Gypsy Truths (All The Pretty Monsters #6)- Kristy Cunning Page 0,21

this matter. “Worst scenario, he fails, and then you have Dorian sitting at your table. Best scenario, he wins, and Dorian acts humbled for a century or two. But if Damien’s not been feeding—”

The door finally swings open to the lower section of the arena, straight across from Damien.

Damien…smirks.

I love when Damien smirks in battle. It means he’s feeling confident. But I lack the same confidence in him, because I know Dorian hasn’t missed a meal in thousands of years. Damien’s no match right now.

Now that I think about it, I really don’t want Damien doing this.

Why do I feel the sudden urge to bite my nails?

“I don’t like this,” I note aloud.

Emit’s already bent over, eyes intently focused on the ring below.

Damien flicks the challenge card to the ground, and Dorian grins as he does the same thing.

“You’re too easy, brother. You know better than to have a weakness—”

Dorian’s words end on a pained cry, and he drops to the ground almost immediately.

I lean way forward, because this is damn interesting. Even at full strength, Damien should have had to struggle for a while to break into Dorian’s mind.

“Sorry. I’ll skip taunts and threats and get straight to the point,” Damien says coldly, as Dorian’s eyes glaze over, and a scream leaves his lips.

His body lies limp on the ground, and even Zuela Van Helsing shivers as though he’s just felt fear in Damien Morpheous’s presence for the first time.

“I’m Damien Morpheous,” Damien grinds out. “First legitimate son of our family. You’re Dorian Gray. The illegitimate bastard who has a problem with our fucked up family legacies.”

Damien kneels beside Dorian.

“You’re a little too old to be blaming Father for all your problems. You want someone to fuck with, next time, come directly to me,” he says in a chilling tone, even as the room’s temperature heats significantly.

“I’ve got chills in the best possible way,” I confess, truly gobsmacked to see Damien so powerful for the first time in ages.

It’s like seeing their skill levels back in the day when we were kids, when Damien’s talent was so far beyond Dorian’s reach it was laughable.

“I wouldn’t have,” Dorian cries out, welts showing up on every piece of skin visible. “I was just scaring her! It was just the bloodlust and maddening spirits of sin from Pandora’s Box that time. I swear I wouldn’t have done it, Damien!”

Ice forms on the floor beneath me, and Vance grabs my arm and Emit’s dragging us back down to our seats.

I was just scaring her…

“Who the hell is he talking about?” I say between clenched teeth, even though I know the answer already.

Violet’s office was wrecked.

Damien’s phone was dropped and broken.

All the important Morpheous members are in attendance for a challenge they knew would be accepted.

Amos looks terrified.

Damien fed off Violet enough to send Dorian to the ground.

It’s a damn good thing she can’t die, because he clearly took more than he’s ever taken from one source so quickly.

The only thing that would spur him to take such desperate measures, is—

“I know you wouldn’t,” Damien tells Dorian, even as he fists his hands. “But she didn’t know that, and you used it against her. Because of that terror I smelled all over her, I’m done feeling sorry for you. It’s time you see the difference in our power, so you’ll stop dreaming of beating me. Next time, I’ll show no mercy.”

Dorian’s next scream echoes all around, and my mind travels back to the past, idly remembering all the times he must have been holding back.

That son of a bitch really felt pity for Dorian all this time?

“Someone explain to me what’s going on right now? How did he penetrate Dorian’s mind so easily?” Zuela growls over his shoulder.

Damien’s been keeping secrets.

“As the firstborn, and the most enraged at the sight of Idun’s death, Arion encompassed the blood-thirstiest spirit,” Vance tells him.

“I’m aware,” Zuela bites out.

“As firstborn, I encompassed the wildest, most savage spirit,” Emit says on a quiet, thoughtful breath, as we watch Dorian’s body begin to writhe.

“As firstborn, I encompassed the most prideful, valiant spirit, the moment I stepped in to temporarily play a hero,” Vance adds.

My eyes flick to Dorian. “As firstborn, Dorian encompassed the most sexually deviant spirit from that box. He’s the most physically powerful.”

“But as firstborn Morpheous, Damien inherited the strongest mind. He was groomed for that role. We’re ignorant fools for never considering it before now,” Zuela says in frustration and understanding.

“He was ashamed to feel sympathy for