A Touch of Gold and Madness by KL Devore

Here is a summary with spoilers for A Touch of Gold and Madness by KL Devore

Two magical races have lived with the humans ever since the fallout: the Kinetics and the Elementals. Once, they were at war with each other, and the humans were caught in the middle. In one instance that ended the war, a single act resulted in 3/4 of the human population dying. Now, humans choose to live underground while the other two races continue to fight each other. This day is known as Devolution Day.

Years later, the Princess of the Kinetics, Gray Monroe, is on a mission. She needs to find the Elemental Prince, Griffin Silas. She has a particular bone to pick with him, as he killed her old boyfriend, Slate. Not only that, but Griffin has been wreaking havoc on them, and her father, King Forest, wants Griffin dead. Gray has been trained her whole life to be an assassin, and now her father does not want her to return unless Griffin Silas is dead. Gray has been tracking him for some time and manages to corner him in a bar, but he has been waiting for her. Griffin taunts her a little and then sneaks away before she can do anything more.

Meanwhile, Griffin has secrets and a voice in his head telling him that he should just kill the princess. However, he is intrigued by her, and instead of killing her, he wants to know more about her.

Gray returns to her father, who is very upset, but it happens to be her birthday, so he will not give her punishment yet. There is to be a party in her honor, but the consequences of not killing Griffin are coming. Gray meets with her friends Cotton, Scarlett, and Hazel, and they get ready for the party together. During the party, Gray starts to feel off. She realizes she has been poisoned, most likely by her father and the Cardinal. She passes out while trying to get to safety.

Meanwhile, Griffin has made his way to the castle to find Gray. He is waiting for his moment to capture her and wonders why it is taking her so long to appear.

Gray wakes up surrounded by Hazel, who tells her some secrets. Hazel claims that Gray’s old boyfriend, Slate, once came to her and said he was on a mission. He had done some digging and realized that the king has a plan in place that requires Gray, but she needs to pass some sort of test first. Hazel claims there were talks of other realms and that her father, King Forest, has become obsessed with them. Gray decides to confront her father, but he denies all of it. Gray realizes she is speaking to him at the wrong time, as Grim, her father’s second in command, is also present. Between the two of them, Gray is tortured and overpowered until she has no magic left. She is taken to the dungeon, until Scarlett and Cotton help her escape. She runs straight to the human world, hoping she can hide there.

While there, she runs into a child named Dash. She tries to get him food, but he ends up leading Gray directly to Griffin, whom he is working with. Griffin knocks Gray out, and when she wakes up, he tells her that he needs her help. They begin a tentative relationship. He claims that everything her father has said about him is false, but he cannot tell her the full story yet. He promises she can trust him, that he will not harm her, and that he will help kill King Forest if that is what she wants. While they are discussing this, they are attacked. Griffin is injured, and right before he passes out, he tells her that Griffin is not his real name. It is Chrome Freyr.

When Chrome wakes up, he tells Gray more of his story. Ten years ago, he was trained and tortured by the king and his men as well. King Forest eventually had him killed and covered it up, all because Chrome was a Kinetic. Chrome confirms that King Forest learned about different realms and believes there is greater power within them, and he wants it. In order to access those realms, he needed a child who was half Kinetic and half Elemental. He created both Gray and Griffin for that purpose. Chrome also believes the king has been suppressing Gray’s powers through the food she has been eating, which is why she does not know about her second set of abilities. Chrome wants to take Gray to his home so he can help train her and regroup with plans.

On their way, they are attacked by a bear, and the two accidentally open and close a portal to another realm. Chrome begins to realize that he has been able to feel Gray’s emotions for some time, and now that they are close together, he is struggling to block them out. That night, Chrome goes out hunting so Gray can process everything she has learned. While hunting, he runs into Onyx, who says he cannot wait to see Gray again and that it will be nice to see a friendly face.

The next day, they officially arrive at The Hollow, Chrome’s home and kingdom. Gray is immediately introduced to Onyx, whom she seems to remember. Onyx is the old commander’s son and was thought to be dead. She also meets a man named Arion, who knew her mother well and knew Gray as a child. He tells her that her mother was Queen Lilana and that she was married to Chrome’s father, who is Arion’s brother. The marriage did not work out, and Gray and Chrome are not related.

Gray and Chrome begin training together. After a moment of weakness, Chrome accidentally reveals that he can feel her emotions and has been able to for a decade. Gray is furious, realizing she has had no privacy in her life. She feels betrayed again and ignores him for several days. To help with her training, she works with a man named Void, who helps her develop her air powers. Chrome eventually returns and explains more about his past. He was tortured as a child, often to the brink of death. His breaking point was when he was forced to kill his sister, Peri, and accidentally stole her powers. Gray realizes that Chrome has become Endarkened, meaning he is slowly being overtaken and will die.

Gray and Chrome resume their tentative relationship, which deepens when they admit their attraction to one another. After sharing a passionate kiss, Gray says she does not want to go further yet, as she still needs to process her feelings for Slate. Chrome agrees and tells her that he never killed Slate. Weeks later, they share another intimate moment but are interrupted by Onyx, who reports that a Kinetic scout has crossed the barrier. Chrome refuses to let Gray come, which angers her and causes another argument. Chrome leaves with Onyx but dismisses him when he finds the scout. Alone with the scout, Chrome asks why he is there.

Gray finds Onyx, who tells her he does not know who the scout was, but that Chrome killed him. When Gray finds Chrome, their argument escalates into a panic attack, forcing Chrome to comfort her. They end up sleeping together and spend the night together. Gray asks about the Twin Soul Bond, and they agree it is possible they share it. Their closeness allows Gray to begin feeling some of Chrome’s emotions. Their moment is ruined when Chrome refuses to explain what happened with the scout, causing Gray to leave angrily and put emotional distance between them.

Later that day, The Hollow is attacked. Gray and Chrome put their differences aside and fight together. They defeat their enemies and discover that when together, they can transport, or fade, as Chrome calls it. While going through the bodies, they are separated, and Gray encounters the Cardinal. He tells her that King Forest has Scarlett, Hazel, and Cotton and plans to execute them that afternoon. Gray fades to the castle without telling Chrome. Chrome realizes what she has done and follows her, promising to help. Before they can act, they encounter Grim. Chrome, who was heavily tortured by Grim and forced by him to kill his sister, kills Grim in revenge.

While escaping, they encounter a woman named Amethyst. She reveals that Chrome was responsible for the EMP on Devolution Day and that his power killed 3/4 of the human population, permanently changing the world. As she reveals this, Amethyst injects Gray with poison, causing her to fade. Chrome pours his power into her, but King Forest arrives and says it is useless. He reveals that Gray and Chrome are bound and that Chrome is no longer Endarkened but has become an Infernal. The king refuses to explain further.

Gray slowly begins to wake up, while Chrome feels something dark enter him. Though he is no longer Endarkened, he believes something worse is overtaking him. Wanting to protect Gray, he runs, leaving her with her father. Not long after, a familiar voice helps Gray escape. Slate, her former lover, reveals that Chrome sent him. Slate refuses to explain further, saying they must leave before the Tempest arrives. She is a woman allied with King Forest and is hunting both Gray and Chrome.

Meanwhile, Chrome is running, feeling Gray’s pain and anger. He reflects on his discussion with his cousin Slate and how he is part of the plan to save her. Chrome tells Slate he cannot fall in love with Gray again because she belongs to him. Slate agrees and leaves. Chrome then encounters a woman who identifies herself as the Tempest. She tells him that there is much transformation to be done and that they need to begin immediately.