Page 65 of Their Reckless Thief (The Below #1)

CELESTE

We crept down to the basement where the vault was hidden.

My heart pounded so loud it drowned out all sound.

I’d never done a job where the stakes were so high.

Every step we took felt like we were on borrowed time.

I half expected Ciro himself to appear before us, claiming he’d changed his mind and siccing his wraiths on us.

“Keep an eye out,” I whispered, my mind already running through possible scenarios in case things went south. “I don’t trust this place.”

In our earpieces, Vivian’s voice was a constant whisper of instructions and warnings. We were relying on her as much as we were relying on each other. “Everything’s running smoothly so far. But remember, this is only half the battle. Expect barriers ahead.”

The auction hall above faded into the distance as we descended a flight of stone steps into the bowels of the building. The deeper we went, the colder it got. Unnaturally cold. It was the kind of cold that came with powerful magic or the presence of the undead.

“We’re getting close,” Luca said. His shadows flared to life at his fingertips, forming inky tendrils that slithered through the mist like dark lanterns, illuminating the twisted path before us.

As we descended farther, I could feel the attention of the wraiths on us.

Their hollow, lifeless eyes lurked just beyond the shadows.

Ghostly forms slipped in and out of the mist, some barely more than whispers of darkness, while others were solid enough for me to catch glimpses of.

Ciro had probably instructed them to watch us.

Vincenzo stayed close behind Luca, his broad shoulders tense, ready to strike at any threat. Dorian hovered near me as his gaze darted around, watching for any sign of trouble. They were all on high alert, ready to defend me at a moment’s notice.

We reached the vault at the end of the hall. It was massive and imposing, the dark iron door etched with glowing, eerie runes that pulsated faintly with magic. The whole thing whirred with an ancient energy, as if daring anyone to try and breach it. I took a breath, steeling myself.

This was it.

“Vivian, we’re at the vault,” I said, stepping forward to examine the seals. The atmosphere around them crackled with energy that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. “How do I disable it?”

“That vault is warded with high-level fae magic,” Vivian’s voice crackled in my ear, steady and composed as always. “Luca can handle the magical components, but you’ll need to bypass the alarms and triggers using your tech. You’ve got about three minutes before the system resets.”

“Understood,” I muttered.

Vincenzo nodded at Luca. His shadows flared again, swirling around the vault door like living tendrils.

As the shadows made contact with the glowing runes, the intricate web of magic began to unravel.

The runes dimmed, the light ebbing like a dying flame.

Luca’s power was raw, dark, and precise.

I loved watching him work, but this was my moment.

My fingers flew over the control pad I had hacked into, syncing my tech with the magical defense system.

The magic was complicated, ancient, and dangerous, but tech had its own kind of magic, and I was good at this.

My psychic ability provided me with subtle nudges, warning me of potential missteps as I worked through the layers of security.

If I focused hard enough, I could see myself pressing the wrong combination, but each vision was murky, not clear enough to rely on completely. My tech knowledge was my guide. For the first time in a long while, I silently thanked Roberto for my training.

Dorian constantly scanned the mist, his hand never far from the blade at his side, while Vincenzo stood just behind me, his presence a steadying force.

I knew they were all watching my back, trusting me to get this right.

For once, I wasn’t just a thief, I was the deciding factor in a succession of events necessary to defeat The Shadow.

I pushed the thought aside, focusing on the task at hand.

“Almost there,” I whispered, sweat beading on my forehead as I worked through the last of the system’s defenses.

I could sense the pulse of magic draining as I disconnected each ward, carefully disabling the alarm that would have brought every creature in this cursed place down on us in seconds.

“Two minutes,” Vivian warned through the earpiece.

Luca’s shadows pulsed, creating a final barrier between us and the wraiths that lingered just beyond the hall. The creatures were agitated now, sensing the disruption of their sacred space. Their hollow stares followed our every move, but they stayed back, for now.

The final lock clicked open, and the door to the vault creaked as it swung outward, revealing a chamber lined with treasure and ancient artifacts.

