Reign Fall (7 page)

Too weird.

This whole castle was weird. And repressive. And empty. And horrible.

“Oh, come on,” a voice drawled to my right, “it’s not
that
bad.” I froze, scanning the area, but there was no one there.

“I’m here,” the voice said. “You want to play hide and seek?” It was a male voice, an unfamiliar one. Maybe it was a servant, one who didn’t scurry away at the sight of me.

“Believe me, Princess, I’m no servant.”

A shiver went through me from head to foot and my heart began to slam against my ribcage.

Whoever this was could read my mind.

“Show yourself,” I said, making my voice sound as strong as I could. “Who are you?” Something caught my eye and I spun to my left. It was a figure moving down the hall and disappearing behind a corner.

“Follow me,” he said.

Not a chance.

“What do you mean, not a chance? What are you, scared? I’m not going to hurt you.” Yeah, like I’d believe that. I didn’t have a good track record when it came to the halls of this castle and my own personal safety.

“But I have a secret that I’ll tell only to you. Isn’t that even vaguely intriguing for you?” My breath caught. I didn’t like this guy, whoever he was. Not a servant. And he could read my mind even though I wasn’t projecting telepathically like I did with Michael. He had a smug tone to his voice that made even Rhys seem modest.

“Secrets, Princess. Seeeecrets. Just between you and me.” He laughed. “C’mon. Aren’t you even a little bit interested?”

I clenched my hand at my side and felt energy flow into it. I could shift into my Darkling form quickly if I wanted to. At least, I thought I could. I hadn’t shifted since before Christmas.

“Do it,” he urged. “Your Darkling form fits in great around here.”

“I don’t have time for this crap,” I told him flatly.

Someone peeked out from behind the corner he’d disappeared behind. Dark eyes glittered in the soft light of the hallway. Dark skin, black hair, black eyebrows. He looked to be my age or maybe a bit younger.

“No time?” he asked. “You’re sure about that?”

“Positive. Who are you?”

“Who are you?”

“You’ve been calling me Princess, so I figured you already knew.”

“Yeah, but...who are you really? Down deep? Where it matters? Strong and brave like those who make a difference in the world? Or weak and scared like those who don’t?” This guy was a jerk. Some servant’s kid who was bored and wanted to be annoying when I had better things to do with my time.

“He’s pacing right now,” he said, thrusting a thumb behind him. “Waiting for you to call him through your bond. He’s worried that you’re still mad at him. It eats away at him. So does the jealousy he’s feeling about you and the handsome and powerful faery king.” I frowned. “Who? Michael?”

The kid cocked his head. “He studies all day. Reading books he thinks might help you. I can’t read his mind as well as the others, but I get enough.” I began to feel less annoyed and more cautious. “Who are you?”

“Who are you?”

“This is going to go in circles until I get a response.”

“I agree. You should respond.”

My jaw clenched for a moment before I forced it to loosen. “I’m Nikki. Half human, half demon. I’m the king’s daughter.”

“Yeah, I know all that. Yawn. King Desmond. King of the Shadowlands. So dour, that one.

So stubborn. Sees only one answer to problems, no multiple choice. And his thoughts...” The boy grimaced. “They come through loud and clear to me compared to the Shadow’s. And they’re pretty dark at times.”

I crossed my arms. “So that’s what you do? Lurk around here and read people’s private thoughts? That’s unbelievably rude.”

“Wish I had a choice. Trust me, if I had a choice, I wouldn’t. But if you’re in the castle, I get to see what’s in your mind.”

“Are you a demon?” I swept my gaze over him as he emerged further from behind the corner.

He wasn’t much taller than me and very thin. “Or are you a faery?”

“Neither.”

“You’re a Shadow?”

“Nope.”

“Dragon?”

He leaned against the wall. “Afraid not.”

I wanted to call to Michael through the bond, but I couldn’t help but be curious about this guy, whoever he was. Did my father know there was someone in his castle who could read minds as easily as he could read the newspaper?

“Your father, Princess Nikki, has absolutely no idea that I even exist.” I glared at him. “Stop reading my mind.”

