Page 61 of Their Blood Queen

It isn’t. I can still say no.

Can’t I?

Earl Rinhold’s eyes appear a fairer shade of blue in the bright ballroom. Every corner is gilded, and white marble reflects the cheerful light that catches in his blond curls, but he holds my focus.

Because he’s wearing a black suit with frilly red cuffs and ruby cuff links encased in silver. It’s an outfit that complements mine.

He smiles at me from the bottom of the staircase and gazes up as if I’m the most beautiful sight he’s ever seen.

He doesn’t move to retrieve me. Instead, he patiently waits, and I realize I’m supposed to do something.

Right. Stairs.

No one is here to escort me, which was my own choice. A rush of panic makes butterflies flutter in my stomach, but pride creeps up my blood-marked spine.

Resting my hand on the rail, I marvel that I successfully suppress a tremor and begin my descent. My elegant shoes clip along the marble, sending a heartbeat through the room as everyone watches me do exactly what Duchess Rinhold didn’t want.

Make a grand entrance.

I spot her eyeing me from across the room. Her eyes are narrowed as she aggressively fans herself with a lacy contraption stuffed with silky black feathers.

Becoming enemies with my future mother-in-law wasn’t what I had in mind tonight, but if it makes my purpose here clear, then that’s how this will have to be.

If I fell now, I’d be under her shadow for the rest of my life. Which, if the Rinholds moved to the Immortality Sector, would possibly be forever.

“You’re stunning, my lady,” Edward says, pitching his voice low as I venture in range of his words. He holds out his hand, the one with the first letter of my name branded in blood on his skin. “It seems my sister’s cosmetic tonics suit you, even though she didn’t think they would.”

Sister’s tonics?

Conflicting emotions batter on the inside of my chest as I take his hand and he presses a kiss to my skin. A tingle runs up my arm, but I’m too caught up in what he just said to react.

My gaze flicks over him and to the crowd—they’re still watching us. I don’t have as good a vantage point to be able to see his mother anymore.

And I have no idea what his sister looks like.

“Will you introduce me to Lady Liliana?” I ask, then mentally kick myself when Edward gives me a raised brow.

If he’s surprised I know her name, he doesn’t comment on it. Instead, the hesitation melts away as he smiles and then gives me a low bow. “Of course. I’ll be happy to introduce you after our dance.”

My mouth pops open to question him, but he lets go of my hand and slaps his palms together. “Music! Lady Scarlett and I will begin today’s celebrations with the first dance.”

He eyes the crowd as if waiting for a protest, but no one dares say a thing.

Then the music begins. It’s too slow to dance to, so I wait.

My eyes go round when all of the walls morph and change in response to the tones. The once solid walls have now turned into massive screens displaying a place I’ve never seen before.

No, that’s not a city, I realize when I spot the platform and a large device scrolling with numbers atop it. While my family has a different system to call forth selections, I understand the format.

This is Rinhold Village.

My family’s village could be called quaint. It has farms on the mountainside, little to no technology for the natives, and simple homes. While I’ve never visited, I have seen it on my father’s monitoring devices. He explained the importance of keeping their objectives focused on developing the community and cultivating selections. Genetics isn’t the only thing that comes into play when creating a human compatible to mate with a monster. Part of it is environment and training, too.

Footage of Monsters Night when selections go to Monster City is publicly broadcast, but insider images of rival villages are kept private. We’re all in competition with one another. I always knew that other families had different methods and styles for how they formed and ran their villages, but I never imagined anything like this.

Rinhold Village looks as if it’s made of iron. There’s not a single speck of greenery as I blink at the militaristic surroundings and massive structures.

The inhabitants wear protective leathers, and the men have swords strapped to their backs. Even the women seem like tiny warriors with their hair up in tight bands and braids, each of them wearing what I could only describe as armor.

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