Page 85 of Their Reckless Thief (The Below #1)

CELESTE

A few days had passed since that harrowing detox from the Phantomine. All three men had made sure I had someone by my side at all times, and I was slowly starting to feel human again.

I’d insisted that Luca take a break from sitting by my side while I took a shower.

The hot water poured over me, soothing my tight muscles as it washed away the stress and grime of the day.

I closed my eyes, grounding myself in the silence, in the simple sensation of warmth.

It was a rare, quiet moment, and I wished it could last.

As I reached for the soap, I saw a black smudge on my hand. A leftover mark from helping Vivian with heist planning earlier, I thought absently. I rubbed at it with the loofah, but the blackness didn’t budge. If anything, it darkened, pooling across my skin like fresh ink.

I pressed harder, scrubbing the spot with a sudden intensity, but the mark didn’t fade.

Instead, the ink bloomed, unfurling like tendrils of smoke spreading across my palm and creeping up my arm.

My stomach tightened as the dark shapes twisted and spread, coiling along my skin with a life of their own.

Each swirl and line was too perfect, too intricate to be accidental.

“What the hell?” I whispered, a tremor of panic winding its way into my voice. I pressed my fingers into my flesh, hoping somehow to wipe it clean, but the ink merely climbed higher, curling over my wrist and up my forearm to my shoulder, as if it were claiming me inch by inch.

A prickling fear coursed through me, a searing cold that pulsed beneath the surface of my skin.

It was as though I could feel the markings in my veins, an icy burn that left my entire arm tingling.

No matter how hard I scrubbed, the ink continued to spread, deliberate and unstoppable, curling up toward my neck, closer to my heart with every second.

Panic gripped me in full as I stumbled back, hitting the cold tile wall. My breath came in shallow bursts, the reality of the marks clawing at my mind as I watched, helpless, while the ink kept slithering upward.

In a frantic daze, I stumbled out of the shower and grabbed my robe, barely registering the soft fabric as I yanked it over my damp skin and wrapped it tightly around me, desperate for some sense of protection against the impossible thing marking me.

I didn’t pause to think as I bolted out of the bathroom and ran toward Vincenzo’s room.

He’d know what to do .

I burst in without knocking. “Vincenzo, something’s wrong.”

He was out of his seat and at my side in an instant, his eyes narrowing at the sight of me. “What happened?” His gaze followed my trembling hand as I pulled back the robe to reveal the dark, twisting marks snaking over my skin, spiraling up my arm like tendrils of smoke.

“I don’t know, but it won’t come off—” The sight of it was horrifying. It wasn’t stopping. “It keeps spreading.”

He didn’t answer, but the tension in his gaze sharpened.

Vincenzo raised his hand, and before I could take a step back, he cupped my arm gently, his fingers brushing over the marks.

His face tightened, and he let out a string of curses, pulling out his phone and calling Dorian and Luca.

The desperation in his voice was as unsettling as the marks crawling up my skin.

A knock on the door announced Vivian’s arrival. She poked her head in, concern etched on her face. “What’s going on? Is everything all right?”

I thrust my arm toward her, the markings shimmering in the faint light. “This blackness is spreading up my arm. It won’t stop.”

Vivian’s eyes narrowed as she stepped closer, but her brow furrowed in confusion. “Celeste, what are you talking about? I don’t see anything.”

The blood drained from my face as I looked down at my arm. The marks twisted and pulsed as if mocking me. “What do you mean you can’t see it?” My voice cracked, panic clawing its way to the surface. “Don’t you see these damn black markings twisting up my arm?”

Her face went pale, and she took a step back, looking between me and Vincenzo, as if unsure who to believe. “Celeste… there’s nothing there.”

Luca entered then, his gaze flicking between us until it settled on me, taking in the panic on my face, then flicking to the marks on my arm. His expression darkened as he stepped forward. He knew. He recognized it.

“Celeste, it’s a marking from The Shadow. It’s only visible to supernatural beings and those who bear the mark.”

The realization dawned like a thunderclap. Only supernatural beings.

“What is this?” I asked, looking between Luca and Vincenzo. “What did he do to me?”

