“Fucking hell. Now I sound as whiny as all of you. Congrat—”
I’m yanked back and launched out of the house, but I manage to kick up to my feet, moving too fast for Hulk-Wolf to spot me, and smirk as I slam my elbow into the back of his head.
This time, his swing is too late and too predictable, and I flip over his body, kicking him in the face hard enough to send his iron-man ass to the ground.
His head crashes through Vance’s brick walls, sending debris falling everywhere, as he lifts up and simply narrows his eyes on me like that didn’t hurt at all.
Vance stabs the sword into the ground and walks away, muttering something about working twice as hard. Emit and I both eye the sword…until it turns to rust.
Then our gazes collide once more.
My claws retract when his does this time, and he stretches his hands above his head, a lazy smile spreading across his face.
“It feels like a very important piece of me has been caged since Idun banished my mark. It’s been so long that I forgot how much it hurt for it to be gone. Even with the mark being deeper and definitely more noticeable, Violet never once mentioned removing it.”
I don’t point out that she hasn’t had time to think about much. Seems he enjoys being deliberately obtuse. I hate it when people take that from me. Seems hypocritical to attempt being the voice of reason.
Instead, I smile. “Good show, old chap. Glad you’ve gotten your balls reattached.”
He scratches his stomach, sniffing the air. “I’m going to go find a lot of fucking food, and then I’m going to retrieve my mate. I’ve already been away from her for too long.”
He turns and stalks his naked ass back inside the house, and I glance toward the town.
“She just left and you plan to go to her so soon?” I ask the annoying brute, who is definitely way out ahead of me now.
His rumble of laughter is all that answers me.
I’ve got my invite…so why I am I hanging out with them when I could be getting a drink from my lovely bride-to-be?
CHAPTER 18
VIOLET
“If you don’t stop laughing—”
Anna brays like a donkey with her next bout of laughter, as though my demand for her to quit mocking me right now is only fueling her hysterics.
“Y-y-you’re walking funny a-a-after fucking like a champion during a three-day sex-a-thon, and you expect me to resist having a commentary?” Anna asks me through her guffaws, quite literally rolling on the ground, as she zaps from place to place in front of my uneven strides.
I glare at her, as she slaps at the ground, her hand passing through, it as she feigns wiping tears from her eyes.
“It hurts when my thighs touch!” I hiss, idly wondering if my vagina will ever heal.
“I’m so proud of you,” she says, clapping for me, as I waddle by her on my way to push open the front door.
Just my touch ignites Mom’s magic, and the doors open.
Sighing in frustration, I try to walk as normal as I possibly can, wearing nothing but the curtain cape, and…come to an abrupt halt when everyone in the lobby stops to stare at me.
Looks like we have some newbies, because I don’t know all the faces.
A few tremble and drop to their knees, while Shera approaches with a glare and a wrinkled nose.
“You disappear for three days and return smelling like foul wolf sex? Seriously?!” she snaps, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Omegas have been lining up to join Sanctuary, and you’ve been off getting laid?” she adds on an irritable growl.
Speaking of omegas…
Leiza’s eyes widen, and she drops to the ground, abruptly bowing before me. Lemon, Mary, and Tiara all have the same fast reaction.
“Why are they bowing at your feet?” Shera asks more seriously.
I bristle, not liking where this looks like it’s heading. Those scars on my back don’t look like they’re going to be healing, regardless of the healing potions I’ve used on them. I weirdly don’t mind the scars, but…what do they really mean?
“I have a lot of questions,” I tell the omegas, who give small, short nods, not speaking, as they remain bowed on the ground.
I notice a few others quickly dropping and bowing to me as well, though they do so with terrified trembles.
“This is neat. Do those scars make you royalty or something? They can’t even see them,” Anna states from atop a banister near us.
“After I shower, I’ll see the four of you. Find Ingrid. I want her there too. And make sure the new wolves who’ve claimed sanctuary aren’t afraid of me, regardless of whatever in the hell has happened,” I add.
Leiza clears her throat. “As you wish.”
“Oooooh, she said that like you’re royalty!” Anna gushes.
“What have you done now, Violet?” Shera asks in a worried tone. “All I smell is a lot of werewolf sex. Have you even showered?”
“Not in three days. Emit wouldn’t let her out of his dastardly clutches,” Anna supplies on a wistful, romantic sigh.
“I could use a—”
A very pretty red cocktail is thrust in front of me by an omega I’ve yet to formally meet, and her hand trembles as she waits on me to accept it.
“Thank you,” I tell her with a smile.
She nods, eyes wider than they already were, and darts off without another word.
Shera shakes her head like the distraction is too annoying to deal with, and she hands the iPad to me. “I have so many things for you to look over and sign, and—hey! Where do you think you’re going?” she shouts as I start walking off.
“To take a long, cleansing shower, so people will hopefully stop being weird around me,” I answer without looking back, waddling my way up the stairs.
When I whimper, Anna snorts out a laugh.
“I hate you,” I inform her.
“Only because I love your pain,” she volleys.
