Page 26 of Their Lethal Pet

My jaw ticks.

I’mverydone playing dress-up.

I look ridiculous. Nothing about this outfit is logical. I’ll be lucky if I can even walk.

At least they paired this hideous gown with flat shoes, I think, grateful for that part of my wardrobe.

The door opening has the woman poking me so hard I can’t stop the hiss from escaping my lips.

“Why isn’t Offering Nine ready?” a deep voice demands, the familiarity of it making me swallow.

Duke Nightingale.

I’ve seen him several times since boarding this train, but he never talks to me, just about me. However, this time, he meets my gaze in the mirror and freezes like he’s as startled by my appearance as I am.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace,” the woman behind me says demurely. “Her hair is… unkempt.”

I nearly snort.It’s not unkempt. It’s just not supposed to do whatever it is you’re trying to do with it.

The Duke blinks, his unsettled expression immediately dissolving into a bored mask. “We’re out of time,” he informs her. “And the monsters are not going to care if she’s missing a few feathers.”

“Of course, Your Grace,” she says, instantly stepping away from me with a low curtsy toward him. But his focus is no longer on her, as he’s returned his gaze to mine.

She takes the hint and leaves, the other ladies following behind her in a hurry.

Their nervous energy leaves a lingering chill in the air, causing the hairs along my arms to rise in response.It’s Monsters Night.

I’ve known this was coming, but somehow the realization feels all the more real now. Because it’s time.

Swallowing, I move to stand, only to be met with the Duke’s hand as he holds his palm out for me. “Here,” he says, his voice much softer than before. “Allow me to escort you.”

I blink at his hand, confused by the gesture. But it’s not like I can say no to him. And he doesn’t give me the same vibes as Threat. If anything, the Duke seems morefatherlythan anything else. Which is a crazy description, yet strangely accurate.

His palm feels weird against mine. Notcreepyweird, justdifferentweird. However, his sturdy grip lends me the strength and steadiness I need to stand and keeps me standing when I nearly trip over the voluminous skirts tangling with my legs.

“This dress is…” I trail off, realizing that he’s really not the right one to complain to.

Yet he must know what I intended to say because he chuckles in response, the sound almost rusty in nature. “Suffocating?” he guesses. “Impractical? Difficult to breathe in?”

I gape at him, shocked that he pulled all those descriptions from my mind. But if he’s going to be truthful, then so am I. “It’s terrible.”

He laughs outright then, his head tipping back a little and lighting up his features to reveal a much younger man underneath. “You sound like my daughter.”

That has me staring at him in a whole new light. “Your… daughter?”

His amusement seems to die in an instant, his expression sobering as he stares down at me with his nearly black eyes. “Yes. I think she would like you, if she could meet you. Alas…”

He clears his throat and starts toward the door, only to pause midstep and look at me once more.

“I realize this all feels… intense to you. Scary, even. But trust me when I say your fate with the monsters will be a lot kinder than your fate in that village. They’ll worship you, Ms. Everheart. They’ll make you their queen.”

My eyebrows rise. “Is that why I’m dressed in this hideous gown?”

Some of that amusement returns, his eyes crinkling a little at the corners. “You’re wearing some of the finest materials money can buy, Ms. Everheart. The fashion might seem strange to you, but the monsters love it. And if I’m right about you, then you’re going to impress them all.”

I clear my throat. “What if I don’t want to impress them?”

He simply smiles, but it’s not the same smile as before. This one seems almost pitying. “You’ve already impressed them, Ms. Everheart. Just by being you.”