Shadows of Duty 

Some people say fate finds you when you’re not looking. For Eric, fate comes in a back alley on New Year’s Eve.

As a former soldier with blood on his hands and ghosts in his shadow, Eric’s civilian life is unraveling. Bills are stacking, jobs won’t stick, and frozen dinners are the closest thing he has to comfort. He thinks this is all life has left to offer—until Adria slides him a card that changes everything.

She opens the door.
But she’s not the only one who makes him feel again.

Inside Club Shale, is a world Eric had only dreamed of–and a woman who wasn’t part of the plan. Selena—sharp eyes, soft skin, and a scent that calls to something deep and primal inside him. Her touch wakes something up. Something dangerous.

But ghosts don’t stay buried. And Eric’s past is clawing its way into his future. If he wants to survive in Adria’s world, he’ll have to stop running.

Even if it means losing everything.
Again.

Every empire needs a shadow.
This is how Eric became hers.

A prequel standalone novella in the interconnected Dominant Strategy dark romance series.