“Because the bitch has been dethroned,” Damien says, his smile only growing, as his eyes light up. An almost sinister look crosses his expressions. “And you have a weakness for my power, because Talbot fucking forgot about me.”
Fuck. Me.
Judging by Vance’s look, he just thought the same thing.
Arion’s expression is one of nonchalance, since he hated his turn atop the wheel of power. He was happy to never revisit it.
None of us wanted the role, aside from Idun.
“Once. I forgot about you once,” Talbot cuts in.
Vance pales when Damien turns to flash a grin at all of us.
“That means you fuckers can’t ever leave me out. Or single me out. Or fuck me over. She can kick your ass. I can delicately hand her ass to her, though. That means I’m technically more alpha than all you pricks.”
The bastard actually grins.
I’ll punch him later. I’ll also punch Vance, because my lip still aches from that sucker punch he delivered me.
Anna purrs as she sidles up next to him, and Damien smirks over at her. “I bet you want to claim me now, don’t you, Hyde?” the deviant says, fucking flirting with Violet’s monster.
Anna’s grin only grows.
“Don’t talk to my monster like that. I’m not ready for that,” Violet says, studying him like he’s a fool. “Seriously, I’m dangerous. Claiming you wouldn’t be a good thing, because I’m not in as much control as I’d like to be just yet.”
She lifts Idun’s head, as if reminding him of what she’s capable of. I stroke my beard again, since…honestly, I have no idea what to say or do.
I’d really like to know how Damien’s already caught up to everything.
It’s incredibly inconvenient to find all that wet, bloodstained fabric clinging to her body to be so…distracting. My gaze rakes down her chest, to where some raindrops are sliding down the small valley between her very accentuated breasts.
Her damn monster is truly fiendish if this was done on purpose.
“The world has ended and started anew. With one battle,” Vance states on a shaky exhale.
“Because I’m that dangerous,” Violet says in agreement, nodding over at him as though she understands the severity of these past several hours.
“You let Anna take over because Idun took me,” Vance says, even though I swear he’s already said it before.
As if lost in thought, he takes a seemingly unconscious step closer to Violet, tilting his head to study her.
“Of course I did. Sometimes the panic is very internalized, and I do a great job of keeping it suppressed, but when you went missing—”
She stops talking, swallowing the rest of her words, and takes a calming breath.
“I’m the only one you’ve claimed,” Vance goes on, as though he’s entered an entirely new realm of thought process than the rest of us. “It was interrupted by Damien, and then…”
His words trail off.
“And then you didn’t call because of the whole guilt thing you had over killing my ancestors and stuff,” Violet says, grimacing. “There’s really no way to cushion the blows of all our complicated histories. It’s a fucked-up world, and we’re all monsters.”
“You…spent all that time feeling dejected by the man you’d just claimed, not even realizing what you were going through,” Vance goes on, speaking in a nearly hushed tone.
“But then we had the basement days,” Violet says, looking anywhere but at him. “It mostly made up for all the rejection I felt, because I think that was pretty much finishing up what we started, not that either of us knew that. I swear I had I no idea.”
“The only reason you got claimed was because Anna tricked her. Not because you’re the one she wanted the most,” Arion is quick to interject, clearly missing the actual point to the moment they’re having. Arion moves his attention to a slightly uncomfortable-looking Violet, before adding, “She was fighting me, and her monster almost made her claim me to end the internal war she had going on.”
“Really, really not the time for competitive egos, Arion,” Violet grumbles, her eyes deliberately averting Vance’s.
I admit. I’m starting to feel jealous. I thought I was her first mate. I’m still reeling from the fact Idun is still a severed bunch of body parts, while Violet casually moves on, talking about herself instead of the monster everyone has talked about for centuries.
Damien’s on board. Arion practically needs held back. Vance is still somewhat struck by the fact he got her first, while expecting to go last. Fucking tosser.
