Reign Check

  The queen’s lips pursed. “Yes. An accident that only confirmed my feelings about Shadows and how unpredictable they are. I no longer allow Shadow servants in my castle. I see now that I shouldn’t have made an exception today, either.”

  My legs felt weak and my stomach churned. “If you hadn’t made the exception, I would be dead. He saved my life!”

  “He should feel very proud of himself, then.” She reached over and squeezed my hand reassuringly. “It shows him to be a very loyal servant. However, all Shadows, no matter where they reside, should be well aware of the rules. That he broke this rule to save you does not matter. All that matters is that it was broken.”

  Why was she saying these things? How could I make her understand? “But, Your Majesty—”

  “No, Nikki,” she said, cutting me off. “To quote a human expression you might be familiar with, servants are a dime a dozen. You will easily find another who suits your needs.”

  “Isn’t there anything I can say to make you change your mind?” I asked, knowing I was beginning to sound like a broken record.

  “No,” she said firmly.

  “But that’s not fair.” My voice cracked. “How can you live in a place with so many stupid rules?”

  Her brow furrowed. “My patience is wearing thin with you. My decision is final. You are a guest in my kingdom, and you’re now beginning to overstay your welcome. Perhaps in the human world the rules are more lax, but I assure you, the Underworld has run in perfect order since I became queen, and it’s because of these rules you find so distasteful.”

  Anger flooded through me and power moved down into my hands, which began to glow red. “I’m not leaving here without Michael.”

  I’d never felt more certain about anything. It wasn’t as if Michael had killed the hellhound because he didn’t like it or it had been standing in his way. He’d killed it to save my life. So what if he used his power for something like that?

  And yeah, the human world had plenty of idiotic laws and rules, too, but at least if you were unjustly arrested for something, you could make a phone call and get a lawyer. You were presumed innocent until proven guilty no matter what the circumstances.

  Here, there was none of that. Despite the squeaky clean white, silver, and gold veneer of the Underworld, a place that looked more like a high-rise luxury condo than a castle, I now saw the darkness just underneath the shiny surface.

  During the council meeting, Queen Sephina had said she saw the world in shades of gray rather than stark black and white, but she’d been lying—either to me or to herself. There was no compromise here for anything, was there?

  Kassandra said her mother had worried about me and my prophecy. Well, I’d make her worry. If she thought I was the Darkling who could destroy her kingdom and leave it in ashes, then I’d use that fear to get her to release Michael. I wasn’t leaving him here to be executed for saving my life. Not a chance in … well, hell.

  Queen Sephina’s gaze moved to my glowing hand. “And what, precisely, do you intend to do right now?”

  “Whatever I have to,” I said flatly.

  “Your father won’t be pleased that you’ve made such a fuss here today. This was supposed to be a pleasant meeting.”

  “A pleasant meeting? Demanding that I show up and be grilled by you and your friends?”

  “I’m sorry you feel that way.” But she didn’t look sorry. She looked annoyed.

  “I never should have come. I wanted to let you see that I’m nice and not somebody you have to worry about. But maybe I was wrong about that. Maybe you should worry.”

  She studied me for a long moment. “Kassandra, dear, what shall I do about your new friend? She’s very headstrong—a great deal like her father, in fact. However, I’ve never seen anyone get so distraught about the fate of a servant. She looks positively ready to explode.”

  “You’re right. It is a bit strange.” Kassandra watched our discussion with a look that was either troubled or excited. I wasn’t sure which.

  “I’d prefer not to explode,” I said, and a swirling red and orange energy ball began to form in the palm of my right hand. Maybe I’d bust a lamp or two to show I was serious. “But whatever does the trick. I’m not afraid of you.”

  “You should be.” Queen Sephina eyed my show of power and then smiled thinly at me. “Enough of this nonsense, child.”

  She waved a hand at me, and every ounce of my power and strength disappeared in the blink of an eye. I lost my Darkling form and stumbled forward, bracing myself on the edge of the white sofa so I wouldn’t fall.

