by Мишель Роуэн
Chris Sanders.
Well, that figured, didn’t it?
“Somebody good?” Melinda asked with a grin. “No, don’t tell me. It’s supposed to be a secret.”
I had to buy Chris a present. There weren’t many things I could think of that were less awesome than that.
“Hey, Nikki!” I heard from across the hall. It was Rhys.
“Yeah?” I replied guardedly.
“Can I talk to you?”
“Uh, sure. Just a sec.”
Melinda leaned toward me and whispered, “Rhys is coming to the party tomorrow night, too. Isn’t that great?”
“Yeah. That’s … that’s great.”
“He accepted the invite just this morning.” She grinned. “I’m even being all tacky and putting up some mistletoe. It’s going to be great.”
“Nikki,” Rhys said again, less patiently.
“Sounds important,” Melinda said, not without humor. “Maybe he’s broken up with his boring girlfriend and wants you to set things up between him and me.”
The girl had a one-track mind. Did she ever think of anything more important than guys? “You never know.”
“I have to get to my dance lesson in twenty minutes,” she said, glancing at her watch. “I have another one tomorrow afternoon, but do you think you can come by my house at about five o’clock so you can help me with the decorations? I should be finished with ballet by then.”
I forced a smile. “I’ll be there.”
“See you later,” she said. And then her attention shifted. “See you at the party tomorrow, Rhys.”
“Bye, Melinda,” Rhys replied.
She walked away down the hall, and I could have sworn she was swinging her hips a bit more than usual. Melinda could have any guy she wanted, and she’d absolutely decided it was going to be Rhys. Fabulous.
“What do you want?” I asked Rhys, walking over to him. I didn’t even attempt to make it sound superfriendly.
“I’m going now.”
“Oh.” I tried to ignore the sudden pang I felt in my chest. The only one in the human world I could talk to about nonhuman subjects was leaving. “Going back to Faeryville already? Just like that? One week and you’ve got all the information you need?”
“No, not leaving completely. I’m going to see the oracle. Right now.”
Right now?
I’d pretty much given up all hope that Rhys would tell me when he was going. I’d asked him daily in class when he was seeing the dragon. He’d either changed the subject or ignored me entirely.
“Well?” he prompted after a moment. “Do you want to go with me or not?”
I stared at him. “I thought you didn’t want me to come along.”
“I don’t.”
“Then why would you do this?”
“Because if I ignore a chance to get to the bottom of your prophecy, I will have failed my people.”
Despite myself, I couldn’t help but smile. “Are all nonhuman guys so serious all the time?”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Michael …” Just saying his name made me miss him even more. It had been four long days since I’d last been with him, even though I’d imagined seeing him around the school a few times this week. “Well, he’s always serious. Not much with the joking around.”
“Michael is your Shadow servant?”
I flinched. “I guess you could call him that.”
He raised an eyebrow. “If you want a jester to amuse you and tell funny stories, I suggest you look to someone other than a Shadow for that. And other than me, for that matter.”
“That’s not what I’m saying. I mean, I’ve seen you smile and joke around a bit.”
“I used to be that way. But being king doesn’t leave me a lot of time for having fun. Not anymore.”
“So going to Melinda’s party tomorrow night is just … more stern and serious research?”
He smiled at that, and it struck me then how rarely he smiled. Like Michael, he was much better looking when he did. “Humans are interesting creatures to observe in social situations.”
I shook my head. “You so don’t sound sixteen.”
“And how does someone who’s sixteen sound?”
“Like me.” I grinned.
His smile widened. “I’ll have to remember that.”
Stop smiling, Nikki, I told myself. Rhys is not your friend. “So, uh, the oracle thing—”
“I have an appointment scheduled in an hour. Are you coming with me?”
I nodded. “I’m coming.”
“Then let’s go.”
No more questions, no more chitchat. It was time to get a second opinion about my prophecy. Maybe I could get it in writing, like a doctor’s note, to prove I wasn’t going to destroy anything or anyone anytime soon.
“How are we going to get there?” I asked.
“I have a car and chauffeur waiting out front.”
He was very organized.
“Thanks, Rhys. For … for taking me with you,” I said awkwardly.
He gave a slight shrug. “You’re welcome. Just don’t tell my advisers about this. I don’t think they’d understand my motivation.”
Was he breaking the rules by doing this? Rhys the rebel. Who knew? I felt a strange sense of gratitude toward the faery king for letting me tag along. Otherwise, I would have had to find another dragon, and they weren’t just listed in the Yellow Pages. Believe me, I’d already checked.
I followed him through the hallways to the front entrance of the school but I abruptly stopped walking when I saw somebody familiar.
“Mom?” I said with surprise. “What are you doing here?”
My mother, dressed in a knee-length white winter coat cinched at the waist, turned to look at me. There was a big smile on her face. She stroked her dark hair — a stark contrast to my blonde — away from her forehead and secured it behind her ears.
“Hi, honey,” she greeted me. “I wanted to surprise you and pick you up today. I was just about to call your cell phone to let you know I’m here.”
