“I watched you fuck it all up for five straight months. I’d simply find it redundant at this point,” Marta quickly fires back with a wicked curve to her lips.
Damien’s expression changes from smugly taunting to infuriated sobriety within a blink.
“My daughter is a girl who knows her value, even though her father was mostly absent from her life. As far as she’s concerned, he left because of the monster inside of her. He didn’t leave the girl who keeps the monster on the leash. She’s a psychological paradox that I’m quite proud of,” Marta adds in a bored tone, as she looks down at her nails. “I’ve avoided him, since he seems to be around a lot more, but it’s not been easy, Vampyre. You need to release him from your punishment. I’ll ensure he never stakes you again. I’d be embarrassed to admit a mortal carpenter even got the drop on you, let alone managed to run a stake all the way through your heart.”
Arion snorts, but his attention seems to be mostly focused on Jasper.
“Violet enjoys having her father around. I think I’ll just keep my rules in place,” the vampire tells her.
Marta doesn’t even acknowledge his refusal.
It’s odd…
All five of us lounging in my bedroom, discussing the Portocale daughter we’re all eager to steal from her, while an entirely new—alleged—pureblood species lies on my bed next to the psychotic vampire, who is telling the lad he’s going to buy him his first car…
It’s all odd.
Life in general is odd these days.
“She really has changed an awful lot in such a short amount of time, hasn’t she?” I ask, letting the full weight of this image sink in.
No one speaks for a moment, but I notice Marta, Damien, and Emit all staring at Arion with the same weight of surreal disbelief. The shifter mother may abandon her child completely if she realizes the kid is safely adored by the most brutal, relentless protector there’s ever been.
Arion cuts his gaze at us, a slow smile curving his lips, as though he’s realizing we’ve finally caught on to his future plans. This psychotic vampire really does want to start a family.
“I think we should help out around the House more, don’t you? Violet’s passive aggressive attitude will dissolve if we put forth more effort,” Arion says as though he’s talking to the wee lad.
The baby smiles and blows a spit bubble.
“Aww. He does agree,” Arion states as he stands, lifts the lad, and turns into a streak of dark blurs for a distracting moment.
Marta barely reacts when he stops too close to her, retrieving the downed backpack full of diapers and such.
“Let’s go see your future daddy’s favorite beta and see what needs done around the place,” Arion adds.
He’s gone in the next blink.
Emit releases a heavy, tired exhale. Damien resists the urge to laugh, clearing his throat of the inappropriate reaction, as he shakes his head and stares at the floor. Marta stares in slight horror out the window, her hands gripped on the chair arms like she’s fighting to stay in her seat and not chase after him to attempt to slay him.
I consider Arion’s words, weighing them in my head.
“He’s genuinely going to steal that child and make Violet his bride, isn’t he?” Marta asks on a shaky breath she works hard to steady.
“Yes, yes he is,” Damien answers with zero hesitation.
My phone chimes with a text, and I see a message from Avery that instructs me to turn on Idun TV, even though I’ve made it a conscious habit not to even glance at the app.
“What are you doing turning that shit on?” Emit asks in an annoyed tone, as I work on getting the app open on my TV. “Violet’s still pissed at us because of this damn Reality TV obsession with our ex.”
Technology really does overcomplicate things. I always felt bloody brilliant, until this era. It’s been a very humbling world to live in this past century or two.
“Avery said it was important—”
I shut up when the image and voice comes on the screen. Idun is laughing at something—fuck knows what—as she swirls her drink.
“So you see, Daphne, this will be progress if I can get my four Head of House comrades to stop worrying so much about their flavor of the month and help out,” Idun drones on.
“She knows I mated Violet, and still undercuts her meaning to us,” Emit growls.
“Not the important part,” Marta says as she stands and goes to the television, her eyes narrowing.
