Gypsy Truths (All The Pretty Monsters #6)- Kristy Cunning Page 0,106

to be quiet.

Emit’s eyes fix to mine, and I see the clear reluctance in his eyes.

“I can take anything he’s got,” I assure him. “But I have to at least try to save Vance.”

My voice cracks, and Emit shuts his eyes. After another minute of hesitation, he turns and goes, never opening his eyes or looking at me again.

Clearing my throat, I immediately start talking to Arion again.

“Arion, I’m yours. You have my promise, and you can even do your invasive mind thingy to enforce it if you want,” I promise him.

The room starts steadily chilling, and he begins moving me, dancing with me in his arms to music I can barely hear. Cheers erupt as though something has happened of importance out there.

My feet sway inches from the ground, as he carries me, handling all the movement to the daring tempo. There’s almost a hypnotic effect, because I forget for a moment why I’m even trying to talk him out of this.

Vance.

What about Vance?

Who’s…Vance?

His nose stays pressed to my neck, and on occasion, between dizzying twirls and elegant steps, he teases the flesh with his lips.

It feels like we dance for hours, even though I’m certain that can’t be right.

Just as I feel the barely-there graze of fangs, something akin to a cold bath drops on me.

“No!” three girls shout in unison.

“Sorry, girls. The Van Helsing will die and Violet will never trust us again if we let it happen,” someone is saying.

All the voices sound so distant, as if they’re in a tunnel somewhere far behind us. Me and my vampire.

Red eyes lift to meet mine, and a devilish grin spreads across his face. He’s beautiful.

The dance floor is vast and elegant, dressed in golds and silks, and every masked person in the audience watches us with pure envy radiating from their eyes—

That cold bath drops over me again, but this time it’s so jarring that the dancefloor cracks under me. Red eyes glow, and Arion hisses, as the split in the ground begins running up all four walls, slicing everything in half. Suddenly, it all explodes, and I stumble forward, falling with Arion.

We’re slammed to the ground, forcing a grunt out of me, but I get the more comfortable landing, since I land on top of him.

The only thing not blurry in my vision is him, and my brow furrows when I see his eyes shut and his body lifeless.

“Don’t panic. He’s not dead. Just unconscious. Probably won’t last long, so either be his bride and get Vance killed as a byproduct, or let us help you find Vance,” someone is saying.

Anna.

It’s Anna.

Blinking, my vision returns to me, reminding me I’m not on some dance floor surrounded by people in masks. I’m in the tent Arion presumably had constructed for our bridal celebration.

My gaze darts from spot to spot, my mind slowly returning to reality. Anna gives me a five-finger-wiggle wave, grinning. The triplets glare at me like they want me dead.

“The vampire deserves this more than any of them,” they all tell me.

“That’s because you’re twisted and find everything about him perfect,” I tell them, even as I gently stroke Arion’s perfect cheek, hoping he’s going to wake up and not go crazy.

“I’ll be your bride,” I tell him again, whispering the words in his ear. “Just not until I can find a way to keep you all safe.”

“You’re weak,” the triplets inform me.

“You’re insane,” I volley, as I stand and walk through the gate doors.

“I’m Diva, bitch!” Diva says, scaring the fuck out of me the moment I exit and she pops up.

She laughs and vanishes from sight, while I turn and glare at Anna. She grins.

“Sucks to be you sometimes,” she tells me.

“How can I find Vance?” I ask her.

“You don’t. I do,” Anna says, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I still don’t trust you, Anna. Honestly, with every passing day, I think I trust you less and less. I feel like it’s all been a lie,” I tell her very honestly, feeling the tremble in my hand.

The triplets roll their eyes.

Anna shrugs an unconcerned shoulder.

“That’s completely reasonable. However, if you don’t take a leap of faith and trust me today, your Van Helsing can die. But it means I have to tell you something else I’ve been keeping a secret,” she says on a day when I can’t really afford to take another hit. “And it’s a really big one you’ll appreciate in this moment, but you’ll possibly feel betrayed when you have