Why didn’t it claim me when I was claiming Violet? Why do I now feel dejected? I damn near want to drag her up the steps and force her to claim me.
The, presumably, Hansel and Gretel children start laughing with the creepy triplets.
“Seriously, though…why so many kids?” Damien asks, watching as they start poking at Idun’s head.
“Damn it, stop! The night is over, and I’ve only got the patience for one externalized version of my monster,” Violet cautions the children. “Don’t make me salt you!”
“Does salting still work? Did it ever truly work? I mean, I’ve got so many questions,” Arion muses, clearly the happiest of all of us about this.
“Salting only works when I want it to work,” Violet confesses on a tired breath. “It’s a whole thing I have to actively handle, now that Hyde is out of the closet, so to speak. Before, however, she just humored us in an effort to keep up the ruse.”
“I can still trick you, if you want,” Anna gloats, batting her lashes at Violet. “After all, I’m an alien from Planet Pluto, and I’m here to have my vengeance on this world for taking away our planetary status. Pluto gets no respect.”
“Trick me, and I’ll figure out a way to bind you myself,” Violet immediately warns.
Anna’s head drops, her lips pucker, and she, along with all the children, start pouting.
Violet uses her hand that’s not holding Idun’s head to pinch the bridge of her nose, while she makes another show of taking a deep, calming breath.
“I realize you guys probably have thousands of questions. Hopefully, we’ll have a long time to sort through every single one of them. I may not know the answers to everything, since I’m still learning—”
“Talbot can surely fill in some blanks,” Vance interjects, his expression more dazed than confused now.
Violet nods.
“For now, however, I need to finish up what Hyde started. Idun’s no joke. It took me a little while to fully understand that. But after what I witnessed her do to Emit, now I see the depths she can escalate toward with no genuine provocation. Now I get it. She’s a power-hungry villain. It’s that simple. No one’s ever checked her, so she’s run rampant for too long, making it impossible for her to change her ways without some severe recourse. No prison will hold her. Death is no consequence. Her power is nearly unlimited. However, it’s no longer unmatched.”
Arion once again adjusts himself in his trousers, because the vampire is a sadistic man who has always been in love with a strong woman. Violet’s now sitting at the top of the fucking food chain, and we’ve spent a lot of pointless time arguing about how best to protect her.
“I’m going to need longer to adjust to the new normal than those two,” I tell her when her eyes stay on me, as though she’s waiting to see where my head is at. “But I’m not going anywhere, little monster. It’s just…a lot to process.”
She almost smiles, but stops herself, her eyes drifting to Vance.
“I’ll have some sort of educated response at the ready, eventually. I think. I’m still working through some things that are quite staggering on the mountainous tower of recent revelations. In the meantime, what are you doing with that?” he asks, pointing at Idun’s head.
“I can coat each piece in silver by duplicating my mother’s spell,” Talbot suggests.
I’m also not ready to process the fact we have Pandora’s son swearing he’s on
Violet’s side. He’s been so quiet that I almost forgot he was here.
Almost.
Unbidden, I release a small growl, because my wolf is just as confused and frustrated about all this as I am.
He shrugs a shoulder. “I’m a very fucking powerful blood witch, and Pandora was never sterile like the rest of you. Dear old mom isn’t a monster—in the literal term of the word. She was gifted immortality for creating monsters. Don’t act like it’s a bad thing that I’m her son. I’ve singlehandedly made her a nonissue tonight by using my storm to counteract any of her magical influences. I’m stronger.”
Lovely.
Fucking lovely.
Pandora’s bloody son is stronger than the witch who damn near buried Vance alive, all on her own.
Another growl bubbles up in me for the sake of frustration again, and I run a hand through my hair, allowing myself a moment to catch up to the spinning circle of life-altering events.
How did we not know Pandora had a son?
How did we not know a new box had been unleashed on the world?
What if others are out there?
Who the bloody hell is the box maker? Pandora swore it was of no consequence. We were once too foolishly trusting.
