A shade of chrome and ma.., p.1
A Shade of Chrome and Malice (Celestials of Arcadia Book 2), page 1
Copyright © 2025 by K.L. DeVore
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Book Cover by Bianca Bordianu at Moonpress Designs
Formatting by Kaela Woodruff
Edited by:
Kirsty McQuarrie at Let’s Get Proofed
Tiffani Rippi at Lunar Editing Services
Kaela Woodruff at Kamat LLC
Contents
Disclaimer
Author’s Note
Series Order
Glossary
Kinetic Powers
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Acknowledgments
About the Author
For those who experienced their first heartbreak in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Disclaimer
This series contains heavy and dark topics revolving around adult trauma, childhood trauma, and abuse. As someone who is continuously healing from C-PTSD, anxiety, and panic disorder, I never take these topics lightly. However, some content may not be right for every reader, and the last thing I want is to unintentionally retraumatize someone. So please, read through this list of trigger warnings before proceeding, because I value your mental and emotional well-being.
Remember, this series revolves around morally grey/black characters who have all suffered heavy trauma. Their motivations may not make sense right away, but everything will be resolved as the series continues.
A Shade of Chrome and Malice contains: Grief, Forced Hysterectomy, Childhood Trauma (flashback scene that isn’t overly descriptive), Violence, Death, Attempted Suicide, Sexual Voyeurism, Explicit Sexual Content (MF and MM), Infidelity Between MCs, Betrayal of Several Characters
Author’s Note
Dearest Reader,
First, I want to thank you for picking up this book and giving it a chance. A Shade of Chrome and Malice is the second book in the four-book dark fantasy romance series, Celestials of Arcadia. However, there is a prequel trilogy that precedes the events in A Touch of Gold and Madness. While most prequel series can be read as standalones, it is highly encouraged by myself to read the first installment in the prequel trilogy, The Embrace of Steel and Sorrow between A Touch of Gold and Madness and A Shade of Chrome and Malice. The prequel trilogy, Celestials of Arcadia: Insurgency, is interconnected with the main four-book series, which enhances the overall experience of the broad storylines and character arcs. Its plot doesn’t necessarily affect the plot in the main series, but there are key events and characters that occur in The Embrace of Steel and Sorrow that are heavily alluded to and might not make much sense to those coming straight from A Touch of Gold and Madness.
If I thought I could successfully deliver the entire story in one main series, I promise I would. Due to the complex nature of the characters and their backgrounds, which affect them in the main series, I felt I would’ve been doing them and the story as a whole a disservice if I relegated the storyline to solely Celestials of Arcadia.
If you choose to skip The Embrace of Steel and Sorrow before diving into A Shade of Chrome and Malice, that is completely valid. However, the story might not have as much impact as it could. Please know that is okay if your heart is set on the main series. As a reader myself, I completely understand.
Reading and Release Order:
A Touch of Gold and Madness – Book 1 in Celestials of Arcadia (main series)
The Embrace of Steel and Sorrow –Book 1 in Celestials of Arcadia: Insurgency (prequel trilogy)
A Shade of Chrome and Malice – Book 2 in Celestials of Arcadia (main series)
ABoCaV — Book 3 in Celestials of Arcadia (main series)
TBA —Book 4 in Celestials of Arcadia (main series)
TKoBaW— Book 2 in Celestials of Arcadia: Insurgency (prequel trilogy)
TBA — Book 3 in Celestials of Arcadia: Insurgency (prequel trilogy)
Glossary
Currents - The colorful electrical currents that race up and down the arms and necks of Kinetics. Specific colors denote which energetic source on the electromagnetic spectrum they derive their magic from.
Glamour - The ability to hide the physical characteristics of Kinetics and Elementals. For Kinetics, silver, magnetic bracelets hide their physical traits, as well as suppressing their magical abilities. For Elementals, black-crystal infused bracelets hide physical traits, as well as suppressing their magical abilities.
Speakeasy - The underground bars, or taverns, built by humans prior to Devolution Day. This is where they congregate to escape from the bleak reality that is topside. Typically, they are marked by a makeshift wooden cross in a field.
Revel - Royal celebrations amongst Kinetics.
Scorse - Human trading posts that offer essential living needs to barter. However, scorses also offer the darker side of the underground trading system, where illicit drugs, human trafficking, death matches, and prostitution are prevalent.
Deplete - When Elementals replenish their magical reserves, they must feed off the energy coming from a living being’s aura. To drain it completely kills the living being, resulting in being thrust into the devolution of becoming Endarkened. Also means to drain one’s magical well.
