Page 196 of A Reign of Chromes & Shadows

The thug found his footing and charged again; a clumsy, rage-fuelled tackle with no strategy behind it.

Rain grinned.

He dropped his stance, bracing himself.

At the last second, he drove his shoulder into the crook of the man’s neck.

A loud crack echoed through the bar.

The man’s collarbone snapped like dry wood.

He collapsed to the floor, howling in agony.

Rain rolled his shoulder back, shaking off the impact as he loomed over the writhing man.

“Honestly,” he said, voice dripping with disdain, “we’re just not compatible. How a person fights is often indicative of how they perform in the bedroom.”

He paused, letting the crowd hang on the words.

“And you, I’m sorry to say, are blandly predictable, painstakingly slow, and disappointingly limp. We’re complete opposites.”

He winked at a woman in the front row. She swooned.

Finally, an armed shadow guard pushed through the crowd, followed by two security staff. Their demeanour shifted the moment they recognised Rain.

“Your Highness,” the guard said, bowing his head before stepping beside the groaning thug. “Was this man disturbing you, sir?”

Rain offered a faintly amused smile.

“Hardly. But they were making lewd remarks and making the bar staff feel unsafe. Him and his lovely friend Karl here—”

He slapped Karl’s shoulder. Karl flinched violently.

“—thought they could… what were his words, Karl? Teach me a thing or two?”

The guard scanned the room, assessing the mood, then leaned in slightly.

“I can have them locked away for the night, if you prefer, Your Highness.”

Rain hesitated.

He was feeling more forgiving than usual, but the guard’s tone intrigued him. A hint of mischief. A shared understanding.

“Perhaps a night behind bars would give them time to contemplate their decisions,” Rain said. “That one may need a healer. I believe we broke something on impact.”

The guard nodded. The men were apprehended, dragged out through the crowd as the bar slowly returned to its chaotic rhythm.

Rain returned to the bar.

A glass was pressed into his hand.

The bartender; a woman in her thirties with Elijah’s same warm complexion, offered him a grateful smile.

“Cheers for taking out the trash.”

Rain raised his glass in acknowledgment and took a sip.

She leaned forward, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.