Page 20 of A Touch of Gold and Madness (Celestials of Arcadia #1)

Chapter 19

Gray

M uttering voices roused me from sleep. Father frequently had visitors come and go at all hours, so it wasn’t unusual to be awoken by strangers. With a groan of annoyance, I rolled over, hoping to slip back into my slumber. But the bed was all wrong. It was stiff and cold instead of lush and warm. A wintry bite chilled the room, which also wasn’t right.

Through the sleep-hazed fog, the voices continued to rise, sending a jolt of alarm through my body that had me jumping to my feet. Reality crashed into me as I took in the deserted room with the decaying corpses lying mere feet away.

The voices down the hall startled me into action, and I cursed the fact that Griffin still had my weapons. If there were intruders, I couldn’t allow them to catch me off-guard. I contemplated removing my bracelet, but I didn’t want to risk drawing Father’s attention. As I approached the decomposed skeletons, I chose to make do with what was available, no matter how wrong it felt.

My foot broke through one of the brittle arms, snapping it in half. “Sorry,” I whispered to the remains with a grimace. I picked up the jagged bone and crept to the door. It wasn’t the ideal weapon, but it would be adequate, I supposed—at least until I could find something better .

Darkness engulfed the empty hallway, and every step screamed with the loudest of creaks. With my back pressed against the wall, I crept along in the direction of the growing voices.

“Just shut . Up ! Shut the fuck up!” It was Griffin’s voice disturbing the cryptic silence of the house.

I was hit with the sudden urge to run to him. I couldn’t explain it, but I felt pulled to aid him for some reason. It made no sense. I told myself it was for self-preservation and not for his safety. If someone was threatening Griffin, then that could only mean they’d be a threat to me, too.

Upon hearing his voice, I tip-toed to the doorway it came from. Damn, I needed my magic.

Fuck it …

Against my better judgment, I made a decision I hoped I wouldn’t regret. I needed to know what I faced before I charged in there with only a bone as a weapon.

Shoving the bone between my knees, I scrambled to remove my bracelet. The latch popped loose, and once it was free from my skin, energy rushed through my veins. A burst of electric blue from my currents illuminated the dark hallway, casting a cool, eerie glow against the ruined walls. The magic bombarded me…overwhelmed me, almost. It felt angry for being shut down for so long. I was fighting to silence my heaving breaths when Griffin’s unhinged words had me freezing on the spot.

“You won’t fucking touch her! No, no, no. Gray is…Gray is mine . You can’t have her!” Griffin’s voice, usually deep and strong, cracked on his last words.

A knot twisted in my stomach. Pushing aside his bullshit claim on me for now, I absorbed the energy waves from his voice into my aura to fuel my magic.

I stuffed the bracelet into my pocket and grabbed the bone from between my knees, shoving off the wall with my shoulder. Peering around the edge of the doorframe, my heart stuttered as I tried to make sense of the scene before me .

A manic Griffin stood in the middle of a little boy’s room. Like the rest of the house, it was utterly wrecked.

I scanned the room, but Griffin appeared to be alone. “Enough!” he roared. Griffin’s breath came in harsh pants as his hunched shoulders rose and fell. His feline-shaped eyes burned wildly in sheer panic. With his hood pushed back, his obsidian hair hung astray around his jaw. It was a frenzied mess as if he’d been pulling at the roots with his fingers—fingers that shook on unsteady hands. Nothing remained of the composed and calculated killer I’d grown accustomed to seeing.

“Griffin?” At the sound of my voice, he stumbled backward as if I’d struck him. Spinning to face me, he shook his head, his expression twisting in shocked horror.

“No, Gray,” he said, breathless in desperate urgency. “Go back to your room. It’s not safe in here. Please .”

I took a slow step forward.

“Listen to me. Just…just go back. I can’t…” he begged. His body trembled harder, and his skin’s deep tan was so pale that he didn’t even look like the same person.

