In the training fields, Chrome stood poised several feet in front of me as if bracing for an attack. His Kinetic and Elemental forms were on display, ready to be unleashed if needed.
We’d decided that keeping my Kinetic magic contained while I discovered my Elemental powers would be the wisest choice. It was safer not knowing how I’d react or how my suppressed Elemental magic would respond to being freed at last. It could be quite destructive.
The afternoon sun warmed the skin on the back of my neck as a soft breeze weaved through my glamoured ice-blonde waves. I’d let them loose after the training session I’d had with Void. The smell of pine needles lifted my spirit enough to give me the courage to push through my fear of discovering an unknown part of myself. Or perhaps it was the fear there was nothing new after all. That this was all for nothing.
Chrome’s impenetrable steel gaze saw it all. He relaxed his shoulders, closing the distance between us. His quicksilver gaze never left mine.
With deft and gentle hands, he reached around the back of my neck, brushing my hair to one side. My breath faltered at the touch. Ever so slowly, he skimmed his fingers along the sensitive skin until he found the leather string holding the black stone in place. He fiddled with the knot and gave it a tug until the necklace fell loose. He caught it with one hand, while the other shifted to brace my neck, forcing me to hold his gaze.
Warmth buzzed through my chest, causing my heart rate to spike. His grip loosened, brushing sensuous circles on my nape, studying my eyes as if they held his soul within them. A shiver danced down my spine while my skin heated all over.
Chrome cleared his throat and finally broke our gaze. With visible effort, he forced himself to take a step back. Then another, followed by two more until he was a safe distance away. He remembered he still held the black crystal necklace by the leather strap and quickly stuffed it in his pocket.
“It might take a few minutes before you feel anything,” Chrome said.
I nodded and then hugged myself as I waited, feeling colder now that he’d put distance between us again. Guilt clawed at my chest as Slate’s bright smile crossed my mind.
Chrome lowered his brows in confusion at the same moment his metallic eyes sharpened on me.
I was about to question him when, without warning, a sudden gust of wind stormed me from within, making me gasp for air. I staggered back a few steps at the force of a wild gale. It built and built, snuffing out my air.
The wind was neither hot nor cold; it was the right temperature my body craved. But it continued to build, the pressure forcing me to my knees. I groaned and looked from beneath my lashes at Chrome. He watched me with untethered eyes, waiting to intervene.
The wind grew to a torrential whirlwind that moved to my chest. It was like sticking my head out the window of a moving car while trying to breathe.
I panicked, clawing at my chest and clutching my throat.
“Gray,” Chrome said with forced calm lacing his tone, “you can’t panic. Settle your emotions. Your power is in control of you right now. You gotta take it back.”
I shook my head at him, pleading for help. In a guttural voice, I asked, “H…how?”
“Close your eyes,” Chrome demanded. I didn’t, gasping for tiny sips of air instead. “Now! Do it, Gray! Close your goddamn eyes.” Power and authority poured from his entire aura.
I closed my eyes.
“Imagine forcing it to stop,” Chrome instructed in a calmer voice. A whimper escaped me. Fear overrode every sense I held. “You got this, Gray. Make it fucking bow to you.”
I didn’t know how, but I was willing to try if it meant being able to take a breath again. Dizziness swarmed my mind. I braced myself on the yellowing grass, squeezing the brittle blades between my fingers—focusing on the feel of its coarseness. Giving it a tug, I released it before snapping the plants free from the ground. I repeated the action, rocking my body back and forth softly with the movement. Pull, then rock back. Release and lean forward.
“Good. That’s good. Ground yourself to the earth; let it anchor you,” Chrome encouraged in a gentle tone that surprised me, like he genuinely believed in me.
I continued this movement several times, taking my mind away from the panic and suffocation.
“You’re a queen. Make it fucking bow.” I could feel echoes of Chrome’s intensity carried to me by the roaring wind inside.
It didn’t want to bow.
But I needed it to. I wanted it to. Chrome was right; I was a queen. And I was tired of being ruled by others.
