16. Cain

CHAPTER 16

CAIN

I don't give the delicious peach-flavored treat time to ask me what I might mean as I slip away from her.

Because I've already disappointed myself by my lack of control.

I shouldn't have gone anywhere near Scarlett, but the instant I saw her sparkling like a gem on the ballroom floor, I had no power over what happened next.

The Dream Realm descended the moment I spotted her.

I'm not a dreamwalker, if such a species even exists. I can only travel into the Dream Realm when I have an anchor to pull myself in.

Tonight, the Dream Realm sucked me into it along with Scarlett, and that wasn't on purpose.

Shadows skitter across my skin, enticing me with soft touches as I retreat. My power seems different when Scarlett is in the room. Everything is more effortless, and there's a pull to stay that makes it hard to fight.

Something about Scarlett Nightingale is endless and extraordinary.

She isn't entirely human. She can't be.

I watch her as she searches the room for me. Observing her is a luxury in which I indulge. I appreciate how her lacy black dress with red highlights accents her hips and her curves. Her lips are ruby red as if she has dipped them in blood. Her hair is a similar vibrant color, and it glitters with complementing jewels and silver chains.

Breathtaking.

The Dream Realm slowly sinks around me as I concentrate and force my beast back. He's satisfied to watch Scarlett and bask in her beauty, so he doesn't fight me.

Just as well, because I need a minute. My dick throbs from the memory of Scarlett pressed up against me. It would be preferable that all of my subjects didn't remember me with a raging hard-on.

There's enough dream essence that no one pays attention to me. I'm a passing memory. Dreams exist in various states. There's such a state when one is awake that is just out of reach, and I settle into that space while I gain my bearings.

Scarlett has unduly unsettled me. I have no doubt about her silent power as I watch her slide into the crowd that resumes socializing and exchanging fake pleasantries. My nightmare fog made them forget the last few moments where I had blanketed the entire room in darkness.

Scarlett seems unaffected by the memory-alteration magic. Her wide eyes scan the room with a bright spark of fear, but there's curiosity in them, too. I give her credit for not cowering in terror like most mortals would when in my unleashed presence.

That alone proves my theory. There's something hidden and buried deep inside of this female. I'm eager to carve my way to the pit of my little peach and find it.

It's clear she doesn't know she is something other . It would take more than just genetic manipulation to create whatever it is she has inside her soul.

Something dark.

Something that has no end to it like the center of a black hole. I'm well versed in the workings of the universe, but never have I encountered a creature with the same pull as that celestial object.

What are you, little star?

A smile tugs at my lips as I ruminate over the nickname I had instinctually chosen for her.

She's a star indeed, one that is ready to implode and show the world her true power.

I have a feeling that if that happens, it might destroy her and everything about her that calls to me.

If she survives, I suspect that I could tap into that power, should she become my mate.

I can't do it alone, I grieve. I would kill her before she has a chance to shine.

Even if she survives the explosion of her awakening, the frenzy of my beast in the aftermath would ensure she didn't live very long. He would be drugged on such power.

My true nature would shred her to pieces. Not intentionally, of course, but there's something fragile about the mortal frame she wears. My beast would take over, and there'd be no holding him back.

I would need another compatible monster mate, or two, to even out the score. There are a few monsters quietly in attendance at the fête, likely by invitation, but none of them are even close to the kind of bond I require. Scarlett Nightingale is a Goddess inside a mortal frame, and if I broke her, it would mean an eternity of damnation for a monster like me.

Fuck.

"I see you decided to attend, Sire," Bernard murmurs from my side.

It says something that I hadn't sensed his approach. No matter how distracting my little star might be, no one is silent enough to sneak up on my Dream Eater.

I glance at the male wearing a sharp suit, fitting for the night's festivities, if not a smidge of Monster City's style rather than the Elite's. He is a monster, though. I don't pretend to keep up with Elite fashions, but I know Bernard cares little for them. He resembles a shadow in a room of peacocks.

I like that about him.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have come," I admit, turning back to the crowd.

Bernard neither agrees nor disagrees with me. He simply stands by my side, showing his silent support. Whatever opinion he might have, he keeps it to himself, as he often does.