My attention moved from her to the person she’d been talking to. The one who’d put the superchipper grin on her face.
“Hi, Nikki.” Mr. Crane, my biology teacher, nodded in my direction.
My mom put her hand on Mr. Crane’s arm. “I’m so glad I came inside the school. I got a chance to meet Nathan.”
“Nathan?” I repeated.
She smiled and looked at the first-name-basis teacher in question. “He tells me you’re improving in his class. Maybe bring that C you got last year in biology up to at least a B?”
“Or better,” Mr. “Nathan” Crane said. “I think your daughter can do anything she sets her mind to. She’s very bright.”
I didn’t like the way he was looking at my mother. He was looking at her like she was a … a woman.
Admittedly, a lot of men looked at her that way. She was only thirty-four years old, which, she constantly reminded me, wasn’t that old at all. She dressed fashionably and she worked out regularly at the gym. At least he didn’t mistake us for sisters. It had happened more often than I’d like to admit.
“I thought we could head to the mall,” she said to me, “and maybe grab some dinner there?”
“I …” I looked at Rhys, who was keeping a low profile to my left. “I kind of already made plans.”
“Plans?” she said curiously. Her gaze shifted to the faery king for a moment and then moved closer to me as she lowered her voice. “Is that the boy you mentioned to me the other day? Michael? Are you dating him again?”
I forgot to breathe for a moment. Inhale, exhale — it was a lost concept for me. My temples started to itch. I concentrated on not letting my emotions get away from me in case there was a random horn appearance. Why had I told her about that? Had Rhys heard what she just said?
“Uh … no. This is … um, Rhys.” It sounded as strained as it felt.
“Oh, someone new. Very good. I firmly b
elieve the best way to mend a broken heart is to focus on someone new and wonderful.” She raised her voice above our conspiratorial whisper. “Nice to meet you, Rhys.”
“Likewise,” Rhys said.
No one else could know about me and Michael. I’d broken up with him to protect him, but if any rumors started, then his life would be in danger whether we were really together or not.
And I didn’t particularly appreciate Mom making it sound as if I were doing the same thing she always did: lose one guy and replace him immediately before she had a chance to feel unwanted. That was her problem — she couldn’t bear to be alone for long — not mine. Rhys most certainly wasn’t Michael’s replacement in my life. However, I couldn’t exactly explain that to her without telling her everything else as well.
“So, anyway, we’re out of here,” I tried to say calmly. “I’ll be home in a few hours, okay? Maybe we can do the mall thing another day.”
“Susan,” Mr. Crane said, “since it sounds like you’re free, perhaps you’d be interested in grabbing an early dinner with me?”
She turned to him. “That sounds wonderful.”
No, it did not sound wonderful. I felt the color draining from my face. My biology teacher was totally making a move on my mom. She’d been single — well, seeking a quick divorce from the last jerk, anyway — for only a week, and now somebody else was already asking her out? And true to her serial-dating record, she didn’t seem to mind at all.
“Nikki, we need to go now,” Rhys said.
“See you later, honey,” Mom said. “Have fun.”
Mr. Crane just gave me an awkward wave.
Without another word, I followed Rhys outside. There was a Lincoln Town Car waiting. The driver got out and opened the back door so we could get inside.
I couldn’t believe this. Mr. Crane was totally going to be Husband Number Five, wasn’t he? This was horrible.
Not that I didn’t like him okay for a teacher. But as a stepfather? I didn’t want a stepfather. I wanted my real father.
The whole situation made my head hurt, and a simmering headache wasn’t a good sign for proper Darkling management.
“So,” Rhys began as the car pulled onto the road toward our unknown destination. “Michael isn’t only your servant, he’s your boyfriend, too? You know that’s not allowed, right?”
That did it.
Stress coursed through me and I felt a popping sensation on the sides of my head.
“Oops.” I reached up to touch my short spiral horns.
Rhys scooted back from me on the seat. “Uh, I’d appreciate it if you don’t completely shift form in this car. It’s rented.”
I looked down at my hands. My talons glinted back at me. My eyes widened as I looked toward the chauffeur. Rhys followed my gaze.
“Don’t worry about him.”
“You put a glamour on us?”
“Something like that. He’s driving us where we need to go, but he won’t notice or remember anything out of the ordinary.”
“Well, that’s good,” I said uncertainly. “Weird, but good.”
“That sounds about right.” Rhys just stared at me.
“Is it only the horns?” I asked, pointing at my face.
“And your eyes are red and glowing. And your hair …”
I nervously twisted a talon through my currently flame-red locks. Well, at least my wings hadn’t unfurled. They might have broken through a window. Small blessing. I glanced at him. “You don’t have to be afraid of me, you know.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“You look petrified.”
“Do I?” He cleared his throat nervously.
“I’m not going to hurt you. I swear.”
He didn’t look convinced. “Let’s just say I didn’t expect this. Maybe I should have. I guess I got used to you looking completely human.”
