Page 51 of A Reign of Chromes & Shadows

“I don’t know what you mean,” Rain replied, avoiding his eyes.

“You gave up our advantage to help my old team.” Rain snapped his attention to him, reading Jay’s energy and expression. “Why would you do that? We were supposed to beat them.”

“We did beat them,” Rain said softly, cupping Jay’s face. “And I didn’t help your old teammates, not really. I heard someone fall, and I couldn’t just leave him there. They didn’t even qualify. I’m sorry if it felt wrong to you.”

Jay’s energy shifted, annoyance dissolving into understanding and then distraction at Rain’s closeness. Rain smiled at the change and leaned in, planting a gentle kiss.

“Well, well, well.” Julian’s voice cut through the moment. The team instinctively stepped back, clustering behind Rain, their energies tightening. “Isn’t this interesting.”

Rain sighed, irritated, twisting away from Jay to face him. “What is it, Julian.”

“How does one go from having a gorgeous Princess in their bed last night—fucking, by the way,” he added, flicking his cruel gaze to Jay, “to making out with the consolation prize.”

Rain tensed, fury and guilt colliding in his chest as the dickhead prematurely revealed his truth. He moved toward Julian, but Jay’s energy froze him in place, preventing him from doing something reckless. Julian’s smile turned cruel.

“I’ll be sure to take extra good care of Ivy tonight. I came over to let you know I won our bet. I doubt she’ll be entertaining your bed again if I have anything to do with it. Hopefully your little boyfriend here forgives your… discrepancies.”

Rain bit his tongue hard. Julian’s smugness churned in him like poison, but Jay’s confused heartbreak and the team’s tangled emotions, kept him anchored.

“You hateful bastard,” Rain managed to spit out. Julian laughed, thoroughly entertained.

“We can’t all be as free-loving as you, Rain. I’ll see you tonight. I know you won’t be able to take your eyes off us.” He stalked back to his team, who erupt in cheers.

Rain turned slowly toward his own team. Jay wouldn’t look at him, his eyes bright with unshed tears. Shit. Rain reached for him, but Jay shrugged him off and moved closer to Wren, who immediately wrapped a comforting arm around him.

“I guess that means we came in fourth,” Emily said, trying to sound upbeat.

“Too right we did—we came fourth, Dudes. That’s epic,” Thomas chimed in, patting Rain’s back to consolidate him. “Let’s go get those victory drinks.”

The group agreed and headed out of the arena. Jay walked ahead with Wren and Daphne linking their arms through his, doing their best to lift his spirits. Rain trailed behind, wondering if he should leave now and spare everyone the awkwardness of his presence. But Sean and Thomasflank him, determined to keep him included, tossing jokes back and forth to pull him in.

He couldn’t bring himself to speak. His voice would betray him. He shut off his power completely; it was better to stay blind to Jay’s emotions than drown in them. Self-preservation, nothing noble.

His heart ached violently beneath his ribs. The sadness in Jay’s eyes had nearly brought him to his knees. He’d been so worried about the consequences of them being associated with him, when the brutal truth of it was––he was what they needed protecting from.

Chapter 21

Rain had tried to distance himself from the team by insisting he travel in the royal compartments; left to his own devices, he would have wallowed in self-pity all the way home. Instead, the boys refused to let him slip away. They were travelling to Greys Water together with or without him, and that came with risks he couldn’t ignore. Jay had already boarded the back carriage without waiting for an answer, leaving Rain feeling cornered into joining them—if only to keep them safe.

He’d have a drink with them at the Black Hole before they parted ways. Then he’d drag himself to the Gods-awful ball. Alone. Though that was the least of his concerns. First, he needed to find a way to speak to Jay. To explain. To apologise. To try—at the very least—to make things right.

By the time they reached the Black Hole, everyone’s spirits had lifted. Everyone except Rain.

“I’m buying,” he called out, breaking his silence as they reached the bar. He needed something strong enough to burn through the tension. No one objected. He’d hoped to avoid another flustered argument with Jay about who bought the first round. The butterflies of their earlier interaction, long gone.

Elijah spotted him, tossing aside a wet rag before sauntering over, looking far too pleased to see him.

“Hello, handsome. Good to see you again,” he purred, eyes already drifting into suggestion.

“Oh, you’re fucking him too, aren’t you?” Jay scoffed, stalking away before Rain could even blink.

“What—no, I’m not—I mean, not since—” Rain stuttered after him, then sighed and turned back to the bar.

“Mate, give him some time,” Thomas said, looking vaguely impressed by the exchange. Rain groaned and dropped onto the stool beside him. Elijah mouthed an apology, face full of remorse.

“Hope you’re right,” Rain muttered, glancing toward Jay.

They ordered a round of shots and several jugs of cocktails to share. Rain downed multiple whiskys at the bar, trying to drown his sorrows and gather the courage to survive the next few hours. Without thinking, he used his power to lift the drinks and glide them to the table, setting each one down without spilling a drop.