Endarkened - Elementals who have depleted three auras and are now mindless, rabid beings that only seek out depleting the next aura. They prefer strong magical auras, which increase their power.
Domain - Regions among the Kinetics are split up into domains all over the world.
The Royal Domain - The domain that’s central to all Kinetic domains worldwide, where the king resides and rules. It is based in Atlanta, Georgia, where they live in a luxury high-rise hotel to blend in with the humans.
The King’s Palace - The high-rise hotel that houses the royal Kinetic family and those in the Atlanta region.
Hollows - Small communities throughout the world, hidden further from civilization, that house Elementals.
Mushweed - A herb created by Elementals over a millennia ago in small villages that speeds up the replenishment process to help reduce the risk of depleting an aura.
Aether - The magical composition in Arcadia’s atmosphere that gives the magical beings their power.
Mystics - Ancient beings in Arcadia who wield spiritual magic and receive their power as gifts from the gods and Angels
Druids - Ancient, isolated warriors in Arcadia who are the protectors of knowledge. Their primary role is to maintain the balance of Arcadia’s aether so that its magic doesn’t skew too heavily to light or dark magic.
Tempests - Magic wielders in Arcadia who practice blood magic. While immortal, their strength and power are dependent on dark magical bonds to others.
Syphon Bond - A dark, magical bond cast by the Tempests in which they bind another’s soul to their own, siphoning the magic and power, while obtaining complete control of the victim’s mind, making them their slave.
Twin Soul Bond - A pure bond between two Celestial souls. It was a rare and revered bond in Arcadia, typically shared by the most powerful. It involves multiple steps in order to complete it, including a ceremonial ritual.
Ceraber - A regal and sacred creature in Arcadia whose sole purpose is to serve the true Celestial queen. It is a giant bear who possesses obsidian horns and red eyes.
Seraphite Stone - A stone in Arcadia that has been hidden for several millennia. It is the key to maintaining the balance in Arcadia’s aether.
Kinetic Powers
Kinetics derive their magic from energy based on one of the energetic waves from the electromagnetic spectrum. Each energetic source is depicted by the color of the Kinetic’s currents. Most Kinetics who share the same source of energy will wield their magic in unique ways specific to them.
Sonic - Kinetics who derive their magic from sound waves are able to control, manipulate, or cancel out all sound. Highly experienced Sonic Kinetics are able to pinpoint a specific target and control what they can or cannot hear.
Currents: Blue
Light - Kinetics who derive their magic from visible light waves are able to control, manipulate, or cancel out all sight. Highly experienced Light Kinetics are able to pinpoint a specific target and control what they can or cannot see.
Currents: Gold
Thermal - Kinetics who derive their magic from thermal waves are able to control, manipulate, or create heat. Most Thermal Kinetics wield this ability by controlling their opponents’ internal body heat. They can also control external temperature, as well.
Currents: Yellow
Microwave - Kinetics who derive their magic from microwave radiation are able to control, manipulate, or absorb microwave energies. This ability is most used for intelligence purposes. It can also be used in the form of blasts, which can fry an individual from the outside in.
Currents: Green
Gamma - Kinetics who derive their magic from gamma waves are able to control, manipulate, or absorb gamma energies. This ability is especially dangerous as it’s usually wielded as a poison because it’s a form of radiation. Gamma Kinetics can control how fast it affects their target.
Currents: White
X-rays - Kinetics who derive their magic from X-ray waves are able to see with X-ray vision and/or are able to emit X-ray radiation, poisoning their targets.
Currents: Black
Ultraviolet - Kinetics who derive their magic from ultraviolet waves have the ability to emit ultraviolet light from their body or create ultraviolet burns.
Currents: Red
Infrared - Kinetics who derive their magic from infrared waves have the ability to track, see, or emit heat on a specific target by controlling external heat to their surroundings.
Currents: Orange
Nuclear - Kinetics who derive their magic from nuclear waves are able to create electricity.
Currents: Purple
Electromagnetic Pulses - Kinetics who derive their magic from electromagnetic waves are able to control pulses either electronically or through pressurized blasts, and can create electricity. It is the rarest of all the abilities amongst Kinetics.
Currents: Silver
Chapter One
Gray
Orange luminance from my dagger blurred in the darkness, its blade leaving a scarlet thread across the Kinetic's throat. As she stumbled backward, reaching for the blood cascading down her pale neck, I spun and plunged the weapon deep into the heart of her partner behind me. Their eyes harbored a desolate hardness that Kinetics were bred to inhabit. Murderous intent painted their otherwise pretty features in ugly shades.
