His attention moved to me. 'Nikki, you must drink it. When I pass, the power of the kingdom will transfer to my heir. If you don't drink the potion, that will be you. You'll be trapped here. I want you to be happy, to take care of your mother, and not to worry about any of this.'
I clung tightly to his arm. Michael and I exchanged a glance and he looked desperate. Not only for his own situation but for mine.
'I've changed my mind,' I said then. 'I do want to be queen after all.'
Elizabeth's eyebrows shot up. 'What?'
'Are you sure about that?' my father asked.
I nodded. I thought about Rhys and how he was the king of the faery realm even though he was only sixteen. 'I'm sure.'
'But. . what about your normal life? What about school? Why would you change your mind about something like this?'
'Because Elizabeth can't be queen.'
'Why not?'
I glanced at her and her eyes narrowed at me, her previously pleasant expression-even during her veiled threats- disappearing.
'Because she's been poisoning you,' I told him.
Elizabeth's mouth dropped open. Did she really think I wasn't going to say anything?
I kept talking. 'Every time she brings you water it has poison in it. She's been trying to kill you. She wants the throne and she'll do anything to get it.'
Elizabeth underestimated me if she thought the lure of going back to my regular life and forgetting all about this would be enough to deter me. How shallow did she think I was?
I didn't want this. But if she thought she could take the throne and destroy everything my father had achieved- even at the expense of giving up his happiness with my mother-then she had another thing coming to her.
In fact, I'd made this decision earlier at the dance- even before I realized what Elizabeth's nasty plan was. I just hadn't realized how strongly I felt about it.
All I knew was that it felt right to me-even if it meant going against what everyone else wanted me to do.
And if the power of the kingdom shifted to me and Elizabeth tried to kill me? Then she would have one hell of a fight on her hands.
'Elizabeth,' my father said, and even though his voice was weak, the name still held power. 'Is this true?'
She came to his side so we looked at each other over my father's prone form. 'Of course not. I don't know what has gotten into her, but your daughter is completely wrong. Why would I want to harm you? You're my brother.'
'It's true,' Michael said from the edge of the room. He had his arms crossed over his chest now and was visibly shivering even though the room wasn't cold. 'Elizabeth has been poisoning you so she and Prince Kieran can share the power of the Shadowlands.'
'You're still seeing that devious Underworld prince?' My father's eyes shifted back and forth quickly as if he was thinking very hard. 'No. Elizabeth, I. . how could I be so horribly blind?' His forehead creased and his brows drew together. 'Why would you do this to me? I trusted you. Above all others in this world, I trusted you. You would watch me suffer these weeks and say nothing?'
She backed away a step. 'There was no other way. I have to be queen. Why did you bring your daughter here? She's ruined everything.'
My father was struggling to sit up and a flash of fear crossed Elizabeth's expression. However, despite his fierce demon exterior it was apparent that he had no strength left at all. He couldn't do anything to stop her. The poison continued to eat away at his remaining life.
She looked at me then, and her eyes turned to red. 'You leave me with no other choice, Nikki. You could have made this so simple. Two sips at the most and none of this would have mattered to you. I'm not as horrible as you probably think I am. I've done what I had to do, but no more than that. I didn't want to kill you.'
I willed myself to remain calm. My father was staying conscious but I could tell that it was a struggle.
'I think you've deluded yourself into thinking you're better than you really are, Elizabeth,' I said.
Her eyes narrowed. 'Right now you are vulnerable. If I wait until the power shifts to you, you won't be. This is my only opportunity to make things right.'
'Nikki,' my father said, 'I can't protect you. I'm too weak.'
'Then I'll have to protect you.' My grip increased on his arm and I glared at my aunt. 'Forget it. Not going to happen.' I glanced at Dax, who stood expressionless by the doorway with his arms clasped behind his back. He looked like a bouncer.
I could feel Elizabeth's desperation and her growing anger like a crackling of heat along the surface of my skin. There was the briefest flash of her demon then. It scared the hell out of me. I'd almost forgotten that she also had a demon form just underneath the surface of her beautiful human exterior.
'I think I know what to do,' she said after a moment and I watched her apprehensively as she reached into the pocket at the side of her skirt and pulled out Michael's amulet, holding it up by its chain. I felt the air leave my lungs in a rush.
'You do know what this is, yes?' she asked.
'Of course I do.' I was literally trembling from trying to sound strong when I felt anything but.
'Your Shadow can't help you now, Nikki, but perhaps you can help him.'
Michael had become so transparent that I could see through him to the wall behind. By how pale and shivery he was, I could tell he wasn't feeling very well.
Being without his amulet had damaged him. It contained his life force, his ties to the world. Without it he was. . nothing.
Elizabeth waited for me to say something but my mouth had gone so dry that I didn't think I could have formed words even if I wanted to.
So she continued, her voice tense. 'Please listen to me, Nikki. I know you care about him. Drink the potion and I will give this amulet back to Michael. If you refuse, then he will continue to fade away until he has completely disappeared from our sight. Even then he'll still exist. He'll be invisible to the world around him, but in desperate, constant pain for many years until he finally dies. It is a horrible end to give somebody you obviously have feelings for. I can't imagine that you'd ever want him to suffer so greatly.'
I looked down at my father then, tearing my attention away from Michael's fading form, and saw that his breathing was growing more shallow and his eyes were closed. He had slipped unconscious again. When I looked at Michael I could see the raw desperation on his face.
'Don't listen to her,' he said. 'Forget about me.'
Forget about him. I didn't think I could. Not ever. I felt changed, and not just because I had discovered my Darkling side. It was something deep inside of me that didn't want the people I cared about to be hurt if there was anything I could do about it.
I'd tried to be strong even though I was quivering inside. I'd tried to be brave. But I didn't think I could do it anymore. A tear trickled down my left cheek, betraying the emotional breakdown I was feeling inside.
'I need a decision,' Elizabeth said. 'Please, Nikki. The time has come.'
She thought she was giving me a choice. Let Elizabeth rule in my father's place or condemn Michael to years of torture.
But I'd already made my choice. I couldn't turn back now.
'Don't do it, Princess.' Michael drew closer but it only helped me to see the pain he was going through. 'Please. . let me go. Your father wouldn't want you to sacrifice the kingdom for me.'
'First you want me to drink it.' My voice broke a little as I said it. 'Now you say don't drink it. You've very indecisive, do you know that?'
'That was when I wanted you to save yourself, not me.' He gave me a very weak smile. 'Don't drink it. I'm not important.'
