Ownership of the heart

Chapter Three: The Ghost of a Touch

The silence of the elevator had changed over the four hours they had been trapped. It was no longer the silence of two strangers; it was the heavy, rhythmic sound of a shared struggle.

Aria’s fever had peaked somewhere around the three-hour mark. In her delirium, she had stopped being afraid of the "Icy Man" next to her. She had tucked her freezing hands into the warmth of his armpits and rested her hot forehead against the cool silk of his tie.

Killian sat like a tombstone, his heart thundering so loudly he was sure she could hear it. Every time she whimpered in her sleep, his inner wolf let out a low, mourning sound. She’s fading, the beast snarled. Save her.

"I hate the reports..." Aria mumbled, her voice thick and raspy. "Tell Mr. Blackwood... he can take his spreadsheets... and shove them..."Killian let out a breath that was almost a laugh—a dry, rough sound in the dark. "I’ll be sure to tell him, Aria."

"He’s a robot," she sighed, snuggling closer to his chest. "I bet he... he runs on batteries. Cold ones."

"He’s not a robot," Killian whispered, his hand finally finding the courage to rest on the top of her head. He smoothed her messy hair, his touch infinitely gentle. "He’s just... lost. He forgot how to be a person."

Suddenly, a loud clanging sound echoed from above. The car groaned.

"Aria? Aria, someone’s here," Killian said, his voice instantly snapping back to a position of authority.

The ceiling of the elevator was pried open, and a beam of blinding white light cut through the darkness like a blade. Killian’s wolf-senses recoiled at the sudden brightness.

"Sir! Mr. Blackwood? Are you okay?" It was Jax’s voice, sounding frantic.

Killian looked down at Aria. She was blinking, her eyes glazed with fever, staring up at the light. This was it. The bubble was about to burst. If the world saw the King holding a junior manager, her life would never be the same. The Pack Elders would hunt her. The media would ruin her.

He had to protect her.

As the first paramedic lowered himself into the car, Killian gently—but firmly—slid Aria off his lap and moved to the opposite corner of the elevator. By the time the paramedic hit the floor, Killian was standing, his suit jacket straightened, his face once again a mask of frozen granite."The woman," Killian commanded, his voice a whip-crack. "She has a severe fever. Take her first."

"But sir, you’re the priority—"

"I said take her," Killian growled, a hint of his Alpha power leaking into his tone. The paramedic flinched and immediately turned to Aria.

Aria looked up, her vision swimming. She saw a man in a dark suit standing far away from her, his back turned, his silhouette sharp against the light. He looked so cold. So distant. Was that the man who had held her? The man who had felt like a furnace in the dark?

No, she thought as the paramedics lifted her onto a stretcher. I must have dreamed the warmth.

The City General Hospital - Two Hours Later

Aria woke up to the sound of someone crying, but it didn't sound like "sad" crying. It sounded like "I’m-annoyed-and-also-hungry" crying.

"If she’s dead, I’m going to kill her," a voice sobbed. "Who’s going to help me with the audit? And who’s going to tell me when my outfit is too much?"

"Maya, shut up, she’s not dead. She’s just sleeping off a fever and 'Elevator Trauma,'" another voice—Leo—replied. "And your outfit is always too much. You’re wearing sequins to a hospital."

Aria cracked one eye open. The room was sterile, bright, and smelled of lemon bleach. Maya was sitting in a chair, holding a bag of Cheetos like a rosary, her eyes puffy. Leo was leaning against the wall, looking at his phone but with his leg tapping nervously."I’m... I'm alive," Aria croaked.

"Aria!" Maya shrieked, dropping the Cheetos. She lunged forward, hugging Aria so hard the heart monitor started beeping. "You absolute i***t! Why would you get in an elevator during a power surge?"

"It wasn't a power surge, it was a mechanical failure," Leo corrected, though he looked visibly relieved. "The whole building is talking about it. Some big-shot executive was stuck in there with you. Do you know who it was?"

Aria rubbed her temples, the memory of the "Icy Man" flicking through her mind. "I don't know. Some guy. He was... really quiet. He barely said two words to me."

"Typical," Leo snorted. "Probably some VIP who was worried your 'commoner' germs would get on his Armani. Listen, we’re going to go find the cafeteria, Maya hasn't eaten since the 'tragedy' began, and she’s starting to look at my arm like it’s a burrito."

"I am not!" Maya protested, though she followed him out. "We’ll be back in ten minutes. Don't die!"

The door clicked shut, leaving Aria in silence. She leaned back against the pillows, her mind wandering back to the dark. Why did she feel so empty now? Why did the hospital blankets feel so cold compared to—

The door opened again.

Aria expected to see Maya back for her Cheetos, but the person who walked in was not her friend.

It was him.

He wasn't wearing his suit jacket anymore. His white dress shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing thick, powerful forearms. He looked dangerous. He looked out of place in a hospital.

"You," Aria whispered, her heart doing a strange little flip-flop. "The guy from the elevator."

Killian stayed by the door, his hands shoved into his pockets. He looked at her with that same intense stare, but there was something else there now—a flicker of something that looked almost like... guilt?

"How are you feeling?" he asked. His voice was the same deep rumble from the dark.

"Like I got hit by a bus and then shoved into a refrigerator," Aria said, trying to be brave. "But I'll survive. Long enough to sue the life out of this company, anyway."

Killian’s eyebrow twitched. "Sue? On what grounds?"

"Negligence! Emotional trauma! Being stuck in a box with a guy who won't even tell me his name!" Aria started to get fired up, her fever-brain taking over. "I’m going to milk the CEO for every billion he has. I heard he’s a trillionaire. I’m going to make him buy me a private island just so I never have to take an elevator again."

Killian took a slow step into the room. A strange, small quirk appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Every billion? That’s a very ambitious lawsuit."

"I’ll have the best lawyers," Aria bluffed, crossing her arms. "I’ll take his car. I’ll take his penthouse. I’ll make him work in the archives for a week just to see how it feels!"

"And what," Killian asked, his voice dropping an octave as he reached the foot of her bed, "do you think a man like K. Blackwood would do when you come for his billions?"Aria paused, looking at the man’s intense blue eyes. "I don't know. He’s a robot, right? He’ll probably just send a lawyer-bot to pay me off. I’m just exaggerating, anyway. I’d probably settle for like... a hundred thousand. And a dental plan. My wisdom teeth are coming in and the company insurance is garbage."

Killian looked at her for a long, silent moment. The King of the North, a man who controlled the wealth of nations, found himself staring at a girl who just wanted her wisdom teeth fixed.

"A hundred thousand," he repeated quietly. "And a dental plan."

"Yeah," Aria said, suddenly feeling shy under his gaze. "That would be enough. Why? Are you his lawyer? Are you here to talk me down to fifty thousand?"

"No," Killian said, his eyes softening just enough for her to see the gold in them. "I’m not his lawyer."

I’m the man you’re going to sue, he thought. And I’d give you every billion I own just to hear you say my name.