Kieran glanced towards the camera that had been cleverly implanted into a corner of the room.

"I'm not particularly fond of one-sided conversations, so why don't you come here and we can talk face to face?"

He walked over to a panel on the wall, pressing a button that turned on the lights, and settled back into the armchair to wait.

Aidan sauntered into the room several minutes later, hands in his pockets, and assumed a lazy position in the chair that Raven had occupied not so long ago.

"If you knew the camera was there, why didn't you have it disabled?" he asked.

Kieran adjusted his shoulders in a movement that passed for a shrug. "There was no need."

"How did you know I was watching?" Aidan persisted.

"Please, you're not completely thick," Kieran replied, droplets of condescension scattering liberally over his words. "But I'd take advantage of Raven's underestimation if I were you."

Aidan arched his brow, reflective and amused. "I plan to."

Kieran nodded thoughtfully. "No hope for a relationship there, then?"

Now it was Aidan's turn to stare condescendingly at his brother. "Why? You want a chance at her? And anyway, Raven's a bit stiff for me," he added, smirking crookedly at Kieran's sardonic expression.

"Chances are that she'll thaw after you've actually gotten to know her," Kieran retorted drolly, disregarding Aidan's questions.

Aidan in turn disregarded his brother's comment, instead remarking on Kieran's new bodyguard. "How good is Mistral?"

"Very good." Kieran's fugacious reply spoke volumes.

Aidan tilted his head contemplatively. "Better than Raven?"

Kieran was silent for a moment, considering. "They're different people, in relatively different lines of work. I don't think that there are very many people who can match Mistral at what she does, and I'm doubtful of there being anyone who can match Raven and her numerous skills."

Aidan rolled his eyes wryly. "Thanks for crushing my ego, brother. You basically just told me that I'm nothing next to a nineteen-year-old girl."

"No offense, Aidan, but you really aren't." Kieran strove to keep the corner of his mouth from tilting upwards, but he was fighting a losing battle. And, this once, he decided to concede defeat, lips spreading in a show of amusement that reminded all who viewed it that Kieran Stone was, despite his prestige and influence, a boy of only twenty-one years.

That was one of the reasons why Kieran's smiles were kept for those who did not need reminding.

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A/N:

I love these moments between Aidan and Kieran. They're so fun and easy to write, not to mention the fact that they allow me to reveal the brothers' inner personalities in gentle increments. I hope you guys are liking their characters as much as I am :) vote and comment, s'il vous plaît et merci!