“Trial by combat has always been a piece of our history that’s been long forsaken, due to the softer touch of today’s world,” Idun goes on, her lips curving in a grin. “Call me old fashioned, but I’ve simply been underground for far too long to be as gentle and timid as the world is today.”
Damien snorts. “Possibly because you’re the most ruthless bitch to have ever walked the face of the earth.”
“You guys fill me in on whatever gets discussed. I’m going to finish up my food and go enjoy some time with my mate,” the motherfucking wolf says with a broad grin as he stands abruptly.
Everyone glares at the bloody tosser. He’s had Violet’s complete surrender for three damn days. Even if he was the wolf for the entirety of it, it’s unfair for him to have her longer.
I’m sure Marta’s glaring for an entirely different reason than Damien and I. At least he’ll have to battle with Arion for attention.
Nope. I’d rather do battle with Arion for her attention instead of the wolf. He’s gotten too close too fast for me to catch up, and I’ll be yesterday’s uptight, cold garbage at this rate.
Without waiting another minute, I stand abruptly, pulling out my sword while his head is turned. With a single, silent charge, I slam the blade into his spinal cord, relishing his roar of pain, as I leave it lodged there and walk away.
Damien claps in response as I head out, while Marta calls us something akin to savages in a dead language.
That’ll hold him for at least a little while.
Exiting and grabbing my ride, I drive like hell is on my ass to Sanctuary. Since I’ve been granted entrance, the doors open for me on their own, blessed by Marta’s powerful magic.
It’ll keep out the rubbish, but it’ll be far too weak to stop Idun from entering at will. I hope Violet has been made aware of that.
There’s a quick scattering of new omegas, who shriek in fear as I stalk by, quickly hurrying to Violet’s room.
Leiza’s eyes widen when she sees me, and she stands from her spot on the floor in front of Violet’s room.
“We sort of explained what Emit’s mark means, but she passed out before I could give her all the details,” she says as she quickly lowers her eyes and trembles.
“She only likes the gist of things anyway,” I state dismissively, pushing her door open. “So long as she knows it means she’s his mate, and therefore, she’s now looked at as such by all wolves, she’ll have the important information. The rest will come naturally to her.”
She nods, but I can tell she’s lingering for another reason. Impatiently, I tap my foot.
“I-is it true that Idun removed his mark when she couldn’t share all four of you? I mean, because she was his mate, his wolf wouldn’t allow—”
“She kissed Damien immediately after Emit awoke. He simply won’t share when he’s the wolf. Full moons should be interesting for a while,” is all I say.
“Does that mean you’re all hers again?” she asks far too hopefully.
My lips twitch, as my eyes stay on the girl, who is twisted in the sheets, tossing and turning in a fitful sleep. But my amusement flees when she whispers Emit’s name. Shit, I stabbed him perfectly through the spine, so he’ll need at least six hours to be able to walk again.
I didn’t consider how much that mark would be affecting her, because I was busy buying myself some time alone with her. Thankfully, it seems I’ve beaten Arion here.
“Don’t worry so much, Leiza. Even if she thinks she’s broken ties, the girl won’t ever get awa
y from us so easily,” I assure her, as I pull my shirt over my head, carefully folding it and placing it on a small table.
Leiza shuts the door behind her, as I strip the rest of the way down to my underwear and slide into the bed next to Violet.
This is probably not going to work out so well for me, unless she feels I’ve sunken to a pathetic level akin to Damien’s.
The second she tosses in her sleep and collides with me, her arm slips across my chest, her hand settling near my heart. Her leg comes across my waist, and her body goes lax, losing the restlessness.
I quirk an eyebrow at her, as she snores lightly, no longer tossing and turning.
“Is it possible you need us more than you let on, sweet monster?” I ask in a register barely above a whisper.
“And we spent all our time neglecting her in favor of learning Idun’s agenda,” Damien says abruptly, causing me to curse, since I missed his scent, given my distraction.
I glare over at him when he becomes visible at the foot of the bed, but his eyes are solely on her, jaw tight, as he simply stares.
