Thief Of Darkness

These stilettos were my shackles. A silk prison within a cage of darkness. It didn’t matter how beautifully my makeup was applied or how stunning the dresses I wore were—it was all a ruse. Any normal person had no idea I was leashed to a man I loathed, nor how my nightly encounters were forced by his demands to do his bidding.

And tonight was no different.

As I stood on the threshold to the unfamiliar ballroom, my eyes darted in every direction. Colourfully dressed women in billowing ballgowns and provocative cocktail dresses mingled with the stark black suits of the men. People were everywhere, laughing, talking, dancing, and my route to the exit would be a crush to navigate.

Calm down, Bri. You can do this.

I breathed deeply, trying to stabilise my pounding heart. I’d been completing assignments like this for six years. I was used to the uncertainty, the risk, but tonight something had unnerved me. I was being watched. I could feel it in my bones—a persistent tingle in the back of my head sending shivers down my spine. It didn’t help the sharpness of the ruby bracelet I’d stolen five minutes ago probed the skin where it lay hidden in the deep V at the front of my green cocktail dress. It burned and scalded me, physically and mentally, as if it knew how much I hated myself for what I’d become, for who I worked for.

But I was a slave. What other choice did I have?

Straightening my posture, I sucked in another breath, bringing forward the character I was portraying for the evening. My redheaded vixen was fierce, confident, someone who fitted in with these people. But as usual, underneath the surface, adrenaline thrummed through my veins, readying to ignite if I needed to flee or fight. Because this wasn’t a room full of prestigious humans. The majority were Vae—modern-day vampires. Beautifully regal bloodsucking monsters capable of snapping a man’s neck with one swift twist. Well, that was what the stories of old stated.

But as I meandered my way through the throng, catching glimpses of their flawless alabaster skin, their sparkling dark eyes, and their charming smiles, I considered if the myth was a ruse to scare us mere humans. I’d been forced to intermingle with the Vae for years, and I’d never seen any of them displaying elongated or sharp canines, nor witnessed them kill anyone for sport or food. I’d never seen them drink blood. Other than their ethereal beauty and the fact they lived longer lives, the only thing that distinguished them from humans was the phenomenon of the floating silver flecks in their eyes. It made them even more mesmerising.

Pressing through a cluster of bodies, I kept my head down, fanning myself with my gold clutch bag. The late-summer warmth was lingering, and with the Vae’s preference for humidity, they disregarded the use of fans and air conditioning. The room temperature was stifling. My long red wig sweltered against my scalp, my contact lenses itched at my dry eyes, and these damned gold stilettos pinched at my sweaty toes.

And when the daunting tingle at the back of my head intensified, paranoia gripped my shoulders and tightened my breaths. I needed to get out of here before I passed out.

As I reached the far side, where the marble stairs led up to the exit hallway, I glanced at my phone. A text lay there from Phills, my chauffeur—another illegal slave ensnared by Wyatt’s maleficent claw. He was the only person I trusted in this messed-up situation. Confirmation that he was waiting in the driveway out front eased my heart rate for a brief moment, but…

There it was again. That tingle.

I paused at the top of the stairs, my eyes sweeping the ballroom below, settling on the middle-aged woman I’d stolen the ruby bracelet from. Veronica Haughter was oblivious she was forty thousand pounds lighter, laughing and waving to her guests—all of which were here to celebrate her illustrious success in the elite art world. I’d been told her latest piece sold for over one million pounds. The thought sickened me. Money always went to money. I guessed that was one of the reasons Wyatt forced me to relentlessly steal from these people.

Turning back to the top of the stairs, I blew out another breath and strutted towards the exit.

Elegant and regal, I’d perfected my Vae saunter years ago. Long, luscious strides, hips swaying sensually but not in a way that drew too much unwanted attention. It was enough to fit in, to be accepted.

Two security guards stood at an intersection of elegantly kept corridors. Neither took any notice of me as I turned towards the main entrance of the enormous house. My heart leapt in anticipation when the open doorway came into view, the darkness settling outside. The fresh air cooled my overheated skin, and the urge to run was overwhelming. Twenty metres—the exit was only twenty metres ahead through a small crowd of guests and…

Two pairs of eyes turned towards me, taking far too much notice for my liking. With smartly styled dark-hair and tall, toned bodies dressed in black tuxedos, both were Vae. They were too beautiful not to be. And they were blocking my exit. One ran his eyes down my body, paralysing the breath inside my lungs.

