Chapter 41

Gray

I ran, unable to stop the ache in my cheeks because of the wide grin plastered across my face.

We weren’t far from the lodge or the other cabins surrounding it, but these woods were unfamiliar, so I felt like Chrome’s prey. And oddly, I wasn’t objecting. It was only a game, but I felt like there was an underlying meaning behind it: that he’d always find me, no matter the mind state he rested in.

We couldn’t use our magic, and we couldn’t use weapons, but pretending we were mere mortals was unrealistic.

I kept my senses wide open, focusing on my surroundings in the ways I’d been trained by Void. It was November in the South, where it didn’t snow, but the temperature became bitter cold. The gusts of wind stole my breath and brought tears to my eyes while making me sniffle nonstop.

I came to a stop at the edge of a small creek. The shallow water washed over rocks and sticks buried in the bed. Heart racing, I scanned the surrounding area, totally unaware of my location, but I had no doubt that Chrome knew.

A large, coiled tree arched over the creek, leading to the other side of the bank. The trunk wasn’t dead, so I scaled it and tight-walked to the other side, all the while feeling the adrenaline from being hunted down pumping through my veins. I loved the thrill.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d done something fun and childlike. My best guess was when Slate was still alive, but even then, we were limited in our quests and activities due to the king’s oppressive hold on me. I needed this.

I sprinted through the woods, not bothering to quiet my footsteps as I tried to find a concealed spot to hide. The smile never wavered.

At last, I found a large animal den of some type—probably vacated by coyotes—burrowed into the ground under a leaning tree. The entrance was large enough for me to squeeze through. Barely.

I probably should’ve inspected whether the den was truly abandoned before making the executive decision to enter, but I had to hide somewhere, and time was running out. Chrome would be upon me any minute.

The protection from the den spared me from the brisk wind that chilled my bones, but I still only wore a cloak that wasn’t quite warm enough.

Roughly five minutes passed, and my fingertips had already begun losing feeling. It was times like these when I questioned why I preferred the cold to the brutal heat. But I’d take it over the humidity any day. Hypothermia for the win.

Another five minutes went by, and I started to question if I had hidden too well. How long was I supposed to hide? Wasn’t there supposed to be a base I needed to beat him back to? Or was that another game? I couldn’t remember because I’d never been invited to play with the other kids either at school or at the palace. I decided to just sit and wait him out.

If anything, my chattering teeth would give me away.

The softest crunch of leaves sounded from the ground above me. I did my best to still my shivering.

The light footfalls moved past me. A mixture of glee and frustration warred within me that he hadn’t found me. Until he stopped and turned around.

I tried to silence my breaths, but it was hard to mute them completely.

Finally, his face framed with chrome hair came into view through the hole in the ground, surrounding his head with a halo of waning light. A wicked grin and a hungry glint in his eyes, marked him as the most dangerous being alive—an apex predator.

“I found you,” he murmured, his voice husky.

A puff of fog huffed from my mouth and nostrils. “About time. I was about to become hypothermic,” I quipped, fighting my smile.

Chrome held out his hand to help me exit the den. I accepted his aid because I was cramped and could barely move. With an easy tug, he guided me from the coyote hole, dusting the dirt that clung to my clothes.

“Sounds like you wanted me to catch you, little savage.”

I hadn’t realized how close we stood to one another as I lifted my head to come a breath away from his chest. Chrome’s molten eyes swirled with a heat that had me warming up from within. “Maybe I did.”

He took another step, closing the non-existent space between us, encircling an arm around my waist and pulling me against him. “You need to get warm.”

I couldn’t breathe, and the fogginess in my mind clouded any thoughts. I tilted my head to meet his heated eyes. And those lips. He held me in an invisible chokehold solely by his overpowering gaze alone.

As if to put action to his words, he wrapped his other arm around me. One palm began a slow ascent up my back, followed by the slow trace of his calloused fingertips that grazed underneath my hair, his touch leaving a flaming path on my neck.

