MARKED BY THE DEVIL

"Focus," he reminded himself as his eyes lifted to the gallery, but the moment he turned, Damon's hazel eyes pinned him in place.

Alejandro's pulse stuttered as their gazes locked across the club, a smirk curved Damon's lips before he turned back to his glass and looked ahead coldly, as though he hadn't caught his attention at all.

The dismissal irritated him more than it should have.

Damon murmured something to one of his guards, the man immediately disappearing into a corridor bathed in violet light before Damon started toward Alejandro with the confidence of a man who owned every inch of the club while Alejandro steeled his nerves, masking his tension behind casual arrogance.

"New face."

His voice was smooth and low, dripping with quiet authority as he stopped beside Alejandro, leaning one elbow against the bar.

The moment his eyes met his, the rest of the club seemed to blur into meaningless noise and for a heartbeat neither of them moved.

Alejandro had spent years studying people, reading lies before they were spoken and spotting danger before it struck. Yet something about the man standing before him unraveled that training with frightening ease. He should have looked away, should have remembered exactly who he was and what he had done, instead he found himself staring and Damon wasn't looking away either.

It wasn't simply his looks that caught Damon's attention, though he was undeniably handsome. It was the way he looked at him, meeting his gaze without fear, desperation, or the need to impress him. Just quiet defiance staring back at a man most people couldn't bring themselves to look in the eye.

"Depends who's asking." The corner of Alejandro's mouth lifted slightly as he brought his glass to his lips.

Neither of them noticed the man sitting beside him rise from his seat and quietly disappear into the crowd.

Damon's gaze remained fixed on him.

For the first time in years, he found himself interested before he had even spoken more than a few words. Most people folded beneath his stare, but he held it without hesitation and for reasons he couldn't explain, he wanted to see how long he could keep doing it.

"You're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid to walk into my club with that attitude," Damon remarked, his voice deepening slightly.

Their eyes never left each other as Alejandro felt his pulse stumble unexpectedly.

He didn't understand why every instinct urged him to stay exactly where he was, why this dangerous man felt impossible to ignore despite every warning he had ever heard about him. Common sense told him to create distance, yet instead he found himself wanting to know what he would say next.

"Maybe both," he replied, lifting his glass to his lips as a faint smile touched Damon's mouth, and for reasons he couldn't explain, he found himself wanting his attention to remain exactly where it was, on him.

"Courage," he murmured with a soft chuckle, pointing lightly toward him. "Or maybe a death wish."

Neither acknowledged the strange tension building between them, but beneath the conversation and the masks they both wore, something dangerous had already begun taking shape.

The amusement lingering in Damon's stare disappeared almost immediately, replaced by something colder and far more lethal as he signaled subtly to his guards before gesturing for Alejandro to follow.

"Come with me," Damon said, weaving through the club. "We need to talk... somewhere private."

Alejandro hesitated, every instinct on high alert. He downed the rest of his drink and trailed Damon through the club, his eyes moving sharply around his surroundings, noting every exit, every guard, and every possible threat as he followed him deeper into his territory.

They entered a private lounge and the door clicked shut behind them, leaving only the two of them inside.