LOGINShare
Chapter 6: Shadows and Secrets
Last Updated:
2025-03-26 13:38:06The lights were too bright.
Deverell sat on the edge of the worn-out leather chair, his elbows resting on his knees, his shirt rumpled from the previous scene. The set around him was silent now, just the quiet hum of cameras, the occasional murmurs from the crew, the hollow emptiness that came with the final day of filming.
The last scene. The last time he would step into this role.
Most actors felt a kind of grief when wrapping up a film, an ache for the character they had embodied for months, but Deverell felt nothing.
The cameras cut. The world reset. And he walked away. As he always did.
The director clapped his hands, voice booming across the space. “That’s a wrap! Congratulations, everyone!”
Cheers erupted, some of the crew embracing, others already breaking down equipment.
Deverell stood, slipping off the heavy coat he had worn for the scene, rolling his shoulders as he smiled at the producer approaching him. After an exchange of conversation, he grabbed his things.
He had searched for her when he arrived at the set, hoping to take a glimpse of her. But she was not there as there was no need. Her job had finished the day before.
And then there was no reason to stay.
He had done his part.
Deverell turned, striding toward his private trailer, pushing away the memory of dark eyes glaring at him, fingers gripping his shirt, the way she had kissed him like she wanted to burn him alive.
He needed to erase her from his mind. And he needed to do it fast.
That was when his phone vibrated. He pulled it from his pocket.
The screen was blank—no caller ID. Sighing, he put the phone to his ear.
He didn’t say anything. Didn’t need to. A low, distorted voice greeted him. “Time’s up.” Deverell’s grip tightened on the phone. The air around him shifted, the once-familiar film set suddenly feeling distant, unreal.
“I’m listening,” he said, voice cold. The voice continued. “Tonight. The same place.” The line went dead.
Deverell exhaled slowly, slipping the phone back into his pocket. He glanced around, making sure no one was watching. Then he left. Not back to his estate. Not to celebrate the end of filming. But to bury himself in the world that no one could ever know about.
-----
“Luna. Wake up.” A groan. A pillow over her face. Another shake, more aggressive this time.
“Luna, if you don’t get up, I swear to God—”
Luna peeked one eye open, glaring up at Ava’s unimpressed face. The apartment was dimly lit, the golden hue of late afternoon seeping through the blinds.
“You do know it’s past five, right?” Ava asked, crossing her arms.
Luna groaned, flipping over. “Go away.”
Ava wasn’t having it. She grabbed the blanket, yanked it off Luna’s curled-up form, ignoring the way Luna hissed in protest.
“You can’t sleep off your breakup.”
“That’s not what I’m doing,” Luna muttered, though she didn’t sound convincing.
Ava sat on the edge of the bed. “Look, I get it. Your ex is a complete piece of shit, and you’re heartbroken, but this is getting sad.”
Luna opened her eyes fully then, something unreadable flickering in her expression. Ava’s brows furrowed. “What?”
There were things Luna wanted to say. That her ex wasn’t the reason.
That a certain infuriating, arrogant, impossibly beautiful man had invaded her mind in ways she couldn’t explain.
That every time she closed her eyes, she still felt his hands on her waist, his lips against hers, the way he had looked at her before pushing her away.
But instead, she said, “Nothing.”
Ava sighed, rubbing her temple. “I’ll make dinner.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I want to.”
Luna closed her eyes again, letting herself drift, just for a little longer.
By the time Ava left, the apartment smelled like garlic and butter. Luna leaned against the counter, staring at the empty plate Ava had insisted she finish.
It helped. A little.
She sighed, rubbing her face, remembering something she had nearly forgotten.
The photos.
Shit.
She needed to edit and submit them within three days. With a deep breath, she grabbed her keys and headed to the studio.
-----
The city stretched behind him, glowing against the night sky. He pulled the hood of his coat higher over his head, making sure no one recognized him.
The streets were quiet, but Deverell moved carefully, ensuring he wasn’t being followed.
He took the long way, cutting through alleyways, stepping onto empty sidewalks, checking every reflection, every shadow. By the time he reached the entrance, the neon sign flickered ominously above.
A warehouse. Old, abandoned. Forgotten by the rest of the world. He slipped inside, the air thick with dust and something else.
