Gypsy Truths (All The Pretty Monsters Book 6)

by Kristy Cunning

  Idun’s eyes widen, and she takes a few wary steps back, looking around.

  “What the hell is this?” she demands in a quiet tone.

  Her claws stretch wide, and she starts toward me again, but suddenly, my stalker ghost appears directly in front of me. It’s so jarring that Idun even stumbles.

  Idun. Stumbles.

  Across the room, I see his face reflected in a wide mirror. I watch as he smirks, and I idly glimpse the triplets, just before they disappear.

  In the next instant, the room whispers with children’s laughter, just after the camera explodes across from us. The laughter slowly gets louder, as Idun shoves up from the ground.

  I’m not even sure what knocked her down or when it happened.

  “One. Two. Hyde’s coming for you,” three children sing somewhere in the room, as their laughter follows once more.

  “Three. Four. They’ll fear you no more,” they continue, still singing, as Idun’s ire grows.

  “Some fucking ghosts aren’t going to rattle me,” Idun says, snorting in derision, before she returns her gaze to me.

  Hyde…

  Who the fuck is Hyde?

  A chill slinks across the room, and Edward-the-ghost continues standing between Idun and I. His back is still facing me, and since the mirror has shattered at some point, I can’t see his face reflected in it anymore.

  When Idun takes a step toward me once again, one of the creepy triplets runs out in front of her, tripping Idun, as though she just touched something real.

  Idun stumbles again.

  Idun. Stumbles. Again.

  Her eyes narrow to slits on the ghosts, as the room starts to heat infinitely higher.

  She strikes when the next girl comes racing toward her. The girl merely laughs when Idun swats through her, no doubt using her magic to drain the ghost.

  As the fresh salt falls in front of her feet, Idun smirks.

  “Ghosts die too easily around a powerful gypsy. You really should—”

  “Five. Six. You gave us over three-hundred licks,” I hear no less than three of them singing once more, even though I just saw Idun salt one.

  Idun’s own confusion is clear for a brief moment, followed by her anger that is quickly resurfacing.

  “Please come out and play, little girls. I want to have fun with you,” Idun says, smiling darkly, as she begins looking around the room.

  She points a finger to Edward.

  “You, I will crucify when I’m done with them,” she says without looking at him.

  Stuck to the ground, completely vulnerable and held helpless, I urge the silver to hurry. It’s almost fully receded, and I dart a worried look at Tom, who doesn’t seem to be faring too well.

  A human.

  She’s reached a new low by dragging humans into this.

  They’re so physically weak by comparison that it’s in far worse taste than hurting an omega.

  “Seven. Eight. You pissed off fate.”

  “Your girlfriend is pathetically uneducated, Vancetto. All she’s doing is amassing a greater and greater debt by allowing her pets to rile me.”

  She turns her attention to Tom.

  “For that reason, I’m done playing games,” she says as the room heats so intensely that metal begins melting.

  Tom’s chains melt so quickly that they snap, and he cries out in pain, as he drops the floor with a heavy thump. His clothes and skin start smoking, and he cries out again.

  Something blurs by me, and Idun’s breath explodes from her, as my own breath comes out in a cold fog. It takes a beat for my body to realize it’s gone from extremely hot to frosty in here.

  A flash of red hair catches my eye, as Idun slams to ground. Movement to my right, then to my left, and back at my right…

  My eyes keep searching, catching only hints of red, as the triplets laugh.

  Just as Idun pushes back up to her feet, her monster explodes free, changing her from the fierce beauty, to the gory mutation her monster takes at full strength.

  Her snout extends, and her sharp canines are bared…while the very familiar and pretty redhead casually strolls out…fully fleshed. A grin crawls across the redhead’s red lips.

  Idun’s red lips are barely a thin shine in her monster form, her body bulging, as the scraps of her clothing fall free. Hair begins to line her form, growing and spreading, the shifter part of her magic fusing with the skin-walker to create such a beast.