Averting my gaze, I slowed my steps and swallowed down my consternation, praying they were focusing on something or someone behind me. But when I glanced up again, the slightly slimmer one was undoubtedly watching me.

Shit! Does he know about the bracelet?

The crowd shifted, blocking my watcher’s view for a split second, and I sidestepped behind a large man who was pulling his coat on with the help of a younger woman.

Standing with my back flush against the wall, attempting to casually look in my purse, I tried to calm my heart hammering erratically inside my chest. My human cover shrugged into his jacket, and as he staggered away towards the exit, leaving me exposed, my hand found a doorknob behind me. I twisted it. To my utter relief, a door opened inwardly.

I slipped into a dark room, closing the door with an overexaggerated gentleness. Releasing my pent-up, panicked breath, I glanced about the room lined with books. Two large bay windows edged the room on the far side, where the lights from the moon streamed in, casting haunting shadows over the furniture.

I had no idea if the two Vae men in the hallway had been waiting for me, but my anxiety had reached a new peak. I needed a way out.

The window—I can climb out the window.

Adrenaline roared down my legs as I scurried over to the nearest bay. Pulling on the window latch, I attempted to push the pane open, but it wouldn’t shift. I tried the adjacent pane, then the next. They were all sealed shut.

I fled to the other bay, praying it wasn’t in the same condition, but to my despair, the panes were all sealed. With the unnerving sense the door was going to open at any moment, I fumbled about in my clutch bag, trying to find something, anything, to help wedge the window open.

I couldn’t think straight. Something wasn’t right. A strange pressure was weighing down on my mind, suffocating me, and for the first time in years my nerves were overwhelming my rational thoughts. I was struggling to conjure a plan of escape. I felt trapped.

A tingle scaled down my spine and I flicked my fearful gaze to the moon-cast door. Placing my head against the cool windowpane, I breathed through the panic. No one was there. No one was trying to get in. Why was I so paranoid?

I needed to calm down and think.

Phills. He may be able to help.

I pulled my phone out of my purse. The screen illuminated my face in the window, and a shadow shifted in the reflection.

I gasped.

“What are you doing in here?”

I was pretty sure I forgot how to breathe. Lightheaded, I squeezed my eyes together, questioning if the low, masculine voice was a figment of my imagination. But then it came again, harsher this time.

“I said, what are you doing?”

I twisted, placing my hands on the windowsill to stabilise myself. “I was…”

A dark figure moved closer. There was no doubt he was Vae. His fluid movements were graceful, soundless. He stepped into the moonlight, his pale face coming into view, and I swallowed back the recognition. He was the Vae from the hallway. The one who had been watching me.

How did he get in here?

“You were?”

My tangled thoughts wouldn’t piece a coherent sentence together. “I needed…air. The window. I can’t…I can’t open the window.”

He stepped closer—all tall, lean, and gracefully masculine. His face was the perfect picture of handsome—the epitome of Vae beauty. Towering above, his presence engulfed mine as he reached over my head. His appeasing, spicy scent hit my nose, and a sudden draught of cool air fluttered over my bare shoulders.

Glancing up to where his hand lay, I noticed the small pane at the very top of the window was now open.

Too small, it’s too small to climb through.

“Now.” He stepped back, his sceptical scowl paralysing every inch of my body. “What I want to know is, who are you?”

I stared, trying to suppress my frantic thoughts from commandeering my outward portrayal. I’d never been trapped like this before. I’d run many times, but I’d never been cornered—never allowed myself to be.

Where was my vixen when I needed her? Where was the sassy, arrogant woman who was capable of shutting this Vae down?

I winced at how much my voice quivered when I answered, “I’m a guest. I was invited.”

“I don’t believe you were.”

“I assure you, I was. I’m one of Veronica’s portrait muses…for her test paintings.”

