by Мишель Роуэн
I would try not to think about my father. I would try to forget about Michael.
But I knew there was only one way for me to truly forget. One way for me to truly be normal.
I had to drink the potion.
I picked up the small bottle from the table next to my discarded makeup and stared at it for a moment.
Another quick glance at the mirror reflected a girl holding a small innocuous-looking bottle, her hazel, black-rimmed eyes shiny with tears, as she contemplated forever wiping away the memory that she was a demon princess.
Drink it.
My gaze narrowed at my reflection. I'll drink it later.
I slipped the bottle into my purse and headed out to the limo.
Chapter 13
Chris wore a tuxedo that looked tailor-made for him. Since his family was wealthy, it probably had been. Honestly, the guy was absolutely gorgeous.
Perfect hair, perfect face, perfect body. He smiled when he saw me-a perfect smile.
"Wow," he said. "Nikki, you look amazing."
"Thanks." I gave him a weak smile. It wasn't his fault that, despite his perfection, I wasn't head-over-heels in love with him. But I wouldn't tell him tonight. In the end, it wouldn't matter anyway. He'd have no problem finding somebody else who would be beyond thrilled to date him.
But who knew? When I took the potion I might feel about Chris like I had before.
After I forgot about Michael.
I swallowed past the big lump in my throat as I remembered kissing him last night. Qood night, not good'bye.
I wished I could have seen him again. So much.
Chris led me out to the limo where Melinda was waiting with her date, a college freshman named Stephen whose full attention was currently on his BlackBerry. Melinda, as expected, looked absolutely stunning in a full-length red dress fit for a potential Winter Queen.
"When can we leave this thing?" Stephen asked, tucking the BlackBerry into his inner jacket pocket. He wasn't as good-looking as Chris. In fact, I thought he resembled a thin-faced rat. I had absolutely no idea what Melinda saw in him. "There's a big party at my frat house tonight."
Melinda sighed. "Does no one except me want to go to the dance tonight?"
"I do," Chris said quickly.
Stephen snorted. "Maybe Nikki and I should hang out and leave you two to your lame dance." I grimaced. Well, that was unlikely.
I stared out the limo window for the rest of the short ride and tried to remain calm, cool, and collected. The limo came to a stop in front of the high school and it was a blur getting out. Chris took my hand in his and pulled me along behind him through the crowd of people milling around outside. They parted like the Red Sea to let us through. It was seriously surreal.
I was surrounded by hundreds of happy, excited people and I'd never felt so alone.
The rest of the Royal Party bounded toward us with their dates-all of them Chris's friends-trailing behind as if attached by invisible wires.
"Melinda, you look gorgeous!"
"Your hair. . it's fabulous!"
"You are so going to be Winter Queen!"
Melinda turned to me and rolled her eyes so only I could see it. That made me smile a little.
"Let's get inside," Chris said. "It's freezing out here." Funny. I hadn't even noticed.
I wasn't wearing a jacket. Mom had wanted me to, but it was only a short walk from the limo to the inside of the school, and besides, no one else was wearing a coat. Call me stubborn.
I wondered if that was another trait I shared with my father.
Inside, the decorating committee had done a fantastic job of turning the gym into a magical place. They'd spared no expense. At my last school in San Diego, before Mom married Robert and I had to transfer to Erin Heights, dances hadn't been such a big deal, but here they were the ultimate event. And they treated it that way, both the students and the teachers. When this one was over they'd immediately start planning the next one, trying to outdo what they'd done tonight.
That would be difficult. All my troubles were momentarily swept away as the flickering lights that sprinkled across the dance floor washed over me. The walls had been covered in dark blue fabric. The ceiling hung with streamers that sparkled as the light caught them. There were tables all around the edges of the dance floor, draped in shimmering cloth. Even the chairs were covered with ribbons and drapery to hide their utilitarian outsides. The deejay had set up to the left side of the stage where the Winter King and Queen would be crowned. To the far right was a long buffet table holding hors d'oeuvres, pastries, bottles of water, and a big bowl of red fruit punch.
Everyone in attendance looked stunning. It was like they'd spent hours getting ready, which was-according to how empty the school had been that afternoon before I left-probably an accurate assessment.
Each table had an ornate centerpiece of flowers, paper snowflakes, and balloons. It sounded tacky, but somehow it managed to look elegant. The balloons were white and silver and bore the imprint "Winter Magic."
It did feel magical.
But I still didn't want to be there.
I absently touched my dragon's tear bracelet, twisting it around and around.
I'd stay for an hour and then I'd make my excuses to leave. When I got home I'd drink the potion. I'd decided once and for all.
Melinda came to my side and reached down to squeeze my hand. She wore a big smile. "I won't forget this, Nikki. Thank you for coming. I'm so glad you moved to Erin Heights."
I laughed a little. "You're just saying that because I saved you from choking."
She shook her head. "See. . that was fate. If that hadn't happened I might never have gotten to know you." She frowned. "Well, also I'd probably be dead. But I just feel like I can trust you. That you'd tell me anything."
"Well…"
She raised her eyebrows. "What?" "If I am being perfectly honest…" "Yes?"
