Reign or Shine (9 page)

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form as I am right now. The difference is merely on the surface."

I felt woozy suddenly and sucked in a quick breath of air. "I think I need to sit down."

After a moment I heard something heavy dragging across the marble floor and noticed that Michael had brought a black cushioned chair for me.

"Here you go, Princess." He smiled. "We wouldn't want you to faint."

"I'm not going to faint."

"Better safe than sorry." He stepped back again, into the shadows at the edge of the room. I wanted to ask him to stay with me, by my side, but I didn't. I

could handle this. I could be brave.

But I did sit down. There was a table nearby and I dragged the chair to it. My father sat across from me and clasped his hands in front of him.

He studied me for a moment. "You look wel , Nikki. I'd feared . . . that I was too late in contacting you. I worried that your Darkling would have already emerged and possibly done irreparable damage to you. Michael explained what a Darkling is?"

I nodded. "Half demon and half human."

"That's right. You're very special."

In my mind, I went over what he'd just said, trying to force myself to feel at ease, but I became more tense with every passing moment. "What damage did

you expect to happen?"

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His expression shadowed. "I don't know. It's been a mil ennium since the last Darkling lived."

I breathed out. A mil ennium. A thousand years. That was a long time.

"So, I guess you getting my mom pregnant wasn't planned."

"No, it wasn't planned." His jaw tightened. "However, I need you to know that I cared for your mother very much."

I felt bitter hearing that. "I'm sorry if I find that hard to believe. After al , you haven't exactly been around for sixteen years."

He didn't say anything for a moment. "I'm sure your mother must have been terribly confused."

I felt tears prick at the backs of my eyes but I refused to cry. Why did I decide to come here? I wished there had been another solution to figuring everything out. "Confused doesn't even begin to cover it. I'd go more for heartbroken, angry, pissed off, mad as hel . Those would be a little more accurate

than 'confused.' "

Pain slid behind his eyes. "I never meant to hurt her. Or you."

I would have had a few more snappy comebacks to that-- maybe something along the lines of 'deadbeat dads are a dime a dozen'--but al I felt was raw. Besides, this wasn't a typical father/daughter reunion. I was in the middle of another dimension in a freaking demon castle. Sarcastic comments would

have to take a backseat at the moment.

"Whatever," I said instead. "Can we talk about something else?"

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"No, you need to know this, Nikki. Until two days ago, I didn't even know you existed. And I thought your mother was dead."

My mouth gaped at that. I turned to look at Michael standing in the shadows, maybe to have him confirm what my father had just said. His arms were

crossed and his face expressionless except for a smal frown.

I turned back to my father. "You didn't know I existed?"

He shook his head. "Al those years ago, I was al owed to leave the Shadowlands for one month. I'd always wanted to go to the human realm. I thought of it as just a vacation from my normal existence, but when I saw your mother . . ." He swal owed. "I fel instantly in love with her. I imagined bringing her back

here to be my queen, but that wasn't going to happen."

I forced myself to breathe. "Why not?"

"I'd led her to believe I was just another student at her school, but I wanted to tel her the truth so badly. The day I was going to, I was summoned back here. One moment I was in your world, and the next I was here, unable to leave the castle."

I tried to wrap my head around what he was saying. "But . . . but couldn't you have sent a message to her?"

He pressed his lips together, his expression showing the pain he felt inside. "I tried. As soon as I could, I sent some-one to find her--much like I sent Michael to find you--and when he returned I learned that Susan had been kil ed in a car accident. I mourned her for a very long time. I felt that if I'd been with her she might have been okay, but instead

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she was gone and I had no reason to try to make contact with the human realm again. I wanted to forget, or try to forget, as much as I could."

I blinked rapidly. "But she wasn't dead. I don't think she's ever been in a car accident."

"I took my scout's word as truth. However, two days ago, on your birthday, your Darkling magic became active. Since you are my daughter I could sense it,

sense
you, even between dimensions. I knewif you existed, then I had been lied to about your mother." His voice caught on the words and he
took a

moment to compose himself. "If I would have had any reason to believe that Susan was alive or that you existed, I never would have turned my
back on you. Please believe me, Nikki."

And I did. I believed him. He wasn't lying, he wasn't just trying to make things better between us. He hadn't known that I existed. Al this time when I thought he'd consciously abandoned us, he simply hadn't known.

A tear slipped down my cheek. "But . . . who would make you come back here and not let you leave?"

"My father," he said bitterly. "The time had nearly come for me to become the king of the Shadowlands. My father was near death . . ." He sighed heavily.

"He had no patience for romantic notions, especial y those involving a human such as your mother. The world and his duties were always black and white to him."

I looked at Michael again. He hadn't shared with me this little piece of rather important information. Then 91

again, I hadn't exactly asked. And even if he'd told me then, when I wasn't ready to accept al of this, I'm positive I wouldn't have believed him.

"You had no idea I existed?" I knew I'd asked the question before, but it was stil hard to accept.

"Not until you turned sixteen. Before that your human side was dominant. I had no sense of you at al . But now it's different." He paused. "How . . .

how is

your mother?"

I thought of Mom and al the trouble she'd been through raising me al by herself. The extra jobs she'd taken before she got her first novel published, and

even now-- she worked so hard to help me, to help us, even when there was a new husband around.

