Reign Check (8 page)

“That’s not a good excuse.”

He folded his hands in front of him. “Shadows are servants,” he said firmly.

“I get that.”

“No, I don’t think you do. I don’t think you
get that
at all, in fact.” His jaw tightened. “It was very dangerous to say what you did in front of Kieran.”

“What did I say?”

“About Michael being your friend and not your servant.”

“He is my friend.”

“Maybe so. But … how do I put this so you’ll understand? Kieran and the inhabitants of the dark worlds in general will not understand this manner of thinking. I know that our ways are different from yours, Nikki. But humans also have servants.”

“Not ones that serve against their will.”

“Michael isn’t being imprisoned here against his will.”

“No, but he doesn’t exactly have much of a choice, does he?” When he didn’t answer that, I continued. “Are you trying to tell me I’m not allowed to be his friend? Because then I think we have a problem.”

“Yes, it’s clear to me we have a problem.” My father stood up from the table so quickly and suddenly that his chair squeaked backward. The sound made me jump. I hadn’t realized how tense I was. He paced to the fireplace, and when he came back I realized something. My father was angry, but trying very hard to control it.

“What?” I asked, now uncertain.

“It’s against the rules, Nikki.”

“What is?”

“I assigned Michael specifically as your servant because I thought you’d feel more comfortable with him. He’s the only servant here who’s around your age.” He rubbed his forehead. “I wasn’t thinking. It was foolish of me, I see that now.”

“I don’t understand.”

“That’s the problem, but unfortunately not one that can be solved today.” He let out a strained breath. “I think you should go home now. Try to forget about the prophecy. Try to have a normal life. Take care of your mother and keep her safe.”

I stood up. “My mother should know about this, you know. About
you
. She has a right.”

His expression darkened. “No, Nikki.”

“No?” I’d gone from uncertain to frustrated to angry in no time flat. “Just like that? No discussion necessary?”

“That’s right.”

“She isn’t with anyone right now, you know. She broke up with the last guy because he was a jerk. And I also saw him hit her once.”

His eyes flashed red at that particular mental image. “Nikki …”

“She keeps meeting these creeps and hopes they’ll be the right guy for her, but it never works out. I know she still thinks of you. She was madly in love with you once, and I’m positive she still feels that way, even after everything that happened. And I think that you—”

“Nikki, stop!” He slammed his fist down on the table so hard that I heard a loud crack as it splintered down the middle.

I jumped back, and regarded him with wide eyes. He’d been so quiet, harboring more of a simmering anger, that I hadn’t realized it had grown to destructive levels—but, he was a demon, wasn’t he? I feared for a moment that he was furious with me, that I’d crossed some invisible line, said too much, pushed him too hard. I’d been upset and wanted to lash out.

So I lashed out at a really sore spot for him. Obviously I’d hit the mark.

“Let me try to put this in terms you’ll understand,” he said, his voice already quiet and controlled again. He blinked and his eyes returned to their usual hazel shade which matched my own. “What happened with your mother and myself was a mistake.”

I flinched.

He shook his head. “No, not because of you. Back then, I was young and foolish and willing to break the rules I’d grown up with simply out of rebellion. Because I hated my father and wanted to prove that he had no control over me. I was fully aware that I was forbidden to fall in love with a human. I just didn’t know what the consequences would be.”

I knew this already. “You had to come back here and take the throne. You were told my mom was dead so you never tried to contact her again.”

He waved a hand. “Yes, but that wasn’t the penalty for breaking the law. I didn’t realize it at the time, but being with Susan and ignoring the very strict and specific rules of the dark worlds meant that I was putting your mother’s life at risk.”

“Her life?”

“Yes. She never knew what I really was, and that was in her best interest. If she found out I was a demon, if I told her then or now out of some selfish need to be with her, she would be in grave peril. The most common punishment for breaking a law like this is death. Since I am royal, I might be pardoned. But your mother is not royal, and she would certainly be punished—the council would see to it.”

“They’d kill her?” It was barely a whisper.

“Yes.” His expression was stony.

This was why he didn’t want her to know about him. Because he was afraid she’d get hurt.

“But you’re king here,” I breathed. “Can’t you do something? Can’t you change things?”

“I am king, but the Shadowlands are only a small part of the dark worlds. They serve one solitary purpose—maintaining the barrier. In fact, my title holds very little weight with the council. Perhaps if I were to become more lax in my duties and let those who wish to pass through to the faery and human worlds at will, like Kieran, have their way, then my opinion might be more valued. But I know I can’t do that. My sense of duty makes me an outsider to them. I have no doubt that if they learned I had told your mother everything and drawn her into a world she never knew existed, I would be signing her death warrant. And I will never do that.”

I was trying to process everything. Make sense of it. Trying to find another answer. There had to be one, right?

“You need to know, Nikki,” he continued, “that the decisions I make regarding your mother, as well as those I make about Michael, are not to hurt them but to protect them. Even when those decisions may seem harsh or difficult to understand.” He looked at me very intensely. “You are my daughter. And even though I only had the privilege of meeting you very recently, I know you will make the right decisions. I don’t think you’d ever put anyone you care about at great risk if you knew you could protect them.”

He was being purposely vague, I thought, but there was no mistaking his meaning. Just by liking Michael as more than a servant, I was putting his life at risk because of the laws in the dark worlds.

