“No!” He reached out his hand toward me. “Please don’t!”
I eyed his palm dubiously. “It’s really no prob—”
“Seriously, bro. I’ll kill you in your sleep if you do.”
I laughed. “Not with stamina like that. You’d wake me up with your breathing.”
Cardinal rolled his eyes. “Oh, fuck off,” he huffed, cracking a smile.
“See you tomorrow, Kittle,” I said, patting his shoulder at a safe distance. “Tell Granite I’m ready for that rematch any day now.”
Cardinal chuckled that time. “He’ll keep making excuses for why he can’t follow through.”
After parting ways with Cardinal, I returned the weapons to the cache in the training room and gathered my belongings, ignoring the gawking Kinetics eyeing me as I passed by. I walked to the elevator, being sure to follow the schedule that I had in place. I needed to be back in my family’s suite in five minutes.
The button lit up as I tapped it and waited for the metal doors to slide open. I glanced at my bicep, wrapped in the newest bandage from my latest Kill Mark. Another day and it should be fine to remove.
“Chrome!” Slate’s voice echoed as he jogged to catch up to me.
I spun to face him, my brow pulled down as he approached, hiking my thumb over my shoulder toward the elevator. “Hey. I gotta get—”
I caught sight of Kale Brighton passing by, a top-ranked Scout who was close to the king. His neon-green curls sat close to his skull while presenting his blue currents with pride. With his ability to manipulate sound, I had to be careful what was said in his vicinity. Otherwise, he’d happily report it back to the king. I hated the entitled prick.
“I know. I just needed to tell you really fast that Dad got the green light from Forest for me to start training the princess. Tomorrow,” Slate said in a low tone, coming to a stop in front of me.
“Oh, really?” I asked, to which Slate nodded with a smile. “Good. Make her unstoppable. And protect her with your life. Even from herself.” I gritted my teeth, remembering how close she had come to dying four days ago. Had it not been for our connection, she would’ve. And that thought alone brought me more agony than anything Grim or Forest did to me.
“You know it. I’ll teach her everything I know.”
“Good. I have no doubt.” The elevator dinged, and I bid him a rushed goodbye so I didn’t give my overlords any reason to send me down to the prisons for more punishment. The sooner Forest was dead, the better everything would be.
The elevator ride to the twenty-ninth floor was quiet, and I eased my shoulders from the growing tension that cramped my neck. The news that Gray would soon be trained lifted the heaviness that had been clinging to my chest for weeks. More than anything, I worried for her mental health, hoping Forest didn’t break her before she could shatter the psychological prison he kept her in.
I still didn’t understand how I didn’t realize sooner that the king was hurting the princess. What pissed me off most was that I subconsciously had known, but I buried it because I couldn’t have coped with not being able to help her. Ofcourse, Forest abused her. It wouldn’t have aligned with his character if he didn’t. I was a fucking idiot for not acknowledging it years ago.
My only hope now was that it wasn’t the same treatment I received from Grim. I didn’t think Forest himself would do something so depraved, and maybe it wasn’t necessary for him to wield that type of control over Gray, especially since she was unaware of her Elemental side. I realized with a harsh certainty that it needed to remain that way. The moment she discovered her hybrid nature, Forest would turn to further extreme lengths to keep her subdued.
My heart ached, wishing I could just be there for her—with her. Just the thought of holding her made my heart speed up and my breath falter. That was just insane, right? We didn’t even know each other. Not really. But since that day on the playground, the connection between us had locked into place, and being forced to see her through mere glimpses, I could only imagine a reality where we could be free to be together. If she even wanted me.
The white marble tile glistened, mesmerizing me as I remained lost in my swirling thoughts. The elevator shook to a stop, and when the doors slid open, I was surprised to look up and clash gazes with the princess’s ice-blue eyes. My heart free-fell, and my stomach fluttered at the thought of being in her presence. At the same time, paralyzing fear gripped me in its clutches, knowing the cameras in the hallway would capture everything.
We stood facing each other, staring at one another in shocked surprise. Gods, she was beautiful. I couldn’t pull away from the allure of her eyes. They absorbed me, consuming me as her willing captive.
“Hi,” she whispered.
“Hey.”
“I was just…” she rushed out, averting her eyes, “going home. Sorry.”
I shook my head from the stupor she’d held me in. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
Princess Gray inhaled. “Uh—” She stepped aside, making room for me to exit. “Go ahead.”
“Are you okay?” I blurted, wishing I could snatch the words back into my mouth.
Gray crinkled her brow. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” She shrugged, donning a mask I could easily see through.
“Just know that you’re not alone,” I whispered, wanting more than anything to pull her into my chest. “And I’m sorry for…what happened. The public punishment.”
