it demon or any other, can pass without the kingdom's permission.'
'Without your permission, you mean,' I said.
'That's right. And that's one of the reasons I'm not able to leave. I can't even go outside. I haven't seen the daylight in over sixteen years.'
My heart dropped at that. 'How terrible.'
'It's necessary, and I accept it. I take my responsibility very seriously, and I expect anyone who takes the throne to do the same. Which leads me to the real reason it was so very urgent for me to speak to you personally, Nikki.' He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. 'As my only heir, when I die, you will automatically become queen. You will be summoned here from wherever you are at that moment and shall be unable to leave the castle from that day forward.'
I gaped at him. 'You can't be serious.'
'I'm afraid so.'
I shook my head, my eyes going wider with every passing second. 'No, that's impossible. I don't want to be queen. I don't want to live here.' I was starting to hyperventilate at the very idea that I had no choice in this. I was used to people telling me what I had to do-my mom, Melinda, even Michael, now-but that was nothing compared to this. 'I'm so, so sorry that you're dying, but I can't live here. I don't want to be a demon. I don't want any of this.'
I felt Michael touch my arm and my first thought was to push him away, but instead I grabbed hold of him and hugged him tightly, pressing my face against his chest. He held his hand over his amulet so I could avoid getting zapped. He didn't say anything, but I felt him stroke my hair, trying to soothe me.
It worked, but it took a minute. When I'd composed myself, I turned again to my father, who looked incredibly distressed by this entire conversation. It obviously wasn't any easier on him than it was on me.
That helped. A little.
'Nikki,' my father began.
'Please,' I said, and I could hear the desperation in my voice. 'There has to be another way.'
'There is.' His smile held but it was sad. 'But first I wanted to see how you felt about the situation. Now I have.'
He pulled out a chain from underneath his shirt. It was a gold chain, thinner than the one Michael wore, and on the end of it was a dark red glass bottle no bigger than my thumb. He pulled the chain over his head and handed it to me.
I took it from him and, looking down at it, I realized the bottle wasn't red at all, but the liquid inside of it was. 'What is this?'
'A magic potion. For you.'
I frowned at him so deeply it hurt. 'A magic potion?'
He nodded. 'It will remove any trace of demon from you and the kingdom will no longer recognize you as my heir.'
My eyes were wide. 'I don't understand.'
'This is the only way your life can remain normal and untouched by all of this. Drink the potion and you will become completely human. You won't have to deal with the complications of being a Darkling. As I said, I don't truly know how your powers will fully manifest and that worries me greatly.'
'You and me both,' I managed.
'Also, if you don't want to accept the responsibility of taking the throne when I die, this is the only way to avoid that. By drinking this you will be safe in all ways.'
The gold chain hung off my hand and I looked at the bottle. It felt cool against my sweaty palm. My other hand, I suddenly realized, was clutching Michael's wrist very tightly.
'I can't believe it's that easy,' I said.
'It is.' My father hesitated. 'However, there is a side effect of the potion that you should be aware of. Once taken, your memories of being half demon, as well as of your trip here to the Shadowlands, will fade away.'
I looked at Michael and then back to my father. 'You mean I'd forget about Michael, too?'
My father's brow knitted. 'Michael, I think this is a good time for you to fetch Elizabeth for me. Please tell her that Nikki has arrived.'
Michael cleared his throat and disengaged his hand from mine. 'Yes, Your Majesty.'
I watched Michael quickly leave the room without a backward glance. 'He sure follows orders well here, doesn't he?'
'Servants are required to follow the orders of their master.'
The room went very silent, except for the sound of the fireplace crackling and my heart fluttering like a trapped bird.
'I don't think I heard you right,' I began. 'Did you just say that Michael is a servant!'
'Yes, of course. In fact, when I sent him to the human realm, he was specifically assigned to be your servant.' He frowned. 'Didn't he tell you that?'
I made a beeline for that goblet of water again and took a shaky sip before answering. 'No, I didn't know that.'
'He should have told you. It is unacceptable that he didn't. Shadows are servants to demonkind.'
My head was spinning. A servant. Michael was a servant! 'What is a Shadow?'
'The Shadowlands were once home to beings called Shadows. They were a part of the chaos that threatened the worlds beyond before the demons brought order here again. The Shadows that remained afterward were enslaved to us.'
I felt stunned. 'So you're saying he's a… a slave?'
My father looked confused by my stuttering reaction to this news. 'We treat our Shadows very well and give them many freedoms, but yes. If it wasn't for us they would have been completely destroyed. Michael has been particularly helpful to me over the years.'
'He lives here?'
'Yes, he was brought to the castle as a child-he is unaffected by the unavoidable solitude this place brings with it. Since he is around your age, I thought him best to travel to the human realm to bring you to see me. He's been very loyal to me, and because of this I've given him certain privileges that most Shadows would never be allowed. But…' He looked at me sharply. 'Michael is not boyfriend material, if that's what you're thinking.'
My face flushed. 'Boyfriend material!'
'Even if he wasn't a Shadow. . you are a princess, and therefore high above a mere servant.'
'I'm starting to figure out why he didn't want to tell me what he really was,' I said icily.
My father's expression grew more severe. 'You asked Michael a direct question and he refused to answer?'
'No. Please, forget it.'
'I recognize the signs, Nikki, and it worries me.' 'The signs?'
'He doesn't look at you as I'd expect a servant to look at a princess. I fear that he's forgotten his place. I'll have to speak with him.'
I couldn't believe this. Why hadn't Michael just told me? Because he was embarrassed? Ashamed of what he was?
'Michael saved my life,' I said, for lack of anything else to say.
He stiffened. 'What do you mean?'
'There was a guy with a knife earlier when I was walking home from school. He tried to kill me and Michael saved me. That. . that amulet he wears-he was able to blast the guy away like he was nothing.'
It took my father a moment to say anything to that. 'Why didn't he mention this to me? Shadows aren't permitted to harness their powers, especially not in the human realm. It's too dangerous.' He paced the room for a moment. 'But if he did it to save you then I suppose this indiscretion can be forgiven.' He turned to look at me again. 'Was this attacker a human?'