“Like I said, I wish I could. But I can’t. So I won’t.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“He thinks about her, you know.”

My breath caught a little. “Who?”

“Your father. Thinks about your mother. A lot. For years he tried to block her from his mind as much as he could, but the moment he felt your presence on your sixteenth birthday—
boom
.

Susan, Susan, Susan. Front row center in the theater of King Desmond’s mind. In case there was any doubt, he was crazy about her.” He paused. “Do you have any idea how they met?” I suddenly found it difficult to breathe. “He was on vacation in the human world before he had to become king here. He went to her university for a couple months. It was love at first sight.”

He snorted. “Maybe
attraction
at first sight. Of course he’d tell you the short version. And yeah, that was the location. But
how
they met, that’s a different story. He dated a lot of girls in the human world. He was having a lot of fun, but it was all throwaway stuff. None of them really mattered to him. He bullied and intimidated other kids who got in his way because it amused him. He had an ego the size of—well, a demon prince’s ego. They’re basically just spoiled rich kids who think they rule the world—any world.”

I just stared at him with shock as he continued speaking. That sounded more like Kieran—or maybe even Rhys—than my father.

“Susan hated him the first time they met. She told him off, which nobody had ever done before. Who yells at a demon prince if they know what’s good for them? He wanted to mess with her a little after that since she’d definitely piqued his interest and sparked his anger for making him look like a fool in public, but then they got into some trouble together. She ended up saving his life when they came face to face with a demon slayer. Susan almost found out what he really was, but luckily he was able to hide it in time. Even though it still seemed like she hated him, he was a total goner for her. It changed him. Got rid of the mask he wore that made him feel powerful and almighty. He pursued her until she finally admitted that she felt something in return. He’d never been in love before and neither had she, but they had it bad for each other.

And the rest, as they say, is history.”

My throat tightened as the story of my parent’s history washed over me. “You got all this from reading his mind?”

The boy nodded. “When his father was close to death, he forcibly summoned Desmond back here before he was able to tell Susan anything, I’d never seen anything like it. He was beyond furious. He was ready to move mountains to get back to her—and stay with her in the human world, even if it meant turning his back on his duties here. He sent a scout—his best friend at the time—to the human world to check. It was this friend who told him that Susan died in a car crash. Since it came from a reputable source, he believed it. It destroyed him, but he believed it.” I gulped a mouthful of air, trying to clear my head. “How did you—I mean, you’re not that old. How did you see this? You make it sound that this isn’t just mind reading, that you actually saw it with your own eyes.”

He shrugged a shoulder. “I see stuff. And I’m not nearly as young as I look, Princess.” That was disturbing.

“When he sensed that I existed, how did he react to that?” I had to know. I wasn’t sure if I believed anything that came out of this guy’s mouth, but I had to know.

“Disbelief. Denial. But not for long. His best friend, who then worked as his closest advisor, was called before the king to answer some tough questions. His friend finally admitted that he’d lied about Susan’s death—that the previous king had given him no choice, and he’d been afraid ever since of telling the truth. King Desmond banished him to Hell about fifteen seconds later. It wasn’t pretty. But I guess he was lucky the king didn’t actually kill him. I know he wanted to.” I raked my hands through my hair and paced the hallway. This would have happened only a month ago, just after my birthday. “Served him right. If he was really a friend, he wouldn’t have lied in the first place.”

“I totally agree.”

“But is
he
lying to me?” I asked quietly. “Is my father lying about anything he’s told me?”

“Your father has been very honest with you. Too honest, if you ask me. Lies might make things easier.”

“Why does he refuse to let my mother know he’s here?”

“You know why, but you keep trying to deny it.”

He was right, I did know. My father had accepted that pursuing a reunion with my mother would put her life in danger, thanks to the outdated laws of the demon world that prevented demon/human relationships. In other words: no humans allowed. Ever.

“He has been trying to change that law,” the boy said, answering me as if I’d spoken aloud. It was extremely unnerving. “But he hasn’t had much luck. Queen Sephina likes things her way—

only
her way. Handing any power over to King Desmond might make her seem weak to her subjects. But you know who might agree with your father and help change things?”