Tremors ran down my spine, which seemed to encourage him further. He brushed his fingers through the hair at the base of my head, where he latched onto a handful before giving it a gentle tug, forcing my eyes to stay locked on his. His thumb glided along my lower lip.

“I will always find you, Gray,” Chrome whispered. Somehow, we’d gravitated to the point where our lips nearly touched when he said, “No matter the realm. No matter if I’m Endarkened. I will always find you.”

Ever so tenderly, he captured my lips between his full ones. Sliding his hand to cradle the underside of my chin, he glided his tongue along my bottom lip before dipping inside to twine with mine at a languid and torturous pace.

I whimpered as he held me upright against his lean muscles. I melted for him, wholly his to command as he wished.

I needed to be closer to him. I needed more. Rising to the tips of my toes, I cupped the back of his neck, closing any space between our bodies as he deepened the kiss.

The world seemed to spin around me, lost to the intensity of him. I bit his bottom lip, which elicited a growl. My legs weakened more, and my core tightened at the delicious sound.

Without breaking the kiss, he spun us around and pushed my back against the tree I’d been hiding under only a minute prior.

Our breaths clouded the surrounding air as we worked to breathe. “It’s been killing me to not be able to do this,” he said, his voice rough with need. He broke away from my mouth only to trail heated kisses from my jaw and down the column of my neck. His scent of sage and peppermint overwhelmed my senses, jumbling my thoughts.

Holy shit, that feels good.

Chrome pulled a moan from my throat by scraping his teeth against sensitive skin, teasing me.

I needed him inside me. Now.

His large palm caressed from my waist up to my ribcage, not stopping until my breast fit in his hand. “I bet you taste divine. Like my salvation.” His tongue whipped out, lapping up the front of my throat and then my chin, to where he took my lips in his mouth again. “I’m so fucking starved for you. I imagine once I start, I won’t stop until you’re trembling on my tongue.”

A roaring flame ignited my chest, overtaking my core. The timber in his voice delivering his erotic words had me squeezing my thighs, ready to bare it all.

The bitter cold air on my throat hit the moisture his tongue left behind, acting like frigid water dousing me from above. The sensation jolted me out of my body and back into my fucked-up brain.

“Wait. I can’t…” I said breathlessly, angling my head to the side as Slate’s face came swimming into my mind. The familiar twist of guilt crashed into me.

Chrome froze. Slowly, he stepped back, chest heaving and eyes burning with a desire that almost had me regretting drawing us to a halt. “Okay,” he managed, and the knot in his throat bobbed. “I’m sorry.” He took a step back. His warmth that had thawed me fled like heat in a poorly insulated house.

I wrapped my arms around my torso and looked down. “No, it’s not you. But—”

Chrome laid a tentative hand on my shoulder. A safe touch. “It’s okay, Gray. I understand.”

I let out a shaky breath. “I’m sorry.”

“What did I tell you about apologizing for that? You owe me nothing.”

I nodded, conceding to him, and beyond grateful for his respect and compassion. “Thank you.”

“Always.” Chrome offered me a reassuring smile. “Let’s head back and get you warmed up.”

“Yes, that sounds like a dream,” I groaned as I pushed off the tree and straightened my ruffled clothing, trying and failing to wipe the kiss from my brain.

That kiss was fire and ice, burning me from the inside to the point I thought I’d combust into the ether. I couldn’t imagine a kiss with anyone else ever being so world-altering. Like the broken pieces that constructed my essence just found their way back together again. And that scared me. Because wasn’t it supposed to have been like that with Slate?

Another two weeks went by after the kiss in the woods with Chrome, and the memory of his lips pressed against mine haunted my waking hours and dreams. I tried to block it out, replacing the memories with that of Slate. Every time, Slate’s bare jaw morphed into Chrome’s short scruff beneath my fingertips, and the feeling of comfort and safety was replaced with a crushing passion that starved me of air.

I hated it. I didn’t want to move on. Because then it’d be like he never existed at all.