I slam my door in her face, leaning back against the door for a moment to collect myself. It’s hard to get around the distracting thoughts of Emit’s body over mine, under mine, behind mine…
It’s all I can think about.
If I wasn’t so sore, I’d call him to come back and pick up where we left off now that he’s himself. Then again, he’ll probably ignore me for days on end now. They tend to do that when they’ve gotten what they wanted from me.
How do they not understand why that pisses me off?
The freshly patched wall reminds me how this week started. I need to find Caroline and let her know I’m okay and not angry. I’m sure she’s feared the worst during my absence.
If even one of them gave a damn, they’d have already been here and doing that for me. They’re just worried about what they need from me, and I go running to make it happen, regardless of the personal costs.
“I make things too easy for them,” I decide as I shuffle my feet to my private bathroom and flip on the shower.
I don’t even wait for it to warm up. I’m out of my cape and under the cool spray, soaking in the feel of the first shower I’ve had since Caroline crashed through my room.
A hint of frustration finds me when I keep reaching for the shampoo and finding it missing from its perch. I swear, I can’t do anything right these days.
I start to crack open an eye to find it, when I feel hands in my hair and smell the strong scent of my apples…which usually don’t smell strong at all.
I also smell…Arion.
I think.
How is that possible?
“Let me take care of you, sweet monster. The wolf should have done this for you instead of selfishly taking more from your body,” he murmurs.
Since I’m so exhausted, I decide not to even bother arguing.
His bare body presses against mine from behind, as his fingers work magic against my scalp.
“Tasking the omegas with telling you your new fate. Leaving you to tend to your sore body all on your own…”
A tremble wracks my b
ody when his cool breath blows against the scars on my back. I have no idea why the hell that feels so good.
“He’s already failing to be a good mate. I’d be so much better. Should my monster come forth for you to be my bride?”
My eyes fly open, and I stare up at the ceiling like it’s going to save me from this conversation.
“Please tell me you’re joking,” I grumble.
“It’s closing in on midnight. I could really let loose if that’s what you prefer. Or you could let me enjoy a taste, and I’ll patiently wait for you to choose me all on your own,” he says in that soft, alluring way that has me swaying.
“I couldn’t get the rest of the night off from ex-boyfriend duty?” I ask on a defeated breath, allowing myself to enjoy the fact he’s washing my hair for me.
“Idun told them about my spying. You’re free from your gypsy promise,” he tells me, abruptly shifting gears.
I glance over my shoulder, unsure what to say, as his slate gray eyes linger on my chest.
He licks his lips as he steps in closer, pressing his front solidly against my back, while those gray eyes turn black.
If my vagina wasn’t overworked and underappreciated, I’d probably be a weak fool already coiled around him.
I’m so pathetic.
Really, I am.
“Are they mad?” I ask him.
He shrugs a shoulder. “Not terribly, no. Mostly because they don’t want Idun winning. I think that’s their main incentive for being reasonable. I’m going to need you to smooth that over for me when you’re feeling up to it.”
My head falls back to his shoulder, and I turn in his arms, too exhausted to do much else.
I’m standing up by sheer determination alone.
He starts working the conditioner into my hair, as I wrap my arms around his waist to use him like a crutch, even as my eyes start to droop.
“You can’t be serious about me being your bride, Arion. You’re just acting impulsively because of whatever life-altering thing Emit’s just done that has wolves bowing at my feet. I’m assuming being his mate comes at a severe cost to myself, doesn’t it?”
His lips brush over my head, as he rinses out the last of the conditioner. I bite back a moan when he starts massaging the soap into my back, his fingers working over my fresh scars that are highly sensitive in very weirdly erotic ways.
“There will be an official mating ceremony and announcement, I’m sure. Everyone will know you’re his. He’ll see to that. I wanted you for my bride long before he took you as his mate,” he goes on, his hands moving down to my ass.
I’d knee him in the balls, but everything he’s doing is helping to take the ache out of all my sore, overused muscles. Another content sigh escapes me.
“That doesn’t answer my question,” I grumble in reminder, fighting off a yawn that finally wins and stretches my mouth wide in a very unattractive way.
Arion smiles down at me like he finds it cute. I swear, they’re fucking with my head again.
“Of course it’s life-altering, Violet. You chose to be his mate—”
“My options were limited,” I remind him.
“Even still, you chose to be his mate. You fully submitted to him during his claim, which is something Idun never did, obviously. Ridding yourself of his mark will be painful for the both of you, and apparently it’ll leave him a shattered mess until his wolf finds a new mate to claim.”
I peer up at him after that remark, and he stares down at me.
Old horror movies flit through my mind, thinking back to Dracula searching endlessly for his bride through extreme measures. I was one of those weird girls who got mad at the chicks he kidnapped to make his bride, because they judged him for being a monster.
I know. I have issues. I’m aware.
“I’ll be a damn good groom,” he carries on, brushing my hair away from my face.
I roll my eyes and whimper/groan. “I can’t adjust this fast. No one has even told me they love me, and now I’m mated to a werewolf alpha and have the scars to prove it. Meanwhile, the Vampyre alpha is proposing, while washing away the werewolf,” I mutter to myself.
