Chapter 9 The Shadow
THE SHADOW
Ikicked one of the worthless men’s lifeless bodies, sending it rolling a few inches across the ground.
The crunch of bones beneath my boot gave me a grim sense of satisfaction.
The bastards had deserved far worse. My shadows curled restlessly around my frame, whispering for more bloodshed, more destruction, but I forced them back with a deep breath.
Then I looked up.
Vivian stood a few feet away. What remained of her dress hung in tatters on her body. Her eyes were wide and unblinking as she stared at me. She looked like she was seeing a ghost.
It hit me all at once—the weight of her gaze, the fear mingled with something else.
Fuck.
In the chaos, I hadn’t even realized my illusions had dropped. I had never let that happen before. The shadows that usually obscured my face had dissipated in the heat of my anger, leaving me fully exposed. She wasn’t looking at The Shadow anymore. She was looking at me.
For a brief moment, I considered cloaking myself again, considered hiding behind that shroud of darkness. But the damage was done. She had seen me. All of me.
I took a step toward her, and she flinched, her knees buckling as if her body had suddenly decided it couldn’t support her weight anymore.
Instinctively, I lunged forward and caught her before she could hit the ground.
Her skin was ice-cold, and she trembled like a leaf caught in a storm, but her body relaxed in my arms.
“Can we please stop making a habit of you swooning and me having to carry your ass everywhere?” I muttered, trying to inject a bit of levity into my tone. I held her carefully. Humans were so fucking fragile.
She was shaking so violently I could barely maintain my grip on her.
Was she in shock, or was it just the adrenaline finally catching up with her?
Either way, I didn’t have time to figure it out.
The car was already waiting, its engine purring softly in the darkness like a patient predator.
I will never let this happen again. She would never be in this kind of danger again.
Not under my watch. Not unless I was the source.
I carried her to the sleek, black vehicle, my movements quick but controlled.
I didn’t give her a chance to protest, to struggle.
Not that she had the strength right now.
The guards who had been searching for her stood at attention, their eyes carefully averted.
Good. The last thing I needed was anyone questioning why I was hauling my “prisoner” around like a rag doll.
I placed her inside the car and climbed in after her, shutting the door with a thud that seemed to echo in the enclosed space. As the driver pulled away, I turned my attention to Vivian. She was huddled against the door, her knees drawn up to her chest, her eyes darting everywhere but at me.
I leaned back against the leather seat, studying her. “I’ll admit, the whole water-into-the-electrical-outlet stunt was cute. Clever, even.” I chuckled. “But really, that’s the best you could come up with? I expected more from someone who ran with Vincenzo’s crew.”
Her eyes finally flicked to mine, and for a moment, I thought she might snap back with some of that fire she usually wielded like a weapon. Instead, she just stared at me, her expression a mix of exhaustion and fury.
I sighed and shook my head. “Now that you’ve shown me you’re not going to be a compliant little bride, I’ll have to take more drastic measures to keep you under control.
” I leaned closer, dropping my voice to a whisper.
“You really fucked up, thinking you could escape my territory unscathed. Don’t you realize you’re safer at my estate than out there with monsters who won’t hesitate to rip you apart? ”
She didn’t respond, just kept staring at me with those eyes that seemed to cut right through me.
Damn her. Even in her terrified, disheveled state, she managed to get under my skin.
It wouldn’t last. I would break her—I had to.
Softness and connection were two things I couldn’t afford, and I felt myself slipping.
“It will be easier for you if you just relent. Stop fighting and accept your fate.”
“Fuck. You.”
I forced myself to look away, my hands curling into fists on my lap.
I couldn’t let her see the cracks in my armor.
She was a tool, a pawn in a game much larger than her petty attempts at freedom.
I had to remember that. I had to prove I was the monster she expected.
But there was something about her that made it hard to keep my distance.
I couldn’t push the faces of those men leering at her from my mind. I’d shown up just in time. Who the fuck did they think they were? She was my property, my bride. Right before I crushed the last breath from their bodies, they knew what a horrific mistake they’d made.
