Page 122 of Their Lethal Pet

Apparently, the Nightingale Compound is right outside of former-day Chicago.

“Most ideal children are born there, then placed with adequate families in the village,” she explains. “Of course, that practice varies by Elite family. Some choose to do it the old-fashioned way, too. We, as in monsterkind, don’t tell them what to do. We simply reward them for a job well done and remind them of their task when they fail to meet our expectations.”

She elaborates a bit, saying how the reward structure is based on how well the village’s Offerings do duringMonsters Night. Higher-ranking supernatural matches earn higher rewards.

Offerings who fail to match, however, fall into theremindercategory. Which I assume relates to some sort of punishment system to keep the Elite families in line.

“If Alina Everheart proves to be your ideal mate, then Duke Nightingale will be handsomely rewarded,” she adds. “You’re a God from a brand-new dimension. There is no one in this city who is higher ranking than that. Not even me.”

“So it’s all about which mates are chosen and by whom,” I translate.

“Yes. And you being from a new dimension makes your match even more profitable. Particularly as we hope to establish a potential partnership between our worlds.”

“What kind of partnership?”

“We’ll get back to that,” she tells me, waving it away with those sharp nails of hers.

Yes,I think.We will.

“What I’m trying to explain is, the humans compete with each other to create the best Offerings. The Elite City your intended is interested in houses the Elite families who manage our villages. I can’t imagine why she would want to go there. She shouldn’t even know that the Elite City exists.”

That much I’ve already gathered from what she and the Emissary have said. “I’ll have to ask more about it later,” I say, reiterating that I don’t know why Alina mentioned Chicago.

And even if I did know, I likely wouldn’t share the information with Helia.

It’s not any of her business why my Omega wants to find the Elite City.

However, I do want to ask Alina about it, primarily for my own knowledge.

“Are we allowed to venture into the Elite City?” I inquire, curious as to what boundaries this Queen may try to impose upon me and my fellow fae. I also want to shift the conversation away from my Omega. She keeps using Alina as anexample,and it’s making me uncomfortable.

“If we come to amicable terms between your dimension and mine, then yes, you can venture anywhere you want. Personally, I would recommend Monster Island or Monster Isle. The Elite City is primarily populated by humans, and as you seem to have found your mate, you’d probably be bored there.”

I don’t comment on her suggestions. While playing peekaboo with the portal window, I caught sight of both those places—Monster Island was in the Pacific Ocean, and Monster Isle was formerly known as the Isle of Man.

I may visit them later to search for other potential Omega souls. But for now, I would focus on the Elite City.For Alina.

“As you can imagine, we’ve adopted the Monsters Night process all over the world,” Helia continues. “Each location has a monster ruler, except for the villages. Villages have Viscounts, who report to the Elite families. In most cases, the Viscounts are the only ones who know about the Elite families.”

She turns thoughtful, her gaze narrowing.

But after a moment, she shakes her head and picks up her glass once more. “Anyway, once your realm is in good status, you and your kind can venture wherever you’d like. I’ll just add that it’s considered common etiquette to let the local leadership know if you intend to visit.”

I nod. “Then we should discuss your terms for good status.”

“Oh, the terms are quite simple. We ask that your dimension only visit one night a year—on Monsters Night—and only for the allotted time. Anyone wishing to remain in our realm will need to request permission from the leadership of their chosen locale. For example, if one wished to stay in Monster City, he or she would need to talk to me. And we ask that you refrain from any and all violence while on our soil.”

“I assume you’re referring to the humans we killed,” I drawl.

She shrugs. “We’re more concerned with monster-on-monster violence, but yes, harming humans is frowned upon. However, it’s my understanding that you had just cause?”

“We did. And we want access to the third human so we can continue delivering our judgment.”

Her dark brow arches. “Your soul eater’s mental torment isn’t enough for you?”

I assumesoul eaterrefers to Reaper.

Because of course he’s been visiting the human.