"I think your new boyfriend is a jerk." She sighed. "I think you might be right about that." "No, actually, I know I am. He's hitting on Larissa right now."
She turned her head to see Stephen with his hand braced against the wall behind the brunette in question-the same one who'd spent all afternoon with Melinda getting gorgeous. Larissa looked up at Stephen as if he was a movie star. He tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. She giggled.
"Well, that's unfortunate," Melinda said out loud. "Sorry."
She gave a small shrug. "Don't be. Guys are a dime a dozen, but real friends are way harder to find."
"You sound like a Hallmark card."
"My parents want me to be a doctor, but that's what I'm really going to do after high school. Be a writer for greeting cards." Her smile faded and she sighed shakily. "Things are difficult for me right now, Nikki. Nobody knows. Maybe that's why I want tonight to be as perfect as possible. It might be my last chance to be completely normal."
I looked at her intently. I guess we really did have more in common than I thought. After all, I'm sure I was the least normal person in the entire room.
Possibly the entire world. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head. "I can't talk about it."
"I'm having some issues, too." To say the least. "With Chris?"
I glanced over in his direction. Chris was laughing with one of his friends. "No, it doesn't have anything to do with him."
She raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you tell me yours, I might tell you mine."
Melinda looked so open, so curious, and hopeful that I'd share my big secret, that right then and there I decided to tell her. I'd only known her for a couple of months, but if anyone might be able to help me deal with my problems, it just might be her. I trusted her. It would be a huge weight off my shoulders if I could share it with somebody.
"Well. .," I said, looking around our immediate surroundings to make sure no one was listening in. "I just found out I'm a half-demon princess."
Then I clamped my mouth shut. It sounded just as crazy as it did in my head, and the look
on her face-sort of a stunned confusion as if that was the last thing she ever expected me to say-was enough to make me wish I hadn't said anything at all. Was it too late to take it back?
I cleared my throat nervously and tried to grin at her. "I'm kidding, of course."
Thankfully, that brought a smile to her face again. "Well, it's good that you're kidding because I just found out that I'm a demon slayer, so I'd probably have to kill you." She went quiet for a moment. "I'm kidding, too, of course."
"Funny." I forced a laugh.
Although, I didn't think it was that funny. In fact, the idea that she was even remotely serious made me feel sick to my stomach.
I tried to put it out of my mind. After all, Melinda sure didn't look like somebody who might spend her spare time slaying demons.
Then again, at the moment I didn't look all that royally demonic.
A half hour later, Melinda was crowned "Winter Queen. No big surprise there. The surprise was that Chris was crowned Winter King-despite my previous mega crush on him, I didn't even know he was up for the title. After the announcement, he wore the crown, tipped with little plastic snowflakes, proudly.
"I'm king," he kept saying.
"Congrats."
"We can leave now, if you want. We'll get the limo to swing by your house. I get the feeling that you're not having much fun."
I was a terrible actress. Despite wanting to forget about Michael and about everything else, I was failing horribly. My problems hadn't left my mind for a moment.
The fact that Chris had noticed and didn't want to force me to stay any longer earned him significant bonus points. I'd go home and try to contact Michael one last time. But after that. . drinking the potion was my only option.
Fate. It was all about fate.
"Thanks," I said to Chris.
"Let's go."
I said good-bye to Melinda and some of the other members of the Royal Party. Then Chris took my hand and led me across the dance floor and out of the gym completely. After a moment we were back outside in the cold air. Was it this cold when we'd arrived? It had to be below zero out there. The sky was dark and clear and I could see the constellations overhead that Mom always pointed out to me when I was a little girl, although now I knew that she'd been making most of them up.
The limo was parked to the side of the parking lot near * a long fence, but the driver was nowhere to be seen.
"We'll wait inside until he gets back," Chris suggested.
I wrapped my bare arms around myself and rubbed them to try to warm up. Chris opened the back door and disappeared inside. After a moment, I joined him. Once I was in, he reached over and pulled the door closed behind me.
Yes, it was much warmer in there. But dark. I could see out, but I knew the tinted glass meant that no one could see in. It was silent and peaceful and I could finally think clearly away from the loud, throbbing music in the gym.
Chris patted the seat next to him. "Come and sit next to me. You look frozen."
I sighed, but moved over to him. Getting closer to him helped warm me immediately.
"Lame dance, right?" he said.
I shook my head. "The dance was great. I. . I'm just not feeling up to it tonight." "Why not?"
I pressed back in the seat. "I've been dealing with some problems this week." "Like what?"
"Like"-I hesitated-"like, I found out that my father is dying."
"Oh, my God, Nikki. That's terrible."
And then I started to cry. Just like that. One moment I wasn't and then the next moment I was. Great big fat tears slipped down my cheeks and I covered my face with my hands.
Chris touched my shoulder and then pulled me toward him in a comforting hug against his chest. I leaned into him and hugged him back, letting it out while he held me.
"Nikki," he murmured against my hair. "It's okay."
I shook my head. No, it wasn't okay. My father was going to die. I'd just met him and now he was going to be gone and I couldn't believe how much I was going to miss him.