“Who?”

“Sephina’s ex-husband. He despises the queen.”

That possibility made my stomach clench with fear. I’d never met him, but the queen’s ex was the most powerful being in all the dark worlds. He was the king of Hell. Apparently he went by a lot of names. I wasn’t positive, but I thought I already knew a couple of them.

“Has my father contacted him?” I asked.

“Not yet. There’s bad blood between them. King Desmond hasn’t even tried...but sometimes he wants to. Right now his first priority is to keep you safe and figure out what’s wrong with Michael. Changing laws can wait until all is well again.” The boy gave me a big grin. “It’s so great to talk to somebody. You don’t know how boring it can be here.” I tried to digest all the info this kid had provided to me. I felt battered. “Why don’t you talk to anyone? I mean, Michael’s not much older than you—” I eyed him uneasily. “At least, he doesn’t
look
much older than you—and there are the other servants.”

“Can’t show myself to just anyone. They need to be special.”

“I’m special?”

“You are. You’re the princess here. That makes all the difference. I could show myself to the king, too, but I haven’t.”

“Why?”

“Just haven’t. I need to choose carefully, you see. There’s a lot at stake here, Princess. More than anyone even realizes. So I wait, I watch, and it’s been so very long.” He yawned. “So very, very long. But here you are.
Finally
.”

I shook my head, more confused now than at the start of this strange conversation. “What are you talking about?”

“Patience, Princess. I mean,
I’ve
been patient. Why shouldn’t you be, too?” He studied me for a moment, the smug look lifting from his face. “I need to give you something. I think it might help you.”

I took a step back from him. “No gifts. I’ve had enough trouble with gifts from boys this week.”

“This is different. Besides I’m not exactly a boy.”

He looked like a boy to me. A short, skinny one. There was no way he was a girl.

He held his hand out. A small black rock was in his palm. “Take this.” I eyed it warily. “What is it?”

His gaze met mine. “I promise that I mean you no harm, Princess. I mean it.”

“Sure, why wouldn’t I believe you? I only met you five minutes ago. We’re like best friends now.” Despite my better judgment, I closed the distance between us and took the rock from him.

It was cool to the touch, a bit heavy, but didn’t feel strange otherwise. “What is it?”

“Just a little piece of me. Use it well, Princess.”

“What?” I frowned and looked up at him. “A piece of—” But he was gone.

He’d disappeared completely in the blink of an eye.

“Okay,” I said slowly. “What just happened?”

He’d disappeared into thin air. I searched up and down the hall for him but there was no sign where he’d went. Then I stared down at the small black rock in my hand.

Who was he? Why could he read my mind like that? How did my father not know he even existed? And where did he go?

What was going on here?

After wandering the empty hallways completely bewildered for another five minutes looking for the kid, I finally stopped walking and concentrated.

Michael? Where are you?

It only took him a moment to answer. ::Princess? Are you finished talking with your father?:: My fingers closed tightly around the rock.
Yes, all finished.

::I’m in the courtyard setting up our first lesson. That is, if you’re still interested in starting our training today.::

Tell me how to get there.

He did. The spot wasn’t that hard to find. A few turns and down another flight of stairs I’d never seen before and I emerged into the courtyard, which was surrounded by the black walls of the castle. Still the castle, but...
not
the castle either.

In fact, the courtyard took my breath away when I saw it.

The area was outside, despite being walled. A balcony looked down on the grounds, which were ten times the size of my backyard at home. While the rest of the Shadowlands was dark and gloomy and rocky, I was surprised to see that this area wasn’t. The green grass I recognized from the field between here and the Faery Realm lay across the ground like a blanket. Flowers like violets, hydrangeas, and sunflowers bloomed in well-tended and groomed gardens running the circumference of the enclosed space. A large willow grew in the middle of the area along with many oak trees and evergreens.

The courtyard was warm and it felt like a summer’s day rather than the chill of the rest of the Shadowlands. I took off my winter jacket, which I’d been wearing since I’d arrived, and placed it at the top of the six steps leading down to the courtyard.