Reign Check

  My cheeks felt warm, despite the cold. “That’s not all you are to me.”

  His jaw tightened. “You know, I think it’s good you’ve moved on already. And so quickly, too. What is it? Five whole days? It’s amazing, really.”

  More sarcasm. It confirmed that he was incredibly mad at me.

  “I haven’t moved on,” I tried to explain. “Rhys is just … just …”

  He waited, dark eyebrows aloft. “Just what?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You like him.” It wasn’t a question.

  I rubbed my forehead, which had started to throb, warning me to remain calm. “He’s the only one here who knows about me. He knows what I’m going through. He makes me feel less … I don’t know. Less alone.”

  “I can understand that.” Michael nodded. “Plus, without him you wouldn’t have had a chance to see the dragon oracle yesterday.”

  “Right. Not that it did me any good.” I paused. “Hey, how did you know about that?”

  “I saw you leave the school yesterday with the faery king and overheard your plans. Magical cloaking and glamour tricks don’t work on Shadows like they do on humans.”

  A bolt of shock went through me. “You were there?”

  “Of course. With the prophecy looming over your head, I couldn’t just leave you without any protection at all. Especially with King Rhys nearby. I was deeply concerned he might try something.” He snorted. “Little did I know what he’d end up trying.”

  “You’ve been here?” I said again.

  “Yes. Some of the time, anyway.”

  It suddenly made sense. “I knew it. I saw you … or, I thought I saw you a few times this week out of the corner of my eye, but I just assumed it was my imagination.”

  “You saw me?” He seemed surprised.

  “I thought I did. But then when I looked closer, you weren’t there.”

  He touched his amulet. “I can stay hidden when I concentrate. It’s an ability I recently discovered. I can blend into the background of almost any room and become unnoticeable.”

  “Because you’re a Shadow?”

  He nodded. “I know I’m not very good at it yet, if you saw me when I didn’t want to be seen. I haven’t had much chance to practice.”

  So even when he wore his amulet, Michael still could take on the consistency of a shadow if he wanted to. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

  “Why didn’t you say anything to me?” I asked.

  “It was better for me to stay at a distance, ready to step in if necessary.” He shrugged. “It wasn’t ever necessary. But that’s how I knew you’d be at your friend Melinda’s tonight. When your father told me about the demon council’s request, I immediately knew where to find you.”

  My throat felt thick. I wanted to be angry at him for not letting me know he was nearby, but I couldn’t summon the emotion. Michael had been here all week, when I’d been missing him. After I’d had to end things between us, he still stuck by me to make sure I was safe, trying to blend into the background like any good servant would.

  The thought made me want to cry.

  “Here we are,” Michael said after another minute passed in silence. He’d found the swirling gateway near some garbage cans behind a variety store. We hadn’t needed to use the magic from my dragon’s tear to find it this time. Michael’s amulet pulsed with soft green light in the darkness.

  I touched his arm. “Thank you for watching out for me, Michael. Really.”

  He nodded but didn’t meet my eyes. “It’s my duty, Princess.”

  15

  “I’m going,” I said firmly.

  “No, Nikki, you’re not.”

  “Yes, I am.” I could do this for hours. It had already been about ten minutes since Michael and I had arrived at the castle, only to be met by my father’s very stubborn opinion that I shouldn’t do what Queen Sephina wanted me to do.

  “They can’t force this meeting,” he argued.

  “But if I don’t go, the queen will be mad.”

  “Then let her be mad.”

  “I won’t let her hurt you.”

  “Hurt me?” My father looked sharply at Michael. “What have you told my daughter about this?”

  Michael had his hands clasped behind his back. “Only the truth, Your Majesty.”

  His eyes flashed demon red. “I assign you one thing, to keep my daughter safe, and this is what you do? You convince her to go to the Underworld and put herself at risk?”

  “Queen Sephina has assured her safety,” Michael said, with no weakness in his voice at the reprimand. “The greater risk is if she doesn’t go.”

  “Greater risk to whom?”

  “To you, Your Majesty, and you know it.”

  My father looked shocked at that. “So this is what I get for allowing you so many freedoms here, more than the other servants? You’ve begun to think for yourself?”

  “I’ve always thought for myself,” Michael said. “I just rarely expressed it out loud before. I know you hate the council, but denying them this request will make them angry. All the queen wants to do is meet Princess Nikki in person. I think if she does, it will be obvious to her and everyone there that the prophecy is false.”

  “You think that, do you?” He looked at me. “And what do you think?”

  “I think Michael’s right,” I said as firmly as I could. “So you can argue with me all night or you can open up a gateway for us so I can go and get this over with.”

  My father’s expression shadowed as he paced over toward the huge fireplace, which blazed so brightly it was almost blinding in the otherwise dark room. It was the only thing about the cold, dark castle I’d found that had any warmth or personality to it. I didn’t like to think that my father had been stuck here, never being able to leave, since before I was even born. It was like being in prison.

  “I wish I could go with you,” he said finally.

  “Me, too.” It was so warm in the room that I peeled off my winter coat and draped it over the back of the nearest chair.

