Page 75 of Their Reckless Thief (The Below #1)

Vivian continued, pointing to the layers of security that guarded the vault. “The illusions are a problem, but the real issue is getting through the bloodline lock.”

Alessandro nodded. “If it’s anything like the ones I’ve dealt with, there’s a small chance we can trick it with a replication. I’ll have to tailor it to their family’s specific resonance, but if we get it right, it should bypass the lock.”

Camilla looked from me to Vivian, a hint of seriousness setting into her expression. “And if it doesn’t work? What’s our backup plan?”

Vivian looked at me. “Celeste’s tech skills will be our failsafe. She can reroute their magical surveillance grid. That’ll give us a temporary opening to handle the lock by force if we have to.”

I nodded. “I’m gonna hope it doesn’t come to that, but I’ll be ready.”

Vivian’s expression held a hint of pride as she handed me a small, enchanted tablet. “You’ll need this to override the primary grid. It’s tuned to the stray family’s network, so use it carefully.”

“Got it.”

Dorian and Luca stepped into the chamber and assessed the scene.

Dorian eyed me. “This is your show, Celeste. You ready?”

Confidence surged through me, and I held his gaze. “More than ready.”

Vivian gestured for everyone to refocus on the plan.

“Alarms first. Celeste, once you’re at this junction”—she tapped a point on the hologram—“you’ll disrupt the primary magic grid here.

Luca, you’ll handle any guards they encounter.

Vincenzo will be up for the bloodline locks.

I’ll manage the final ward around the vault from headquarters. ”

A small smile tugged at my lips as I straightened my shoulders. Vivian’s faith in me fueled the fire I needed to face what lay ahead. I was stepping into the most challenging heist I’d ever taken on, but at least I wasn’t doing it halfway.

With one last sweep over the hologram and a final run-through of our plan, we adjourned the meeting. I was much more confident but also relieved that we still had several days to run through it again and uncover any possible missteps.

The midnight quiet of The Below had its own kind of allure, like an unspoken pact among the shadows that they would hold your secrets close if you dared to trust them.

Tonight, with everything hanging so precariously over my head, the shadows weren’t as suffocating as usual.

They felt still, somehow gentle. It was exactly the kind of night Vivian and I needed.

Vivian and I had made our own little haven with bottles of wine, an assortment of facial masks, and a spread of nail polish.

It was comically out of place in our newly chaotic lives.

One mention to Vincenzo about us needing a girls’ night, and he’d sent one of his staff members to get everything we needed from the human world.

It was a rare moment of calm and relaxation, but one we desperately needed.

“This,” Vivian declared, raising her glass with a smirk, “is officially my favorite night of the week. Hell, maybe my favorite night this year.”

I laughed, feeling lighter than I had in a while. “Agreed. As much as I love dodging incubi assassins and breaking into high-security vaults, there’s something about midnight facials that’s a little more satisfying.”

We clinked our glasses, both of us grinning like schoolgirls. She handed me a nail file and raised an eyebrow. “All right, what’s your color of choice tonight? Let me guess… red?”

I held up a bottle of dark crimson and winked. “Close enough.”

Vivian laughed and started painting her nails with a vibrant shade of emerald green. “Always so dramatic.”

“Well, I have a reputation to maintain,” I teased.

As I swirled the brush around in the bottle and applied the first layer, a calmness settled over me.

One stroke of polish at a time, one glass of wine after another.

It was a welcome distraction that softened the edges of my worries.

But even as I tried to fully lose myself in the comfort of it all, a part of me was restless because I had three men on my mind.

Vivian must have sensed my distraction. She tilted her head, eyes gleaming with curiosity. “All right, spill. I know that look.”

“What look?”

“The look that says, ‘I’m thinking about something complicated’ and definitely doesn’t involve nail polish,” she said, waving the brush at me before continuing to paint her nails. “If I had to guess, I’d say it has something to do with three men we know.”

My cheeks warmed, and I looked down, focusing too intently on perfecting the polish on my ring finger. “It’s… complicated.”

