“I have more important shit to do.” I didn’t relent on the grip of my dagger as I assessed his unbothered stance. With a shoulder leaning against the bathroom stall and his hands tucked loosely in the front pocket of his black pants, he crossed one foot over the other, completely at ease as his gaze dropped to my dagger.
“Too bad,” the man clipped. “It can wait.”
“Who are you?” I asked again.
He shrugged once more.
I tightened my grip on the hilt of my dagger. My muscles tensed, wanting to force the answers from him in the best way I knew how. “Whatare you?”
“That’s irrelevant. Whatisrelevant is that your king has been up to some naughty things and has big plans for you and the princess.”
I quirked an eyebrow, my heart screeching to a stop at the mention of the princess. “How would you know that?”
Who within the insurgency has been talking?
The man chuckled and shook his head. “Not important.”
I snorted. “You expect me to trust your word when you won’t give me anything to work with?”
The man sighed with a bemused grin as if he held all the secrets. “Fine. Don’t believe me. But I traveled a long way to impart this information that you’ll thank me for later. You can do with it as you will, but you’re not leaving until I tell you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Are you threatening me?”
He shook his head dismissively. “The word ‘threat’ sounds so…sinister. However, threats can be fun if done the right way.” A wry grin teased the corners of his mouth. When I gaped at him like he’d grown another head, he laughed. “I won’tthreatenyou unless I have to.” He scratched the bare skin on his jaw. “I think I like you already. You have this…” He waved his hand upand down in the general direction of my body. “Broken-boy vibe going on where you—”
“Holy shit. What do you want, bro?” I cut him off, closing the distance between us.
Sobering, the man met my eyes. The silence between us blasted louder than the blaring live music outside. A heavy weight descended from the skies, pressing on my shoulders. I wasn’t sure if I truly wanted to know what he had to say or if I was ready for it. “You and the princess are the key to Forest’s goals to get what he desires most. And he’s actively working to destabilize the world to get it. You’re his ultimate weapon, and she’s his prize. You wanna stop him? Then sway the princess’s trust.”
“That…” I started, shaking my head as I tried to work through his dubious advice. “Doesn’t really tell me anything. We already know he needs to be taken out. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
“Yes, but do you know of his plans?”
“He wants to rule. Everyone. Humans and magical beings alike.”
“Yes, but no. It goes deeper. He’s keeping you and the princess separated because she’s like you. A hybrid, as I’m sure you already know. And at some point, he plans to use you both. By getting to her, you’ll weaken his plan.”
My heart twisted at the thought of Princess Gray. Her emotions were always ever present when I was near her, yet I couldn’t get to her. Always out of arm’s reach. It was a closely guarded secret that she was a hybrid and the actual biological daughter of the King. I didn’t think she even knew the truth. “What do you mean, he plans to use her?” I asked, squeezing the dagger’s hilt.
“In ways you truly don’t want to know, Chrome.”
“Yes, I think I do.”
“No. We don’t have time, and you’re focusing on the wrong shit. Do you know who your parents are?”
I scoffed. “Amethyst and some deadbeat Elemental…why doesthatmatter right now?”
“Try again. Your father was not a deadbeat Elemental.” His eyes—the color of the most saturated jade—glowed while his intensity ratcheted up and a foreign power pressed in on me. “Your father was King Jonas Silas of the Elementals.”
Time slowed, and ice crept up my spine. “That’s not…” I shook my head. “There’s no way.”
“King Jonas and Queen Lilliana were incapacitated, kidnapped, and tortured. Your king forcefully impregnated Lilliana while your mother procreated with King Jonas to produce two hybrids that they could raise and wield at their disposal. They bred you to be their child warrior while they’ve kept the princess isolated and controlled until they’re ready to move forward with their plans. Right now, she is vulnerable, which is how they want her. She’s not trained yet, but that’s for good reason on his behalf. If she’s trained, she gains respect from your people, which Forest cannot have. If she’s respected, she has confidence, and if she has confidence, then—”
“Then she can’t be controlled as easily…” I finished for him, my tone hollowed from the heavy lead sinking in my stomach. I needed to get to her. I needed to train her and get her out of the Royal Domain.
“Precisely. She’s the wildcard. What needs to happen is this…” The man paused, mulling over his next words. “Your little insurgent group needs to get to her first. Train her in combat and magic. Give her direction and hope. Give her something or someone to latch onto…”
My chest tightened, and my nostrils flared at the possibility of her attaching to another guy. That felt so wrong, even though I had no way of claiming her.But I knew on a soul level that shewas meant to be with me. I’d always felt that since I was ten years old. We would find each other again, but we needed Forest out of the picture first.
