Page 135 of A Touch of Gold and Madness

I blew out a breath, convinced I was grasping at straws out of desperate hope to save Chrome from his inevitable fate.

My mind returned to Orion and the stone, my thoughts a maelstrom of wild theories that had nothing concrete to give them credibility.

Thoughts of Orion jolted the conversation we’d had about my mother. The photos. Theletter. My heart lurched to a stop.

Where the fuck was the letter?

I sat up in the bathtub, the water sloshing over the edges onto the floor. “Shit.” Bolting to my feet, I climbed from the bath and frantically dried my body in a rush, my heart ready to beat from my chest.

The last place I’d had it was outside Chrome’s room, and I’d carelessly dropped it on the hallway floor. I’d intended to come back for it, but that was before Blaize had interrupted.

I needed to find that letter.

Throwing on a pair of leggings and a faded sweater, I stormed over to Chrome’s room on the opposite end of the hallway. My lungs felt restricted, locked down, as my heart raced to a violent beat. I couldn’t lose the letter. It was my only link to my mother. It was the only thing I had of her.

As I neared Chrome’s door, my head began to feel fuzzy, probably from the lack of oxygen amidst my panic. I beat on the door, causing random Elementals passing by to give me startled and uncertain looks.

My pulse whooshed in my ears, drowning out everything around me, except the fact that Chrome wasn’t answering his godsdamned door. I pounded on it harder. The wood threatened to give under my abuse. “Chrome! Answer the fucking door!”

Nothing.

My breaths came in shorter and shorter while my chest clenched too tight. I spun and ran down the hallway, then sped down the spiral stairs, doing my best not to trip and break something vital in the process.

It was too much. Everything was getting to be too much. I’d been working on keeping control of my emotions, but it wasn’t working. I had all of this immense power confined within my veins, and yet, I felt as powerless as I had under my father’s control.

And the only thing I had to physically hold onto was my mother’s letter. And now, it was gone, and I had no idea where to even look. I could only hope that Chrome had it.

And that thought pissed me off because, once again, I was at someone else’s whim and mercy.

“Gray, what’s wrong?” Aella grabbed my arm and whirled me to a stop, making me come face-to-face with her as I reached the bottom of the steps. “What is it?”

“Where’s Chrome?” I grabbed my chest, feeling like my heart would implode any second.

Aella looked taken aback. “I…I don’t know. Have you checked the lake? Sometimes, he meditates out there.”

“Thanks,” I said in a rush and jerked away, sprinting toward the front doors of the lodge.

Icy but refreshing air relieved my lungs the moment my foot touched the wraparound porch. My eyes adjusted to the darkness. A storm approached as brisk winds swirled around. I tossed up an air shield, protecting me from the cold and harsh breeze.

My energy dwindled, my legs feeling like jelly and my arms like lead. I was exhausted, yet I was pushed forward by either fear or hope. I wasn’t sure which one.

A shadowy figure sat poised in the grass, his back straight against a tree. “Chrome!”

Slowly, he angled his head to face me, not disturbed by my interruption. “Little savage.”

“Where’s my mother’s letter?” I dropped the air shield protecting me.

Silence claimed the space between us. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I closed the distance, still leaving a large enough gap to keep him at bay. “Where the fuck is her letter?” I repeated.

Chrome rose to his feet. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Honestly.”

My lip curled, and I huffed in disbelief. “Honestly?You? Everything that comes from your mouth is such a fucking lie.” My hands shook from the anger and betrayal I felt from him.

The calm and carefree demeanor he’d just exuded was wiped clean, replaced by coiled fury and a clenched jaw. “Watch yourself, Princess.”

Somehow, Chrome erased the space separating us, his nose only an inch from mine, his warm breath brushing against my face. “Why? Don’t like being called out on your shit? The truth hurt?”

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