  His eyes rested on Michael for a second. “Please give my daughter and me a moment alone.”

  “Of course, Your Majesty,” Michael replied after a brief hesitation. With a last glance at me, he turned and left the room.

  “As you can see,” my father said after a moment, “despite what Michael is, I give him many freedoms here. He’s earned that much from me.”

  As usual, that made me bristle, ready to defend Michael. “Because he’s a servant?”

  “Yes, but also because he’s a … a Shadow.” He looked worried. “Other than visiting the human world recently, Michael has never left the Shadowlands. After his parents died, I promised to take care of him.”

  “You knew his parents?”

  He nodded. “I did. His mother and father died when he was less than a year old. It was shortly before I traveled to the human world and met your mother. My father didn’t approve of my taking a Shadow child under my protection, but he couldn’t change my mind.”

  “You were stubborn,” I said.

  His eyes caught mine, and there was an understanding there. He was just as stubborn as his daughter. “I suppose I was. But I knew what would happen if Michael stayed in the Underworld.”

  “What?”

  “He either would have been exterminated—”

  “Exterminated?” I yelped.

  “Shadows, especially males, are … regarded cautiously. There has been scattered evidence that they can pose a threat to demonkind if they choose to. Alternately, they are forced to become servants somewhere in the Underworld. If you think servants have a difficult life here, it is nothing compared to what I’ve witnessed elsewhere. Please believe me when I tell you it’s safer this way for him.”

  So he was saying Michael was lucky to be here. And maybe he was right.

  “Why would demons have Shadow servants if they’re dangerous?” I was still trying to make sense of what he’d said, coupled with what
Rhys and Michael had said, about Shadows.

  “Because Shadows can be specifically assigned through magic to a certain demon—much as I’ve done with you and Michael.” He sighed at the reminder of his unfortunate decision to pair me with a really hot eighteen-year-old guy with beautiful green eyes. “Most are highly obedient, very hard workers, and protective of their master. But other Shadows … well, others are different.”

  “Different how?”

  “Shadows are forbidden by law to use their abilities in front of demons. Most Shadows are completely unaware their own powers even exist, and it’s best it stays that way.” My father leaned against the edge of the large black table that still had the big crack through the middle of it from the last time I was here. Another thing we shared was our temper. “You told me Michael used his power to protect you just after you first met, correct?”

  I remembered being attacked by a demon with a big knife and Michael stopping him by throwing a burst of energy, green like the color of his amulet, at the murderous thug. The use of power had drained Michael, and it had taken him a while to recover.

  I just agreed, choosing not to mention Michael’s newfound ability to fade into the background if he wanted to.

  My father’s expression became more serious. “I wasn’t even aware he knew of his powers. I’d never mentioned them to him in case they might cause problems. Though he did it to protect you, it’s still against the rules.”

  “This place has a lot of stupid rules.”

  “I know.” He gave me a serious look. “Just … please keep an eye on him, Nikki. As much as I’m worried about you making this journey to appease the queen, I worry for Michael as well. He’s never met another of his kind before.”

  I nodded. “I’ll do my best to keep him away from any bad influences.”

  A slight smile moved across his expression. “You’ll protect both of us, will you?”

  “I’ll try.”

  He placed his hands on either side of my face before leaning over to kiss my forehead. A lump of emotion formed in my throat. I’d never had a real father before—one who made me feel like he cared what happened to me.

  “I don’t agree with your decision to meet with the queen at her whim, but I’ll respect your wishes this time, only because she’s promised you will come to no harm. Queen Sephina may be many things I don’t care for, but I know her to be truthful.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “You can call Michael back in here now,” he said.

  “Michael!” I yelled.

  My father actually laughed out loud at that. “No, not like that. With your telepathic bond.”

  “Oh, that.”

  Michael … are you there? I projected the thought, hoping he was close enough to hear me.

  ::Yes, Princess?:: It was always jarring to hear him in my head, but strangely reassuring at the same time.

  I have full approval to head to the Underworld.

  ::Good. And you and your father are finished discussing me again?:: There was a wry tone to the words.

  I would have smiled at that if I wasn’t still thinking about everything I’d just learned about Michael, and about Shadows in general.

  For now.

  ::Then I’ll be right there.::

  Shadow 101 class was over for the day. I didn’t like most of what my father had told me. He said a lot of things so casually, like there was nothing bizarre about the dark worlds and his own strange and archaic way of looking at certain things—like servants and freedom and adhering to rules. I’d never agree that anyone should be forced to be a servant, no matter who or what they were—it was just wrong. And forced to repress their powers? Kept from meeting more of their kind in case they would be influenced in any way?

  I preferred the idea that Michael should be in charge of his own life without anyone telling him what he could and couldn’t do.

  This was not the first time I’d been told Shadows were potentially dangerous. But as I turned it over in my mind, I realized that demons were also dangerous. So were faeries. And so were … humans. We were all in the same potentially perilous boat, weren’t we? I figured, as long as nobody decided to bash the other over the head with the oars, we’d be okay.

  Still, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy about it all. I’d seen Michael use his abilities, and, yes, he’d been very powerful. But I never would believe he could be dangerous to anyone who didn’t completely deserve it.