In the recesses of my mind, almost as if I were on another plane, I rose to my feet, seeing a gust of wind in the form of a devastating tsunami towering over me from behind—threatening to obliterate me into sand. Everything was white, and no sound existed. I turned around and faced it down—daring it to move another inch toward me. It did, so I threw my arms in front of me, palms facing outward, toward the air-tsunami. I finally managed a breath, deep and reviving.
“You will bow. You are bound to me, not the other way around,” I said, my voice deeper, rawer than I’d realized—imbued with command.
The wind-wave crashed to a halt inches from me. I didn’t flinch. “I know you’re angry. We’ve been locked away for so long. But you need me to harness you. I’m your justice. We are one and the same.” Its iridescence hovered, my hair flowing in my face. “Now, bow.”
The air-tsunami inched forward as if it contemplated wrestling the oxygen from my lungs again.
I held my ground, refusing it—either in my head or on another plane, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t understand where this power originated, but I had felt its strength in my words.
As if my element did, too, the wall of air began to retreat like a tide returning to the sea. The swell at the top of the air-wave got smaller and smaller until it deflated, drifting above the ground. The shimmering veil hovered, stretching far and wide, swirling around my feet.
“I’m honored to be one with you,” I said to my element, realizing that despite having not been awakened to my Elemental side, I’d always felt a kinship with air all my life. “I’ve always sensed you try to comfort me when I needed it most. I just never knew I needed to accept our bond. So, I thank you for never giving up on me. We will make those who kept us separated pay. You have my word.” The flat veil of wind rippled at the mention of vengeance.
The air drifted toward me. And like a dog with its tail tucked, it crept forward to caress my ankles. I relaxed at the soothing gesture. I took it as a positive sign as it gently coiled itself around my body in a comforting and protective manner until it embraced me completely.
I sank into it, the feeling of comfort and protection foreign to me. Knowing I now had the ultimate loyal ally had my eyes burning against the tears I fought. I eased out a shaky breath as it cooled my scalp, combing invisible fingers through my hair.
A long-forgotten part of me snapped into place. Over the years, a slow wound had woven itself into the fabric of my being. Like some vital part of me I’d never known was missing until now. And now, I felt whole…well, almost. I hadn’t expected my element to be a force of its own in addition to being my loyal companion filled with love, compassion, and protection.
It was strange, but for once, I allowed myself to feel at peace. I opened my eyes, my consciousness returning to the training fields, still squeezing the grass strands between my fingers. I gasped. My hands were no longer the light bronze I’d known all my life. No.
Gold. They were fucking gold. My skin glinted with a sheen of gilded luminance.
I jolted, scrambling to my knees—the hardened earth dug and scraped as I did. I shoved the sleeves up my arms to observe my new golden skin.
Well, fuck.
Speechless, I rotated my hands back and forth in front of me, my mouth open, eyes wide.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
I snatched my gaze from my gilded fingers to the forgotten presence. Chrome stood there with a slight smile and softened look. It was strange to know I shared something with him and everyone else at the Hollow. That maybe I could belong somewhere.
“It’s…” I trailed off, looking at my hands again. “It’s so surreal. I didn’t fully believe I was an Elemental.”
“You are,” Chrome said. He took two long strides in my direction, dropping to his knees only inches from me. “And it’s regal on you.”
My breath faltered. The wind remained with me, but it was subdued— a light breeze constantly stirring. But the lack of air this time had nothing to do with my element.
“Thanks,” I mumbled. It felt like such a lame response, so I cast a sheepish smile, glad that my gold skin could hide the blush that arose. Well, hopefully.
Chrome rocked back on his heels as his swirling metal eyes met mine. His jaw slackened, a subtle gasp hitching his breath. His lean, muscled shoulders relaxed. Dazed. He was dazed! “Your eyes…” he whispered.
On instinct, I brushed my fingertips against the corners of my eyes. “What do they look like?”
He shook his head. “This is something you have to see for yourself.”
