end.
Jonas rematerialized in front of Michael. His eyes now burned bright green and a smile spread across his face. “Do you see?”
Michael nodded, his jaw tight. “Yes, I see.”
“Join me. We can change the worlds.”
Michael’s gaze moved to the dead guard. “Did my father do that as well? Drain demons and faeries for their energy?”
“Your father …,” Jonas said, and sighed. “His friendship with a demon prince prevented him from taking the necessary steps that would have made a difference to us all. That friendship ultimately led to his death. I won’t make the same mistake, and neither should you.”
Was he talking about my father? He’d mentioned that he knew Michael’s parents, but were they friends, too? Was that why he felt the responsibility of looking after Michael all these years?
Had my father been protecting Michael from other demons? Or from the chance he’d meet another Shadow like Jonas?
When Michael didn’t answer right away, Jonas reached past him and grabbed me. I tried to pull away, but there was nothing to pull away from. He had no substance. He could grasp me, but I couldn’t fight against him in return.
“You’re only half demon,” he said, cocking his head to the side. “I wonder what you’d taste like.”
“Let go of her!” Michael demanded.
“I heard what she said before. She’d give you away as if you were no better than an inanimate object. Why would you care about someone like that?”
Michael’s eyes flicked to me. I could see the pain and doubt there.
“Michael—,” I began.
But I couldn’t finish what I was trying to say. Jonas had turned to shadow form again, and as he swirled around me, I started to feel the strangest draining sensation. He was absorbing my energy, the same as he’d done to the guard.
It had killed the guard.
I fought hard against it. I focused on my dragon’s tear bracelet to help give me extra strength, and it began to work. The draining stopped, but only for a moment. Then it started again, worse than before. Jonas was very strong. He’d done this many times before, hadn’t he? And not just to Rhys’s parents and the guard.
It didn’t hurt. Despite my fear and panic, it felt only like I was growing more and more tired. All I wanted to do was close my eyes and go to sleep.
Kassandra held a hand to her mouth as she watched with horror.
Again I thought of my mom. And my dad. And Michael and Melinda … and an image of Rhys flitted through my mind as well. So much for promising him I’d be careful. I was going to die the same way his mom and dad had.
Out of my narrowed vision I watched Michael take off his amulet and throw it to the side, his attention focused on me and the dark tornado that now surrounded my body. He looked uncertain for a moment, but his brow creased as if he was concentrating very hard on something. The next moment he darkened to a formless black shadow that sank to the floor and moved rapidly toward me.
“Excellent,” Jonas said. “You’re a natural at this, my prince.”
“Thank you for showing me what we can do,” Michael replied. “All of these years I had no idea.”
Had Michael decided to join Jonas? They could so easily drain demons of their energy, and I couldn’t see any way to fight back other than using my bracelet to prolong the inevitable.
No, Michael wouldn’t do that. He
Wouldn’t do what? Choose to be a prince rather than a servant? Choose to have his freedom rather than be at the mercy of someone like me giving him away any time it pleased me?
But I didn’t think of Michael as my servant — I never had and I never would. No matter what. I wished he knew that without any doubt.
This had to be the second prophecy that Irena told me about — the darkness consuming me. Jonas was going to kill me.
I was close to losing consciousness now, and I knew when it happened, that would be it. I’d be dead, drained of all my energy to help feed a Shadow.
Then I felt something. It was as if Jonas’s shadow was being pulled away from me.
“What are you doing?” Jonas growled.
“Stopping you,” Michael snarled back.
“You’d give up a chance to change the world? To fight at my side? All to protect this selfish princess who couldn’t care less about you?”
“You don’t know her.”
“And you do?”
“I think I do.”
“Then you’re a fool.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right. This is your chance to change things. To choose which side you’ll fight on, now and in the future.”
Jonas’s hold grew tighter on me again. But I’d taken the short reprieve to focus all my attention on my dragon’s tear. I knew it would help me turn to my stronger Darkling form. Weak power flowed along my arms into my hands, and I attempted to push Jonas away.
It didn’t work. I wasn’t even able to pop a horn. I felt the draining sensation begin again.
“Michael—,” I managed. I couldn’t see him. All I could see was one shadow on me and another swirling around, agitated. Then Michael’s shadow attached itself to me as well.
He’d chosen sides. He was going to help Jonas drain me of my last bit of energy, wasn’t he?
Hope flittered away from me.
“Stop,” Jonas said, and there was no smile in his voice now. There was panic. “No, you mustn’t—”
He gasped. Whatever Michael was doing to him wasn’t pain free and drowse inducing. All I could see was swirling gray and black, a disembodied battle surrounding me. I couldn’t even tell the two shadows apart.
A moment later I heard an ear-piercing scream. Then nothing.
I was shaking violently. I braced a hand against the glass wall of the cell next to me so I could remain standing. Kassandra rushed to my side and put her arm around my shoulders to help support me.
Michael quickly took form in front of us. His eyes glowed a brighter green than I’d ever seen before. He was filled with power. He’d destroyed Jonas to save me and had absorbed the other Shadow’s energy in the process.
“You both need to leave,” Kassandra said shakily. “Right now.”
Despite Michael’s glowing green eyes, his expression was flat. “But aren’t I supposed to be your servant now, Princess Kassandra?”
I found it difficult to speak, so luckily Kassandra took over. She glared at Michael.
“What are you, stupid or something? That was just a lie so we could get you out of the dungeon. Nikki would never give you away. She’s crazy about you.”
His eyes lit up and he looked at me. “Is that true?”
“Of course it is,” I managed, my voice raspy.
Kassandra shook her head. “So he’s a hottie, but he’s not too bright, is he?”
The other guard stood there, shaking in his boots, staring at us in shock. He didn’t try to stop us from leaving.
Michael snatched his amulet from the floor — despite currently being incorporeal, he was able to grasp solid objects — and he put it back on as we hurriedly followed Kassandra through the two sets of doors and out of the dungeon.
“The guard managed to pardon Michael in the dungeon database,” she explained. “So we won’t have any trouble getting out of here.”
When we got into the elevators, the alarm had already ceased blaring. It was a relief to my ears.
