C14 Strategies

SYDNEY

I woke up gasping.

Not from a nightmare. From a memory.

But not a memory that made sense.

Flashes.

A man in the shadows.

Alaric moving so fast I couldn’t follow.

His hands pinning someone to the wall—impossibly strong.

And then… his face.

God, his face.

For a heartbeat, it hadn’t been the face of the infuriatingly handsome man I knew. It had been darker. The veins under his eyes pronounced, his pupils blown wide, his jaw sharp with something feral.

I pressed my hands to my temples. What the hell did I see?

And then, like a fog rolling in, the memory shifted, smoothed itself. My own voice echoed back at me: Never in danger… never in danger.

But if I wasn’t in danger, why did my heart still pound every time I thought of him?

---

“Are you okay?” Paige asked, shoving a latte into my hand as I sat at the breakfast bar.

“Define okay,” I muttered, staring at the foam like it might hold answers.

Paige eyed me. “You’ve been weird all morning. Don’t tell me it’s about Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Broody again.”

Heat crept up my neck. “It’s not—okay, maybe it is.”

Paige groaned. “Sydney, seriously? He turned you down, what, twice? Three times? You can’t keep circling him like a cat around a laser pointer.”

“I’m not circling,” I said indignantly. “I’m… strategizing.”

“Strategizing,” she repeated flatly.

“Yes,” I said, trying to sound dignified even as my voice wobbled. “It’s a bet.”

Her eyes widened. “You told Rivera and Cindy, didn’t you?”

I bit my lip. “Maybe.”

Paige facepalmed. “God help me. What’s step five?”

I smirked, lifting the latte like a toast. “Step five is getting him to trust me.”

“Good luck with that,” she muttered.

---

Walking into Stallone Enterprises that morning was like stepping onto a stage. Everyone pretended not to stare, but I could feel the weight of a hundred eyes. The scandal, the gossip, my father’s puppet strings—it was all still fresh.

But none of it mattered when I saw him.

Alaric.

He was already at my desk when I walked in, flipping through files like he owned the place. His jaw was tight, his shirt collar open just enough to distract me.

“Good morning,” I said breezily, pretending last night’s almost-kiss-and-total-weirdness hadn’t happened.

His eyes lifted to mine, cool and unreadable. “You shouldn’t wander off alone at events like that.”

My pulse skipped. He remembered.

“You mean the stalker guy?” I said, forcing a laugh. “Yeah, that was scary.”

His gaze sharpened. “You don’t remember what happened after?”

Something in his voice made my skin prickle. I tilted my head, studying him. “Why? Did I… miss something?”

He hesitated—just for a fraction—but I caught it.

That was all the confirmation I needed.

“Oh my God,” I whispered, realization dawning. “You’re hiding something.”

His expression darkened instantly. “Drop it, Sydney.”

I stepped closer, refusing to back down. “You’re strong—too strong. And fast. And your eyes—” I cut myself off, heart hammering.

He froze.

For a moment, the air between us was thick with danger and heat, his control slipping at the edges.

Then he leaned down, his lips hovering dangerously close to my ear. “You’re playing with fire. Stop before you get burned.”

Every rational thought told me to run.

But instead, I smiled slowly. “Funny thing about me, Alaric. I’ve never been afraid of fire.”

---

When he left my office, I leaned back in my chair, my fingers pressed to my lips.

Something was wrong with him. Something not human.

And if I wasn’t careful, I’d end up either discovering his secret… or being destroyed by it.

The worst part?

I wasn’t sure which one I wanted more.