Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Cotton
“Ifeel like I’ve stepped into a portal to the past right now,” Chrome mused. “Been a while since we’ve all been together in one place.” Shadows unfurled from his body in the form of inky black ribbons.
What the fuck had happened to him?
On instinct, I reached for the Eternal Sword’s hilt sheathed at my side.
Onyx lowered into a defensive stance beside me, and I sensed Slate moving from my back to stand between Chrome and us.
“Chrome,” Slate warned. “Don’t.”
My old friend scrutinized his former partner, never having appeared more bored in his life. “It’s not me you need to worry about.”
I pinched my brows together as my heart rate spiked.
Seconds later, King Forest rounded the building to the left of the courtyard, casually swaggering toward us in his typical arrogant form.
It had been months since I last saw him, and my body’s reaction had not changed.
Except this time, I was filled with such a murderous rage toward the piece of shit that I nearly lunged for him without a thought.
Onyx brushed his shoulder against mine, casting me a look that said, “Keep your cool.”
As the king approached, he lifted his chin, taking in the four of us. “Ah, the traitors have returned to me, I see.”
When he spotted Slate, his jaw clenched and his eyes hardened. “You’re supposed to be dead.” And then he spotted Onyx. “As are you. I’m sure your father will be thrilled to hear.”
Forest pivoted his stare to me. “Well, Cotton. I suppose I didn’t get my point across to you when I removed your tongue. That’s what happens when my kindness is taken for weakness.”
I lunged forward, ready to drive this sword through his eyes. A hand slapped me in the chest, halting my movement.
“Keep your head, Cotton,” Onyx murmured beside me.
Forest laughed, then settled his gaze on Gray. “Ah, my insolent daughter. The biggest disappointment and worst decision I’ve ever made. Nice to see that you’ve recovered well from your…operation.”
Gray, even in her weakened state, stood firm in the presence of her father. “I can’t wait to fucking kill you.”
“You’ve tried and failed. Needless to say, I wasn’t surprised that you couldn’t follow through,” the king droned on, clearly enjoying the fact that he had the upper hand.
Gray’s skin had paled significantly since our walk out of the prisons, and her eyes were beginning to droop. I could tell she was fighting to keep from swaying on her feet. The slight movement was there, but she’d right herself at the last second.
Forest scoffed at his daughter, leveling Onyx with a glare. “I want my daughter back.”
Onyx raised a brow. “Which one?”
I held my breath, wondering why Onyx was taunting him.
Forest sneered. “Clever boy. And how did you come to that conclusion?”
Onyx smiled. “She made a great prisoner. And all I had to do to get her to sing was to treat her like the little whore that she is.”
My eyes widened. “What the fuck are you doing, Onyx?”
He didn’t acknowledge my question; he just warred with Forest in a glaring match.
Forest straightened his suit, unsuccessfully trying to hide the reddening of his face.
“I underestimated you, Valor. Being Grim’s nephew and all, I didn’t think you truly had the brains to survive on your own.
But I see you took after your father in more ways than I gave you credit for.
I should’ve had more eyes on you. Should’ve had you exterminated like the fucking pest you are.
” Swiping at his cuff links before fixing his quiff, he added, “Better late than never. Am I wrong?”
Forest’s white currents raced up his neck as he fixed Onyx in his sight. Onyx began to cough, softly at first, before it quickly turned into a harsh hacking. Blood flew from his mouth, staining his lips and chin.
I watched it in slow motion.
Slate and Chrome slipped back into a swift and deadly fight, one that appeared evenly matched. Slate’s light fought off Chrome’s shadows, chasing them away, and they fought only with fists and magic, no weapons.
Onyx dropped to his knees, holes forming in the flesh on his face. He screamed between coughs as his body began to disintegrate from Forest’s radioactive gamma rays.
“Onyx! No!”
Without a thought, I lunged for the king. Tackling him to the cobblestones, I straddled his waist and lobbed punch after punch to his face. The sword’s power buzzed at my waist, but I couldn’t risk exposing it yet. It was meant for Celanea, last resort. Forest could be killed much more easily.
But I only got so many hits in before I felt my insides begin to burn. Hot, fiery pain set me alight, and next thing I knew, I began to cough, hacking just like Onyx.
Forest shoved me off of him to the side. I felt like I was melting from within, and the coughing ripped me to shreds. Blood pooled onto my fist, and then my stomach roiled, nausea snatching me for another ride as I vomited.
“I should’ve fucking killed you when I killed your mother,” Forest seethed as he wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth just before he punted me in the ribs with his pristine loafers. I felt a crack, and the move made my vision go black. “Fucking traitor.”
Forest squatted at my side, a dagger clutched in his fist. It didn’t glow blue like a Kinetic blade, but the metal blade glinted several shades darker than average. I thought I saw black wisps snake up the flat side of the dagger just before Forest plunged it deep into my chest.
I heard “No!” echo in the distance.
Before my brain could register it, I snatched the blade from my sternum, and my back arched off the ground from the pain. Thankfully, it seemed Forest missed my heart. Barely.
My sight winked out, and my head grew too light. Luckily, my body was already beginning to heal.
When my vision returned, my heart lodged itself in my throat. From the corner of my blurry vision, I spotted the Seraphite Stone just a foot from my body. It must’ve fallen out when Forest kicked me, or maybe when I tackled him.
“What—” Forest said in wonder.
Fuck. He saw it.
Through my pain, I scrambled over to grasp hold of the stone once again. Forest rushed forward, his hand almost closing around it just half a second before mine. But at the last second, his hand disappeared into a thick cloud of smoke.
I didn’t question it, taking the stone in my grasp as Forest’s magical onslaught receded. Lying on my back, I sucked in a fresh breath of air from the relief.
“Cotton!” Onyx skidded on his knees at my side, his panicked expression appearing in my line of sight just above me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, waiting for the pain to completely disappear as my body healed from the internal wounds. “You?” I asked him mentally.
The pocked holes in his skin had faded to angry red marks. He ran his fingers through my hair, his beautiful amber eyes darting around as they assessed me. “I’m fine now.” He cupped my jaw. “Don’t do that shit again.”
“Gray!” Slate shouted from the side. “Gray, no!”
Onyx glanced at where she stood. With a waning complexion and crestfallen expression, I twisted around from where I lay to see what had happened.
Gray stood, her eyes glazed and focused on where Forest had been.
Slate fought to get to her, but Chrome held him back in his hold from behind. The icy smile plastered on his face chilled me.
I flipped back around, ignoring the remaining pangs from Forest’s offense. Forest was on his knees, Shadow standing directly behind him, holding a knife to his throat. The king’s hands clutched at his chest as his eyes blew wide. “Gray, please, no…” he wheezed.
“What’s happening?” I asked Onyx.
Onyx swallowed, dread darkening his bright eyes. “She’s depleting him. And I can’t stop her, or she’ll deplete me, too. She hasn’t quite mastered her control yet when she’s too diminished.”