Мишель Роуэн - Reign or Shine

Have to.

I looked at Michael then. I didn't need telepathy to know that he wanted me to run. To get away and leave him behind.

A huge roar sounded out at that moment. A cry of pain. The sound helped me pinpoint where my father's room was-behind me and down the hall. He was so close!

Elizabeth cringed. "Why won't he stop fighting and make it easier on himself?"

Despite everything, did she feel guilty about what she was doing? She was a demon, and according to the king of the faery realm, demons were all evil.

Across-the-board darkness, no exception to the rule. Even Rhys had assumed I was evil, though he didn't sense it from me. I could touch a unicorn-whatever that meant. So maybe Rhys was wrong.

Was there a piece of Elizabeth that wasn't that bad? She was killing her brother to please her boyfriend. But there had to be something there, something that was eating away at her. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. She had gone too far. She'd made her decisions and I'd made mine.

I knew what I had to do.

I turned and ran as fast as I could toward the room I'd heard the roar of pain come from. I could hear Dax's thundering footsteps behind me, but he was big and heavy and couldn't run as fast as I could.

At the end of the hall, I turned right onto a long corridor and it finally seemed familiar. There was only one door. It was closed but unlocked and I burst in without knocking.

The room looked the same as before and my father still lay on the bed, but now he was curled on his side, the coal-colored skin of his forehead drenched with sweat.

"Nikki-" His voice was so weak I could barely hear it.

I ran to his side. He attempted to reach out toward me with a black, taloned hand, but it dropped back down to his side. I grabbed his arm.

"Dad…" I began, but realized that he'd fallen unconscious again. "No, please wake up!"

Elizabeth and Dax entered the room and Michael was right behind them. I scooted around to the other side of the canopied bed.

Elizabeth's gaze tracked to her brother and then to me. "It's too late, Nikki."

My father's eyes flickered open again and he looked up at me and then over to his sister. "Elizabeth, I am near the end. I can't fight anymore."

"No, you shouldn't fight," Elizabeth said. "But Nikki hasn't drunk the potion yet. I don't know what to say to convince her that it's for the best."

His attention moved to me. "Nikki, you must drink it. When I pass, the power of the kingdom will transfer to my heir. If you don't drink the potion, that will be you. You'll be trapped here. I want you to be happy, to take care of your mother, and not to worry about any of this."

I clung tightly to his arm. Michael and I exchanged a glance and he looked desperate. Not only for his own situation but for mine.

"I've changed my mind," I said then. "I do want to be queen after all."

Elizabeth's eyebrows shot up. "What?"

"Are you sure about that?" my father asked.

I nodded. I thought about Rhys and how he was the king of the faery realm even though he was only sixteen. "I'm sure."

"But. . what about your normal life? What about school? Why would you change your mind about something like this?"

"Because Elizabeth can't be queen."

"Why not?"

I glanced at her and her eyes narrowed at me, her previously pleasant expression-even during her veiled threats- disappearing.

"Because she's been poisoning you," I told him.

Elizabeth's mouth dropped open. Did she really think I wasn't going to say anything?

I kept talking. "Every time she brings you water it has poison in it. She's been trying to kill you. She wants the throne and she'll do anything to get it."

Elizabeth underestimated me if she thought the lure of going back to my regular life and forgetting all about this would be enough to deter me. How shallow did she think I was?

I didn't want this. But if she thought she could take the throne and destroy everything my father had achieved- even at the expense of giving up his happiness with my mother-then she had another thing coming to her.

In fact, I'd made this decision earlier at the dance- even before I realized what Elizabeth's nasty plan was. I just hadn't realized how strongly I felt about it.

All I knew was that it felt right to me-even if it meant going against what everyone else wanted me to do.

And if the power of the kingdom shifted to me and Elizabeth tried to kill me? Then she would have one hell of a fight on her hands.

"Elizabeth," my father said, and even though his voice was weak, the name still held power. "Is this true?"

She came to his side so we looked at each other over my father's prone form. "Of course not. I don't know what has gotten into her, but your daughter is completely wrong. Why would I want to harm you? You're my brother."

"It's true," Michael said from the edge of the room. He had his arms crossed over his chest now and was visibly shivering even though the room wasn't cold. "Elizabeth has been poisoning you so she and Prince Kieran can share the power of the Shadowlands."

"You're still seeing that devious Underworld prince?" My father's eyes shifted back and forth quickly as if he was thinking very hard. "No. Elizabeth, I. . how could I be so horribly blind?" His forehead creased and his brows drew together. "Why would you do this to me? I trusted you. Above all others in this world, I trusted you. You would watch me suffer these weeks and say nothing?"

She backed away a step. "There was no other way. I have to be queen. Why did you bring your daughter here? She's ruined everything."

My father was struggling to sit up and a flash of fear crossed Elizabeth's expression. However, despite his fierce demon exterior it was apparent that he had no strength left at all. He couldn't do anything to stop her. The poison continued to eat away at his remaining life.

She looked at me then, and her eyes turned to red. "You leave me with no other choice, Nikki. You could have made this so simple. Two sips at the most and none of this would have mattered to you. I'm not as horrible as you probably think I am. I've done what I had to do, but no more than that. I didn't want to kill you."

I willed myself to remain calm. My father was staying conscious but I could tell that it was a struggle.

"I think you've deluded yourself into thinking you're better than you really are, Elizabeth," I said.

Her eyes narrowed. "Right now you are vulnerable. If I wait until the power shifts to you, you won't be. This is my only opportunity to make things right."

"Nikki," my father said, "I can't protect you. I'm too weak."

"Then I'll have to protect you." My grip increased on his arm and I glared at my aunt. "Forget it. Not going to happen." I glanced at Dax, who stood expressionless by the doorway with his arms clasped behind his back. He looked like a bouncer.

I could feel Elizabeth's desperation and her growing anger like a crackling of heat along the surface of my skin. There was the briefest flash of her demon then. It scared the hell out of me. I'd almost forgotten that she also had a demon form just underneath the surface of her beautiful human exterior.

"I think I know what to do," she said after a moment and I watched her apprehensively as she reached into the pocket at the side of her skirt and pulled out Michael's amulet, holding it up by its chain. I felt the air leave my lungs in a rush.

"You do know what this is, yes?" she asked.

"Of course I do." I was literally trembling from trying to sound strong when I felt anything but.

"Your Shadow can't help you now, Nikki, but perhaps you can help him."

Michael had become so transparent that I could see through him to the wall behind. By how pale and shivery he was, I could tell he wasn't feeling very well.