Page 41 of Their Blood Queen

But when his fingers brush my arm, ice shoots through my system, making me yelp.

What was that?

Shadows blink into existence through every reflective surface, making me swear I can hear a growl rumbling through the room.

It’s gone in a second, and I force myself to take in a shaky breath.

It’s just like last night.

I’m losing my mind.

Earl Rinhold flexes his fingers, frowning as though he isn’t sure if he should touch me again, then gently grips my elbow. My world doesn’t flip upside down this time, and we both relax.

“My mother seems to have been incredibly rude and embarrassed me in front of my delicate bride,” he says, sending a cold glare to the woman still fanning herself. There’s a brief spark of the icy sensation I sensed a moment before, but it’s gone in a flash and he’s guiding me out of the room.

“Please forgive my mother. This is a trying time for her—she feels like she’s being replaced,” he says conversationally as he guides me down the hall.

I don’t know where he’s taking me. The only things in this direction are more drawing rooms and a locked hall that leads to the rest of the woefully under-furnished manor and our living quarters.

“She has every right to feel threatened, Earl Rinhold,” I automatically reply. I’ve been trained on saying the right thing in the right tone and at the right time.

I know I’ve done all those things, but I’m still expecting some sort of backlash. The warm smile that Earl Rinhold gives me feels so different from the shock of ice a moment before, including the look he had given the Duchess.

“Please, call me Edward,” he says with a conspiratorial whisper.

An unbidden blush heats my cheeks as I lower my eyelashes. “Edward,” I say, sensing his pleasure as he squeezes my elbow.

Is this what flirting feels like?

He stops at the locked door to the rest of the manor and surprises me when he produces a key. “I bribed your lovely handmaiden for it,” he says with a wink.

Of course Rosie would be susceptible to Earl Rinhold’s charm. She was as afraid of him as I was, but now I know she’s going to be waiting for me in my room to gossip well into the hours of the night.

I find myself looking forward to it. It’s something a Lady would do and is also a pleasant distraction from my family’s situation.

“Which one is your mother’s?” he asks, making my skin prickle with warning.

It’s not a secret that my mother is sick, but it wouldn’t do for a member of the Rinhold family to see our weaknesses.

My future husband, I correct myself.

Edward.

“Third door on the right,” I find myself telling him.

He gives me a nod, one that seems to show gratitude for my trust and not just the information.

When we arrive at my mother’s door, he produces a small vial that glitters with silver.

My eyes widen.

“Place two drops on her tongue. It’ll make her lucid enough for a conversation, but don’t give her more, or else she’ll become dependent. And I can’t say I’ll be able to procure more than this.”

He presents the tonic, one that I was just thinking about earlier.

An anti-aging tonic, an elixir that is probably for cosmetic purposes, but it should work against illness, too.

Theoretically, anyway.

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