  “What—?” I managed, gasping for breath. It was one thing to change back with my own power, but to have my power forcibly yanked away from me was much more painful.

  Queen Sephina shook her head. “Are all humans this rude and disrespectful? You may be powerful, but this is my castle, my kingdom, and I hold dominion here. Please don’t forget that again, or you’ll be very sorry.”

  I looked down at my hands. They were normal human hands. No talons, no glowing power. I looked up at Queen Sephina. She must have seen something in my eyes because her expression softened and she patted my face.

  “This Michael is just a servant, child, and a Shadow one at that. His life is meaningless. Now go home. I’m sure this will all seem much better tomorrow.”

  She picked up the parchment. A quick glimpse told me it contained the rules Groden had been jotting down during the meeting today. More proposed rules for her to approve or deny to help the Underworld run in perfect order. Unbelievable.

  Without another word, the queen turned from us and went into an adjoining room.

  I felt an arm come around my shoulders, and Kassandra led me toward the elevator. I felt numb and defeated.

  Michael, I sent out telepathically. Are you okay? Please answer me.

  But there was no reply. We must have been out of range.

  “My mother can be a serious pain,” Kassandra said. “People say I’m just like her, but I don’t believe it for a minute.”

  “I need to go,” I said. “I need to talk to my father.”

  He’d be able to do something about this. As king, he could demand Michael’s release.

  Or would he? He also stuck very closely to the rules. He may have been a stubborn, dragon-slaying rebel at one time, but he was different now. He’d let Michael slide the last time he’d broken this particular rule, but would he do it again? Maybe he’d use this as an opportunity to get rid of him once and for all.

  I shuddered at the thought.

  “I don’t get you,” Kassandra said, frowning. “I’ve never seen anybody so concerned about the fate of a servant before. It’s almost as if you …” She blinked and her brow furrowed. “It’s as if you … you really like him.” Her voice hushed. “You like him as more than just a servant, don’t you?”

  Uh-oh. More broken rules coming my way.

  “No, of course not,” I said quickly.

  “You do. I can’t believe I didn’t realize it before. But he’s a Shadow. It’s against the rules.”

  My mouth felt dry. Kassandra studied me soundlessly, apparently stunned at her successful mental investigation into my social life.

  The elevator door opened in front of me, and I stepped inside. Kassandra made a move to get on with me.

  “No,” I said as firmly as I could. “Stay here. Please. I’ll see myself out.”

  I half-expected her to call for security and have me arrested as well. She didn’t. A moment later the doors closed between us and I felt myself begin to move downward.

  20

  Unfortunately, the elevator didn’t stop at the lobby level. It came—or rather, lurched—to a stop at the same floor the council meeting had been on. The room seemed empty now.

  I hissed out a breath of frustration and looked around the elevator for buttons or something to make the doors close again. No buttons. No numbers. How were these things controlled? By royal command?

  Finally, I got out.
Maybe there was a gazer I could use to contact somebody to help me. Demonic technical assistance.

  The moment I got off the elevator, I heard a deep voice.

  “Sorry to divert you from your course, but I wanted the chance to speak to you. In private.”

  Prince Kieran casually leaned against a support beam to my left, by the small statue of his mother. A quick glance behind me confirmed the elevator doors had closed.

  Dread engulfed me. “You stopped the elevator here?”

  “I did.”

  I guessed I was right about the “royal command” thing. “What do you want?”

  “Your servant killed my hellhound.”

  “Your hellhound almost killed me.”

  He flinched. “That was an unfortunate mistake. Elizabeth was supposed to be watching him, but she was distracted and Fernando got away from her.”

  “Elizabeth?” I said, my stomach sinking. “Oh, well, that explains everything. You both want me dead, don’t you?”

  “Let’s not be overly dramatic, Princess. Anything that happened between you and your aunt in the past is just that. The past.”

  “The past?” I repeated. “It was a week ago.”

