Reign Check

by Michelle Rowen

  Her eyes widened with appreciation. “It’s gorgeous.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Can I have it?”

  I looked at her. “What?”

  “I have lots of jewelry,” she said. “I could trade you for something else. Anything you want.”

  “Uh … I don’t really think so.”

  She frowned as if confused by my refusal. “But I want it.”

  I shrugged. “Sorry.”

  Rolling the crystal between my thumb and index finger, I felt the cold weight of it. I didn’t like how the crystal had been obtained, and I didn’t like that my father was the one who slayed the dragon in the first place, but I wasn’t planning on trading it to anyone.

  She twirled her hair. “In school, in dragon studies, we learned about their tears. Dragons can teleport from place to place and between worlds no problem, they always have. So it’s rumored that their one and only tear—a solid piece of their life magic—gives the wearer the ability to do the same.”

  I hadn’t known that. “You think having this means I can teleport wherever I want?”

  “I think so. Cool, right? I’d love to be able to do that.” Her gaze slid back down to my wrist.

  ::Princess, please say nothing else,:: Michael’s voice warned in my head. ::I don’t like the way she’s looking at your bracelet.::

  But she can’t have it.

  ::Remember what Elizabeth said about Kassandra when we first arrived? What Kassandra wants, Kassandra gets.::

  She’s not that bad. She’ll just have to take no for an answer for once.

  Even though she was a bit of a spoiled brat, I kind of liked Kassandra. She’d been helpful and friendly and was full of information. But I was better safe than sorry. A lot of girls seemed superfriendly on the surface, but when it came to something they wanted, they were different. Kind of like Larissa. And she wasn’t even a real demon underneath it all, like Kassandra was.

  The doors opened on the lobby and we got out of the elevator.

  “You don’t have to leave right away,” Kassandra said, finally tearing her eyes from my bracelet. “We can hang out for a while first.”

  “We really should be leaving,” Michael said.

  Kassandra looked at him sharply. “I wasn’t speaking to you, Shadow.”

  I flinched as I did whenever anyone treated Michael like he was a lesser being. I’d promised myself I’d be on my best behavior, but it was on the tip of my tongue to defend him.

  “Kassandra,” I began. “Michael’s—”

  ::No, Princess. Say nothing. Let’s just leave.::

  I bit my lip.

  “Michael’s right,” I said instead. “I’m kind of tired, and it’s actually, like, late at night back home, so … can I take a rain check?”

  Her expression soured and her eyes again darted briefly to my wrist. She couldn’t get the bracelet and she couldn’t get me to stay. It must have been a shock for someone used to getting anything they wanted. “Whatever.”

  Maybe I wouldn’t be best friends with the only other demon princess I’d met, but I wouldn’t let her suddenly sullen attitude bother me. I’d met with the council, and other than finding them mostly unpleasant—although Beasley was nice enough for a six-foot-tall talking cockroach—I thought it went okay.

  Now I wanted very much to go home. I looked at Michael, and he met my gaze and held it. He’d been so amazing this whole time—despite our shaky start after the “mistletoe incident.” I didn’t think I could have done this without him. I felt it deeper now than ever before—there was more between us, something superstrong that couldn’t just be pushed aside and forgotten about, no matter what the rules were or who made them.

  If somebody on the demon council could push back against all the stupid rules Groden came up with, maybe he or she would change things. Make them better.

  Maybe I could try to get on the demon council someday.

  I’d never even wanted to run for student council before. I turned the channel when politics of any kind came on television. But here I was thinking about it for myself?

  Sure. Why not?

  Pondering this bizarre but somewhat hopeful thought, I approached the exit of the Underworld castle.

  Suddenly, Michael stopped walking and spun around on his heels. I turned my head to see what had grabbed his attention and froze with fear.

  It was the hellhound. It had entered the lobby again. However, the hellhound wasn’t approaching me slowly and ominously like last time. It was racing fast across the lobby, drool flying from its snarling mouth and sharp fangs, its red eyes locked solely on me.