Vivian smirked. “Oh, don’t pull that bullshit with me. This is our time. I want details. Real ones.”

I sighed and shrugged. “Fine. Okay. So, you are familiar with my no-kissing rule.”

She nodded, taking another sip of her wine. “Yes, and I remember thinking it was adorable and completely doomed to fail the first time you told me about it.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Well… I’ve kept that rule. No kissing. But… I think I might be failing at something else.”

Vivian arched an eyebrow, looking at me over her glass. “Go on.”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, the words tumbling out. “I think I might be… Fuck. I’m falling for them. All of them. Hard.”

There. I’d said it out loud. It was both terrifying and a relief. Vivian didn’t seem surprised, though. She gave me a knowing smile, her expression softer than I’d expected.

“Celeste, why does that scare you so much?”

I laughed, though it sounded more like a sigh. “I mean, have you met me? Love isn’t exactly my area of expertise. And certainly not with three men at the same fucking time.”

“That’s not a reason. You survived a childhood that tried to crush you, you grew up faster than anyone should, and you’ve made it through shit that would’ve broken anyone else. Love doesn’t have to be a combat zone.”

I leaned back, resting my head on the armrest of the couch, and stared at the ceiling. “Maybe not for most people, but for me, it’s … a risk I can’t control. A risk that could ruin me. Everyone always wants something from me. Maybe they just think I’m a good fuck.”

She shook her head. “Celeste, just because you missed out on love before doesn’t mean you have to keep yourself from experiencing it now. You deserve love. You deserve all of it. And I’m sure they’ve enjoyed your… ahem… company , but I can see their affection for you goes much deeper than sex.”

A sharp pain sliced through me… some odd mix of longing and fear I couldn’t place. “But what if I don’t know how? What if I end up ruining it? What if they don’t want that with me? What if they just want what I can provide for them?”

“Celeste, I’ve seen the way each of them looks at you,” she said, putting her glass down. “I think they will be whatever you want them to be for you.”

I stifled the memories of them watching me, their hands reaching out, their voices whispering promises in the quiet. I was afraid to believe what they’ve shown me with their touches and their actions.

“Stop holding yourself back. You’re not that girl from your past anymore, and this isn’t a game you have to win alone.

All three those men want you, not just for the thrill, but for the person you are.

Trust me, I’ve seen enough to be sure of that.

They’re fighting for you in their own way. Let yourself be part of that.”

Her words settled into me, slowly, as if my soul was finally allowing itself to consider the possibility.

Could I really let myself be loved? Be seen in that way?

I took another sip of wine and let the thought linger.

More importantly, could Luca, Dorian, and Vincenzo truly love me for who I was, not for what they wanted me to be?

Vivian held up her glass again and grinned. “To taking chances?”

I laughed, clinking my glass with hers. “To taking chances.”

The conversation drifted to lighter things after that—old heists, hilarious mishaps from our past missions, even a ridiculous memory from a job where we’d both ended up escaping a security guard who’d taken one too many bribes from our target.

For a while, it felt like old times again.

Just the two of us, sisters by choice, the world outside our little bubble forgotten.

As the night wore on, a quiet understanding settled between us, as if my confession had unlocked something I hadn’t known was there. A part of me that was ready, despite everything, to risk the fall. To rely on someone besides myself and Vivian.

Vivian finished painting her nails, admiring the emerald green against her skin, and glanced over at me with a satisfied nod.

“You know, Celeste, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this life, it’s that we don’t always get to choose who or what changes us.

Sometimes, it just happens. And sometimes, it’s the best damn thing that could. ”

A quiet smile spread across my face as I looked at her, my spirit feeling a little lighter. “Thank you, Viv. For reminding me. And for teaching me how to love.”

“Anytime.” She winked, her tone playful. She pulled me into a hug, and I breathed her in. “Now, don’t die on me in this next heist.”

I snorted, raising my glass. “Deal.”

My pulse raced as I walked through the mansion’s silent halls, each step taking me closer to something I’d both longed for and feared.

This was it. The moment I let myself cross a line I’d drawn so fiercely, a line meant to protect me.