  “Ancient history.” He smiled. “Besides, that regrettable incident had nothing to do with me.”

  “You’re such a liar!” I blurted out before I could stop myself. “You were in on it. You wanted Elizabeth to kill my father, too. Don’t even try to deny it.”

  “You have no proof of any such allegation. And saying these things in my castle is very disrespectful.”

  “Your mother’s castle, you mean,” I corrected.

  His neutral expression slipped a little to show something much less pleasant. “I am the prince here.”

  “I swear, if you try to hurt me, my father will tear your head off.”

  The cool, handsome exterior was again back in place. “My mother promised King Desmond your complete safety during this visit.”

  “Then let me leave.” Being stuck here with Kieran of all people made me more nervous than I already was.

  “But I haven’t gotten to my point yet.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Then get to your point.”

  “I have the strangest feeling that you don’t like me very much, Nikki.”

  I just glared at him. “Still waiting for that point.”

  “Very well.” His gaze moved down to my wrist. “I want your dragon’s tear.”

  I automatically slapped a hand over the bracelet and took a step back from him. “Forget it.”

  “You have no idea what you have there. It’s wasted on your simple half-human mind. If you give it to me, freely, then the power will be mine.”

  “Give it to you freely?”

  “Yes.” His smile held. “A dragon’s tear must be handed on to its next owner freely for its power to properly transfer. It cannot be stolen, because then its magic will become dormant. Your father gave it freely to you, and now I want you to give it freely to me.”

  “So you can do what with it?”

  “I want to be able to travel among worlds with ease.”

  I inhaled sharply. “And why would you want to do that?”

  “Just because.”

  No, not just because. I’d seen Kieran’s eyes light up when Beasley mentioned the possibility of secret gateways during the meeting. He’d wanted Elizabeth to take over the throne of the Shadowlands so he could be given permission to travel to the human and faery worlds whenever he wanted.

  “I don’t know you very well, Kieran, but I get the feeling that you’re not happy being only a prince.”

  “Whatever do you mean?” he asked innocently.

  “Maybe you think you’re stuck here, while your mother is the queen of the Underworld and your father is the king of Hell. What does that leave you? Endless days of plotting and planning, while they’re the ones with all the power. Not to mention, now you’re stuck putting up with Elizabeth all the time.”

  “Elizabeth is a growing nuisance,” he said grimly. “Your father not only punished her with banishment to the Underworld, but he punished me as well.”

  “I think, and this is just a guess, that you want my bracelet so you can go to the human world and take over. So you can be, like, the king there.” It sounded ludicrous as my jumbled thought turned into words, but Kieran’s expression of surprise only confirmed it as the truth.

  “Is that what you think?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  “And would that be so bad?” he countered. “The human world is in disrepair. They fight among themselves and have for millennia, with their separate countries and policies. They have been slowly and steadily destroying their precious resources—the water, the air, the wildlife. Their world is dying a little more every year. They need someone like me to help make things right again.”

  I laughed. Despite everything, I couldn’t help myself. “Prince Kieran, the savior of humankind.”

  His eyes flashed red. “Don’t mock me.”

  “So, okay, you go to the human world and you become the king. What if anyone opposes this idea?”

  “I will exterminate them,” he said simply.

  I stifled a gasp of shock. “I want to leave now.”

  “And you’ll give me your bracelet?”

  I looked at him as if he was crazy. Pretty sure he was. “Uh, no. So not going to happen.”

  He was silent for a moment. “And what about your Shadow?”

  “What about him?”

  “He will be executed. It normally takes a few months before the punishment is administered to one imprisoned in the Underworld dungeon. This is much more time than it would take if he was placed in one of Hell’s dungeons—they’re more efficient in dealing with prisoners there. However, I will make sure your Shadow has only hours left here.”

  My skin felt cold and clammy. “You can’t do that.”