Adrenaline thrummed through my veins as I took another step into the room. “What’s going on? Who are you talking to?” I asked, hiding my rising panic with a soft tone. I scanned the moonlit wreckage for the source of the second voice, but I still couldn’t find it, even with my magic.

Griffin stood amongst the broken toys and furniture in the darkness. A small skeleton clothed in faded blue pajamas on the bed caught my eye, and my heart squeezed.

Griffin shook his head again before he dropped his chin to his chest in defeat. His voice was soft and defeated when he said, “No one. I…just leave.” He lifted his head to peer at me through his dark lashes with the look of a shattered man. “ Please .” His voice broke again, cracking open a part of me that resonated with it.

I took another step, slower this time. “If there’s a threat, then you need my help. ”

“You—you can’t help with this threat.” Turbulent waves crashed behind his crystal-blue eyes as they pleaded with me to go back to my room.

Something within me softened. I knew it shouldn’t, and it was probably the wounds of my traumatic past egging me along, but I couldn’t help it as I allowed myself to be pulled toward him. Seeing someone of Griffin’s caliber breaking in front of me weakened some of the defenses I’d carefully constructed all these years. Because on the inside, I was broken, too.

“I can try,” I offered, my voice coming out softer than intended. I took another step closer to my sworn enemy, the man who’d taken so much from me. What the hell was I doing?

Griffin didn’t speak as I took one slow step after another, each step seeming to ease the tension in his body while he watched with trepidation. I approached him as if he was a panicked bird, ready to take flight if I made a sudden move. The closer I got, the more his shaking decreased, and his panting slowed. He was calming down.

What the fuck was happening?

“Tell me you remember. You remember, don’t you?” Griffin asked, his tone almost a whisper, laced with pain-filled hope.

I cocked my head to the side with pinched brows. Confusion clouded my mind at his sudden shift. “Remember what, Griffin?”

“The playground. Those kids. Our magic…” He paused. His eyes gleamed with unabashed vulnerability at his prompting. But with his words, a long-suppressed memory broke through. “We touched and…and…”

“Yes,” I answered on a breath that vacated my lungs. The image of warped and ruined metal on the playground flashed through my mind.

I had been getting beat up by the other kids when they suddenly stopped. It was before I’d begun training, and I was highly insecure due to my father’s abuse. He’d never allowed me to have any meaningful friendships, so I didn’t know how to socialize. Because of that, I came off as withdrawn, quiet, awkward, or “weird” as they called me, to the other kids at school .

When I’d dared to open my eyes from the fetal position, I’d come face to face with a blue-eyed boy standing before me. The bullies had vanished. However, it had been the playground’s wreckage that had caught my attention. He’d scared them off with magic that he’d been too young to wield. The boy with glamoured blue eyes and short inky hair had threatened to kick their asses if they messed with me again.

He’d said that his magic had recently awakened, and he couldn’t control it yet, even though magic for Kinetics and Elementals didn’t awaken until the age of thirteen. He was only ten at the time. But it was what followed that exchange that had perplexed me for many years to come. Eventually, I began to believe I’d imagined the entire thing. I had been only eight, so memories could be unreliable at such a young age.

Upon grabbing my hand to help me stand, an incredible blast launched us several feet backward in opposite directions. We had stared at each other in shocked confusion but were soon interrupted by the teachers hauling us to our feet and dragging us away from one another.

I never saw the blue-eyed boy with inky black hair again.

“That was you ?” I stood frozen at the realization. Stunned. Though it all made sense. Those eyes . Those bright blue eyes that saw everything. That boy had been Griffin Silas ?

A heart-wrenching smile full of unbridled relief graced his sharp features. It brought a light to them that had my stomach doing flips. It was the first true smile he’d graced me, and I surprised myself by wanting to return it.

“I’m so glad they didn’t take that from you,” Griffin said, sounding almost ecstatic despite his eased demeanor.

“What? Take what from me?” I asked, crossing my arms and frowning.

