Gypsy Moon (All The Pretty Monsters #4)(45)

“I’m not sure I entirely understand that expression. Can someone explain it to me?” Arion asks very seriously.

I’m lifting my phone as I stand. “Call Emit,” I say, looking toward Damien. “We’re not waiting two days; we’re leaving as soon as Fiona is ready.”

As I start walking out, I hear Arion’s confused tone.

“Who the bloody hell is Fiona?”





CHAPTER 12





EMIT


“You don’t stab a psychotic vampire in the heart unless you have a suicide note prepared in advance,” Violet tells her father calmly.

I pretend I can’t hear them, even though I’m sitting in the next room.

“He can’t tell me what I can do, and he’s not going to kill me,” Tom says, again.

He really does know just e-fucking-nough to get himself killed.

“He’s a vampire!” Violet says in a louder tone than I’ve ever heard her use.

“Are you still dating him?” Tom asks seriously.

“Unbelievable,” Violet is muttering, shuffling her feet as she paces.

I track everything by sound alone, as Violet makes another frustrated sound.

“You have to stay here. You have to stay supervised—”

“I have two jobs lined up for—”

“You put a stake through his heart,” Violet interrupts, enunciating each word. “This is generous. Please don’t make me beg him for your life because you’re too stubborn to do this one and only thing I’ve ever asked you to do.”

Tom makes a huff of a sound. “Your mom’s not going to be happy you’re in a polyamory relationship with those four. They killed her family.”

I begin massaging my temples.

“A what?” Violet asks in an unusually high octave.

“Is that not the right word? I looked it up on the world wide web,” Tom says.

“The Internet, Dad. I swear, ancient vampires who’ve been buried for a century are more current than you. And I don’t think you or Mom can judge right now. You haven’t ever once acknowledged what I am since the day you walked out, and now you’re staking vampire alphas through the heart?”

Ironic how simple Violet is supposed to be.

“They murdered her family,” he says like he’s trying to drill that into her head.

“And Mom put a bunch of innocent, na?ve, trusting people underground and forgot about their sacrifice when a debt, that wasn’t even theirs, was overpaid,” Violet goes on. “She’s not innocent either, and neither are you. You let me grieve my mother all alone while you held onto this really massive secret. Go to your room and stay there. Shera will babysit you while I’m gone, and the omegas will watch your every move when she’s not available.”

Tom stomps through the house like a sullen child. Violet heaves out a breath and comes into the room where I am. Each thump of Tom’s boots against the stairs echoes through the old house, before he slams the door to the bedroom.

“Kids these days,” I say with a tight smile.

Violet makes a half humored, half exasperated sound, as she drops beside me.

“Violet, this closet with all the creepy dolls, can I—”

“Don’t touch my creepy doll collection, Leiza,” Violet says sharply. “Quit trying to get rid of all my favorite things.”

Leiza and Tiara both groan from somewhere in the house.

My arm slips around her shoulders, and she doesn’t hesitate to put her head on my chest.

“I could use some sleep. What are the odds you forgive me enough to join me?” I ask her, kissing the top of her head.

She shrugs a shoulder. “I’ve gotten a lot of sleep in the past couple of days. I should actually work on making new products. The inventory is getting low.”

“No, it’s not,” Leiza calls down.

“By my standard it is,” Violet argues.

I get a pat on the chest and a quick, chaste peck on the cheek, as she stands and abandons me on the couch, moving back toward the kitchen.

I hear the cellar door open and her dropping the ladder down, as I frown at what exactly just happened.

Leiza and Tiara come down the stairs, and Tiara shakes her head like she’s disappointed in me.

“He just doesn’t get it,” she mutters as she hurries out of the room, eyes lowered.

Leiza meets my gaze for a split second, before lowering her eyes again, and her shoulders stiffen when I lift a leg, blocking her from walking on.

“What don’t I get?” I ask.

I hear Tiara practically scramble down that hole to join Violet, and the door to the cellar drops shut, while Leiza stares helplessly after her vacant trail.

“Nothing, Alpha. You know Tiara. Always speaking when she should stay quiet,” she says nervously.

My head tilts when I hear Tiara speaking to Violet.

“Leiza and I can cover this, if you want to go up with Emit,” Tiara is offering.

Leiza tries to go, but I gesture for her to sit when I hear Violet speak.

“This is a great distraction. I need my head distracted. Seriously, keep an eye on my dad while we’re gone. He’s being stupid and impulsive and—”

“Yeah, so…back to Emit,” Tiara interrupts, causing Leiza to make a small wheezing sound like she simply wants Tiara to shut up. “Has he gotten any more…masculine to you?”