“Did you get punished for talking to me the other day?” I asked her, referring to the elevator situation.
Gray sighed, and her shoulders sagged. “Not publicly this time.”
I saw red as my fists clenched tight. My need to release my Kinetic power bubbled to the surface. My jaw ached from gnashing my teeth against one another as my breathing picked up. “Are you okay?”
The princess shrugged. “Why do you and Slate suddenly care? This has been happening for years, and no one has noticed until recently. Why? What do you want from me?”
Guilt twisted a knife into my heart, then pushed it deeper. “I don’t want anything from you.”
Gray pinched her brows. “I don’t believe you.”
I held her gaze, feeling her distrust and fear. “I don’t. The king has kept it hidden really well over the years. No one knew what was going on.”
“And what about you?”
“What about me?”
“You said you got punished, too, just not publicly.”
“Yeah. I do.”
“How often?”
“More than I care to admit,” I exhaled. “You think they’d treat me the way they do publicly if they couldn’t control me?” I asked with bitterness, but it wasn’t directed at the princess.
Gray nodded. “That’s true.” She lowered her chin and stared at the twisted fingers in her lap. “Why do you look so familiar?” Her voice was small, shy—as if she were questioning her own thoughts.
“Well, I mean, you’ve probably caught glimpses of me over the years,” I offered, unsure if she was referring to the playground that day so long ago.
Gray’s steely gaze clashed with mine, bearing its weight on me in a way that penetrated my soul. “That’s not what I mean…”
I angled my head, narrowing my eyes to urge her to expand. “Go on.”
“I feel like I’ve met you before. A long time ago, but I can’t place it…”
Did she remember? There’s no way she would be able to piece together that the Elemental boy from that day was also me.
“Maybe in passing in the palace?”
Gray shook her head, her ice-blonde waves catching on the breeze. “No. Not there. And it was different.Youwere different, I think. Like…”
“Are you sure it was me?” I asked, forcing a smirk on my face.
A look of pure snark distorted her face, which made me smile wider. She huffed. “Never mind. It’s stupid, and clearly you think I’m crazy.”
I laughed, not at her, but at the attitude peeking through her despondent exterior for the first time. It brought something to life in my chest. My heart, maybe? “Not crazy. Not at all, Princess.”
Gray cut her stony glare at me, slicing me to the wick, but I craved more. I needed her fire, and to inch close enough to get burned. “Then why are you laughing at me?”
“Because,” I murmured, my smile faltering as I fought to catch my breath, the ache in my heart swelling to new heights. Her pouting lips drew my attention, and my focus slipped. “You’re so cute when you’re mad.”
“I’m not mad,” Gray snipped.
“Yes, you are. You can’t hide from me, Princess…” I said, referring to her emotions since I could feel them as if they were my own for some unknown reason that I’d grown accustomed to.
Gray snorted and scooted away on the ledge, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.
My grin spread, and my heart lifted. I needed more expression from her. Anything besides the cold despondency that I was well-acquainted with. “What do you wish most in the world, Princess?”
