Gypsy Truths (All The Pretty Monsters Book 6)

by Kristy Cunning

  Without hesitating for too long, I let my heartbeat drop and start searching for the death window. My brow furrows when one never arises.

  The others don’t use death windows as often as I do, because it’s apparently not as easy for them as it is me. It’s hit or miss with most people, but I hit it every time.

  Until now.

  Too many times I’ve opened a death window from a person, place or a dead body. It’s gotten almost impossibly easier than ever.

  Blinking my eyes open, I stare down at the grave that doesn’t look disturbed. Grass has grown over it, proving it’s been left alone.

  The sound of leaves crunching has me looking up to find Tiara and Leiza moving toward me, both of them whimpering as though they’re informing me Fay isn’t among the dead they’ll see tonight.

  My throat feels tight.

  My chest feels heavy.

  Something terrible pops into my head, and the thought won’t go away.

  “Dig up her grave,” I tell them.

  They both stare at me with twin blank looks.

  “I can dig it up myself, but paws and claws dig faster than two normal hands,” I point out. “Dig it up. Hurry.”

  As if they’re reluctant to do so, they take a step back.

  “I can’t open a death window. Fay’s body isn’t down there. If I’m wrong, it’s a terrible mistake. If I’m right, then I have a terrible suspicion I’m trying not to let myself think about. Please, dig up her grave.”

  Leiza hesitantly moves to the grave, but when her paws start digging, she makes quick work about it, clearing a foot of depth at one end in less than a few minutes.

  Tiara moves to the other end and begins slinging up the earth. The two of them reach the sleek, black metal casket with ornate, silver embellishments, in no time.

  My stomach gets queasy as I drop into the hole and lift the top half of the casket…only to find it empty.

  Dirt.

  A little dirt is all that’s in here.

  Leiza whimpers, and Tiara begins pacing, as my heartbeat starts drumming in my ears.

  “Take me to her death spot. Now,” I state a little too insistently.

  Leiza doesn’t waste time, and I struggle to keep up with her, as she weaves in and out of the trees with quick feet and agile movements.

  Tiara stays at a slower pace, deliberately remaining behind me, as the two of them hurry me toward something I hope I’m wrong about.

  “Because he’s never there. And you probably wish he was around. Then he shows up and you feel angry,” Fay once said to me when she was relating to me about my father issues.

  Leiza takes an abrupt turn, quickly darting in the next direction, and I stumble when I try to turn too abruptly. Quickly, I right myself and continue to chase after her.

  “Is Fay’s father a beta?” I once asked Emit.

  “Fay’s father? I think he died as a mortal hundreds of years ago,” was his response.

  My stomach tightens, because I remember even back then I found Fay’s acknowledged resentment far more recent than a full century ago.

  Leiza barks at me, turning and circling a spot on the ground. I hurriedly kneel at it, putting my hand on the ground and desperately reaching for any sort of death window.

  The window quickly opens, but it isn’t through Fay’s eyes. It was one of the others in that minor pack. I see Ian, as he hacks through a wolf’s neck with no mercy, his teeth bared, as he snaps through the bone.

  I’m stuck in a small window that doesn’t pan wider, with the gaze only focused on what’s going on directly in the line of vision, as though the soul’s memories stained here were from a wolf who was left to die.

  Another wolf falls, and I quickly recognize it as Fay’s wolf. It collapses to the ground with not even a whimper, neck barely still attached.

  Ian finishes up, stepping back into frame, as he shifts back to two legs.

  “Leave them for him to find,” Ian states to someone. “We’ll lose our weak alpha and stop Idun from ever returning all on our own. The Portocale dick says that without the Head Alphas, Idun will never rise,” Ian is saying.

  “Yes, master beta,” the guy says, lowering his head. “But we should leave before he catches scent of this. Fay was one of his.”

  “Fay’s the fool who knew better. She stirred this shit. She pried for information. Something she’s never done before, because she’s simply too omega. She knew the risks, and she’d be loyal to him. Not us. Keep your fucking omegas away from our alpha’s own minor pack from now on.”

