3. Aurum

Three

"This is total bullshit,and you know it!" I snarled.

Jade sat at his desk, smiling politely like I wasn't about to bite his head off. He stacked his papers and slid them into his perfectly organized drawer.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

I slammed my palms down. "The Games! The twin bachelor gimmick!"

Jade's eye twitched. He pried my fingers off his precious desk.

"Why is it total bullshit?" he asked.

"Because it's always one bachelor. And because... it's stupid."

He folded his hands together. "Riveting arguments. Do you have any more?"

I was about to unleash my fury when Jade's office door flew open and another pissed-off dragon stormed in.

Saffron.

"Jade, this is total bullshit, and you know it!" Saffron snapped.

Awkward affection coiled in my chest. We just couldn't avoid doing the same things, could we?

"Ah, déjà vu," Jade said. "How may I help you, Saffron?"

"I'm not doing this," Saffron stated. "This... twin bachelor thing on the Games. I refuse."

Jade shot him a pointed smile. "I'm afraid it's too late to refuse. The paperwork has already gone through, the contracts signed, the employees paid—"

Saffron slammed his hands on the desk. "I don't care about that! Un-sign them! Un-pay them!"

Despite everything, I smirked in amusement. I had to admit, it was funny seeing Saffron repeat my exact gestures.

Jade sighed and repeated the finger-prying until his desk was free of our grimy hands.

"We all know that's not possible," Jade said patiently. "In any case, Aurum already tried to escape the twist and failed."

Saffron frowned. He whipped his head towards me, then his eyes darkened.

It hit me like a punch in the gut. He didn't even notice I was in the room until now.

Were we that messed up?

"You... you did?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah? I was here yelling at Jade before you showed up," I said.

Saffron let out a sarcastic snort. "Of course. Because you'd rather die than be a bachelor."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

He rolled his eyes. "You hate romance and fated mates. I'm not surprised you'd try to weasel out of the Games."

My lips curled into a snarl, exposing my shifted fangs. "Call me a weasel again and see what happens."

"Boys," Jade shouted. "Cool it."

Jade rarely raised his voice, so that was enough to shock us into silence. We kept glaring at each other, though.

"See? You can get along." He smiled at us like we were a pair of muzzled dogs. "As I was saying, the season is set in stone. There's no changing it at this point, I'm afraid. You'll have to make it work. I know you can."

I bit back a growl. Jade was only doing this because of our argument. I never should've told him about it. Smarmy dickhead.

"Now, if you're both done verbally attacking a poor old dragon, I'll excuse you from my office," Jade said.

I snorted. "You're not that old, lizard-brain."

In my heart, I expected Saffron to join in, but he'd already turned and left.

"This isn't over," I promised Jade.

I didn't wait for a response. I ran outside and caught up with Saffron.

"I'm not done with you, either," I said, grabbing his shoulder.

He glowered. "What?"

"I know why I want out of the Games. But why do you? Isn't this your big lovey-dovey dream?"

He wrenched his shoulder from my grip. "None of your business."

I felt like crying, but I also felt like punching him in the face.

"Actually, it is my fucking business," I said. "I'm your twin brother, dude. Or did you forget that?"

Saffron crossed his arms. "Really? Because lately, you're not acting like it."

I sputtered. "What are you talking about? You're the one who's not acting like it!"

"Whatever."

Shaking his head, Saffron turned to leave. I cut him off.

"Just tell me why you're not interested," I demanded.

He opened his mouth to tell me off when I heard a vibration. He paused, pulled his phone out of his pocket, smiled at it, then shoved it back in.

"Gotta go," he said quickly, then tore down the hall.

What the hell was that about? That was suspicious as fuck.

I wasn't letting Saffron go without an explanation. Two, now, actually.

I bolted after him, pumping my muscles hard. Good thing we were matched for speed, just like everything else.

I collided into him right in front of Crimson's room. A full-length mirror hung outside his door so his vain ass could triple-check his outfit before leaving.

"Dude, let go," Saffron fumed.

"Not until you tell me what's going on."

Saffron's face turned red with rage. "I don't have to tell you everything that happens in my life, especially since you've been such a dick lately!"

Now my face was definitely red, too. "What the actual fuck are you saying? I've been nothing but nice to you!"

