A Reign of Chromes & Shadows (A Prismatic Kingdom Saga #1)

Chapter 1

Pushing through the worn double doors of the Black Hole, Rain narrowly avoided colliding with a young woman.

Startled by his abrupt entrance, she let out a small squeak and stumbled into her partner as the heavy door swung inward, missing her nose by a breath.

Rain pivoted instinctively, slipping past the couple with practised ease.

He offered them an apologetic glance as he moved inside—more courtesy than necessity. He had already known they were there.

His empathic gift had sensed their energy signatures long before his eyes found them.

The pair lingered at the threshold, tangled up in each other as they attempted to leave.

Rain took in the contrast between them: the man was older, his long, wiry grey beard at odds with his balding head.

There was a rugged charm to him that was sharpened by a confident dangerous edge confidence with a dangerous edge.

Black leathers clung to his frame, studded and patched, the kind worn by someone who lived on a motorcycle.

A yellow polka-dot bandanna wrapped around his bicep marked him as a Yellow citizen, aligned with Solearis.

The woman beside him was a soft blonde, strikingly feminine, and at least twenty years his junior.

Her coral dress hugged her curves, leaving little to the imagination.

She was likely an Orange citizen. Together, they made an unusual pairing, their differences stark in both appearance and affiliation.

As Rain brushed past, the older man puffed out his chest in a territorial display, baring his teeth in a low snarl. Rain didn’t bother to rise to it. He simply smirked and continued toward the bar.

Elijah was working the tap. Rain’s gaze lingered on him—longer than he intended—drawn to the V of caramel skin revealed by the lowest-cut skinny jeans Rain had ever seen.

A loose, netted cropped tank draped over Elijah’s slender chest, covering almost nothing.

The tender must have felt the weight of Rain’s stare, because by the time Rain’s eyes reached his face, Elijah was already looking back.

Rain gave him a small nod, a hint of a smirk, signalling he was here for his usual.

Leaning against the bar, Rain extended his energy back toward the woman.

Public affection didn’t guarantee safety, and he wasn’t above stepping in if he sensed even a flicker of danger.

But her aura radiated nothing more than glazed contentment and the warm, seductive hum of a woman in love. Nothing concerning.

Satisfied, he withdrew before her emotions could bleed into his own.

Arousal was one of the hardest energies to shake once it took root.

The last thing he needed was to turn the club into a pleasure house with blurred lines and compromised consent.

A shiver crawled through him as old memories stirred, unwelcome visuals clawed at him, persistent, threatening to drag him backward.

He forced them away before they could take shape.

“Good to see you here tonight, handsome,” Elijah purred, pulling Rain from his thoughts.

He arched a suggestive eyebrow and traced a finger along his waistline as he nudged a rum on the rocks across the bar.

Desire radiated off him in warm, eager waves.

Rain felt the pull of it—felt his cock twitch at the invitation—but the mood simply wasn’t there.

“I’m only here for a quick drink tonight,” Rain replied, offering what he hoped passed as a regretful smile.

For a fleeting moment, the idea of dragging Elijah into the storeroom and having his way with him had crossed his mind.

But the truth was, he’d grown bored of the bartender’s attention.

Elijah was too eager, too available. The chase had evaporated, and with it, the thrill.

Their last hookup had been more interesting only because a coworker had joined in and she didn’t appear to be around tonight.

Elijah’s energy dipped with disappointment, though his face held a warm, practised smile before he sauntered away toward a stack of freshly washed glasses, hips swaying with deliberate seduction. Rain couldn’t help the amused curl of his lips.

He raised the glass and took a long swallow, letting the heat slide down his throat and loosen the tension in his muscles.

The bar was still relatively empty, though that would change at sundown.

The Black Hole was a haven for misfits from every kingdom.

It was a neutral ground where anonymity thrived.

Rain valued that anonymity. It allowed him to mingle without the weight of his heritage pressing on every interaction.

The dim lighting softened his distinctive features, and his all-black attire concealed any hint of Blue affiliation. Here, he could simply exist.

It had become his refuge, the place he escaped to when duty suffocated him. The palace guards—his father’s ever-watchful eyes—had no jurisdiction here. That alone made the place intoxicating.

