Gypsy Truths (All The Pretty Monsters #6)- Kristy Cunning Page 0,83

a mockery out of me and Sanctuary. I think you scheme, plot, and spend entirely too much of your eternity being overly diabolical for petty agendas, because you’re so powerful that it’s made you bored. There’s no sport or fun in much of anything anymore, because there’s no challenge left for you.”

“My, my. You certainly spend a lot of time thinking about me, don’t you, Violet?” Idun muses, sitting back in her chair.

“You’re just one of a few distractions I have running, at current. One thing I certainly don’t think is that I’m an alpha,” Violet tells her.

I want to run my head through a wall.

“But I don’t need to be an alpha to run Sanctuary. You want to find a way to beat me some more, be my guest. You’ll never find power over me. If you want to extort the law for your gain, I’ll call you out for the sake of protecting Sanctuary. The Simpletons won’t be in your House. They’re the first charge of protection I have, and you’ll manipulate them if they’re under your care.”

Violet’s tone is too assertive, not an ounce of humbleness to even humor such a delicate situation.

Idun’s excitement doubles, and she leans forward.

“You can’t do anything to me. Legally,” Violet suddenly tells her. “Not until you find a way to extort the law in some way, or attack with some rogues. I’m an undetermined species with no rules or regulations, regardless of what you think. You want to challenge that, then be my guest. I’m not scared of you, Idun,” Violet says as she stands, and Idun practically glows with anticipation.

“You really are rather tenacious, and obscenely obnoxious, for such a small kitten with her fresh claws. This is more fun than I could have possibly imagined.” Idun stands, and the two of them stare each other down.

Idun’s smiling too merrily.

Violet has a very unimpressed expression on her face, one reminiscent of a sullen adolescent, who is unaware of how dangerous it is to be a belligerent nuisance to the law.

Anger runs in my veins, as Violet walks by me, deliberately avoiding meeting any of our stares.

“If they were kings of their respective countries, and I the queen of mine, would it make you understand how out of line you are, little monster?” Idun asks, causing Violet to pause, while keeping her back turned.

“It does give me some perspective, actually,” Violet states with too much of a carefree tone. “However, Sanctuary gets a fair playing field, even with kings and queens,” she adds, walking through the doors without a backward glance.

Idun turns her excited eyes toward ours.

“She’s feisty. She’s also reckless, childish, and far too arrogant. I now know exactly what you all see in her. Despite her insolence, her overconfidence, and ridiculousness, she’s quite challenging,” Idun says, her legs crossing over each other with each deliberate, sultry step she takes in our direction.

She gives her full attention to Arion, standing in front of him.

“You’ve never been one to choose the losing side, pet. Remember that when I crush your sweet, foolish monster’s soul right before your eyes,” she tells him, the mask finally slipping.

Arion makes no expression or has any reaction.

She turns to face the camera, holding her hands up.

“You think I’m vicious, and I admit, I certainly can be,” Idun says, talking to the camera and moving toward it. “See how they treat me?”

As if cued, a beta enters from across the room at another set of doors, rushing toward her with what smells to be a freshly printed picture.

Idun takes it, studies it with false emotion appearing in her dead, cold eyes.

She holds the image up, and the cameraman presumably zooms in on it.

“My people, though misguided, only acted on their dominant instinct, which we all know is more prevalent in shifters. A succubus? All this was warranted because of a single succubus?” Idun asks.

She wiggles the picture of the massacre site, showing off the dismembered bodies.

Her eyes turn colder, almost chilling, as the room heats. The flowers in the room rapidly wilt.

“And I’m simply supposed to stand for such a thing, betray my people’s primal rights, and roll over for the sake of their twenty-something girlfriend?” she drones on.

“Don’t spin this, Idun. You attacked a convoy that was heavily guarded. These are the consequences,” I grind out. “If any laws had been broken, by anyone other than you, I’d be left no choice but to take action.”

“When I finish crushing her soul, I’m going to enjoy destroying