Scarlett, who bore a look of surprise, recovered quickly andturned her attention back to the Elemental woman. “When Cotton was a child, King Forest killed his mother and had his tongue cut out for witnessing something he shouldn’t have. Even we are not immune to his cruelty. Actually, we are here because we were sentenced to death by him. Chrome and Gray saved us from the prisons and somehow sent us to Arcadia. I’m so deeply sorry for the pain our people have caused you. But we took no part in it. Cotton and I both know what it’s like to lose someone close to us at Forest’s hands.” Scarlett ran her fingers through her hair. “Please let us know if you need anything. No one here wishes you harm. You are safe.”
I closed my mouth, then dipped my chin toward the girl to show my solidarity.
The young woman flitted her gaze between Scarlett and me, scrutinizing us through a pair of vibrant violet eyes. “The name is River.”
Scarlett smiled. “I’m Scarlett, and this is Cotton. We don’t expect you to trust us right away, but we want to help in any way that we can.”
River still studied us, as if trying to determine if she should believe our words. “Thank you. For now, I’m fine. Just need to replenish my reserves.”
“In the Healer’s Hive, I believe you’ll easily be able to do that. It’s perfect for Elementals.” Scarlett pointed at the building behind us. “One of us can take you there if you need.”
River shook her head. “No, I’ll be fine.” She took a deep breath. “There are others who need the help more than I do. I don’t want to take up space. Thank you, though."
“Very well,” Scarlett said. “Take care. I’m sure we’ll see you around.”
I offered a close-lipped smile to River before we walked away in search of where else we could be of use.
“Fuck,” Scarlett hissed beside me, bringing us to a stop. “That’s another Kinetic that came through with them.”
My heart skidded to a stop in my chest, believing she’d spotted Onyx. But once I followed her gaze to a man in his late twenties withgreen currents and hair the color of the darkest ink, I released the breath I’d been holding.
I cleared my throat, shaking my head, ignoring the fact that his captivating smile mirrored Onyx’s. The way it lit up his eyes and highlighted his sharp jawline was uncanny. Even their noses were the same shape and size, not to mention their similar build and skin tone. But if he had a sibling out there, then surely he would’ve told me. We told each other everything.
I bit my bottom lip, mentally asking Scarlett,“Does he look familiar to you?”
Scarlett angled her head, studying the Kinetic. Then, several seconds later, she whispered, “He looks oddly like Chrome and…Amethyst? But that must be an odd coincidence, right?”
I squinted at the Kinetic, noting the sharp cheekbones and feline-shaped eyes that seemed like a replica of Chrome’s. It was bizarre. The top half of his face could’ve been Chrome’s clone, while the bottom displayed a direct parallel to Onyx.
I linked my arm through Scarlett’s, pulling her with me toward the Kinetic.
“What are you doing?” Scarlett hissed. The pebbles rolled beneath our feet once we left the footpath, and for some reason, the sound was the only thing I could focus on.
Sensing our approach, the microwave Kinetic looked up and met our gazes, a dark trimmed eyebrow raising in question. An awkward and tense silence permeated the space between the three of us. Scarlett and I tried to place him as we waited for him to say something first, while he clearly didn’t have a clue what we wanted or why we stood there staring at him in silence.
“While I’m not mad that I’m encountering Kinetics here, I’m a bit wary. Is there something I can help you with?” the stranger asked, his Cajun accent making me think he was from a Louisiana domain.
“Who are you?” Scarlett’s refusal to be deterred by his confrontation made me want to smile.
The Kinetic’s bright amber eyes lit up, and a seductive grinpeeked from the corners of his lips. He ran his hand over his mouth, bearing even more of a striking resemblance to Onyx. I needed answers.
“Name’s Shadow, darlin’.” Clearly, he was used to his heavy accent working on women. Shadow was cutting and smooth—similar to Onyx, but without the sunny disposition that was part of his charm. Instead, he seemed sharper, with an undercurrent of sinister joy slithering beneath the surface. “Might I ask yours?”
If I didn’t know Scarlett any better, I would’ve thought she was annoyed and put off by his display. Surprisingly, Shadow’s energy actually seemed to be working on her. Despite her piercing glare and tight posture, I could tell he was having an effect on her by the subtle way her lips poked out and the unusual mannerism of hugging herself.
She rolled her eyes, relaxing her arms at her side. “No, you may not.”
Shadow chuckled, clearly amused by her stubbornness. “Fine. What domain are you from then?” There was no way he could interpret that she was interested, was there?
Scarlett glanced at me, silently asking whether she should divulge that information. I shrugged. It didn’t really matter either way.
“Royal Domain.”
Recognition lit up in Shadow’s eyes. “Ah, that shouldn’t surprise me, yet it does. You must know Princess Gray?”
Scarlett didn’t hesitate before responding. “Of course. She’s my best friend. Why?”
Shadow shifted on his feet, clearing his throat, his previous flirtatious humor evaporating from his demeanor. “Is she here?”
