Gypsy Moon (All The Pretty Monsters #4)(31)

“Gotten any faster or stronger in the past few weeks, Van Helsing?” I ask Vance as he yanks open the door to his car.

“I’m doing the work,” is all he says before he speeds off.

“We should have just killed him and gotten a twenty-eight-year head start before he could twist her mind in a fucked up spiral,” Emit says very seriously.

“I’m not really seeing how he’s going to benefit from this. However, I keep assuming Violet to be predictable, and she keeps proving to be the very opposite,” I note as I calmly get in on his passenger side, staring ahead at Vance’s disappearing taillights.

He’s currently the one with the most ground to lose.

“That’s what Violet does. Somehow she convinces you she’s dull and predictable, always buckling up and watching your speed. Then she throws herself in front of two monsters without a second thought, breaking curses she has no authority or ability to break, slaughters a barn full of wolves, yet still has such innocent eyes… No, Damien, she’s not fucking predictable,” he says with heavy agitation.

We quickly catch up to the growing convoy, because Emit and I did accurately predict one thing.

Even with a vampire alpha in her front seat, leading her to something she’ll hate us all for, if not handled delicately, Violet is still doing forty-nine in a fifty.





CHAPTER 8





VANCE


I’m halfway to Arion when Violet stops abruptly, turning to face me.

“I honestly just realized I’m not wearing shoes,” she says very seriously, dancing from foot to foot in the snow.

“Really? Just now?” I hear Damien asking. “I was curious if when you’re emotional if you don’t feel the cold,” he adds as he slides in behind her.

“Cold only bothers me on occasion,” she answers as her teeth begin to chatter. “This is one of those occasions.”

I’m already losing that focus that seems to easily steady the more I’m around her, easing just enough to keep my head from hurting and my need to hunt sated.

Arion will hurt for this if this drives a wedge between us after these past two days of having her all to myself.

“I thought she’d be more aware of the fact she’s not wearing trousers,” Arion says, eyes raking over her legs like he’s envisioning himself in my place earlier.

Violet releases a frustrated breath. “Great. Now I’m the girl who doesn’t even realize she’s not wearing pants.”

Violet glances over at me like she needs some sort of reassurance, since Arion still hasn’t prepared her, obviously.

Arion grins and tosses his arm over her shoulders as he starts leading her in.

She’s never going to speak to me again, and I’m going to rip that vampire to shreds.

“Violet, could we speak privately?” I ask, but before she can answer, Arion is through the door with her, and they’re both gone when I step over the threshold.

“Someone probably should have been monitoring this situation before he did something this brazen,” Emit growls.

I start to move around the side of the house, toward the cells underneath the home, when I hear Violet’s screech upstairs.





CHAPTER 9





ARION


Violet makes a sound of surprise in her throat when she sees her father sitting on the other side of the glass, playing a card game with Shera.

She glares at me in the next instant.

“Open it. Now,” she bites out.

I shrug a shoulder and press the button next to the door that swings open. Violet rushes inside, and I casually take my time, as the other three manage to find us.

“Dad,” Violet says quietly, almost with…is that guilt?

He turns abruptly, and his eyes widen when they land on her. A frown lines his thin lips. “What’re you doing here?” he asks as he balks.

“What am I doing here?” Violet asks on a humorless laugh before glaring at Shera. “This couldn’t have been a last-day-alive confession?!” she shouts at Shera.

Shera primly lays down a pair of cards, not looking up.

“Didn’t know about this until after my return,” Shera answers with a flippancy Violet seems to overlook.

“You imprisoned my father?” Violet shouts at me, turning on me very quickly and advancing with her bollocks-crushing knee looking raring to go.

“Violet, there’s—”

“Stop talking,” she says to Damien, holding up her hand in front of him, as she continues to glare into my eyes. “I’m waiting on him to explain why my father is imprisoned in his home.”

“Hopefully, he’s not going to be for much longer. He’s maddening, if I’m honest,” I tell her very seriously. “But if I release him into your custody, there will be conditions.”

Her look sort of changes, almost like she’s now confused.

“Why is he imprisoned?”

“Because he’s your father and I couldn’t kill him after he put a stake through my heart,” I tell her while pointing at the madman. “Clearly his conditions could be worse if he were anyone else.”

Tom winces like he doesn’t want her knowing that bit about what he did. He’s yet to understand the gravity of his dire situation, and I rather hate my hands being so effectively restrained.