I mostly worried about Michael. I didn’t think he’d been affected by Jonas’s death like my father feared. He’d recovered and whatever power surge he’d experienced by consuming Jonas’s energy had since faded. He was fine now. Everything was fine.
Other than the fact that he hadn’t kissed me, even though I’d really wanted him to.
Next time. Definitely next time. Quite honestly, I didn’t think my inner Darkling would be able to hold back.
The gateway had let me out only a few blocks away from my street, which was nice.
Compared to the warmth and beauty of the castle’s courtyard, the bleak, cold, gray streets of Erin Heights were a return to reality.
Home sweet home, I thought.
I walked up my driveway just as Mr. Crane was leaving, headed for his car in the driveway.
He shot a look over his shoulder toward the front door.
“Well, when you figure out what you’re looking for, Susan, you have my number.”
“You don’t have to be like that.” My mother crossed her arms. “I told you I’m sorry.”
“So am I.” Mr. Crane finally noticed that I was standing just a few feet away. He looked at me and the anger on his face faded away to a sheepish look. “Sorry, Nikki.”
“Everything okay?” I asked with concern.
“I thought so, but I guess I was wrong. Your mother,” he said, then hissed out a sigh. “She’s challenging.”
I couldn’t argue with him there.
Without another word, he got in his car and pulled out of the driveway. I finally glanced over at my mother, feeling uncomfortable about what I’d just witnessed.
She gave me a pinched look. “Welcome home, honey.”
Looked like Mr. Crane was not going to become husband number five after all. I could never predict these things.
I tentatively moved past her and into the house. “Trouble in paradise?”
“We were supposed to go out for dinner tonight, but...” She exhaled shakily as she closed and locked the door behind us. “Oh, I don’t know. I just feel like he was moving too fast for me.”
“He didn’t do anything bad to you, did he?” I said, feeling an immediate crackle of power run down my arms. Her last husband—the one who owned this house—had been an abusive jerk.
When I witnessed him hit her one night, I’d turned around and broken his arm. It was one of my first clues that I might be a little bit different from other kids.
Frankly, he should be glad that breaking his arm was all I did to him.
“Oh, no. Nothing like that. Nathan’s a good man, just not the right one for me.” I relaxed slightly. “I’m taking it that you two aren’t going out any more?”
“Afraid not. Too bad, really. He seemed perfect—good looking, nice, smart, good job, you two seemed to get along well, but...” She sighed. “Something was missing.”
“What?”
“I think I was. I’m not ready for a new relationship just yet. It’s too soon.” That was a surprise. My mother always had a boyfriend...or a husband. I wasn’t sure she could function without one, actually. Which sounded mean or an exaggeration, but trust me, after what I’d witnessed in sixteen years, it wasn’t far from the truth.
“You took your time getting home from school,” she said. “Were you out with Rhys?” I grimaced. My mother was under the mistaken impression that me and Rhys were dating.
Since it was more trouble to explain why we weren’t, I’d let it slide. “No, I had some extra studying to do after school.”
That was the truth.
She smiled. “My little bookworm. Okay, I’m ready to move on and put that unpleasantness with Nathan out of my mind. He’s better without me, quite honestly. He deserves a woman who will give him her undivided attention and unconditional love.”
“What kind of a man are you looking for?”
“I’m not looking for any man right now.”
“But if you were?” I remembered vividly what the boy at the castle had told me about how my parents met. I had no idea if it was true or not.
It hadn’t felt like a lie. Every part of me had sensed that it was the truth. And if so, that meant that kid really could read minds, and he knew way too much about my father’s personal life.
“Not sure about that,” she replied, opening the fridge in the kitchen. She pulled out a can of Coke for me and a bottle of wine for her, from which she poured a glass.
“Handsome?” I asked, cracking open the can. “And tall?” She grinned. “Both would be nice.”
“You’d like someone who is confident, smart, and can make you laugh?” She took a sip from her glass. “Now you’re talking.”
“How about someone that you might think is a real jerk in the beginning, maybe someone you don’t like at all...but then some crazy things happen and you get the chance to see that his being a jerk is mostly an act. That he’s deeper than that, that he’s actually really amazing. Like that?” Her face paled and her lips thinned. She took another sip of her wine. “Sounds complicated. Is that how Rhys was with you?”
“Well, sort of. But I wasn’t talking about him.” He was definitely a jerk and totally full of himself—but as a faery royal, I figured he came by it honestly. Plus, I wasn’t sold on Rhys being all that amazing. Annoying was more like it.
When she didn’t reply, I continued. “Is that how my father was? A jerk first and then you fell for him when you saw the real him underneath it all?” I couldn’t help myself. It must have been residual Darkling courage that made me ask it.
Her eyes shot to mine and widened a little. “Your father—he was...” She blinked and took another sip from her wine glass. More like a gulp. “He was complicated.”
“But you loved him anyway.”
That hard edge I was used to seeing in her eyes whenever this subject came up arrived right on schedule. “I was young and stupid.”