“What was that, love? I didn’t catch all of it,” he says in a bemused sort of way.
“Arion, I have more emotional needs than the four of you will ever care enough to realize. In fact, my emotional needs are constantly being ignored for the sake of the many needs the four of you have. I’m going to take the night off—rest, eat, and recover from the werewolf who apparently married me without even pretending to love me. Get back to me after I’m caught up, and we can have an adult discussion about this.”
I turn and shove open the shower door, stepping out onto the slick tile that almost bests me.
His hand is steadying me immediately, as he steps out behind me. “I’ll hold you while you sleep. I like that. You like that. Winners all around,” he quips as he quickly puts a towel around me.
Again, I see no point in arguing, especially when he lifts me. If he’s carrying me, that means I don’t have to walk.
“Why were the new wolves trembling? Was it me or was it you?” I ask around another yawn.
“It was possibly both. Their alpha took a mate, and the marks on your back have a scent that registers to other wolves. Idun liked that, but she still hated the mark. Now I’m starting to wonder if it’s because she felt like she couldn’t be away from him very long. She enjoyed her control, and she never wanted to cede any of it to us,” Arion diligently explains as he moves me quickly.
He puts me on one end of the bed, but in the next breath, he’s tucking us both under the covers, and my towel is wrapped around my wet hair instead of my body.
My body is touching a whole lot of naked vampire as he wraps his arms around me and holds me close. I’d get annoyed, but the distant, detached look in his eyes makes me realize he’s here because he needs to be touching me.
I don’t get it.
Sighing, I kiss his chest, feeling sorry for him.
“Is Idun still your wife?” I ask for the sake of curiosity.
“Vampire males don’t have wives. They have brides,” he murmurs, hands tightening on me. “And no. Idun rejected my touch most of the time. She certainly didn’t want me to mark her.”
He actually snorts as though the notion is preposterous.
“Are you trying to make me feel sorry for you so that I’ll be your bride?” I ask very seriously.
“I’ll wait until you tell me you love me before I make you my bride,” he drawls, eyes flicking to mine.
I always forget how heavy the weight of his full attention is until he gives it to me.
Clearing my throat, I look at his chest, dragging one of my fingers around to trace the line of his abs.
“Immortals such as us aren’t quite as young as you. You assume Emit doesn’t love you because he’s never said the words. Whereas, he assumes you know he loves you, because his wolf just marked you so deeply that you’re tied to him for at least the next few centuries.”
Trying not to think about that last part, since they act like living forever is a guaranteed promise to me and I still can’t wrap my head around it, I stare at the picture in the frame at the end of my bed.
It’s one with all five of us. They were extremely distracted by whatever ridiculously fake thing Idun was doing on that day, but when I told them I wanted a picture, they all stepped in to pose.
I’m holding up a peace sign with one hand, while wearing a really stupid grin on my face, because I’m horrible at pictures. Hence the reason I don’t have many.
But they look dark, tempting, and…possessive.
Arion is twirling a lock of hair around his finger with a devilish smile just barely highlighting one corner of his mouth. Emit is towering behind me, his hand wrapped around my waist to rest on my stomach.
Damien is sitting in front of me with his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, lazily resting his head against me. I remember how he pulled one
of my hands around to the front and began kissing it, teasing me with hints of his power—hence part of the reason for my goofy grin.
His lips are pressed to my palm in the picture, and his eyes are forever teasing me in it.
Vance is at my other side. The surprise in my eyes is because he bent over at the last second to kiss the side of my head, only adding to my goofy grin. He timed it perfectly, because the image snapped with the kiss taking place.
“It was shocking to see him do that. If I’m honest, I almost broke character for the photo,” Arion drawls when he sees my eyes on it. “He strongly opposes public displays of affection. If you want to see how much he loves you, walk up and kiss him in a crowded room. You’re the only woman he’s ever allowed to touch him affectionately in public.”
I clear my throat, because I don’t know what to say to that, and this entire conversation is heating my cheeks.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that Idun has lifted Damien’s curse, whether he knows it or not. I once expected him to start finding new warm bodies to entertain himself and feel important again. Instead, he’d rather starve himself than feed off anyone but you. He loves you so much that a monster of sexual deviance finds his heartbeat again, and he doesn’t so much as glance at any other woman.”
My eyes flick up to his, and he brushes my hair out of my face.
“I’m a monster who loves killing things, yet I allow the disrespect this Sanctuary instills in its subjects toward alphas. I reward it, even, because I understand what it is you seek to accomplish, however nobly naïve I find the notion to be. My love for you has turned me completely into your monster. To be honest, your wolves haven’t trembled around me in over three months, Violet. Lemon even started stocking blood packets for me, since I have a particular brand, when I’m not tasting your sweet Portocale blood.”
He moves so fast that I don’t register the motion, until he’s between my sore thighs and pinning my hands above my head.
“You do a lot for everyone, Violet. We know we’re special to you, but you fail to see how very much more we care for you. You’d never question us again if you’d been around long enough to know us before you,” Arion goes on, kissing the side of my neck.
Gypsy Rising (All The Pretty Monsters Book 5) Page 26