  “No?” He raised a black eyebrow. “I listened in on your conversation with Kassandra and my mother just now through a one-way gazer. You’re desperate to find a way to have your … Michael … released, and yet no one will help you. But I can help you, Nikki. I have something you want and you have something I want. We can make a trade.”

  Trade my bracelet for Michael’s freedom?

  The dragon’s tear had helped me locate a gateway to the Shadowlands the other day. It helped me change and maintain my form as well as focus my power and strength when I concentrated on it. Kassandra thought it could do much more than that. Was it really possible for the bearer of the bracelet to easily teleport from world to world?

  If so, it would give Kieran exactly what he was looking for—a chance to travel to the human world as simply as stepping into another room. All without being forced to ask my father for permission to travel beyond the Shadowlands.

  Michael was in the dungeon right now, out of my telepathic range. Was he scared? Angry? Did he think I’d already left him behind? Did he know that he had only hours to live unless I could find a way to release him?

  I twisted the bracelet, feeling the cool crystal tear beneath my fingertips. It never seemed to warm to my body temperature just by wearing it—it grew hot only when it was used.

  Had my father slayed this dragon in self-defense? Or had he gone out in search of a dragon to kill for the sport of it? It made a big difference to me. I didn’t like the idea that he’d hunt down a magical, immortal creature just to end up with a small crystallized piece of power that could ultimately fall into the wrong hands.

  Kieran tapped his foot as he impatiently waited for my reply. The sound of his hard-soled black boots echoed off the smooth floor and metallic walls.

  “Is there something else, anything else, I can trade for Michael’s freedom?” I asked quietly.

  “No,” he said without hesitation.

  I felt the sting of tears because I knew then I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t give Kieran the bracelet. It was a horrible realization, but I felt the heavy truth in it.
r />   If I gave him the bracelet, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that many humans would die because of that decision. If I didn’t give him the bracelet, only one person would have to die.

  I wanted to be selfish and hand over the piece of jewelry, but I knew I couldn’t. Kieran could never have it.

  I’m so sorry, Michael.

  Kieran must have seen the answer in my tear-filled eyes because he shook his head. “Wrong decision, Princess.”

  “But what if I—”

  I couldn’t even finish the sentence. Kieran grabbed my throat and slammed me into the support beam behind me. It knocked my breath away.

  “You’re making a grave mistake. Even if I can’t have your bracelet, I’ll still find a way to enter the human world. Now that I know there are concealed gateways, I need only to locate them. It may take a bit longer than I’d hoped, but I’ll find them. So you see, not handing over that dragon’s tear is ultimately a futile, meaningless act. You could get something that you want right now. I guess your Shadow doesn’t mean as much to you as I thought he did.”

  “Let go … of … me,” I managed, clawing at his hand, but it didn’t make a difference. He held me up effortlessly, off the ground, to show me just how strong he was.

  At least until I sliced my newly formed talons into his arm, drawing blood so dark it looked black—demon blood. He yelped out in pain and released me. I fell to the ground, choking and sputtering, but forced myself up as quickly as I could, my hands clenched, ready for a fight.

  “You’re the one who heard the prophecy about me first, right?” I said. “Aren’t you afraid it’s true?”

  “Oh, please.” Kieran grabbed the front of my sweater tightly. “You think you’re that important, little girl? You’re not.”

  I hadn’t expected that reaction. “What?”

  “The palace’s dragon oracle won’t let me get close enough to kill him and procure myself one of those precious tears you have, but his family is still vulnerable. He was willing to do whatever he had to in order to protect them, even manufacture a false prophecy and shield it from other nosy oracles.”

  “So the prophecy was a lie. I knew it.”

  He shrugged. “It could easily be true. The last Darkling was a dangerous creature that nearly fulfilled a prophecy much like this one. But you’re not so tough, are you?” He shoved me hard and I went flying backward, hitting the beam again. I think I lost consciousness for a minute. I wasn’t sure. The world alternately darkened and sparkled all around me as I gulped mouthfuls of oxygen.