I needed to replenish my Elemental magic soon. Since my arrival, I’d only done it a handful of times, with the help of Chrome and Orion. It made my stomach twist just thinking about it. How it could go so wrong, but I was beginning to feel the connection to my element weaken.

Cozied in a chair in the lodge’s living area, my view of the fireplace’s flames blurred as I absorbed its warmth. If only replenishing my elemental magic was as effortless. A book sat in my lap, but I was unable to focus on fictional characters battling evil. My mind wandered to the feel of Chrome’s hands buried in my hair, tasting sage and peppermint on his tongue. Instead, I redirected my attention on the calming scent of burning wood, but the log’s crackles snatched me out of my traitorous daydreams.

“Mind if I sit with you?”

I snapped my attention to find Aella standing before a chair, looking at me hesitantly before she sat. I straightened in the seat and faced her. “Of course not. Go ahead,” I said, gesturing to the empty chair.

“You’ve been pretty spacey lately. Is everything okay?” Aella asked, getting right to the point as she nestled in the chair across from me.

I sighed. “I haven’t been spacey.”

Aella raised a black eyebrow. “No? How’s that air shield coming?”

She had me there. I averted my gaze back to the fire.

“Did something happen with Chrome?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know.” I dropped my head back against the chair. “It’s…complicated.”

A knowing smile lit Aella’s dainty features. “You bring out a side of him that many of us didn’t believe existed.” As if suddenly aware of her prying, she began to nervously fidget her fingers in her lap. “I only say that because I saw him when he first arrived and how he’s progressed since. Months leading up to his departure to find you, he became more and more distant. He was here, but not really. Something was off, and no one could put their finger on it and we didn’t want to say anything. We trusted that if it were something important, he’d come to us. Once he returned with you, he’s been different. He’s back to his normal self.”

Alarm bells went off at how perceptive the others had been of Chrome’s behavior. I snorted. “He’s not who I originally thought he was, that’s for sure.”

Aella’s giggle was light and feminine. “I can only imagine how surprised you were when you discovered the villainous Griffin Silas was actually your precious Chrome Freyr.”

I rolled my eyes at the memory. “He had just slaughtered over fifty Kinetic Warriors at once. So, I was already in shock. Leave it to him to be fucking dramatic about the big reveal.”

A comfortable silence blanketed us for a beat, only the sound of the popping wood breaking it. Until Aella finally said, “So about that shield. What’s going on?”

I honestly didn’t know. “I can’t do it for some reason. Whenever something comes at me, my instinct is to take control of it, not defend against it.”

Aella nodded. “That’s what I anticipated. The element air is bonded to you, which means it responds to your emotions and personality. You’re apparently an offensive fighter. And that’s fine. We just gotta get you trusting in your element more and accept its control to defend you.”

“How do I do that?”

“Have you been meditating?”

I hesitated. “I’m learning…”

“Well, learning to surrender control is key to building your shield. Meditation is a great way to practice that. It helps in other ways, too.”

“So, I need to be good at meditating before I can build a shield?”

“Not necessarily. It’s just a helpful tool. Remember when you bonded with your element, and it submitted to you?”

I nodded.

“Well, it’s your turn to submit to it.”

A breath of fear locked in my chest at the memory. “But it took over…and was too much.”

“That’s because Forest suppressed your power for so long. It was angry for not being able to serve you all those years,” Aella explained gently, empathy shining in her eyes.

“Oh,” I whispered, breathing out my worries. “That makes sense.”

“Now that things have settled, you can surrender to it. The energy isn’t as volatile now. It wants to work with you. Not for you.”

“Why hasn’t anyone else told me this yet? Orion is an air elemental, right?”

“Well, the bonding is a bit different for air elementals. It’s similar for water elementals, but air is fluid and exists for every living thing in order to function. It’s more sentient than the others. Orion probably assumed you surrendered your control when you bonded because that’s normally how the process works. We’re taught these things growing up. You weren’t, so it makes sense that you wouldn’t know.”

I blew out a breath. “Okay. I want to try.”

Aella beamed a perfect smile. “You can do it right here if you like.”I glanced around the lodge, noting a few Elementals lounging around or ambling past. “Is that safe?”

