Page 7 of A Touch of Gold and Madness

“I’m alive, aren’t I?” I remarked with a shrug, followed by a smirk, refusing to show the inner turmoil within me. “You’re welcome.”

Depthless brown eyes zeroed in on me. “It appears you don’t seem to think consequences apply to you, daughter.” He turned his gaze to his hand as he rotated the thick silver on his ring finger. “I should’ve known you were incapable of following simple instructions. You prove time and again how inept you are.” Spinning the ring on his finger with a casual twist, he went on, “Kill him,child. That was the order. Or did you miss that part?” He looked up from his ring to pin me to the bed with the weight of his disgust. “I suppose being Slate’s murderer wasn’t enough motivation?”

I sighed. “If you had such little confidence in me, then why even bother sending me on that mission in the first place?” I leveled him with a flat expression while my palms ached from the sharp sting of my nails.

Amethyst stepped forward to join his side and cleared her throat. Her dark plum lips pursed in thought as she arched a single, sharp eyebrow. She snatched her gaze from my closet door, appraising my weakened state with the tilt of her lip and a smug grin. “We had hoped you’d be able to step up this time with the right motivation, but I suppose no one will ever be able to live up to my Chrome’s accomplishments.” She sniffled and cast her head to the side in feigned sadness.

I rolled my eyes at her display. Her son’s death had always been her trump card, helping her garner sympathy from our people to mask her wicked personality. The low-cut, A-line plum dress exposed her shoulders and arms, showcasing her wild, red currents.She tapped a claw-like nail against her crossed arm as she pretended to gather her emotions.

Despite living in the same space for fourteen years before his death, I’d never met Chrome—much to my dismay. He was a legend and the best warrior in recent history. I had wanted to learn from him. I’d suggested to my father once that it would be a great idea for us to train together. His response was prolonged agony, ensuring I never questioned that he knew what was best for me again.

Opulent earrings dangled from Amethyst’s ears while she absentmindedly fiddled with the inlaid ruby. “But it’s quite all right,” she added, her tone perking up. “Tonight is your birthday revel. The least we can do is publicly honor our heir to the throne just this one night.” Casting a sideways glance at the king, she elaborated, “Before she must deal with the repercussions for her failure at a later date.” Her tone, dipped in poisoned honey, made my stomach churn.Sofake.

Internally, I groaned at the prospect of the upcoming “celebration” for my twenty-fourth birthday.

My father angled his head to narrow his eyes at Amethyst. She smirked, dropping her hands to rest on her hips as the two Kinetic leaders fell into a silent form of communication. The dark suit the king wore accentuated his strong physical prowess while hiding his white currents.

Every Kinetic bore currents that glowed a different luminescent color. Each color represented the form of external energy based on the electromagnetic spectrum that their magic controlled. White—in the king’s case—represented gamma rays, which he wielded as poisonous radiation, while Amethyst’s red currents represented the power over the ultraviolet. My blue ones, however, meant I was supposed to wield the power of sound waves, but my magic didn’t behave accordingly in the slightest. It was an enigma that just made me stand out more from my kind in ways I didn’t want.

Women flocked to the charming looks and charisma of King Forest Monroe. They came and went from the King’s Quarters multiple times a week, but Amethyst was never one of them. Her husband, Grim—as depraved as he was—seemed to satisfy her needs. I didn’t care to find out what that entailed.

King Forest broke the silence and trained his attention on me. “Fine. But don’t think for a second that this is settled, Gray. You have three hours to get ready for this evening. Don’t fucking embarrass me.”

Amethyst’s stormy-blue eyes landed on me next. A devious grin pulled at the edges of her plum lips, a sinister promise hidden behind her sharp beauty. “Happy Birthday, Princess,” she said with false admiration. “Let’shope it’s a night you won’t forget. You never know when it could be your last in your line of work.”

I held her stare, challenging her to do her worst. “Oh, I assure you, Amethyst. I don’t need your well wishes to enjoy myself.”

Amethyst smirked once again before turning a knowing smile on my father. The sounds of her lethal stilettos trailed from my bedroom suite, easing the tension in my chest just a fraction.

King Forest remained behind, his hands shoved into the front pockets of his trousers in a casual display, exuding his overbearing energy. I held his stare, waiting for him to excuse himself from my presence. “Hazel will bring your dress. At least try to look like royalty and not a wild heathen. That includes fixing your hair,” he said, crinkling his nose as he appraised my rugged state. “It looks like a pair of pterodactyls copulated and then fought to the death in there.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.” My voice was flat as I fought the urge to give him the middle finger…or a dagger to his chest.

“Wait!” I called out as he reached for the door. He paused, glancing over his shoulder. “What happened to me?”

The king’s upper lip curled back as he directed his gaze on the spot where my knife had stabbed me. The silence threatened to crush me under the weight of his stare.

His voice held no emotion as he said, “You’re weak. A defect.”

Not giving me a chance to respond, he swept from the suite, leaving me feeling like the broken little girl I’d left behind years ago.

“Ugh, Hazel. I hate this thing. This is such horseshit,” I said. “Leave it to heels to be the death trap that’ll take my life.” The stilettos were vicious, my feet and ankles already aching from the steep arch.

Hazel giggled as she pinned another strand of hair back from my face before taking a step back to observe my updo in its entirety.

I eyed my reflection in the floor-length mirror, noting the haltered gold dress that shimmered from the glinting light. All my curves were defined, and the olive beneath my tan complexion glowed in perfect contrast. The halter revealed my toned physique and the royal crest branded on the nape of my neck—a crescent moon fitted within a sun, the mark of the Monroe line—the ruling family of Kinetics dating back centuries.

“Oh, hush, Gray. It’d take much more than a stiletto to kill you,” Hazel Helair said, chiding me as we readied for the revel.

Twenty-four small kill marks—a diagonal number two with a slash through its center—were branded vertically from my shoulder to elbow, marking the number of Elemental kills I’d made. Because our currents rejected tattoos, we used brands to showcase our body art. Whenever our currents passed through them, the raised skin lit up, creating a colorful display on our bodies.

The royalty brand lit up blue with my passing currents on my right biceps—a thick band lined with diamonds on the top and bottom encircling my arm, allowing every Kinetic to know my rank and power within our hierarchy. I wanted to cut it off.

Every Kinetic branded their family’s crest to their body part of choice. They branded their position or rank on the right biceps while their accomplishments were on the left, such as my kill marks.

With a sigh, she slid a lock of her bronze, metallic hair behind her ear. “You know…if Slate was here, he wouldn’t be able to resist you. He’d purposefully grope you in front of me just to make me want to vomit in the corner.” A bemused eye-roll revealed she missed her brother’s ridiculous antics.

I chuckled, turning my head to look out the window to peer at the decrepit Atlanta skyline, allowing those fond memories to taunt me.

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