“It’s a shadow mark,” Luca explained, his gaze darkening as he traced the black marks with a finger, careful not to touch me directly. “A curse—a tracking beacon. The Shadow can locate you anywhere. It’s how he finds his targets, keeps his eyes on them without ever having to be there himself.”

The Shadow had marked me. He could find me anywhere. The horror of it twisted deep, my stomach churning with the knowledge that he could now watch my every move.

Vincenzo clenched his fists, his face a mask of fury. “He’s using you as a pawn. Marking you like cattle.”

The marks pulsed as if to remind me of the control The Shadow now held over me. Every time I looked at them, the reality hit harder, like a noose tightening around my neck. I wanted to scream, to burn it off, but I knew there was nothing I could do.

A spark of raw, controlled rage lit in Vincenzo’s eyes as he turned to Luca and Dorian. “We’re going to end this. He thinks he can control her? He has no fucking idea what kind of hell he’s playing with.”

I met Vincenzo’s eyes, feeling a strange mix of fear and comfort. He’d protect me. He’d find a way to undo this. For now, though, all I could do was hold on to the belief that they’d figure out how to stop The Shadow before it was too late.

Alessandro’s arrival in the office felt like an ominous extension of the tension already clawing at the edges of the room.

He walked in, face hard, holding an envelope between two fingers as if it had been doused in poison.

A shiver crept down my spine, and my gut twisted as he extended it to Vincenzo.

“This was left at the front door,” Alessandro said, his voice laced with barely contained fury. “No one saw who delivered it.”

Fire flashed in Vincenzo’s eyes as he grabbed the envelope and tore it open. He barely blinked as he scanned the contents, his face a controlled mask, but I knew him well enough now to sense the storm brewing beneath the surface.

“What does it say?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

Without a word, he handed the letter to me. The Shadow’s handwriting was elegant but cold, each stroke of the pen as sharp and calculating as the man who’d sent it.

Vincenzo,

It seems our paths have crossed in more ways than one. I hear you’ve been meddling in the Wraith territory. A black-market auction? A little below your usual pursuits, don’t you think? And yet, here you are, sniffing around where you don’t belong.

As for your message… consider it received. Roderick’s little mishap was both entertaining and informative. I suppose I underestimated how far you’d go to protect what’s yours, though your efforts are a touch misplaced.

Let me be clear, Vincenzo. You keep pressing, and Celeste becomes my territory.

My mark on her is only the beginning. If you don’t back off, I’ll ensure that it grows stronger, that it drains her.

Slowly, perhaps. Painfully, certainly. I will reach her wherever she is, no matter how well you think you’re guarding her.

Keep playing this game, and I promise it will be her undoing.

The Shadow

My hand shook as I lowered the letter. Vincenzo watched me, his gaze darting between the letter and my face.

“I’ll fucking kill him,” he growled.

I couldn’t let The Shadow’s threats and sick games control us. No one could be allowed that kind of power over me—not him, not anyone.

“We’re not stopping,” I said coldly. “I won’t let him dictate our moves. The heist has to go forward.”

Vincenzo frowned, clearly torn between protecting me and maintaining the advantage. “Celeste, he’s not bluffing. This mark… He’s going to drain you if we keep pushing.”

“That’s why we need the Mirror of Truths,” I insisted, lifting my arm where the dark lines coiled and shifted against my skin.

“We need it now more than ever. If we can see through his illusions, we’ll have a chance to stay ahead of him.

This game he’s playing? It’s about power and control.

I fucking refuse to let him have either.

We have to keep moving forward as planned. There’s no other way.”

Dorian and Luca exchanged a look, both of them bristling with a shared, silent determination. Vincenzo finally nodded, though I could see the wariness in his eyes, the struggle of protecting me versus allowing me to take these risks and make my own decisions.

“This means we go all in,” he said. “If we’re going to confront him head-on, we can’t make a single mistake.

We’ll get the mirror, but after that, you’re staying close, Celeste.

No wandering off on your own, no taking unnecessary risks.