Indignation rose inside me but quickly settled into a strange, sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“It’s not fair,” I said quietly.

“I know.”

The next moment, Michael entered the room carrying a metal tray with a pitcher and two silver goblets on it.

“Thank you, Michael,” my father said. “But I think it’s time for you to take my daughter back to the gateway so she can return to her normal life.”

Michael put the tray down on the table. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Then my father looked at me, his eyes, so similar to mine, holding a shadow of the pain he felt inside. That he’d felt for nearly seventeen years since he’d been forced to leave my mother without a word of explanation. “I’ll send Michael to you when I have more news from the Underworld.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

“And please, Nikki, remember what I said.”

“I will.”

“Try not to worry about the prophecy. I don’t believe you’re capable of anything like that. There has to be another explanation, and I assure you I’ll find it.”

He said it with such conviction, such belief, I couldn’t feel anything but grateful to him. He was in a difficult position as king of the desolate and disrespected Shadowlands, someone who’d had to make tough decisions and sacrifices all his life. I wished I’d known him longer, instead of thinking my real father was some kind of jerk who’d simply abandoned my mother and never looked back. He’d quickly become one of the most important people in my life.

With a last glance at him standing in the meeting room all alone, I left with Michael and descended the massive staircase. My brain was working overtime and it ached—not because my horns were about to appear but from all the information I’d had to take in.

Rhys had been right. There was a prophecy about me. I felt bad about accusing him of being a big fat liar.

My father thought it wasn’t true, but he had doubts. Could it be true? Was I capable of destroying everyone? What did that even mean?

I could barely crush a soda can when I was done with it, let alone anything bigger.

Then again, I hadn’t tried to crush any cans since I came into my Darkling powers. I was willing to bet I could crush a lot more than that now.

I nervously twisted my bracelet as Michael led me outside. He’d been giving me concerned looks ever since we’d left my father.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said.

I laughed suddenly at that, and it came out a bit hysterical. “You think?”

He nodded. “Yes. Don’t give the prophecy another thought.”

“I’ll try my hardest.”

He took a step closer to me when we reached the swirling gateway. “Although, if you need to destroy anything, I think you should start with Kieran.”

“Are you kidding?”

“Half kidding.” He smiled, but it faded when I didn’t return it. He reached down to take my hand. His skin felt warm against mine.

“You’re really worried about this,” he said.

“It’s not just the prophecy.” I looked at him. “It’s the servant thing, too. My father made you a promise, and now he’s backing out of it.”

He sighed. “Don’t worry about me, Princess. I’m used to how things are here. Your father actually does treat me very well. Your attitude, your ability to see things as they could be, is so amazing to me. It’s made me think, just maybe, things could be different some day.”

I looked at the ground but felt his hand come under my chin, tilting my head back so I could look into his green eyes. Then he leaned toward me and brushed his lips against mine. When he moved back, he looked a bit confused. I hadn’t kissed him back. I guessed there was a first time for everything.

I tried to find the words, but they escaped me. How could I tell him that I couldn’t be his girlfriend? Not that I didn’t want to be, not that it was because I cared what his social status was. No, because I didn’t want him to get hurt because of me.

“Michael,” I began, and my voice cracked.

And just like that, he
knew
. I could see it in his eyes.

He blinked hard. “I think I understand why your father wanted me to go get drinks. Did he talk some sense into you? Remind you of what I am?”

“He reminded me of the rules.”

“The rules that you didn’t care about only an hour ago? The rules that you thought were stupid?”

“They
are
stupid. This whole place is stupid. But …” My throat felt thick. “But that doesn’t mean we can break them. Not if we don’t want to get in trouble. Do you know what the penalty is?”

“Yes.” He said it with such certainty that it surprised me. “Of course I know. It’s the penalty for breaking just about any major rule in the dark worlds. And they’re even more strict when it’s a Shadow that breaks the rules.” He smiled, but there was no humor there. “Some demons are afraid of Shadows.”

“Afraid? Why?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. But I’m sure it’s why the rule that forbids Shadows and demons … or demon
princesses
… from being together exists in the first place.”

“Why? To protect the
demon
?” It didn’t make any sense to me.

“That’s what I’ve heard from some of the other demon servants. But I’ve never met any more of my kind to get the real story.” His lips thinned. “I guess Shadows tend to break a lot of rules. Gives demons an excuse to get rid of us one by one so there’s no risk at all, right?”

“Don’t say that.”

“But it’s true.” He exhaled. “It’s fine, Princess. Honestly. But I guess I thought …” He shook his head, his expression tight. “It doesn’t matter now. You’re making the right decision, of course. Go home. It’s where you belong. I won’t bother you until your father sends me to you again, I promise.”

He didn’t sound angry or upset or even sad about this. He sounded accepting and matter-of-fact, as if he’d been expecting me to break up with him for a while. It made my heart ache.

He turned away.

“Michael …” I grabbed his hands and pulled him closer to me so I could look deeply into his eyes.

His face was tense. It betrayed the major emotions he was trying to hide.

“This is stupid,” I said. “I know it is.”

“I agree completely.” His green eyes were stormy now. “I wish there was another way, but I won’t risk your safety, especially with Kieran poking around in everyone’s business right now.”

I almost laughed at that. He wouldn’t risk
my
safety? And here I was doing this because I didn’t want
him
to get hurt.

“Kiss me,” I said.

“One more time before we go back to being only princess and servant?”