Reign Check

“So there you go.”

“Your father saw us kiss and he didn’t look happy about it.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“But he didn’t say anything.”

“Not in so many words. I think he’s officially in denial that, despite all the rules and warnings, his half-demon daughter is … um, that she really likes a Shadow.”

I almost, almost said “falling in love with.” But I’d only known Michael less than two weeks. I liked him very, very much, but was I falling in love with him? So quickly?

The thought made my heart pick up its pace big-time and, despite the cold, I felt my cheeks flush.

“I think I finally understand why you broke up with me the other day,” he said. “You were doing it to protect me, weren’t you?”

“You’re only realizing that now?”

His lips quirked. “I guess Kassandra was right when she said I wasn’t too bright.”

“She also said you were a hottie.”

He shook his head, amused by this. “High praise from a demon princess.”

“Don’t get any ideas. She almost always gets what she wants, you know. I’d prefer it didn’t include you.”

His smile faded at the edges. “You were right to end things with me. I see that now. And not just for my protection, for yours as well. The rules—”

I shook my head. “I don’t care about the rules or what my father might think.”

“Yes, you do care. And you should. We’ve both seen firsthand what breaking them can lead to.”

“Rules can bend,” I said firmly. “And they can change.”

He nodded. “I never thought so before, but now I think you might be right about that. Maybe not today, but someday. Until then, though, we need to be careful.”

“Agreed. Careful is the way to be. But one thing I’ve learned from this experience, and from Queen Sephina of all people, is that there are shades of gray for everything. Including us.”

“So that means that we’re not together, but …”

“But we’re not not together.”

“That doesn’t even make any sense.”

“Trust me, it totally does.”

He grinned. “If you say so.”

“I do.”

Shades of gray. It made me think of how Michael looked in complete Shadow form, able to drain all the energy of another living creature like Jonas had. The horrible thought twisted my stomach into knots.

“Try to forget what happened today,” Michael said quietly. “Tomorrow will be better.”

Forget what happened? As if that was even possible.

“Promise?” I asked.

“I promise.”

“Good night, Princess.”

“Good night, Michael.”

He smiled, then turned and began walking away. He hadn’t asked for his sweatshirt back, so I kept it, pulling it tighter around me to keep out the cold night.

I’d seen what a Shadow could really do. The reason demons were forbidden to like Shadows as more than servants was the risk of getting too close and becoming an energy meal. It was the reason some demons feared them — at least, the ones who knew what Shadows were truly capable of.

If he wanted to, Michael could be more powerful than any demon. After all, how could you fight something that didn’t have solid form?

I thought of the second prophecy Irena had told me about — of the darkness that followed me, that wanted to devour me — and of Chris’s drawing showing that darkness beginning to obliterate me from view.

It probably had been Jonas’s shadow they’d both seen. He’d almost killed me, after all.

It wasn’t Michael.

I knew he’d never hurt me. Not in a million years.

Even though I believed that completely, I still had a really hard time getting to sleep that night. And when I did, the nightmares arrived right on schedule.

23

I took all of Sunday to recover from my trip to the Underworld, barely even getting out of bed. I woke up on Monday morning with a clear head and a new purpose.

I wouldn’t hide from my problems anymore. I’d face them — all of them — head-on.

My first problem was my mom. I’d decided to tell her, once and for all, that I’d been in contact with my father.

I’d say something along the lines of, “Dad contacted me and I’m positive he still loves you. How do you feel about that?” rather than, “My father’s a demon and, FYI, that makes me half demon. If you’re interested in seeing him again, you’ll have to be supercareful because there are all these stupid rules, and I don’t want you to get yourself killed.”

That might freak her out too much or cause her to enroll me in the nearest insane asylum. Therefore, baby steps.

It would be enough to see if there really was any hope there. Hope worth fighting for.

“Hey, Mom, I need to talk to you.” I cautiously approached her at the kitchen table. Bright sunlight shone through the window that looked over the snow-covered front lawn and driveway.

“Nikki.” She put her newspaper down. “I need to talk to you, too.”

“Oh? About what?”

“Sit down.”

I tensed. “What’s wrong?”

She cleared her throat. “You want me to be happy, right?”

“Happy? Of course I do. Listen, if this is about what happened last week, I’m really sorry. I’m over my drama, and I won’t be taking off to the mall alone anymore without telling you.”

“Well … good. But that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

I frowned. “Okay, then what is it?”

She fiddled with the edge of the newspaper. “I know it might seem like I don’t have very good taste in men, but … well, maybe I don’t. But sometimes things happen for a reason.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I just don’t want you to hear it from somewhere else. It’s about Nathan, your biology teacher.”

“What about him?”

“He wants to see me again. Regularly. But I don’t want this to be awkward for you.”

A lump had quickly formed in my throat. “You like him?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“And you’re officially dating him.”

“I knew you might object — with him being a teacher at your school and with it being so close to my upcoming divorce from Robert — but, I know deep down in my heart … that there’s someone out there for me.” She sighed. “And if I stop looking, stop hoping, then I might never find him.”

My throat tightened. “Oh. And you think that’s Nathan … er, I mean, Mr. Crane?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not.” She grabbed my hands in hers. “This doesn’t mean that the two of us can’t still have fun together. It’s not like Nathan and I are eloping or anything. We’re just dating. But … but can you at least try to understand?”

I didn’t answer, instead crossing my arms and chewing my bottom lip.

“What is it?” she asked. “If there’s something you want to say, just say it.”

I opened my mouth, then closed it. “No … I … it’s nothing. I think you should date whoever you want without