I…am supposed to be old and wise…

This gypsy is the most confusing little pistol I’ve ever met.

“You love that I’m a self-centered asshole. It’s part of my charm, remember?” I try.

I fail, apparently, judging by her unimpressed and slightly angry stare.

Seriously, I need to feed more so I can stop struggling so hard in the one area of expertise I’m supposed to have.

“You deliberately made me think Arion left, because you see this—me—as some sort of competition, and the opposition shouldn’t get an advantage, right?”

I’m still…sort of confused.

Made her think Arion left? Ohhh…

“Are we discussing the werewolf brawl?” I guess, since that’s the only time I can remember hiding away Arion, who thought he was going to sneak in snuggle time while she was vulnerable.

That fucker is the reason she was vulnerable to begin with. Prick.

“Has there been another time when you hid him from my eyes because you’re a self-centered asshole?” she asks with frustration.

“I didn’t think you liked Arion,” I point out. “I thought the last thing you’d want is—”

“You wanted me to think he’d abandoned me because I’m some sort of prize you’re both racing to get. Arion was Idun’s pet, and you don’t want history repeating itself with the new girl,” she interrupts, causing me to bristle with how very on-the-nose she hits it, while also missing it broadly.

“I’m not sure what I’m defending exactly, but I do know you’re going to make whatever I have to say sound petty when you get your tongue around it, so I’m just going to stick with I’m sorry,” I say very sincerely, and give her a firm nod.

She almost looks a little…sad. Not mad. Not relieved. Just sad.

I really don’t like her with watery eyes, because it always makes me feel. Her emotions are like small tides that suddenly crash against you with more force than you expect.

“Arion was right beside me, and you made me think he’d left to let me bleed all alone, while werewolves surrounded me in my helpless state. It was more terrifying than I care to explain, and I was so focused on not panicking, coaching myself through each and every single moment of that to stay calm and awake, knowing fainting or passing out while I was stressed was possibly risky,” she says as her voice slightly wavers, and that hammer hits my chest as those tides crash with even more force than the last time.

My shoulders drop, as a harsh breath escapes me.

“You did that to me without even considering what I was going through in that moment, because it’s just another day to you. You’re an alpha. You knew what was going on. I was seeing the same illusion as the wolves, Damien, because you wanted to impress me with how much stronger you were.”

“Violet, I’m—”

“The first wolf attack, you struggled because you hadn’t been feeding, and the illusion was harder to work on that many. This was your redemption and your fuck-you moment to Arion, who stepped in with a jacket and a flashy, last-second entrance the last time,” she continues in that still sad tone, like she feels bad for having to explain this to me in such great detail.

“I don’t have the luxury of staying mad at people. It’s just not in my DNA,” she says, almost making me groan with the timing of her reminder of what colossal fuck-ups we all really are.

Vance included.

“So yeah, I’ll get over it…this time. Maybe the next. Possibly even the time after that. But each time whittles away more and more trust, Damien. You, among others, keep treating me like Idun. Clearly she was a combative and competitive person. I’m not.”

“You’re—”

“If you say I’m simple, I will never sleep with you again,” she interrupts, pointing a finger at me.

“I was going to say softer,” I defend, smiling a little tighter at her. “I’m sorry.”

This time when I say the words, I actually fucking mean them.

She quickly bats a tear away when we hear a car pulling up, and I turn to see Emit stepping out with a speckling of blood across his face.

“Rough day?” I muse as he glances over the shirt Violet is wearing.

I’m sure he notices it’s one of Vance’s favorites, and it’s wrinkled…

Vance doesn’t even seem to care…

I just genuinely apologized for being an insensitive ass…

The world has turned upside down.

Emit looks like he’s about to say something to Violet, who is staring at him with a confused expression on her face. Stepping out from behind his vehicle, he becomes more visible, blood staining his hands and shirt.

“Are you really driving around advertising death?” I hear Vance ask on an exhausted breath, right as the front door opens.

Arion and Vance start walking toward us, and Arion noticeably avoids touching Violet, as he steps around her to sniff Emit.

“I smell wolf beta blood. Mostly from two different betas. That’s a lot of blood,” Arion says in his gloating tone.

“It’s been a busy day that I need to get back to. You said it was important to meet up immediately,” Emit tells him gruffly.

“I didn’t realize you were doing something productive for a change,” Arion drawls, still gloating.

Emit’s jaw noticeably tics, and Violet makes a sound…as she just barely stops herself from going to him.

We all notice the struggle and the way her eyes flick to Vance, before she turns and quickly starts to go inside.