A nervous stutter to his right pulled his attention across the bar.

At first glance, he was struck by the sight of a couple dressed head-to-toe in bright red sportswear that was bold, casual, and entirely out of place.

Most patrons wore their colours subtly, if at all.

But Reds were known for audacity… though the energy radiating from this pair suggested they were anything but bold.

They cowered before a giant of a man; regret etched across their faces. Compared to him, they were like insects—small, fragile, and painfully out of their depth.

Rain sighed inwardly. He had hoped to avoid trouble tonight, but he couldn’t sit back and watch disaster unfold.

He lowered his shields, letting his power sweep toward the threat.

The brute’s tension hit him immediately.

A thick, heavy fog of impatience swarmed him, revealing that the man was seconds away from snapping.

Rain drifted closer, their conversation sharpening as he approached.

The Reds were mumbling about recruiting for the upcoming parkour games—one of the many events created to unite the kingdoms after the treaties that formed the Grey Territory fifteen years ago.

Land had been surrendered by all eight kingdoms and placed under the governance of the Shadow Guard, forming a neutral zone for negotiations, trade, and celebration.

The games had begun as training for cadets before evolving into a unifying spectacle.

It had become a safe, exhilarating, and a rare opportunity for mingling across borders.

Rain had seen firsthand how much good it had done. The Grey Territory aligned with his own heretical belief: that they should be one people, not fractured into colours.

Parkour was the one sport he genuinely enjoyed.

After a lifetime caged within palace walls, he had taken every chance to scale the city’s heights.

Once, he’d even crossed paths with his national team during a late-night run and joined them briefly—until his powers ruined the experience, as they always did.

The brute slammed his pint onto the bar, beer bubbling over the rim. Rain seized the moment to intervene.

“Did somebody say parkour?” he called out, loud enough to cut through the tension.

He slid smoothly between the parties, leaning against the bar with casual confidence as he took a slow sip of his drink. Despite the relaxed posture, he locked eyes with the aggressor, letting a spark of challenge flare between them.

The large man raked a disgruntled gaze over Rain, sizing him up as he weighed his next move.

After a tense moment, he seemed to think better of it.

His jaw clenched, frustration rippling through his aura.

With gritted teeth, he snatched up his drink and stomped away, muttering under his breath.

Rain watched him until he disappeared into the crowd, then pivoted smoothly back toward the na?ve pair.

The young man’s expression shifted from shock to a bashful glow. Attraction rolled off him in warm, eager waves, making Rain hyper-aware that his channel was still open. He offered a flirty smile, and the man’s desire deepened, blooming like heat against Rain’s skin.

He hadn’t meant to keep his channel open but the inviting warmth was…

pleasant. Comforting, even. He took in the man’s soft, boyish features: tousled blonde curls, dreamy baby-blue eyes, a delicately plump pout that made him look almost angelic.

Rain couldn’t help imagining his fingers tangled in those curls, his tongue sliding between those sweet, parted lips.

His own tongue flicked across his lips as he leaned in, drawn toward the temptation.

Fuck.

He snapped back to himself, realising he’d been caught up in the man’s energy.

Reluctantly, he lifted his mental shields, severing the pull of lust. He cleared his throat and straightened, rubbing a finger and thumb over his bottom lip as if he could physically wipe the arousal away. The young man blinked, surprised by the sudden shift, his cheeks flushing a soft pink.

Those eyes will be the death of me, Rain thought, feeling his interest linger even without the emotional bleed.

The petite woman beside him finally interjected, making her presence known.

“Thanks,” she said, her narrow eyes sharp with suspicion as she studied him.

Unlike her friend’s soft, delicate features, she carried a poised, cutting beauty, with dark olive skin and long jet-black hair tied high in a sleek ponytail.

She nodded subtly toward the brute who had walked away. “For rescuing us from that guy.”

Rain gave a casual smile. “You seemed a little out of your league.” He lifted his glass in the direction the man had gone. The woman sighed, slumping against the bar.

“I don’t believe he’s your target audience.”

“And you are?” she shot back, sarcasm dripping as she narrowed her gaze. Rain suppressed a smile, impressed by her boldness. Though she had no idea who she was talking to.