Page 86 of Their Reckless Thief (The Below #1)

CELESTE

Night after night, I could feel The Shadow’s mark tightening its grip, burrowing deeper under my skin like a slow, crawling sickness.

The dark lines had begun to creep toward my neck.

It wasn’t just the markings that bothered me; it was the idea of him, lingering on my skin, a constant, suffocating reminder that I couldn’t escape.

I sat cross-legged on my bed and stared at the trashy reality show playing on the screen.

Dorian had set up the TV on my dresser, so I’d have a distraction at night to help me fall asleep.

I hoped the absurdity of the show would keep me distracted.

It worked for a while, long enough to make me feel slightly less on edge, but then my exhaustion grew heavier, tugging at my eyelids as I struggled to keep them open.

I’d been too afraid to sleep, terrified of what waited in the darkness when I closed my eyes.

Panic surged through me, but I couldn’t fight it any longer.

I drifted off, my defenses slipping as I sank into restless slumber.

The nightmare was vivid, sharper than reality. I was somewhere dark, the air thick and stifling, pressing in from all sides. Shadows twisted around me, and though I couldn’t see a clear figure, I felt his presence.

The Shadow, an all-consuming mass of dark mist, a suffocating void that swallowed everything it touched. He moved with a terrible, graceful silence, inching closer, until he was on me, surrounding me like a fog that blocked out all light.

An unknown force pinned me in place, and I couldn’t breathe. His shadowy form loomed over me, shifting and swirling, tendrils of darkness sinking into my body like poison. I opened my mouth to scream, but the void swallowed all sound.

“This is what you deserve.” The whisper was low and venomous, echoing through the impenetrable darkness. “You never should have come here. You never should’ve dragged yourself into The Below, into their lives.”

I fought against him, clawing at the shadows with every ounce of strength I had, but it was useless.

My fists passed through him as if he were nothing but smoke, leaving me feeling weak and insignificant.

Panic bloomed in me, a twisting dread that knotted around my ribs and made it harder to breathe.

“You’ll bring nothing but ruin, Celeste,” he hissed, his voice a dark promise that clawed at my mind. “You’re the thread that will unravel them, and I’ll make sure they recognize you for what you are. Nothing but a mistake.”

The words slashed through me, brutal and searing.

They struck every insecurity I’d buried, every doubt I’d tried to ignore.

When The Shadow leaned closer, his face came into focus—a nightmarish blur of anger and malice.

He wrapped his hand around my throat and squeezed.

My lungs burned as I fought to breathe, my vision blurring at the edges.

I jolted awake, gasping for breath, clutching at my throat as if his touch had left a physical bruise. Cold sweat covered my skin as I struggled to shake the lingering terror.

“Luca…” I croaked. Panic clawed at me. I could still feel The Shadow’s grip on my skin, raw and vivid. “Luca!”

Within seconds, the door flew open, and he rushed in. His eyes were frantic as he took in the sight of me, trembling and gasping, clutching the sheets around me like they could shield me from the world’s terrors.

“Celeste, I’m so sorry. I thought you were sleeping peacefully. I only stepped out for a minute.”

I shook my head and reached for him. “It’s… it’s not your fault. I just… I can’t shake it. He’s there, Luca. The Shadow. He’s everywhere.”

Luca pulled me into him and stroked my head with a gentleness that contradicted his usually guarded demeanor. “I’m here. He can’t reach you, not while I’m here.”

The fear remained, though, as did the feeling of The Shadow’s grip around my throat.

I clung to Luca, desperate for any sense of comfort, anything to push away the dark residue The Shadow had left behind.

As he held me, his arms steady around me, I felt safe enough to let the fear fade away piece by piece.

I had hoped I could get a moment’s peace, a sliver of normalcy, after the nightmare, but Luca called me down to Vincenzo’s office. When I walked in, I saw the strain on his face, the way his hands flexed at his sides like he was barely keeping himself together.

The tension in the room was pervasive as I took a seat, and Dorian immediately stepped closer to me, placing his hand on my shoulder. Luca’s face was as rigid as marble, but I could see the regret beneath the intensity in his gaze.

“I didn’t want to bring you into this without warning, Celeste, but you deserve to know exactly what’s happening.”

I swallowed. “Tell me, Luca. I need to know.”

He nodded, exhaling as if he could release whatever anguish was building inside.

“The mark… I’m afraid it’s more than just a tracking curse,” he said slowly, glancing at the dark markings staining my skin.

“After your nightmare, I believe it’s designed to torment you, to sink into your mind until he controls every part of you.

Physically, you’ll be unharmed, but mentally…

The Shadow will use this magic to chip away at who you are. ”

Dorian’s grip tightened on my shoulder, and I felt his rage rippling through his frame. Vincenzo, however, was anything but silent. He whirled around and slammed his fist into the wall, the force shaking the whole room. Dust fell from the splintered drywall, like pieces of his fury made visible.

“Damn him,” Vincenzo growled, his eyes blazing. “Damn him for putting this on you.”

The shock of his anger froze me, but beneath it was a rage born from fear, from knowing he was watching me suffer and feeling powerless to stop it. It made me feel cared for. Vincenzo was unhinged, as if the mere thought of me being hurt like this was unbearable.

Dorian turned me toward him, his expression filled with a fierce protectiveness I could feel in every inch of his body. “I’m not letting him win, love,” he promised, his eyes overflowing with warmth. “I don’t care what we have to do.”

