Gypsy Freak (All The Pretty Monsters #2)(8)

“The cult killed her,” he states flatly. “Like they do all the Portocale gypsies. And because they know too much about us, they also know how to hide from us. They know too many of our secrets, because they remain hidden too easily. It’s a byproduct of placing our trust in the wrong person once upon a lifetime ago.”

Swallowing thickly and looking down, I shake my head. “Mom said they had some old-blood gypsies, but that would explain why her spirit is in hiding,” I add, relaxing in his lap.

“I have no idea why your mother’s spirit is in hiding from you,” he answers, even though it sounds like he’s just rushing us away from this topic.

“I keep trying to make educated guesses,” I say as I clear my throat, nodding slowly as I stare down at my hands between us.

After releasing a shaky breath and getting my emotions under control, I meet his eyes again.

“No one will tell me what’s going on. My mother sent me here without telling me why. I have no idea who I can or can’t trust. I failed to save Anna. I’ve done something else terribly wrong, but I can’t remember what—I just feel the pressing weight of it on my chest—”

The pitying look in his eyes has me clearing my throat of emotion again as the tears waver, threatening to fall.

“But I can give Anna her last day as a person. I can do something as simple as this without fucking it up. So yes, I realize weird is an understatement, but I’d consider us even if you helped me not fuck something up.”

He brushes the hair out of my face as his lips thin like he’s thinking it over.

“When would this take place?” he asks, letting the tip of his finger brush my jaw, before lowering his hand.

“Tomorrow,” Anna chimes in as she pops in at my side.

He sighs harshly and drops his head back to stare up at the ceiling for a few seconds. After a beat, he looks at me again and gives a sharp nod.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says before standing and lowering me to the ground. “Do you want to stay for a drink? I could sure use one,” he adds.

I glance around at the wreckage and back up to his face. “I’ll have that drink with you another time. I have to go home and wax myself in a lot of inconvenient places because Anna doesn’t want to spend any of her time in me tweezing, plucking, or primping,” I tell him as I turn and walk toward the door.

He just makes some sort of sound of amusement behind me as I go. I’m feeling a little lighter for at least doing this right.





Chapter 3





VIOLET


Tears cloud my eyes, and I curse as I dab the running mascara off my face, when one tear finally slips and rolls down my cheek. My eye is burning too much, the makeup is kicking my ass, and the mascara brush is an evil super villain in training.

Why can’t I be good at being a girl?

“Can we just skip the other eye?” I ask her on a huff. “I keep having to redo to the makeup because the brush keeps stabbing me in the damn eye.”

“The brush is an inanimate object. You’re stabbing yourself in the eye,” she states dryly. “If I can’t have all this razzle dazzle in corporeal form,” she says, twirling as she gestures to herself, “you’re going to look as good as possible. I need jaws to drop on my last day on earth.”

Refusing to focus on that right now, I go back to trying to apply the mascara.

It’s a screwed up situation when you can’t spend your best friend’s possible last day with her because she needs to borrow your body.

“I’ve never spent so many hours doing so much painful primping so that another woman can enjoy the use of my body—”

“And I appreciate it,” she says with a grin. “You really are much hotter when you actually try.”

Giving her a little glare, I finish up with the makeup bag and put it aside before moving on to my hair, pulling out the large rollers she had me put in it earlier. Directly after, I start doing the finger comb thing she detailed.

“This is the most lucid I’ve been in too long,” she says as she seems to strain to focus. “I think it’s the excitement.”

Trying not to overthink things, I lift the bag next to us. “This is for the first part of your day,” I tell her as she squeals in excitement and ghost-claps her hands.

“The bag downstairs is for the second part of your day,” I go on, causing her to squeal even louder as she dances on the toilet seat.

My smile grows, even as my heart sinks a little.

“Okay. Let’s do this,” I say as I turn to face her, my hands a little shaky.

She stands and meets my eyes, a small smile on her lips. “Thank you, Violet,” she says seriously.

I fan my eyes and shake my head. “Unless you want the makeup ruined, don’t make this a thing right now.”

She just grins and steps into me. I feel a tug in my mind, like someone is trying to break in, and I open the sealed door for the first time ever.

It all turns dark.





Chapter 4





VANCE


There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s the sassy Anna walking toward me in Violet’s body with a vixen’s grin on her red-painted lips.

Unable to help myself from taking in the way she looks in a very tight dress with spiked heels, I lose my train of thought for a second.