Chapter 41 Raffaele
RAFFAELE
Itore through the forest, my pulse hammering in my ears. The wards shimmered as I reached the cabin, but something felt wrong. The bond was unsettled, pulsing weakly, a distant echo of her emotions that made my chest tighten with fear.
Then I saw the open door.
My heart dropped. The books slipped from my grasp as I sprinted forward, crossing the threshold without breaking stride.
“Vivian!”
The air inside was eerily still, the faint scent of lavender lingering from her shower earlier. The fire in the hearth crackled softly, a cruel mockery of the warmth that should have been here.
I searched every room, my shadows flickering erratically as I threw open doors, my breath growing shorter with every step. “Vivian!” I yelled again, louder this time, desperation clawing at my throat.
She wasn’t here.
I leaned against the kitchen counter, my hands gripping the edge as I tried to steady myself.
The bond throbbed faintly, a mix of fear and panic emanating from her.
It should have been stronger, but I was sure the siren’s kiss had weakened it.
Or perhaps it was simply distance. She was far, too far.
Izo. It had to be him.
My father couldn’t have done this. Lord Thorne was effectively bound to the estate. If he ventured too far, his magic would wane to the point of uselessness. The safehouse was far enough away to make such an attempt impossible.
But Izo… My blood boiled at the thought of that bastard.
My gaze fell to the counter, and I frowned. A single word was scrawled on the wood.
Siren.
“Fuck!” I slammed my hand down on the counter.
I should have been here. I should have known he’d come for her, that the siren’s song was still pulling at her even after we thought she was safe. I’d been too focused on the larger threats to see what was right in front of me.
The bond flared weakly, her fear pushing against my mind, and it spurred me into action.
I bolted outside, my shadows flickering weakly at my feet, their erratic movements a reflection of my own turmoil. I stopped in the clearing, listening, straining to hear any sound that might lead me to her.
“Vivian!” I screamed, my voice raw. The sound carried through the forest, but there was no response.
The bond flickered again, like a candle struggling against the wind. She was still alive, still fighting, but I could feel her slipping farther away.
“Vivian!”
Silence.
I ran my hands through my hair, my mind racing as I tried to piece together what to do next. The Ashen Faction’s territory was miles away, but Izo could traverse the waters faster than I could cover land. He had a head start, and I had no idea what he planned to do with her.
I would find her. The bond would guide me. I would follow it to the ends of the earth if I had to.
I turned back toward the house, grabbing the books I’d dropped and slinging them under my arm. The answers might be in those pages, but answers wouldn’t save her right now. Action would.
“I’m coming, Vivian,” I muttered. “Hold on. Just hold on.”
Without another moment’s hesitation, I sprinted toward the edge of the clearing, letting the bond pull me forward like a compass pointing to the only thing that mattered.
Every faint pulse I felt from Vivian was weaker than the last, her emotions muted and distant, but the fear was still there—a sharp, cutting edge that sliced through me every time it surfaced.
My chest ached, not from the exertion of running but from the hollow, crushing pain that came with the distance between myself and my wife. It felt as though my heart was being torn from my chest, and the helplessness that accompanied it was unbearable.
I stopped abruptly, bending over with my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath. “Think, Raffaele,” I muttered to myself.
Izo needed water. The bastard always stayed close to it, whether it was a river, a lake, or the open sea. Water was his lifeline, his escape route. If he’d taken Vivian, he wouldn’t waste time dragging her across land when he could use the waterways to get back to his territory.
I yanked my phone from my pocket, nearly dropping it as I pulled up the map of the area. The screen glowed in the dim forest light, the topographic details of the mountain standing out in sharp relief. I scanned the map, searching for anything that stood out.
And then I saw a river, just four miles south.
“Please,” I whispered, my voice a desperate prayer to any god that might be listening. “Please let me be right. Please let her be safe.”
I didn’t wait another second. Shoving the phone back into my pocket, I took off in a dead sprint, my legs burning as I pushed myself to move faster than I ever thought possible. The forest blurred around me, the branches clawing at my arms and shadows flickering weakly at my feet.
The bond screamed for me to find her. Every step felt like a lifetime, every second an eternity, as I prayed I wasn’t too late.
The sound of rushing water reached my ears before I saw it, the river roaring in the distance. My heart thundered as I broke through the final line of trees, skidding to a halt at the riverbank.