I grimaced. “I’m totally demonic, right?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that exactly. I … I saw a demon up close once. He was allowed into the faery realm to deliver a message to my parents. You look different from him. The eyes are the same but your hair is different.” He tentatively reached forward to touch a lock of my red hair. “It’s so soft.”
“What did you expect?”
“Well, the demon I saw was completely bald. Shows off the horns better, maybe.” Still looking uncertain and a bit freaked out, he ran his index finger up over my left horn. I grabbed his hand and pushed him away from me.
“Sorry. I was curious.” Then he let out a short, nervous laugh, looking down at my taloned hand.
“I’ll change back in a sec. I just need to calm down a bit.”
“Think about, like, a bubbling brook,” he suggested. “Or a unicorn — the one you saw the day we first met. Those are pleasant, calming images.”
“I’m on it.” I closed my eyes and willed myself to de-stress. After a couple of minutes it started to work. I felt a pinch and then a moment of painful wooziness as the horns disappeared. I touched my head to make sure and was relieved to feel they were gone.
“You need to keep an eye on your emotions, huh?” Rhys asked.
“I’m told it gets easier.”
“It wasn’t as bad as I’d expected, actually. The demon I saw before was really scary and ugly. You’re … well, you’re not.”
“Not scary or ugly?”
“You’re not ugly. Still scary, though.”
True to what Rhys had said, even with such a strange conversation in the backseat, the chauffeur didn’t glance at us in the rearview mirror once. He was focused only on the road ahead.
I eyed Rhys warily. “I freaked you out?”
“A little,” he admitted after a moment. “But I also found it strangely interesting.”
“Glad I amuse you.”
He shook his head. “After observing you now for a whole week, I’m more confused than ever.”
“About what?”
“My advisers are positive you’re evil incarnate, based on centuries of rumors about Darklings and our current knowledge of demons in general. Demons are our enemies, after all. I was convinced of it myself from the moment we first met. But …” His brows drew together. “But, now I’m not so sure.”
The thought that Rhys wasn’t entirely convinced I was evil was a strange relief. I felt myself relax for the first time that day. Just a little.
“And that’s why we’re going to see this oracle of yours,” I said. “To prove it to you once and for all.”
“And to prove it to you as well. If you were certain there wasn’t any darkness inside you, I don’t think you would have needed this trip. You’d know in your heart that you could never destroy anything.”
I gritted my teeth, not liking that he seemed to know me so well, so quickly. “It’s complicated, I guess.”
“Just as complicated as you and Michael?”
I looked out the window as the road sped past us. “There is no me and Michael. Not anymore.”
“Because he’s your servant or because of the many rules and regulations your demon friends have against interspecies dating?”
“Because of lots of things.”
He was quiet for a moment. “Just remember, there are solid reasons behind all rules, especially the ones that govern beings like Shadows.”
I looked at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know. I’ve heard things — that Shadows can be dangerous, even more so than demons.”
Even though Michael had told me the other day that some demons were afraid of Shadows, I still didn’t believe it. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Then I’ll stop talking.”
“Good idea.”
I remembered leaving school with Michael on Monday. What was the last thing Rhys had said to me?
Just be careful with him.
Ridiculous.
I didn’t say anything else, and Rhys didn’t try to engage me in conversation. Shadows were dange
rous and demons feared them? Sure, they were. That’s why they were kept around as servants. It made zero sense.
A half hour later we reached our destination. The currently enchanted and, thankfully, oblivious chauffeur got out of the car and opened the back door.
“Wait for us here,” Rhys told him.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the chauffeur replied without any hesitation.
“Follow me,” Rhys said. “She’s expecting us.”
I had been so distracted by turning Darkling and by Rhys’s reaction that I’d completely forgotten about where we were headed. I hadn’t had enough time to mentally prepare myself for what was going to happen next — I was about to meet an actual dragon.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
I really hoped the sweater I was wearing wasn’t flammable.
10
“Come with me.”
I looked up with surprise. A woman stood before us holding a clipboard to her chest. She was probably around forty years old, with light brown hair in a short flippy-yet-professional style. She wore a green blouse, which looked designer and fit her slim frame perfectly, and gray dress pants. She turned and walked through a door at the end of a short hallway.
Rhys began to follow her, but I grabbed his arm.
“Where is she taking us?” I asked.
“Down the hall.”
“I see that, but … but is that where the dragon is?” I said under my breath. I was confused and Rhys was not exactly helping. I didn’t understand why the car had dropped us off at a doctor’s office. “Is there a secret passageway?”
He looked at me. “I find it charming how completely clueless you are.”
I glared at him. “Gee, thanks.”
“You’re very welcome. Now, just come on. And stop worrying so much.”
Easy for him to say.
Sticking close to Rhys, I forced myself to trail behind the woman as we went through a door. It led into a richly decorated room with a black leather couch across from a large black lacquered desk. On the wall were framed medical certificates.
One thing led me to believe that, despite all appearances, we were in the right place. Among folders and paperwork and a laptop computer, several small gold dragon sculptures sat on the desk.
The woman we followed moved to stand beside the desk near the gold dragons. She smiled and dipped her head toward Rhys.