  “No, Fernando! What are you doing?” Kassandra shouted, and I couldn’t mistake the panicky sound to her voice.

  As the hellhound got closer, my power fell away in one weakening whoosh. There was nothing at my fingertips to protect myself, not even a spark of energy. My bracelet felt dead and cold on my wrist. I couldn’t have turned Darkling at the moment if my life depended on it.

  And it did.

  The hellhound wanted to kill me. I’d never been more sure about anything before in my life.

  “Michael!” I turned so fast to run that my legs got tangled up and I fell hard to the ground, smacking the side of my head on the cold marble floor. I scrambled backward, trying to escape.

  “Princess!” Michael yelled.

  The monster launched itself at me, flying through the air.

  A pulse of green light emanated from Michael’s amulet and focused directly on the beast, surrounding and freezing it in mid-pounce, its talons only inches away from slicing deep into my throat. It was then knocked hard to the side, where it fell to the ground, sliding across the lobby floor before hitting the wall. It didn’t move again.

  The hellhound was unconscious. Or dead. I didn’t know.

  Michael dropped heavily to his knees and I crawled over to him.

  “Princess, are you okay?” he asked. His amulet and his eyes had lost their color, just as they had the last time he used his power—they were gray now instead of green. It was like he used up an entire battery charge for one of those powerful pulses of energy.

  “Oh my God, Michael …” I was breathing hard and trembling, my heart beating so fast I could feel it through my entire body. “You saved me.”

  “Are you surprised?” He managed a weak grin. I grabbed his hands and they felt very cold.

  I looked over at the fallen hellhound. “I think you killed it.”

  “Good,” he said grimly.

  “I guess Shadows don’t have their powers drained by hellhounds like demons do.”

  “Lucky for us.”

  “Yeah.”

  A glance at Kassandra showed her holding a hand over her mouth in shock, her eyes wide at what she’d just witnessed.

  Then an alarm began to blare.

  I stroked Michael’s dark hair off his forehead. “Are you okay? Are you going to pass out?”

  “I don’t think so.” His skin had turned pale and ashen. “I just need a couple minutes to recover.”

  “Take as long as you need.”

  There was the sound of footsteps then, and several men approached us—some in human form, some in demon. They wore uniforms, black with gold details. I figured they were some kind of guards. They looked at me and Michael, then at the still hellhound, and then at Kassandra.

  “What happened here?” one guard asked.

  “Fernando, my brother’s hellhound, attacked Princess Nikki. But … but her … her Shadow servant stopped him.” Kassandra hesitated. “I … I witnessed him use his power.”

  You’re a hero, I told Michael telepathically. My hero. Now let’s get out of here.

  He looked worried as the guards got nearer. ::I have a feeling that’s going to be a problem.::

  What?

  ::Let Kassandra take you back to the gateway. Go back to your father.::

  What are you talking about? You’re coming with me, aren’t you?

  He didn’t
answer me. The next moment the guards grabbed Michael firmly by his arms, yanked him to his feet, and dragged him forcibly across the floor toward the elevator.

  I ran after them. “Where are you taking him?”

  “To the dungeon,” a guard replied without looking at me.

  “The dungeon? But why are you—?”

  Before I could demand any other answers, the silver elevator doors closed between us. I was in shock. I placed a shaking hand on the cold silver door before turning around to look at Kassandra.

  “I’m sorry, Nikki,” she said. “I know he was your servant.”

  My eyes burned. “Why are they taking Michael to the dungeon? He didn’t do anything wrong. He saved my life!”

  “Yes, but …” She pulled on her hair nervously. “He’s a Shadow. They aren’t allowed to use their powers at all, and especially not in front of demon royalty like us.”

  “Are you crazy? If he hadn’t, the hellhound would have killed me.”

