Gypsy Moon (All The Pretty Monsters #4)(79)

By some miracle, the same poison mustn’t have been on the arrow in Violet’s leg, because she breaks off the head of it, making a pained sound that only stirs my growls fiercer, while she removes the rest of the arrow like it’s not her first time.

I can’t see the other woman, but I can see Arion’s gaze growing more furious by the frozen second. He never cuts his eyes away from the mystery woman.

Please, for fuck’s sake, don’t let it be Idun with the scent of another’s blood.

“I guess you’re not always Linda-the-receptionist, are you?” Violet asks as she drops the arrow remnants.

“A girl’s got to put food on the table, even when there’s a head to hunt. Only the girls who dare to be too pretty eat for free,” comes the answer, those words sounding familiar enough to churn my stomach.

I’ve heard that before, haven’t I? Was that Idun who said it?

“Move before I—”

Arion bursts free seconds before I can, but I’m right behind him, as my wolf erupts from me. I feel my vision dimming as the wolf tries to take full control, focusing in on her vulnerable throat.

My heart dives in the next instant, because Violet is suddenly blocking my path again, as though she simply appeared, and I crash into her.





CHAPTER 23





VIOLET


Staring at the girl formally known as Linda, who is giving me a very disgusted look, I don’t even have time to process how the hell all this just escalated so quickly, and where the hell the other three guys even came from.

So this is Idun. I’m surprised she’s telling me to move so she can hurt them. From what I’ve learned, this is a little out of character.

I should be the first target—the weak omega.

Idun the—

“A girl’s got to put food on the table, even when there’s a head to hunt. Only the girls who dare to be too pretty eat for free,” she says, shattering the fragmented pieces I thought I had laid out, as bile and air simultaneously wad in my throat. “Move before I—”

Arion is suddenly shoving her hard against the wall, and I scream as I dive for him, only to be knocked out of the way by Emit’s raging wolf.

Pain explodes in my side, and Emit slides next to me, eyes wide like he never expected me to go in that direction. My gaze darts back to Arion, who has turned completely toward me, just as a blade shoves through his torso.

His jaw grinds as he turns, thin sword still sticking out, and I lunge again, ignoring the pain in my ribs as I shout, “Stop, Arion, don’t!”

His claws stop their descent abruptly, as I quickly prop against Emit, feeling the impossibly soft fur against me. He quickly turns to flesh when my legs try to give out, and takes on the burden of holding me up.

“Why the bloody hell would I stop?” Arion asks, glaring. “This bitch just tried to—”

“Do it, Vampyre,” Not-Linda says in interruption, smiling darkly. “Please do it so I can be done with you immediately.”

My heart only pounds harder, as my vision dims just barely, Arion’s claws starting to move again, as panic slices up my throat.

“Stop!” I shout again, just as she ducks his swing that he wasn’t planning to stop at all.

“She’s my mother!” I choke out.

He does stop the second swing, almost fully red eyes meeting mine.

The sound of a sword sheathing sounds from right beside me, as Vance puts his sword away. Emit cradles me against him. Damien moves to the other side of Emit. Vance is quickly looking at my slightly bruised side, because Emit’s a cannon ball when charging, apparently.

“She jumped right in front of me,” he murmurs to Damien so quietly I almost miss it.

“Get your filthy fucking hands off her, you patru picioare uraciune!” Mom snaps, causing Emit to freeze and Vance’s eyes to collide with mine, as though none of them believed me until now.

Vance, like everyone else, slowly stares at Mom differently, even as Arion keeps her pinned in place. Mom struggles ineffectively and winces when his claws dig in.

“Violet, clothe yourself before I vomit everywhere,” she says with tears in her eyes.

“You’ve been in here since dropping off that scotch?” I hiss in oh-fuck-my-life-this-cannot-be-happening horror.

“I had a plan,” she grinds out, glaring at me. “I had no idea you would be this involved with my plan.”

She pauses as she gags a little, and a little more horror washes over me just to make sure I’m thoroughly drenched in the shit.

Arion fucking grins, but wipes it away quickly when he sees my face.

“I’m so sorry. I thought you were Linda the flirty receptionist. Why were you flirting with him?” I ask on a shrill pitch.

“Don’t apologize to her, love. Just being around us got an arrow through your leg.”

“She stopped when she hit me, because she didn’t mean to hit me,” I quickly argue, slapping at Emit to put me down, as I scramble to wrap a sheet around me.

Of course, that still leaves the naked werewolf and naked vampire in the room that no one seems to be discussing. Okay, then. Time to tip the crazy scale just a little more in my head.

It sucks so hard to be me some days.

My mother finally comes back to see me fucking her life-long enemies.