Griffin’s boyish smile dropped. “Never mind that. There’s so much you need to know.” His voice hitched with an urgency I’d never expected to hear. “But I’m not the one to tell you. I…where we’re headed, there’s someone who can explain way better than I ever could. But know this: everything you’ve been taught to think of me…it’s all a lie. It’s all been a fear tactic deployed by your father and…” He stopped, closing his eyes and squeezing his hands into tight fists at his side to fight whatever battle warred within him.

“You’re not making any sense.” It was impossible to hold back the tremor of fear from my voice.

Griffin turned to me, his eyes suddenly crystal clear as he stared directly into mine. “Things are more complicated than anyone can imagine. Just know that I didn’t kill Slate. That wasn’t me. I swear it, Gray,” he insisted.

Genuine. His words felt genuine. His tone held no room for malicious intent as he held out his palms, facing me. But my breath hitched as I processed something he said.

“How do you know his name?” I took a step backward and tightened my grip on the bone. I hadn’t said Slate’s name in Griffin’s company, had I? No. It wasn’t possible. I didn’t think he deserved to know it.

“That’s a story for another day. But I didn’t kill him, Gray. I need you to trust me when I say that.”

I snorted at the audacity. “Excuse me, don’t fucking ignore the question. How do you know his name?” My hands began to shake while anger pooled in my stomach; I tried to keep my voice somewhat calm.

Griffin raked his shaking fingers through his hair in frustration, turning from me. “Gray, I’m telling you… don’t. Don’t push this tonight.” I wasn’t fazed by his sense of urgency. I needed answers. Griffin began to pace, tightening his grip on the dark strands. “Please. Just…wait.”

The hot anger that had settled in my stomach lanced through my body. Like a shot of moonshine had mixed with all of my pain, it felt as if someone took a torch to it. “And again, you’re telling me that you know the name of the person I was madly in love with. The person I cared for more than anyone else. The person which, by the way, you killed!” I shouted. “Did you just conveniently forget that part?”

With a growl, Griffin whipped around and stormed to me, slamming to an immediate halt so our bodies wouldn’t touch. Only inches separated our noses as he bore his intensity onto me. His glamoured blue eyes were roiling with dark clouds of rage, and his jaw was clenched tighter than I’d ever seen. “Gray, enough, ” he snarled, pinning me to where I stood. “Listen to me.” His heated breath cascaded over my face. “I will tell you everything. But I want…I need…” Griffin took a deep inhalation, closing his eyes. “Not like this. Not now. It’s not safe. You’re not safe. I need you to be safe. That can’t happen if you keep shouting at me and pushing this. So, for fuck’s sake, drop it for tonight. Got it, Princess?”

I wanted more answers, but it was clear I wasn’t getting anything else from him for now. I clenched then unclenched my fists as I steadied my heartbeat and watched as the black clouds of rage slowly dissipated from his eyes. With a steadying breath, I nodded with reluctant acceptance. I wasn’t sure I could handle any tonight, anyway.

Seeming satisfied, Griffin let out a long, shaky exhale and stepped away from me. “Okay then,” he said, relaxing his shoulders a bit. When he caught my gaze, still focused on his movements, his lips slowly curled into a wicked grin. “That’s a good girl,” he said in a low, exaggerated drawl.

A heavy, questionable pause lingered before we both erupted into laughter. “Ew, you did not just say that to me,” I wheezed, clutching my ribs as I tried to catch my breath.

“Yeah, I kinda did.” Griffin laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck. “And I’m surprised your smart-ass mouth doesn’t have anything to say about it.” He grinned at me, daring me to retort.

But for once, I didn’t take the bait. Because… his laugh . My breathing slowed as our laughter quieted, and I found myself wanting to hear that sound again.

What the hell was happening…

After a few moments of comfortable silence, I cleared my throat. “Thank you…by the way.” My fingernails picked against the seams along my pants. “For helping me that day on the playground.” I dropped my gaze to study a broken plastic train on the floor. “You were the first person to ever stand up for me.” Either in school or at home, but I didn’t tell him that.