“Make room, Van Helsing,” the vampire says from the motherfucking window, as he drops inside the room, tugging his shirt over his head.
“I don’t remember offering to share, and I got here first,” I say with some annoyance as the vampire slips into the bed completely naked, sliding in next to Violet on her other side.
When the hell did he remove the rest of his clothes?
“I had a baby to drop off before I could make it this far,” he tells me in an unconcerned tone.
His arm goes around her middle, dragging her closer to him. Fucking vampire.
Her hand and leg stay on me, but she unconsciously curves her other arm up around Arion’s neck, her fingers slipping through his hair and stilling.
His grin is subtle, but I see the glint in his eyes.
“She certainly does need us. She guards her needs more than she guards her body, though,” he murmurs, kissing a trail down her arm.
She makes a content sound, even as she remains asleep.
“Where the hell are you going to fit?” I ask on a tired breath, as Damien shrugs and starts slipping out of his own clothes.
“Looks like she needs something to sleep on top of,” he notes.
Arion moves in a blur before I can, and Damien curses, as the smirking vampire ends up under Violet like a full-body pillow.
“Excellent suggestion,” Arion states, as Violet tucks her head under his chin. “I run cold, like her, so it makes more sense for it to be me she’s on.”
I still have her touching me; although, now the naked vampire is too damn close for comfort.
“How pissed will she be when she wakes and finds the three of us decided to sleep with her in her bed?” Damien muses as he slips in next to Arion.
My attention goes to the arm she immediately drapes over him, as though she senses him the way she sensed the other two of us.
He catches her hand, kissing her fingertips, and then threads his fingers with hers.
“I’m glad Emit is paralyzed. It’d be a pain in the ass to squeeze him in,” Damien states on a yawn.
“Really? You paralyzed her mate?” Arion asks in a tsking tone.
Rolling my eyes, I let my lids flutter shut. Damn wolf.
He didn’t even have to try to get her to mate him. She gave in to soothe his beast without much hesitation at all, regardless of the lasting consequences.
“Because Emit marked Idun, she refused to be my Flame,” Damien murmurs, following his words up with a shudder. “Thank fuck for that. We only get one Flame.”
“She never even considered being my bride, not that I bothered asking,” Arion states so quietly I almost miss it. “Violet won’t be so cruel.”
My eyes crack open to see his hands grab her ass, and I clear my throat.
“She’ll not be upset about us sleeping here so much as she’d be upset with getting groped in her sleep,” I point out.
“I was considering fucking her and getting this party started,” Arion states very seriously, blinking over at me.
Damien laughs humorlessly, as I groan and toss an arm over my eyes.
“You’re an idiot if you think that’s a good idea. Damien’s the sexual deviant. He’s the only one who’d get a free pass over something like that,” I point out.
“For the first time ever, I envy you, Morpheous,” Arion bites out.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Damn girl yells at me when I sneak into her room without permission,” Damien grumbles. “I’d have to be my monster to get away with something like that. Maybe I’ll provoke the damn thing just to see how she treats it.”
“Don’t be a fool,” I mumble. “You’re both tempting me to stab you right now.”
“She’s going to need a bigger bed,” Arion notes.
“Her last one was broken. She had a bigger one,” Damien gripes.
“Children, go to sleep or I’ll make you sleep in your own fucking beds,” I snap.
When it goes silent, my head roams to harder times, remembering the worst flaw with the last woman we all fought for.
“What about you, Van Helsing? Idun favored you. Would she have been the Dark Knight’s lady?” Arion muses aloud, cutting through the silence.
I don’t respond at first. They both know the answer. We all know why things truly fell apart long before Idun lost her sense of humanity. Arion lost his humanity, yet here he lies, leashed to the girl with a heart so big she can’t really stand all the nonsensical violence.