Yet here I was, in front of Dorian’s door, knowing that this choice would shift everything between us.

I slipped inside and paused. Moonlight filtered through the window, bathing him in a pale silver glow. In sleep, Dorian looked peaceful. No teasing grin, no easy laugh, just him. It was so achingly intimate, like I was witnessing a side of him meant only for me, a secret I wanted to keep.

I walked over, every nerve humming. Warmth flooded through me as I looked down at him. I didn’t dare break the silence, didn’t dare disturb this fragile, fleeting moment, but I wanted him to know I was there… I needed him to feel it as much as I did.

Without giving myself a moment to second-guess, I slipped under the sheets, the mattress dipping as I settled beside him.

His warmth surrounded me, and for a moment, all my fears faded.

I scooted closer, unable to keep myself from reaching out to touch his face.

My fingers brushed his cheek, his stubble rough against my fingers.

I leaned forward and pressed the softest kiss against his lips—a whisper of contact, but it was enough. Enough to wake him, to make his eyes flutter open, still hazy with sleep. For a breathless second, he looked at me, and a drowsy, slow smile spread across his face.

“Celeste?” he murmured, his voice thick with sleep. The sound of my name, spoken like that, sent a shiver through me. A feeling I hadn’t allowed myself to acknowledge rose in my chest, swelling until it was impossible to ignore.

“Hey.” I ran my fingers down his jaw, delighting in the warmth beneath my touch, a sense of rightness settling over me. I leaned in again, capturing his mouth in a kiss, this time letting myself get lost in it.

The moment he realized what I was doing, he pulled me closer until every inch of me was pressed against him.

His mouth responded to mine, sleepy at first, hesitant, but quickly deepening as the seconds passed.

I tasted his surprise, his quiet joy. His touch was gentle, unhurried, like he was trying to memorize the feel of me.

This kiss was a promise, a silent confession of everything I hadn’t allowed myself to say. I’d held myself back for so long, never allowing such intimacy, and now I was letting him in. The realization jolted me, equal parts thrilling and terrifying.

He drew back just enough to search my face, his fingers brushing against my cheek, his eyes tracing over me with such tenderness I felt a lump rise in my throat. “Not that I’m complaining,” he whispered, a smile tugging at his lips, “but to what do I owe this pleasure?”

I swallowed, my heart racing, barely able to hold his gaze. “I… I wanted to be here with you. No reason.” Even as I said it, I knew it was so much more than that. I needed him to know I was choosing this—choosing him.

The silence between us stretched, full of things we weren’t saying.

His eyes stayed on me, reading every ounce of emotion I couldn’t hide.

I felt vulnerable, stripped bare in a way that went far beyond the physical.

It made my pulse skip, and my breath catch.

I tried to push past the compulsion to say nothing—I needed to give voice to this feeling that was both exhilarating and terrifying—but the words wouldn’t come.

Instead, I pulled him close again, pressing my lips to his with a need that surprised me. His hand moved to the small of my back, tracing gentle circles as our kiss deepened. I could feel his heartbeat against my chest, anchoring me to this moment, to him.

Time gave the impression of slowing, each brush of our lips, each touch stretching endlessly.

In that slowness, everything shifted. This wasn’t about desire or proving something.

This was a release, a surrender. I was letting myself feel, letting myself be here, really be here, without the usual fears or defenses.

I was freeing myself of all the self-imposed restrictions I’d placed on myself.

Tearing down the walls around my heart I had spent so many years building.

He pulled back, his forehead resting against mine, his breathing as uneven as my own. He didn’t speak, didn’t push for more, didn’t even ask what had changed. He just held me close, stroking my back lazily. I knew he was waiting for me to take the next step, to let him in fully.

As I looked into his eyes, I felt something I hadn’t dared to believe was real—trust. I let my hand drift down to his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath my palm. This was different, significant. My soul rejoiced at this new sensation. When he smiled at me, I knew he felt it too.

He never asked or pushed for more, and as we lay there, curled up in each other’s arms, I knew he understood.

It wasn’t just a kiss. It was a beginning.