Gypsy Freak (All The Pretty Monsters #2)(28)

“I didn’t realize it was a formal thing, so I’m really glad I stopped by. I left oranges, since now I know they’re sort of a big deal. It’s a gift for—”

“For fuck’s sake, don’t make her keep talking,” Damien groans as he goes over to her with more familiarity than I like.

She hated him. She hated him way too much. Why is she just standing there as he drapes an arm around her shoulders?

“We’re off to my house so her dad doesn’t see her going on date with a vampire. Have fun tonight,” Damien says with a smirk as he steers her by me, bumping his shoulder against mine as he goes.

“It’s not okay for you to just show up at my house,” I call out to him.

“Sorry,” Violet blurts out, which of course makes me run a hand over my face when Damien starts laughing.

My omegas actually fucking growl at me. At me.

Never has that happened.

I glare at all of them, and Fay whimpers before scurrying off. Then I turn and glance over at Damien as he explains to Violet that my comment was solely directed at him.

Shaking my head, I go to my private office and pull out the Portocale family tree, trying to figure out what branch Violet’s family descended from.

All I’ve been able to think about is ending one of the few curses that can end, especially now that I know Violet is clearly the perfect Portocale for that.

But as the minutes tick by, I find myself unable to focus on anything other than what Damien said about her na?ve plan to broker a true truce.

Instead of staying put, the way I really need to, I decide to go find one of my tuxes and crash a vampire’s party.

The second I exit and lock up my office, I head down the hallway, forging a plan to talk to Arion and tell Violet not to interfere. The last thing I need is to deal with Arion thinking Violet is my weakness, when she’s clearly more Vance’s, and certainly more Damien’s.

I had no idea how obsessed he’d grown until tonight.

However, the second I enter my bedroom, I find Ian sitting on the stool in front of my bed, and I pause.

He swings an angry gaze up at me. “Last night was a failure, I know. But—”

“Last night was little more than a slap in the face compared to what could have happened. We attacked them in their home. Vance could have punished all of you to punish me,” I bite out. “Leave it, Ian. Let me deal with this.”

“Deal with it like you did a hundred years ago? Putting him underground for a century is a slap on the wrist.”

“Based on what Vance told me last night, it may have been far worse than he actually deserved,” I grind out. “Arion woke during that time. It’s unsure how long he was awake, but he certainly lived awake and underground for long enough to try and claw his way out. He’s been severely punished.”

He stands abruptly, a growl in his throat. “Far worse than he deserved?” he snaps. “You remember what he did to our people? He drained them and then killed them. He—”

“He upheld a law I refused to abide by, but he stepped out of his place. Those wolves were going to be culled regardless,” I interrupt, my voice even as I advance on him.

I’m two steps in front of him before he finally remembers his place and forces his eyes to lower.

His jaw tics with the effort it takes.

“He stepped out of line by making it personal. Vampires don’t get to cull the wolves. They don’t get to decide when, how, and where. I do. Van Helsings do. Wolf alphas do. But the law is still the law for a reason.”

He jerks his face to the side, his fists forming and opening.

“When there is no order, there is only chaos,” he finally says, answering the unspoken question.

“Chaos from us in this era would equal an apocalypse none of you will survive. The immortal alphas will be left to start all over, and to be honest, none of us really want to do that. So there are laws. There is order. Deal with it. With the new information, I declare that Arion has been sufficiently punished, and no farther attacks will be plotted, threatened, or even considered.”

He doesn’t speak. Instead, he stalks out, angry as always. Personally, I grew bored with staying angry centuries ago. I prefer to stay blitzed out of my mind, but right now is not the time.

All I want right now is to ensure Arion isn’t planning his own form of revenge, restarting the vicious, never-ending circle.

And to make sure a little gypsy doesn’t land on the wrong side of him when it sounds like she’s choosing a side that isn’t his.





Chapter 13





VIOLET


The problem with intentions and gypsies is that we don’t always follow through, and the closer it gets to seven, the more nervous I feel about my little speech I’ve prepared.

It honestly sounds really, really lame. And stupid. I can picture Arion laughing in my face before slitting my throat.

Then what? My usual plan of action is to kill whatever just killed me, but I can’t kill a man who can reincarnate, find me, and try to kill me again. If he can even die. I’m not sure on what happens just yet, but I do know they’re all immortal to some relative extent. I’m undying, so I’m not sure what that means for me…

Damien is eating one of the last of his oranges as he waits with me, and I ask the question that’s been irking me.