Page 191 of A Reign of Chromes & Shadows

“That was a Pink captain, wasn’t it? Why are the Pinks helping you and not the King? Why would they help a prince hide our princesses, especially when it goes against another king’s wishes? Does this count as a breach of the alliance? What do they have to gain?”

The questions poured out of him; frantic, confused, desperate for clarity.

Rain exhaled slowly.

“Firstly,” he said, “I am a King, not a prince.”

The words slipped out before he could stop them.

Jay froze.

His face flickered between confusion, disbelief, and something like awe.

Rain winced.

He hadn’t meant to reveal that.

Not like this.

Not to Jay; not when everything between them was already so fragile.

“I shouldn’t have told you that,” Rain admitted quietly. “Please don’t tell the others. I don’t want them to view me differently. Not yet.”

Jay’s eyes widened further, his breath catching.

Rain pressed on, trying to steady the moment.

“There’s a lot you don’t know, and I can’t tell you—not yet. But to answer your question: yes, the Pinks want me to marry their princess.And in good faith, they offered me aid when I requested it. Without their help, I’m not sure I could’ve kept the girls safe. Not without casualties.”

Jay shook his head, still trying to piece everything together.

“Rain… I don’t understand. How are you King when Azrien still sits on the Blue throne?”

Rain shoved the Connekt back into his pocket, regretting every confident slip of the tongue that had led them here.

“It’s complicated.”

“Uncomplicate it,” Jay snapped; frustration bubbling up, the old wounds of their breakup resurfacing.

Rain’s jaw tightened.

He looked away, then back at Jay, then away again; as though the truth itself was too heavy to hold in one place.

“They call me the Rainbow King,” he whispered.

The words felt sacred—forbidden—as though speaking them aloud might summon the wrath of the Gods themselves.

Jay’s eyes darkened, the blue deepening like a storm rolling in.

“Meaning the entire realm?” he pressed.

Rain bit his bottom lip; a tell he couldn’t hide, then nodded.

Jay’s breath hitched.

“Fuck, Rain,” he blurted. “Do you have a death wish? You can’t go against all the kingdoms.”

Rain snorted, trying to lighten the mood.