Chris drew me even closer to him. I could feel the thud of his heart through his tuxedo shirt.
"It's okay," he continued to say for a few minutes, holding me. And then, "Oh, Nikki, you are so damn hot in that dress."
I frowned and pulled away a little, my vision blurry from the tears. "What did you say?" "You like me, right?" "Of course I like you-" "Good." He kissed me.
I braced my hands against his chest and managed to pull back a little. "Chris, I think I need to go."
"I thought you said you liked me."
"I do, but this isn't right. I want to leave. I can call my mom for a ride."
"You liked it when I kissed you yesterday."
I sighed. He was right. I did like it. But a lot of things had changed since yesterday.
"I'm sorry," I said. "This has nothing to do with you. You're a great guy, really, but… I don't know. I just need to be alone right now."
"You're alone," he said. "With me."
"That's not exactly what I meant."
His eyes were heavy lidded, his lips moist. I could now smell alcohol on his breath even though I hadn't seen him drink anything. He wasn't looking in my eyes, his gaze was sliding down to my chest.
"Come on," he said. "You, me, a limo. This is the chance we've been waiting for to get to know each other a little better."
I couldn't even talk anymore because his noodle lips were on me again. This time, if possible, even harder than before. He pushed his tongue into my mouth and I felt like gagging. In fact, I think I did. I pushed at his chest, but the guy was strong.
His hands were everywhere then, and he pushed me down on the seats so he was on top of me, his body weight easily holding me down. I started to panic. I knew what he wanted to do. Something I hadn't done before and was frankly in no hurry to start. Not with him. And not like this.
"No! Chris, get off of me!"
He frowned, seeming not to understand why I was getting mad. "I know you want me," he growled. "Melinda told me you have a crush on me. That's why I asked you out. Don't try to play hard to get now. You like me and I like you. What's the problem?"
He mashed his mouth against mine again.
Panic gave way to fear.
"Stop it!" I beat at his chest. He grabbed my wrists and held them down on either side of my head.
Had no one ever said no to Chris before? Was he so used to getting what he wanted, because he was popular and handsome and rich, that now he didn't get it when I said no?
I'd thought he was so nice.
But there was nothing nice about him at the moment. It was a surprise, a shock, and a total disappointment.
Those are all the things I would have been feeling if I hadn't been so scared.
"I thought you wanted to be popular." There was a gleam in his eyes then. A sick satisfaction at having me sprawled out under him, helpless, in the back of a limo, no less. "I want you to be my girlfriend. It's a total honor, in case you didn't know. Now don't screw it up. This is going to happen. You can have a good time or a bad time, but it's going to happen."
He kissed me again, hard.
My fear suddenly shifted to anger-a hot line of fury that welled up inside of me just waiting to erupt. My head screamed out in pain.
I bit his bottom lip. He snarled and backed up, raising his hand as if to slap me.
But he stopped.
His expression changed from lust and amusement to something else. Fear.
I could tell because of the bright red light shining on his face.
The red light from my glowing demon eyes.
Chapter 14
As odd as it sounds, I could smell Chris's fear as it radiated off him in waves. It smelled sweet, like melting ice cream.
"A good time or a bad time, huh?" I sat up and out of the corners of my eyes I could see the big, black wings stretch out behind me. I liked how my voice sounded. Deeper, drier, and extremely scary. "I think I choose a bad time-for you."
The
blast of light from my energy ball exploded a limo door right off its hinges and Chris was launched out after it, landing hard on his back on the pavement of the parking lot.
I got out of the limo easily as strength and power filled every inch of my body. It was dark, but I could see perfectly. The outlines of objects were sharp and defined. I looked down at the black talons protruding from the tips of my fingers. I ran my tongue along my fangs. I didn't need a mirror to tell me that I looked positively demonic. A Darkling. A furious, black-winged, spiral-horned, red-haired monster in a borrowed backless Versace dress and silver strappy heels.
The cold didn't bother me at all anymore.
The glow from my eyes tracked over to where Chris lay on the ground. He shook his head as he looked at me with wide eyes, then crawled backward, crablike, to get away.
"N-no, p-please," he stuttered. "P-please don't hurt me."
"Exactly what part of 'no' didn't you understand?" I asked, seething with anger.
He whimpered.
I was disappointed in him. So horribly disappointed. He was supposed to be perfect-good-looking, popular, a nice guy all around. He wasn't the right person for me, I already knew that. But this? I hadn't expected this from the guy I'd been crushing on for two months.
"Wh-what are you?" he stammered.
I cocked my head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"You're a monster."
I cringed. The last thing I needed was him to tell anybody about this. "You're drunk, Chris. Maybe somebody slipped you something stronger than alcohol.
You're obviously imagining things."
"I… I am?"
"That's right." I glared down at him. "And when you wake up tomorrow you'll realize this was all just a drunken hallucination." I hesitated. "But remember this. . never come near me again. I don't think that'll be much of a problem for you, will it? But listen to me very closely. I know you're used to getting what you want, but if I ever hear that you've tried to hurt anyone else?" I bared my fangs and watched the fear flood his expression. "You will be very, very sorry.
Do you understand me?"
