Page 33 of Tears of Gold

How could I forget my lovers? Erritt, trembling all over as he made love to me the first time, declaring his earnest affection and unlocking his cloning ability in the process, much to his surprise. And Skye holding me together in his strong hands, feasting on me, growling with his dragonish possessiveness. Both of them together, riding the waves of my ecstasy, which they experience through touch.

More images skitter through the haze in my memory. I know Harper too.

“You! You’re not my boyfriend.” I press my fist to my heart, wincing as fresh pain spasms through my chest. “You kidnapped me!” I leap up and drag a blanket around me, the wholesome trust I had instantly shattered.

Harper’s face crumples in agony. “Ava—” he rises, reaching for me.

I back away. “No! Stay away from me!” My head thumps and icy chills crash down my spine. All the tension of the day explodes in a burst of bitter disappointment.

He lied to me.

The rogue blurs in my vision as I shake my head, releasing a broken whimper. “You didn’t want my memories to come back! You didn’t want me to remember them!”

“You love me too, Ava!” he cries. “I met you first! It’s not fair!” His voice cracks with emotion. “I love you. Yes, I did something wrong, but I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Just—”

I turn away and run for the bathroom.

“Ava! No, please!”

The lock on the sliding door is flimsy, but it’s enough to create a barrier. Hugging the blanket around me, I slide to the floor and let my stinging tears flow. I want my steady, cheerful Skye and my complicated, determined Erritt.

And I want Harper too, but not like this. Harper calls out and knocks on the door, but I cover my ears and sob into the blanket.

Chapter Fourteen

Vanrey

I squeeze one hand into a fist as my teleport solidifies, trying to banish the image of Prince Erritt sagging against the stone pillars, but it’s burnt into my mind. He looks weaker than the day I arrived at the academy.

And in my fear, I disrespected his lover.

I bite down on a groan. You’re a fool, Vanrey Hiro! How could I dismiss Miss Ava’s importance to his face when he cares so much about her? A relationship with a human might be unorthodox, but I see the appeal since Miss Ava’s a beautiful and determined young woman—her courage in the face of all she’s been through is remarkable.

She’s also no threat to the prince, especially since she has no ulterior motive like any elemental will naturally possess. Who am I to judge whom my lord cares for, no matter how surprising the being? Or beings. He’s spent his entire young life being caged by the judgments of others, and now I’ve made the same mistake. I’ll do my best to make up for my careless comments, even if they were born from a worry for my lord that makes me burn inside.

But I’ll keep my eye on the rogue. He might not be entirely hardened by a life in the shadow world yet, but I can tell he has plenty of experience. I respect his skills, but I’m not convinced he won’t threaten my lord again if it suits him and that I won’t tolerate.

A soldier from the royal guard grabs my arm, shouting at me for teleporting in the city. I resist the instinct to throw him across the road and let my sleeve drop, revealing the gold armguard with dangling royal nines. The man releases me, hands flying up in apology.

Chaos reigns in the plaza; the east end boils with an inferno of flame the city water elementals are fighting but not yet beating. Rainbows of qi drift through the air, slowly falling to coat the pavers underfoot as the magical commands set into hundreds of sculptures, cooking fires, and festival lights unravel. It’s hard even to sense active qi-use in this mess. Royal guards pour through the streets, breaking up looters and searching festival-goers' identification. Medics scramble to treat those caught in the blast zone.

I have to find Miss Ava and Harper before the royal guards do, or they’ll be dragged into a dungeon for torture. Without citizenship papers, they scream ‘potential spies.’ Hopefully, Rita can throw her title around long enough to stall any guards if it comes to that. In fact, if they are in trouble, I’ll probably hear that young woman long before I see them.

I turn towards the docks and stride into the sparkling smoke, gaze flitting across every movement. My soul feels torn in two, knowing how important finding them is to my lord but also knowing Prince Erritt is vulnerable.

A runner from the city water brigade sprints down the street, not watching where he’s going, and almost slams into me.

I shove him aside. “Watch where you’re going!”

I shouldn’t have left the prince’s side, but I can’t disobey a direct order. The sooner I find the humans, the sooner I can return to discover exactly what happened. Even if my lord doesn’t want to tell me, someone in the palace will have heard something.

How have I finally been sealed to his service but still failed to protect him?

I clench my teeth. For a century, I’ve trained in the royal palace, learning everything there is to know about the royals who I will spend my life protecting. In the process, I discovered the cruel character of the eldest prince and in contrast, the generous, gentle nature of the often-overlooked second son. I’ve watched him grow from a child who endured hours standing at attention beside the throne without squirming to a young man brimming in skill and presence.

A man who could lead our nation into prosperity and harmony.

Sparks swirl through the air on a gust of wind, and I hold out one hand to extinguish them, not wanting the fires in the city to spread. My qi hums, accepting the familiar flame heat.