Gypsy Truths (All The Pretty Monsters #6)- Kristy Cunning Page 0,8

prick in your trousers. You can have your whores. You can have your wine. You can even have your debauched parties. You can have whatever you fucking want. But you won’t step down as first-born. I’ve spent too much time, energy, and money on grooming you to carry on our family’s name. Don’t disappoint me, Damien.”

Damien gives a small, almost imperceptible nod.

“Of course, Father. I’ll make the sacrifice. I’m your first-born,” Damien states as though he’s said those words before.

His father claps his shoulder.

“If you’re smart, you’ll kill Dorian yourself. A man as weak as he won’t survive in the new world we’re going to build. Our family’s legacy is just getting started.”

The illusion shatters, and I cry out in pain once again when I try to scramble away from Dorian’s hold.

He clutches my throat in one hand and shoves me against the wall, grinning down at me.

“Guess who’s Father’s favorite now?” Dorian asks me with eyes that dance with mischief. “Damien was the strongest. Once I’m done with you, there’s no doubt he’ll come for me. I’ve not been able to provoke him in too many centuries to count.”

He swipes a fresh tear from my cheek, still smiling, as he clutches my throat tighter, slowly suffocating me, even as the knives stab me once more to keep my heartbeat rapid.

“With this, I’ll finally be able to prove I’m the strongest Morpheous Alpha. I’ll be awarded my family’s name for the first time, and be titled as Head of House, just as I’ve deserved to be all along.”

The next image that assaults me is one of him over my body, both of us naked, and I scream in protest, only to be choked by a fresh pour of blood.

“If I do this right,” Dorian says, both in my head and in my ear, his voice nearly taunting me with all his sadistic enjoyment, “you’ll bear my mark by the time we’re through. You only get one Flame, Violet. You’ll never be able to take another, and Damien will have no choice but to surrender you to me. They’ll have no choice but to deal with me instead of him. It’ll be me at the center of all the power. I’ll take his place in every way.”

“Aaaahahahahahahah!” The Tarzan-like battle cry cuts through my thoughts so randomly that the illusion shuts down, and I glimpse reality.

Dorian has my shirt ripped down the middle, standing behind me, eyes cutting to the side, just as Anna charges into the room. His eyes widen as he’s launched back, too startled to react quickly enough.

All the illusions stop at once, and I drop to the ground, my body wrung out with exhaustion, as I catch the first breath of air that stabs my lungs almost painfully.

Coughing, I hurriedly do the first thing that comes to mind, not even trusting my monster. It’s the first time I’ve ever frozen in fear in my entire life.

The threads all around me finally crash into me, and they swirl my body, as Dorian tangles with Anna long enough to distract him.

“You stupid fucking ghost. Do you really think you’ll get out of this alive?” he snaps.

The threads quickly encase my whole body, shutting off my line of sight, and for the first time in my life, I choose to hide instead of fighting back.

My entire body is trembling, as I cocoon myself inside the safety of the threads. If he breaks through the threads, I don’t want to know.

So, I do the only other thing I know for certain will work, in an effort to combat anymore sadistic illusions or sensations.

I faint.

But when dealing with someone who can invade your mind, fainting isn’t as effective as it usually is.

“Violet,” Dorian’s voice chimes. “Violet, where are you?”

I rock in the corner of my mind, unable to fully black out, because he’s invaded my safe place.

“Violet, you can only hide for so long before I find you. I told you once already, daft girl. I’m the perfect countermeasure to all your little tricks.”

After that, there’s silence for so long that I’m almost certain someone must have come to save me.

The next voice I hear isn’t Dorian’s.

“Violet! Violet, come out! Listen to my voice and come to me!” Damien calls.

I start to go, but pause, confused once again by illusion and reality. Is it really Damien?

“Violet! Violet, where are you?” Damien demands. “Come to me, sweet monster. Listen to my voice.”

Just as I stand up, a shadow falls over me, and my