One side of Griffin’s mouth pulled upward in a gentle smile. “It was my pleasure. And I still stand firm on what I said back then.” A cold, fierce expression engulfed his features as he added, “Except the only difference is I’ll fucking kill anyone who tries to hurt you, now. ”

My mouth opened the slightest at his words. The intensity behind them. “But…but why? I don’t understand…” I shook my head; none of it made sense. He hardly knew me. Then or now. And I struggled to reconcile the fact that Griffin Silas had been the first person to show me kindness. And what did it say about me that I liked the fact that someone would kill for me? The darkness within me purred at the thought. But I didn’t need a protector—not anymore. Especially not him, but it sat right with me for some reason.

Pain etched his features before he whirled around, shoving his fingers into the roots of his black hair. I jumped from the sudden movement. A frustrated growl escaped him. The silence stretched on, and neither of us moved. Finally, his shoulders slumped, and his arms fell away at his sides. Griffin angled his head to peer at me over his shoulder, with an obsidian strand draped across his cheekbone. The restless storm had returned to his eyes, and in them, it pleaded with me to understand. “Not tonight. I can’t…it won’t make sense. Please…”

A surge of irritation bubbled up in my chest. It transformed into anger at the lack of control I seemingly had over everything in my life. My currents glowed brighter in response, and Griffin shifted his focus on them as if he’d just noticed them for the first time.

“Your currents…” Griffin said, lifting his scrutinizing stare back to me. “Put them away. It’s not safe for them to be free. Not yet.” His tone was demanding, but I heard the underlying hint of fear.

I huffed out a breath at his demand. “I’m weaponless, and I heard voices. There’s no one around here. It’s fine. I’ve been suffocating with that damn thing on for too long,” I said, referring to my bracelet. My hand absentmindedly rubbed my wrist, dreading the moment I’d have to snap it back in place.

“I get it. Trust me. My magic is drowning, too. But it’s only going to attract your father to you. You know he has people with abilities who can trace your energetic signature from miles away, right?”

I nodded. “I know.” Sighing, I reached into my pocket for the cold metal bracelet. “You’re right,” I said as the latch snapped together around my wrist. The familiar, warm buzzing of my magic went cold in my veins, locking away a large part of me again. I was forever a prisoner in some capacity.

“Go get some sleep. We’re still leaving at dawn, which is in a few hours.”

I looked at him— really looked at him—and said nothing as he met my gaze. It was as if I was seeing him for the first time as the grown, hardened version of that little boy from all those years ago. He was beautiful. Darkness seemed to be his only companion. A toxic companion that poisoned any brightness crossing his path if he allowed it too close. Thankfully, he seemed to be able to hold it at arm’s length before it consumed him completely. Those eyes spoke a language of their own—and somehow, I knew it on an intuitive level.

“Okay.” I nodded, and began backing away to return to the main bedroom. “See you in the morning. Get some rest.” I cast a glance over my shoulder one last time before I walked down the hallway. Griffin watched my every step, his crystalline eyes gleamed with a mixture of emotions that I couldn’t decipher.

Making my way through the hall, I tried to make sense of everything that had happened. With the bone still clutched in my hand, I realized that I’d never learned who he’d been talking to.

“It should be this building,” Griffin said, observing the deserted business in the historic City of Downtown Macon. The property had once housed a tattoo shop. What remained stood looted and empty. Like everything else in this world, it was a ghost begging to be acknowledged and freed from the chains of the past.

The hike from the abandoned house had been relatively short. As promised, we’d left at dawn and walked in a comfortable silence to the scorse location. I’d basked in the fresh morning air while keeping my senses open for any potential threats. Neither one of us mentioned the events from the night before.

Griffin seemed to be shrouded in a dark mood if his permanent scowl had anything to say about it. Probably from the lack of sleep. Despite not having slept much myself, I felt more energized than I had in a few days. I wasn’t ready for Griffin’s darkness to cloud my first rays of light yet, so I let him brood while I relished nature’s grounding abilities.

