Page 65 of A Reign of Chromes & Shadows

“And you thought I—your prince—helped someone leave my home, when I could simply order you to let them go?” Rain’s stare was lethal.

The guards froze, gormless and cornered.

“Leave.”

They fled without hesitation. Rain slammed the door behind them, a smile tugging at his lips.

Chapter 26

Three days had passed since Isarion’s disappearance. The King was predictably offended, ordering the guards to search high and low for the “missing culprit.” Once they discovered the elder’s office and personal quarters completely emptied, a full investigation began. Rain and his team—those who lived in the palace as his tutors and trainers—were interrogated. Nobody knew anything, of course, and Rain was far too hungover to tolerate the questioning. He simply threatened every guard who tried to pry answers from him.

Eventually, they concluded Isarion had acted alone. Rain could feel the suspicion lingering in the air, but no one was foolish enough to accuse him outright. His father was too busy entertaining guests all weekend to deal with the matter personally. The Pink royalty, surprisingly gracious about the theft of their trailer, insisted they placed no blame on the Blue Kingdom. Instead, they requested a private dinner with the King and Queen. This meant family Phaeday dinner was postponed. Rain was relieved… until it was rescheduled for Azday evening with a very pointed he must attend.

Rain mulled over strategies for surviving the inevitable interrogation as he waited for his team to arrive for training. The first official parkour event began on Velday, the real competition began the week after qualifiers. Each sporting event had a six-week allocation, making it easier for contestants to plan their travel and living arrangements. That wasthe reason half the team was already in the area: Jasmine was seeking a team after repeated rejection from her nation. Rogan and Daphne were substitutes expecting to see no action and Sean was here with his family to watch the games. They had all met at this training park, along with the two Blue Kingdom members, each of them in the right place at the right time.

A shift of energy tugged Rain from his thoughts. A ball flew through the air, aimed directly at his head. He caught it in his peripheral vision and stopped it inches from his face with a flick of his power, never turning to look. He plucked it from the air and rested it between his knees.

“Aww, man. How did you see that?” Thomas called as he climbed the frame and dropped beside him.

“I can sense energy. That’s my thing. And you thought you could hit me with a ball?” Rain laughed, and Thomas joined him.

“Fair play. I forget you’re not normal sometimes. Did you hear about Jay?”

Rain’s head snapped toward him. “What about Jay?”

“Oh, man. I should’ve known you didn’t know.” Thomas winced. “Yeah, he got jumped yesterday morning on the way here. He was proper shaken. Wren and Sean took him to the Greyswater hospital to get checked over. He’s okay—just a black eye and some bruises. Wren said he’s still coming today. He told his parents it was a stunt gone wrong.”

Rain’s stomach twisted. Was this his fault? If he hadn’t been nursing a hangover from hell, he would’ve been here. Maybe he could’ve prevented it or at least delivered some karmic justice. At the very least, he should have been there for Jay. He’d let him down again.

“It’s not your fault, you know,” Thomas added gently, reading Rain’s silence.

Rain sighed but nodded, dropping from the climbing frame with the ball in hand. “Come on. I can feel the others coming from the station.”

He hurled the ball across the court in the direction they were heading. Thomas chased after it. As Rain had sensed, the rest of the team were walking up the street toward the main gate. Sean and Emily led the group, arms linked, Emily chatting animatedly.

“Yay! You made it!” Emily called, abandoning her own story mid-sentence. She unlinked from Sean and ran to throw her arms around Rain. He absently patted her back as she squeezed him tightly.

Everyone exchanged greetings with him and Thomas, but Rain’s eyes were fixed on Jay. He hovered behind a red baseball cap, lifting his face just enough to meet Rain’s gaze. Rain tensed. His eyes widened as he took in the damage: a vicious yellowing black eye, split skin at his brow and lip and Rain could sense more injuries hidden beneath his clothes.

He gently nudged Emily aside and stepped toward Jay. The group parted instinctively. Rain cupped Jay’s jaw, tilting his face toward the light. With a flick of power, he knocked the hat off, worry etched deep into his features as he examined every mark.

He sent his feelers, brushing through Jay’s energy. The familiar flustered attraction hit him first, warm and inviting but Rain pushed past it, refusing to be caught in it this time. Jay’s emotional walls were far too easy to slip through. He made a mental note to teach him how to guard himself.

Beneath the surface, Rain felt discomfort, anxiety, fear, and stress bubbling like a volatile potion threatening to overflow. His heart clenched protectively.

He traced a thumb over Jay’s split lip. Jay flinched at the touch. Rain immediately pulled his hand back, offering an apologetic look.

“What happened?” Rain demanded, more sharply than he intended. He was too busy trying to smother the anger flickering to life in his core to soften his tone.

“I’m okay. It’s superficial,” Jay said, hands coming up to hold Rain’s wrists that still framed his face.

“Jay,” Rain repeated, gentler this time. “What happened?”

Jay exhaled shakily. “A group cornered me on the train ride here. I was alone—Wren caught an earlier train.” His voice wavered. “I tried to fight them off. I really did. But there were too many of them, and it was a confined space. Nobody even tried to intervene.”

He shuddered at the memory. The fear rippled through his energy, striking Rain like a physical blow.

“Your own people did this to you?” Rain asked, though he already knew the answer. He released Jay abruptly, guilt slamming into him. He shoved his hands into his pockets to stop himself from lashing out. “They can’t get away with this.”