  Another minute went by before Michael entered the room. When he saw me, he smiled, and that guarded expression he’d had since seeing Rhys kiss me under the mistletoe lifted from his eyes. He had a really amazing smile.

  My heart skipped a beat.

  I’d admit it, I liked Rhys. Despite the evidence that I probably shouldn’t, I couldn’t help myself. But how I felt about the faery king paled in comparison to how I felt about Michael.

  On our official visit to the Underworld, Michael would be going as the Shadowlands’ princess’s personal servant. I knew better than to wear my “Freedom for Shadows” or my “Michael’s Sort-of Girlfriend” T-shirts. I didn’t know the demon council, but I did know they were not beings I wanted to mess with.

  I didn’t want to go. This wasn’t something I was looking forward to in any way, shape, or form. I was going because I was afraid of the consequences of not going. They would not only affect me but also my father and the entire Shadowlands kingdom—and in turn that affected the human and faery worlds. Talk about pressure.

  Duty called. I could handle it. I’d make a charming, wonderful impression on the council, and everyone would become good friends.

  It was possible. Not probable, but possible.

  And here I thought Melinda’s Christmas party was the toughest thing I’d have to get through today. Wrong. So very wrong.

  My father squeezed my hand in his, then released me. He waved his arm at the wall, I felt a wave of power waft over me, and a moment later a gateway appeared five feet from us, much like the one he’d opened to send Kieran back home.

  “You can still change your mind,” he said to me. “You don’t have to go.”

  Before I took another step, I considered that. I could leave now. Head back to Melinda’s party, to my seminormal life, and try to mend things with my best friend. I still had to figure out what to do about the fact she was probably, if not definitely, in training to become a demon slayer. That was important.

  But I’d have to deal with it another day.

  “We’ll be back as soon as possible,” I said.

  Then I summoned up enough courage—pushing past the dread that crept up inside me and wrapped itself around my throat like an ill-fitting turtleneck—to walk through the gateway. It did help to know Michael was right behind me as the vortex swept us away from my father’s castle and into the very heart of the Underworld.

  16

  Based on my limited experience with the Shadowlands—gray stormy skies; scary black castle; sharp, rocky ground beneath my feet; and cold, dry winds—I’d expected an even more desolate wasteland for the Underworld. But I’d been wrong.

  The Underworld looked like a city. A big one, with paved streets and tall chrome-and-glass skyscrapers looming all around me. I could barely see the skies above where the gateway let me and Michael off on a long, pale sidewalk, but what little I could see appeared to be reassuringly blue.

  “You’re getting stronger, Princess,” Michael commented.

  “Oh?” I looked at him before realizing I had his arm in a death grip. I released him. “Sorry.”

  He smiled. “It’s okay. It’s my first time here, too, at least that I can remember. So it is a bit strange, isn’t it?”

  “That’s an understatement,” I said.

  Again, that smile of his was totally distracting. I found myself very quickly lost in it, forgetting for a moment that we’d just entered a completely different world. But I was jolted out of my daze when he suddenly pushed me back a few feet behind him.

 
“What are you—?” I began, when I turned to see what had prompted him to block me.

  A blonde woman now stood in front of us. An unfortunately familiar blonde woman.

  “I was asked to wait here for your arrival,” my aunt Elizabeth said. “Welcome to the Underworld, Nikki.”

  The fear and surprise caused pain to sweep through me, and I knew my horns had formed because of the burning, tingling sensation on either side of my head. I clenched my fists and felt the sharp talons dig into my skin. A small, unconscious hiss slipped through my rapidly sharpening teeth at the sight of the woman who’d nearly succeeded in murdering me and my father only last week.

  “What are you doing here?” Michael growled.

  Elizabeth’s eyebrows went up as if surprised by our visceral reaction to her. “Prince Kieran sent me to fetch you both and lead you to the castle. Otherwise, would you be able to find your way without a guide? I don’t think you have a map.”

  “Why would he send you?”

  “Because no one else was available.”

  Michael shook his head. “I don’t like this, Princess. We’re leaving. Sending Elizabeth after what happened is a show of major disrespect to you and King Desmond.”

  Elizabeth’s lips curled. “So protective, Shadow. It’s good that you’re doing your job, but you have nothing to fear from me. Despite our rather … unpleasant … history.”

  “You tried to kill me,” I said tightly, when I finally found my voice.

  “And I was soundly punished for it,” she replied. “My brother will never allow me to return to the Shadowlands. I accept my banishment and I’m doing what I can to make amends. I want you to know how deeply I regret what transpired last week.” She reached out a hand toward me.

  Michael placed himself in front of me. “Don’t come any closer.”

  “But I wanted to demonstrate that you have nothing to fear from me. The banishment makes it impossible for me even to touch my niece now.”

  Michael’s lean muscles were tense as he held me back, but we didn’t move as Elizabeth reached her well-manicured hand out toward me. When she was about six inches away, I heard a zapping sound, similar to what happened if I inadvertently touched Michael’s amulet. She yanked her hand back and shook it out, pain crossing her beautiful face.