Page 92 of Their Blood Queen

I already know the answer. It works. The gambling often features underdog families like mine, helping them elevate to the top. Competition is what drives Elite families and, ultimately, what helps the monsters find their compatible mates.

“Bartholomew and Miranda!” the announcer shouts. “My, they seem cozy, don’t they? And, oh, what about the third surprise Offering? Her chart says her name is… Alina! She has broken the record for entries in the Nightingale Village, so she’s a watcher. Let’s revisit their departure from the train before the night begins…”

I lean into the mirror as the screen flashes to a depiction of my father exiting a train car with a female on his arm who I can only assume is Alina.

She’s gorgeous, but her expression suggests she’s mightily pissed off. She is stiff in her corset as if she’s not accustomed to wearing one, but it suits her nicely.

What stands out about her is a mask I’ve never seen before.

Because it’s white. I can’t even see her eyes beyond the veil of power that cloaks her from head to toe.

Have they done something to her?

Or is there something otherworldly about her that makes her a perfect Offering?

“Thank you for your sacrifice,” my father tells them before the screen cuts back to the live feed.

Other selections are giggling and excited, as they should be. I recognize them from families in the Immortality Sector, so the announcer only briefly introduces them. We’re supposed to be competing with each other, but I find it interesting how the immortal families have obviously trained their Offerings.

They seem excited.

They’re boasting about what sort of creature they’ll seduce, while others say it doesn’t work that way. Offerings are formed to fit the monsters, not the other way around.

At least they’re well educated when it comes to Monsters Night.

I know it’s a beneficial pairing, and I’m reassured when I hear that exact language from the Offerings themselves as they discuss it before the countdown.

The Nightingale selections don’t seem so confident, though. It makes me question what our village is really like to make the first two so frightened while the third wears a veil of power so thick I can hardly see through it.

The coverage of the Nightingale Offerings has never been this detailed, so it’s the first time I’m seeing their emotions and any genetic alterations firsthand.

I decide that there’s just something different about Alina that the others don’t seem to see, because the announcer doesn’t comment on the white sheen of power. Instead, he seems more interested in Bartholomew and Miranda.

She’s the one who’ll attract the most powerful monsters, you idiots.

No matter their fate, the three Offerings freeze when the countdown begins. Another voice echoes through Monster City, the terminology and accent foreign to what I’m used to in my city.

“Fifteen!”

The one named Bartholomew turns into a dark alleyway, earning a gasp from the crowd. If they’re trying to avoid monsters, that’s a poor selection.

Then again, I notice right away he has avoided the camouflaged buildings where monsters watch through one-sided windows. To him, the empty alleyway might seem like a better choice.

Meaning he can see them.

It’s a positive indicator that Bartholomew, at least, is suited to a powerful monster if he can see through magicked disguises.

“What’s this?” the announcer excitedly asks as the trio enters one of the empty buildings. “They’ve walked onto a portal platform floor! Any bets on a mate pairing in the first ten seconds? Because we’re about to see it, Dukes and Duchesses! Ladies and Earls!”

The female named Miranda starts to cry, twisting my heart.

It’s not supposed to be like this.

This isn’t how the Offerings who keep our families alive should be treated. They shouldn’t be afraid.

“What do we have here?” the announcer asks as Bartholomew goes to Miranda, who has crumpled, and brushes his lips across her cheek to her mouth. “It seems we have a two-for-one pairing for a lucky monster!”

The crowd cheers, because that means extra points for the Nightingale tally. It’s rare a monster will take more than one human mate.

---