“Get up,” Grim demanded. “There’s something you need to see.”
I pushed myself up onto my elbows, sucking a deep breath in hopes of ridding the regret now threatening to strip me of any remaining strength. A cold metal bracelet snapped around my right wrist, followed by another on the left, my magic going cold once again.
The magic deprivation singed my veins and jumbled my brain, but Grim didn’t relent. He wrapped his fist into the front of my shirt, snatching me to my wavering feet. “You’re about to find out what happens when you continue to defy the rules, boy.”
The ballroom’s lively chatter crested to the call of the king, exciting them like sheep to their own slaughter. The roiling in my gut only worsened as Grim hid me in a shadowed corner behind the tapestries with the Monroe family royal crest. Midnight-blue and gray patterns held my focus as I worked to remain upright from the exhaustion weighing me down. Grim’s bruising vice grip on my biceps wouldn’t allow my legs to collapse despite how much they craved it.
Kinetics bunched together in a loud cacophony for another Forest speech, but no one could see me hidden in the alcove. Uneasiness dug deeper into my soul, knowing I was about to bear witness to something that would break me in ways that Grim hadn’t touched yet.
“Whatever you do,” Grim murmured near the shell of my ear, “do not close your eyes, turn your head, or even move.”
I sucked in a haggard breath, fighting against the willpower of my eyelids as Forest came onto the stage with pompous arrogance. His charisma immediately spilled out, blanketing the crowd of Kinetics as they cheered for his presence. The king pretended to be humble, waving their excitement off in fauxdismissal. His shy grin reached my heart and lodged a blade into it as the princess was escorted onto the stage not far behind him.
My muscles seized up, and time screeched to a halt as Gray appeared with her chin held high, strolling to her fate. My mother gripped the back of Gray’s neck between her fingers, forcing her to stop at the center of the stage, positioned several paces behind Forest standing at his dais.
Forest’s bloated words didn’t even register in my brain as every cell in my body screamed for me to storm the stage, toss her over my shoulder, and carry her to safety before I returned to slaughter every complicit Kinetic in this room for even entertaining the thought of bringing her harm. There was no way I’d be able to physically withstand watching.
A public beating for the princess.
My body was now wide awake as a waterfall of adrenaline cascaded over me, having nowhere to flow. I could have flattened the building if I wanted to, even through the bracelets’ suppression. But with Grim standing beside me, touching my skin, and ensuring my magic was completely and utterly snuffed out, I could do nothing.
Gray’s desolate emotions ravaged my heart through the bond we shared. Her fear was so tangible, I swore it was my own.
I couldn’t pinpoint when I could no longer discern which emotions were mine and which were hers.
I saw red at the first strike from the king himself. I didn’t even know what the offense was for her to receive another punishment. All I knew was she was being hurt, and I couldn’t do a fucking thing about it.
Powerless. Weak. Just a boy.
Grim squeezed my biceps tighter in his attempt to suppress the vibrations shuddering my shoulders and back. If I blinked, I’d be headed for the dais without a second thought. I heaved through my nose, envisioning every single gruesome way tomurder the king on the spot. “If you even flinch, you can expect a punishment for Peri next. Don’t make me punish her for your lack of control. She’s my pride and joy.”
My heart ravaged my newly healed ribcage, a growl climbing my chest as Forest struck the princess again, knocking her to the floor. She didn’t fight back, but the strength she exuded not to utter a sound with the thud of each blow warped my heart in a way I didn’t know was possible.
With each strike, the crowd cheered, anxious for blood for their underage princess. A princess they didn’t believe deserved to be heir to the throne. Her father had done a fabulous job turning public opinion against her, and it was shit like this that only drove the nail into her proverbial coffin.
My biceps twitched in Grim’s death grip while the veins in my neck pulsed a slow and steady beat. I was anything but calm, but adrenaline did magical things. Time slowed, every detail sharp and clear, forcing me to not only watch her be tortured in front of me, but in high-definition slow-motion.
The drive to protect her flourished through me, but it was the deflation that slapped me with reality like a cold bucket of ice. I was only a weapon for those wishing to bring harm to the world. What was the point of being this powerful if I couldn’t even protect the ones I loved most? I didn’t give two fucks what they did to me. But they’d now discovered my weaknesses, and they would exploit them to gain more control over me.
I felt so fucking stupid to think I could overthrow someone as diabolical as King Forest. Each thud and jeer from the crowd reminded me how powerless I truly was. I was just a teenage boy—a teenage boy who could be controlled at will. I only hoped Gray could keep the secret about our kiss. Not for my sake, but for her own.
“This is what happens when you think rules don’t apply to you, boy. Your little rooftop escapades are done with. Understand?” Grim whispered in my ear.
I stared helplessly at my princess’s battered body on the floor. Her deflation swept through me, causing my shoulders to go limp. I couldn’t even ponder how they’d discovered our secret hangout spot. Maybe Peri hadn’t been able to get me out of trouble this time, after all.
“Back to your cell. You’ll be there awhile until you can finally learn your fucking place, you mutt.” Grim snatched me along beside him, and my jelly-like legs were forced to carry me back to the darkness where I knew I’d replay this nightmare on a loop.
Perhaps it was time to call it quits on the insurgency. I couldn’t risk her or Peri’s life. Nothing was worth that.
Chapter 21
Slate
“You see her?” I asked Onyx. He consistently piled four French fries at a time into his mouth, followed by a large bite of a limp school burger.
With his mouth full, he shook his head and mumbled something I presumed to be, “No.”
My heart raced as concern for her well-being climbed quickly to the surface, especially after her newest public punishment last night. Thankfully, I hadn’t been present for it. I refused to go to another summoning from the king after the last time.
