Gypsy Truths (All The Pretty Monsters #6)- Kristy Cunning Page 0,177

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