Page 148 of A Touch of Gold and Madness

“I honestly pity those who refuse to open their eyes to the truth before them; choosing to be sheep led to their slaughter and allowing themselvesto be disposable weapons at the hands of a man on a power trip. He doesn’t care about any of you, only those that offer something of value. You look like a clown vying to be his lapdog, Golden,” I said, falling into a fighting stance. “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 around the Hollow’s lawn-turned-battlefield. The numbers were dwindling on both sides. Blood blended with the mud in the puddles staining the beautiful oasis. “You think I’d ever believe anything you have to say? Look at you. I can’t believe I ever bowed to you.”

He lunged. Closing the distance between us, our swords clashed. Orange and blue glowing blades illuminated the space between our faces.

I shoved against him, throwing my body weight into the motion, then spinning away before using my element to throw the dagger at him. Golden dodged with a sidestep as if he anticipated the move. Instead, he launched a knife of his own before I could see what he was doing.

To avoid it, I dove to the side, landing with a roll. A sting on my thigh sizzled beneath my skin. I hissed and cursed from the cut of a Kinetic blade as I rose to my feet. My element went silent, no longer at my call. My electricity threatened to singe through my currents. I sent a crackling sapphire ball at my nemesis. It must’ve been stronger than I intended because Golden stepped back in fear. I pursued the advantage, ignoring the poison spreading through my veins.

My arms began to feel leaden as I lifted my sword. Just in time to avoid a fatal blow, Golden’s blade knocked mine away. We fell into a rhythmic dance of parrying and deflection. I focused on my footwork, doing everything in my power to stay upright and not give him much more advantage as my vision began to blur.

I wanted to scream from the increasing pain of the black crystal pumping through my veins. I didn’t have long before I was unconscious if I didn’t get the antidote in my system soon.

Golden feigned to the right, and through my hazy mind, I bought it. He kicked my ankles from the ground. The air fled from my lungs as I crashed to my back in the mud. A heaviness settled in my chest.

Disappointment. Failure. Shame. He won.

My leg grew numb, and my arm was too leaden. I couldn’t even aim an electric blast at him if I wanted to.

Golden straddled my thigh, standing above me. Droplets of water fell from the tip of his nose and jaw. I closed my eyes to prevent the water from dripping into them. I opened my eyes, hating that the last thing I’d see before death was this asshole’s face. I could only hope that Chrome and the others would kill Forest somehow if the Hollow still stood after this catastrophe.

Through my tunneling vision, I could barely make out the whites of his gleaming teeth, smiling with glee at this triumph. The reflection of metal whizzed past my line of sight, followed by the sharp puncture in my neck. As soon as the needle penetrated my skin, Golden stumbled back, blood painting his hands that covered his stomach.

Rough, calloused hands gripped the sides of my face, forcing my head to the side to look into metallic eyes. “Stay with me, Rainbow,” he murmured, desperation and fear in his voice as he pressed his forehead against mine.

Feeling my limbs ease the weight from them, I lifted my arm, gripping the back of his neck. “I’m here.”

He nuzzled the tip of his nose against mine, his warm breath warming the frigidity that the adrenaline had me unaware of until the poison had set in. “Where you go, I go.”

Another wave of warmth heated my chest as unadulterated panic shone in his eyes. “I’m here, Chrome,” I reassured.

He exhaled a quivering breath. Finally, he nodded before sitting up on his knees. It dawned on me that he’d been sprawled across my body in a way that acted like a shield as he gave the antidote time to work through my system. Initially, my gut instinct was to shove him off. However, after a hazy moment, a piece of my soul softened at the realization that he was protecting me with his life while I lay vulnerable, something no one else had ever done before.

I remembered I had the herb that Katia gave me before River informed us of the attack. Mushweed. “Oh, I have Mushweed. Take some. I can feel your reserves are low.”

Chrome’s jaw clenched. “Thank fuck. I was struggling not to…” he trailed off, biting his lip and looking down in shame. He was so low he wasn’t sure he couldn’t refuse depleting. He had one more shot. If he caved, it would be game over for him. For us.

I sat up, inhaling a deep and refreshing breath. “Hey,” I said, snapping him from his thoughts. “You got this. I’ve got you.”

Chrome’s lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came.

I looked away, reaching for the tin can in my pocket. “I don’t know how much to take.” I passed it off to him.

Carefully, he took the can and removed the lid, taking a small pinch of the ground-up herb. He tipped his head back and dropped it onto his tongue. With a bob of his throat, he passed the can back to me. “Here. Just a pinch.”

I imitated what he did and swallowed the earthy substance. My mouth was dry, making it hard to push down.

Replacing the lid, I shoved the tin can back into my pocket. Once again, a pair of large, strong hands grabbed the sides of my face. Except this time, a pair of soft lips melded against mine in a desperate and greedy kiss. The rain pooled in the space between where our lips met.

Though caught off-guard, I returned the kiss without question. Just as quickly, he pulled away. Blood and some type of gelatin substance clung to his chromatic strands of hair. It was entrails. Entrails were in his hair.

I was speechless. Even a gory mess, he was the most beautiful being I’d ever laid my eyes on.

“Come on, my little savage. Let’s go play.”

Chapter 53

Gray

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