression serious.

“She’s been drugged,” he said, his voice low. “This is the typical physical response I would expect from someone who has been given a date rape drug. If your men can get me a sample of her drink, we can be sure.”

My fists clenched at my sides, rage boiling in my veins. “Who the fuck would dare drug her right under my nose?”

The healer stood, his gaze steady. “This isn’t something common in your territory, but it happens. I need time to analyze exactly what it is. She’s stable for now. She should wake up soon, but she’ll be tired for a while. I’ll need to brew a few potions to cleanse whatever this is from her system.”

“Do it. I don’t care what it takes, just fix her.”

The healer bowed slightly before hurrying out of the room, leaving me standing there, staring at Celeste’s pale face. My rage threatened to boil over. Someone had done this to her. Someone had dared to harm what was mine.

I sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand. Her fingers twitched slightly, but she didn’t wake up. I brought her hand to my lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles, my gut burning with anger and something else I didn’t want to name.

“Whoever did this is going to pay. I swear it.”

As I sat there, watching over her, my mind raced with possibilities. Whoever had done this, whoever thought they could get away with hurting Celeste, had no idea what hell I was about to unleash.