You’re under our protection. We can’t risk The Shadow doing more harm to you. Understood?”

I met his gaze, my heart pounding with equal parts fear and resolve. “Understood.”

I wouldn’t let The Shadow control me. I couldn’t afford to be a pawn in his game. This heist, this mission, was about taking back power, about making sure The Shadow knew exactly who he was dealing with. And I would see it through, no matter the cost.

We gathered around the table, discussing the plan. Shadows played over Vincenzo’s expression, and every so often, his gaze drifted toward me, the look in his eyes raw and unfiltered. It was only ever a flash before he quickly covered it.

Luca sat beside me, a fierce promise woven into his gaze. Dorian’s arms were folded, but he’d moved his chair closer to mine, the casual shift in his posture betraying a readiness to intervene, a tangible line of support I hadn’t realized I needed so much until now.

It was Vincenzo who broke the silence, his voice carrying a strong command that settled into my bones, soothing yet unyielding.

“This mark on Celeste changes everything. She can’t be out of our sight.

Not for a single moment.” He turned to Luca.

“I want you with her at all times. Sleep in her room, tail her everywhere. You’re the best suited to keep her safe. ”

When Luca’s fierce eyes met my gaze, my pulse quickened. It reminded me of the night he’d been there when I was at my most vulnerable. I saw the same determination now, maybe even stronger. I could rely on him.

“I won’t leave her side,” he said softly, a resolve in his voice that was both reassuring and deeply unsettling. There was no place in his declaration for hesitation or doubt.

A tremor ran through me. “It feels like I’m disappearing…

like The Shadow’s already pulling me apart by taking away my freedom and my independence.

” I hated how weak I sounded, but I couldn’t push the words down, couldn’t stop the fear clawing at my mind.

The weight of The Shadow’s mark was something I could feel now, every line of it a constant, cold reminder that my life was no longer mine alone.

Dorian put his arms around my shoulder and drew me close.

He pulled me gently onto his lap, his body heat a shield against the fear sinking into me.

“Hey,” he murmured as he cradled my head, his fingers weaving gently through my hair.

“You’re not alone in this. We’re all here.

We’ll fight him together.” He kissed me softly.

The words—the kiss—touched the well of vulnerability I’d tried so hard to keep hidden. Tears pricked my eyes, and before I knew it, they were spilling over.

Luca and Vincenzo exchanged a glance, and in the next moment, they were both beside me, flanking me with their presence, a wall of strength I hadn’t known I needed until now.

Luca’s hand found mine, his touch warm and grounding, his thumb tracing small circles against my knuckles, each motion gentle but reassuring.

“He may think he has control over you, but he doesn’t.

You’re stronger than him, Celeste. In all the ways that matter.

And together, we’re stronger than any shit he could send our way. ”

Vincenzo brushed a tear off my cheek, the roughness of his hand contrasting with the gentleness of the gesture.

“I don’t care what he thinks he can do,” he said gently, his voice steady but threaded with something softer, something vulnerable that I rarely heard.

“This ends on our terms, not his. Understand?”

I nodded, my throat tight. The silent assurance in each of their expressions offered an anchor, a tether to something real.

It was overwhelming how their presence eased the fear inch by inch, calming me in a way Phantomine never had.

There was a strength in this unity, a sense of safety that was more substantial, more real than anything I’d clung to before.

Dorian shifted, pulling me closer, pressing a soft kiss to my temple. “Breathe, Celeste. We’ve got you.”

Slowly, the panic receded, their touch chasing away the lingering fear.

The three of them surrounded me, weaving a sense of safety that somehow made the mark less suffocating.

The Shadow might think he had power over me, but he couldn’t touch what I had with them.

He couldn’t take away the strength they lent me or the fact that they held me together when I felt like I was falling apart.

The air between us thickened, charged with an understanding that was deeper than words.

For the first time since the mark had appeared, I felt the faint stirrings of hope, a spark that The Shadow’s hold wasn’t as absolute as he wanted me to believe.

Here, with them around me, with every whispered reassurance, every steadying touch, I was reminded of something more powerful than any curse or mark.

I wasn’t alone.