“What about the Charleston Domain?” Royal asked. “The Lord here was killed in a battle a few weeks ago, and I assumed the position. Unlike you, I don’t desert my people.”
Royal’s level of loyalty surprised me. She had always given the impression that the only person she cared about was herself. Either she had grown up, wartime had changed her, or she was playing mental games with Forest. Either way, I struggled to believe that what she was saying was genuine.
“I’ll ensure that the Charleston Domain is in good hands in your absence.” The other Kinetics stood around observing the exchange between Forest and Royal. “You’ve always been so loyal. I wanted to reward you for your hard work.”
Royal looked at me, then back to Forest, and did a double-take as if she had just registered my presence. Her eyes widened.“Chrome?”
“In the flesh.” I smirked at her surprise.
“How is that possible?” She contorted her features in confusion.
I shoved my hands into my pockets. “I’m kinda hard to kill.”
Royal scoffed, shaking her head. “Fine.” She shifted her attention to Forest. “Figure out a replacement for me, and I’ll join you.”
Forest smiled a Cheshire grin. “Done. It’ll be a pleasure to work with you again, Daughter. Maybe I’ll have one child who doesn’t constantly disappoint me.”
“Have I disappointed you yet?” Royal retorted, crossing her arms.
I held my hand up, needing to intervene. “Hold on,” I said, willing my brain to catch up as I looked at Forest. “You mean to tell me that Royal is the daughter you were talking about?”
Forest shrugged, unashamed.
I pivoted and looked for Royal as if for the first time, then burst into laughter. “That explains so much about how you desperately tried to kiss Forest’s ass back then.” All of her behavior began to make so much sense.
Royal sneered at me. “I wouldn’t disrespect your queen if I were you.”
I stepped closer to her. “You’re no fucking queen. And I’d destroy the next three realms before I ever call you such. Ask yourself something. If he was proud to call you his daughter, then when did he only claim the one that always ‘disappointed’ him?”
“Chrome,” Forest cut in as Royal’s nostrils flared, her knuckles turning white as she dug her fingertips into her biceps. “Royal is the product of Celanea and me. Royal is the child that I told everyone I’d lost years ago.”
My lip curled. “You and Celanea? That long ago, huh?”
“She went by a different name at the time. Coral Okrafor. When Celanea approached me, I had been madly in love with the real Kinetic, Coral. When I stupidly declined Celanea’s proposition of having the Seraphite Stone in return for doing her dirty work in Terraguard by creating you and Gray, she took matters into her own hands. She killed Coral, bonded me to her, and then assumed Coral’s appearance. She wanted us to have a child as a failsafe. No one could know the truth, so she faked the Endarkened attack while she waspregnant. When she delivered in secret, she dropped her off and disappeared again. I kept an eye on Royal from a distance, never telling her the truth of her origins. But after you escaped the Palace, I felt it was time to fill her in.”
I bit my cheek to hide my shock, determined to appear unimpressed despite the urge to snatch his heart from his chest. “So Royal is the offspring of an immortal Tempest?” I turned my blank expression onto her. “No wonder you’ve always made me want to vomit.”
“Watch it, boy. Celanea wouldn’t think twice to kill you for disrespecting our child,” Forest intoned.
I scoffed, a new level of disgust growing for this man. “Very typical of you. You’re such a pathetic excuse of a man, you’d sit back and let others degrade your own child, making it someone else’s responsibility to avenge them for you.” Even as an Infernal, I would bring hell to both worlds for Gray and for our future child. “Just so you know, I’ll only ever consider one of your daughters my queen. And I promise you, she’ll kill you both.”
Forestand I returned to the Goshen Kingdom, landing in my chambers. I’d done what he asked, but I knew he wasn’t finished with me yet. “Who are you going to replace her with?”
Forest swiped at his sleeves. “Considering all of my loyal allies from the Royal Domain are dead”—he looked at me pointedly—“then I must go elsewhere.”
“I’m not sorry,” I said with a shrug, moving to drop onto the sofa. There was only so much of Forest I could take before I succumbed to exhaustion.
“Don’t get comfortable. We’re going to the New York City Domain now.”
I ground my teeth, my eyes closed. “You do realize that travelingdiminishes my power each time I do it, don’t you? I’m gonna need to eat before we go.”
“Right. Well, you caneatwhen we get there. I’m sure a Kinetic soul will suffice for you?”
“You’re a shitty king, you know that?” I said, standing from the sofa. “Gods, you really are the worst thing to ever happen to this world. I just hope you understand that on a cellular level.”
Forest spun his thick ring on his finger as he glared at me. No doubt he wished he could kill me where I stood. The fact that he couldn’t made me want to laugh. After several seconds, he forced a grin. “Let’s go.”
I couldn’t wait until the day I didn’t have to deal with him anymore. But just because I couldn't kill him didn’t mean I couldn’t have some fun in the meantime.
