Мишель Роуэн - Reign Check

She’d quit her demon-slaying lessons. Just like that?

“You’re sure?” I asked tentatively.

“Yes.”

“So you don’t want to be a … a dancer?”

She hesitated. “No, I don’t. To be a dancer I’d have to give up too much, sacrifice almost everything else in my life for something I don’t even believe in doing. I don’t want that. I want to go to school, and hang out with you, and date Rhys …” She smiled. “That’s just how it’s going to be. If anyone has a problem with it, then that’s just too bad.”

“Well, good.”

She nodded, and then her gaze moved over my shoulder and she swallowed hard. “I just wish he’d leave me alone.”

“Who?”

“Patrick.”

I looked over to see a black car pulled up at the curb a dozen feet away. Patrick was behind the wheel.

“Melinda,” he called.

“Would you just go away, please?” she shouted back. “I told you, it’s over.”

“It’s not over,” he replied. From what I could see, his expression was tense. “I can’t give up on you.”

“Then you need to try harder.” She turned her back to him.

“I’ll give you some time to clear your head, but then I’ll be back. This has only just begun, Melinda. I promise you that.” After another moment, he shook his head and drove off.

“Is he gone?” she asked.

“He is.”

Melinda’s eyes were shiny and she sniffed hard. “He doesn’t want me to quit. Says that it’s in my blood. I disagree.”

The entire subject made me extremely uncomfortable. “He said he’d be back. Maybe he’ll be able to convince you then.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. It’s over. And I’m happy for the first time in weeks.” Her expression brightened as I followed her inside the school and we went to our lockers.

I spotted Chris, sitting by himself, his back against his locker. He was scribbling away in a sketchbook he had propped against his knees.

Melinda nodded at him. “Do you have any idea what’s up with Chris? He’s been acting so strange lately.”

I shook my head. “I guess we all can act strange now and then, can’t we?”

“Good point.”

Chris looked up at me and our eyes met. He frowned and looked away again.

What was he drawing? Another vision about me? Or about someone else?

It could be a lot of things.

My best friend was a demon slayer who’d just quit her training sessions despite her very persistent instructor. My biology partner was the king of the faery realm whom I was prophesied to marry some day. My sort-of boyfriend was a Shadow prince — servant with the potential to fully drain a demon’s life energy as easily as if he were drinking a milkshake.

And to top it off, my mother was now dating one of my teachers.

“We’re so going to the mall today,” Melinda said after a moment. “It’s a rule that all students are supposed to go to the holiday pageant in the cafeteria at noon, but let’s blow it off and leave early.”

I considered that. “If we break that rule, will they throw us in the dungeon?”

She blinked at me. “What?”

I forced a laugh. “Just kidding, of course. Let’s do it.”

Forget dungeons, demons, Shadows, faeries, slayers, or even giant talking cockroaches … those things could totally wait for another day.

After all, I still had some major last-minute Christmas shopping to do.

Thank you to my editor, Stacy Cantor, for being such a complete joy to work with. My eternal gratitude also goes to Deb Shapiro and the team at Walker Books for Young Readers for all their hard work with my little demon princess.

Thanks to my agent, Jim McCarthy, for general awesomeness in all that he has done and continues to do.

Thanks to Jennifer Black, who gave Reign Check a beta read to make sure Nikki did, in fact, sound like a teenager and not a thirty-something writer.

Shout-outs to a few of my author BFFs (you can have more than one, y’know) who make me realize that being a writer means being a part of a wonderful, giving (and sometimes hilariously snarky) community: Eve Silver, Jackie Kessler, Richelle Mead, Megan Crane, Liza Palmer, Mark Henry, Gena Showalter, Heather Brewer, Amanda Ashby, Jill Myles, Charlene Teglia, Stephanie Rowe, and Michele Lang. You all rock!

And a huge thanks to my readers, who have had such wonderful things to say about Nikki’s first adventure. I very much hope you enjoy this one, too!