Reign Check

who was lurking outside your house?”

I cleared my throat. “Uh, well, yeah. That’s him. But he’s actually a friend. Nothing to worry about.”

“He’s kind of cute for a stalker.”

“Trust me, he’s not a stalker. Look, about what happened at your party—”

Melinda held up a hand. “Rhys already explained everything to me.”

A breath caught in my throat. “He did?”

“He said he’d had too much wine — thanks to Larissa — and kissed you as a joke before you pushed him away.”

“A joke?” My eyebrows went up. “He really said that?”

She nodded. “I’m so sorry I doubted you. I never should have done that. I value your friendship so much, and I don’t want to put it at risk because of stupid misunderstandings. And I won’t let any guy come between us again, I promise, no matter who he is.”

“You had every right. That … I know that didn’t look so good.”

“It’s okay.” She smiled. “Besides, Rhys finally asked me out.”

I blinked. “He what?”

“He has to go home over school break and visit his family, but he says he wants to see me when we get back in January. I guess he broke up with his old girlfriend after all.”

“Um, wow. I didn’t know that. That’s … that’s great?”

What was he doing? Why would he ask Melinda out? Was he crazy? He was a faery king. Besides, I’d never gotten the impression he’d even noticed Melinda, let alone liked her enough to date her.

But maybe he did. Maybe I’d been too blinded by my own problems to notice anything else.

I had to admit, part of me was happy that Melinda would get what she wanted, even though I knew it couldn’t possibly end well. I’d have to keep a very close eye on the two of them.

I ignored the smaller part of me that felt a slight twinge of jealousy at the idea of Rhys and Melinda dating. I mean, how did that make sense? I wanted to be with Michael, not Rhys. It couldn’t happen now, but I was willing to wait as long as necessary. I didn’t like Rhys that way. I never had and I never would.

“Listen, Melinda,” I began, ready to face another problem head-on. “When I was at your house the other day, before the party, I overheard you and Patrick talking—”

She held up a hand. “I quit.”

“What?”

“I quit my … my dance lessons.”

I stared at her blankly. “I don’t understand.”

She took in a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. “It’s been too much. It’s been really distracting and overwhelming and I never liked it. In fact, I hate my lessons. Even though my parents insist … well, they can’t make me do anything I don’t want to do. So I quit. It’s over.” She gave me a shaky smile. “I can finally be normal again.”

She’d quit her demon-slaying lessons. Just like that?

“You’re sure?” I asked tentatively.

“Yes.”

“So you don’t want to be a … a dancer?”

She hesitated. “No, I don’t. To be a dancer I’d have to give up too much, sacrifice almost everything else in my life for something I don’t even believe in doing. I don’t want that. I want to go to school, and hang out with you, and date Rhys …” She smiled. “That’s just how it’s going to be. If anyone has a problem with it, then that’s just too bad.”

“Well, good.”

She nodded, and then her gaze moved over my shoulder and she swallowed hard. “I just wish he’d leave me alone.”

“Who?”

“Patrick.”

I looked over to see a black car pulled up at the curb a dozen feet away. Patrick was behind the wheel.

“Melinda,” he called.

“Would you just go away, please?” she shouted back. “I told you, it’s over.”

“It’s not over,” he replied. From what I could see, his expression was tense. “I can’t give up on you.”

“Then you need to try harder.” She turned her back to him.

“I’ll give you some time to clear your head, but then I’ll be back. This has only just begun, Melinda. I promise you that.” After another moment, he shook his head and drove off.

“Is he gone?” she asked.

“He is.”

Melinda’s eyes were shiny and she sniffed hard. “He doesn’t want me to quit. Says that it’s in my blood. I disagree.”

The entire subject made me extremely uncomfortable. “He said he’d be back. Maybe he’ll be able to convince you then.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. It’s over. And I’m happy for the first time in weeks.” Her expression brightened as I followed her inside the school and we went to our lockers.

I spotted Chris, sitting by himself, his back against his locker. He was scribbling away in a sketchbook he had propped against his knees.

Melinda nodded at him. “Do you have any idea what’s up with Chris? He’s been acting so strange lately.”

I shook my head. “I guess we all can act strange now and then, can’t we?”

“Good point.”

Chris looked up at me and our eyes met. He frowned and looked away again.

What was he drawing? Another vision about me? Or about someone else?

It could be a lot of things.

My best friend was a demon slayer who’d just quit her training sessions despite her very persistent instructor. My biology partner was the king of the faery realm whom I was prophesied to marry some day. My sort- of boyfriend was a Shadow prince — servant with the potential to fully drain a demon’s life energy as easily as if he were drinking a milkshake.

And to top it off, my mother was now dating one of my teachers.

“We’re so going to the mall today,” Melinda said after a moment. “It’s a rule that all students are supposed to go to the holiday pageant in the cafeteria at noon, but let’s blow it off and leave early.”

I considered that. “If we break that rule, will they throw us in the dungeon?”

She blinked at me. “What?”

I forced a laugh. “Just kidding, of course. Let’s do it.”

Forget dungeons, demons, Shadows, faeries, slayers, or even giant talking cockroaches … those things could totally wait for another day.

After all, I still had some major last-minute Christmas shopping to do.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to my editor, Stacy Cantor, for being such a complete joy to work with. My eternal gratitude also goes to Deb Shapiro and the team at Walker Books for Young Readers for all their hard work with my little demon princess.

Thanks to my agent, Jim McCarthy, for general awesomeness in all that he has done and continues to do.

Thanks to Jennifer Black, who gave Reign Check a beta read to make sure Nikki did, in fact, sound like a teenager and not a thirty-something writer.

Shout-outs to a few of my author BFFs (you can have more than one, y’know) who make me realize that being a writer means being a part of a wonderful, giving (and sometimes hilariously snarky) community: Eve Silver, Jackie Kessler, Richelle Mead, Megan Crane, Liza Palmer, Mark Henry, Gena Showalter, Heather Brewer, Amanda