The Sterling Connection and an Unlikely Disguise

Jaxon stormed back into Kaelen's office before the door had fully closed behind him. His eyes were still blazing, but now there was something different in his expression – a tightly controlled focus that was somehow more intimidating than his earlier rage.

"Play it again," he demanded, pointing at the laptop. "The part with him."

I crossed my arms. "Jaxon, I'm not going to—"

"Just do it," Silas interrupted, his voice oddly serious. "I need to see something too."

Confused, I clicked back to the partnered section with Landon and me. The familiar choreography played out – his hands on my waist, my body arching into his, the synchronized movements we'd practiced for countless hours.

"There!" Jaxon and Silas said simultaneously, both pointing at the screen.

"What?" I asked, squinting at the video.

"Pause it and zoom in on his face," Silas instructed.

I did as he asked, enlarging the frame to focus on Landon's face during an intense moment in the dance. His expression was concentrated, passionate – exactly as I remembered it.

"Now play it in slow motion," Jaxon said, his voice tight.

As the video crawled forward, I suddenly caught what they were seeing. For just a fraction of a second, when Landon spun me around and pulled me back against his chest, his eyes... flashed. The unmistakable luminescent blue that I'd come to recognize in all Greys when they accessed their powers.

My stomach dropped. "That's not possible."

"Sterling," Silas breathed, looking up at Kaelen who had moved closer to see the screen. "He's a Sterling."

"What?" I shook my head, rewinding and watching again. "No, Landon's human. I dated him for six months. I would've known if he was—"

"You didn't know you were a Grey," Kaelen pointed out, his expression grave as he studied the screen. "Neither did he, most likely. But that eye flash is unmistakable."

"And you said his full name was Landon Sterling, right?" Silas asked, his researcher's mind clearly racing.

"No," I replied automatically. "It's Landon Cooper."

"Think, Hazel," Jaxon urged, surprising me with his intensity rather than anger. "Did he ever mention family named Sterling? Grandparents? Distant relatives?"

I tried to remember, my mind spinning. "He... he didn't talk much about his family. Said his parents died when he was little. He was raised by his grandfather, but I never met him."

"What was his grandfather's name?" Kaelen asked sharply.

"I don't know if he ever said," I admitted. "Wait—he did mention once that his mother's maiden name was Sterling. But that doesn't mean—"

"It means exactly what we think it means," Kaelen said, closing his laptop and standing up straight. "Magnus Sterling has been planning this for decades. Placing Greys in the human world, raising them there without knowledge of their heritage. Your ex-boyfriend is one of them."

"We need to find him," Silas said urgently. "If he's connected to Magnus, he might know things—information about their plans, their operations."

I felt dizzy with this revelation. Landon—the boy who'd shared my passion for dance, who'd held me through panic attacks, who'd eventually betrayed me with another girl—was a Grey? Possibly part of the enemy faction threatening both realms?

"How do we find him?" Ronan asked. "If he's in the human world—"

"I can find him," I said suddenly, my mind clearing. "I still have him on social media."

Kaelen raised an eyebrow. "You maintain contact with your ex-boyfriend?"

"Not contact," I clarified, rolling my eyes. "But we never unfollowed each other. If he's still posting, I can see where he is."

"Can you access those platforms from here?" Kaelen asked.

"I need my phone and internet," I replied. "My phone's in our apartment."

"Then let's go," Kaelen said decisively. "Now."

---

Back at our apartment, I rummaged through my belongings until I found my phone—dead, of course, after weeks without charging. Silas procured a charger compatible with human devices, and we waited impatiently as the screen flickered to life.

"Can I connect to your laptop?" I asked Kaelen, who nodded and set it up on our kitchen counter.

As my phone booted up, notifications flooded in—missed calls, texts, social media alerts. I ignored them all, heading straight for Snapchat where Landon was most active.

"Bingo," I mumbled, tapping on his story. "He's at Eclipse—a nightclub downtown. Posted this an hour ago."

Everyone crowded around to see the video of flashing lights and dancing bodies. Landon's face appeared briefly, grinning at the camera as he shouted something inaudible over the music.

"We need to go there," Kaelen decided. "Now."

I looked around at the group—five men in varying degrees of formal Grey attire. "Not like this, you're not."

They all stared at me, confused.

"You'll stick out like sore thumbs," I explained. "Eclipse is exclusive—everyone dresses to impress. We need to blend in."

"What do you suggest?" Kaelen asked, surprising me with his immediate acceptance of my expertise.

I felt a spark of my old confidence return. This was my world we were entering. "We need to change. All of us."

For the next twenty minutes, our apartment transformed into an impromptu styling session. I dug through the guys' closets, pulling out the few items that might work in a trendy human nightclub.

