Bound to the triplets

Chapter 3 – The Golden Flame

Aria’s Point of View

There is silence at the end of the interview. Not the kind of silence that makes you feel better or even the kind that makes you feel like you're not worth it. The kind that wraps around you and makes you wonder if you just said something terrible.

Damian's eyes stay on me as if he's still thinking about every word I might have left unsaid. I wait, my heart racing in my throat, but he doesn't say anything, no verdict, no last word, just the slow tilt of his head that feels like both rejection and judgment.

"That will be all, Ms. Wynter," he finally says.

Even after I stand up, the sound of my name in his voice still echoes in my head. My chair creaks like I'm letting go of stress, but my body hasn't caught up yet. I make my hands smooth out my dress so I look calm, but my fingers are shaking against the fabric.

"Thank you, Mr. Veyric," I say, even though my throat feels tight.

He doesn't say anything. The man carved back into stone, as if I had never been in the room at all, and his eyes were already moving back toward the skyline.

I leave the office and close the heavy door behind me. I breathe out so hard that I feel like I might pass out from relief. The corridor outside is brighter and cooler, as if the cedar scented air from Damian's office has made it less heavy. As I walked out, I took another short breath and unexpectedly stumbled into something or someone.

"Whoa, be careful there, sweetheart." A warm and playful voice says followed by a hand grabbing my elbow and keeps me from falling over my own heels.

"You'd break my heart if you ran me over before we even met."

I blink in shock and see a face that looks like sunlight made flesh.

Kael Veyric.

Damian is a blade made of winter, and Kael is fire, gold, and alive. His hair is dark honey brown with bronze streaks that shine in the soft lights of the ceiling. His jaw is clean shaven but not as harsh as his brother's. His features are striking, but a boyish mischief makes him easy to talk to. And then there are his eyes. God. His eyes are bright and mischievous, like molten amber, and they are full of warmth.

You know they're going to tell a joke when you see those eyes. The kind that makes you lean in closer. Damian is all sharp lines and tension, but Kael moves like water. His height is the same as his brother's, but his presence doesn't push you away, it pulls you in.

His slate gray suit is probably custom, made and costs a lot of money, but the tie is already loose and the jacket is unbuttoned, as if he didn't care about the last layer of formality. I know I'm staring, and his smile gets bigger as if he caught me.

"You must be Aria," he says, and the way he says my name makes it sound like we've known each other for a long time. "I haven't heard anything about you, which means you're already more interesting than the rest of this place."

"Is that how you say hello?" I muttered with a raised eyebrow and try not to blush.

He tilts his head as if he's thinking. "Well, it was either that or a really bad joke about elevators. I thought I'd start with charm and save the bad stuff for later.”

I can't help but laugh, even though I don't want to. It's short, surprised, and unguarded. It's the first time I've really laughed in weeks, and the sound almost scares me.

Kael's face lights up right away.

"There it is. Pretty,” he says as his voice gets softer and loses its playful edge for a moment. "You should do that more often."

I shake my head quickly, feeling bad. "You don't even know me."

"Not yet, But I'm a great student. Especially when it comes to things that are important to know.” He says as he leans in, and his golden eyes shine.

His words should sound rehearsed, even cocky, but the way he says them makes my heart race. I think it's dangerous. In a way that is very different from his brother. Damian had me pinned down with cold steel, but Kael? He was already taking the locks off the walls that had taken me years to build.

I clear my throat. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

"Oh, trust me, darling, if I had wanted to sneak up on you, you would never have known." He gives me a smile that is so naughty that I don't know if I should roll my eyes or laugh again.

I try to be distant instead. “Do you flirt with every person who leaves your brother's office?”

His smile gets bigger. "No. Only the ones who look like they might cry or pass out if I don't distract them right away.” He lowers his voice, as if he's in on a secret. "And maybe the ones with stormy eyes."

The heat is creeping back into my cheeks. I hate how quickly he can make me smile and how easily he can disarm me.

"I'm fine," I say, lying.

Kael looks at me for a second longer before shrugging as if to say, "Okay, if you say so, But I still want to walk you out. Damian has a way of making the air in a room disappear, and I don't want you to die on your first day here.”

"I'm not hired yet."

"Details," he says with a wave of his hand, and he starts to walk next to me. "Yes, you will be. I can feel it."

"You're sure do have a lot of confidence!" I joked, inwardly roling my eyes.

"Not confidence," he says with a fake serious tone. "Ability. I've never gotten a first impression wrong.”

"You don't even know if I got the job."

“Oh, sweetheart, you got the job. Damian wouldn’t have let you walk out alive if you didn’t.” The way he says it makes me stop in my tracks. He turns back with a playful smile, but his eyes flash with something sharper, something that makes me wonder if he's joking at all.

I swallow. "That's not funny."

"Didn't say it was a joke," he says with a smile, and then he laughs it off when I frown.

"Relax, my brother is a lot of things, but a killer isn't one of them.” His hand lightly brushes against my elbow again, guiding me to the elevators.

"Come on. Let's get you some fresh air before you explode from thinking too much.”

The doors of the elevator slide open, and we both get in. The mirrored walls show me his golden eyes, which catch the light like molten fire. He pushes the button for the lobby and leans against the wall, looking at me with a level of intensity that doesn't match his easy smile.

"You don't get scared easily, do you?" he asks after a short pause.

"I'm here, right?" I replied with a smirk on my face.

His smile gets bigger, but now it looks like he's planning something. "Brave, or dumb. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference."

The elevator makes a soft humming sound as it goes down, but the air feels charged and hums in a way that has nothing to do with the machinery. The cool air from the lobby rushes in when the doors open, breaking the spell that had been building between us.

Kael makes a big show of his gestures. “After you, Ms. Wynter. I don't want you to think I've lost all sense of decency.”

I step out of the elevator the marble floor shines in the light. People move smoothly through their busy weekday lives. Kael walks next to me, and his presence is easy and almost protective. I can't tell if he means to or if it's just instinct.

"So," he says, putting his hands in his pockets, "how about a coffee to celebrate? It's on me. Let's raise a glass to getting through your first round with the big bad wolf upstairs.”

I look at him and squint my eyes. "And what does that mean for you?"

He leans in closer and smiles. "Of course, the charming brother. Golden retriever energy with better clothes.”

I snort, and the sound is so unladylike that I cover my mouth with my hand. But Kael just smiles, happy.

"Look? "I'm already winning."

We get to the revolving doors, and I stop. The cool light from outside spills across the shiny floor. I hesitate for some reason, as if going outside will break the strange, shiny thread that connects us. Kael sees. He does, of course.

All the teasing is gone from his voice. "Aria," he says, and my name sounds softer in his mouth than it did in Damian's. "You'll be okay. You are stronger than you think.”

The words touched something deep inside me, an ache I didn't want to feel. His golden eyes hold mine, and for a moment I wonder if he can see too much. Maybe his warmth hides something sharper, deeper, and more dangerous.

I shake it off and fix the strap on my bag. "Thanks for the walk.”

He backs off and gives me room, but his smile comes back, light and easy. "Don't thank me yet. I'll see you again.”