A towel lay discarded on the ground, stained with bits of dirt and grass. My knees nearly gave out as I stumbled forward, dropping to the ground and grabbing it with shaking hands.
“Vivian,” I whispered, the word a broken plea.
I could feel her fear growing stronger, sharper. She was still alive.
I stood, clutching the towel. He’d taken her into the river. From here, the water would carry them downstream, toward the Ashen Faction’s territory. He was taking her back to his stronghold.
Rage blazed through me.
“I will find you, Izo,” I swore. “And I will kill you.”
The bond flickered again, pulling me forward.
“Hold on, Vivian,” I whispered, my voice shaking with equal parts fury and desperation. “Just hold on.”
I took off again, running at full speed back to the cabin.
The SUV’s tires screeched as I swerved onto the main road. My knuckles were white as I gripped the steering wheel, my thoughts a tangled mess of rage, desperation, and the faint thread of hope that I could still feel Vivian through the bond.
She was alive, but the distance was agonizing. Her fear was a blade in my chest, sharp and relentless, pushing me forward as I raced toward the heart of my territory.
I couldn’t do this alone.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and hit Luca’s number, the line ringing only once before he picked up.
Luca’s voice was sharp, no hint of the casual indifference he usually wielded. “What’s going on?”
“I need your help.”
“What’s happened?”
“Izo,” I snarled, the name tasting like poison. “That fucking sea serpent has Vivian. He took her. I don’t know how far he’s gotten, but I’m going after him.”
There was a pause, and then Luca’s voice came through, steady and resolute. “I’m on my way.”
“I need more than just you,” I said. “Vincenzo. Dorian. Bring them. We don’t have time to waste.”
“Done,” Luca said.
“I’ll meet you at your apartment. I can’t step foot in my territory with my magic waning.” I sighed. “Eldora said Lord Thorne is unhinged, waiting for me to return.”
“That’s fine, but I didn’t know you knew where I lived,” he added, a note of surprise in his tone.
“I know more than you give me credit for. Be there.”
I ended the call and immediately began dialing Jareth’s number. Fuck. He was on assignment on the other damn side of The Below. There was no way he could make it in time to help.
I dialed Camilla instead. The phone barely rang before she picked up.
“Boss,” she said.
“How close are you to the estate?” I asked.
“I just got back,” she said. “I’ve been asking around about where you are.”
I exhaled sharply. “Vivian’s been taken.”
There was a beat of silence before her voice hardened. “Who took her?”
“Izo, the fucking lord of the Ashen Faction.”
“Shit. What do you need me to do?” she asked without hesitation.
“Meet me at Luca’s flat,” I said, giving her the address. “We’re forming a plan to get her back.”
“I’m on my way.”
I hated wasting so much fucking time, driving like a damn human to Luca’s apartment. Veilstepping hadn’t been an option for me since I was fourteen. My father had decided to take away that ability once he realized I could easily escape his punishments whenever I didn’t perform the way he desired.
In a fit of rage, my father stripped me of my veilstepping capabilities with his dark magic. I never could figure out how he did it, or I would’ve counteracted the spell by now. It was a mystery, and I doubted I’d ever regain that ability.
After driving for a few torturous hours, the SUV screeched to a halt outside Luca’s apartment building. I barely remembered to kill the engine before I jumped out. I sprinted up the stairs, my chest heaving with adrenaline as I shoved open the door to his flat.
The tension in Luca’s flat was palpable the moment I stepped inside. My heart was racing, my mind already spinning with plans, but I barely had time to process before I felt everyone’s eyes snap to me.
Luca, Vincenzo, Dorian, and Celeste stood in a tight cluster, their expressions ranging from grim determination to barely restrained anger.
“Thanks for bringing the entourage,” I said.
Celeste stepped forward, her eyes blazing. “You’re welcome.”
Her words were clipped, sharp, but I didn’t have the luxury of dealing with her barbed tone. I turned to Luca, needing to focus on what came next. “You must be getting better at veilstepping if you managed to bring all of them here.”
Before I could react, Celeste was running toward me. She slammed into me, her fists pounding against my chest with surprising force.
“You bastard! You fucking bastard!”
Her fists kept coming, each strike a physical manifestation of the anger and fear radiating off her. “This is your fault! Vivian is my best friend, and you—” Her voice cracked, but she didn’t stop. “You let this happen to her!”