The music starts up again, and the Earl finally finds his potential bride. He rests his fingers on her elbow to guide her in his steps.

I've already decided he won't get to keep her.

But in the end, it'll be Scarlett's choice. That's how it always works when it comes to mates.

I want her willing, or not at all.

You're already willing, I remember, indulging in the last time I encountered her in her dreams.

Her peach-like flavor tingles over my tongue as I recall her bowed off the bed, my Dream Eater's tongue deep in her delicious pussy.

And then my massive cock rubbing over her entire body, painting my beast's silver cum over her skin.

When she tasted it…

I shut the memory off before I do something stupid. Like emerge from the nightmares and go on a bloodied rampage to claim her as mine in front of everyone's torn bodies.

Earl Rinhold's arm goes around Scarlett as I contemplate all the reasons I could justify flaying him open and painting the marble floor with his blood.

That would look pretty all over my little star.

I'll bathe you in the blood of your enemies.

Then I'll bathe you in my cum.

To my grave disappointment, she doesn't treat Earl Rinhold like her enemy. Instead of pushing him away like I expect she might, she leans closer to him as if she finds comfort in the vile human.

The growl that rumbles through my chest isn't just in the Dream Realm. It skitters along the walls and sends a nervous energy through the crowd.

Earl Rinhold seems oblivious to the very real threat of my beast desiring to rip off his head.

Perhaps he knows why I can't.

He's immune.

Killing him with just cause would be a viable option, but killing him to take his bride would breach the blood contract's terms. The magic would recognize the intent and backfire.

Fucking bastard.

Bernard doesn't make a sound at my side, but I sense his taut discomfort. He's watching to see if I lose control.

Because if that happens again, he must report it to Helia.

Flexing my jaw so hard I swear my molars crack, I manage to hold it together. The Monster City Queen and I have a strong alliance. But if I can't handle my role as King, I know she'll challenge me.

Too many would die in the fight that would ensue.

Perhaps Helia, even.

Or perhaps me. We are evenly matched in many ways. I'm honestly not sure who would win in a true fight between us.

And I am not interested in finding out.

Bide your time, beast, I instruct my Dream Eater.

He doesn't have a voice of his own. But I sense his reluctance to behave.

We will see her again in her dreams, I assure him.

Because I know we will. After my encounter with Scarlett, I can almost feel her inside her mind.

She's close to letting us back in.

And then… we will play. Tasting the peach nectar between her thighs holds no violation in the Dream Realm.

For the time being, my beast seems satisfied enough with that. We watch as the Earl guides Scarlett to various families and seems to show her off like a new bauble he's just purchased.

I suppose that's all she would be to him. A toy he intends to use and then throw away when he's finished. That's how most Elites function. I would expect no less of a member of the Rinhold family.

He makes a good show of being a gentleman, though. And, in truth, I know very little about him. I typically pay more attention to disobedient families or problem-makers. The Rinholds have always paid their quotas and then some. I've had little cause to investigate them.

Until now.

"What have you discovered of Duke and Duchess Rinhold?" I ask Bernard. I briefly flick my gaze to the older pair conversing with another wealthy family on the verge of ascension.

The Duke and Duchess in question don't appear old, of course. Neither of them boasts a single wrinkle, despite their elevated ages, as far as humans go.

"Not much outside the information I've already shown you," he admits. "But I've been doing more than just tracking their comings and goings. I've also been taking an account of their assets against the history of their awarded points for successful monster-human matches."

"And?" I press when he goes silent.

He takes his time continuing, but I don't have the patience for his delay tactics tonight. I glare at him until he responds. "They have more wealth than the numbers say they should. We've missed something."

"Hmm," I agree. The Rinholds might have a large village population and excellent selections with many successful monster pairings, but their wealth doesn't add up if I take everything into consideration.

They didn't so much as bat an eye at paying my blood price for Scarlett's courtship contract. There's no lack of anti-aging tonics, even with merchants raising their prices. Sure, the Duchess protested when that happened, but she would just on principle.

The Rinholds act like they can no longer afford to upgrade to the Immortality Sector, but I wonder if that's really true. If they tried to pay it this year, I would run an audit of their finances.