The pair of Kinetics collapsed to the cracked concrete, one after the other, as their veins turned black from the redfern poisoning embedded within my blade. It would take them several minutes to suffer a painful death, unless they had the antidote on their person. But Kinetic Warriors weren’t usually allowed to carry them, at least not the ones under my father’s rule, though he was no longer the ruler of anyone. According to Slate, he’d fucked off with the queen of Tempests, Celanea, two months back.
“Which domain are you from?” I asked the one with the plum pixie cut, needing to know who’d sent the ambush. I kept my senses open, aware of the battle raging around me in the deserted streets of Downtown Perry, ensuring no one would blindside me while I fished for any information.
The Kinetic clutched her chest, blackness mixing with the red of her blood as it seeped and coated her fingers. She gasped for air, glaring at me from where she lay on the ground. “Traitor.”
I rolled my eyes. It wasn’t the first time I’d been called that by a Kinetic since Chrome demolished the Royal Domain and turned Infernal. Honestly, I no longer gave a shit what other Kinetics thought, considering they relentlessly besieged Elemental Hollows, intent on retribution for their king. A king who had tossed his people to the fucking wolves and couldn’t care less about them.
Imagine how effective it would be if Kinetics and Elementals teamed up against the dark magic that had interwoven itself into our world. But while we fought one another, Celanea was now free to rain hell without a single disturbance to her plans.
“Which domain are you from?” I repeated, my patience wearing thin as I loomed over her. I needed to know how coordinated Kinetics were without Forest leading the helm. So far, every attack had come from a different domain. Plus, I held onto the hope that one of them would lead me to my father.
Dark liquid began to trickle from the corners of her mouth, casting a dark shadow on her lower lip. “Tuscaloosa.”
I smirked. “I haven’t met one of you yet.” Shrugging, I dropped to a squat, making myself eye level with her. With a flick of my forefinger, I directed air into her lungs, suffocating her with an abundance of it. “Pleasure to meet you.”
The Kinetic flailed as her eyes bulged, slamming her head onto the concrete. Panicking, her frenetic hands shifted between the hilt of my dagger protruding from her heart and her chest, where she couldn’t breathe.
Something inside me snapped the day that Chrome left. A menacing vengeance burrowed deep within, unsatisfied until the blood of those responsible for his downfall drenched the earth. A twisted joy uplifted my heart at the sight of her suffering. “I’d appreciate it if you called me Queen.”
Rising to my feet, I glanced at the Kinetic gurgling to her death while the other suffered the effects of redfern poisoning a foot away. “Best get in line, or none of us will have a world left standing,” I spat, disgust in my tone as my lip curled up at the edges. I whirled around, strolling toward the end of the alleyway.
If it hadn’t been for a scout’s tip informing us that Kinetics were closing in on our Hollow, we would’ve been blindsided again. Except this time, we didn’t have Chrome in our arsenal. So instead of letting them find us hidden in the middle of nowhere, risking the wards in place from Onyx and Chrome, we decided it would be advantageous to bring the fight to them in town.
I pressed my back to the building’s brick wall, peering around the corner to check for any Kinetics waiting to ambush me.
Snatching the hood of my distressed cloak over my hair while pulling the cowl over my nose and mouth, I pushed my essence outward, sensing which route to take to avoid the chaos of Elementals and Kinetics clashing with metal and magic. I could feel the movements through the air as my essence pushed further, even so much as a breath caused a disturbance that I could sense.
I didn’t have time to deal with their shit unless it led me to Chrome or to an answer to reverse his devolution and restore him to his real self. And unless I found someone of importance who I thought could lead me to Forest, I didn’t want to waste my energy on any other Kinetics, despite my burning desire to kill them all. I trusted the Elementals to handle it. But my goals had become obsessive: find Chrome, restore Chrome, and kill Forest.
Technically, I was now the queen of both Kinetics and Elementals. But I couldn’t even get my own emotions and thoughts under control, much less unite two warring species, one of which wanted my head on a spike.
The stars winked above me, mocking me as they did every night for ever believing I’d found happiness. What a joke.
The cord on my heart tugged. The energetic tether connecting Chrome’s soul to mine always snagged like a violin string when he had strong emotions or if he was nearby. We were one soul split in two, but one half was tainted with darkness while the other suffered the consequences down the line.
Chrome lived. Always just out of reach, never letting me get too close, taunting me so much that I could feel his faint amusement at my growing frustration through the bond. I fought back the tears being forced to the surface by my constricting chest as I thought of my last memory of him and the pain that nearly destroyed me when his essence devolved into something dark and sinister.
