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I wasn’t one to fear much of anything. Yet, claws of panic sunk deeper and deeper into my chest at the impending mind-shatter that threatened to overtake me again. Not having my magic to blow off some steam was only fueling the rapid rate.

All my coke was gone. I’d sniffed it whenever Dash would leave the room to receive messages on the ham radio in the front of the shop. Night had fallen hours ago. Now, it was merely a waiting game. And I hoped I could hold out long enough to capture the prize.

My thoughts drifted to my people at the Hollow—to my responsibility. I was their leader, no longer an official prince since the entirety of the Elemental kingdom fell at the death of the king and queen twenty-sevenyears ago. Beneath the madness shredding my mind to tatters, I cared deeply for them and would do anything to keep them safe.

But it was getting harder and harder to put on the front that I wasn’t spiraling. My people looked to me for guidance, strength, and friendship. And the progression of my apathy in every regard intensified as I continued to lose the memories that made my relationships special. I kept trying to grasp onto any recollections, but they would just slip through my fingers like smoke. Once they were all gone, I feared for those closest to me.

“Our source told us that the king tried to kill her.” Dash’s deep voice made me jump. Beads of sweat began to slide down my temples, but I shivered, feeling the cold emptiness within me returning to exact its vengeance. “Apparently, he attempted to poison her at her own birthday revel. So, it shouldn’t be much longer before she tries to make her escape.”

While I wasn’t surprised by Forest’s merciless action to kill his own daughter, I was surprised by the vicious rage that turned my frigid soul into an inferno at the mention of it. My breaths came in ragged, my nostrils flaring as I worked hard not to show any reaction to the news. How could I possibly explain why it bothered me whether she was harmed or not when I couldn’t even understand it myself?

Clearing my throat after forcing air deep into my lungs, I said, “Good. Once you get word that she’s out of the King’s Palace, I’ll need to tail her.”

“I’m coming with you, Griffin,” Dash said. I spun around to face his stubborn stance, his back straight and arms crossed over his scrawny chest. “You don’t get to have all the fun. I don’t give a damn if you’re an Elemental or not.”

My eyebrows shot to my hairline. “No.” With my voice firm, I went on, “You’re too young. The princess may not be able to defeat me, but she can easily kill you. She’s one of the best, Dash. Probably trained to be ruthless like her father,” I explained, hoping to convince him to rethink this terrible idea. “You’re not ready.”

Dash shook his head. “No, I’m a part of this with you. I can help. And Iamready.”

“No, you’re not. You’re good, but she’s a Kinetic. Highly trained and feared amongst her people.” I rose to my feet from the couch to reach my full height. “She’ll kill you if she suspects you’re anything more than a straggling human trying to survive. Even then, she might not even give you the courtesy.”

“Well, I’ll just need to be really convincing.” Dash grinned deviously before turning his sharp brown gaze into an innocent puppy-dog look. My mouth dropped at the convincing display of him morphing into a pitiful and harmless teenager.

I narrowed my eyes, assessing his acting abilities. “Have you been practicing?”

Dash broke character with a knowing smirk. “It’s good, right?”

With a sigh, I ran a hand through my hair, still fighting off the darkness that loomed closer and closer. The voice was returning, urging the usual: kill, kill, kill. “Fine, but there’s still no guarantee that she won’t kill you upon sight.”

Dash rolled his eyes. “Listen, it’ll be the perfect plan. I can earn her trust by appearing to be a harmless kid. I could lead her to the compound, then you can grab her and take her to the Hollow.”

I chewed on my lip, doing my best to mull over all angles of this scenario through my foggy brain. It could go terribly wrong in many ways. However, it could also go right and make my job that much easier.

I lost track of time. It was past midnight. I knew that much, but I had no idea beyond that fact. The cold burrowing within the confines of my skin numbed me, and my mind was a blur of maniacal thoughts. My energy was spent trying to fight off the madness, while it should’ve been spent trying to remain hidden and watchful.

Dash and I split up, moving closer to the King’s Palace grounds, just out of reach of the alarms. We moved ahead of the skyrise hotel in the directionwe anticipated the princess would run upon her escape. Buildings served as cover in the pitch-blackness of the night. As usual, I blended in with the shadows, allowing the depths of their darkness to embrace me.

The numbness allowed me to remain preternaturally still while I tried to focus on any movement surrounding us. With my magic suppressed, my senses were slightly inhibited. So, I relied on my training, which was, thankfully, like second nature.

The hair began to rise along the nape of my neck just before a muted exhalation reached my ears.

Kill, kill, kill. I ignored the voice in my head and remained frozen in my spot, listening to each quiet step the intruder took toward me.

I waited as he crept closer until I could feel the whispers of his breath against my skin from behind. Sensing only millimeters separating us before I heard the rustle of his clothing, presumably him raising a blade of some sort.

The moment his weapon nearly pierced my throat, I spun. And with that motion, I released a dagger from my belt, ready to strike. His eyes widened with recognition upon seeing my face. “You’re…”

My dagger carved across his throat, silencing his next words as he gaped at me, horrified. His body thudded to the concrete in a heap as he gurgled on his blood.

I turned away from the Kinetic Warrior as his life slowly faded from him.Good.The violence only seemed to excite the darkness within me, and now, the incessant call of bloodshed raged like a war drum in my mind, unrelenting.

The crinkle of footsteps on loose pebbles echoed in the alleyway to my left while I caught a swift shadow to my right. I rolled my neck, a grin inching up the sides of my face for an actual fight.

An ear-splitting shriek pierced my ears, and I immediately cupped them with my hands. I knew all too well that it was a sonic augmentation ability, where Kinetics could create sound waves that weren’t there. Highly skilled ones could isolate their magic to a specific target, which I presumed wasthe case right now. The octaves climbed higher, bringing me to my knees on the hard cement.

The only positive was it silenced the nasty voice that never shut up. But at what cost? With my attention forced to endure the sonic torture, my senses were drowned out to everything else. Caught by surprise, a blast whipped me into a stucco wall several feet away. The shrill screech never let up.

With a groan, I didn’t allow myself to remain on the ground for long. Without my magic, this wasn’t a fair fight, and they knew it.