POV: Celeste
You're not going.
Lucian's voice was flat. Final.
We stood in his office, the stolen mirror's photo still glowing on his phone between us. Midnight deadline. Twilight Markets. My mother's soul at stake.
Yes, I am, I said. You can't stop me.
Watch me. He moved to block the door. This is a trap, Celeste. They want to separate us. The moment you walk into the Twilight Markets alone, they'll take you.
Then come with me!
They said alone!
I don't care what they said! My voice cracked. That mirror has my mother in it! My grandmother! Every woman in my family! I won't abandon them!
Lucian's jaw tightened. And I won't let you walk into a trap.
We stared at each other, neither backing down.
Then his phone rang. Iris.
He answered. What?
I couldn't hear her response, but I watched Lucian's face change. Shock. Then something darker.
I'll be right there. He hung up and looked at me. We'll continue this later. I need to handle something.
What happened?
Nothing that concerns you. His voice was cold again. Distant. The way he talked to everyone else.
It stung more than I expected.
He left without another word, the door slamming behind him.
I stood alone in his office, fury and fear warring inside me.
My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number:
Coffee? We need to talk. Iris
I met Iris at a small café three blocks from Ashcroft Tower. She sat in the back corner, two cups already waiting.
Thank you for coming, she said as I slid into the booth.
What's this about?
Iris pushed one coffee toward me. Black, two sugars. Just how I liked it.
How did everyone know that?
I need to tell you something, Iris said. Something Lucian should've told you weeks ago, but won't because he's a stubborn idiot.
My stomach dropped. What?
Iris took a deep breath. Lucian orchestrated everything. Your gallery. Your fiancé. Your destruction. All of it.
The world tilted. What are you talking about? Adrian stole from me. He
He stole from you because Lucian helped him. Iris's voice was gentle but firm. Lucian had Adrian investigated months ago. Found out about the affair with Vivienne. Found out about their plan to take your assets.
I couldn't breathe. That's not possible.
It's true. And instead of warning you, Lucian fed Adrian information. Helped him move faster. Made sure you'd lose everything quickly and completely.
Why? The word came out as a whisper. Why would he do that?
Because Adrian was planning to kill you. Iris leaned forward. Not right away. But eventually. For the Mirror of Fate. Adrian knew what it was what it could do. He was going to steal it, kill you to make sure you couldn't come after him, and sell it to the highest bidder.
My hands shook. How do you know this?
Because I'm the one who found the evidence. Text messages. Dark web forums. Adrian was shopping around for buyers before he'd even stolen the mirror. Iris pulled out her phone and showed me screenshots. Messages that made my blood run cold.
Once I have the mirror, the girl becomes a liability. She'll need to disappear.
Adrian. My ex fiancé. Planning my murder like it was a business transaction.
Lucian needed you desperate, Iris continued. Desperate enough to accept help from a stranger. Desperate enough to come here where he could protect you. So he made sure Adrian destroyed you completely. Fast. Before Adrian could move to the next phase of his plan.
I felt sick. He ruined my life to save it?
Yes.
That's insane!
That's Lucian. Iris smiled sadly. He doesn't do anything halfway. When he commits to protecting someone, he'll cross any line. Break any rule. Even if it means they'll hate him for it.
I stood up, coffee forgotten. I need to talk to him.
Celeste
But I was already running.
I burst into Lucian's office without knocking.
He was in a meeting five executives in expensive suits around his conference table. They all turned to stare at me.
Out, I said.
Ms. Thorne, we're in the middle of one executive started.
I said OUT!
They looked at Lucian. He nodded once.
They fled like the room was on fire.
The door closed behind them with a heavy click.
You manipulated me, I said. My voice shook. You orchestrated my entire destruction.
Lucian stood slowly from his chair. His face was unreadable. I did.
Iris told me everything. How you fed Adrian information. How you helped him steal from me faster. How you made sure I'd have nowhere to go but here.
Yes.
You had no right!
I had every right! Lucian's control shattered. He slammed his hands on the conference table hard enough to crack it. I saw you die, Celeste! In my mirror! I saw dozens of futures where Adrian killed you for that mirror!
So you became just as bad as him?
I became whatever I needed to be to keep you breathing! He moved around the table toward me, power radiating off him. Not magic. Just raw intensity. You think I wanted to hurt you? Watching you lose everything nearly destroyed me! But you were going to DIE, and I couldn't wouldn't let that happen!
You should've told me! You should've warned me!
And if I had? What would you have done? Lucian's eyes burned into mine. Would you have believed me? A stranger showing up claiming your fiancé wanted you dead? Or would you have run back to Adrian, told him everything, and given him exactly what he needed to kill you faster?
I opened my mouth. Closed it. Because he was right. I wouldn't have believed him.
I made the only choice I could, Lucian said, his voice dropping. I hurt you to save you. And I'd do it again. I'd do it a thousand times if it meant keeping you alive.
