11. Cain

CHAPTER 11

CAIN

Hunger stirs in my stomach. Despite enjoying the most succulent prayers from Lady Scarlett Nightingale, I haven't had another taste of them in days.

So I indulge and slip into the Dream Realm to relive the moment. Sometimes the dream of a good meal is almost as fulfilling as the real thing.

Her prayers wash over me, or at least the memory of them does. My eyelashes flutter as I taste the faint echo of peaches as she says my name.

"Please, Cain. Let my mother live, and protect me against the Elite games I must play."

I might not be a true God, but prayers don't entirely land on deaf ears when I hear them. I'm a powerful monster, one with many talents, including the ability to make subtle changes in the Dream Realm.

Changes such as opening up Eveline Nightingale's mind to hope instead of death. She had succumbed to a coma days prior, one that had been just as much a battle of wills as it had been an illness.

I can't necessarily heal her, but I can possibly help.

The prayers have opened a portal between my mind and Scarlett's vicinity. I can see her mother through her eyes, as well as the sickness that clings to the Duchess. It's a memory of what I had seen, so everything is even fuzzier than it had been a few days ago.

Her sickness is strange and seems to cling to the Duchess with black tendrils that stretch over her eyes. I touch them but find them hard as iron. She's too far gone right now for me to assist very much.

I still feel powerless in this moment. Without physically being there, or understanding the strange sickness, all I can do is help the Duchess's body absorb the anti-aging tonic that Scarlett drops onto her lips. I don't know where my little star has acquired such an expensive elixir, but I could hazard a guess.

Her new suitor is trying to win her over.

Perhaps two can play at that game if gifts are the way to Scarlett's heart. I can offer more than a mere mortal can.

And even the elixir that mortal has provided doesn't seem to be enough. At least, not the two drops Scarlett has given.

She needs another dose, I realize with a strange shudder of panic as the Duchess's body sucks up the magic and seems to cry out for more. I don't want Scarlett to suffer more nightmares than she already does.

I encourage the panic that wafts over Scarlett's mind. She needs to understand the dire situation. She can save her mother. But she needs to do it. I can only assist, given the right medium.

Relief washes through me as she places two more drops on her mother's lips. I'm able to bleed away the rest of the black tendrils over her mother's eyes, and they finally open.

Scarlett rewards me with a prayer, not giving credit to the elixir at all.

"Thank you, Cain."

I slip out of the dream and settle back into the present. But I keep my eyes closed to appreciate the fleeting sensations.

There had been such desperation, then gratitude, that I had felt the fullness of satisfaction from a true meal for the first time in many years.

If ever.

She had talked with her mother after that, from what I gathered through the wisps I was able to overhear from the Dream Realm. And whatever her mother had said to her had set Scarlett against me.

Or against dreams in particular. Because she's completely shut me out since.

I open my eyes and find that my lunch appointment has arrived. Killian waits patiently in the doorway to one of my sunny meeting spaces designed for both dining and official work.

Killian is a friend, so it's a little bit of both today. Although, he'll be the one eating, and I'll be the one working.

Feeling moody and irritated, I tap my fingernails over a table while Killian takes his seat across from me. I've managed to keep my beast from peeking through these past few days, but he's painfully scratching underneath the surface, threatening to come out. Simply revisiting the memory of Scarlett's prayers isn't cutting it.

We wait, I tell him, because Scarlett needs her space right now. In fact, today is the day she will join the Rinhold residence for the first time.

I debate attending the fête now. I'm not entirely confident my beast won't claw his way right through my skin and devour anyone who even looks at her.

"You're not looking so good, Cain," Killian casually observes as he accepts a water from one of the human servants.

He makes a good show of seeming at ease, but I know he's indulging in the sensation of being on land for this long. It's all he'll indulge in, though, given his choice of beverage. He could have any of my aged wines or golden whiskeys, but he always sticks to water and foods native to his world. He's lived on a ship most of his life and came here in search of a mate, like most monsters do. That's his purpose, and he has a beautiful single-minded drive to fulfill it.

His dark hair shines with health, and his vibrant blue eyes catch the sunlight, revealing specks of gold. His true form is almost as frightening as mine, one of layered muscles, burning tribal scars, a forked tongue, and claws. He's as much a creature of nightmares as I am, in his own way, and that has earned my respect over the years.

He takes a sip of his water as he watches me, not looking away like other monsters might. He's arrogantly brave and always ready to challenge authority, but that's what I like about him.

It's why I asked for him today. I need someone who'll challenge my beast, not bow to it.

"Still just sticking to water?" I ask, nodding to his beverage. He shrugs, sending more of those dark locks tumbling over his shoulders. He's wearing a warrior's fitted garb that strains with his movements. A sash winds about his waist, and he flicks it over his hip as he leans back. "I shouldn't get used to the fancy stuff. Maybe I'll get lucky this Monsters Night and have cause to celebrate."

"Hmm," I reply, giving him a sound of agreement. "I wish you fortune this year, then, good friend."

I could use some fortune myself, I think but don't say aloud. I didn't bring Killian here to commiserate. Still, there's more than enough for me to handle before Monsters Night—and during as well. It's the busiest time of the year for all of us, and the most tumultuous. I have to set everything in motion to run smoothly for twelve hours without me while I chain myself to my tower.

A precaution that I imagine will be needed this year.

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.

I immediately recognize Duchess Rinhold and her son, the Earl. Irritation makes my beast growl as we land our gaze on the obstacle between us and Scarlett, but he's engaged with his mother.