  “I know. But what he did is against the rules. The reason he did it doesn’t matter. My mother’s enforcing all rules to the letter these days, especially after … after—”

  “After what?”

  “After what happened to the king and queen of the faery realm. My mother won’t let something like that ever happen again. Especially not here in the castle.”

  “But that doesn’t make sense. A demon killed them.”

  “No.” Kassandra shook her head. “They were killed by a Shadow.”

  19

  A Shadow killed Rhys’s parents? That revelation knocked the breath out of me. I couldn’t even speak for a moment.

  “Why would a Shadow do something like that?” I finally asked.

  Kassandra tore her attention away from the body of the hellhound. “I honestly don’t know.”

  “Rhys … ,” I began. “King Rhys … he told me it was a demon who killed his parents.”

  “Then he hasn’t been told the truth—not yet, anyway. Maybe his advisers assumed it was a demon.”

  “And this Shadow—”

  “Jonas,” she said quietly, as if afraid someone might overhear. “His name is Jonas. I’ve heard the guards talking.”

  “Why would he kill Rhys’s mother and father?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve heard it was simply to show how powerful he was. How dangerous. And a warning that Shadows shouldn’t be kept as servants. Crazy, right?”

  The last part didn’t sound crazy to me, but the rest of it did. “And he’s in the dungeon right now?”

  “Yes. The strangest thing was, he didn’t even resist when the guards tried to capture him. He went quietly. He killed the faery king and queen and just stood there waiting to be arrested. He’s being watched very carefully. The castle’s security has been in an uproar ever since it happened. I know they were already nervous about the possibility of your bringing your servant here, but they couldn’t do anything about it.”

  “Michael’s nothing like this … Jonas,” I said, tears welling up in my eyes. “He’d never kill anyone.”

  “He killed Fernando.” She flinched at my look, then shrugged. “I know. It sucks, but your Shadow broke the rules. The guards are just following protocol set up by my mother.”

  I looked at the elevator door again, concern for Michael sweeping through me. “So what am I supposed to do now?”

  Kassandra approached the fallen hellhound and patted him gently on his side. “Poor boy. He was normally really well behaved. I mean, sure, hellhounds are completely vicious by nature, but they rarely attack unless ordered. I don’t know why he would have done that. Kieran’s going to be very upset. Fernando was his favorite pet.”

  “Kassandra.” I tried to get her attention. “What should I do?”

  She stood up and brushed off her hands. “I don’t know. What do you want to do? Go home? Or we can still hang out for a while. I can take you on a tour of the castle.”

  “I … uh, no. I mean, about Michael. How do I get him released?”

  She looked at me blankly. “He’s been arrested for using his power in front of us. The guards have taken him down to the dungeon.”

  “I understand that. But there has to be a way around it. He saved my life.”

  She crossed her arms and studied me. “And that was really brave, but it doesn’t change anything. He’s gone now. There are plenty of servants to choose from, anyway, so don’t worry about it.” She was quiet for a moment. “Hey, are you thirsty? We could grab something to drink.”

  “I’m not thirsty. I want to get Michael out of the dungeon.” I could barely control the anger that simmered just under the surface of my skin. How could she be so calm and matter-of-fact about this? I felt my Darkling power finally return, crackling down my arms. “I don’t think you understand what I’m saying. I don’t want to drink anything. I don’t want a tour of the castle. I want to get Michael. He’s being imprisoned for saving my life. Funny how I don’t think he deserves being thrown in the dungeon.”

  “But that’s just the way it is.”

  “I don’t care!” I raised my voice, and she looked surprised at my outburst. “I need to see the queen right now.”

  Kassandra blinked. “She doesn’t usually get involved with this sort of thing.”

  I was either going to burst into tears or go into a rage. I hadn’t decided yet. But the fury I was feeling coursed through my body, and I felt myself start to change into my Darkling form again—this time under my own power, so it didn’t hurt as much.

  Her eyes grew large with alarm. “What are you doing?”

