“You said this would be easy,” Royal whined to the presence.
I squinted, trying to piece together what unfolded right before my eyes. As the shadows cleared, I shook my head in denial. “Chrome?”
Hair that resembled a mirror shone back at me, reflected off Slate’s light magic. The only time I’d seen him this pissed off was when he’d annihilated the King’s Palace to defend me. This wasn’t my Chrome. This was a monster wearing his face. “Hi, little savage,” he greeted. “It’s time to stop fucking around and go.”
I couldn’t find the words to speak. Seeing Chrome here threw me completely off guard, but Slate stepped in.
“We’re not leaving.”
Chrome chuckled, a foreboding laugh that said we didn’t have a choice. “You are, though. Otherwise, Gray can watch me kill you slowly.”
The hollowness in Chrome’s eyes sent an iciness freezing my insides. I didn’t recognize the man that I’d fight the entire world for. Someone else might’ve been occupying his body and face, because other than his looks, nothing else about him rang true. I couldn’t even begin to work out how Chrome and Royal were working together at Forest’s side.
“Is there a reason why you brought Royal with you for this?” Slate asked. “We both know you don’t really need her assistance.”
Chrome laughed. “I don’t. But I’m pretty sure she’d like to get her hands on Onyx before we leave.”
“No!” I shouted, just before launching my dagger through the small space between us, aimed at Royal. The blade sunk into the flesh between her shoulder and chest.
Royal cried out in pain, clutching the hilt protruding from her body.
Chrome shrugged, knocking her down to her knees. “Thanks for the help.”
“You lying piece of shit!” Royal growled from the ground.
“I’ve been called worse.”
Chrome stalked toward me, and the humidity seemed to grow thicker with each breath I took. “Let’s go.”
Backing away from him, my heart sank. I had been desperately holding onto the hope that I had hallucinated the black veins back at the King’s Palace.
“I can’t, Chrome. I’m their queen now. I won’t abandon them. You should know this.”
“They won’t matter soon enough. You’ll see,” Chrome deflected, not deterred by my resistance.
Slate swiftly cut in front of me, blocking me from my Twin Soul. “I told you I’m not letting you take her.”
A cruel smile twisted at the edges of Chrome’s mouth, the darkness behind his gaze making me squirm. “Oh, you’re coming with us, brother. I have something for you, too.”
From behind us, Royal shouted, “Don’t fucking leave me here, you prick!”
Rustling and voices from the surrounding camp came to life in response to our disturbance. If we could just stall a few moments longer…
“Chrome, I swore an oath years ago?—”
“And you’ve really taken that oath to the next level, haven’t you?” Chrome retorted.
Slate shook his head, his arm reaching over to grab my hand. A split second later, Chrome latched onto Slate’s throat, shadows swarming from his body and encompassing us in its murky depths.
A vortex sucked us into a vicious whirlwind, Royal’s screams fading as we left her behind to disappear into Chrome’s shadows.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Cotton
The sun sat high and bright in the sky as midday arrived. Thankfully, it wasn’t atrociously hot or humid here in Arcadia, so I breathed in the crisp air as it wafted past.
“I hope you’ll find that your room is comfortable for you. If there’s anything you need, you know how to contact me.” Nell winked from beside me as she guided me to my accommodations for my stay with the Mystics.
