Reign Check

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 believe 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.