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

by K.L. DeVore

No, not yet, little assassin.

And I had no intention to burden a woman to love a man as monstrous as myself. I mean, there’d have to be something seriously twisted within her if I was what she wanted.

“You are every bit as strong as Chrome Freyr was…and it’s been an honor to train you, Princess.”

“I was there when you were born and have seen you grow into something your father fears. Now, go fly, Princess. Be free from his restraints and see it for yourself.”

Stupid fucking hormones can’t differentiate friend from foe.

As I had allowed Gray to pin me and unleash her wrath, I felt nothing. I felt hollow. I wanted out, vengeance be damned. That fire had blinked out at some point while I dwelled in my darkness. I didn’t understand why. It didn’t make sense, but having been near her for the past several hours had quieted the disturbing force that claimed me as its vessel. However, it came at a cost. The guilt. The pain. My conscience.

Hope. Just a flicker, but even the tiniest of cinders was all I needed.

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.”

“Forest raised her to be his own personal assassin.”

Our eyes met for a moment before it dipped its head in...respect?

Instead, I found myself in a world I didn’t believe existed, with a little Kinetic Princess whose fire in her eyes spoke more than her actual words.

And if the princess was as powerful as me, then what was stopping her father from sending Grim to control her as well? I had to protect her at all costs. It was an instinctual drive that I couldn’t explain…I just had to.

know you could if you needed, but I’m offering to take the load off you. So, let me.”

“Oh, but you do, little savage. By me. And only me.”

smile. I walked into that one. “Nothing. You’re small. Just a small man. With a little peen.”

“You know I’m anything but small, Princess. You try to pretend like you don’t feel what’s between us, or maybe you’re just in denial with yourself. But it’s there.”

“It’s always been there. Since that day on the playground.”

“Don’t tempt me, little savage,” he growled, his eyes meeting mine as he bit his bottom lip. “I don’t think you can handle my appetite.”

“They believe in you, even when you don’t believe in yourself.”

“What? Weren’t expecting big, bad Griffin Silas to have…a heart?” I joked.

“I fucking love it when you say my name. My real name.” Sliding my palm from her throat to cup her jaw, I said, “You always say it like it means something to you.”

“It’s always meant something to me,”

“Were you one of my fangirls? Please tell me you were one of my fangirls,”

The more time I’d spent around Gray, the more distant and silent the affliction’s voice grew. At last, I was granted a true sense of peace. And that alone was attributed to the girl beside me, the one I’d been saving since she was eight years old, whether she knew it or not. The notion didn’t escape me that it was her turn now. Her turn to save me.

“Because you’re finally home, Princess.”

“I swear on everything alive on this godsforsaken planet, Chrome. If you finish by saying, ‘unless you want me to…’ I will change my mind

she only had four small portions that were evenly dispersed. The vegetables didn’t touch each other—not even close.

Haha

She adores me. Probably is secretly in love with me, but she doesn’t want the world to know she has one of those things called a heart.”

“You got this, Gray. Make it fucking bow to you.”

“Good. That’s good. Ground yourself to the earth; let it anchor you,”

suffocation. “You’re a queen. Make it fucking bow.”

“You will bow. You are bound to me, not the other way around,”

Goosebunmbs

“I’ve always sensed you try to comfort me when I needed it most. I just never knew I needed to accept our bond. So, I thank you for never giving up on me. We will make those who kept us separated pay. You have my word.”

I gasped. My hands were no longer the light bronze I’d known all my life. No.

Gold. They were fucking gold.

“You are,” Chrome said. He took two long strides in my direction, dropping to his knees only inches from me. “And it’s regal on you.”

Dazed. He was dazed! “Your eyes…”

“This is something you have to see for yourself.”

I looked and felt ethereal. Otherworldly.

“They’re…” “A rainbow. All the colors on the spectrum. They’re light and dark, and everything in between,” Chrome said in a tender tone, still kneeling beside me. “They’re perfect.”

“I think…” he finally said. “He awakened your Elemental side the day we met on the playground.”

“I think I would remember something like that happening. Especially that day.” That day was forever entrenched in my mind. It was something I’d never understood.

“Oh, it’s possible, Rainbow.”

might as well have glowed red. “I’m going to kill that motherfucker, Gray. For every ounce of pain he’s ever inflicted on you. His life is on loan because I will fucking own his fate when I get him in my hands. And he’s known it for years.”

“Gray?” he asked, caution lacing his tone. The anger was hot. It threatened to incinerate me into a black pile of ash left for my wind to carry away. My breaths became raspy. I didn’t know from where this wrath derived, but it consumed me.

“Look at me.”

“What the fuck just happened?”

“I’m sorry,”

“Why? What did you do?”

“I didn’t do it intentionally. I should’ve realized…” he said, scooting backward using his hands and feet. “I don’t understand. Out with it, Chrome,” I dema...