  “Of course, Master Beta,” the man says, keeping his head bowed.

  They waste no time hurrying away, and I watch, as the dimming vision stays fixed on Fay’s motionless body.

  If Fay really died here, then why couldn’t I open her death window from this spot? Why is her body missing from her—

  The one who called Ian the Master Beta returns, silently slinking through the woods. He looks around a few times, and then he kneels to press Fay’s head back to her shoulders.

  My breath is sucked in sharply when I see her neck starting to reattach to the skin, and I watch with even wider eyes when the fur starts to recede, revealing a form.

  A groan comes from the woman, who is certainly not Fay.

  Just as I feared…

  Idun.

  I didn’t know she could imitate a wolf’s form. Or maybe I knew it and forgot, since this world is total chaos with the abundant droves of never-ending information.

  My heart is thudding so loudly when I watch her quickly heal, no stitches necessary, as she grins over at the man who returned for her.

  “No need to tend me, Demetria. You fret too much,” she says to the man, who shifts into a familiar woman before my very eyes. “I was just waiting for him to be good and gone before I pulled myself together. It took all I had to remember I was pretending to be an omega so that I didn’t kill that fool. Holding a wolf form with a severed head isn’t as easy as I remembered.”

  Where have I seen Demetria before? I mean, besides Idun TV.

  Idun laughs as though she’s made a funny joke.

  The tan woman gives no expression, only stands silently, as Idun glances around.

  “Turn all their ghosts to salt after Emit’s men burn the bodies of the dead. I’ve learned all I needed. Scorch the death spot to prevent prying eyes. You did well finding a method to extract me. Emit will bury ‘Fay’ in his special cemetery, and I’ll come find you after I rise. For now, I have an important job for you. I need you to infiltrate Arion’s—”

  That’s all I hear, because the only spirit with enough memories of that night to keep the window open must die at that moment.

  I almost want to scream, cry, curse, and drag the imagery back, as my hands start shaking, and the world around me becomes the present. Tears start streaking down my face, as Leiza and Tiara move in front of me, forced to remain in wolf form.

  Collecting myself, I force a calm that I don’t feel, just so I can speak.

  “At some point, Fay seemed mostly like herself, but there was something that changed. Something less subtle than any other, less suspicious changes. You probably noticed it. So long as she’s been mostly true to character, Fay was brooding, mysterious, and somewhat challenging to get to know, which made her the perfect mark for Idun. However, you guys knew her better than anyone, so think back to the moment where something changed. Something big that made you worry there was something wrong with her. Or maybe something going on that you didn’t know about.”

  They both give me an expression that tells me they’ve thought of the exact moment I’m asking them to recall.

  “Was it before I came here?” I ask, dreading the answer.

  Leiza is hesitant, but slowly nods, even as her hair starts standing straight up on her body.

  A whine leaves Tiara’s throat.

  I never even met Fay. I already somehow figured as much the moment I found that empty casket, but knowing it for certain is more dev
astating than I expected it to be.

  It was Idun the whole time, and I never suspected it, because I never even knew the omega I called my friend.

  I also never found myself as close to her as I did Leiza, Tiara, Lemon, Mary, or Ingrid.

  “Was it a year ago?” I ask.

  Tiara makes a show of backing up.

  “Two years ago?” I ask.

  She backs up again.

  “Five years ago?”

  She takes a step forward.

  “Four years ago?”

  At that question, they both give me a nod, and Leiza goes to nuzzle Tiara’s throat. Tiara turns and does the same to her. They both turn to look at me as though they’ve just said something, and it takes me a brief moment to catch on.

  “She stopped being affectionate,” I say on a hushed breath.

  They both nod.

  “Four years ago, Idun took over Fay’s identity,” I whisper to myself. “They talk so much about her jealousy, but it’s all a ploy. She’s not that easily provoked. She’s cool and calculated enough to blend in with an omega minor pack, and she killed all their ghosts to ensure no one ever found out. But scorching a death spot doesn’t work on me.”

