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“If you wanted a hug, princess, all you had to do was ask,” a deep voice said.

“Dash.” I looked up at the tall, scrawny teenager, doing my best to keep my temper at a minimum. Although, I had a bone to pick with this little shit, too. I crossed my arms. “I shouldn’t be shocked to see that you’re still alive, but here we are.”

“I’m a good shot.” A smug expression took over his baby face.

“I recall,” I said, my voice dry. “That was really stupid of you shooting the Endarkened, by the way. That could’ve gone wrong in so many ways.”

Dash rolled his eyes dramatically in the way only a teenager can. “God, if I have to hear another lecture about this shit, I’ll go out there and hunt down an Endarkened and do it again just to prove a point.”

I raised my brows. “Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend it. I’d just take the lecture…”

Dash blew out a breath. “Yeah, I’m enjoying the amenities too much. Gotta take advantage of it while I can.”

I snorted. “Do you know where Chrome is?” Onyx had said he was in his room, but I’d hate for that to have changed since I’d walked across to the other side of the lodge to find him.

“In his room. I just left.”

“You did? You and Chrome are close?”

“I keep forgetting that he goes by Chrome here,” Dash muttered to himself, scrunching his face in thought.

I slapped the back of his head. “Focus.”

Dash rubbed the offended spot on his head. “Hey! That wasn’t very royal of you.”

“Are you close to him?” I asked again, shaking my head.

“We’re friends. We stuck together while he was waiting to meet up with you.” The rebel shrugged.

“Meet up with me?” I deadpanned. “You mean kidnap, right?”

“Semantics, Princess.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. How did Chrome deal with this? I sure as fuck couldn’t. “I’ll see you around. I gotta talk to Chrome.”

As I stepped around him, he nudged my shoulder with his elbow. “Talk,” he snorted. “Right,” he said, drawing out the word. “You’re totally gonna bone.”

The look of horror on my face must have been the reaction he was aiming for because he burst out laughing so loudly it echoed. “Catch ya round, Princess!” Dash swaggered away down the hallway.

I shook my head, wondering how this kid was one of Sergeant Hogan’s most trusted rebels. He seemed a bit risky, in my opinion.

Taking a cleansing breath, I realized that, despite how angry with Chrome I was, and as much as I needed to confront him over the scout situation, I needed to give my emotions some space, instead of doing as I usually did and react rashly. That was growth, right?

Changing course and making my way back to my room, I decided to give myself a night of solitude and relaxation.

Between the conversations with Orion, Onyx, and Dash, I was at max capacity for dealing with people for the day. A hot bath, a strong glass of whiskey, and a book were what I needed for the night.

In the bath, I took the time to process everything I’d learned that day. It was a lot. I needed to breathe and just be with myself, something that was becoming less and less frequent these days.

The Elementals at the Hollow had become my friends, and I wasn’t sure when that had happened. I cared about them, and I was under the impression that they might actually care about me. At least, I hoped they did. I wasn’t sure if I could handle much more rejection.

All would be right in the world if only Scarlett, Hazel, and Cotton were here, too.

My breath caught as I realized the error of my thought process. I hadn’t included Slate in that list. The usual sadness that accompanied my memories of him washed over me like the bubbles filling the tub, but it was more with acceptance.

I contemplated the discovery of the stone in Orion’s office earlier that day, trying to work out how it could tie in with Forest’s plans. Going off what I knew about the properties of stones, and my father’s goals, I wracked my brain for the missing link.

My thoughts drifted to Chrome’s affliction. If the Endarkened had some connection to the dark magic in Arcadia, then perhaps there could be a way to undo it. What if there was a link to the stone in some way that could offer a solution?