Something older. Something hungry.
A single dim bulb buzzed overhead, casting long, fractured shadows along the cracked concrete floor.
He wasn’t alone.
He could feel them before he saw them. And when he stepped further inside, a voice greeted him from the darkness.
“You took your time.” Deverell didn’t flinch. Didn’t react.
He simply lifted his gaze, meeting the pair of cold, unreadable eyes staring back at him. “This better be worth it,” he said, voice low, controlled.
A pause. Then..
“It is.”
Deverell exhaled, rolling his shoulders, preparing for whatever came next. Because in this world—the one he had spent centuries burying himself in, things were different.
Related chapters
A Thousand Lives Between Us Chapter 7: Shadows in the Frame
The studio was silent aside from the soft hum of Luna’s computer and the rhythmic clicking of her mouse. The dim overhead light cast long shadows, givng the space a smaller feel than it had. She adjusted the exposure on yet another photo, her eyes scanning for imperfections, for blemishes. The pictures from the day before yesterday’s shoot needed to be submitted soon. Usually, she enjoyed this process—fine-tuning the details, working on the light and shadows, bringing out the depth of emotion in each frame. But tonight, her focus wavered. Because he was in them. Deverell Blackwood. A name that commanded attention. A man who thrived in the spotlight. And a man Luna had no interest in thinking about, especially after waking up in his house, wrapped in his clothes, with nothing but his cryptic words and her own rage echoing in her mind. She scowled, shaking the thought away. It had been a mistake. One she wouldn’t repeat. She leaned back in her chair, rolling the stiffn
Last Updated : 2025-04-06A Thousand Lives Between Us Chapter 1: Through the Lense
The set was a controlled chaos of motion, directors yelling out last-minute instructions, assistants adjusting lights, wardrobe stylists smoothing clothes, and the constant buzz of a world constructed entirely on illusion.Luna Grimes had seen it all before.She had spent years behind the lens, watching as actors transformed into something greater, something bigger than life. She had mastered the art of detachment, of viewing beauty, yet not being seduced by it.And still, when Deverell Blackwood walked onto the set, even she could not deny his presence.Deverell Blackwood did not crave attention.It gravitated toward him. Where ever he stroded, the spotlight was on him.Even when the cameras weren’t rolling, even when he wasn’t performing, he moved like the world was made around him, like it existed to accommodate him. He was a living work of art sculpted in too-sharp lines and effortless grace.And what was worse? He knew it.Luna never swooned over men like him.She had seen too ma
Last Updated : 2025-03-26A Thousand Lives Between Us Chapter 2: The Afterparty
Luna adjusted the focus on her camera, exhaling softly as she framed the next shot.Deverell and Kensy laying across the velvet couch in the center of the set, their bodies draped in perfect elegance. The world around them caught its breath, as if even time itself didn’t dare disturb the illusion they had established.She should be used to this.Photographing beautiful people, actors like this, trained in seduction, in longing, in looking at someone as if they were the only thing that mattered in the whole world.But watching Deverell this way? It was not the same.She told herself it was just the lighting. The way his bare chest caught the glow of the overhead bulbs, the way his long fingers skimmed Kensy’s arm, his touch was just enough to suggest intimacy and not possession.It was only a role he was playing. That’s what she needed to remember. And why should it matter ro her.But still, her fingers tightened a little around the camera, a strange tension coiling in her chest as she
Last Updated : 2025-03-26A Thousand Lives Between Us Chapter 3: A Steamy Encounter
She should have left.She should have turned around, walked back through the curtain, and pretended she never saw him standing there, like that, half-dressed, pale, very pale skin illuminated by the dim backstage lighting.But she didn’t.and before she could realize, she moved towards him.Something in her chest was pulling, like a magnet drawn to something it shouldn’t be. Her pulse pounded in her ears, louder than the muffled music from the afterparty, louder than her own common sense.Deverell didn’t move.He just watched her, unreadable, his shirt hanging open, his breath slow and steady like he was waiting.She stopped just inches from him, her head tilting as she studied his face, the sharp lines of his cheekbones, the impossible perfection of his features, the mouth that was slightly parted as if he had just exhaled a breath he hadn’t meant to take."So rude, so entitled...", she scrunched her eyes, her cheeks red from the drinks. Deverell tilted his head in amusement.What wa
