Gypsy Moon (Page 43)

“So they lie underground for longer, for no reason, so that Idun’s games can begin,” I state softly, giving him one nod.

He drops my arm and curses, as he runs a hand through his hair.

“It’s not that simple, Violet. You flew out a window because little Blue terrified you. That’s Bobo’s fucking pet, love. I’ll not let you turn into Caroline, so I need to get the rules put into place.”

My eyes collide with his, as Caroline’s phantom sobs echo in my ears, the flash of Idun pulling her into that chair suddenly plowing through the forefront of my thoughts.

“What’d she do to Caroline?” I ask him.

Like he’s not engaged in the conversation, he glances down at his phone again. “Caroline was a terrible alpha. All the Neopry Simpletons were—are, because they’re not alphas. They’re omegas in the head with the strength of an alpha. They want to group together, but—”

“But the Neopry House is so strong because she needs big Alpha Houses to go along with the freaky shit that happens when mixing this magic with that. Got it. I asked what she did to Caroline,” I point out, causing his eyebrow to arch.

“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.

“I sincerely, truly hope my mother comes soon, because I don’t know if they have monster shrinks, and I need one before I crack like an egg. For a normal person, that’s catastrophic. For me? Yeah, I don’t want to think about it.”

I glance out the window, making sure a vampire in a towel isn’t pressing an ear to the glass. He’s nowhere to be seen, and the ground below is brightly lit up. I’m guessing he’s in the distant dark patch beyond the road.

“In truth, I’m not used to feeling so many intense things at all about so many people at once. Usually, I’m a little thicker than this, which means all four of them have slowly niggled in closer somehow, without me realizing just how close. That’s the only time it hurts, and I’ve never been around so many people at once to have to care about.”

I comb through the mostly dry strands of my hair with my fingers, staring idly at Arion’s jacket, and feeling the inner crazy girl in me wondering if Idun’s picture is in the pocket.

“I think it’s also possible that my mind is fracturing and I’m losing it a little.” I wipe a stray tear from my eye and take a fortifying breath. “The omegas have really gotten to me too, and would you believe Shera, of all people, has managed to worm her way in as well? We hated her.” I shrug a shoulder, smiling a little. “I guess I should have known, after all.”

I tap my chin as a thought crosses my mind.

“Maybe I’m not going crazy if I’m talking to you…on the off chance there’s a secret dimension I’m unaware of. Right now, I’m having a major identity crisis during a possible nuclear moment, and tackling the prospect of having four boyfriends. Perhaps I’m already batshit crazy and don’t even realize it.”

I think worrying about going crazy is certainly going to make me crazy.

“Anyway, Emit’s more of a friend type, so I’m not even sure what I’m thinking. Yes, I know he’s hot; I moved toward radioactive-hot for a while, but he just cools off too quick. And if you’re watching, you should see the list of baggage-claims that come with Arion without me bringing them up. Yes, now I’m pissed and forcing you to endure one-sided boy talk again, because I need to feel semi-normal for a second before the tornado I’m in starts twisting again.”

I glance out the window again, still seeing no sign of Arion, and watch as the pretty flakes of snow continue to fall.