I was the only one Idun truly wanted, and I didn’t want her unless she wanted all four of us. It’s my secret that will remain my secret, because I don’t mind if I have to share. It’s less stressful to share, because I have enough responsibility. I can’t be everything she needs all the time, and still fulfill all my many obligations.
Not to mention, I still hate all three of them for never understanding the misery of my own curse.
“Unlike the three of you, I never really cared what Idun wanted. I was too cold to love her the way she wanted to be loved by me. She only made me colder,” I state quietly.
Violet’s hand chills against my heart, as though she’s soothing pain that isn’t there, and a ghost of a smile tugs at my lips. Even in her sleep, she’s still protective.
I’ve never had anyone but the three of them willing to protect me. Everyone else has always needed me to protect them.
Idun included, even though she was capable of taking better care of herself.
I get comfortable, allowing myself to drift off to sleep, when…suddenly there’s a crash against the door, and I jar awake.
Arion startles right next to me, along with Damien on his other side, and we all look over in disbelief, as the omegas pant for air, while…pushing Emit on a stretcher toward us.
The wolf snarls at all of us, and I almost feel…sorry for the fucking stupid mutt who looks ridiculous.
“You wicked son of a bitch,” he bites out. “Next time, there will be hell to pay for that. I did nothing to deserve—”
“I have a list of infractions that gave me that right,” I argue, even though by now he should know I always have a reason, otherwise, my curse wouldn’t allow such actions.
The omegas heave and strain to push the stretcher right up against the bed, and Violet’s leg extends, moving off me, as she subconsciously reaches for him.
He slides over, running his hand up her leg, and releases a sigh that sounds similar to relief. I suppose it was a dick move.
“I’m selfish,” I remind him. “I hate the fact you’ve mated her and I’ve not even gotten much closer than some sexual tension.”
He kisses her ankle, still glaring at me, but I smile, because Violet murmurs my name in her sleep this time.
Then…she moans Damien’s.
“I will stab you if you don’t let the girl get some rest. If she wakes up and kicks us all out, I’ll stab you multiple times,” I wa
rn the deviant.
Violet immediately stops squirming atop Arion, and the vampire glares over at me.
“This could go another way if she wakes up. Something to keep in mind,” the vampire—
“Definitely wake her up,” Anna chirps from overhead, blinking down at us when we all jerk our attention to her.
She fans herself and releases a dreamy sigh, as she contently lounges on the rafters. “Can I pick who goes first?” she adds.
Damien tosses up a ball of salt that shatters somewhere in the room, and she vanishes from sight.
“We’ll deal with that mystery-slash-problem another day,” he grumbles around a yawn.
“A lot fucking happened in five months, didn’t it?” Emit asks quietly, as Violet continues to sleep peacefully, surrounded by the four of us.
“The question is, how much do we actually fucking know about what’s going on?” Arion asks, his hand smoothing up her back. “And how much is she keeping from us just because she’s mad right now?”
“A problem for another day. Seriously, quit wagging your jaws so I can sleep,” Damien cuts in.
In the next instant, there’s an image of sheep jumping over a fence playing in my head. Each of the sheep are numbered, as one by one they bounce in and out of view.
“Count them until you fuckers fall asleep,” Damien mumbles.
Emit snorts, almost choking back laughter, as I try to figure out what in the hell purpose this serves.
I start feeling stupid, as I silently watch the numbers, counting them with the visual aid. As though counting sheep is going to make me…fall…asleep…
CHAPTER 20
VIOLET
Four boys are in my bed.
Well, technically three boys are in my bed, and one boy is haphazardly sprawled on a stretcher that’s pushed against the bed, and he’s got an arm curled around my leg.
I’ll ask about the stretcher later.
I hate the fact this makes me smile. It should really, really piss me off. They always do this. They have no sense of personal boundaries. Though, I’m surprised Vance is guilty of this boundary crusher as well.
Arion…is naked. Fully naked.
And he’s underneath me.
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