Chapter 7: Too Close
1242 Words
Elera’s POV
I was starting to hate elevators.
Especially when they opened directly into chaos.
The moment I stepped onto the executive floor that morning, I could feel it immediately—something was off. The air itself felt tighter, like the entire floor was holding its breath.
Employees moved faster than usual.
Voices were lower.
Eyes avoided contact.
Even the receptionists looked like they had been warned not to speak too loudly.
Which could only mean one thing.
Kael Draven was in a mood.
“Good luck,” one of the receptionists whispered as I walked past.
I slowed slightly. “Should I be concerned?”
She gave me a look filled with quiet pity.
That answered everything.
I tightened my grip on my tablet and walked further in.
And then I felt it.
That pressure in my chest again.
Warm.
Heavy.
Pulling.
Not painful this time—just… present. Constant. Like something inside me had recognized a direction before my mind did.
And it was leading me straight to him.
Kael Draven stood near the conference table surrounded by executives.
Everyone else looked tense.
He didn’t.
He looked like control itself had taken human form—dark suit, relaxed posture, one hand resting on the table like the entire room belonged to him without question.
“We’re losing territory near the eastern sector,” one executive said sharply. “If we don’t respond now—”
“We will,” Kael interrupted calmly.
No raised voice.
No urgency.
Just certainty.
And the room fell silent immediately.
Not because they agreed.
Because no one wanted to argue with the tone he used when he already decided the outcome.
I should have turned away.
I didn’t.
Something about him made it hard to move my attention elsewhere.
Like my focus wasn’t fully mine anymore when he was in the room.
Before I could step back—
his eyes lifted.
And landed directly on me.
Instantly.
The reaction hit my body like a quiet shock.
My breath caught.
That pull in my chest tightened, warm and unsettling at the same time.
Kael’s expression shifted ever so slightly.
He felt it too.
One of the executives followed his gaze. “Why is the human here?”
Great.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
Kael didn’t even look away from me when he answered.
“Because she works here.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.”
The room tightened again.
Not loud.
Not obvious.
Just pressure.
Like something unseen had shifted closer.
I stepped forward hesitantly, suddenly aware of every eye on me. “I can come back later.”
“No.”
The answer came immediately.
Too fast.
Too direct.
The room went still again.
Even I paused.
Kael didn’t explain.
He didn’t soften it.
He just held my gaze like that was enough reason.
Then Riven appeared beside me.
Casual.
Calm.
Like he hadn’t just walked into tension sharp enough to cut through glass.
“Good morning,” he said lightly.
His eyes briefly met mine, and something in his expression softened.
“You already look like you want to leave.”
I exhaled quietly. “That’s because I do.”
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Kael noticed.
Of course he did.
Something unreadable flickered across his face before it settled back into control.
“Meeting’s over,” Kael said flatly.
No argument followed.
No one dared.
Executives left one by one, but not without glancing at me like I still didn’t belong in their world.
The moment the room emptied, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
“Do they always look like that?” I muttered. “Like they’re mentally ranking survival chances?”
Riven leaned back slightly. “Only on difficult days.”
“And today is difficult?”
Kael answered without hesitation.
“Yes.”
Simple.
Cold.
Final.
I crossed my arms slightly. “You could try sounding less like a warning label.”
“I’m not trying to warn you.”
“That somehow makes it worse.”
Riven let out a quiet laugh.
Kael glanced at him briefly, unimpressed.
“You encourage her too much.”
My eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
Riven didn’t even deny it. “I think it helps.”
Kael exhaled slightly through his nose. “Of course you do.”
The tension in the room should have felt heavy.
But it didn’t.
Not entirely.
There was something else underneath it now.
Something less sharp.
More… aware.
And I hated how I noticed it.
Kael turned back to me.
“You’re staying late.”
I blinked. “What?”
“There’s unfinished work.”
“That sounds suspiciously like a trap.”
“It isn’t.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Do you ever say anything normally?”
His gaze held mine for a moment longer than necessary.
“Do you?”
Riven turned slightly away, clearly hiding amusement again.
I muttered under my breath, “You’re impossible.”
“And yet,” Kael said quietly, “you’re still here.”
That landed differently than it should have.
Not as a command.
Not as a statement.
But as something almost too honest.
And I didn’t know why that bothered me more than anything else he had said.
---
Later That Night
The office after dark felt different.
Quieter.
Softer.
The city lights outside stretched across the glass walls, painting the room in muted gold and blue reflections.
Everyone had left hours ago.
Except us.
I sat across from Kael at a long desk, pretending to focus on the documents in front of me.
It wasn’t working.
Because I was hyper-aware of him.
The sound of pages turning.
The way he loosened his tie slightly after hours of work.
The quiet exhaustion he never showed openly but didn’t fully hide either.
He looked less untouchable at night.
More real.
That thought shouldn’t have affected me the way it did.
“You’re staring.”
I froze. “I’m not.”
Kael finally looked up.
And there it was.
Not amusement.
Not coldness.
Something quieter.
Sharper in a different way.
“You are,” he said.
Heat rushed into my face instantly. “I was thinking.”
“About what?”
I opened my mouth.
Nothing came out.
Because there was absolutely no safe answer to that question.
Thankfully—
the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then went out completely.
The room dropped into darkness.
I gasped softly, instinctively standing—
But before I could fully react—
arms caught me.
Fast.
Firm.
Immediate.
Kael.
My back pressed against his chest in the dark, his hold instinctive rather than cautious, like he had reacted before thinking.
My breath stopped completely.
His presence surrounded me.
Warm.
Solid.
Too close.
“Are you okay?” his voice came low above me.
And I should have said yes.
But I couldn’t.
Because something inside me reacted the moment he touched me.
That same pull.
Stronger now.
Sharper.
And I felt it echo in him too.
His grip tightened slightly around my waist—not pulling me closer, but not letting go either.
Like he was trying to steady something that wasn’t just me anymore.
Neither of us moved.
Not immediately.
Because in the dark like this…
there was nothing left to pretend wasn’t happening.
And neither of us said the thing we were both starting to understand.
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