Page 213 of A Reign of Chromes & Shadows

Rain observed her, his brow furrowing in silent concern. Once again, he was confronted by the vexing reality that he could not read her as he did others. He found himself yearning to understand what she felt in this moment, wishing for insight into which words might have touched a nerve or prompted her thoughts to wander.

The distance between them felt insurmountable, leaving Rain frustrated by the mysteries she kept hidden and the silence that lingered between them.

“Why can’t I read you?” he blurted out without thinking it through, she startled, confusion lining the flawless contours of her skin. “I know that you are a weather wielder, that much I can tell and you’re not shielding in any way I have come across before. Yet, I can’t feel your emotions, why is that?” Several emotions flitted across her features, he observed each one hungrily until a layer of smugness settled upon her, her eyes glinting with joy. She was glad he couldn’t feel her, fucking glad.

“I have no idea, but what a great discovery!” She smiled; a beautiful, mischievous smile that, despite its charm, irked him. He resented having let the question slip, regretting it almost immediately as she perked up, sitting taller and confidently swirling her drink in her glass. Her arrogance was palpable.

“You know, I have been sitting here, anxious that you could feel every flicker of emotion within me. I’m sure you’re more than aware how unsettling that is to people—and all for nothing. We have been on equal ground the entire time!” Her head shook, the smile stubbornly fixed on her lips. “Just marvellous!”

He sighed audibly, making no effort to hide his irritation, which only made her chuckle in amusement.

“Right, enough of that.” Rain said, trying to dismiss his lingering annoyance. Having answered her probing questions, he felt it only fair to ask one of his own. “I have answered your questions, how about you answer mine and tell me your name.”

Her smile faded into a playful eye-roll, yet her spirits seemed undampened. With a brisk tilt of her head, she finished her drink in one swift motion, grimacing as the warmth of the liquor burned her throat. Standing promptly, she set her empty glass firmly on the table, her gaze never leaving Rain.

“It’s Storm,” she declared, her tone carrying a sense of finality. With a confident flourish, she added, “Until we meet again, Rain Royale.” She blew him a cheeky kiss and winked, reigniting the flutters within his gut. With a flick of her hair, Storm turned on her heel and strode towards the exit, refusing to glance back as she departed.

It wasn’t until she was out of sight that he realised he had been engrossed in the sway of her hips, mesmerised by the exposed dimples at her lower back. The peculiar feeling within his gut began to yearn for her presence, which was quite unsettling.

He needed another drink…

And a good fuck.

Chapter 54

Black vines erupted violently from the ground below my feet, igniting an overwhelming sense of dread within me as I desperately tried to escape their reach. They tore through the earth like living shadows, oily and slick, writhing with a hunger that felt ancient and personal. Despite my efforts, the vines were relentless, climbing swiftly, trapping me in place until they wound tightly around my throat. Their touch was cold and wet, like the grip of something dredged from the bottom of a poisoned lake.

A frustrated growl vibrated through me as they dragged me to my knees. The vines were too strong, too fast, thick black and oily, consuming all of me. They slithered across my limbs, coiling around my ribs, constricting until my bones creaked beneath the pressure. In the all-consuming darkness, my skin became the only source of light, glowing and shifting through the colours of the rainbow as I clawed desperately at the dark bindings, gasping for air. The colours pulsed in frantic bursts — red, gold, violet — flickering like a dying flame.

I had but a moment to witness the strange phenomenon. Every muscle in my body clenched tightly as I fought with all my strength, arching my back and tugging with all my might, my triceps bulging in my efforts to break free. Instead, the vines squeezed tighter, more constricting, the veins in my neck distending from the pressure. A feeling of helplessness consumed me, despair made its home in my chest, I couldn’t break free.

I couldn’t use my power to save myself either because then they would die. My power, it seemed, was the only thing keeping my friends suspended in the air. I see them, Snow, Jay, Scarlet, Rosie and Storm, my heart staggers as I home in on Storm, we hadn’t had the opportunity to be great yet. We need more time.

They were locked in a golden cage, towering high above a pit of sharpened spikes, large enough to impale their entire bodies at full height. The spikes glistened like polished bone, arranged in a perfect circle beneath the cage — a grotesque maw waiting to swallow them whole. I had no recollection of how we had gotten into this predicament, but it was clear that if I let go, they would meet a horrific fate.

I can’t let them go; I mustn’t lose focus.

My eyes bulged from my sockets as the vines relentlessly tightened around me, stealing my last breaths. I tore at them, ripped them, but with every snap of a vine, two more sprouted, somehow stronger than before, more lethal. They hissed as they regenerated, their oily surfaces glistening with malice. A smoky male voice boomed around my mind — was that Drazier? His malicious laughter echoed through the darkness.

“You’ve underestimated me for the last time, Blue Prince.” He snarled through his laughter, and the vines clamped harder, closing my airway, leaving me gulping for air that wouldn’t come. My friends! No, my family! I corrected myself, as I began to fade.

Their chorused screams penetrated my skull, thrusting me back into my body. I watched in horror as the cage hurtled toward the spikes. The golden bars twisted as it fell, the metal screeching like a dying creature.

I fought with all that I had to stay alive.

I must live; to keep them safe, I can’t let them die.

My power caught them midair, it was rough and with such velocity that the cage jolted, throwing them through the air like rag-dolls. All I could do was watch as they fell against the metal enclosure, their weightagainst the side causing it to topple and spiral out of control. With no more breath in my lungs, my vision faded to black, the cage tumbled, my power died.

A clatter dragged me back to consciousness; fear stabbed at my heart as I forced my eyes open long enough to be able to witness them land clunkily at a safe distance from the spiked pit. They escaped unharmed. My heart pumped its last feeble beat, and I finally gave up the fight.

I can die now, they’re safe, that’s all that matters.

Rain’s eyes snapped open, his breath caught painfully in his throat. Instinctively he grasped at his neck, only to find an arm draped heavily across him, the weight inadvertently constricting his airway. With a quick tug, he pulled the toned bicep away, finally able to inhale deeply as he tried to piece together where he was and how he’d ended up there. His mind was foggy, memories of falling asleep nowhere to be found. Before he could collect his thoughts, a familiar groan filled the room, followed by the gentle nuzzle of someone against his ear, grounding him into the present and reminding him of exactly where he was.

Elijah shuffled to press his slender torso against him, his arm looping back around his neck enveloping him into a warm embrace.

Well, this was unexpected, Rain grimaced, he had every intention of leaving after his shower last night, as he normally would. It would seem being dragged back into bed for a cheeky cuddle before getting dressed, had relaxed him so much that he had fallen asleep. His towel lay open exposing him to the morning air, as if it also had resigned to rest instead of its intended purpose.