“Do you know the box maker?” Damien asks, almost as though he’s had a few of the same questions bouncing around in his head.
“No more than I know the bloody Muffin Man,” Talbot nearly mutters, as though that’s a sore subject.
Violet’s frequently talked about snowballing downhill.
At least she had some idea what direction she was going.
Personally, I feel like I’m standing in the eye of a hurricane with no idea how to step out without getting caught up in the raging storm surrounding me. I’m certain it’ll sweep me away if I move too suddenly. It’s damn near exhausting to be me in this moment.
“We will be circling back to you,” Vance informs Talbot very deliberately.
Pandora has likely already vanished into the world again, and it’s bloody impossible to find that mad witch.
Talbot’s never taken his mother down. Whether or not he agrees with her, or whether or not he’s on Violet’s side is irrelevant. He clearly has sentimental attachment to his mother, because he’s carefully skated over any details outlining their relationship.
“You’ll continue to beta for me, just so I can keep a close eye on you,” Damien tells him. “That is, if you really do wish to stick around and keep an eye on your monster.”
Talbot sits up, eyes narrowed, as he stares at Damien.
Good luck keeping that powerful beta in line. I don’t envy Damien Morpheous. I’m getting Avery, Vance’s tried, true, and most loyal beta.
Damien gets…Pandora’s freak son…
“I may make poor life choices when I’m hammered, but I do take responsibility for my actions. I created Hyde. As great of a terrifying nuisance as that monster has become, I still care for it.” Talbot pauses and gives Damien a pointed look, before adding, “I’m also responsible enough to take care of the ones you left to their own devices, so I’m certainly responsible enough to care for the monster I created.”
“Say that when Violet accidentally sprouts a whole new generation of beta Hydes,” Damien fires back, quirking an eyebrow. “See how responsible you are then. And if you can manage to do that when no one can fucking remember you, then I’ll be impressed.”
Talbot actually swallows so loud it echoes through the otherwise silent house. It’s clearly that beta Hydes are a terrible fear of his.
“So…yeah. I need to know how to not create an entire line of monsters, because that sounds like a lot of hard work that I really don’t want to do. I have more than enough on my plate. I’m not even knocking on thirty’s door yet,” Violet interjects…as Idun’s head falls out of the sling that has apparently grown lax during Violet’s distraction.
I shut my eyes, because I can’t even see this. It’s too surreal.
“Sorry. My bad. Total accident,” Violet is saying, as there’s some rustling and more of those terrible sounds from earlier.
“Well then. I’ll not be eating for a while,” Vance says, clearing his throat.
“Please don’t let this change the way you see me,” Violet is saying, causing my eyes to reopen.
She’s staring at us with a look so…innocently hopeful.
“Though I hate being treated like a delicate flower, that doesn’t mean I want you fearing me, acknowledging my power, or any of that other jazz. I’d rather you just saw me,” she babbles, nervousness radiating from her.
“Are we ever going to talk about the naked wolf in the room?” Anna chimes in, breaking through some of the tension.
Come to think of it, the original ghosts have always been Violet’s biggest cheerleaders, as well as her biggest critics. They’ve been instrumental in many tense moments that could have gotten far worse, had they not been so utterly ridiculous.
Also, she gave me a ‘phantom blowjob’ once, so does that mean she was trying to claim me then?
Now I’m examining every single interaction before this day, and it’s going to be a maddening adjustment period.
“No?” Anna asks, dropping to her knees and wagging her butt. “Arf. Wanna sniff my butt?” she asks me.
Arion snorts.
Damien chokes back a laugh.
Vance stays lost in his own head.
My flat, very unimpressed gaze lifts to Violet, whose eyes widen in slight horror.
“I swear that’s not even a thought in my head,” Violet says very quickly, cheeks burning red. “Like it would never be a thought in my head. I swear on my mother’s old urn. I still respect it.”