But we weren’t here for treasure.

At the far end of the room, resting on a pedestal, was the key we had come for. Small and unassuming, it radiated power. That very thing would get us one step closer to the Mirror of Truths.

“Dorian,” I said, not needing to say more.

He was already moving, slipping past the others with his usual grace and speed. In seconds, the key was in his hand, and we turned to leave, but that’s when things went wrong.

A loud crash echoed through the vault, followed by the low, guttural growl of something ancient and evil. I spun around in time to watch a group of incubi emerging from the shadows, their skeletal forms materializing out of the mist like nightmares made flesh.

“Incubi,” Luca hissed, his shadows surging forward defensively.

“They’re blocking the exit,” Dorian said as he drew his blade. “We’ve got no choice but to charge straight at them.”

“Vivian,” I whispered urgently. “How do we get out?”

The incubi were closing in, their eyes glowing with hunger, their hands outstretched toward us. Their very presence sapped the energy from the room, making it harder to focus, harder to breathe. These weren’t just undead - they were predators, feeding on fear and life itself.

“We can’t fight them head-on,” I muttered, thinking fast. “Luca, keep them distracted. Dorian, stay close to me.”

The men didn’t question me. They moved into action, trusting my judgment for the first time.

I was in the zone now, my mind racing through possibilities and calculating our chance of survival.

Luca’s shadows surged forward, creating a wall between us and the incubi, slowing their advance.

I glanced at him. His face was strained as he used his magic to protect us.

He was powerful, but even he couldn’t hold them off forever.

“Vivian, I need an escape route. Now.”

“Go back the way you came,” Vivian replied, her voice sharp. “I’ll guide you through the side passages. You need to move fast.”

“Let’s go,” I barked, taking the lead.

Dorian shifted and stayed at my side, fighting off every entity he came across, viciously protecting me at all costs. Vincenzo covered the rear as we sprinted through the narrow halls, the incubi hot on our heels.

It was chaos. Shadows and undead lunged from every corner, and the cold air bit at my skin. We moved as a team, in sync, each of us playing our part. I had never felt more alive. More terrified.

The first incubus lunged, moving faster than I expected. Luca reacted immediately, his shadows surging forward to block the attack, but more were coming, and they wouldn’t stop.

“We need a plan, now,” Vincenzo growled, pulling his blade from his side. “I’ll hold them off. Get Celeste and the key out.”

“No,” I snapped, adrenaline rushing through me. “We don’t split up. Follow me.”

I didn’t wait for an argument. My instincts kicked in, and I moved quickly toward the side of the room where a set of controls was built into the wall. If I could hack the system, I could create a diversion.

“Vincenzo, Dorian, keep them off us for a minute,” I ordered, my fingers already flying over the controls.

Surprisingly, they listened. Vincenzo and Dorian moved in sync, using a combination of brute strength and speed to take on the incubi. Luca was beside me, his shadows shielding us from stray attacks as I hacked the system.

“You’ve got this, Celeste. Be careful,” Vivian encouraged, and her voice was like a lifeline in the chaos.

With a final command, I activated the system, setting off a chain reaction of security protocols that caused the entire vault to shake. Alarms blared, but I had rerouted the energy to confuse the incubi. For a brief moment, they were disoriented.

“Now,” I shouted, making a run for the exit.

The others followed. The incubi recovered quickly, but we had a head start. We raced through the narrow halls, the wraiths in the shadows watching but not intervening.

The hallway stretched out before us, an unsettling, pale light illuminating it.

The walls on either side were made of thick glass, warped and foggy, concealing strange shadows that moved behind them—shadows that seemed alive, twisting and shifting in the corners of my vision.

I couldn’t make out what was behind them, but whatever it was, it didn’t feel right.

It was something dark and oppressive, something I didn’t want any part of.

Luca, Dorian, and Vincenzo moved in tandem, always alert, their footsteps echoing on the cold stone beneath us. I stayed close, focused, but my heart felt like it would explode. We were almost there. I could feel it. This hallway had to be one of the final obstacles.