Her gold-tinted hand covered her mouth to mute the giggle. “It’s fine. It won’t be like before. You just need to return to that place you went before when you bonded with it the first time. We call it the In-Between.”

Breathing in deeply, I adjusted in my seat again, preparing for insanity to erupt, like it did before. I envisioned the same setting I’d experienced the last time: a place of blissful nothingness consisting of a rejuvenating white fog.

Everything happened in a panic before, meaning I couldn’t process the experience. Now that I stood there on my own terms and not under duress, the In-Between felt ethereal. The air was thin and soothing like the aroma of bath salts.

A breeze embraced me, reassuring me with its presence in a hug. I wasn’t sure when the opportune time would be to surrender. Would the air somehow signal it? Would I just know?

The breeze picked up in speed, my hair whipping across my face. I realized I was overthinking, and that was the point of this exercise: to stop thinking and trust my element. I released a breath. “Okay,” I said, closing my eyes and releasing the need to control. “I’m surrendering.”

It occurred to me that I felt this need to have control over everything because all my life, I was never afforded the opportunity to make my own decisions, be my own person, or choose my own path. I hadn’t had many trustworthy people, only a select few, but even then, they had been at my father’s whims. I never wholly trusted my friends in the ways I should’ve. And being bonded with a force as wild, independent, and powerful as air, scared me to release that control when it could crush me instantly.

I relaxed my shoulders, focusing on the sensation in my chest that craved latching onto control. I loosened my grip inch by inch until, at last, I surrendered my trust in my element. “I hold faith in my element to protect me, serve me, and fight with me in times of need. I trust it will always have my well-being at its forefront and will be a formidable foe against anyone who wishes me harm. It is an honor to have you by my side.”

I dropped to my knees, allowing the elemental force to surge through me and soothe the roiling emotions that plagued me. Swiftly and gently, it breathed fresh life into me, and I felt the element’s gratitude for my acceptance and trust. A heaviness sat in my chest as I realized that it had been long awaited.

I opened my eyes, finding Aella watching expectantly. “Well?”

The smile that overcame my face couldn’t be helped at the special moment. I regretted I hadn’t done it sooner. “I’m fully bonded. I surrendered.”

Aella clapped with childlike excitement, bouncing in her seat, a little squeal leaving her body. “Okay, let’s test for the shield.”

My smile faltered as self-doubt attacked. “Uhm…”

“Let’s try it. What’s the worst that could happen in here? You fail to toss up a shield?”

“Or I get stabbed? Or we cause a tornado inside the lodge. Pretty sure Orion would be peeved about the cleanup efforts…”

Aella shook her head. “I’m the one that needs to be concerned. If your shield fails, you’ll just attack me offensively. That’s been the case, I hear. And if you do, I’ll just put up my shield.”

I squinted at her confident shrug. “Okay, let’s try then. But this is on you if disaster strikes inside the lodge.”

“Well, construct that shield, and we won’t have anything to worry about, right?” she asked. A predatory gleam lit her blue and white eyes, morphing her from her sweet, gentle self to her fierce warrior side.

With a wave of her hand, an air whip lashed out, blowing back my hair and aiming for my throat. It was so quick I never had time to react. It loped around my neck before giving a tight squeeze. I gasped for breath, unable to think of a counter-response in less than a second.

When Aella realized I wasn’t responding, she immediately let the air whip fall free, and oxygen flooded my lungs. “Again,” she said.

This time, I would be ready. With the same strike, she struck again, but I felt my element rise to the surface. I lifted my palm in a halting motion, allowing my element to flow from my arm to construct a barrier to block the attack.

The flames in the hearth flickered from the wind created by two air Elementals, but I remained unscathed, and I didn’t try to overpower her. “I did it.” I beamed. “I fucking did it.”

“You did it, Princess,” Aella returned my excitement and rushed over to hug me.

“Thank you,” I whispered into her textured curls.

“That was all you. I just helped you unlock that final piece that was holding you back.”