Мишель Роуэн - Reign Check

“Michael!” I turned so fast to run that my legs got tangled up and I fell hard to the ground, smacking the side of my head on the cold marble floor. I scrambled backward, trying to escape.

“Princess!” Michael yelled.

The monster launched itself at me, flying through the air.

A pulse of green light emanated from Michael’s amulet and focused directly on the beast, surrounding and freezing it in mid-pounce, its talons only inches away from slicing deep into my throat. It was then knocked hard to the side, where it fell to the ground, sliding across the lobby floor before hitting the wall. It didn’t move again.

The hellhound was unconscious. Or dead. I didn’t know.

Michael dropped heavily to his knees and I crawled over to him.

“Princess, are you okay?” he asked. His amulet and his eyes had lost their color, just as they had the last time he used his power — they were gray now instead of green. It was like he used up an entire battery charge for one of those powerful pulses of energy.

“Oh my God, Michael …” I was breathing hard and trembling, my heart beating so fast I could feel it through my entire body. “You saved me.”

“Are you surprised?” He managed a weak grin. I grabbed his hands and they felt very cold.

I looked over at the fallen hellhound. “I think you killed it.”

“Good,” he said grimly.

“I guess Shadows don’t have their powers drained by hellhounds like demons do.”

“Lucky for us.”

“Yeah.”

A glance at Kassandra showed her holding a hand over her mouth in shock, her eyes wide at what she’d just witnessed.

Then an alarm began to blare.

I stroked Michael’s dark hair off his forehead. “Are you okay? Are you going to pass out?”

“I don’t think so.” His skin had turned pale and ashen. “I just need a couple minutes to recover.”

“Take as long as you need.”

There was the sound of footsteps then, and several men approached us — some in human form, some in demon. They wore uniforms, black with gold details. I figured they were some kind of guards. They looked at me and Michael, then at the still hellhound, and then at Kassandra.

“What happened here?” one guard asked.

“Fernando, my brother’s hellhound, attacked Princess Nikki. But … but her … her Shadow servant stopped him.” Kassandra hesitated. “I … I witnessed him use his power.”

You’re a hero , I told Michael telepathically. My hero. Now let’s get out of here.

He looked worried as the guards got nearer.::I have a feeling that’s going to be a problem.::

What?

::Let Kassandra take you back to the gateway. Go back to your father.::

What are you talking about? You’re coming with me, aren’t you?

He didn’t answer me. The next moment the guards grabbed Michael firmly by his arms, yanked him to his feet, and dragged him forcibly across the floor toward the elevator.

I ran after them. “Where are you taking him?”

“To the dungeon,” a guard replied without looking at me.

“The dungeon ? But why are you—?”

Before I could demand any other answers, the silver elevator doors closed between us. I was in shock. I placed a shaking hand on the cold silver door before turning around to look at Kassandra.

“I’m sorry, Nikki,” she said. “I know he was your servant.”

My eyes burned. “Why are they taking Michael to the dungeon? He didn’t do anything wrong. He saved my life!”

“Yes, but …” She pulled on her hair nervously. “He’s a Shadow. They aren’t allowed to use their powers at all, and especially not in front of demon royalty like us.”

“Are you crazy? If he hadn’t, the hellhound would have killed me.”

“I know. But what he did is against the rules. The reason he did it doesn’t matter. My mother’s enforcing all rules to the letter these days, especially after … after—”

“After what?”

“After what happened to the king and queen of the faery realm. My mother won’t let something like that ever happen again. Especially not here in the castle.”

“But that doesn’t make sense. A demon killed them.”

“No.” Kassandra shook her head. “They were killed by a Shadow.”

A Shadow killed Rhys’s parents? That revelation knocked the breath out of me. I couldn’t even speak for a moment.

“Why would a Shadow do something like that?” I finally asked.

Kassandra tore her attention away from the body of the hellhound. “I honestly don’t know.”

“Rhys …,” I began. “King Rhys … he told me it was a demon who killed his parents.”

“Then he hasn’t been told the truth — not yet, anyway. Maybe his advisers assumed it was a demon.”

“And this Shadow—”

“Jonas,” she said quietly, as if afraid someone might overhear. “His name is Jonas. I’ve heard the guards talking.”

“Why would he kill Rhys’s mother and father?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve heard it was simply to show how powerful he was. How dangerous. And a warning that Shadows shouldn’t be kept as servants. Crazy, right?”

The last part didn’t sound crazy to me, but the rest of it did. “And he’s in the dungeon right now?”

“Yes. The strangest thing was, he didn’t even resist when the guards tried to capture him. He went quietly. He killed the faery king and queen and just stood there waiting to be arrested. He’s being watched very carefully. The castle’s security has been in an uproar ever since it happened. I know they were already nervous about the possibility of your bringing your servant here, but they couldn’t do anything about it.”

“Michael’s nothing like this … Jonas,” I said, tears welling up in my eyes. “He’d never kill anyone.”

“He killed Fernando.” She flinched at my look, then shrugged. “I know. It sucks, but your Shadow broke the rules. The guards are just following protocol set up by my mother.”

I looked at the elevator door again, concern for Michael sweeping through me. “So what am I supposed to do now?”

Kassandra approached the fallen hellhound and patted him gently on his side. “Poor boy. He was normally really well behaved. I mean, sure, hellhounds are completely vicious by nature, but they rarely attack unless ordered. I don’t know why he would have done that. Kieran’s going to be very upset. Fernando was his favorite pet.”

“Kassandra.” I tried to get her attention. “What should I do?”

She stood up and brushed off her hands. “I don’t know. What do you want to do? Go home? Or we can still hang out for a while. I can take you on a tour of the castle.”

“I … uh, no. I mean, about Michael . How do I get him released?”

She looked at me blankly. “He’s been arrested for using his power in front of us. The guards have taken him down to the dungeon.”

“I understand that. But there has to be a way around it. He saved my life.”

She crossed her arms and studied me. “And that was really brave, but it doesn’t change anything. He’s gone now. There are plenty of servants to choose from, anyway, so don’t worry about it.” She was quiet for a moment. “Hey, are you thirsty? We could grab something to drink.”

“I’m not thirsty. I want to get Michael out of the dungeon.” I could barely control the anger that simmered just under the surface of my skin. How could she be so calm and matter-of-fact about this? I felt my Darkling power finally return, crackling down my arms. “I don’t think you understand what I’m saying. I don’t want to drink anything. I don’t want a tour of the castle. I want to get Michael. He’s being imprisoned for saving my life. Funny how I don’t think he deserves being thrown in the dungeon.”