They're in a closed room—what looks to be the back of a shop. The rarest magic tonics I've seen in this sector line the walls, so this must be one of the exclusive areas.

A clerk offers her a silver-encased box and opens it. The interior contains various vials stuffed into velvet slots.

Anti-aging elixirs.

"I'll take three," she says, frowning when the clerk slides her a piece of paper that must tell her the price.

She flicks her gaze up at him. "That has tripled from the last time I was here."

"So has your order," he says with polite regard. But a shopkeeper of tonics in the Magic Sector knows how to handle the Elites, even one as powerful as Duchess Rinhold. It's her privilege that gives her the disadvantage here because he knows she can afford his price.

And, per the laws of my city, merchants must pay a quota on Monsters Night, too. Their annual tithe ensures they keep their stock attractive enough to afford business in my city. One stocking elixirs as desirable as the rare anti-aging tonic would have a high tithe indeed.

She glowers at her son as she closes the box. "We accept your price," she tells the clerk, "but be mindful that I expect prompt delivery."

The clerk gives her a low bow as he retrieves the box, no doubt to go into the back room to wrap it for her. A Duchess wouldn't be expected to walk around with her purchases.

She waits until he leaves before she lays into her son.

"How many did you take, Edward?"

Oh, so he didn't buy them himself? That's interesting.

He gives her a raised brow. "Whatever do you mean, Mother?"

Shadows swirl around her in the Dream Realm, drawing my interest. I can hear Killian ordering another water. He's patiently waiting for me to finish my snooping. He knows I have a tendency to lose myself in dreams.

In this case, though, I'm inside my Raven's head while I linger in the Dream Realm. He's my anchor, but the Duchess with nightmares dripping from her curls doesn't seem natural.

An effect of too many anti-aging doses? I wonder. She looks far younger than her true age, and her eyes are unnaturally bleached—a telltale sign of magic addiction. Every human reacts to the magic differently, but I can't say I've seen this sort of effect before, which has bled into the Dream Realm.

It reminds me of the shadows clinging to Duchess Nightingale's eyes. Hers weren't bleached, but there was something wrong about them. Nightmares had clung to her, too.

I make a mental note to research for a new sickness that could be plaguing my people. I normally let them manage themselves, and illness is all but eradicated in the Immortality Sector, but not an unusual occurrence in the others.

A plague, though, would not do.

"Did you give one to your new bride?" the Duchess asks, not buying his lie for a second.

He shrugs. "If you insist on pressing the matter, Mother, yes and no."

"Yes and no?" she echoes with an edge of irritation in her voice.

He adjusts the cuff of his frilly shirt. "I gave it to her, but it wasn't for her."

She flicks her fan open and cools herself. My city can be warm during the day this time of year, hence the open window that let Bernard in. "Her mother's illness is what made them desperate enough to accept the proposal in the first place, Edward. Is it wise to take away that motivation?"

He gives her a calculated glower. "Are you suggesting we leave an ailing woman to die when we can do something about it?"

Duchess Rinhold scoffs, then pauses and narrows her eyes. "Are you being devious, Edward? If her mother becomes addicted to it, that'll require Lady Scarlett to procure more. It'll put her in your debt."

He seems irritated rather than pleased by her observation, making me question his motivations. "On the contrary, Mother. I told her the limit: no more than two drops per day. If she keeps to that, then she won't be indebted to anyone." He snatches up his sleeve and rolls it at his elbow. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I am late to escort my intended. I'll see you at the fête, Mother ."

He leaves the room, and so does Bernard as he follows him.

I slip out of his mind and return to my lunch meeting with Killian. Although, I've lost my appetite.

It would be so much easier if Earl Rinhold was just like the rest of his family. Greedy, ambitious, and conniving.

He doesn't seem to be any of those things.

In fact, he seems to be a much more suitable mate for Scarlett than I could ever be.

"Well?" Killian asks, setting down his plate.

I sigh and stand. "Scarlett is about to be escorted by the Earl to her new residence. So I think I'll?—"

He's on his feet, already challenging what I was about to say. "Fight for her, Cain. Trust me when I say there is no greater regret than letting a compatible mate slip through your fingers. Don't let that be the nightmare that haunts you for your very long life."

I know he's right.

But I also know what would be required if I took Scarlett for myself, even if I did find a way around the blood contract. She might not survive… not unless I managed to locate at least two other compatible monsters to share the burden. They'd have to be compatible with not only me but also her. And they'd need to earn my beast's approval. So far, I haven't been in a very sharing mood when it comes to Scarlett Nightingale.

I don't like Earl Rinhold, even if he seems like someone who would be good for her. It doesn't matter. He's still a Rinhold .

I've seen enough to know that the family she's about to get in bed with is a dangerous one.

It wouldn't hurt to make an appearance and set the record straight. Even if Earl Rinhold isn't a true threat to Scarlett, there's still Duke and Duchess Rinhold to worry about.

Scarlett Nightingale might not be mine.

But she is under my protection. And any who harm her will have to go directly through me.

"You're right, Killian," I say, earning a wry smile from the male. "I'll make preparations to attend. And you," I add, lowering my chin, "you will get on a train to Monster City and take one of Helia's best suites."

Killian chuckles. "Sounds like a good deal. See you later, then, Cain." He claps a hand on my shoulder. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do, yeah?"

My beast is the one who smiles back at him, all teeth and wicked intent. "Of course. I'll be on my best behavior."

I won't kill anyone.

But I don't make any promises that I won't visit Scarlett Nightingale tonight. Earl Rinhold can have her during the day.

Tonight, when she closes her eyes… she'll be all mine.