“Chrome.”
Through the loose strands of short chromatic hair that fell over my cousin’s eyes beneath his hood, his chest heaved as he met my gaze. A dark acceptance settled behind his metallic stare before squeezing his eyes shut. Without saying a word, Chrome snapped the black bracelet into place, his gilded skin returning to its usual tan and his eyes to their crystalline blue.
“I had to,” he mumbled, lowering his chin to his chest. “I couldn’t let him tell.”
Hazel shook in my arms, but she sat up, not seeing Chrome’s Elemental traits before he covered them again. I gave her a once-over to make sure she was okay. She nodded at me as she recovered on the ground, telling me to go to Chrome.
I rose to my feet, meeting Chrome’s gaze. Unlike Hazel, he wasn’t okay. “It’s fine. We’ll deal with that later,” I assured him. “But where’ve you been?” I asked as I approached, resting my palms on his shoulders.
Chrome tensed at my touch, jerking his shoulder away. “Locked up.”
I pulled my hand back to myself. I knew he didn’t like to be touched. Mentally, I kicked myself for forgetting. “What? Why?”
With a shrug, he answered. “Training.”
“Training? In the prisons?”
“My powers. They want to test my powers. They finally let me replenish my magic and released me about forty-five minutes ago.”
So many questions swirled in my mind. “How did you know where to find us?”
Chrome’s hollow gaze clashed with mine. “When I was released, I was told by your mom that you and Hazel went to the park. And by the time I got there, I felt him…” he said, jerking his chin at the piles of dust splayed across the concrete. “As I closed in on him, I felt your energy.” He held up his wrist, showing his glowing silver currents. “Didn’t bother putting my bracelet back on. Not after…” He clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut as if to block out a memory in the forefront of his mind.
I didn’t push, noting it was something too difficult to speak on. “Okay,” I breathed. “That’s fine. I’m sure no one saw you.” I double-checked his attire. His hoodie covered his currents. His hair wasn’t quite hidden but could be passed off as dyed with the hood over it. “Hazel and I can get rid of the evidence. It’ll be fine.”
Chrome stiffly nodded. “How’s the princess? Is she okay?”
“Yeah. She’s fine. We’ve been training.”
“Is she progressing?” he asked, his eyes narrowed.
“Yeah. She’s coming along. She’ll be deadly in no time.”
Some tension relaxed in his shoulders. “Good. Thank you. Nothing can happen to her. Do you hear me, Slate? You’re in charge of keeping her safe and alive. If I could, I would, but…”
“I know. It’s fine. You’ve got enough to worry about right now. Besides, she’s not too bad to be around,” I said. A soft, wistful smile pulled up the side of my face as I thought about my time spent with the princess.
The exhaustion from Chrome’s expression suddenly hardened, his blue eyes turning to ice as he cocked his head to the side, scrutinizing me. “What doesthatmean?”
I stepped back, my lips parting to answer, but unsure what happened. Pinching my brows in confusion, I said, “Nothing, Chrome. I just like being around her.”
“In what way?” Chrome demanded through clenched teeth, holding back his anger.
“Just as friends. Is there something I’m missing here?” I asked him, wondering if his ability to feel her emotions was something more.
Closing his eyes and breathing a deep breath, he finally answered, “No. It’s nothing.” With a shake of his head as if to clear it, he said, “Sorry. I’m just worked up after everything.” Chrome swallowed, and it seemed to take some effort to say the next words. “There’s nothing between us, but just keep her safe and protect her with everything you have.”
I frowned. “Of course, I will.”
Chrome ran his hands over his face. “Keep her trust,” he sighed, indicating there was more that needed to be said. “I overheard Forest tell my mother that he plans to make Gray an Assassin soon.” He cracked his knuckles. “Now that the kingsees her value, he intends to make her into another weapon…like me.”
Hazel and I cleaned up the mess left in Chrome’s wake. Due to the heavy shade pitched by the surrounding buildings, I cast my light for her to be able to see. Using her X-ray ability, she incinerated anything behind—particularly blood—leaving no evidence except for ash and dust. We then grabbed objects from behind the vacated restaurant to use as makeshift brooms to sweep and scatter it away, not giving the king any sign that a fight had transpired. He knew what Chrome’s Kinetic magic was capable of, so it was important to hide it.
I watched Chrome out of my periphery as I swept. The legendary Kinetic Warrior sat against the brick wall, knees drawn up to his chest with his arms draped over them. His head drooped as he stared at the rough concrete between his knees, motionless and quiet.
A broken Warrior.
Whatever he’d experienced the past three weeks haunted him. I didn’t want to ask, but curiosity burned an insidious hole in my brain, much like the lasers that shot from Hazel’s palms. I wouldn’t press, of course. I’d always known that Chrome had been treated much worse than the rest of us, pushed harder and held to higher expectations, but I never pressed for the full extent. That was going to change soon. He was defeated, and it was clear he needed help.
