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I frowned. The thought never occurred to me that his actions came from a selfless place. My chest tightened, and then guilt squeezed it harder. “Oh, I didn’t think you’d…” I said, cutting myself off, realizing how harsh I was about to sound. I looked at him. “Sorry. I didn’t realize.”

“I get it.” Was all he said before he returned to the stringent task of impaling pieces of turkey onto sticks.

I didn’t say anything as he worked. I just watched his calloused hands as his long fingers delicately picked up raw meat and skewered the thick slices in a smooth rhythm.

As I watched him work, I felt the weight of his past pressing on him, too. Whatever I’d gone through, he’d probably endured much worse.

It wasn’t until recent events I’d even allowed my daddy issues to affect me. It’d been my way of life that I’d accepted long ago. I never believed I’d experience anything different. It was always my belief he did it to make me an unstoppable assassin, to make me tough. And I thought if I did everything he asked, I’d eventually make him proud. It’d been my primary goal.

Oh, how I’d failed so epically.

But Chrome? He seemed to have demons that ravaged his soul at all hours. I wasn’t sure if I was prepared to know what he’d endured during his time at the King’s Palace.

“So,” I started, breaking the hypnotic sound of the crackling fire as my curiosity got the better of me. “What happened? Why did you flee Atlanta, and how did you manage to do it?”

Chrome’s body went rigid as he stared at the ground. I quickly got the sense that this was a dark demon he didn’t want to acknowledge. I regrettedasking as soon as I saw his physical reaction, the coiled tension making me want to claw out of my skin.

I opened my mouth to tell him to forget about it when he said, “It’s a long story. The details aren’t that important, but essentially…” he trailed off, trying to find the right words. “Essentially, I’d reached my breaking point, and Forest’s own weapon became too unstable to control.”

My eyebrows rose to my hairline. “What do you mean, ‘you reached your breaking point’?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“It wasn’t just your father who ‘trained’ me,” he spit the word “train” like it was a curse as he continued spearing the turkey. “My mother was just as involved. As well as Grim.” My skin crawled at the mention of him. His presence had always made me want to flee in the opposite direction. “They put me in intense conditions and forced me to overcome them. It wasn’t until they used my sister as a form of…motivationthat things took a turn for the worse.”

Peri, as everyone had called her—short for Periwinkle. She was the daughter of Amethyst and Grim. I’d never met her, but I’d seen her in passing. Everyone treated her as if she had been the beloved princess. I’d always admired her from afar, wishing I could be more like her with her outgoing and gentle nature, always known for her beaming smile and kindness.

The rumor was that Griffin Silas had broken into the Palace and attacked, killing several Kinetics—including Peri and Chrome. It was the event that had rallied our kind into backing my father’s decision to wage war against the Elementals. We were under the belief that the son of the deceased Elemental King blamed us for his father’s death, therefore wanting revenge.

Kinetics had been terrified. If one could breach our security and kill Chrome Freyr, then what else was this man capable of? He became the face of the Elementals and public enemy number one. But now, knowing Griffin and Chrome were one and the same, I begged to know the truth of this world-altering event.

My heart plummeted at theimplications.

“What really happened that day, Chrome?”

He stood, holding onto the skewered turkey slices—one in each hand. His jaw worked as he stared off into the distant woods before responding, “Like I said, it’s a long story. But it’s a day that will haunt me forever.” He cleared his throat before taking a few steps toward me, handing me a stick.

I scooted the tree stump closer to the fire before hovering the piece of turkey over it. In my peripheral, I saw Chrome do the same. His brows were drawn together, as if lost in memories of his own. I didn’t want to pry, but I knew he was withholding more game-changing information.

Whatever it was, it seemed the truth was too horrid for him to speak.

We sat in silence, roasting our turkey meat until it was thoroughly cooked. It was flavorless, except for the smokiness seeped into it, but it was food. I didn’t care what it tasted like at that point.

“So,” Chrome spoke up, swallowing a piece of meat, “what happened with you? How’d you escape?”

I cleared my throat and stared at the naked stick in my hand, twisting it around in circles. “Well, after I returned from my failed mission,” I began and gave him a pointed look. “Thanks for the mortal wound, by the way.” An amused smirk grew on one side of his mouth, to which I rolled my eyes. “It was my birthday. So, there was the customary revel in my ‘honor’.” I said it with another eye roll and looked to the ground between my feet.

“I’ve always hated those things. Knew it would be a farce from the beginning. And it turned out I was right. My father ordered a bartender to poison my drink with redfern. If it wasn’t for Hazel, Scarlett, and Cotton…” Dread for their fates rose to the surface again and squeezed my throat. “I’d be dead. Hazel stole the antidote from your mother’s office. They packed my bag for me and held off the guards. It wasn’t pretty. I had to fight Grim…and confront my father,” I said, thinking of how I’d stabbed him in the spine. “And some warriors. But…I made it out.”

“Scarlett Kittle?” He angled his head to the side. “Daughter of the Guilds’ Supreme Commander Cammo? Sister of Granite and Cardinal?”

I nodded. “Mhm,” I hummed, swallowing a mouthful of turkey. “Yeah, she’s the emissary for the king.”

“Cammo was my primary trainer. Total asshole, but a good man. But he’s loyal to Forest. I’m surprised she went against him.” He chuckled. “She was always a fiery little shit.”

I laughed, imagining Scarlett’s fierce nature and her boldness, something I’d always admired about her. I could pretend to be fearless, but she wore it like the saucy dresses she loved. “She still is,” I said, remembering our exchange at the revel, missing her wit.

“Her brothers…” Chrome trailed off, grabbing more raw meat and impaling it on the stick before he continued, “Granite, is he still the Supreme Guards Commander?”

“Yes,” I said with a snort, reaching for more meat. “And these days, he’s got a stick ten times bigger than this one stuck up his ass because of it.” I waved the stick of turkey for effect.