Tears burned my eyes. That doesn't make it okay.
I know. He stopped in front of me. Close enough to touch. But it kept you breathing. And that's all that matters to me.
Why? My voice broke. Why this go far for someone you'd never met?
Lucian's expression cracked. All the control, all the coldness gone. What remained was raw and desperate.
Because I've been seeing your face for five years, he said quietly. Every night. Every morning. You were the first thing I thought about when I woke up and the last thing I saw before I slept. You were a stranger, but you were mine. And I knew that if I didn't find you, if I didn't protect you, I'd spend the rest of my life knowing I let my soulmate die.
The word hung between us.
Soulmate.
I'm not your soulmate, I whispered. I'm just some woman in a vision.
You're everything. Lucian's hand came up, cupping my face. And if you hate me for the rest of your life, I can live with that. As long as you're alive to hate me.
I should've pushed him away. Should've been furious.
But all I felt was exhausted.
And something else. Something warm and terrifying.
I don't hate you, I admitted. I want to. God, I want to. But I don't.
Lucian's thumb brushed away a tear on my cheek. Then what do you feel?
Confused. Angry. Scared. I looked up at him. And somehow... safe. When I'm with you, even knowing what you did, I feel safe.
Good. His forehead touched mine. Because you are. I'll protect you from everything. Including yourself if I have to.
We stood like that for a long moment. Breathing the same air. Hearts pounding.
Then my phone buzzed.
I pulled it out with shaking hands.
Unknown number. A video.
I hit play.
The screen showed my mirror my mother's mirror sitting on a stone altar. The leader of the Mirror Keepers stood behind it, smiling at the camera.
Hello, sister, she said. Since you're clearly not coming alone, we're changing the terms. Midnight. Twilight Markets. But this time, you bring the Shadow Mage. We want both of you.
She picked up a hammer.
And if you don't show? We smash the mirror. All those souls your mother, your grandmother, generations of Mirror Keepers gone. forever. You have six hours to decide.
She raised the hammer over the mirror.
Choose wisely.
The video ended.
I looked at Lucian, horror flooding through me.
They want both of us, I whispered. It's not just about taking me anymore. They want you too.
Lucian's jaw set. Then they've made a mistake.
What do you mean?
They think separating us makes us weak. His eyes met mine, fierce and burning. They're wrong. Together, we're unstoppable.
He pulled out his phone and started typing rapidly.
What are you doing?
Calling in every favor I have. Every ally. Every resource. He looked up. We're not walking into their trap. We're bringing our own.
Lucian
No arguments. His hand found mine, squeezing tight. We save your mother's soul. We get your mirror back. And we show these Mirror Keepers exactly what happens when they threaten what's mine.
The possessiveness in his voice should've annoyed me.
Instead, it sent shivers down my spine.
Six hours, I said.
Six hours, he agreed. And then we end this.
His phone buzzed. He looked at it, and his expression changed to something dark.
What? I demanded.
He turned the phone toward me.
A photo. The Twilight Markets. But it wasn't empty anymore.
Hundreds of people filled the streets. All glowing with silver light.
Mirror Keepers.
And in the center, standing on a platform with my mirror held high, was the leader.
Beneath the photo, a message:
We're not just three anymore, Shadow Mage. We're an army. And your mate belongs with us. Come and try to take her if you dare.
I stared at the image, blood turning to ice.
That's not possible, I whispered. There can't be that many Mirror Keepers. Iris said we were almost extinct.
Lucian's face was grim. They weren't extinct. They were hiding. Waiting. He looked at me. And now they're ready to take back what they think belongs to them.
What do we do?
We fight. He pulled me close, his arms protective around me. And we win. Because I'm not losing you to fate, to destiny, or to an army of magical women who think they own you.
His phone buzzed again.
This time, it was a call. Unknown number.
Lucian answered on speaker. What?
The Oracle's ancient voice filled the room.
The time has come, Shadow Mage, she said. The choice you've been avoiding. Save her, or save yourself. You can't do both. Tonight, at midnight, one of you dies. That's the price fate demands for all the deaths you've prevented. A life for a life.
No, I breathed.
Choose wisely, the Oracle continued. Because this time, there's no third option. No loophole. No clever solution. One dies. One lives. That's the price.
She hung up.
Lucian and I stared at each other in horror.
She's wrong, I said. She has to be wrong. There's always another way
There isn't. Lucian's voice was hollow. I've read the texts. Studied the magic. When you change fate repeatedly, eventually the universe demands balance. A death for all the deaths we prevented.
Then we don't go. We stay here. We
They have your mother's soul. If we don't show, they destroy it. He touched my face. You'd never forgive yourself.
And if one of us dies, I'd never forgive myself for that either!
Lucian pulled me against his chest, holding tight.
Then we have six hours to find a way to cheat death one more time, he whispered into my hair.
But the way he said it so final, so resigned made me think he'd already decided.
He was going to sacrifice himself.
And I had six hours to stop him.