Last Updated : 2025-03-26A Thousand Lives Between Us Chapter 4: In a Stranger's Bed
The first thing she noticed was the sheets, they were soft, unfamiliar, and felt expensive.The second was the room, dark, minimalistic, or hollow of emotions, and nothing like her apartment.A slow, heavy pounding in her head reminded her of the alcohol still thick in her system. She groaned, shifting beneath the sheets, only to realize, "This isn’t my bed."A sharp breath left her lips as her body went rigid, her heart slamming against her ribs.She forced her eyes open, blinking through the haze, taking in the unfamiliar space she was in. The bedroom was spacious but cold, decorated in sleek blacks and deep grays. The air smelled faintly of something woody, expensive, and dangerously intoxicating.And then she looked down, at her own self under the sheets. She was not in her clothes from last night.Instead, she was wearing a loose black T-shirt and drawstring sweatpants, clothes far too large to belong to her.From the looks of them, they were men's clothing.Oh, hell no.Panic c
Last Updated : 2025-03-26A Thousand Lives Between Us Chapter 5: Regrets
The door clicked shut. Deverell exhaled slowly, staring at the now-empty hallway where Luna had disappeared.He had done the right thing. He had. Then why the hell did it feel like a mistake?He raked a hand through his hair, frustration simmering beneath his skin. Everything about this situation was wrong.Luna Grimes was not supposed to be in his house, in his clothes, in his damn head.Yet the memory of last night lingered—the way her lips had felt against his, the heat of her body pressed against his, the unexplainable pull that had gripped him the moment she stepped into that makeup room.Her scent, unfamiliar, yet it crept in, riding his senses.A mistake. That’s all it had been. Thats what he wanted to believe.Deverell turned away from the door, only to stop short when he saw the tray of untouched food sitting on the small table near the bed. The hangover soup he had made for her. The coffee, still steaming.The toast, slightly burnt because he had been too distracted making s
Last Updated : 2025-03-26
Latest chapter
A Thousand Lives Between Us Chapter 7: Shadows in the Frame
The studio was silent aside from the soft hum of Luna’s computer and the rhythmic clicking of her mouse. The dim overhead light cast long shadows, givng the space a smaller feel than it had. She adjusted the exposure on yet another photo, her eyes scanning for imperfections, for blemishes. The pictures from the day before yesterday’s shoot needed to be submitted soon. Usually, she enjoyed this process—fine-tuning the details, working on the light and shadows, bringing out the depth of emotion in each frame. But tonight, her focus wavered. Because he was in them. Deverell Blackwood. A name that commanded attention. A man who thrived in the spotlight. And a man Luna had no interest in thinking about, especially after waking up in his house, wrapped in his clothes, with nothing but his cryptic words and her own rage echoing in her mind. She scowled, shaking the thought away. It had been a mistake. One she wouldn’t repeat. She leaned back in her chair, rolling the stiffn
A Thousand Lives Between Us Chapter 6: Shadows and Secrets
The lights were too bright.Deverell sat on the edge of the worn-out leather chair, his elbows resting on his knees, his shirt rumpled from the previous scene. The set around him was silent now, just the quiet hum of cameras, the occasional murmurs from the crew, the hollow emptiness that came with the final day of filming.The last scene. The last time he would step into this role.Most actors felt a kind of grief when wrapping up a film, an ache for the character they had embodied for months, but Deverell felt nothing.The cameras cut. The world reset. And he walked away. As he always did.The director clapped his hands, voice booming across the space. “That’s a wrap! Congratulations, everyone!”Cheers erupted, some of the crew embracing, others already breaking down equipment.Deverell stood, slipping off the heavy coat he had worn for the scene, rolling his shoulders as he smiled at the producer approaching him. After an exchange of conversation, he grabbed his things.He had sear
A Thousand Lives Between Us Chapter 5: Regrets
