Chapter 5 Six Years in Shadow
The city of New Haven never truly slept, but at 2:17 a.m. its pulse slowed to a gentle throb. Streetlights cast long amber pools across rain-slick sidewalks, and the occasional cab hissed past, tires whispering on wet asphalt. Isabella guided her black sedan through the quiet residential streets of the upscale district with practiced ease, headlights cutting neat paths through the dark. She had chosen this neighborhood deliberately—tree-lined avenues, gated communities, schools with ivy-covered walls. A place where money bought privacy, and questions were politely ignored.
She pulled into the underground garage of her high-rise, the automatic gate rising with a soft hydraulic sigh. The space was reserved, private, one of only three spots on this level. She killed the engine and sat for a moment in the sudden quiet, hands still on the wheel, listening to the faint tick of cooling metal. Another late night. Another victory. The Harrington account was hers—six figures upfront, full creative control, and a clause that guaranteed no vampire-affiliated investors. She had negotiated it herself, in a glass-walled conference room overlooking the river, wearing the charcoal blazer that made her feel untouchable.
She exhaled slowly and stepped out.
The elevator ride up was silent except for the soft chime of floors passing. When the doors opened directly into her penthouse, the first thing she heard was the patter of small feet.
“Mommy!”
Elias launched himself at her legs before she could even set her briefcase down. Six years old, dark hair tousled from sleep, icy blue eyes—Lucien’s eyes—bright with excitement despite the hour. He was tall for his age, already showing the long-limbed promise of his father’s build, and his skin held that luminous pallor that made pediatricians frown until she paid them enough to stop asking questions.
She dropped to her knees on the marble foyer and wrapped him in a fierce hug, breathing in the clean scent of his shampoo—something called “midnight ocean” that smelled faintly of salt and stars.
“Hey, my little shadow,” she murmured into his hair. “You’re supposed to be asleep.”
“I was,” he said, pulling back just enough to look at her face. “But I heard the elevator. And I missed you.”
Her heart squeezed. “I missed you too. How was school?”
“Boring.” He grinned, showing the tiny points of fangs that hadn’t fully descended yet—dhampir traits manifesting slowly, carefully hidden with dental caps during daylight hours. “But Ms. Carter said my essay on nocturnal animals was ‘insightful.’ I think she means weird.”
Isabella laughed, the sound easier than it used to be. “Insightful is good. Weird is better. Come on, let’s get you back to bed.”
She scooped him up—still light enough to carry, though she knew the days were numbered—and carried him toward the living room. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city, blackout curtains half-drawn against the creeping dawn. Toys were scattered across the thick cream rug: building blocks shaped like tiny skyscrapers, a plush bat with glowing red eyes, a wooden puzzle of the solar system missing Pluto because “Pluto’s a vampire planet anyway.”
Betty looked up from the kitchen island, wiping her hands on a dish towel. Mid-thirties, warm brown eyes, practical bob haircut that never seemed to grow. She had been Isabella’s first real hire when the business took off—assistant, nanny, confidante, the only human who knew the full truth and never once flinched.
“Meeting go well?” Betty asked, voice soft so as not to wake Elias further.
“Signed the Harrington account.” Isabella shifted Elias’s weight to her hip. “Full rebrand—digital, print, influencer drops. Six figures upfront.”
Betty whistled low. “You’re unstoppable.”
“Had to be.”
Betty’s gaze softened, flicking briefly to the faint silver crescent scar on Isabella’s throat, barely visible above the collar of her blouse. She never asked about it anymore. Some scars were better left alone.
“Dinner’s in the warmer if you’re hungry. Elias already ate half the breadsticks.”
“Traitor,” Isabella teased, pressing a kiss to the top of Elias’s head. He giggled, small arms tightening around her neck.
She carried him down the hallway to his room—soft navy walls, a bed shaped like a crescent moon, star projector casting gentle constellations across the ceiling. She tucked him in, smoothing the covers up to his chin.
“Story?” he asked hopefully.
“Tomorrow,” she promised. “Tonight you sleep. Big day ahead.”
He yawned, already drifting. “Will you stay until I fall asleep?”
“Always.”
She sat on the edge of the bed, stroking his hair until his breathing evened out and his small hand relaxed in hers. Only then did she lean down and whisper against his temple:
“I love you more than the moon loves the night.”
She slipped out, leaving the door cracked, nightlight glowing softly.
Back in the living room, Betty had poured two glasses of sparkling water—never wine when Elias might wake. She handed one over.
“Anything… unusual today?” Isabella asked, keeping her voice low.
Betty shook her head. “Nothing. No black cars idling outside. No strangers asking questions. No weird deliveries. You’re still a ghost.”
For now.
Isabella sank onto the sectional, exhaling the tension she’d carried all day. The penthouse was quiet except for the distant hum of the city and the soft tick of the wall clock. She stared at the skyline through the half-open curtains, lights twinkling like distant stars.
Six years.
Six years since she’d walked out of Lucien’s penthouse with his black card burning a hole in her pocket and his child already growing inside her. Six years of careful lies, calculated moves, sleepless nights when the bond flared and she woke gasping with phantom touches along her throat.
She touched the scar absently. It no longer hurt, but it still tingled sometimes—especially on nights like this, when the air felt too still and the shadows too deep.
Betty watched her quietly. “You okay?”
Isabella gave a small, tired smile. “Just tired. Long day.”
“You’re allowed to be more than tired, you know.”
“I know.”
Betty hesitated. “He’s growing up fast. The questions are going to start soon. About his dad. About… everything.”
“I know that too.”
Silence settled again.
Betty stood. “I’ll head out. Call if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Bet. For everything.”
Betty squeezed her shoulder on the way to the elevator. “You built this life. You’re allowed to enjoy it.”
The doors closed behind her.
Isabella stayed on the couch, legs tucked under her, staring at nothing.
She had done it. She had escaped. She had built something solid—Thorne Digital Media was respected, profitable, human-run. Elias was safe, loved, bright. No council. No auctions. No fangs in the dark.
And yet.
The bond never fully quieted.
Some nights she woke sweating, body aching for a touch that wasn’t there. Some nights she dreamed of silver eyes and a voice whispering mine against her throat. Some nights she felt him—faint, distant, but unmistakable—like a heartbeat just out of reach.
She told herself it was memory.
She lied.
Tonight the ache was sharper.
She rose, crossed to the window, and pushed the curtain aside. The city sprawled below, indifferent and beautiful.
Her phone buzzed on the kitchen island—private line, unknown number.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
She stared at it.
Let it ring.
Let it go to voicemail.
The screen lit with a message instead.
One line. No sender name.
You can’t hide forever, little moon.
The glass of sparkling water slipped from her fingers.
It shattered on marble.
Clear liquid spread across the floor like spilled moonlight.
She backed away until her spine hit the window.
The bond flared—sharp, sudden, possessive.
Not muted anymore.
Awake.
Alive.
And very, very close.
Somewhere in the city, Lucien Blackthorne had stopped pretending to wait.
He was coming.
Isabella pressed a hand to her chest, feeling her own heartbeat race in time with the echo of his.
She looked toward Elias’s room.
Then back at the phone.
Then out at the city lights.
Six years of freedom.
Six years of safety.
Six years of lies.
And now—tonight—the truth had finally caught up.
She whispered to the empty room, voice barely audible:
“Come and find us, then.”
The bond answered with a pulse that felt almost like a promise.
Or a warning.
She didn’t know which.
But she knew one thing with bone-deep certainty.
Whatever came next, she would face it with her son in her arms and fire in her veins.
She had run once.
She would not run again.