  My chest gets heavy, because of all the horrible things that implies. It’s as though a bomb has gone off somewhere in the distance, leaving a ringing in my ears.

  Tiara and Leiza stir restlessly, whimpering and whining more and more. Tiara even makes a pitiful, sad barking noise, her teeth baring.

  Tears gather in my eyes, as I slowly stand from my kneel, and I wipe one of the drops away from my cheek. It’s…just too much.

  I truly have been underestimating Idun.

  She, somehow, deliberately made it look like she only rose after I came to town.

  “She orchestrated such an elaborate design. And for what purpose?” I ask aloud, even though neither Tiara nor Leiza can answer.

  No one sensed her power while she was walking around in another’s skin.

  No one even suspected.

  Not even Emit.

  Another breath snakes out of me, as the bile in my throat begins to rise.

  Tiara releases a pitiful howl, as Leiza sinks to the ground, visibly shaken but silent now.

  It’s all a stage for her.

  She’s emotionless.

  She’s cruel.

  She’s never once loved them the way they loved her.

  It’s all one big game that she could play for all eternity, and will. All while pretending they don’t really matter that much to her.

  Something snaps, and my gaze darts in the direction the sound came from. My heartbeat hammers in my chest, my hands start shaking, and my eyes widen in my head when I see Emit’s eyes on mine.

  How long has he been watching?

  How much has he heard?

  “Emit,” I say on a rasp, finding no other words within grasp, as I stare at him with horror and dread.

  He makes a low whine in his throat, looking from me to Tiara and Leiza, who’ve both dropped to their bellies and lowered their eyes. He steps forward and back, shaking his head as a feral, vicious growl bubbles deep inside his chest.

  When he looks back up, his eyes have gone solid black in a way I’ve never seen them do before. The growl grows, steadily thrumming so darkly that the omegas start fearfully whimpering in reaction.

  He barely meets my gaze for a brief second, before he turns, darting in the opposite direction so quickly, that I immediately lose sight of him once he finds the darkest patch of woods to disappear against.

  My heart sinks to my toes, as I hurriedly reach for my phone.

  Chapter 24

  DAMIEN

  Arion’s phone buzzes, as he finishes welding whatever it is he’s welding.

  “So you’ve mastered welding, but still haven’t bothered to sit behind the wheel of a vehicle yet?” I ask in a dry tone, itching to go to Violet.

  Arion pointedly ignores me, still buried deep in his project, while he thinks.

  My eyes lift to spot Talbot moving toward us, and my gaze narrows at his cheeky grin.

  “G’day, Alpha. You requested to see me?” he asks as he steps into my garage.

  “You ever help Violet step into a trap like that again, with such a bright attitude and zero respect for the line you’ve crossed, I’ll kill you,” I tell him very directly, just so he doesn’t get confused about things.

  His smile falters, and he clears his throat when it falls altogether. He bows at the waist.

  “Sorry, Alpha. I believe I told you my ultimate goal is to work for Ms. Carmine. She’s the treasure who lured me here, and it’s her—”

  “You can’t be her beta until I decide you’re a damn good beta. Do anything like that again, and it won’t matter how fucking good you are. I will kill you,” I assure him very coldly, watching as he stays at a small bow.

  “Understood, Alpha.”

  Arion’s phone buzzes once more, but he never even pulls it from his pocket to glance at it.

  “Talbot, I suggest leaving before the vampire realizes you’re here,” I tell him, giving him a pointed look. “He’s fortunately well-distracted at the moment.”

  Giving a quick nod of his head, he turns and strolls out the doors, never slowing down.

  I don’t think I like my beta anymore. He has an odd fixation on Violet’s reckless antics, simply because they’re not predictable.

  My phone rings, and I smile when I see Violet’s name on the screen. Maybe her name works like Beatle Juice as well, given the fact she’s calling more and more often while I’m thinking about her.

  Then again, it could be because I’ve been more and more obsessively fixated on her.