Luca stood to the side, his gaze unflinching as he watched me, as if trying to memorize every piece of me before the darkness could take over.

It held such ferocity I couldn’t quite meet his gaze without the risk of breaking apart.

At the same time, it held such assurance that I couldn’t look away.

They all cared for me so deeply, in ways that went beyond words, beyond any promises they’d made.

They were here, each one willing to protect me at any cost. I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around that.

“I hate this,” I said quietly, the shame coating every word. “I hate that I’m putting you all through this and burdening you. Complicating your lives.”

Dorian cupped my cheek, his touch gentle as he guided my gaze back to his. “Celeste, you are not a burden. You’re ours.”

Vincenzo turned, fury still simmering in his eyes, but when he looked at me, it softened into something raw and unguarded. “We’ll handle this. There’s no other way.”

Luca inclined his head, and I saw the conviction in his gaze, the absolute commitment. He wouldn’t leave me alone, even if he had to shadow my every step.

“Come on, love,” Dorian said. “Let’s get you back to bed.”

I nodded, the exhaustion seeping back into my bones. This constant parade of fear, pain, and now the threat of what this mark could do was too much. I wanted so badly just to rest, to be held, to feel safe, even if it was just an illusion.

Once we reached my room, Dorian tucked the blankets around me, then brushed an eyelash from my face. The tenderness in his touch was almost too much, and need vibrated through my core.

“Stay with me, Dorian. Please.”

Dorian nodded and got into bed beside me, his body a warm, solid presence that calmed the chaos in my thoughts. He wrapped his large arms around me, drawing me close. It felt like he could ward off the darkness simply by being near, and finally, the terror that had gripped me began to fade.

Dorian pressed a kiss to my forehead. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

I allowed myself to sink into his embrace, to let his warmth shield me from the nightmares clawing at the edges of my mind. I clung to him, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart, letting it guide me back to a place where, at least for tonight, I could believe I was safe.

Another nightmare had pulled me so deep, tangled me so completely, that when I finally awoke, I could barely tell where it ended, and the real world began.

My screams echoed in the stillness, tearing through the quiet night like jagged glass, until strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me close, grounding me.

“Celeste, I’m here,” Dorian murmured. He switched on the lamp, and the soft light banished the last shadows of my nightmare. I was still gasping, struggling to pull oxygen into my lungs, my pulse racing as though I’d run a marathon.

“Shh, I’ve got you,” he whispered, tucking my head under his chin. His warmth flowed into me, bit by bit, pushing back the icy grip of fear still clinging to my bones. “You’re safe, love. You’re safe.”

Gradually, my breaths began to slow, matching his, and my vision cleared enough that, when I looked up, I could see his face properly. His gaze was soft and patient, the kind of steady calm I desperately needed.

“Thank you.”

He brushed a thumb over my cheek, wiping away a tear I hadn’t even realized was there. “Nightmares are brutal, but they can’t touch you when you’re awake. You’re stronger than them, love.”

I let out a shaky breath, my heart still beating too fast. “I don’t feel strong right now. I feel like I’m losing control of everything. And I really want a hit of Phantomine.”

“You’re not losing control, babe. Not while I’m here. In fact, I think it’s time I tell you a story.”

“A story?”

He nodded, a gentle smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Whenever I had nightmares as a kid, my parents would tell me this story. It’s about a prince and princess who ruled over nature.

” He leaned back against the pillows. “They were connected to the world around them—trees, rivers, flowers—everything that grew under the sun was theirs to protect. They loved it all fiercely, but there was something special about the trees. They could feel every breath of wind, every pulse of life in the forest.”

I relaxed against him, letting his words paint the world he described. I could almost see the tall, ancient trees reaching toward the sky. It was so different from the dark, tangled web of my dreams.

“But one day, something dark entered their kingdom,” Dorian continued. “Something twisted and full of malice. It threatened to destroy everything they held dear, to turn the forest into nothing but ash and ruin.”

He paused, looking down at me, and for a moment, I felt as if he were letting me glimpse a raw and untouched part of himself.

“Did they survive?” I asked.

He smiled gently. “Yes. Their connection to nature was their greatest strength. When the darkness came, the prince and princess reached out to the roots of the trees, to everything they were tied to, and that gave them power. The trees protected them, surrounded them in a barrier of strength and life that nothing dark could break through. The darkness tried to consume them, but it couldn’t touch them because they were too deeply connected to something pure. ”

Quiet fell between us as I absorbed the story, letting it settle into the places the nightmare had touched. The idea of such peace, of a connection so deep it could keep even the darkest shadows at bay, was almost painfully beautiful.

“That sounds perfect. To be tied to something so meaningful, something unbreakable.”

Dorian looked at me, and the warmth and strength in his eyes nearly took my breath away. “I have that peace,” he said, tucking my hair behind my ear. “Because I have you, Celeste. And I hope my love for you will anchor you.”

The raw honesty in his voice made me ache with a feeling I was unfamiliar with.

Until this moment. His words wrapped around me like a promise, and for the first time, I felt as though maybe I was someone’s strength, too.

I didn’t have to face the nightmares alone.

He would be here, ready to stand beside me, ready to face whatever came next.

And somehow, that was enough to keep the darkness at bay, at least for tonight.