Chapter 15 #3
I flinched, hunting for the owner again. My heart pounded in my chest at its commanding tenor, triggering the panic I’d felt as a child. Shivers scurried down my back, prickling so the hairs stood on end at my father’s intonation.
I squeezed my eyes shut, my palms bracing my temples. No, you’re just tired and deprived. He’s not there.
With a deep breath, I shook it off.
Suddenly, the near-silent connection between Chrome and me thrummed in my chest, and the hunger, as well as the staunch yearning initiated from the other end, captivated me.
Chrome was nearby; I could feel him, but the bond was too weakened to identify his precise location.
My body seemed to gain control of itself, taking me out of the driver’s seat. I rose to my feet, feeling the ripping fervor to deplete, as if my essence were being scraped away bit by bit.
I scanned the carnage around me, unbothered for the moment, then took a step forward, headed for the dark wood where I sensed Chrome’s energy.
“Gray!” a male voice called out from behind me.
I stopped, slowly turning to face the person who dared to prohibit me from finding what I needed.
The man…what was his name, again? He rushed forward, grabbing my wrist and shoving a grassy herb into my palm. “Take this. Now.”
The longer I waited, the more distant I became from my autonomy. I stared at the substance in my hand, wondering why he needed me to take this when I needed something much more powerful and to find my other half.
A feminine sigh snatched my attention. Her aura was much stronger than it had been a few moments prior. Desperate to feed it to my barren well, I latched on. The woman gasped, her eyes bulging from her skull in shock as I began to pull from her energy.
“Gray, no!” the male shouted, grabbing my shoulders and giving me a harsh shake. I pushed him off, focusing on the beautiful woman beside me.
“Fuck,” the man uttered to himself, just before a fist slammed into my temple.
My brain rattled in my head as my vision seemed to triple, while an acute jolt shot from my shoulder down my arm from where I hit the ground.
The man climbed on top of me, working to restrain me by the wrists.
His knees squeezed my sides, applying pressure on my vital organs as I struggled to fight him off.
I bucked my hips upward, trying but failing to pivot my hips to throw him to the side.
With one hand, he had my wrists pinned to the earth above my head. The other hand held the subpar herb.
I twisted my head from side to side to keep it from entering my mouth. But it was no use—he had the advantage, almost like he knew my moves before I did. Swiftly, he shoved the herb between my lips and onto my tongue before cupping my mouth.
I screamed into his hand, frustration and anger getting the best of me. My father’s voice had disappeared, and I wanted him to stay so I could finally prove him wrong. I needed to make him proud.
My refusal to swallow the herb did nothing. It absorbed into my bloodstream, easing my need to deplete.
The man—no, Slate—remained planted on top of me, his hand firmly over my mouth, his hazel eyes wild as he waited for the herb to take effect.
Moments later, I relaxed, my throat dry as I tried to push the rest of the herb down.
I held onto Slate’s gaze, no words passing between us as I came back from the mania of dangerously low reserves.
Slate’s eyes softened, and his grip on my mouth loosened, but he remained straddled on my lower torso.
“Welcome back,” he said, his voice all but a whisper.
“Thank you for that.” I lay there, my emotions in my throat at what had just happened. I almost killed one of my own…again. A rush of gratitude swarmed my heart for what he’d just done.
“Anytime, Princess.” Slowly, he slid his knuckles from my temple to my jaw.
I locked up. It had been so long since I had felt his touch, and despite my yearning for Chrome, my chest ached from Slate’s tenderness, catching me by surprise.
As if realizing what he was doing, he froze, brushing off whatever moment he’d found himself trapped in.
I closed my eyes, regret, shame, and a mass of conflicting emotions battling within me. Slate’s weight lifted from my body, freeing me to get up.
Fires ignited around the clearing. The surviving Elementals didn’t hesitate to send off our dead now that the griffin was gone.
Aella still sat on the ground only a few paces away, and my stomach soured at the hazy memory of trying to deplete her. “Oh my gods, Aella.” I rushed to her side, lowering myself until we were eye level, more flames going up in my peripheral vision. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry, I—”
Aella, whose exhaustion weighed her shoulders down, offered a tentative smile. “No, I understand. Please, don’t feel bad.”
I shook my head. “Aella, I nearly depleted you. That’s unforgivable.”
“Gray, you gave me the mushweed when you needed it more. It’s okay.
I’ll be fine. I’m just exhausted from the fight.
” Aella reached out her hand, gently resting her palm on my forearm.
“You’re still so new to being an Elemental.
You’ll soon know where the line starts and stops when it comes to your magic reserves. ”
“I thought you needed it more than me and that I had time to get more.”
“I get that. Sometimes, it sneaks up on you faster than you realize. I know you’re going to sit here and abuse yourself over this. Please don’t,” Aella said pointedly. “I’m fine. Thankfully, Slate was able to stop you.”
I swallowed, averting my eyes from my friend.
“Come on,” Aella said, giving my arm a squeeze, “let’s go check on Kodiak.”