He smiled at that—a smile that could send thousands of women to their knees. “No you’re not.” He placed his hand on the window frame, leaning closer, stealing the breath from my lungs. “I vet every employee who passes through Veronica’s doors, yet I’ve never seen you before.”

“I’ve changed my hair.” I jutted out my chin, holding my nerve, but his gaze locked with mine. The silver flecks danced in his dark eyes with taunt, and my legs almost buckled.

“I’m not stupid. I’m acquainted with every guest who’s been invited this evening. Everyone except you. So, tell me…” His face inched closer, his warm breath fluttering against my cheek. “Who are you?”

“I have an invitation…I…look, I can show you.” My fingers shook attempting to open my purse again. I had pepper spray in there. I’d used it against several Vae men before. But there was something about this one. His presence was stifling, making my limbs heavy, my mind congested.

A hum of exasperation vibrated from his lips. I lifted my gaze and found him smirking, and then his cold fingers were trailing down my cleavage. I flinched, and as he pulled the bracelet out from the depths of my dress, I was already grasping and snatching at his hands.

“Got what you came for, did you?”

“Hey, that’s mine!” I clawed at his jacket sleeve as he raised his hand high above me, the bracelet dangling from his fingers.

“Funny.” His tone was a mixture of anger and sarcasm. “This looks exactly like the bracelet Veronica was wearing earlier this evening.”

“Give it back!”

He shoved at my shoulder, pushing me back into the cold windowpane, his angry eyes drilling deep into my soul. “Who are you?” he demanded. “Who are you working for? Answer me!”

Staring at the buttons of his dress shirt, I didn’t expect my words to sound so haughty. “I work for myself!”

“Bullshit. A pretty little thing like you could be anything. But, no. You’re a dirty little thief.”

As I tried to push him away, his words hit true. I hated myself for what I’d become, what I’d been forged into. Inside, I was a crumbling wreck. Wyatt was going to kill me for this mistake. I hadn’t failed an assignment in years. I’d made myself indispensable to keep Wyatt happy, to keep my sister safe from him. If I returned without tonight’s snatch, he would…he was going to…

“So, how do I punish you?”

“You’ve got it back. Let me go!”

“Should I call the police?” His eyes stripped me from head to toe before he shook his head. “I’m sure your divine little body will get you off the hook, or your boss will give the cops a backhander. No. I’m going to do this the old-fashioned way.”

His mouth was at my neck in a split second, sinking his teeth into my heated skin. The shock made me freeze, the sharp pain made me gasp. I was about to scream my rage of defiance when a strange sensation flowed through my body like poison.

Visions of a warm home, a place of security, filled my conscience. A sense of happiness and love overwhelmed me. Sheer floor-length curtains fluttered in a delicate breeze where a silhouette of a tall man stood by an open doorway. Soft silk sheets caressed my skin as I lay in a large bed. Everything was white and stone coloured. Everything was calm and safe and…if I reached out, I could touch it.

The man in the doorway turned and I moaned. It was him. The Vae who was sucking my blood…

As swiftly as he’d been on me, he pulled away, and I winced, unsure of how to react. A part of me wanted to scream at how he’d had the audacity to use me as a snack, but I took in the Vae’s face as he stared at me, freezing me to my core.

His expression was haunting, but I witnessed a vulnerability echoing across his features. His attractive face was awestruck, his mouth slightly agape where the tip of two sharp, elongated canines hung below his upper lip. But it was his eyes that struck me. His irises had exploded, flooding the full roundness of his eyes. There were no dancing flecks of silver, just a bottomless colour of night. Black, his eyes were black. He looked like a monster. A handsome, bloodsucking monster, and I should’ve felt scared, but I wasn’t. I was confused.

Those visions…they were…I didn’t know what they were, but I wanted to see more. I wanted to feel more.

“Get out!” he growled, snapping his canines back into place. “Get out of my sight!”

Wrenching myself from my shocked stupor, I launched to the door.

“I don’t ever want to see your face again!”

Within seconds, I was running through the crowd, down the concrete steps, into the awaiting Bentley. As Phills sped away, I glanced back. In the entrance of the private house, he was standing there, watching me leave.

Coming 30th January 2026