Gypsy Moon (All The Pretty Monsters #4)(74)

“They combined in the end,” he goes on, bristling. “The Simpletons formed one massive, collective alpha house, and they had their blood-vowed pledges as their betas. It was outside-of-the-box-thinking, but it worked far too well in Idun’s favor,” he continues. “Caroline finally caught a break when things worked out that way. Before then, though, she was just too omega to ever run a House, love. And the Heads of the Houses have to set examples, or it all descends into chaos. Unfortunately, it was much too late and it ended so soon after, given the sentencing.”

Again, I give him one slow nod.

“So far I’ve heard you explain everything, including Idun’s defense, but I still haven’t heard what she did to Caroline.”

His eyes hold mine, and I wonder what’s so bad the scary vampire alpha doesn’t even want to say.

“She shredded her. Quite literally,” he states very flatly, as a chill slithers up my spine. “And that’s just one example. Caroline can’t die. Idun can’t die. Idun didn’t want to test the limits on herself, obviously, so when Caroline’s Houses would collapse and fall apart, Idun would punish her by testing new, possible ways the unkillable could be killed.”

That knot in my stomach doubles.

“After the shredding, it took just over two years for Caroline’s skin to fuse back together, even with the tedious help of her family stitching her up one shard of a piece at a time. Even I felt sorry for the poor girl at some point. There wasn’t a death possible that wasn’t tested on her.”

“And you’re afraid I’ll turn into Caroline because?” I ask, curious now what new mountainside I’m about to tumble down.

“I’m not afraid of it. As I’ve stated numerous times, Idun won’t be a problem. She just needs to know I’m extremely neutral with no favors this time,” he carries on like that’s supposed to make sense. “But until then, Idun is very crafty, manipulative, and dangerously intelligent. We need to find her. I need to find her.”

There’s obviously no use in arguing, so I sit back, going over that list of ingredients Vance talked about, and find myself wondering if there’s some way I can screw up that already volatile concoction enough to make it doubly potent.

“Just explain to me again why they can’t be raised if she’s already up, when I raised you so easily,” I say very softly.

“I was one plot under a much less secure seal, love. Strength, speed…that’s a vampire. Idun’s power radiates from her when she’s distressed, similar—and very different at the same time—from your monster. Two very different seals, and on a much grander scale.”

So…she’s stronger, which makes the seal stronger.

I nod again, deciding I need to triply fuck up the potion. I’ve never actually tried for a fuck-up before. I should probably try to do it exactly right, so it’s a more organic fuck-up.

He tilts my head up, eyes finding mine as he smooths his thumb over my chin.

“I swear to you that you have nothing to worry about once I find her,” he assures me like that’s the concern in my head.

The sentiment is still weirdly sweet, so I give him a tight smile, nodding like I appreciate it, since I think that’s what he’s waiting on.

He leans forward and kisses my forehead, and a sad thought crosses my mind. Idun’s been awake and hasn’t come for him—her loyal one. After all he sacrificed and surrendered to her…

“I need to make a call to my brother I’m sure you wouldn’t enjoy overhearing. I’ll be just outside, love, so shout if you need me,” he says, and…then he’s gone, the wind whirring in the room.

I glance over and see the window barely cracked open, and I quickly go to shut it. Hopefully, he’ll stay out of sight if he’s running around in a towel. I know they feel the cold, but lately it’s like they don’t even bother to care. Emit even ran around shirtless, just to prove a point, in ten degree weather.

I take the opportunity to flip off the vacant air in front of me. “You’re missing a lot, Anna,” I say on a quiet whisper. “And I could use you more than ever, because all hell’s likely to break loose at any given moment on any given day.”

I pause, rolling my eyes.

“Shit, maybe it’s already broken loose and I’m too far in to see it from the outside,” I rattle on. “The point is that today is one of those days where I do hope you’re forced to have to watch this and not get your input heard. You should have been here to finally save me, because you could have prevented this from happening. I just had three of your ghost friends cross a huge line.”

Huffing out a breath and keeping my voice at a whisper, I shrug a shoulder.

“I’m focusing on the monstar quad instead of the madness surrounding me, just to keep from tripping into the mayhem and doing something too stupid. Yes. I hope you hear that pet name and hate it as much as Vance does.”

I pause, listening to see if I can hear her eyes rolling. Unfortunately, I don’t, so I carry on.

“You’d tell me to be careful, and to really piss Idun off by being obnoxiously un-jealous. You’re sort of a badass like that. I, however, am not,” I admit with an inward sigh.

“Every second they spend making me feel special, protected, surrounded…it’s another second I feel the most un-alone I never dared to dream I’d feel. They almost sort of get me. I think. I know they like the root of me—and don’t turn that into a dirty joke,” I state, and…then determine I’m dangerously close to being certi-fucking-fiably crazy.