25. Theodore
25
THEODORE
I down the last of my whiskey, letting the burn settle in my chest before placing the glass aside. My phone screen still glows with Julian’s message.
I chuckle under my breath. Isabel is fucked.
The anticipation sends a tingle down my spine as I push off the bar and move through the crowd. Maxwell is somewhere nearby, probably taking his sweet time, but I’m not waiting.
The entrance to the Hall of Illusions looms before me. Just as I step forward, Maxwell appears at my side, his lips curling into smirk.
“ You ready, brother?” he asks, voice laced with amusement.
I nod and huff out a laugh, cracking my knuckles.
Without another word, we step inside.
The moment the doors close behind us, the atmosphere shifts. The music from the club is muffled now, replaced by silence and the echo of our own footsteps bouncing off the glass walls. The maze is lowly lit by bulbs overhead and the occasional pulse of neon casting distorted reflections along the endless corridors.
Isabel is in here somewhere.
We move in sync as we weave through the maze, our reflections multiplying with every turn. The way the mirrors bend and warp our figures is almost hypnotic, but we know better than to be fooled by the illusion.
“ Siren ,” I call out, my voice twisting around itself like a whisper in the dark.
Maxwell chuckles beside me. “ Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
The sound ricochets off the glass, making it impossible to tell where we actually are. The effect is disorienting.
A figure moves in the reflections ahead, and Julian appears from a corridor to the right, barely sparing a glance at the warped versions of himself in the glass.
“ She’s fast, but she’s not faster than us,” he murmurs.
Maxwell grins, adjusting his cufflinks like we’re about to walk into a business deal instead of cornering a runaway. “ Poor thing must be terrified.”
I chuckle under my breath. “ Good .”
We move as a unit, falling into step with each other as we maneuver through the passageways.
“ You ran from Julian , but now, you have all three of us to deal with,” Maxwell taunts.
A soft gasp. A hurried shuffle.
I turn my head just in time to see movement in the mirrors. A sliver of dark fabric disappears around the corner.
I smirk.
Game over, Siren .
“ Over there,” I whisper.
The glass walls reflect every angle of us, making it feel like there are a hundred different versions closing in on Isabel . I can hear her now. The sound of her heels tapping against the floor picks up speed, the soft rush of her movements only getting louder as she panics.
“ You’ve got nowhere to hide,” Maxwell’s teases.
We follow the sound, weaving between mirrors and disorienting reflections of ourselves. For a moment, I wonder if she’s already slipped through a door we missed, but then I hear a sharp intake of breath followed by the distinct thud of her back hitting the glass wall.
“ Found you.”
I round the corner just in time to see her, eyes wide and filled with fear. She’s breathing heavy, her hands gripping her dress. Her gaze dances between the three of us, her face pale under the flickering lights. She knows she’s trapped.
I step forward, watching her flinch as my reflection mirrors my every move.
“ You should’ve stayed where you were safe,” I say. She doesn’t answer, her lips trembling as she tries to hold herself steady.
Maxwell steps in next to me, the smirk on his lips almost cruel as he looks at Isabel .
Her eyes dart around, looking for any exit, but we’re too close now.
Her hands fly up, slapping at the air in desperate attempts to shove us away. She’s frantic, backing up against the wall, her chest heaving with panic.
I step toward her, keeping my distance just enough to toy with her. I want to see her struggle, to see that defiance in her eyes before it’s finally crushed.
“ You think you can fight us?” I murmur, watching the quick rise and fall of her chest. Her eyes flash with something reckless, but she doesn’t get the chance to act.
From my pocket, I pull out a cloth, soft and soaked with a liquid that will do exactly what I need. I press it against Isabel’s nose, my fingers wrapping around her face to hold her still.
Isabel’s eyes widen, and for a split second, she struggles—her hands clawing at my wrist, her feet kicking against the ground, trying to push me away. But I’m firm, not giving her an inch.
Her gasps grow weaker, her body rigid, and for a moment, I think she’s going to fight it longer, that maybe she has more fight in her than I anticipated. Then , her eyelids flutter, and before she can get another breath in, she slumps into me.
Maxwell steps forward, his eyes flashing with approval.
I steady Isabel in my arms, the weight of her now almost dead in my hold.
“ Let’s get her out of here,” Julian says, satisfied.
We’ve done it, and now, we can take her back to where she belongs.
Maxwell eyes the unconscious form in my arms. “ She’s not going anywhere this time.”