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I grabbed one of her thighs and hitched it around my waist. She responded by wrapping around my midsection and pulling me further between her legs.

It didn’t escape me that we were out in the training field; anyone could walk by. I didn’t give a fuck. Apparently, neither did she.

“You up for putting on a show, Princess?” I slid a hand beneath her tight tank, finding her breast.

“Let them watch.” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, a fire burning bright in her eyes. With the slightest tilt of her chin, she said, “You’re mine.”

A growl came from my chest as a primal need to claim her as my own took over.

Gray’s hand found my waistband, and her fingers inched inside. They brushed against the thin fabric of my briefs covering my dick, sending a jolt through my body I hadn’t expected. Warmth from her breath caressed my neck, lifting the tiny hairs just as she pressed a kiss against my skin.

A throat cleared behind me. “Sorry to break this up and all…” Onyx’s voice broke through the sexual haze. “But there’s an emergency, and you’re needed.”

I didn’t care if the world was burning to the ground; I wanted to be buried inside the girl with fierce eyes and ashen hair. “Can’t it wait?” I asked, my voice muffled against Gray’s neck.

“No.”

Gray stilled beneath me, and ever so slowly, her hand withdrew from the confines of my pants.

I dropped my head against her chest in defeat. “If this isn’t life or death, I’m going to kill you. Otherwise, Orion or you can handle it.”

“This is definitely for you. Both of you,” Onyx said. I still hadn’t turned around to face him, but I could tell he was uncomfortable by the tone of his voice.

Reluctantly, I sat up and then rose to my feet, pulling Gray up with me. “What’s wrong?” I adjusted myself before turning around to face Onyx.

It was rare to see Onyx be anything other than optimistic. Seeing the anxiety dripping from his tight jaw and worried eyes had me reevaluating the situation.

Closing his eyes as if to brace himself to deliver the news, he said, “There’s been a breach of the wards by a Kinetic scout.”

I tensed, my heart skipping a few paces. “Excuse me?”

“A Kinetic scout made it through the wards. He was apprehended by some guards patrolling the perimeter, but…”

“How?” I asked, my voice devoid of any life.

Gray moved by my side, glancing back and forth between us.

“I don’t know, Chrome. I honestly don’t.” Onyx breathed out in defeat. “I reinforced my magic when Sergeant Hogan and the rebels arrived. You did, too! I don’t know how…”

The memory resurfaced from a month ago of the night my contact and I had a run-in with Kinetic warriors outside the speakeasy. Afterward, I continued to drink to chase away the madness’s intensity that had been fueled by the bloodshed. My contact had to help me get back to the Hollow. There was a high chance I wasn’t in the right state of mind to notice if we’d been followed or not. “Fuck…” I looked away. “Okay. Take me to them.”

Gray stepped up beside me to join us. “No, Gray,” I said, my voice gentle, but firm.

She reeled back as if I’d slapped her, hurt shining in her eyes. My heart clenched. “The fuck you mean,no?” She stiffened her spine and clenched her fists, ready to go to war with me over this. A sharp tug on my heart jolted me, signaling Gray’s burst of anger and betrayal.

“No, this is too dangerous. I can’t risk you being…”

A fist collided with my jaw, rocking my head back. I stumbled. “You don’t get to dictate what I can and cannot do. This is just as much my battle as it is yours.”

I wasn’t even mad that she hit me. I deserved it. But I couldn’t risk her in this. “Yes, it is. But you’re not going. This is my Hollow. My rules.” I ran my hand through my hair, regaining my senses after the solid blowshe landed. “You’ll be a liability.” The words fell from my mouth, and I wanted to shove them back in as soon as they did.

“Fuck you,” she spat before she slammed a blast of Kinetic magic into my chest, shocking me from the inside out. It felt like she’d just fried my organs.

“I’m sorry,” I grunted, gripping my torso. “But you need to trust me on this.”

“Trust you?” She laughed. “That’s funny. Says the guy who…” She bit her bottom lip to stop the words that almost slipped free. “Fine. I’ll sit back and look pretty for you. Just like everybody else seems to want from me. But in the meantime, go fuck yourself.”

She stormed off, snatching up a few daggers and knives on the way.