Page 142 of A Touch of Gold and Madness

“You did. But it’s better this way. Trust me.”

“No, I deserve to know who it was, Chrome. Was it a friend of mine? Because let’s be real, I didn’t have a whole lot of them back at the Kinetic Palace.”

“Not quite.” That’s all I’d give her.

“Who?” she demanded.

“I’m not telling you. It’s better you don’t know.”

“Chrome…”

“No, Gray. I’m not doing this.”

“Was it Scarlett? Cotton?” Betrayal shined in her rainbow eyes. My heart twisted.

“It doesn’t matter. They’re dead now.” I clenched my jaw with a tight smile.

A lone tear slid down her cheek before she broke eye contact with me, gazing out the window. She nodded, swallowing back her emotion.

With my thumb, I swiped the tear away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to have to deal with more heartache than you already have.”

She sat up in the bed, sniffled, and shook her head as if to rid the emotions. “Doesn’t matter. Let’s just go check on the training.”

Just like that, she shut down her connection to the bond between us as she climbed from the bed. She didn’t bother covering her naked body asshe walked to the bathroom, her back pin straight and her face a mask of stoic hardness once again.

I’d never hated myself more than I did in that moment.

Gray and I walked side by side as we observed the Elementals training in various groups. Pride warmed my chest as I watched even the non-warriors fought viciously. I loved the Elemental sparring style. It was quick, smooth, and precise, like a dance.

Kodiak and Void trained me, and then I learned how to combine the more brutal and direct style of the Kinetics with the Elementals to form a style of its own. I employed Onyx to prepare them for the Kinetic offensive and defensive strategies, hoping not to leave anyone vulnerable.

Finally, the past couple of months of preparation looked as if it were paying off.

I spotted Orion and Void on the other side of the field. With a nudge of my elbow to Gray’s shoulder, I gestured for us to head in that direction.

Gray’s demeanor hadn’t changed since my room. She was locked down again, and regret and guilt ate away at me. We had been so close only hours ago. Now, a major divide sat between us.

She stopped walking, her stare locking on a couple—two women. One with a sword and one with two daggers. Confused, I glanced between Gray and the two other women. The one with two daggers left her side undefended, earning a slice with the mortal sword. The woman winced and stepped back, recovering her stance with her two daggers.

Gray made a beeline toward them, running to stop them before it went any further. “Stop!” she yelled, moving to stand in between them.

The brunette with the sword was already spearing toward her, spinning in a pirouette to land what would’ve been the killing blow. She hadn’t anticipated Gray stepping in. Gray simply ducked and kicked at her feet, sweeping her while snatching the sword from her grip.

“What the fuck?” the brunette said from the ground, springing back to her feet. “Why’d you do that? Are you stupid?” My brows shot to my hairline, waiting to see how Gray would respond to this.

Slowly, Gray swiveled her head to face the brunette, her face set in cold stone. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that.” Then, she turned her attention back to the blonde with two daggers.

I couldn’t hear what she said, but she took the girl’s wrists in her hands, rearranging her grip, and then directed her stance to angle her in a more grounded position. I knew Gray favored daggers, and she had no issue fighting against someone who wielded a sword against her.

When she was finished, she stepped back and smiled at the blonde before walking back to my side, her chin held high.

“I think we should train here with everyone, too,” she said as she approached.

I narrowed my eyes at her, wondering what her angle was. “Why’s that, little savage?”

With a sigh, she said, “Because they need to see that their leaders train with them in solidarity, not isolated from the rest as if we think we’re better than them or something. I’m sure they trust us to be well-equipped fighters, but it’s another thing to see it firsthand. To see that we’re willing to fight side by side with them if it came to it.”

I chewed on my lip, rubbing my jaw. “I think you’re right. I’ll go get Onyx and River. We’ll spar with them, two on two. Me and you against them.” A mischievous grin tugged up my cheek. “What do you say?”

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