Page 50 of Their Blood Queen

Even if this is when prayers are at their peak and I should be feasting on them right now, I can’t trust myself to stay in control.

Not when all I can think about is Scarlett Nightingale.

“You’ll be using the train, I assume?” I ask him. I’ll have to secure his transit with the one direct train we have to Monster City. For security reasons, every passenger must be approved by both Helia and me.

He sighs. “Yes. Although, I’m going more to observe than to participate. They have better feeds there.”

I don’t take offense to that. The broadcast in Monster City is more comprehensive and designed for monsters. The broadcasts here focus on the competition between families.

I mark down a note on one of my transit papers to add Killian to the roster. “You’re a powerful monster, Killian. It’s rare to find a compatible mate for a higher-tier creature such as yourself.”

He gives me an arched brow as he sets down his emptied glass. The servants begin filling our table with various plates, most of it being food native to his world, such as pastries called Moon Puffs and meat skewers that drip with green ooze. I know that’s his preference. “Are you speaking from experience, Cain? Maybe you should attend this year, too.”

I chuckle. “Wouldn’t that be a sight? I’d wind up killing everyone if I let my beast out. That’s definitely not an option.” I take one of the beverages, and my tongue flicks over my lower lip. I sense a hint of peach, even though the wine I selected should have tasted bitter. “I’ve already found a compatible mate.”

He straightens. “You have?” He glances around the empty room. “Then… why isn’t she with you?”

I sigh. This is why I brought Killian here. The question about the train could have been completed by courier, but I want to hear his take. “She begins a courtship with Earl Rinhold today, one established via means of a blood contract.” I match his gaze, taking in the flare of concern in his eyes. “Today is also the Rinholds’ Choosing Day for their village, so I’ve been debating attending their fête tonight.”

He chuckles. “Well, that’s a predicament. I take it the blood contract was written in your blood?”

There are few monsters with blood that can make an agreement magically binding. I typically use mine for blood contracts so that I can monitor all agreements through the Dream Realm.

It’s likely what has given me such free access to Scarlett’s mind, but she still has to open the door to let me in.

Maybe if I attend the fête… she’ll be inclined.

And maybe, if I keep visiting her, I’ll find a way to untangle the binding agreement from the inside.

Yes… I want to be inside her.

My jaw aches as my teeth change, and I take a moment to push my beast back. Killian watches me closely as I bring him under control. “As you can see, I’m a bit… unstable.”

“You need to go,” he says.

I take another sip of my wine, this time indulging in the fragrant peach flavor my dream powers seem to have added. “My compatible mate is spoken for, Killian.”

His jaw flexes as if I’ve angered him. “At least your compatible mate is alive.”

His response surprises me. I haven’t intruded into Killian’s quest for a mate. It can be a private matter, and I’ve given him space, but if he found a compatible mate, only for her to die… Well, yes. That would inspire some regret.

“I apologize for your loss, Killian. I will make sure that on this Monsters Night, you are given access to all of the surveillance documentation so that you can see every candidate who enters the city.”

I don’t ask how she died. Humans are fragile creatures, and I can only hope there’s another human out there suitable for the warrior beast. If he found one here, maybe he’ll find another.

“I appreciate that, Cain.” He tilts his head as his emotions settle. His personality is like an ocean, fluctuating with the ebb and flow of the tide of his heart. “Can’t you sit inside the head of humans and see through their eyes? What’s she doing now?”

The temptation to intrude on what Scarlett is seeing is irresistible. It’s possibly a good thing that I can’t see through her eyes unless she has prayed to me.

But there’s another who acts as my eyes and ears of this city, and he just so happens to have been watching over Scarlett for me.

I slip into Bernard’s mind as a compromise. My Raven flutters about of his own accord, and while I ordered him to watch Scarlett, he hasn’t had much luck. She’s been trapped indoors and hidden away as she prepares for her relocation to the Rinhold estate.

The Dream Realm unfurls before me as Bernard senses me and immediately lets me in.

He’s outside and in his animal form, allowing the vision to be sharper than I’m accustomed to. He flutters through a cracked window just large enough for his bird form to peek through, then he skitters into the shadows.

Because there are three people talking.

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