Page 177 of Their Lethal Pet
Orcus frowns at my request but says, “Give him what he needs. But I still want that list of names.”
“It would be faster if you just spoke to the Nightingale Viscount,” Helia tells him, her tone flat. “He hires all the Village Protectors. He’ll know who was on that train. Hell, he might even be responsible for the switch. He’s the one who sent Timothy after Alina, yes?”
My spine straightens at the mention of the dark soul I left behind in Monster City. “I’ll question Timothy,” I volunteer. “I need to stop by the tower anyway.”
Because I want to see if that mystical strand is in Monster City as well.
Orcus nods. “After they give you what you need, go do what you do best. If the human is worthless to us, end him.” He shifts his attention to Helia and then Cain. “Now, which one of you can introduce me to thisViscount?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
ALINA
Where are we?I wonder, looking around at the garden.Why can’t I hear my mates?
It’s like I’m in a bubble.
A very colorful, vibrant bubble filled with flowers.
The sun is warm overhead, which confuses me more because it was nighttime in the Elite City.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” my sister says as she pulls back from our hug. “Howare you here?”
“Where is here?” I ask her.
She frowns. “We’re in Demeter’s Gardens.”
I blink at her. “Whose gardens?”
“Mine,” a feminine voice says to my left as a woman with white-blonde hair dressed in white glides toward us.
Literallyglides.
Like floating on air.
Because she’s not walking at all. Her feet are about an inch off the ground, and her legs are not moving at all.
“Hello, Alina,” the woman greets me, her arms spreading wide. “How lovely of you to finally join us.”
I stare up at her—because she’s tall, like Orcus-level tall. “I’m sorry; were you expecting me?”
“Yes. For a while now. But the Duke and those idiot Village Protectors all failed me.” She rolls her eyes. “Men are predictably frustrating.”
Her feet touch the ground before us, her hand stroking a nearby flower.
“It all worked out in the end, though.” She smiles. “I knew you would understand and follow the note. You just needed a little push to grab the Duke’s attention for the selection process. Of course, you did a little too well since he sent you to Monsters Night. Alas, it all worked out in the end. And now… you’re here.”
“You sent the note?” I ask, confused. “I thought Serapina wrote it.”
“She did,” Demeter replies. “But I sent it to your room.”
“Oh.” I swallow. “And you did this so the Duke would pick me as an Offering.” It’s not a question since she’s already stated that, but I needed to reiterate the words out loud. “Because you wanted me to come here,” I add slowly. “Why?”
“To hide you, of course.” She tips her head back on a sigh, the sun illuminating her otherworldly features. “It’s very frustrating, honestly. Your mortal encasings, I mean. You all die so soon, forcing me to begin the hunt anew. Then I have to take on unpleasant roles to find you again.”
I glance at my sister, curious as to if she has any idea what this woman is rambling on about. But she has this dreamy expression on her face like she’s not even listening, her focus on the flowers to our right.
My brow furrows as she kneels to pluck a wilting petal, then she moves it to the ground and buries it beneath the dirt.
