Page 123 of Goldflame

Julian shifts, positioning himself between us, gun still aimed casually in my direction. Stillness descends and the three remaining Harrows create a triangle—a complex dynamic that has defined our lives for too long.

“Right on time, brother,” Julian says, voice dripping with false warmth. “Come to save your precious Aurelia again?”

Adrian remains near the hallway, his body coiled with tension. His gaze flicks between Julian’s gun and my bloody hands, and I can see calculations running behind his eyes as he tries to solve this impossible equation.

“Why are you doing this?” Adrian asks. “You’ve always wanted her for yourself. Why kill her?”

A hollow laugh bursts from Julian’s throat. “Maybe I’ve learned what you never could, brother. Some things are better destroyed than possessed.”

Lady Harrow moves to Julian’s side, her hand resting possessively on his arm. Mother and son united in their shared monstrosity.

“If you’re going to kill her,” Adrian says, taking a careful step forward, “at least tell me why.”

Julian only smiles, and it’s the smile I remember from childhood—the one that always preceded something dangerous. “I could. Or I could just end this.”

The gun shifts, aiming directly at my heart now. Time stretches, elastic and distorted. In this suspended moment, I see everything with full clarity—the slight tremor in Julian’s hand, the coldness in Lady Harrow’s eyes, the desperate determination in Adrian’s stance.

Adrian lunges forward right before Julian pulls the trigger.

The sound cracks through the penthouse like thunder, and Adrian stumbles, his momentum carrying him forward. He collapses beside the couch, one hand reaching blindly for mine.

Blood soaks through his clothes.

Julian laughs.

“No!” I scream, dragging my wounded body toward Adrian. Blood smears beneath me as I pull myself across the floor, leaving a red trail. “No, no, no.”

I reach him, my trembling hands finding his face. His eyes are open, focused on me despite the pain I can see cutting into every line of his face.

“Don’t you dare die,” I hiss, fury replacing fear. “Don’t you dare die again. Don’t you dare leave me.”

His lips curve into a pained smile. “I’d die a second time for you if I had to, my love.”

His simple declaration breaks me and tears blur my vision as I press my forehead against his.

Julian’s footsteps approach, completely unhurried. He looms over us, his shadow falling across our entwined bodies.

“I knew you’d jump in the way of the bullet,” he says to Adrian, disgust twisting his beautiful face. “Idiot. You’ve always been so predictable. Sonoble.” He spits the last word.

Before I can respond, Julian’s hands close around my body, lifting me as if I weigh nothing. Pain shoots through my side as he carries me, my blood soaking into his clothes. For a moment, as his heart beats against mine, I think he’s saving me after all. That some smallpiece of the boy I once loved still exists inside this demon.

Then he dumps me at Lady Harrow’s feet, my body hitting the floor with bone-jarring force. I cry out and grab my side.

“Do what you want with her,” he tells his mother. “Have fun.”

I vomit near Lady Harrow’s feet. Whether it’s from fear or the shock of the physical pain radiating throughout my body, I empty my guts. And once I’m empty, understanding fills the space.

This was never about killing me. I’m not even sure it’s about revenge or ego. It’s about… what?

What does Julian want?

Julian returns to Adrian, lifting him with startling gentleness. “Your wife won’t be happy,” he says, adjusting his hold to support Adrian’s head, “but fuck her. Let’s get you home where you belong, brother. With me.”

My lips part as everything becomes clear. The tenderness in his touch, in his voice, reveals the truth hidden beneath layers of madness. This twisted path of destruction was never truly about me. It was about reclaiming what Julian believed was rightfully his. Family. The only constant in a world that’s taken everything else from him.

He wants his brother back.

I watch helplessly as Julian carries Adrian away, his movements as careful as a parent with a sleeping child.

Then I’m alone.

With her.

Lady Harrow crouches beside me, her manicured fingers tracing the edge of my throat stitches with curious detachment. Then her hand moves down to hook on my necklace. She yanks it off in one violent motion and tosses it aside.

Her smile unfurls slowly. “Now then, Golden One. Where shall we begin?”