Chrome rolled his head to the side, his quicksilver gaze landing on me. “My Rainbow,” he whispered, a crooked grin peeking at the edges of his lips.
My heart split open, every dark and desolate emotion I’d suppressed for the past few months cresting into a torrential tidal wave of relief and guilt. I crawled toward him as he lifted his hand and held it out to me.
“Chrome.” My voice cracked as I crushed myself against his chest, all my previous anger toward him quickly dissipating.
Rough palms slid against my cheeks, lifting my head to face him head-on. “I’m so sorry.” Tears lined his eyes. “I’m so fucking sor?—”
My lips crushed against his, and I melted into his embrace and touch. I shook my head, keeping my lips against his, not ready to end this moment between us. Hot tears dripped onto our lips, but he swiped them away with his thumbs.
Slate cleared his throat, and I immediately sat up, instantly feeling a twisting awkwardness unfurling within me. “I hate to do this after everything that’s happened, but Chrome, we really need to get to safety. You know anywhere that Celanea and Forest won’t find us?”
Chrome inhaled, drifting his fingers upward to comb through my hair, staring at me as if it were the first time. “Yeah. I think I do.”
Slate might’ve somehow restoredChrome to his true personality, but the curse making him Infernal still remained. He could no longer access his Elemental or Kinetic abilities, but hisnewfound darker powers stayed. The massive bubble of hope that had flared to life in my heart quickly popped.
“Whatever you do, don’t let go while I travel.” Chrome looked at me, his eyes softening. “It’s a bit different than fading.”
I swallowed. “I haven’t been able to fade since that day.”
“It’s because of our deteriorating bond. It’s weakening. We’re tied to each other, and the powers that we came into once we began solidifying the bond disappeared when I turned Infernal. Since I can’t travel anymore, neither can you.” Chrome laced his fingers between mine, absentmindedly caressing his thumb over my hand.
I nodded. “That makes sense.”
Slate dropped his chin but reached to grip onto Chrome’s wrist. “I suspected as much, but I didn’t want to give inaccurate information.”
“I’m gonna find a way to restore you to your hybrid nature, Chrome. I promise.”
Chrome offered me a sad smile before quickly glancing at Slate. “I’m just glad I get to steal these moments with you. But I’m going to get you to safety.”
Before I could respond, Chrome snatched us from the depressing prison cell in a pillow of shadows. Like fading, we disintegrated into the ether, but instead of moving through what felt like the cosmos, now it felt as if I were being ripped through a vortex and stretched into shards. Quite uncomfortable, really.
I kept my essence latched onto Chrome until we landed with a harsh jolt on pebbled ground. I spun around, spotting a forest behind us that bore grey trunks and sprawling foliage, horseshoeing us onto an open cliff. Their limbs swayed as if they were fully conscious beings. The sound of crashing waves in the distance and the smell of saltwater in the brisk wind garnered my attention.
Slate stood alert, his shoulders tense and eyes sweeping the area for any potential threats. I did the same, as the energy of this place felt different from anything I’d ever experiencedbefore. My element, on the other hand, was thrilled as it breezed through me in jubilant strides. It was stronger than ever, almost suffocating.
“Where are we?” I asked, as Chrome guided us closer to the cliff that sounded like it dropped off into a violent sea.
“We’re in the Kingdom of Wind. It’s a territory belonging to the Druids. Just one of several,” Chrome said. Like Slate, he stood on alert, almost as if he were waiting for someone to appear.
“You found them?” Slate asked, not bothering to hide his surprise.
“Yeah, there was a tome about them in the Goshen Kingdom. I researched them when Celanea directed me here in search of the Seraphite Stone.” Without removing his fingers from mine, he ran his other hand through his wavy locks. The familiar motion tugged on my heart.
Chrome must’ve felt it through the bond because he glanced at me and squeezed my hand.
Slate’s expression fell. “She knows where it is?”
“I have no idea if it’s truly here, but it does appear that she has a hunch. And I don’t have long before I’m supposed to deliver it to her and Forest,” Chrome added.
Slate opened his mouth to protest, but a gust of wind breezed through the narrow spaces between trees. It circled us three times before flames blossomed in the stream of wind, encircling us by a ring of fire. Shapes morphed in the flames. I wondered if I was beginning to hallucinate, because for fuck’s sake, was that a face in the fire?
Chrome squeezed my palm once more before releasing it and stepping forward. “Brecken,” he said, positioning his hands by his head in a gesture of surrender. “I’m here in peace this time.”
A voice broke from the inferno. “I thought I banished you from these lands.” Sweat began to trickle from every pore in my body.
Chrome dipped his head. “You did. But I was…different then. I’m myself now.” Dropping to his knee, he went on. “I came to ask for your help.”
“Why should I ever grant you a favor?”