Without lifting a hand, Chrome conjured a dagger from his weapons belt. It hovered from behind him, the point facing downward, floating to me. Once it was inches away from my face, it rotated sideways, serving as a mirror.
Icy, blue-gray eyes had always been my color. Now, I mirrored Chrome’s reaction at first glance. I lifted a hand to cover my mouth, leaning forward to get a better view.
The first thing that caught my attention was the shimmering gold skin on my face. It was as if someone had glazed the most vibrant and saturated shade of metallic paint on top of my skin, then sprinkled shimmering gold flakes over the top. I looked and felt ethereal. Otherworldly.
I glided my fingertips from my temples down my cheeks. It felt like skin, not like dried flakes that would peel off. But once I settled from the shock…
My irises drew my attention next. Instead of the subdued blue-gray hues, they now displayed every color of the rainbow as if they served as a color wheelchart. They were so vibrant—not a word typically used to describe me. “They’re…”
“A rainbow. All the colors on the spectrum. They’re light and dark, and everything in between,” Chrome said in a tender tone, still kneeling beside me. “They’re perfect.”
Warmth spread through my chest, heating my cheeks and neck. He looked at me as if...no. I would not go there. The air within me—or, at least, it felt like it was within me—answered my call to chase away the telling flush with soothing wisps. I gave him a slight smile before looking back at my eyes in the dagger’s reflection.
“I can’t believe this is real. That my father went to such lengths to hide this from me. How did I never suspect it? I mean, there must’ve been times when this side of me peeked through somehow. There’s no way it’s been able to remain hidden this long, right?” I inspected the girl in the reflection. A version of me that was old but new. A version I’d never known existed. Who was I really? Who could I be if I wasn’t so fucked up from the trauma of my past?
Chrome nodded in my peripheral. “That’s been a debate between Orion and me for years. He believes you had to have noticed something at some point. But I know what Forest is capable of. And there’s no way he’d ever allow you to know the truth. He’d do whatever was necessary to prevent that from happening.”
I squinted. “What are you saying?”
Chrome paused and looked away, focusing on the leaves drifting from the autumnal branches. His lips pursed as he chewed his cheek in contemplation. “I think…” he finally said. “He awakened your Elemental side the day we met on the playground.” He turned his head to look at me, his steel eyes showing me the conviction in his words.
I lifted an eyebrow. “I think I would remember something like that happening. Especially that day.” That day was forever entrenched in my mind. It was something I’d never understood.
When we’d touched, a powerful force collided, exploding between us. Skittish teachers had snatched Chrome away, whereas they’d guided me to the vice-principal’s office. Father had been immediately called and informed of the events.
Of course, he hadn’t been too pleased when I came home from school that day. I must’ve repressed the punishment that ensued because, for the life of me, I could never recall it.
“I think he had your memory wiped,” Chrome said. The floating dagger backed away and tucked itself into Chrome’s weapons belt.
I shook my head, running my fingers through my hair, still trying to remember what happened after I’d returned from school that day. “How is that possible? I don’t know any ability capable of doing that.”
Chrome snorted. “Oh, it’s possible, Rainbow.”
I gave him a deadpan expression. “Don’t call me that.”
“I’ve seen him do it. Not with his power, of course, but those with magnetic and electrical abilities. They can go into the brain, target the impulses of neural pathways in certain memory centers, and just…short-circuit them.”
The world around me seemed to slow, my heart rate picking up in speed in contrast. I dug my nails into the palms of my hands. “Oh god. How did this never occur to me?”
The liquid metal in his eyes seemed to swirl faster, fueled with an emotion he worked hard to hide from the world. His jaw clenched so tight I thought his teeth would shatter. “It’s one of his well-guarded secrets.” He closed his eyes and forced a deep breath into his lungs. When he opened them, the quicksilver eyes might as well have glowed red. “I’m going to kill that motherfucker, Gray. For every ounce of pain he’s ever inflicted on you. His life is on loan because I will fucking own his fate when I get him in my hands. And he’s known it for years.”