  “Nine. Ten,” the corporeal, pigtailed, red-lipped, rosy-cheeked, baby-doll-dress-wearing Anna sings, as she struts in her high heels. “Hyde wants to play again.”

  Idun’s eyes widen, seconds before Anna moves so fast that it’s not even a blur. It’s almost a blink of motion.

  She grabs a handful of Idun’s hair, and she slams the alpha’s face into the tile floor, all while laughing hysterically.

  “Shoot me your finest bourbon on the rocks,” Anna continues, still singing far too merrily. “Or ply me with spice and a full bag of cocks,” she adds, and takes a breath as though there’s more to follow.

  Lightning crashes through the roof, sending debris raining down, just as I’m finally free from the confining weight that’s had me anchored in place.

  Anna’s song is cut short by the commotion. I launch myself toward Tom, covering his body with mine, and keep myself held up, as chunks of plaster and timber crash against my back. I wince and grunt, as the storm from outside rains down on us, along with the falling pieces of destruction.

  The blinding light crashes into Idun and Anna so fiercely that I hear Idun scream. I only hear Anna laugh that much more hysterically, almost as though she gets off on the pain.

  As the lightning strike ceases, Idun is still crying out, and Anna is cheerfully singing once more.

  As Anna dusts herself off, and adjusts one lopsided pigtail until it’s righted, she carries on with her song, eyes narrowing with some sinister delight clearly shining.

  “But I’ll never go back inside that motherfucking box,” she concludes with her dark grin.

  In a deliberate motion, Anna cuts an accusing glare toward me. An uneasiness settles on me, forcing me to avert my eyes in an almost painful manner.

  That chill only grows stronger, nearly freezing my spine in place.

  Anna returns her attention to Idun and throws the alpha through the wall, decimating the side of the house, and causing more of the ceiling to collapse around us, blocking my view for a brief moment.

  It’s chaos with the rain, strikes of lightning, and crumbling building.

  Anna comes into view, as she sashays toward us, reaching into her bra. My breaths are labored, and my body is frozen to the ground, while my mind reels, trying its damnedest to catch up.

  “Isn’t this fun?” the madwoman ex-ghost asks me, her eyes bright and full of excitement, as she puts several vials on the ground.

  My mouth moves, but I know I must look a fool, because there aren’t any words that form. No words form in my mind either.

  I blink several times, as she pats my cheek. “Be a good lad and heal Violet’s daddy. Then tell her I was a good girl,” she adds, her mischievous grin only spreading wider. “Do as you’re told, and maybe I’ll let you name a plane after me.”

  She moves so fast that I have to look around to find her, startling when I spot her all the way across the room, standing just outside…next to where Idun is slowly lifting up from the ground.

  Anna gives me a wave, as lightning crashes into both of them again.

  More screaming.

  More laughter.

  In the next instant, they’re both gone, and I shove off Tom, careful not to let any of the shit that’s collapsed onto me fall onto him.

  Tom quickly takes the vials and starts drinking them, his hands shaking so bad that the vials clank his teeth several times. I hope those are the ones you drink instead of the ones you’re supposed to apply directly to the wounds…

  My head tries to process too many things at once, and a dul
l ache forms in my temple.

  Staggering, I move to the opening, looking around in search of the redheaded lunatic and the homicidal brunette.

  Neither are in sight.

  The storm slows, somewhat, causing the lightning to become less frequent, even as the rain pounds harder.

  “What the hell was that?” I ask on a hushed, confused breath.

  I’m not expecting Tom to actually answer, but he does.

  “That was Violet spinning out of control. She’s scary when she loses control. And pretty dangerous too. That’s a different face and attitude from the last one I saw. I reckon this one’s even scarier,” Tom says, completely downplaying the fact his heart is pounding so loudly that I could easily hear it a mile away.

  He makes a series of pained sounds, as he presumably strains to climb back up to his feet.

  I turn to see his face rapidly improving, but still not quickly enough to stop him from looking broken.

  His eyes level mine.

