Gypsy Truths (All The Pretty Monsters #6)- Kristy Cunning Page 0,180

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 get 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.

It really is an entirely new beginning, and I don’t even think she realizes that.

“Abso-fucking-lutely. If you’ll be my bride,” he answers, gloating over his counter offer. “I’ll even let your monster claim me in return.”

This is madness.

Even for us.

“Damn it, Arion, I’m already her mate. If she’s claiming someone—”

Violet’s eyes cut hopefully to Emit, almost as though she’s been dreading his reaction the worst, for whatever reason.

Emit’s words die, and his lips move, as though he intended to say more, but didn’t ever actually mean to start speaking aloud in the first place.

Violet’s lips turn up in a subtle grin, and she looks away. Her smile falls when she seems to remember she’s still holding the head of the queen.

“I have one more minorly diabolical thing to show you. This one’s all me, though, Anna adored the idea,” Violet says, clearing her throat. “I still consider Anna an entirely different person. I’m putting a pin in the fact she’s somehow an extension of me, because I haven’t ever met that part of me. I’m not even sure I fully buy it. It has too many memories now. Things I could have never seen sometimes pop into my mind like broken snippets of oddly placed memories. That’s been happening more since I woke Vance from the curse.”

“Gotta love all