Arion darts a glare to Vance, whose lips purse like he’s as aware of what that look meant as we all are. He’s gotten too close, and now she’s torn about how she can be with anyone else.

He’s now way out ahead.

But…it’s not a fucking competition, I remind myself, even as my jaw grinds.

“Violet, I’m afraid this is about you,” Arion calls to her back, even as he continues to glare at Vance.

Her shoulders stiffen, and she loudly groans without turning around.

“On the outside, people think having hot, immortal guys constantly wanting your attention would be something no sane girl could possibly complain about,” she mutters while pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Curious, does that mean she at least finds us attractive? That’s not suddenly the problem?” Arion asks for clarification.

“Someone muzzle him,” Emit grumbles as he wipes the blood off his face. “I’m not seeing the fucking emergency, Arion.”

Arion gives us a humorless smile. “It’s about my prisoner. I’m afraid I can’t give Violet any more time to recover, because my prisoner is quite honestly grating on my nerves. We all know that’s a bad thing, and none of you want to dirty your own hands with this, so you won’t take him off my very clawed hands.”

I’m going to fucking kill him.

My eyes close as the heaviest breath audibly slips between my lips.

I hear Violet turn around, as I silently count the ways I can start making Arion pay for this.

“What prisoner?” Violet asks with obvious concern etching her tone.

“I’d rather just show you, love. Care to take a ride?” Arion asks while holding up…my fucking keys.

Vance scrubs a hand over his face and eyes the back of Arion’s head like he’s willing it to explode.

I snag my keys out of the psychotic vampire’s hand, as Violet walks toward my car without hesitation.

“What the hell are you thinking?” I snap, stepping into him as he smirks at me.

“I’m thinking I have a plan, and I don’t really give a shit if it pisses you lot off. You’re content to leave me out, and she’s content with three. Either we all have her, or none of us at all. Consider this the first message,” he says, sounding far more like the Arion we all know, as he continues to flick his gaze over us, still smirking. “Remember that I came to all three of you to help me out before I was left with this route.”

I knew something bad was coming when I saw him lost in thought.

He turns and walks away, and I don’t realize until I hear my car cranking that the son of a bitch took my keys again. Violet is driving my vehicle away with the vampire riding shotgun.

“Gotten any faster or stronger in the past few weeks, Van Helsing?” I ask Vance as he yanks open the door to his car.

“I’m doing the work,” is all he says before he speeds off.

“We should have just killed him and gotten a twenty-eight-year head start before he could twist her mind in a fucked up spiral,” Emit says very seriously.

“I’m not really seeing how he’s going to benefit from this. However, I keep assuming Violet to be predictable, and she keeps proving to be the very opposite,” I note as I calmly get in on his passenger side, staring ahead at Vance’s disappearing taillights.

He’s currently the one with the most ground to lose.

“That’s what Violet does. Somehow she convinces you she’s dull and predictable, always buckling up and watching your speed. Then she throws herself in front of two monsters without a second thought, breaking curses she has no authority or ability to break, slaughters a barn full of wolves, yet still has such innocent eyes… No, Damien, she’s not fucking predictable,” he says with heavy agitation.

We quickly catch up to the growing convoy, because Emit and I did accurately predict one thing.

Even with a vampire alpha in her front seat, leading her to something she’ll hate us all for, if not handled delicately, Violet is still doing forty-nine in a fifty.

CHAPTER 8

VANCE

I’m halfway to Arion when Violet stops abruptly, turning to face me.

“I honestly just realized I’m not wearing shoes,” she says very seriously, dancing from foot to foot in the snow.

“Really? Just now?” I hear Damien asking. “I was curious if when you’re emotional if you don’t feel the cold,” he adds as he slides in behind her.

“Cold only bothers me on occasion,” she answers as her teeth begin to chatter. “This is one of those occasions.”

I’m already losing that focus that seems to easily steady the more I’m around her, easing just enough to keep my head from hurting and my need to hunt sated.

Arion will hurt for this if this drives a wedge between us after these past two days of having her all to myself.

“I thought she’d be more aware of the fact she’s not wearing trousers,” Arion says, eyes raking over her legs like he’s envisioning himself in my place earlier.

Violet releases a frustrated breath. “Great. Now I’m the girl who doesn’t even realize she’s not wearing pants.”

Violet glances over at me like she needs some sort of reassurance, since Arion still hasn’t prepared her, obviously.

Arion grins and tosses his arm over her shoulders as he starts leading her in.