“Keep your eyes off the walls,” Luca shouted, his shadows swirling around his hands.

Luca might as well have told me not to press the big fat button in the middle of the control panel.

As soon as he brought attention to the glass walls, my gaze flicked to one of the shadows, and for a split second, I could have sworn I saw something move—a twisted face, hollow eyes, something darker than the wraiths we had encountered before. It vanished as quickly as it appeared.

“Almost there,” I whispered, my voice shaky as I glanced at the men and the wolf beside me.

Just as the words left my lips, the atmosphere around us began to ripple.

I sensed the energy shift, like something dark had come alive around us.

Before I could react, something cold and strong wrapped around my ankle.

I screamed as I was yanked off my feet and thrown backward, the world spinning as I crashed through one of the glass walls with a deafening shatter.

Glass shards exploded around me, biting into my skin as I hit the ground. Pain shot through my body, but I barely had time to register it before an incubus, its form half-shadow, half-decayed flesh, loomed over me, eyes glowing with malevolent hunger.

“Celeste!” Luca’s voice rang out, but I was too disoriented to respond. The incubus reached for me again, but Luca’s shadows lashed out, cutting through the space like blades, forcing the creature back. “Get the fuck off her!”

“Get her out of here,” Vincenzo barked, already moving to take down the oncoming onslaught of spirit reapers and incubi. Dorian was by his side in wolf form, their combined strength keeping the wave of darkness at bay.

I was still trying to push myself up when Luca swooped down and scooped me into his arms. I struggled against him, which only pushed the glass deeper into my skin.

“No! I’m fine. Put me down!” But Luca’s grip was firm, unyielding. “I need to help them!”

“You’re not fine,” Luca growled, his tone leaving no room for argument. “You’re too vulnerable here. We need to get you out. Now.”

“Vivian, what’s going on? I can’t leave them behind!”

“Luca’s right, Celeste. You can’t stay. I’ll keep you updated on the others, but right now, you’re too vulnerable. Let him get you out of there.”

Vivian gave me a play-by-play, but as much as I tried to focus, all I could think about was the searing pain radiating throughout my entire body. Dorian and Vincenzo were fighting with a fierceness that made my body tighten with fear. I had wanted to stay, to fight with them.

They could handle it. I had to trust that. I rested my head on Luca’s strong chest and tried to ignore the pain, the fear in my gut.

He turned and sprinted down another corridor, his shadows swirling around us like a protective cocoon cutting through the mist and magic that clung to the air.

I was still in shock from the impact of the fall, the glass biting into my skin with every movement, but Luca moved with precision and purpose.

His grip was secure, and despite the chaos surrounding us, I felt oddly safe in his arms.

We reached the outer edge of the auction hall’s wards, and the moment we crossed the invisible barrier, I felt the oppressive magic lift.

“Hold on,” Luca whispered, his breath hot against my ear. His arms tightened around me, and before I could ask what he meant, the world around me shifted.

It was as if we were sucked through a vortex. One moment, we were in the Wraith territory, surrounded by mist and shadows, and the next, the oxygen thinned, and I felt like I was being torn through space.

Luca’s grip never faltered, but my stomach lurched, my vision blurring as everything around us twisted and bent in on itself. The sensation was terrifying… like being caught in the pull of a storm, weightless and out of control.

Then, just as quickly as it started, it stopped.

We landed with a soft thud on solid ground, the world snapping back into focus. We were in Vincenzo’s mansion. I felt weak, and my mind struggled to catch up with what had just happened. Veilstepping was like being thrust through dimensions.

“Come on,” Luca urged, his voice tight but controlled. He was still holding me. “You’re hurt.”

The adrenaline dulled my senses, but Luca moved with urgency. He carried me to a small, sterile room tucked away in the mansion, clearly set up for emergencies like this. Medical supplies lined the walls, and a simple bed sat in the center.

He set me down with a gentleness that would’ve given me butterflies if I wasn’t in so much pain.