Chapter 26
RAFFAELE
Irolled over in bed and froze. Vivian lay next to me, her breathing steady, her chest rising and falling with a serene rhythm that somehow made the chaos in my mind seem more distant. Her face was calm, free of the tension and guardedness I’d grown accustomed to.
I watched her, taking comfort in the fact that the bond between us was steady and warm. She had stayed. She had found me broken and bleeding, and instead of walking away—or worse, finishing the job—she had stitched me back together.
Why? Why would she do that?
I had been nothing but cruel to her. Every interaction had been a calculated game of power, a reminder that she was here because of me, bound by a forced union and the threat of my will.
There was absolutely no reason for her to care.
Unless… unless she thought she could use her kindness to soften me, to make me see her as more than a pawn.
I couldn’t let her in more than I already had.
Foolish kindness or calculated strategy, it didn’t matter.
I couldn’t trust it, couldn’t afford to.
Caring—real caring—was a weakness, a crack in the armor I’d spent my entire life fortifying.
My father had drilled that into me from the moment I was old enough to understand cruelty.
No one is loyal. No one stays. Everyone leaves or betrays you.
Even if, by some miracle, Vivian was genuine, she deserved better than me. She deserved better than this cursed life, the darkness that seeped from every corner of my existence. And me? I was incapable of giving her anything but pain.
The bond tugged at my resolve. My chest tightened, and I pushed the feeling away, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and forcing myself upright.
Pain lanced through me, but it was muted now.
My body had healed faster than it should have, thanks to the ancient, twisted pact that bound my family’s power.
As I dressed, the ache in my muscles barely registered. Instead, my thoughts spiraled. How had my father managed to overpower me so completely? His shadows were vicious, yes, and his dark magic was always a bitch, but I should have been able to counter him and protect myself.
I was always able to soften the blows with my own magic. Was it the weakness of the family curse creeping in at last? That inevitable madness and deterioration that plagued every generation?
My hands stilled as I pulled on my shirt. No. Now wasn’t the time for paranoia. What mattered was action, and there was only one way forward.
My father’s words echoed in my mind: eyes and ears all over the estate. The betrayal felt like a noose tightening around my neck. Someone was feeding him information—someone close. But who? Jareth? One of the guards?
Or was my father just bluffing? Perhaps he’d found a way to penetrate my magic, to see through my illusions and wards. I clenched my fists, twisting the fabric as my thoughts spiraled into panic.
I needed leverage. Power. And I needed it now.
Altair’s territory was the key. The Crimson Dominion’s resources would give me what I needed to figure out how to take care of my father.
But Altair was dragging his feet, playing his own game, and I didn’t have time to waste.
I’d have to push him harder, force him to finalize the deal.
Whatever loose ends he claimed to have, he could deal with them on his own time.
But even as I planned my next move, another realization crept in. I couldn’t stay here, not if my father had spies lurking in the shadows. I needed space, somewhere to regroup and think without constantly looking over my shoulder. Somewhere I could fucking breathe.
I couldn’t leave Vivian here.
The thought struck me with a clarity that bordered on panic. Leaving her unprotected wasn’t an option. Even with her being illusioned, I didn’t trust that my father wouldn’t see her and want her for his own. No. She had to come with me.
My apartment in New York City would suffice.
It was far removed from the estate, a neutral ground where I could focus.
Vivian would hate traveling with me, but that wasn’t my concern.
She was coming, whether she liked it or not.
With that thought in mind, I shrugged off my button-down shirt and dressed in clothing that was more New York City than The Below: a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt.
Whenever I traveled to the human world, I tried my best to fit in.
The whole point was to be left alone with my thoughts, and what better way to do that than to dress like ninety percent of the human population.
I turned back toward the bed. Vivian stirred slightly, her lashes fluttering as she shifted against the pillows. For a moment, I hesitated, watching her. There was a softness to her features now, a fragility I hadn’t seen before. It pulled at some crevice in my heart I hadn’t known was there.
Stop. I pushed the feeling away, steeling myself. Whatever I felt through the bond—whatever this was—it didn’t matter.
“Vivian,” I said.
She stirred, her eyes opening slowly. “What?” she murmured, her voice rough with sleep.