Saffron laughed humorlessly. "Okay, sure, bro."

I gripped his shirt in my fists. I was about to shake the stupidity out of him.

Then I saw motion in the corner of my eye.

It was our reflections in the mirror.

We looked exactly the same. Without my hair dye, we'd reverted to total identical twins. The same sunshine-yellow hair, the same furious expression...

How could two people who looked so similar act so distant? How could we be so angry with each other?

Saffron noticed it, too. He stared wordlessly at the mirror, his mouth a tight line.

I eased my grip on him. It was hard to keep holding on while we stared at our reflections.

Saffron blew out a breath and looked away. "Let's just get through this."

I didn't look away. I kept staring at the mirror, fixated on us.

How long had I used the hair dye to look differentiated from my brother? It was such a habitual part of my routine, it never even crossed my mind anymore. It was automatic.

But without it...

An idea wormed its way into my brain.

"Yeah," I said. "We'll get through it."

Saffron eyed me. I was used to his face, obviously—but it felt weird looking at it after seeing my own yellow-haired reflection.

Being golden-haired was my thing. So if that was gone, who could possibly tell us apart?

The door to Crimson's room opened and a huffy suit-wearing lizard-brain frowned at us. He opened his mouth—presumably to scold us—then paused as if his brain had malfunctioned.

"First of all, why are you two arguing outside my room?" he asked, then asked in a more pressing tone, "Second, why do you..."

He faltered, waving a hand around as if the sentence would magically complete itself.

"Look the same?" we both stated at the same time.

Crimson's lips came together in a confused pout. "Yes."

Because we're identical twins, dumbass.

But before I could insult him, Saffron pointed at me. "He lost his dye."

I had an initial flash of anger.

Then my wacky idea came crawling back. What if I pretended to be Saffron? Would it really work? I needed to test it.

"What? He lost his dye, not me!" I argued, jabbing my finger back in return.

A stupefied expression came over Saffron's face. From the corner of my eye, I saw Crimson looking baffled, too.

I held my smug grin in check. The illusion worked. I wanted to see how far I could go.

Crimson's holier-than-thou posture was broken by our—my—little act.

"Um, you... lost your dye?" Crimson's brows knitted together as he spoke to Saffron.

Saffron scowled in frustration. "I don't dye my hair."

"Yes, you do," I argued.

Saffron gawked. He couldn't believe it.

Crimson glanced back and forth between us. He clearly didn't know who to believe, either. How could he? We looked and acted identical. Even our own brother couldn't differentiate us.

It was such a stupid, blatant plan.

It was perfect.

"Stop it," Saffron hissed at me.

The act came naturally.

"No, Aurum, you're the one who has to stop," I insisted.

"I'm Saffron!" he yelled, his voice cracking.

I shook my head and put on my best stern, disappointed face. "This is really immature. You need to stop."

I could tell he wanted to strangle me. The feeling was mutual. But I was having too much fun with this game to stop.

Crimson pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, I don't know what's going on, and I don't care. You two can continue this argument elsewhere."

Saffron was about to launch into round two when Taylor exited the bedroom with Ruby in his arms. He raised a brow at the trio of dragon brothers.

"Do you need some baby therapy?" Taylor asked.

That deflated Saffron's anger like a popped balloon. He nodded and reached for Ruby. Taylor smiled as he handed the kid over, like he knew he'd just instantly resolved a conflict.

"You're the cutest cutie ever, aren't you?" Saffron cooed at Ruby.

I noticed Crimson watching me closely. Shit. I loved my nieces and nephews, but I wasn't as overly schmoopy as Saffron. Was that my tell?

"Gimme that baby," I demanded.

Saffron glared at me while cuddling Ruby closer, but surprisingly relented and passed him over.

I grinned as Ruby babbled and grabbed my shirt. I had to admit, holding babies was awesome. Maybe Saffron had a point.

"Trying something new?" Taylor asked, glancing at our matching heads. He couldn't tell us apart, either.

"No," Saffron grumbled.

"Okay." Taylor shrugged, ready to drop the point. He didn't seem to care which one of us was which. "So, how about the Games? Are you two excited?"

Crimson crossed his arms. "Don't bother making small talk with them, kitten. They're in their own little world."

"No," Saffron said as if Crimson hadn't spoken.