It wasn’t until we were halfway along our hike that I sensed a presence again. It felt similar to the one I’d sensed outside the speakeasy. I contemplated mentioning it to Griffin, but something stopped me. Perhaps it was simply a wild animal, and it knew it was outmatched, as if it knew we weren’t prey.

“There’s nothing here, Griffin,” I said, referring to the tattoo shop. “Are you sure this is the right place?” I peered up at him from the side. Black brows furrowed, and his jaw clenched as he surveyed our surroundings.

Nothing remained of the broken and vulnerable man from the previous night. Aside from the dark circles under his eyes, he looked like his normal glamoured self—healthy, warm, tan skin, straightened posture, and calculated eyes that seemed to see everything. The fearsome warrior my father had taught me to hate.

Acid burned my stomach as questions formed. Had I been lied to about him? If he wasn’t the savage killer I thought he was, then what did that mean about Slate? Who really killed him? Was I betraying his memory? What about the attack on the King’s Palace that led to Devolution Day? I shoved those thoughts down as I focused on the decrepit tattoo shop in front of us. I noticed Griffin had paused, his body tense. “What is it?”

“Something’s wrong. This is where it should be.” Ever so slightly, he cocked his head to the side, tuning into the surrounding sounds. I did the same. “It could be one of three things: They gave me the wrong location by accident, the scorse has already moved on, or….” He trailed off for a moment, scanning the environment for any slight movement. “Or…we were set up. ”

My heart rate spiked, and I instantly reached for the twin daggers that should’ve been strapped to my weapons belt. They weren’t. “I need my weapons. Now.” I tried not to allow the panic I felt to fall into my voice, but I felt naked without my weapons.

Without taking his eyes from the rooftop of the antebellum building, Griffin readjusted the weapons bag on his shoulders. “Come on, we’re too exposed here. If it is a trap, we need to be prepared.” His voice was so low it was barely audible, even with my heightened hearing. His long legs hurried to the alleyway separating the close-knit brick buildings. “I feel others nearby. I don’t know why they’re not attacking yet.”

Reaching the alleyway, he swung the bag off his back and we dropped into a crouch, strapping ourselves with weapons. While unease filled my chest with anxiety, I couldn’t help the thrill winding through my muscles, anticipating a fight.

Griffin removed his double-edged sword. The Elemental sigils on the blades glowed orange once activated by his magic. That was when I realized I didn’t know who we were expecting to fight. I looked at the twin daggers that glowed blue, which were meant to kill an Elemental.

“Are they human?” I asked, hoping that was the case. It would be the easiest option.

“No. Kinetic,” he said, and then his eyes landed on the daggers, having the same thought. “Here,” he whispered as he rummaged in his duffel and snagged another pair of daggers with the sharp angles of the Elemental sigils etched into the blades.

I shot him a confused expression. “How’s this supposed to work for me? I’m not an–” I started, but the whistle of a blue-tipped arrow cut me off. It flew between our heads and bounced off the brick wall behind us.

We leaped apart. “Trust me. Just use those daggers. No powers,” Griffin said before he ran off to the end of the alleyway. I ran in the opposite direction, clutching the useless blades. How did he expect me to wield these and inflict any damage upon Kinetics when I’m not an Elemental? I shrugged it off. Any blade was better than none, I supposed .

I sprinted for the alley’s opening, back to where we came from. A blue, glowing axe swung at my head the moment I rounded the corner. I skidded and ducked. Dropping to a squat, I spun on the ball of my foot. One hand balanced me as I aimed a well-placed kick at my attacker’s ankles and swept him off his feet.

I stalked toward the Kinetic Warrior before he got the chance to stand. I stomped on his chest, pinning him to the concrete. He struggled against me, but before he could throw me off, I plunged one of Griffin’s daggers into the side of his neck. I didn’t look at his face as I hovered over him, afraid I’d recognize him. Blood squirted from the vicious wound once I removed the dagger, splattering my face. But it wasn’t the blood that caught my attention. I’d never shied away from it. I stared, dumbfounded, at the orange sigils that glowed on the blade as they hummed to life with Elemental energy in my hands.