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Conversation resumed at the table, so I focused on the food a divine being must’ve created, getting sucked into the memories of my past.

I hated the unknown. The past might’ve been painful, but at least it was constant. I knew what to expect. My longing for Slate grew stifling as I tried to bury it with mouthfuls of buttery bread and potatoes. Since I was fourteen, he’d been my safe space, my comfort. I needed him more than ever as I sat and dined in what I’d once considered enemy territory.

Spearing a forkful of green beans, I allowed myself to be swept away in the memory of Slate’s comfort, imagining he was beside me now.

Tears slid down my cheeks in the shadows of the school gymnasium, wondering what was wrong with me. I hugged my knees to my chest. Why did my father hate me? Why did I struggle so hard to make friends? I glamoured my currents and hair color from the human kids, so what was it that had always made me a target? Weren’t princesses supposed to be loved and considered popular? At least, that’s what the fairytales made you believe.

“Princesses aren’t supposed to cry.”

I popped my head up, adrenaline surging through my veins at the unexpected visitor. I jumped to my feet and turned to see the handsome, boyish face of Slate Helair, a well-known and well-liked Kinetic—even among the human students. I swiped my cheeks with my palms in haste to hide the evidence of my weakness. “I wasn’t crying.” My stuffed-up nose betrayed my lie.

A soft expression crossed his features. “You were. And it’s okay that you were. You’re entitled to that—everyone is. It’s just that…” Slate’s shoulders relaxed as he reached out a hand to me. “You deserve to have a shoulder to lean on when you do.” His natural hair was the hue of a wet stone, but it was now glamoured a dark brown, and his sun-kissed skin bore no gold currents on his arms.

“Why would I do that? Like you said, princesses aren’t supposed to cry. It’s weak.”

Slate moved to take the seat beside the one I’d abandoned, patting the spot with his hand. “I never said it was weak.”

I lowered intothe seat beside him, adjusting the navy, pleated uniform skirt. I looked down at my feet and fought the urge to hide the bruises on my legs from my father’s frustration that morning that were slow to heal due to the bracelet.My face heated as I glanced up and caught Slate pulling his attention to my eyes, away from my legs. He didn’t mention them.

“I hear how the commoners treat you. And the human kids here,” he said, shaking his head, “they’re fucking ignorant. The girls are jealous of you, and the guys are afraid to show interest because of it. But no one deserves to be treated the way you are. Please know that not everyone dislikes you. We’re just…hesitant to show it. Your dad wouldn’t approve because it would be considered to be undermining his authority in his eyes.”

I shrugged, sniffling. “It doesn’t matter.”

Slate cupped my cheeks, making me face his genuine determination. “It does matter, Princess Gray. Your light is too bright to be dimmed.”

My heart fractured. For once, I felt seen. My jaw trembled as I fought the onslaught of ugly tears that threatened to fall.

Slate’s hazel stare held mine, seeing all my broken shards laid bare. “Let me lend you some of my strength.”

The dam burst in my chest, unleashing my pent-up pain at the first sign of empathy from someone. I didn’t fight him as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and tucked me into his side while I sobbed.

“After you get this out, let’s go set everyone straight, shall we? Nobody will fuck with you after today,” Slate said in a firm, yet gentle tone. “If you ever feel alone, know that I’ll always be there as your friend, my princess.”

I kept my head down as Onyx burst into loud laughter at some quip from River.

My chest constricted at the first memory of Slate, and how much I missed his warm magic powered by light energy. I missed his beaming smile whenever I walked into a room, his grounding hugs, undying support, and love. No matter how skilled a fighter I became, he’d always remained protective.

After that day, Slate worked to build me up—giving me the confidence that had always been absent. He taught me even though my fatherworked to turn our people against me, I could still make them respect me. And most importantly, he taught me what unconditional love was.

The day my father coldly broke the news of Slate’s death to me, I went into denial. Once the reality set in that he wasn’t coming home, I crumbled, becoming lost and directionless. Broken. Alone. I hardened my heart and constructed walls of steel to keep everyone out. And I vowed to kill the man who took him from me.

When he died, the wolves in the King’s Palace tried to circle again, but I wasn’t the weak girl I’d once been. They quickly learned I didn’t need Slate as a guardian.

And with Slate came his younger sister, Hazel. Not long after we got together, I met her, and she became like a sister of my own. Her meek nature complemented Slate’s outgoing one. She helped ground me when facing my father, Amethyst, and those who didn’t want me as their future queen.

I missed the constant bickering between those two. Hazel always had a remark that had me clutching my stomach with laughter.

I glanced up, noting Chrome leaning back in his seat. He sat detached from the conversations as he observed the waterfall with scrunched brows, lost in the trance of his own thoughts.

As if he felt my stare, he swiveled his head to look at me. The smallest of somber smiles inched up the corners before he turned his attention back to his plate.

Chapter 31

Chrome

Isat in the heated pool with a strained smile. It hadn’t been three hours since being out of close proximity to the Kinetic Princess before the whispers of my affliction began to call. It started with an itch beneath the skin, a restless yearning for oblivion. At first, I panicked, but I did my best to enjoy the company of my friends as they celebrated my return to the Hollow.

Princess Gray chose to stay in her room, which was on the opposite end of the vast lodge. I couldn’t blame her for it. She had a lot to process, and socializing had never really been her thing—much less with people she’d been raised to kill at all costs. It would take her time to deconstruct her father’s programming about the world and herself. She especially needed to come to terms with the many hard truths she’d just faced.