Ten minutes ago, my answer would've been ‘no', too. But things had changed now that I'd discovered this new power.

"Yes, I'm so excited," I said chipperly. "I can't wait to find my mate."

Gag. Total lie. Kids were cute and all, but I didn't want my own—and I sure as fuck didn't want some guy attached to my hip.

Some guy who wasn't my twin, anyway.

But my lie worked. Taylor smiled at me as if I was Saffron, the twin hungry for romance, now finally getting his opportunity to find love.

Meanwhile, the real Saffron was fuming. The arrogant part of me was glad for it. The deeper part of my heart hurt to see him upset—but right now, it was buried under the layers of smug satisfaction.

"What's your problem?"Saffron demanded when we were alone in our room.

I slipped onto the couch, kicking up my feet on the armrest. "Don't have one."

"What was that shit you pulled earlier, pretending to be me? It's not funny."

"Not trying to be."

Scowling like a pissed-off dog, Saffron grabbed my ankles and shoved them out of the way.

"Hey!" I complained.

He assumed his spot on the couch, still glowering. "Answer me. Is it because I wouldn't tell you about the phone thing?"

My stomach flipped. That wasn't why, but it was part of the slew of problems.

"Yeah, a little," I admitted.

His face softened. That was the thing about us. If one of us was vulnerable, the other was, too.

"It's kind of a secret," he said.

"We don't keep secrets."

I didn't say it to scold him. It was an unspoken truth. We never hid shit from each other, ever.

"I know." He heaved a sigh, fished his phone out of his pocket, then cradled it in his palm. "So... I've been talking to this guy online."

"Uh oh."

He frowned defensively. "What?"

I bit my tongue. Normally I would've made a smart-ass remark about how talking to random dudes online never ended well. But with how strained we were, I wasn't sure if I should poke the bear.

"Nothing," I said. "Go on."

A dumb little smile played on Saffron's lips. "He's nice. We've been talking for a while, and I like him a lot."

The hairs on the back of my neck bristled. He'd said two sentences about this online mystery man, and I already hated him. Why? I didn't know. Instinct, maybe. In any case, I hoped his computer blew up and he couldn't contact my brother anymore.

"Is that why you're not excited about the Games?" I asked.

He hesitated. "I'm still excited."

Now I was confused. "I thought you said it was bullshit."

Groaning, Saffron slumped against the couch. "Dude, I dunno. It's just a lot. And Jade sprung it on us so fast."

A swarm of thoughts overwhelmed me. If Saffron was still excited for the Games, then his online relationship couldn't be that serious. That was a relief. But that didn't explain why he was so vehemently against it.

"Isn't this what you wanted? To find your mate?" I asked.

"Yeah."

I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't.

Something felt off. When I looked harder at him, I noticed telltale tension in the corners of his mouth. What was he holding back?

"Saff," I said.

He winced. It was a nickname I only ever used in private. He knew shit was serious.

"What aren't you telling me?" I asked.

He pulled a face like he was getting a root canal. Then he blurted out, "I didn't want to share a season with you, okay?"

My jaw dropped. I stared at him blankly for what seemed like an eon.

"You're not into romance. Fine. That's cool. But I am! And now Jade roped us into this stupid gimmick just ‘cause we're twins. Yeah, sure, but we're not the same person!"

On one hand, I actually agreed with everything he said.

On the other, I wished he'd just punch me in the face instead—because that was how abrupt and painful his words felt.

My blood boiled with frustration. I didn't know why I was so angry, but I couldn't stop it.

Was the online man infiltrating Saffron's thoughts and brainwashing him? Or were these Saffron's actual feelings?

Either way, it didn't matter. He was growing apart from me at an exponential rate, and it freaked me the fuck out.

I had to do something. It had to be drastic, and fast.

Then it hit me: what if Saffron never found his mate?

A twisted hope coiled in my guts. If I ruined this opportunity for him, he'd come crawling back to me. We'd be close again. The constant fighting would end, and our bond would be repaired.

I took a deep breath, then forced a smile.

"You're right, Saffron," I said. "I'll try to help you get through this season, okay?"

He looked relieved that I didn't blow up at his confession. "Thanks, Aurum."

Little did he know I was blowing up inside. I guess it was easier to lie to him than I thought. "No prob."