“You were seventeen. Almost eighteen.”
“Exactly. When you’re that young you don’t know what love really is. Everything seems more intense then, but it doesn’t mean it really is.”
“I totally disagree.”
“Of course you do,” she said with a sigh. “You’re sixteen.” I ignored that. “Did you try to find him when he disappeared?” She was being way more open on this subject than she’d ever been before. I was going to get as much information as I could while it lasted.
“Of course I did.”
“Because you were pregnant.”
“I didn’t know I was pregnant until a few weeks later. But yes, of course I looked for him. I searched...you don’t know how long. I never found him.” My heart wrenched at seeing the pain on her face. I didn’t want her to have to relive that pain, but I wanted the truth. “If you met him again, what would you do?” She let out a slow breath and looked at me straight on. “I wouldn’t care. It was so long ago, Nikki, that I’m over it. Over him. Time has moved on. I’m not that naïve seventeen-year-old girl anymore. And Desmond...well, I don’t know where he is. All I know is that he broke my heart, and it mended a great deal stronger than it was before.” She said it so firmly that it hurt me. She was serious. She was long over him and had moved on. If she felt anything now, it was just a gnawing sense of betrayal and anger.
“I’m sorry.” It was all I could think of to say.
And I was sorry. I wished things could be different in so many ways. But continuing to prod at her about this was only going to lead to two things—misery for both of us, and by the look of that rapidly emptying bottle, a cranky mother with a big hangover.
“It’s okay, honey.” She ran a hand through her long dark hair as if tidying it. “Everything happens for a reason. And there’s always a silver lining. Right now my silver lining is my new book. I’m really starting to get into it. Best hero I’ve written in ages.” Her smile returned. “He’s really sexy.”
I started to leave the kitchen. “Great. Hope it sells a ton of copies. Another vampire?”
I froze at the doorway and slowly looked back at her over my shoulder. I almost dropped my can of Coke. “Wait. A demon?”
Her smile grew bigger. “I know, it sounds crazy, doesn’t it? A demon as the hero of a romance novel. But why shouldn’t I try a demon? They’re the ultimate bad boy. Readers love alpha heroes.”
My mouth was dry. “And you say you dreamed about him first?” She nodded. “I can barely remember anything from the dream. All I know is that he’s trapped in a big, scary castle somewhere, far, far away. He wishes he could get back to his soul mate that he lost a long time ago, but there are so many obstacles in his way. It was just the spark of an idea, but it’s really blossoming for me on the page. I think I’ll head up to my office and write a few more pages tonight.”
Without another word, she breezed past me, wine glass in hand, and went up the stairs. I just stared after her in shock.
My mother was having dreams of a demon hero stuck in a scary castle, unable to return to the woman he loves.
Was it just a coincidence?
No, I didn’t think so either.
o0o
Later that night, I fell asleep almost immediately—no nightmares, thankfully. I think finally seeing Michael and that he seemed fine and sane and not dark and scary at all had eased my subconscious. Also, I think I was exhausted from my training session with him.
I hadn’t forgotten what I’d promised to do for him, either.
I got to biology early on Friday morning and sat down at my desk. Mr. Crane entered the room, cast a look in my direction, and his shoulders immediately tensed.
Not a good sign. I really hoped he wasn’t going to take out his romantic woes on me or my grades. I felt bad for the guy, though. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with him. Another month, another year, he might even have been perfect for my mother.
Not as perfect as my father, but definitely in the running.
Shortly before the bell rang, Rhys entered the room and took his time coming to sit down next to me at our shared desk.
“Morning,” I said.
He leaned forward and rested his head on his hand. “Really?”
“What?”
“That sounded almost like friendliness, Princess.”
I forced a smile. “Please don’t call me that here.”
He shrugged. “Sorry, I forgot.”
“No you didn’t. You just use my title to annoy me.”
He rolled his eyes. “You know me so well. I exist to annoy you.” The rest of the students filed into class.
“Can you do that privacy thing?” I asked, eyeing them warily. I didn’t want anyone to overhear us. “I need to talk to you.”
“Are you flirting with me today?” He gave me a grin I immediately wanted to wipe off his face. “Privacy? Just the two of us? I’m flattered.”
“Not flirting.” I tried to control my rising anger, but he really pushed my buttons. “I need your help with something.”
There was a short pause before the voices all around me muted. Privacy bubble activated.
“Do tell,” Rhys said.
“So you’re willing to help me?”
“Depends what you need.”
“Information.”
“About what?”
“Shadows,” I said bluntly.
His relaxed expression became a bit pinched. “I can give you information on Shadows.
They’re servants. They work for demons. They’re meaningless workers who take orders and bring tea and clean toilets.”
I shook my head. “I should have known better than to ask you anything.”
“What? I’m telling the truth. Faeries do that.”
“Bite me, Rhys.”
“Where?” he asked, then he grinned. “Oh come on, Nikki. Don’t be grumpy with me. You ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer.”