"No ties," I instructed, removing Kaelen's as he stood stiffly before me. "Leave the top two buttons undone."

His throat worked as my fingers brushed his skin. "This seems unnecessarily casual for a mission."

"Trust me," I replied, stepping back to assess him. Even in just dark jeans and a crisp white shirt with rolled sleeves, he looked like he'd walked off a magazine cover. "You'll still be the best-dressed man there."

Rhys was easiest—his natural style already leaned toward fashionable. Silas needed only minor adjustments. Ronan required more convincing to swap his comfortable clothes for something more fitted.

Jaxon, surprisingly, needed the least help. His usual black jeans, boots, and fitted t-shirt would blend perfectly with the nightclub aesthetic. I simply handed him a leather jacket to complete the look.

"What about you?" Rhys asked as the men finished getting ready.

I grimaced, looking down at my academy-appropriate outfit. "I need something clubbier."

Twenty minutes later, I emerged from the bathroom transformed. I'd found an old black dress shoved in the back of my closet—something I'd brought from home without realizing it. The fabric clung to my curves, ending mid-thigh. I'd done my makeup heavier than usual, with smokey eyes and glossy lips.

Jaxon's eyes darkened when he saw me. "No."

"No what?" I challenged.

"You're not wearing that," he growled.

"I'm wearing exactly this," I countered. "I need to blend in, and this is what women wear to Eclipse."

"She's right," Kaelen interjected, though his own gaze lingered on my outfit longer than necessary. "We need to look authentic. However, take this."

He shrugged out of his suit jacket and handed it to me. "For when we're outside."

The gesture surprised me, and I accepted it with a small nod.

"We need to move," Silas reminded everyone, checking his watch. "If we want to catch him at the club."

"Where are we going first?" I asked, slipping on the only heels I had with me.

"My house," Kaelen said. "We'll need human currency and identification."

The idea of seeing where Kaelen lived piqued my curiosity, momentarily distracting me from the gravity of our mission.

We piled into Kaelen's sleek black SUV, the atmosphere tense but focused. I sat sandwiched between Rhys and Jaxon in the back, acutely aware of Jaxon's disapproving glances at my outfit.

"So we're really doing this," Rhys murmured as we drove through the academy gates. "Hunting down your ex in a human nightclub."

"Not how I expected tonight to go," I admitted.

"Did you love him?" Jaxon asked suddenly, his voice low enough that only I could hear.

I turned to face him, surprised by the vulnerability beneath his question. "I thought I did," I answered honestly. "But now I know what real connection feels like. What happened with Landon was... human. Nothing like what we have."

Something in his expression softened slightly, and he reached for my hand, intertwining our fingers in rare public affection.

Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to a massive iron gate that opened automatically for Kaelen's vehicle. As we drove through manicured grounds, an enormous mansion came into view, its modern architecture striking against the moonlit sky.

"Holy shit," I whispered as the house grew larger with our approach. "You live here?"

"When I'm not at the academy," Kaelen replied casually, parking in front of a three-car garage.

"Must be nice," I muttered, taking in the impressive facade.

"I won't be long," Kaelen said as we all exited the vehicle. "Wait here."

"No way," Rhys protested. "I've been dying to see your house for years."

Kaelen sighed. "Fine. Follow me."

The interior was exactly what I'd expected—minimalist, expensive, and impeccably tasteful. Everything was in shades of gray, black, and white, with occasional splashes of blue in artwork or accessories. Despite its size, it felt oddly empty.

"No staff tonight?" Silas asked, looking around the silent foyer.

"I dismissed them when the troubles began," Kaelen explained, heading toward what appeared to be an office. "Too dangerous to have humans around."

He disappeared inside, leaving us to wait in his spacious living room. None of us sat down on the pristine furniture, too aware of our coming mission to relax.

When Kaelen returned, he carried a stack of cash and several small cards.

"IDs," he explained, handing one to each of us. "They'll withstand scrutiny if needed."

I examined mine—a perfect fake showing my actual photo but with slightly altered information.

"Ready?" Kaelen asked, pocketing the cash.

We gathered close together in the foyer, forming a tight circle at his instruction.

"Hold onto each other," he directed. "Teleporting with multiple people requires contact."

I found myself pressed between Kaelen and Jaxon, their contrasting scents—Kaelen's clean cologne and Jaxon's earthy leather—enveloping me as the others crowded in.

"On three," Kaelen said, his arm wrapping securely around my waist. "One... two..."

I took a deep breath, my heart racing with anticipation.

"Three."

The world dissolved around us, and I felt the familiar pull of teleportation yanking us between realms. In seconds, we materialized in a dark alley just blocks from Eclipse nightclub, the distant thump of bass already audible.

Jaxon's hand tightened on my arm as we steadied ourselves. "Let's find this Sterling bastard."