Perhaps they don't want me to look too closely.

What are you hiding from me? I wonder.

The Duchess is wearing a black lace choker with an oversized blood diamond at her throat. Such jewels are only sold in Monster City, and importing them comes at a great cost. A secondary chain holds an even larger red gem that nestles above her ample cleavage. The fashion is more suited for a younger lady, but she pulls it off.

The bleached effect of her pale blue irises explains why. She has probably used anti-aging tonics at high doses since she was a teen.

Duke Rinhold is a more mature version of his son. He greets his guests and slicks back his brown hair he prefers to keep bound by a silk bow at his nape. There's not a single hair out of place. He doesn't choose to display his wealth with frills like many of the other peacocks in the room, but I spot the matching blood diamonds sewn into the belt around his waist. His polished boots whisper with magic, too, that keeps his steps silent.

Why would a Duke need silent steps at a noisy fête?

I figure that out when he breaks from the Duchess and moves through the crowd. Like most Elites, he regularly prays to me, so I have some access to his mind. I'm able to catch snippets of the conversations around him. I'm not omniscient. I can only listen in if I'm intentionally doing so.

I'm listening now, Duke Rinhold.

He blends in as he eavesdrops on various conversations, only to swoop in at the right moment to control the narrative of his guests.

He wants them talking about the village selections, not about Scarlett. The families are taking bets on who will mate the highest-level monsters and, therefore, who will earn the Rinholds the most points. It's a competition between families. Some place bets on their own selections, and the Duke shakes hands more than a few times.

This might be a fraction of their wealth I'm missing. But how does he control who wins? What makes him so confident?

I pocket those questions for later. It's one piece of the puzzle I intend to figure out.

Moving on with my observations, I glance at the servants taking care of the guests. I make note of more than a few who were previously members of various villages. Some are stunningly beautiful or handsome, more so than is necessary to be simple servants of an oversized household.

Which might mean they're being held for trades, or for sex labor among Elites.

Elite families think I haven't noticed that they've kept the best for themselves. That seems to be a new trend the members of my city are doing, and they think they're getting away with it.

They're not. I'm just waiting to see if this works to my benefit. All I care about is that my city is successful. Leaving the humans to find new and creative ways to accomplish the ultimate goal has often surprised us.

Even if I hadn't been watching the Rinholds too heavily, I do know a thing or two about Duke Nightingale, Scarlett's father. His escalation across sectors is due to keeping additional selections for himself for bribes.

But that's what brought Scarlett to me in the first place. Without her desperate prayer, I wouldn't have had the pleasure of finding her.

I watch her as she goes through the motions, but I recognize trained reactions when I see them.

Her mind is elsewhere.

When she looks directly at me, I go still.

I'm not sure if she can see me. She shouldn't be able to, but she presses her hand to her stomach and looks away a moment later.

The Earl leans in and whispers something in her ear. I should be able to hear him, but Scarlett seems to have cut me off somehow. I can only guess what he might have said as he leaves her in the custody of Elite females of similar station. One of them must be a younger sister because she's a more petite version of her mother. Beautiful, but there's an innocence to her that Duchess Rinhold lost a long time ago.

Scarlett outshines them all and looks pleasant enough, but I suspect she wishes to be anywhere else.

My gaze tracks the Earl, though, as he continues his rounds without Scarlett. He smiles when eligible Ladies flirt with him, no doubt trying to win his affection. A courtship might be binding, but it isn't permanent. Not until it has reached a conclusion.

When a female whispers something in his ear, then slinks out of the room, I raise a brow. Earl Rinhold pretends not to have heard her, but he's gone completely stiff.

I know he's going to follow her.

This might be my chance.

"Would you like me to track him?" Bernard asks. He's watching the Earl just as intently as I am.

"No," I immediately decide aloud. The growl still rips through my voice as I utter the word, but I allow my beast that much. I share his anger. "Stay with Scarlett."

I cloak myself in nightmares as I follow the Earl, who predictably retreats from the ballroom and into a dark hallway.

Darkness is where I live.

And darkness is where you will die, Earl Rinhold, should you cross a line.