"She's good." I licked my dry lips. "She got married a couple of months ago."

His expression shifted and he looked down at the table-top. "I'm glad to hear that she's found happiness for herself."

Happiness might be a bit of an exaggeration after that little kitchen scene earlier tonight. Also the fact that she'd been married three times before.

But I

decided against going into any detail about my mom's messed-up love life.

"Now," he said, "we must focus on you, Nikki. Your Darkling powers--have they appeared at al ?"

I let out a shaky breath. "A little." I told him about breaking Robert's arm, although not the circumstances surrounding it. I also mentioned my red eyes.

He took it al in. "Has there been anything else?"

"Not so far."

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He looked relieved. "This is very good. I was afraid that it may have come over you uncontrol ably. Especial y in the midst of other humans, this wouldn't be a good thing for many reasons."

I had to agree with him there. If there was a remote possibility I'd turn into something out of a horror movie, then that was definitely something I wanted to avoid. To say the least.

"So you don't think anything else wil happen to me?" I asked tentatively.

"It is possible, and you must be prepared for anything. That's why I'm glad you're wearing the dragon's tear bracelet."

I looked at it and touched the teardrop-shaped crystal. "Now you're probably going to tel me that it's from a real dragon, aren't you?"

"Yes, it is. Dragons are descended from the same line as demons."

My eyes widened. "I was kidding, actual y." A smal smile appeared on his lips. "But I'm not." "Dragons," I said. "Big, fire-breathing, reptilian beasts with wings?"

"Some of them." His smile grew larger. "But don't worry. Dragons live at the other edge of the Underworld and beyond, not here. However, since you are demon royalty you would have nothing to fear--they would sense who you are and do no harm to you. In fact, they would be wil ing to do your bidding if you asked them nicely enough." He frowned when he saw the look of shock on my pale face. "Michael, 93

could you get Nikki a glass of water, please? There's a pitcher on the table behind you."

A few moments later, a silver goblet appeared before me. I took it and Michael's fingers brushed against mine. I think he'd done it on purpose to remind me that he was there, nearby. His touch made a very pleasant shiver go up my arm, but when I looked up at him he'd already moved away from the table.

I drank a shaky sip of the water while I took a moment to process my information overload.

Demons, faeries, and dragons.

Oh,
boy.

"This is too much," I said final y.

My father's expression grew serious again. "I know that."

"But maybe I can get used to it. I mean, I don't feel too different. If I can control things then maybe it wil be okay." I took another sip of water.

"Michael can

help me. I can go home and come back here sometimes to visit. After time goes by I'm sure everything wil start to make sense to me."

My father looked down at the table again, and then he stood up, the chair squeaking across the floor. He paced over to the entranceway and then back.

His expression was tight and as he put a hand over his stomach, I noticed something was off about his posture. His expression hid something underneath that I hadn't noticed before. Pain. Physical pain.

"What's wrong?" I asked, standing up from the table. "Are you al right?"

He let out a long, shuddery breath. "No, I'm afraid I'm

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not al right. I didn't want to tel you this, not yet, but there's no way around it."

I swal owed hard. "What?"

"There are reasons that it was imperative for Michael to bring you here as soon as possible. Part of it was to tel you who you are and what it al means,

but there's more to it, Nikki. A great deal more. I'm so very sorry that I don't have more time to help you adjust to this vast amount of information you've

been asked to accept. You've been very brave so far, I'm proud of you."

Michael went to my father's side. "Are you okay, Your Majesty? Should I get Elizabeth?"

My father tensed again and held his hand tighter against his stomach. "Not yet. It wil pass."

I felt a rush of concern come over me. "Are you sick?"

He raised his head enough to look at me and there was now a light sheen of perspiration on his face. "Yes, I am. It's come over me only in the last couple of weeks. I'm having the same symptoms my father had before his death. I'm afraid I don't have much time left." My breath left me in a rush.

"You're dying?"

He nodded. "I'm functional for now, but the pain comes upon me quickly. Today I'm feeling wel enough to see you here. But I know there isn't much time. A

few days. A week at the most."

I tried not to cry, but I knew it was too late to stop a few big, fat tears from escaping. I watched as Michael helped him back over to the chair. "Isn't there

anything that can be done?"

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"No, I'm afraid not. It's unexpected. I'm stil young, so I don't know why my time has come so soon. But, so be it. I have no choice but to accept my fate. However, I must use what time I have left to ensure that someone suitable wil take over my throne. Someone who can rule the Shadowlands."

I wiped my face. "Michael told me that this place keeps al the bad stuff from the Underworld and Hel from coming to where I live."

"That's right. A long time ago, the Shadowlands was a place of chaos. A few demons who then lived deeper in the Underworld knew that something had

to change if the human and faery realms were to be saved from destruction. They took over this land and built this castle."

"This unbelievably scary castle." My voice shook as I said it.

The pain was now gone from his face and he smiled at me. "Trust me, I wasn't consulted on the architecture. It was wel before my time. But there is a

reason for everything. The stone the castle is built with is infused with magic that both senses the royal line's power and helps to hold back the evil that exists beyond it. No creature, be 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

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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

personal y, Nikki." He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. "As my only heir, when I die, you wil automatical y become queen. You wil be summoned here from wherever you are at that moment and shal 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 tel ing 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.