Page 53 of Seduce Me in Shadow

Aquarius can’t wait.

I pick up my phone. “Thank god you’ve called. Can you meet me?”

Chapter

Twenty-Five

Caden

I’m not certain who Sydney is talking to, and at the moment, I don’t much care. Everything about this situation is wrong. I have no idea how to fix it, and Sydney is on the bloody phone with god knows who, discussing god knows what. For all I know, she’s making a date.

On second thought, I do care who she’s talking to; I need to know the name of the man I’ll kill.

Quickly, Sydney covers her mouthpiece. “A moment, please.”

With an angry pivot, I leave. But I can’t make myself walk away. If Sydney is already replacing me in her bed… Well, I’m not a masochist by nature, but I have to know. Though I can’t keep her, I can’t stand the thought of losing her, either.

With a distracted shove, Sydney pushes the door until it’s nearly shut. I lean closer, ear to the crack, and listen.

“I’m here,” she says. “Lunch sounds great. Can you meet me at eleven thirty at that um…Blue whatever the name was?” She pauses. “Perfect. I’ll see both of you then.”

Both?Is she dating more than one man?

“Work is fine. I know you’re supposed to be on holiday, and I don’t want to bog you down, but I need help with this week’s story. It’s still developing. I also need to ask you about that magical diary you gave me for my birthday.”

She’s talking to Aquarius. Tension melts from my body. Not only because the woman is back in town but because Sydney is still single. I can’t stomach the thought of her with another man, and it would be wise to refrain from violence.

“What can you tell me about that book? Its origins? Does it have any ties to the magical world I’ve been writing about?”

She’s speaking in low tones, so I close my eyes and concentrate. Aquarius loudly answers yes to Sydney’s question. Then her voice drops again. I pick up a word or two about someone named Emma, whoever the bloody hell that is.

“Perfect,” Sydney replies. “I’m still working on the ongoing war angle of this story, but I’m thinking of writing this week’s article about the book.”

Her words jolt me as if someone rammed ten thousand volts through my body.

I can’t let Sydney write about the Doomsday Diary. The danger to her if Mathias reads the article… My blood chills, and my breath stops as I imagine everything the terrible wizard would force her to endure. Haven’t I convinced her yet that this angle is dangerous? That she could be a target?

Hand on the knob to her door, I prepare to charge in and do whatever it takes to change her mind. She can’t write about that bloody book. Not this week, not ever.

Someone taps my shoulder. I whirl to see Holly, Sydney’s editor.

Damn it all. This looks bad.

“Morning, Holly. I was just waiting to ask Sydney a question.”

“And it’s taken the last two minutes of intense eavesdropping to decide what to say?”

Fuck.“No. Well, she… I wasn’t sure if?—”

Holly holds up a hand to stop me. “Come with me.”

I look back at Sydney’s door. I don’t have much choice. Later, before Sydney leaves for lunch, I’ll talk to her, make her see reason, and convince her not to run that story.

With a sigh, I follow Holly.

“Do you have anything personal in your cubicle?”

“Just my camera. Why?”

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