Page 76 of Their Blood Queen

Fine. More for the others, then.

CHAPTER 19

CAIN

“Don’t believe the lies about her, my king,” Duchess Amesbury begs as she once again rises from her seat. She goes so far as to press her head against the table. “Please, I beg of you, spare her from judgment!”

Her husband, Duke Amesbury and the father of the recently shunned Lady Eleanor, yanks her back into her seat with a glare. “Sit down. Our Lord has had enough hysterics to deal with lately. Let’s not plague him with more than what Eleanor has already embarrassed this family with.”

Steepling my fingers, I watch the exchange while I contemplate how to navigate the situation. If I had been less distracted, none of this would have become public scandal and the lies wouldn’t have twisted everything out of proportion.

It took me two days to even realize what sort of rumors had been spread. By then, it was too late. So here I am, trying to pick up the pieces.

It’s my fault, I lament. I should have known why he broke an anti-aging tonic on the ground.

It had left a magical signature, one that supported the rumor I know he started with unmistakable evidence.

Because no one in their right mind would discard a tonic of that value for no reason.

My beast remains silent. Not even a growl. He’s displeased with me, not just because I’ve made matters worse. But because we haven’t played in Scarlett’s dreams as I had promised.

She hasn’t let us back in. Not yet, but at least she’s safe. For the moment, anyway.

My concern for her safety is why I am in this mess to begin with. I wrongly assumed that I had enough time to follow Earl Rinhold back to the ballroom and make sure he didn’t do anything untoward to Scarlett before going back to rescue the poor girl he had humiliated. I should have trusted Bernard to that task, but I had let my emotions control me. After seeing the Earl’s true colors, I needed to watch over her personally. That had been selfish.

I watched the whole thing unfold. She had lured him into isolation using blackmail and tried to seduce him, that part of the rumor was true. But the rest of it was a twisted version of what really happened.

He tore the clothing from her body, then he fucked her with the hilt of his dagger as if to prove some point.

He couldn’t have just left it there. He stabbed it into the seat of a chaise lounge and made her ride it while she touched herself.

Then he dragged her onto the ground and broke an anti-aging tonic before abandoning her.

I’m the only one who knows what really happened. The public scandal story is that Lady Eleanor tried to throw herself at Earl Rinhold, who rejected her. But she had planned for it, according to the rumor, so that’s why she had stolen his dagger and performed a black magic ritual to make him fall in love with her.

It made her sound manic and desperate.

It also allowed Earl Rinhold to weave a story very close to the truth, but in his favor. And after two days of circulation, the story had effectively ruined Lady Eleanor’s reputation. It was an easy story to believe. Her jealousy over the fact that Earl Rinhold is betrothed to an unknown Elite recently risen in the Magic Sector ranks is real enough to make the story true.

I regret not putting a stop to it now. I’m a dream region monster, so I was able to sense her lust and enjoyment of the exchange, giving me no reason to interfere. If Earl Rinhold had engaged in true intercourse with her, it would have given me a justified means of ending his life. He would have broken the exclusivity clause in his contract with Scarlett, but he was too smart to violate that term.

My own selfish reasons put one of my citizens in danger. I regret that, even if I would have done the same thing all over again. Scarlett needs protection, and I chose to watch her in favor of Lady Eleanor.

When he left her there on the floor with no usable clothing and even announced to my presence to use her if I wished, I knew what kind of man Earl Rinhold really was.

A dead man.

But I will bide my time. Until then, I have to untangle this snarl he caused and I let happen on my watch.

Duke and Duchess Amesbury quietly bicker in front of my desk while I peer over their heads to the darkened city outside. I spot a Raven’s silky black wings reflecting against the moonlight, so I know Bernard has finally returned.

Just in time.

This time he went all the way to Monster City to run an errand for me. Even if I can see through his eyes, I haven’t as of late. There have been other things on my mind, so I trusted Bernard to get the job done.

Gladly, my Raven is worthy of my trust.

I see the evidence of his success in his beak. Two blood diamonds glimmer with ruby-red tones before he soars upward to the roof where he has an entry hole just large enough for a small Raven.

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