With a humming sharp tug, a blazing rage suddenly scorched my heart. I was livid. And as much as it pissed me off about everything my father had done and lied about, this unyielding fury didn’t feel like it belonged to me. My breaths came in short, my nostrils flaring. I couldn’t think past the turmoil.
The air stirred around us, lifting the colorful leaves from the ground and tossing them haphazardly about in changing directions. Chrome crinkled his brows as he shifted his eyes from the accelerating wind back to me. “Gray?” he asked, caution lacing his tone.
The anger was hot. It threatened to incinerate me into a black pile of ash left for my wind to carry away. My breaths became raspy. I didn’t know from where this wrath derived, but it consumed me.
“Gray,” Chrome said, his voice commanding with authority. “Look at me.”
I did. The wind whipped through his metallic hair, leaving it mussed. Concern threaded knots in his eyes as he reached out to rest his palms on my shoulders. His head dipped, and like a receding tide, the anger went with it, leaving me drained.
“What the fuck just happened?” I asked, breathless. I searched around, the wind dying away as it returned the leaves to the earth to decay.
Chrome looked up at me. Guilt pressed on his beautiful features as they dropped in resignation. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
I frowned, confused. “Why? What did you do?”
“I didn’t do it intentionally. I should’ve realized…” he said, scooting backward using his hands and feet.
“I don’t understand. Out with it, Chrome,” I demanded, scrutinizing him with a shrewd glare.
Chrome blew out a breath and dropped his head in his hands, elbows propped on his knees. “That was my anger you felt, not yours.”
“What do you mean? How are you able to do that?” Once again, I wrapped my arms around my torso.
“Like I said,” Chrome said, his voice muffled between his knees. “It wasn’t intentional. I didn’t realize you’d be able to feel it.”
“Okay, you’re going to have to give me more than that.”
Chrome lifted his head, and so many emotions fought to reach the surface. They begged to be freed, but he closed his eyes. And when he opened them, they hid once again behind that steel wall he’d constructed so well. Another breath left him. “Since the day we first met, when our magic collided, I’ve been able to feel your emotions. I didn’t know if you could feel mine, too. But when we met again, all I felt from you was pain, anger, and revenge…and I knew that wasn’t the case. You didn’t even remember me, or so I thought.
“I thought this emotional tie to you was one-sided. That it was a specific gift of my own that came with being a hybrid. A gift I didn’t want. It made little sense because I couldn’t feel others’ emotions around me. Just yours. Only from a close distance, though.” He paused, barely lifting his head over his arm to see me. “I’ve felt your pain and your anger. Your fear. Your determination. Your shame. Your love. Your...everything over the years. I’ve felt what that motherfucker has made you feel. And it just added to my anger for what he’s done to me.
“And now that you’ve accessed and formed a bond with your Elemental side, it seems to have awakened your ability to feel mine. It never occurred to me you couldn’t feel mine because half of your being had been subdued for so long. And I didn’t think to prepare for that today.” Chrome’s eyes were drenched in regret and swam in guilt. “I’m so sorry.” He dropped his head again.
I sat there, stunned for several moments at his admission. But once the initial surprise wore off, another thought crossed my mind. “You mean to tell me,” I said, my tone dropping lower and lower with each word, “you have felt my every emotion this entire time? And you never once thought you should fucking tell me?” Rage, my own this time, reared its ugly head again, this time directed at Chrome. “Do you feel that?” I asked, hands shaking.
Chrome clenched his jaw, his eyes squeezed shut. He took ragged, deep breaths, but he didn’t respond.
“You’ve been basically spying on me for the majority of my life as a godsdamn stranger! Who does that shit?” I sprung to my feet. Chrome didn’t; he just sat there resigned. “You’re no different from my father, you prick,” I said, my lip curling at the edge. “You disgust me,” I said, my voice barely audible.
Again, something tugged on my heart, like a thin cord pulled taut. Shame washed through my chest, but I was too pissed off to care about his emotions right now.
I whirled around and stormed back to the lodge. Back to my room, where I thought I’d had some privacy. Turned out I’d been monitored here, too. Just as I was at the palace.