I felt my face go red from how frustrating he was being. And it wasn’t even nine o’clock yet. I think he’d already met his daily quota for being annoying. “I really hate you sometimes.”
“There’s a fine line between love and hate.”
I glared at him. “Dream on.”
He shrugged again, clearly finding my aggravation hilarious. “Why are you asking about Shadows? Let me take a wild guess. Michael wants to know more about his lowly heritage?”
“Can’t you be nice for once?”
“Sure I can. I’m one of the nicest people I know. But not toward him.”
“You’re just mad because I have clearly chosen the lowly Shadow servant over the high and mighty king.”
“Ah, vanity. Thy name is Nikki Donovan, thinking all boys are dropping at her magnificent royal feet and begging to date her.” He snorted. “Besides, whoever said you had a choice in the matter?”
“What’s that supposed to mean? And, by the way, I’m not vain.” He leaned back in his chair, his lips thinning. “Look, I know you’re mortified about the prophecy. That makes two of us. I have issues with demons, you already know that. When I told my advisors about the prophecy, I expected that they’d go ballistic and forbid me from ever seeing you again. But, no. They’re actually thrilled, which is why they didn’t make a huge deal over me coming back here for a while longer. They think this is the opportunity for relations between the light and dark worlds to improve. They’re already planning the royal wedding.” I felt the color drain from my face. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“Not joking.”
“I’m not marrying you.”
“I never asked you to. But let’s just say, in the grand scheme of things, whatever emo angst your servant boy is going through pales in comparison to the mess I need to deal with over this fiasco.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have said anything to your advisors. You told me that they don’t like you very much to begin with. Not that I blame them at all.”
“The lady,” he muttered, “doth protest too much, methinks.”
“What is that? Shakespeare? Really? You are so lame.”
“I can’t help it if I’m well read.” He was silent for a moment, but the privacy bubble didn’t let up. We only had another minute before class started. “What do you need to know about Shadows?”
I didn’t say anything for a few seconds, waiting for the punch line. Then I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. “You’re willing to help me?”
“Maybe. What do you want?”
I took a deep breath and decided to be completely honest with him. It seemed to be the theme of the week for me. “I need a book that only kings and queens have access to. It’s the only book about Shadows that hasn’t been lost or destroyed. It’s something that could give Michael the details about what he is. Shadows are kept in the dark about most of their history. So can you do that? Can you get me that book?”
He studied me. “Ask me nicely.”
I restrained myself from coming back with a cutting remark. I exhaled slowly and willed myself to remain calm and polite. “Please, Rhys. Help me find this book about Shadows.” He appeared to consider it for a moment before he nodded. “Okay, I’ll do it. But I want something in return. Faeries barter. It’s kind of our way.” Why wasn’t I surprised? “What do you want?”
He was silent so long I wondered if he’d actually reply.
“A kiss,” he finally said.
I blinked with surprise. “Excuse me?”
“For delivering this hard-to-get book of information for your lowly boyfriend that might just contain his sordid family history, I want you to kiss me of your own free will.” He held up a hand. “And not because I’m just dying for another taste of your half-demon lip gloss. It’s just that at Melinda’s party, under the mistletoe...”
Oh boy. I really didn’t need the reminder of that right now.
“...I wasn’t exactly myself. I’d had some of yo
ur human wine and my mind wasn’t working right. It was all cloudy. Another kiss would prove to me whether or not what I felt that night was...” He trailed off, any of his previous amusement leaving his expression. “Let’s just say, it’s important.”
He’d felt something after that kiss, that was what he was trying to say. And he was confused about what it meant, considering how much he thought he disliked demons...or half-demons.
“So you think another kiss, a sober one, sans mistletoe, would show you if what you felt for me was just wine clouding your mind?”
“Just in case you need a reminder, you did kiss me back. It’ll be a two-way experiment.
Maybe you’d like to know the answer to that, too.”
I ignored the heat that immediately came to my cheeks. “That sounds vaguely scientific.”
“Well, this is biology class.”
I grimaced. “I’m not kissing you right now.”
The grin returned to his face. “So you’re agreeing to my terms.”
“Get the book and then we’ll negotiate terms.”
“No, that’s not how it works. You agree now and then I’ll get you this definitive book on Shadows. Payment upon delivery. No take-backs.”
I just glared at him. “In case you need a reminder, you are dating my best friend. I don’t think she’d be too thrilled to learn that you’re asking me to kiss you, experiment or not.”
“Melinda doesn’t need to know.”
“Oh my God. You are such a lousy boyfriend.”
“And she’s a lousy girlfriend. I know she’s just using me to keep her demon slayer trainer at a distance.”
I grimaced at the reminder. Rhys knew Melinda’s secret, too. He, just like I, had found (through snooping) that the basement of her house was set up like a gym for training, complete with sharp weapons and dusty old illustrated tomes dedicated to the subject of demons.
“Why don’t you break up with her?” I asked.
He shrugged. “It amuses me to help her when she doesn’t even realize I’m helping. For now, anyway.”
Mr. Crane had started talking at the front of class, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying.
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