He'd
115
reached the gateway. "No sewer this time. Not as traumatic, I promise." I looked at the gateway. It was about the size of a regular door, but with rounded edges; a swirling kaleidoscope of color, but I could stil see through it to the other side as if it were only a light film.
"Wait a minute--"
::Fol ow me, Princess:: He didn't say it out loud this time.
I bit my lip. Telepathy. I could hear him because I was a demon princess and he was the servant my father had assigned to me.
Right behind you, I thought telepathical y, wondering if he could hear me as clearly as I could hear him.
Without another word or a glance at me, he walked directly through the gateway and disappeared.
I looked back over my shoulder at the castle in the distance. That scary castle I'd been so afraid to approach. And there was no doubt--it was scary and
intimidating and so very strange. Everything about this had been unbelievable. But it was all true.
My eyes fil ed up, thinking I'd never see my father again. I'd wanted to hate him, I'd tried to hate him, but I couldn't. He was a good man. His demon form
had scared me, but he'd said earlier that he was the same person underneath. That appearances meant nothing.
Now I believed it.
Qood'bye, Dad, I thought as a tear slipped down my cheek.
116
And then I walked through the gateway. My stomach lurched a bit and I had a moment of vertigo, but with the next step I was on the street where I lived. Michael stood there with his arms crossed as he waited for me.
"Come on," he said. "I'l walk you to your house."
I shifted my focus to Michael. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
"What do you do for fun in the Shadowlands?" "Fun?"
I shrugged. "Here we go to the movies or the mal or just hang out. Or go to dances like Winter Formal tomop row night at school."
"We don't have anything like that." He frowned. "There are lots of books, which is how I learned al about the human realm. I ... I hang out with some of the
other . . . servants . . . who live at the castle. They're okay."
"Anybody your age?"
He shook his head. "Not real y."
I chewed my bottom lip. "Do you have a girlfriend?"
"No." There was silence then for a moment. "We're here. I guess I'l say good-bye now."
We'd reached my house. I could tel by the big maple tree at the bottom of the front lawn. "What did you think would happen if you told me the truth about who you real y are?" I asked.
"It doesn't matter anymore."
"It does matter. Did you think I'd look down on you?" He pressed his lips together and was apparently finding 117
the ground an extremely interesting thing to look at. "Something like that."
"Wel , you were wrong."
He final y raised his gaze to mine. "But your father said--"
"Forget about what my father said. He has a seriously outdated view of the world, but that's probably because he lives in a different one." I sighed.
"Look, if this could be any other way I wouldn't take the potion at al . I don't want to forget about you. I don't want to forget about any of this."
"You have to drink it."
"I know that, but it doesn't mean I want to."
He let out a breath, but I stil couldn't see it in the cold air. It had to have something to do with his amulet control ing his life force. Even in the darkness it pulsed with a soft green light over his sweatshirt.
"You can get back to your normal life with your . . . your boyfriend, Chris." Michael said his name unpleasantly. "I'm sure you'l be glad when al of this is
over."
"He's not real y my boyfriend," I admitted.
That raised his eyebrows. "But I thought you said--"
"I'm just going to the dance with him."
"I saw him kiss you in the hal way." He didn't sound happy about it. "And yesterday, too."
I thought back to Chris's hal way smooch. Had that honestly only been earlier today? It seemed like a lifetime ago.
"He's not that great a kisser," I said. "But don't tel anyone."
"I definitely won't." He glanced back at the street.
118
"Look, I real y
115
reached the gateway. "No sewer this time. Not as traumatic, I promise." I looked at the gateway. It was about the size of a regular door, but with rounded edges; a swirling kaleidoscope of color, but I could stil see through it to the other side as if it were only a light film.
"Wait a minute--"
::Fol ow me, Princess:: He didn't say it out loud this time.
I bit my lip. Telepathy. I could hear him because I was a demon princess and he was the servant my father had assigned to me.
Right behind you, I thought telepathical y, wondering if he could hear me as clearly as I could hear him.
Without another word or a glance at me, he walked directly through the gateway and disappeared.
I looked back over my shoulder at the castle in the distance. That scary castle I'd been so afraid to approach. And there was no doubt--it was scary and
intimidating and so very strange. Everything about this had been unbelievable. But it was all true.
My eyes fil ed up, thinking I'd never see my father again. I'd wanted to hate him, I'd tried to hate him, but I couldn't. He was a good man. His demon form
had scared me, but he'd said earlier that he was the same person underneath. That appearances meant nothing.
Now I believed it.
Qood'bye, Dad, I thought as a tear slipped down my cheek.
116
And then I walked through the gateway. My stomach lurched a bit and I had a moment of vertigo, but with the next step I was on the street where I lived. Michael stood there with his arms crossed as he waited for me.
"Come on," he said. "I'l walk you to your house."
I shifted my focus to Michael. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
"What do you do for fun in the Shadowlands?" "Fun?"
I shrugged. "Here we go to the movies or the mal or just hang out. Or go to dances like Winter Formal tomop row night at school."
"We don't have anything like that." He frowned. "There are lots of books, which is how I learned al about the human realm. I ... I hang out with some of the
other . . . servants . . . who live at the castle. They're okay."
"Anybody your age?"
He shook his head. "Not real y."
I chewed my bottom lip. "Do you have a girlfriend?"
"No." There was silence then for a moment. "We're here. I guess I'l say good-bye now."
We'd reached my house. I could tel by the big maple tree at the bottom of the front lawn. "What did you think would happen if you told me the truth about who you real y are?" I asked.
"It doesn't matter anymore."
"It does matter. Did you think I'd look down on you?" He pressed his lips together and was apparently finding 117
the ground an extremely interesting thing to look at. "Something like that."
"Wel , you were wrong."
He final y raised his gaze to mine. "But your father said--"
"Forget about what my father said. He has a seriously outdated view of the world, but that's probably because he lives in a different one." I sighed.
"Look, if this could be any other way I wouldn't take the potion at al . I don't want to forget about you. I don't want to forget about any of this."
"You have to drink it."
"I know that, but it doesn't mean I want to."
He let out a breath, but I stil couldn't see it in the cold air. It had to have something to do with his amulet control ing his life force. Even in the darkness it pulsed with a soft green light over his sweatshirt.
"You can get back to your normal life with your . . . your boyfriend, Chris." Michael said his name unpleasantly. "I'm sure you'l be glad when al of this is
over."
"He's not real y my boyfriend," I admitted.
That raised his eyebrows. "But I thought you said--"
"I'm just going to the dance with him."
"I saw him kiss you in the hal way." He didn't sound happy about it. "And yesterday, too."
I thought back to Chris's hal way smooch. Had that honestly only been earlier today? It seemed like a lifetime ago.
"He's not that great a kisser," I said. "But don't tel anyone."
"I definitely won't." He glanced back at the street.
118
"Look, I real y
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