The door clicked shut. Deverell exhaled slowly, staring at the now-empty hallway where Luna had disappeared.He had done the right thing. He had. Then why the hell did it feel like a mistake?He raked a hand through his hair, frustration simmering beneath his skin. Everything about this situation was wrong.Luna Grimes was not supposed to be in his house, in his clothes, in his damn head.Yet the memory of last night lingered—the way her lips had felt against his, the heat of her body pressed against his, the unexplainable pull that had gripped him the moment she stepped into that makeup room.Her scent, unfamiliar, yet it crept in, riding his senses.A mistake. That’s all it had been. Thats what he wanted to believe.Deverell turned away from the door, only to stop short when he saw the tray of untouched food sitting on the small table near the bed. The hangover soup he had made for her. The coffee, still steaming.The toast, slightly burnt because he had been too distracted making s
A Thousand Lives Between Us Chapter 4: In a Stranger's Bed
The first thing she noticed was the sheets, they were soft, unfamiliar, and felt expensive.The second was the room, dark, minimalistic, or hollow of emotions, and nothing like her apartment.A slow, heavy pounding in her head reminded her of the alcohol still thick in her system. She groaned, shifting beneath the sheets, only to realize, "This isn’t my bed."A sharp breath left her lips as her body went rigid, her heart slamming against her ribs.She forced her eyes open, blinking through the haze, taking in the unfamiliar space she was in. The bedroom was spacious but cold, decorated in sleek blacks and deep grays. The air smelled faintly of something woody, expensive, and dangerously intoxicating.And then she looked down, at her own self under the sheets. She was not in her clothes from last night.Instead, she was wearing a loose black T-shirt and drawstring sweatpants, clothes far too large to belong to her.From the looks of them, they were men's clothing.Oh, hell no.Panic c
A Thousand Lives Between Us Chapter 3: A Steamy Encounter
She should have left.She should have turned around, walked back through the curtain, and pretended she never saw him standing there, like that, half-dressed, pale, very pale skin illuminated by the dim backstage lighting.But she didn’t.and before she could realize, she moved towards him.Something in her chest was pulling, like a magnet drawn to something it shouldn’t be. Her pulse pounded in her ears, louder than the muffled music from the afterparty, louder than her own common sense.Deverell didn’t move.He just watched her, unreadable, his shirt hanging open, his breath slow and steady like he was waiting.She stopped just inches from him, her head tilting as she studied his face, the sharp lines of his cheekbones, the impossible perfection of his features, the mouth that was slightly parted as if he had just exhaled a breath he hadn’t meant to take."So rude, so entitled...", she scrunched her eyes, her cheeks red from the drinks. Deverell tilted his head in amusement.What wa
A Thousand Lives Between Us Chapter 2: The Afterparty
Luna adjusted the focus on her camera, exhaling softly as she framed the next shot.Deverell and Kensy laying across the velvet couch in the center of the set, their bodies draped in perfect elegance. The world around them caught its breath, as if even time itself didn’t dare disturb the illusion they had established.She should be used to this.Photographing beautiful people, actors like this, trained in seduction, in longing, in looking at someone as if they were the only thing that mattered in the whole world.But watching Deverell this way? It was not the same.She told herself it was just the lighting. The way his bare chest caught the glow of the overhead bulbs, the way his long fingers skimmed Kensy’s arm, his touch was just enough to suggest intimacy and not possession.It was only a role he was playing. That’s what she needed to remember. And why should it matter ro her.But still, her fingers tightened a little around the camera, a strange tension coiling in her chest as she
A Thousand Lives Between Us Chapter 1: Through the Lense
The set was a controlled chaos of motion, directors yelling out last-minute instructions, assistants adjusting lights, wardrobe stylists smoothing clothes, and the constant buzz of a world constructed entirely on illusion.Luna Grimes had seen it all before.She had spent years behind the lens, watching as actors transformed into something greater, something bigger than life. She had mastered the art of detachment, of viewing beauty, yet not being seduced by it.And still, when Deverell Blackwood walked onto the set, even she could not deny his presence.Deverell Blackwood did not crave attention.It gravitated toward him. Where ever he stroded, the spotlight was on him.Even when the cameras weren’t rolling, even when he wasn’t performing, he moved like the world was made around him, like it existed to accommodate him. He was a living work of art sculpted in too-sharp lines and effortless grace.And what was worse? He knew it.Luna never swooned over men like him.She had seen too ma