  “It’s scary when Violet panics. It’s a lot worse than scary when she gets angry. It’s good that it takes something pretty big to piss her off. It’s bad how often it has to happen,” he adds in a flat tone. “When this is all over, I want to go home. Alright?”

  My mouth opens and closes again, as I start and stop, unsure where to go or even what to do.

  Hyde.

  Where the hell have I heard that name before?

  Jack’s surname wasn’t Hyde. I’m certain that’s the only Jack they could be referring to. However, Anna was in no way anything like the others I encountered…

  The others weren’t…ghosts or projections or what the fuck ever she’s been this entire bloody time…

  I feel completely stupefied, and I have no idea how to even begin processing this.

  This is what it feels like to be Arion the vast majority of the time.

  Tom comes up on my side, stepping through the broken home, as he limps toward his truck.

  “Actually, I think I’m heading home right now. My truck’s just a block away, so long as no other monster is gunning for me, I should make it. Tell Violet to call me on Tuesday,” the daft man says, as he shakes his head, his heart still fiercely and rapidly pounding.

  He looks over his shoulder like he expects me to formulate an answer, or perhaps stop him, or possibly give him some pointers on not dying in the very near future.

  Again, my lips move, but there just aren’t any words.

  “I’ll risk it,” he finally says, turning back to hobble away.

  It’s quite genuinely the stupor with no end in sight.

  I run a hand through my drenched hair, and then I turn and sprint in the direction of the Morrigan House, remembering the howls of the wolves that ceased so suddenly.

  “Our mother always said only whores wear red,” the triplets say, appearing across from me. “Unless they’re a Portocale, of course.”

  “Who the hell are you?” I demand.

  They laugh as they disappear, salt dropping to the ground and quickly sinking into the mud so fast that I would have missed if they hadn’t had my full attention.

  I hurriedly drop to my knees, digging into the dirt, as the rain slaps me. I barely catch what can only be described as a small particle of salt powder too fine to last longer than a second against the water.

  It dissolves before my eyes, and my gaze lifts to stare through the rain.

  Edward the ghost appears next, and I lunge for him, only to hear his laughter echoing in his wake, as he disappears and reappears next to me.

  “The wolves don’t need you. But Damien does. Hurry, Van Helsing. The party’s getting too crowded there. You’re missing all the fun,” the cheeky fucker says in what has to be the happiest tone I’ve heard him use.

  He disappears after that, leaving me to sink into the muddied earth beneath me, while my mind stumbles all over itself.

  “What the fucking hell is going on?!” I shout toward the sky.

  “A lot,” comes a rasp voice that gives an answer I wasn’t expecting.

  My gaze snaps to the hulking figure that lumbers toward me, and I stare over at Bobo in disbelief.

  “But you should help Damien first,” he says, his voice a strained tone full of rough syllables.

  “Bobo, you…spoke,” I say, as the world continues to spin faster and faster around me.

  Out of everything going on, it’s the one thing I single out, because it’s the least stupefying.

  “I did something bad to Violet,” he says, jaw wobbling, as tears gather in his eyes.

  If his tears fall, they’re hidden by the rain, because the downpour thickens. Thunder crackles overhead, as though this isn’t already intense enough.

  “We all did something bad, Vancetto,” he continues.

  “What did you do?” I ask him, slowly rising back up.

  With another wobble of his chin, his voice cracks when he answers me, “We damned her for all eternity, because we just couldn’t take it anymore. I’m-I’m sorry.” He hiccups a broken sound, running a hand over his face, as his shoulders shake with his restrained sobs. “We’re all so sorry.”

  Chapter 41

  DAMIEN

  Just as I’m able to lunge to my feet, I catch the sword aimed at Amos’s back, slamming my fist into the side of my third-to-last favorite cousin’s cheek.

  He’s downed with the hit, as my fury builds, and I slam my foot into his torso so hard that it propels him through the air. He crashes into a rushing trio, giving Marta a very small reprieve, as she finishes removing yet another head.

