Gypsy Truths (All The Pretty Monsters #6)- Kristy Cunning Page 0,47

asks too hopefully, shouldering by me.

Avery looks as though he could positively die. He’s a rather conservative fellow, despite his age. I imagine this is rather mortifying.

I grin, but then remember Violet fucking needs us.

Darting away, I start rushing back down the hall, spotting Anna turning into another room.

This place is really a lot bigger when you’re in a hurry.

I charge into that room, and Emit damn near boulders into my back when I attempt to stop abruptly. I’m forced forward a couple of steps, wanting to die a little, when I see Zuela Van Helsing with his dick out while his body remains too rigid.

His cock, however, is fortunately not rigid.

His pants are pushed down to his ankles, his hand is on his stomach, and—

“Portocale curse,” Emit says, his tone confused, which only mildly distracted me from the mind-numbing sight.

“Did he fall asleep after he rubbed one out without even bothering to tuck that tragic thing away?” I ask, genuinely disturbed.

“Damien, he’s under the Portocale curse. Why didn’t I go down first?” Emit asks, once again slicing through my distraction.

I turn, my brow furrowing, as a derisive snort comes from behind the wolf.

I glance behind him to find Edmond rocking the sneer once more, propped against the wall behind us.

“Turn the blind eye all you want, as you do with all the pretty girls you love, but the girl mates the wolf, and he’s magically exempt from the curse,” Edmond says, eyes narrowing on Emit. “I’ll be damned if that’s natural. Nothing about her is natural. Pandora is involved. The world is shifting on a dime the moment she throws her weight around in subtle, yet pressing ways, that boast her young arrogance. And you’re letting her, because she’s your fucking girlfriend? Bloody jesting with this.”

He turns and starts walking back in the other direction.

“I’ll be spending some time here. Contest me all you want,” he says without turning around. “But I’ll be gaining an audience with Violet to find out if she’s the good-hearted monster she claims to be.”

He turns around, almost amused for a minute. The amusement fades to bitterness once more.

“If she is, she surely won’t mind taking the torch from Caroline. Idun can’t live without someone to belittle, hate, and utterly destroy both inside and out. It’s what she lives for. It’s only fair that it’s your turn to watch. Especially since you no longer have a curse to keep you humble enough to remember your self-imposed purpose.”

With that, he turns and disappears down the adjacent hallway, while I turn to Emit.

“Find the bloody library. Clearly I don’t know my way around, and I’ve got to hurry up and go humble a bitch who has ruled even from her centuries-old grave,” I grind out.

Anna pops up.

“It’s not that big of an emergency. Tell me more about this humbling you’re going to deliver. Seems important,” Anna says, sounding far too intrigued not to seem suspicious.

“Where the hell is the library?” I demand.

“All these Portocales are popping up dead. This secret cult is really just shifters and some mortals who aspired to be shifters, all for the sake of the Forsaken—also known as Idun—who’ve they’ve led too many to believe is an all-powerful deity. They’ve made her legendary in the underground parts of this world no one ever really talks about,” she points out, still being terribly suspicious and detailed.

“There’s speculation—wall whispers from some of the ones in the know—that the Portocales weren’t strong enough to curse Idun. There’s more speculation that Idun has rules she expects her betas to break any time she’s absent. They built cults just to kill as many Portocales as possible and make your lives pure hell as often as they could,” Anna continues, stating the obvious for no reason at all.

She levels me with a look.

“Arion’s people are all vicious and cold, but somewhat darkly charming. Or straight up frigid. Vampires are a type, and there aren’t many exceptions.”

“Why the actual fuck are you on about this?” I ask, finally acknowledging her.

“Because a thought just occurred to me,” she says, frowning as she vanishes.

“Where the bloody hell is the library?!” I shout, honestly struck by how massive this place truly is.

“I genuinely can’t catch a single scent. This place changes too much. I don’t think I like it,” Emit says, hands on his hips like his posing is going to help at all right now.

“Damien!” Violet calls, giving me some sort of direction.

I race into a room…and suddenly I’m flying. Or