Reign Check

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 they 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.”

The queen’s lips pursed. “Yes. An accident that only confirmed my feelings about Shadows and how unpredictable they are. I no longer allow Shadow servants in my castle. I see now that I shouldn’t have made an exception today, either.”

My legs felt weak and my stomach churned. “If you hadn’t made the exception, I would be dead. He saved my life!”

“He should feel very proud of himself, then.” She reached over and squeezed my hand reassuringly. “It shows him to be a very loyal servant. However, all Shadows, no matter where they reside, should be well aware of the rules. That he broke this rule to save you does not matter. All that matters is that it was broken.”

Why was she saying these things? How could I make her understand? “But, Your Majesty—”

“No, Nikki,” she said, cutting me off. “To quote a human expression you might be familiar with, servants are a dime a dozen. You will easily find another who suits your needs.”

“Isn’t there anything I can say to make you change your mind?” I asked, knowing I was beginning to sound like a broken record.

“No,” she said firmly.

“But that’s not fair.” My voice cracked. “How can you live in a place with so many stupid rules?”

Her brow furrowed. “My patience is wearing thin with you. My decision is final. You are a guest in my kingdom, and you’re now beginning to overstay your welcome. Perhaps in the human world the rules are more lax, but I assure you, the Underworld has run in perfect order since I became queen, and it’s because of these rules you find so distasteful.”

Anger flooded through me and power moved down into my hands, which began to glow red. “I’m not leaving here without Michael.”

I’d never felt more certain about anything. It wasn’t as if Michael had killed the hellhound because he didn’t like it or it had been standing in his way. He’d killed it to save my life. So what if he used his power for something like that?

And yeah, the human world had plenty of idiotic laws and rules, too, but at least if you were unjustly arrested for something, you could make a phone call and get a lawyer. You were presumed innocent until proven guilty no matter what the circumstances.

Here, there was none of that. Despite the squeaky clean white, silver, and gold veneer of the Underworld, a place that looked more like a high-rise luxury condo than a castle, I now saw the darkness just underneath the shiny surface.

During the council meeting, Queen Sephina had said she saw the world in shades of gray rather than stark black and white, but she’d been lying — either to me or to herself. There was no compromise here for anything, was there?

Kassandra said her mother had worried about me and my prophecy. Well, I’d make her worry. If she thought I was the Darkling who could destroy her kingdom and leave it in ashes, then I’d use that fear to get her to release Michael. I wasn’t leaving him here to be executed for saving my life. Not a chance in … well, hell.