  “For the record, I’m going to fucking bury you once I’m finished destroying you. Just as you’d do to me,” I assure my father, watching as he pulls out a second sword.

  His eyes white out, and he snarls at me, as he lunges.

  Kicking off from the ground, I sail right toward him, and we clash swords in the middle.

  Sparks fly, and we crash to the ground, with him landing atop me, as my back hammers the ground. My head jerks to the right in time to narrowly dodge the next strike from his second sword.

  It stabs the ground next to my head, just as I manage to throw a knee against his bollocks.

  “Oh, this boy plays dirty. I like it,” the fucking ghost says from somewhere beside my head.

  It.

  Marta called the ghost it, as she babbled a bunch of nonsense.

  My attention is immediately called back, and I barely get my sword up in time to counter my father’s next strike.

  Back and forth we go for what feels like ages, with me tending the biggest threat.

  Amos has Zuela and Marta at as his back, which is more than enough to fend off—

  Just as I manage to knock my father back once again, separating him from the others, I spot movement through the storm. The whole sky lights up, seconds before the next strike, illuminating the forest in front of me enough to show me what’s coming.

  “Vampyres!” I shout, stumbling backwards.

  My heart races in my ears, as dread engulfs me with a long-forgotten fear. It’s been just long enough to forget the terror that strikes with the sight of bloodthirsty Vampyres, especially when you’re out of power and know you’re fucked.

  I’m no match for motherfucking Vampyres right now, damn it!

  Breaking my family’s collective illusion has damn near drained me, and I was already in need of another feeding.

  “Amos, tell me you have something in the tank that could help us out,” I say as I join him at his side, while he pants his breaths in harsh bursts.

  He glares over at me, and we both grip our swords, letting me know without words that we are decidedly fucked.

  The traitorous Vampyres snigger like the bloodthirsty devils they are, as a few of them even mock our stances. More than a couple snap their fangs, and then cackle when we jerk back in response.

  There’s a hiss at my neck, and I stumble forward, only to be shoved back by Dalek, one of Arion’s many cousins.

&n
bsp; I work to regain my composure, not flinching with the next scare tactic, which happens to be Emily sliding down on her knees before me, while she licks her lips.

  “Want a little taste of power to help you out, Morpheous? For old time’s sake?” she muses, giving me a wink.

  Her fangs extend, and she grins as she waggles her eyebrows. I swallow the lump in my throat, as my balls shrivel.

  I fucking hate Vampyres. I really bloody do.

  “Amos, seriously, tell me you have at least a little something left,” I murmur as quietly as I can, while Emily slides away, laughing as she rejoins her family.

  They’ve surrounded us, idly toying with us, because they have a cat-and-mouse mentality when they hunt.

  “While you were playing with Father, I was busy trying to keep the very outnumbered three of us alive. I was planning on tons of sex at the after party. I had no idea the after party was going to be a bloodbath,” Amos informs me very angrily.

  The Vampyres circle us, as the remainder of my family joins them, and they all smile like evil prats.

  “Life was simpler when I didn’t bloody care,” I decide to point out, earning a hateful glare from Marta.

  “Terribly stupid of you,” Emily says as she gives me a pointed look. “You knew you’d all have very few loyalists. Idun commands respect, and you’ve done nothing but disrespect her since she came out of the ground. Hell, it’s all you’ve ever done.”

  “The last I checked, people don’t stay together forever just because one crazy ex gets too possessive,” I tell her, sneering. “We’re alphas too, Emily. Idun’s not in charge. She just thinks she is because no one is stronger.”

  She grins a fanged smile, and then…she spins and removes her father’s head so fast I almost miss it.

  By the time the others can react, she removes a brother’s head and a cousin’s head as well. Her mother lunges for her, and they crash in the air, as the other Vampyres spring into action, aimed toward us.

  “A little fucking warning would be bloody nice,” I state to no one, reacting as quickly as I can.

  A howl ignites the air, and the forest begins cracking, bringing the barely-started battle to an abrupt halt.