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

by K.L. DeVore

“You can take it all. I’ll give you everything.”

“You’re mine.”

I didn’t care if the world was burning to the ground; I wanted to be buried inside the girl with fierce eyes and ashen hair.

“You don’t get to dictate what I can and cannot do. This is just as much my battle as it is yours.”

“Yes, it is. But you’re not going. This is my Hollow. My rules.”

“I’m not ordering; I’m advising.” I laughed, but it held so much bitterness. “Advising? Because you’re Chrome’s little lapdog bitch. Always heeling to his orders, huh? You left one mindfuck of an asshole and fell right into the hands of another because, apparently, you can’t think for yourself.”

“I hurt for you, Gray. Don’t you get that?”

“No, but I will if it protects you at times.” “The fuck you will,” I seethed. “I don’t need anyone’s protection.”

“You’re having a panic attack.”

“What do you need? I’m here. Take whatever you need from me…”

“I got you,” his deep voice murmured in my ear, chasing away the wall around my lungs. “You’re safe, Gray. Do you hear me? No one can hurt you anymore. I won’t let them.”

My anchor. “Stay with me. I’ve got you.”

“What do you need, Gray?” Chrome asked again. “I’ll do anything.”

“I need to be reminded of the good parts of myself.”

“There’s so much good in you, Gray. It kills me that you don’t see it. But I'll be more than happy to show you. As many times as it takes.”

“I have my ways.” “I don’t like that you think I’m a savage.” “I love that part of you,” he murmured against the top of my head. “As much as you bring me light, I bask in your darkness, too. Because I want all of you. Good, bad, light, and dark. Whole or broken. I want you to love the dark parts of yourself because dark and light exists within us all, Gray.”

I may be a monster, but I’m a monster against other monsters. I’ll gladly be a monster for those I care about. My family. For you.”

“You are so much more special and powerful than he ever allowed you to believe. He wanted you to be manageable because he saw what happened with me. He needed you on a tight leash. But you’re free now, my little savage. You’re ruthless, yes, but you’re also his worst nightmare because of it. It’s one of the most raw and beautiful parts of you, just as much as your compassion, heart, and light. I want to see it all.”

“You’ll get there, Gray. It takes time. But in the meantime, I’m here for you to unleash on when you’re triggered. I can handle it.”

“I want you to be so fucking deadly that no one dares to look at you the wrong way. You’re my equal in every single way. No one can come close to challenging me like you do. And I love it so fucking much.”

“If you haven’t noticed, you’ve saved me just as much, Rainbow. You gave me hope. You brought me back from the brink of no return. You gave me freedom.”

Fuck, he was the most beautiful being I’d ever seen.

“Everything inside me wants to gut your father and hang his corpse by his entrails for all the world to see for what he’s put you through. For every time he made you feel less. For every hair he hurt on your head. I want him to suffer so fucking slowly for it. But I can’t rob you of your justice. I will proudly watch you as you take what’s yours.”

“You’re mine, Gray Monroe.”

“You fucking own my decaying heart.”

“No matter what happens to me, I’ll always find you. In every lifetime. In every realm. Because it’s always been you for me—ever since I was ten years old.”

“Chrome Freyr, I’m yours. Now, fuck me.”

“Yes, My Queen.”

“I’m gonna bury myself so deep inside you that you’ll feel like you’re magic itself.”

“I can’t get the taste of you out of my mind. My oblivion.”

“Have I told you how much I love that dirty mouth of yours?” “Show me.”

Our lips grazed one another as he bore the weight of his emotions onto me through our bond. Tears sprang to my eyes at their intensity. My heart couldn’t contain it all.

“Stay with me,” he whispered.

“I want you to stop holding back. I’m not fucking fragile.”

“You take me so fucking good, but we really need to work on your patience.”

“Let’s be honest. You don’t want it gentle, little savage.”

“Just stay with me,” I said into her hair, the tones weaving together to resemble marble. “You’ll see that I’ll always find you.” I kissed the top of her head. “I swear on my broken soul.”

And I meant it with every frayed fiber of my being.

At last, she leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on my chest. And the broken pieces of my soul seemed to find their way back together again.

As I stroked her hair with my fingers, she looked up at me with that smile again, turning me into a lovesick fool as tears filled my eyes.

This woman brought me back to life. She gave me back to myself whether she meant to or not. If she asked me to, I’d level the fucking world for her. I’d do anything. I loved every shattered piece of her. If I had to sweep each jagged shard up with my bare fingers for her so she could piece herself back together, I’d do it without a second thought. I didn’t care if it shredded my skin in the process. Hell, I’d search the winds for the lost pieces. That smile would be my undoing.

“The fuck we can’t. We’re kinda in charge of the place.”

“We’ll get it done, Rainbow,” I said. “But first, we’re going to enjoy me being inside you.” An unbridled fear rose to my chest. What if this might be the last chance we ever get? It was ridiculous, I knew. But I’d waited for her since I was ten. Sixteen years of waiting. The fear of losing something so precious, beautiful, and special scared me worse than turning Endarkened had been. Because without her, life felt hollow.

“I can’t lose you.”

That this wasn’t a dream. We were real. She was mine. And I was eternally hers.

“Your king raped a powerful Elemental to conceive me, so take that shit up with him.”

“Come on, Onyx. Don’t you fucking do it.”

Suddenly, a black cloud appeared beside Onyx’s head, the specks of ash slowly piecing together to form a man. After a second or two, Chrome stood in its place. Shocked, I asked, “What the hell, Chrome?” My mouth opened wide as I looked back at the space he had just been sparring half a football field away only seconds ago. “New ability, I guess,” he mumbled in a rush, seemingly unconcerned. Squatting down, he slid his arms underneath his dearest friend and cradled him to his chest. Onyx was fading as his thick, dark lashes drooped, brushing against his ochre skin. “Let’s see if I can do it again without killing us both.” And just as he had arrived, he left in reverse, disintegrating into what looked like black ash that floated away on the wind.

Rising to my feet, I sighed. “Ah, I get it. My death will cement your place as Daddy’s number one bitch,”

“Call off this attack. You don’t even know what you’re fighting for. Because if you did, you might think twice about your goals.” Golden laughed and looked