When we finally arrived back at the estate, I opened the door and stepped out, the cold breeze biting at my skin. “Take the prisoner back to her room,” I ordered the guards waiting by the entrance. “Make sure she doesn’t pull any more stunts.”
Vivian tried to resist as they pulled her from the car, but she was too weak, her movements sluggish and uncoordinated.
“I’ll send someone to help clean you up,” I called after her. “And I’ll have Eldora bring you some food. Some rest would do you good. Maybe a hot bath.”
It was in my best interest to allow her to rest and recover. After all, she was a fragile human and my responsibility. I couldn’t very well drag a lifeless woman down the aisle.
She shot me a look of pure disgust before trudging up the stairs.
“No need to thank me,” I murmured. “It’s not like I saved your life a second time or anything.”
I didn’t bother knocking on her door the next morning.
I simply pushed it open, half-hoping I’d catch her in some state of undress.
Instead, I found Vivian still asleep, the sheets tangled around her slender frame.
She looked almost peaceful, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.
Almost as if she wasn’t plotting her next escape attempt or glaring at me like I was the devil incarnate.
For a moment—a brief, maddening moment—I hesitated. The urge to turn and walk out gnawed at me, but I steeled myself and slammed the door shut behind me with enough force to rattle the paintings on the walls.
Vivian jolted awake, blinking rapidly as she stared at me.
“Good, you’re awake,” I said, my voice dripping with faux pleasantry. “I wanted to have a little chat with my bride.”
I crossed the room in a few long strides and sat down on the edge of the bed.
The mattress dipped under my weight, making her shift closer to me.
She immediately pulled the covers up to her chin, as if that layer of fabric could protect her from whatever evil I had planned for her.
Her eyes were on me again, that same intense stare she’d had last night.
I could practically see her thoughts racing behind those dark eyes, trying to figure me out, trying to gauge what kind of monster she was dealing with.
She’d soon find out I was the worst kind.
It was bred in me. There was never any hope for me to be anything other than the monster she saw before her now.
“Let’s get this over with,” I said, my tone sharper than I intended.
“Yes, this is what I really look like. No, I didn’t want you to see it, but I let my guard down when I was snapping necks last night.
So, since you’ve seen my face, I figured there’s no point in keeping up the illusions when it’s just you and me.
” I watched her closely, waiting for some sign of disgust or fear.
Her reaction, however, was not what I expected. Her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.
“I could always bring the shadows back…”
“No,” she blurted. She clamped a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening in shock. “I mean, I’d much rather look at a normal face while I’m being held against my will.”
“Glad to hear it. And since you seem to prefer the face beneath the shadows, I’ve also dropped the illusions for you around the estate. If you’re going to be living here for the rest of your life, you might as well see what it truly looks like.”
Her brows furrowed in confusion, but before she could ask anything else, I reached into my back pocket and pulled out a necklace. The diamonds embedded in the chain caught the morning light, sparkling with deceptive beauty. I dangled it in front of her, watching as her gaze followed it.
“This is enchanted. Once I place it on you, it won’t come off unless I decide to take it off. Don’t even bother trying. It won’t budge.”
I leaned in closer, enjoying the way she stiffened, the way her pulse fluttered at her throat.
“Consider it a precaution. Your resourcefulness last night impressed me, Vivian, but I’m not about to let you run off again.
This will allow me to keep track of your every move.
If you’re wandering the halls of the estate, eating in the dining hall, or taking a shit, I’ll know exactly where you are. ”
Her mouth dropped open, her eyes darting between the necklace and my face. “You... you can’t just—”
“Oh, I can. The good news is, you’ll have more freedom within the estate now. You can roam the grounds, get some fresh air. I’d like my fiancée to get a bit of exercise. It’ll give you that wedding-day glow, I expect.”
The color drained from her face. She looked like I’d just slapped her. “Wedding day?” she repeated, her voice barely more than a whisper. “You... you actually intend to go through with this?”
“Within the week.” I watched her carefully, noting how her hands clutched the sheets, how her eyes flared with a mix of fear and fury. She was shaken, but she wouldn’t break. Not yet.
“Now,” I said, leaning back, “stand in front of me.”
She glared at me, stubbornly refusing to move.