I didn’t fight back. I didn’t move. I just stood there, letting her take her rage out on me. Every word, every accusation cut deeper than any blade could.
“Celeste, stop.” Vincenzo’s booming voice filled the room as he grabbed her from behind, pulling her off me. She struggled against his hold, her face flushed and tears streaming down her face.
“Let me go,” she shouted, twisting in his grip.
“This is wasting precious time, love,” Vincenzo said firmly. “We need to focus on getting Vivian back, not tearing each other apart.”
Celeste finally stilled, though her glare was as sharp as ever. “This is on him,” she hissed. “If he had protected her—”
“You’re right,” I said.
All eyes turned to me.
“She’s right,” I repeated. “This is my fault. I should have been there. I should have stopped Izo before he ever got close to her. And now…” I clenched my fists, my shadows flickering weakly at my feet. “Now, I’m going to fix it.”
Celeste stared at me, breathing heavily. For a moment, I thought she might start swinging again, but Vincenzo kept a firm grip on her shoulders.
“Good,” she spat. “You’d better. Because if you don’t, I’ll make sure you pay.”
“Fair enough.”
An intense silence settled over us while we waited for Camilla. Celeste perched on Dorian’s lap, her legs crossed and her glare fixed on me, but Dorian seemed entirely unbothered by the tension in the room.
A sharp knock at the door broke the tension.
I turned sharply, my shadows curling protectively as I moved toward the sound. My focus was laser-sharp, my every instinct tuned to the mission at hand.
As I reached for the handle, I spared a glance at the group behind me. Luca, Vincenzo, Dorian, and Celeste were all here for Vivian. Because of what she meant to them.
Camilla’s dark eyes scanned the room behind me before settling on me. “I hear we have a problem,” she said, stepping inside.
“We’re working on a plan,” I said.
She closed the door behind her, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall. “Then let me save you some time. I already have a solution. The Tide Market.”
Luca frowned. “The Tide Market?”
“It’s the only place where outsiders can access the Ashen’s territory without immediate suspicion,” Camilla explained.
“It’s chaotic. Filled with merchants, smugglers, and underworld operatives.
It thrives under the Ashen’s control, but it’s also their weak point.
It’s our best shot at getting in without alerting Izo to what we’re doing. ”
“It’s risky,” Vincenzo said.
“It’s the only shot we have,” I snapped.
Luca nodded. “I agree. But how much magic do you have left? You’re going to need it to get through this.”
“Not a lot,” I admitted. “But the closer I get to Vivian, the more I can feel it. It’s like the bond fuels my magic.”
“Then we don’t have time to waste,” Luca said. “We’ll veilstep closer to the Ashen territory and figure it out from there.”
I looked around the room, taking in the faces of the people I was entrusting with Vivian’s life. They were ready.
Celeste jumped up from Dorian’s lap and headed toward Luca. “I’m ready,” she declared.
Vincenzo held up a hand. “No, Celeste. You can’t come with us.”
“The fuck? Of course I’m coming.” She stood with her arms crossed, eyes glaring at Vincenzo. “If you think for one second that I’m going to stay here and sit on my damn hands, you’re mistaken.”
Luca put an arm around Celeste. “Love, you know it’s not safe for you. We’d never let anything happen to you, of course, but we can’t spend all of our effort protecting you when we need to focus on Vivian. You want us to succeed, right?”
Celeste’s jaw muscles ticked as she thought about Luca’s argument. “So, you’re saying because I’m a human, I can’t come. Is that right?”
Luca nodded and glanced at Dorian for backup. Dorian stood and crossed the room, wrapping his arms around Celeste and pulling her close. “We need to know you’re safe, baby. You can understand that, right?”
Celeste’s resolve visibly melted as her shoulders slumped forward. A single tear rolled down her cheek and Dorian wiped it away with his thumb. “Please save her.”
Vincenzo moved forward and put his hands on either side of Celeste’s face, then kissed her gently on the forehead. “We will. You have our word.”
“Let’s go,” I said.
Everyone moved toward Luca as Celeste took a step back. Each of us placed a hand on his shoulder as his shadows began to coil around us. The last thing I thought of before the world dissolved was Vivian’s face, and the unshakable promise I made to myself.
I will bring her back.