“You didn’t handle your mother’s ‘death’ as well as you pretended to,” I note aloud, deviating from her current, pointless, mildly degrading topic. “Which is why Anna was able to break free. You were vulnerable when we met you.”
“Extremely vulnerable,” she states in agreement. “Since my mother’s been back, I’m slowly getting back to my old self. Well, when I haven’t been dealing with a lot of Idun drama.”
She eyes Idun’s head, no expression on her face. Animals make her screech, but gore never seems to have much of an effect.
Un-fucking-believable.
“I only thought I couldn’t love you more,” Arion tells her, eyes glistening with genuine glee.
Violet darts a glare at him.
“You’re seriously freaking me out,” she informs him on a sigh.
“I’m currently struggling to reel my monster in before it claims you, simply because you keep saying that,” he says, giving her a charming smile. “See? I’m soulless and still considerate.”
I swear…he’s always so genuinely proud of the lunacy that spews from his mouth.
Violet exhales a heavy breath, even as Anna runs her finger up Arion’s arm. His smile deepens, and I bristle.
Surely, she wouldn’t claim the vampire before me.
I almost slap my own stupid face after that thought flits through my head like a bad habit I’ve yet to break.
“Emit, you’re starting to scare me, because if your face is any indication, you’re going through a lot of emotions right now. Wanna share, big guy?” Violet asks, giving a little nervous laugh.
“Yeah…he just looks scarier than he is when his brain is overloaded,” Damien chimes in.
I glare at the son of a bitch, who I really thought would take at least a little longer to digest this.
“You can’t possibly be this inconceivably adjusted to this already,” Vance tells Damien with some clear jealousy.
I’m jealous too.
Chapter 51
VANCE
All. The. Things.
I will know all the things.
For the rest of all eternity.
“You’ve got Pandora’s son as your beta, and he created Violet’s monster. A monster that could easily destroy the world if she decided to populate,” I tell Damien, while I g
et used to knowing all the new things I almost wish I didn’t know.
“It bothered me at first, but with the combat trials in place for House disputes, not just actual trials, it seems like a smart, calculated risk. I’ll keep the beta, despite his betrayals. Besides, I really do want to keep an eye on him,” Damien answers.
“Yay me,” Talbot states dryly.
I continue to keep a steady, stern, are-you-fucking-kidding-me look trained on Damien fucking Morpheous, who seems more lively today than I’ve seen him in centuries.
“I’m not sure what this feeling is. It’s almost like…I care,” Damien adds, mocking a thoughtful pose. “The weight of Idun has been so unbearably daunting for so long. Yet, I saw it with my own eyes; Violet’s the perfect countermeasure to Idun. Her speed is uncanny. And she has the ability to be in multiple places at once—at least in some form. For the first time ever, we actually have control. It’s not just a pointless waste.”
“Be thankful your people fear Van Helsing,” Talbot grumbles. “It’s the only reason you’ve gotten away with your complete lack of responsibility.”
“Thanks, old chap,” Damien says, leaning over to clap me on the shoulder.
His head jerks back in the next instant, mostly because my fist slams into it. I’m not sure how that happened. I can’t even blame it on my monster, since I don’t have that sort of monster inside me.
Still, it makes the man in me feel very fucking happy right now.
I’d be even happier if I could also punch the very happy vampire.
“Fuck’s sake, what did I do to deserve that?” Damien snaps. “I was showing gratitude.”
“I appreciate you letting me punch you in the face. Consider it gratitude,” I bite out.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I really should get this mess cleaned up so they can come back upstairs. They can’t hear us. They haven’t seen much. However, all the shifter cameramen need a new memory. They’re tied up in a cellar…somewhere,” Violet says, directing that last part to Arion, whose grin only grows.
“Are you asking me to alter their memories, love?”
“Can you?” she asks, sounding somewhat uncertain on whether or not this is even okay to ask.
Gypsy Truths (All The Pretty Monsters Book 6) Page 45