“Get dressed,” I said, pulling my jacket from the chair. “We’re leaving.”
Her brows furrowed, confusion flickering across her face. “What are you talking about? Leaving where?”
“I’ll explain on the way. Pack whatever you need.”
She sat up, her expression shifting from confused to irritated. “You can’t just—”
“I can,” I cut her off, my shadows curling at the edges of the room. “And I am. Be ready in ten minutes.”
She glared at me, but she didn’t keep arguing. As she swung her legs over the side of the bed, the bond pulsed faintly, and I felt a flicker of her frustration, it was laced with curiosity and concern. It didn’t make sense, and I didn’t have time to unravel it.
I turned away from her, my jaw tight. There was too much at stake to let myself falter now. Altair, my father… it was all closing in on me. And Vivian... Vivian was a complication, a distraction I couldn’t afford.
I pulled an empty backpack from my closet and tossed it on the bed.
“How are you feeling?” she asked as she got out of bed. Her gaze swept over me, searching for signs of pain or weakness.
“I’ll live,” I said, my tone dismissive. I didn’t want to dwell on the previous night.
She blinked, still processing, but she didn’t ask any further questions. She hesitated over her choices, and I could feel the flicker of curiosity and wariness through the bond.
I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Eldora.
Raffaele: Taking a break from the estate. Heading to NYC. Back tonight, maybe tomorrow.
Eldora: Do I need to know what you’re planning?
Raffaele: No.
She didn’t reply, but I could practically hear her sigh through the screen.
Vivian zipped up the backpack and turned to me, eyebrows raised in question. I grabbed the bag and slung it over my shoulder. “Let’s go.”
She followed me out of the room, her steps quiet but purposeful. As we crossed the estate grounds, the tension in her emotions shifted—curiosity edged with apprehension. It wasn’t until we were on the path to the forest that she finally spoke.
“Should I be worried?” she asked, her tone light but edged with unease.
“Not in the slightest. We’re going to the human world.”
Her expression changed instantly. The wariness morphed into excitement that caught me off guard. Her eyes brightened, her posture relaxed, and I could feel the shift in her through the bond. She was lighter, almost happy.
Instinctively, I reached for her hand, needing to tether myself to her, to ground us both. She frowned down at my hand, and for a moment, I thought she might refuse. But then she took my hand, and my heart steadied.
I didn’t look at her, couldn’t risk what I might see in her expression.
Instead, I gently pulled her along, leading her down the winding path through the forest. The shadows grew thicker, the energy heavier with the magic that cloaked this part of my land.
She stayed close, and her trust in me spilled through the bond.
The tear in the Veil shimmered, a jagged ripple in the fabric of reality. To most, it would look like nothing more than a strange distortion, a trick of the light. But to those of us who knew, it was a doorway, a passage between worlds.
I paused before it and glanced at Vivian. “This might feel… disorienting. Like stepping into ice water. But it only lasts a moment.”
“This isn’t the first time I’ve stepped through a Veil tear.”
Without another word, I stepped forward, pulling her with me.
The Veil’s magic washed over us. The sensation was as familiar as it was unsettling—my stomach dropped as cold swept over me, and for a brief, heart-stopping moment, it felt like the world was collapsing in on itself.
Then, as quickly as it began, the cold receded, and I drew in a sharp breath of stale, human-world air.
We emerged in the shadowy expanse of a parking garage. The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly overhead, their harsh glow casting long, jagged shadows across the concrete floor. The sterile, mundane setting was a far cry from the magic of my estate.
Vivian let out a shaky breath and glanced around. “Where are we?”
“New York City. This is one of the entrances I use to travel between worlds.”
She looked at me then, her expression a mixture of awe and suspicion. “You have a secret tear in a parking garage? That’s… unexpected.”
I almost smiled as I pulled a key fob out of my pocket. “Come on,” I said, pressing the button to unlock a sleek, black sports car. The lights flashed, and the car chirped softly in response.
Her lips parted in surprise. “Is this yours?”
“No, I stole it,” I deadpanned, earning an exasperated glare from her. “Of course it’s mine. Get in.”
“Of course you’d drive something like this.”