  “Have you heard about the prophecy?” I asked her. “The one that says I just might be the one that will bring about the destruction of pretty much everything and everyone?”

  She swallowed. “I thought you said there might be another Darkling it applies to.”

  I fisted my hands at my sides. “Maybe I was wrong. Let me just put it this way: if I don’t see your mother very, very soon, I can’t be held responsible for what I might do.”

  She stared at me for a long moment before a smile spread across her face. “Oh, this is so awesome. She’s totally going to freak. Sure. Follow me.”

  As Kassandra approached the elevator, it opened up again and we got in. My wings brushed against the side of the door. Had my sweater not already been ripped, it would be now. I was glad I had left my winter coat back in the Shadowlands.

  Kassandra scanned me from horns to toes. “So a Darkling looks half demon and half human, huh?”

  “Probably because that’s exactly what I am.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “When my mother found out you existed, I’d never seen her so worried about anything before. It’s as if she’s expected a major issue like this to happen for a while. And you’re it.”

  I could use that. As much as I didn’t like the idea that people were afraid of me before they’d gotten to know me, if I could use it to save Michael, then it would totally be worth it.

  The doors opened after a minute, but it wasn’t the council room where we’d just been. It was a large, luxurious loft apartment. Several demons in white uniforms, much different from the guards, wandered around dusting and vacuuming and carrying trays. Queen Sephina was sitting on a long white sofa reading a piece of parchment. She looked up at us with surprise as we entered the room.

  “Kassandra … Princess Nikki …” Her gaze swept over my Darkling form. “I thought you’d already left.”

  “Mother,” Kassandra began, “something bad happened downstairs.”

  “What?”

  “Fernando. He … he attacked Nikki.”

  Queen Sephina placed the parchment on the seat next to her and stood up. “Oh my. Are you all right, child? Are you injured?”

  “I’m fine,” I said.

  “That is a relief to hear.” She shook her head. “I never should have allowed Kieran to bring that beast into the castle. Hellhounds make horrible pets—one never knows when the
y might turn on their keeper or anyone else. Please, Princess Nikki, accept my sincere apologies for any stress this may have caused you. There’s no excuse for an ill-trained hellhound.”

  “Her … her Shadow servant saved her,” Kassandra said.

  Queen Sephina’s eyebrows went up. “Is that so?”

  “Yes.” I blinked as I tried my very best to be patient. My eyes burned but I wouldn’t let myself cry in front of this woman. I was certain she’d consider it a sign of weakness.

  “He used his power to save her,” Kassandra said. “It triggered the alarm, and the guards came and took him to the dungeon.”

  “Oh, I see.” Sephina pursed her lips. “I’m very sorry to hear that. But he should have known better.” She shook her head. “Thank you for telling me. And Nikki, again, my apologies for any distress you’ve been caused.”

  “I want Michael released,” I said simply.

  She tilted her head to the side. “Excuse me?”

  “Release Michael. My … my servant.” I cringed as I said the word aloud, but that was what they labeled him. “He doesn’t deserve to be thrown in the dungeon for saving my life.”

  See? I could sound calm, cool, and collected. I was stating the facts. No threats or hissy fits would be necessary to get what I wanted. Queen Sephina would see reason. She had to.

  “I’m sorry, but that’s not possible,” she said. “He broke a very specific and important rule about Shadows. The penalty for this is death.”

  Death?

  Panic ripped through me. If I wasn’t already in Darkling form, I would have shifted in no time flat. Adrenaline coursed through my body.

  “No.” My voice was strained. “There has to be another way.”

  She absently picked a piece of lint off the sleeve of her embroidered robe. “I understand that, to an outsider, rules like this one may seem harsh. But they’re in place to protect the precious existences of all demonkind, especially the royals who call this castle home. We can’t have our safety disrupted by any Shadow who would yield his power without permission. Especially after what happened the last time.”

  “Last time,” I said. “With the king and queen of the faery realm.”