Gypsy Freak (All The Pretty Monsters #2)(61)

I want to ask if that’s a euphemism of some kind, but I’m scared to draw too much attention to myself. My mother always pointed out not to be intrigued, because it told people what you were searching for.

I don’t want it to look like I’m searching for Idun, because none of this sounds good.

“Arion held onto her in spite of it all,” Lemon says as she looks down. “As I said, I’d just been turned during all that. It was a terrible time to be alive. After stewing on it for a while, Arion declared war on all of them for tearing her away from him, even though he’d stepped aside for them to proceed with her punishment. She had to carry out an underground sentence of no less than one thousand years for all the pain and suffering she’d caused. It took three Heads of Houses and the immortal Portocale council to bring the Neopry family down so they could weaken her enough to put her down as well.”

So many things I want to ask, but they keep talking like I should know all of these things and people, and I don’t want to lose the momentum, so I just nod, soaking in the pieces of information I plan to circle back to at the end.

“No one cared how hypocritical it was because it felt like a weight had been lifted and the dark sky finally had some sunlight,” Leiza adds stoically. “It’s the hardest I’ve ever rejoiced. We were free from the worst monster of them all. The one who lived her life hurting the ones she loved just to prove how much they loved her, while they continued to give all they had to give. Imagine what she did to the ones she cared nothing about.”

A small shudder passes up my spine.

“When does the thousand years end?” I ask, looking around with the sensations that typically accompany a dark cemetery instead of my kitchen.

“Five years ago, based on some weird calendar year system they used for the sentencing,” Lemon says with a smirk. “We worried Arion would force the issue of recovering her, since up until he went underground, he still loved her fiercely and hated them for burying her.”

“Then he comes out and wants you, and possibly their alpha unit back without her. This is good news,” Tiara points out.

We have strongly opposing definitions of the words “good news.”

“Go ahead and take whatever rooms you need,” I tell them, glancing around, deciding the circling will have to wait until later, because I’m overwhelmed and I need to do something. “Do whatever you need to do to be comfortable. I need to go talk to someone.”

“Well, that was easier than anticipated,” Tiara says as she dusts her hands off. “She’s going to talk to Arion, right?” she loudly whispers at Lemon as she makes a crude hand gesture that involves a circle on one hand and the index finger of her other.

Leiza is the only one who gives me a worried look as I turn and walk out the door.

My van barely cranks, since the temperature here keeps lowering. It’s almost in the negatives right now. I finally manage to get it moving at the appropriate speed, while I overthink everything.

My mind is going in a thousand different directions when I pull up to the House of Arion.

Shera’s car is out front, so obviously that means Arion is likely here too.

She’s the one to answer the door, blinking in surprise to see me.

“I want to see Arion. Now,” I tell her.

She laughs under her breath. “Intimidation isn’t for you. Leave that to the bad girls, Violet. You can’t see Arion. He’s busy.”

“My van is messed up. So either let him see me, or I’ll have to walk home in the cold and tell him all about it later when he eventually finds me on his own,” I tell her, feeling a prickle of something up my spine.

Something about her just rubs me all wrong. I feel like she’s constantly pushing me and laughing down at me. Honestly, everyone does that to me, so I’m not sure why I have a problem with her doing it.

Her smile falls, and she narrows her eyes at me. “Careful, Violet. Catty is a shade darker than you usually wear, and it doesn’t suit you.”

She steps into me, forcing me back as she shuts the door behind her. “I’ll just fix your van.”

She moves toward it, and since I’m not faster than a vampire, I go with plan b, as she pops the hood and glances over the battery.

“Just a dead battery? You really should get a garage for this thing in this cold. Just saying,” she muses.

I step out of my rubber boots, being quiet about it as she texts someone.

“I bet Roy has jumper cables and can get you nice and warmly on your way,” she goes on as I finish getting down to my socks in the really cold, wet snow.

Glancing around to ensure no one can see us, I ask, “Do vampires die with electrocution?”

“You are so random,” she mutters distractedly, smirking at her phone. “But no. It just hurts like a bitch and stops our heart for a few minutes.”

A few minutes should be enough of a head-start to find Arion.

This better not hurt me worse than it does her, or I will feel so stupid.

Reaching over while her back is still turned, I grab the battery with one hand, already feeling the pain shoot through me as every ounce of electrical power it has floods my body at once.

As if hearing my rapidly beating heart, Shera starts to turn, but I grab her arm before she can see what I’m doing…and hopefully will never figure out.