Chapter 15 #2
Gravel crunched beneath my boots as I stepped onto the rooftop. Her energy consumed me, even in the busy city’s wide open yet congested space. I breathed deeply, taking in the cityscape from the aerial view as I stood at her shoulder.
“Come here,” I invited, struggling to keep my tone from sounding harsh, and strode to the ledge that Slate and I regularly sat on for our talks. This spot was our safe space we could always go to without being under the watchful eye of the Kinetic Palace.
I didn’t need to look behind me to know she followed; her energy surrounded me, begging me to breathe it in.
My legs dangled over the ledge that hung at least fifty feet above the busy street below.
Carefully, Gray eased herself down beside me, her shoulders stiff and arms propped in her lap where she laced her fingers together as she stared straight ahead.
“We can talk here in peace.”
I watched her throat bob, followed by the tight nod that followed.
“Did you get punished for talking to me the other day?” I asked her, referring to the elevator situation.
Gray sighed, and her shoulders sagged. “Not publicly this time.”
I saw red as my fists clenched tight. My need to release my Kinetic power bubbled to the surface. My jaw ached from gnashing my teeth against one another as my breathing picked up. “Are you okay?”
The princess shrugged. “Why do you and Slate suddenly care? This has been happening for years, and no one has noticed until recently. Why? What do you want from me?”
Guilt twisted a knife into my heart, then pushed it deeper. “I don’t want anything from you.”
Gray pinched her brows. “I don’t believe you.”
I held her gaze, feeling her distrust and fear. “I don’t. The king has kept it hidden really well over the years. No one knew what was going on.”
“And what about you?”
“What about me?”
“You said you got punished, too, just not publicly.”
“Yeah. I do.”
“How often?”
“More than I care to admit,” I exhaled. “You think they’d treat me the way they do publicly if they couldn’t control me?” I asked with bitterness, but it wasn’t directed at the princess.
Gray nodded. “That’s true.” She lowered her chin and stared at the twisted fingers in her lap. “Why do you look so familiar?” Her voice was small, shy—as if she were questioning her own thoughts.
“Well, I mean, you’ve probably caught glimpses of me over the years,” I offered, unsure if she was referring to the playground that day so long ago.
Gray’s steely gaze clashed with mine, bearing its weight on me in a way that penetrated my soul. “That’s not what I mean…”
I angled my head, narrowing my eyes to urge her to expand. “Go on.”
“I feel like I’ve met you before. A long time ago, but I can’t place it…”
Did she remember? There’s no way she would be able to piece together that the Elemental boy from that day was also me.
“Maybe in passing in the palace?”
Gray shook her head, her ice-blonde waves catching on the breeze. “No. Not there. And it was different. You were different, I think. Like…”
“Are you sure it was me?” I asked, forcing a smirk on my face.
A look of pure snark distorted her face, which made me smile wider. She huffed. “Never mind. It’s stupid, and clearly you think I’m crazy.”
I laughed, not at her, but at the attitude peeking through her despondent exterior for the first time. It brought something to life in my chest. My heart, maybe? “Not crazy. Not at all, Princess.”
Gray cut her stony glare at me, slicing me to the wick, but I craved more. I needed her fire, and to inch close enough to get burned. “Then why are you laughing at me?”
“Because,” I murmured, my smile faltering as I fought to catch my breath, the ache in my heart swelling to new heights. Her pouting lips drew my attention, and my focus slipped. “You’re so cute when you’re mad.”
“I’m not mad,” Gray snipped.
“Yes, you are. You can’t hide from me, Princess…” I said, referring to her emotions since I could feel them as if they were my own for some unknown reason that I’d grown accustomed to.
Gray snorted and scooted away on the ledge, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.
My grin spread, and my heart lifted. I needed more expression from her. Anything besides the cold despondency that I was well-acquainted with. “What do you wish most in the world, Princess?”
“For you to stop calling me ‘Princess’.”
I chuckled. “What do you want me to call you, then?”
With a shrug, she mumbled, “Just Gray.”
“Okay then, Just Gray.” The deadpan expression she leveled me with had me easing closer to her icy flames.
“What are you doing?” she asked, leaning away as if I would attack her at any moment.
I stopped, dropping my playful banter. “Hey,” I said softly. “You’re safe with me. You have no reason to trust me, but I will never harm you. If anything, I’ll protect you with my life.”
Gray’s jaw clenched tight, and her nostrils flared as she pushed down the emotion working its way across her face. She sniffled and forced her gaze back to the buildings ahead. I wanted to tug her arms free from the tight embrace she wrapped around herself.
Gray looked at me and then lowered her chin, staring at the grey leggings she wore.
“Oh,” she said, voice dejected. “Because I’m the princess, and you have to.
” She cleared her throat. “Of course.” The princess fixed her eyes on the buildings ahead of us, her frigid mask sliding firmly back into place.
Without thinking, I reached my hand out to grab hold of hers, startling her, but I couldn’t stop myself. “Not because you’re the princess, but because you’re you.” My voice dropped a few tones lower, almost to a whisper, as her hurricane eyes desperately searched mine.
The princess’s brows tucked inward as her mouth twisted at the sides. With a shake of her head and a strong exhale, she said, “But why?”
“Because…you deserve that at the bare minimum,” I said, withholding what I really wanted to say and felt.
“You don’t even know me.”
“I think…” I started, picking her palm up and holding it within mine, meeting her fearful eyes, “you’ll find that you and I are much more similar than you’d believe.”
Gray’s breath hitched in her throat before she glanced down at our connected palms, her stare lingering in shock, yet she didn’t retreat.
I gave her hand a light squeeze for reassurance. “I’ll keep you safe.”
A sudden burst of affection slammed into my heart and snatched the invisible cord attached. Gratitude burrowed in the depths of her soul, twined around the cord connecting us and fused into the tissues of my heart. An energy that didn’t belong to either of us drew us closer to one another.
Gray’s pupils expanded as she held my gaze, and I leaned in, my free hand cupping her jaw.
I couldn’t tear my eyes from her full lips, especially when the bottom one was sucked between her teeth. “Is it…okay if…” I whispered, captivated, dragging my fixation to meet her eyes, “if I kiss you right now?”
The princess hesitated, her posture tight, but her eyes swelled with emotion as her bottom lip quivered. “Yes,” she breathed.
“You sure?” The force preventing me from crushing my lips to hers had me vibrating with unsteady restraint, but I needed to be sure. This beautifully broken girl didn’t need any extra shards embedded in her open wounds. Especially by my hands.
With a quick nod and a rough exhale, she grabbed the back of my neck, and my lips landed on hers before I knew what was happening.
Gray robbed me of air, and I gave it to her freely.
My heart battered a thundering riot to a primitive rhythm, threatening to shatter me into ashes.
I cradled her cheeks in my palms and slid my tongue along her bottom lip ever so softly, tumbling deeper into her enchanting flames.
A surprised squeak escaped her throat, prompting movement in my pants. I suppressed the urge to groan. Just as I captured her bottom lip, a throat cleared nearby, making me leap backward, putting space between us.
“Well, then, that lasted about as long as I thought it would,” a familiar voice sounded from behind me. I spun on the ledge of the building.
Valik’s smug smile greeted me, his head angled to the side as he studied us with amusement sparkling in his jade eyes. “Well, don’t stop on my behalf…” He waved his hand lazily toward us. “I can wait. Continue like the horny little teenagers you are. Not like the world depends on you or anything.”