  “We’ve yet to have a discussion about what it means to be my Flame, Violet. Part of which includes giving me some sort of warning before you burst into Idun’s lair—”

  “Sorry, but I really don’t have time to talk about that. Long story short, Idun’s been back for at least four years, and she took Fay’s identity during that time. I messed up and didn’t know Emit was so close. He overheard that discovery. He took off. I don’t know how to chase trails, and I have no idea where he went.”

  Bloody great.

  “Hey, Vampyre. Find the wolf and clock him cold if he’s on a rampage,” I tell Arion a little too dispassionately.

  He’s overheard every word, and his eyes are bloodshot. His fangs have been visible for a while. In fact, all his instincts seem far too close to the surface.

  “We’ll handle it,” I tell Violet, as I quickly hang up, given the fact Arion’s head looks to be on the verge of exploding.

  “Four years?” the vampire bites out, clearly incensed. “Right under my astral projected nose while I had the best opportunity to spy on her?”

  Releasing a tired breath, I stare absently at nothing, unsure what to say.

  “I can’t even deal with this right now. At this point, I’m actually looking forward to your Monster Olympics.” The red in his eyes ebbs just barely with my confession. “Go find the wolf. Remind him he’s lived through this before. Maybe now you lot remember why I gave up any personal connections and retreated into a life of solitude.”

  “Not the time for ‘I told you so,’ Morpheous,” Arion says as he turns and blurs out of sight.

  This really has been a shit day.

  Has anyone told Violet her monster is no match for an alpha? Probably not. Nope. We’ll let it rock on, since no one wants to tell the stubborn girl anything anymore.

  And she wonders why we talk in circles and delay inevitable confessions.

  Running a hand through my white hair, I take a seat and exhale harshly.

  Why can’t loving a woman ever be less complicated?

  Chapter 25

  ARION

  “No sign of him anywhere near the Neopry Estate,” Vance tells me.

  “Where’s Margie?” I ask Vance.

  “Arion, I genuinely don’t have the patience for your random train of t
hought tonight,” he says too harshly.

  “Where’s Margie?” I ask again, letting it be known I’ll continue asking.

  “She retired once the wolf was crashing through the house and vampires started rising from their grave,” he says in an irritated tone. “Why is that important at a moment like—”

  He stops talking, and if I had to guess, he’s piecing it together.

  “Did you fuck Margie?” I can’t help but inquire.

  “No,” he grinds out. “Before Violet, I’d been celibate for a while.”

  My eyes roam over the dark shadow of a wolf that is staring over the edge of a cliff, his eyes on the bright moon.

  “I finally found him. He’s on the far south end of his property,” I say as I hang up, putting my phone away.

  Emit glances back at me and then away, not riled the way he should be about my presence on his property during such a sacred moon.

  “I heard the news,” I tell him, moving toward him very carefully.

  He looks away, a small growl bubbling in his chest.

  “Since you’ve sought solitude instead of rash vengeance, I’m assuming that means you’re keeping your head right now,” I note.

  It’s not as though it’s the first time she’s done this to one of them. I’ve never had it done to me. I’ll be sampling Violet’s blood before, during, and after every bedding from this moment on.

  I take a seat by him, not getting too close.

  “Let’s take note of how much more we know.”

  He grunts.

  “Or how much less we know,” I amend.

  He makes no sound to that.

  “She’s been topside longer than we thought, and she has been stalking us—well, she’s been stalking you three, since you left me bloody buried as well. Everything she’s said and done has been a ruse. As far as that last part goes, it’s not as though we didn’t overtly suspect as much,” I tell him, even as he silentlyf broods, eyes on the moon, likely absorbing all the tranquility he can from it in this particular moment.

  “Now that Violet’s started us down this new rabbit hole, I can’t help but notice Margie, Vance’s trusted housekeeper, was wildly suspicious. At least, now that I know Idun was up during at least those last years of my sentence. Anyway, turns out that Margie left just when the town started getting fun. Violet raising the Simpletons actually interrupted whatever plan Idun was initially working on. This tells us a lot.”