His shoulders drop, and his eyes roll back in his head in the next instant.

I curse when he collapses to the ground, my hit catching up with him too easily.

“Ah, you stupid bloody prick. Why didn’t you remind me how tired you are?” I ask on a groan to his motionless body, as his eyes go white.

His body turns rigid when the curse seizes him and traps him inside his own mind.

Frustrated, I grab his leg and start dragging him up the stairs. It’s not like he can feel his head bobbling around back there. Not right now. He has more internal agony to deal with at the moment.

Once I reach his room, I lift him under the arms and heave him onto the bed.

I actually regret that punch, damn it. We’ve suffered too fucking long.

Violet is still supposed to be trying to fix that. Not focusing on Idun. She’s our gift. Not Idun’s, for fuck’s sake.

Another problem for another time.

Off to Damien’s I go.

It doesn’t take me long to reach him, and I’m not surprised to find him all alone.

He doesn’t even startle when his eyes meet mine.

“You’re raising Idun?” I ask him, trying not to hit him and knock him down with Vance. He looks mostly well rested.

“It can no longer be delayed. It figures she’d tell you. She’s soft like that. Remember that, Arion,” he says very quietly.

“Tell me why this is important to her,” I tell him, seeing his eyes dilate in some surprise, before he tames his features.

Damien has a fucking secret…

“Doesn’t matter why. The point of the matter is that she’s correct. But if Idun starts a war—”

“She won’t,” I assure him in interruption, pretending not to notice he’s being purposely deflective. “I can control her, even if I have to take extreme measures.”

“If she starts a war,” he continues, muscles tensing, “you will have to help us this time, Arion. Her family is too strong. She’s too strong. She’s unnatural because she’s not the first-born.”

“Why are you telling me this like I don’t already know? The point is, she won’t start a war.”

“Will you help us?” he asks in a cold, serious tone.

“No,” I grind out. “I remain neutral. She’s not my enemy. So long as she doesn’t break my rules.”

“And what will your rules be this time, Arion?” he asks around a humorless laugh.

“Violet is untouchable,” I state very firmly.

His eyes swing to mine in confusion.

“You still intend to carry on with Violet?” he asks like I’m an idiot. “You? Idun’s loyal pet?”

“Idun won’t break my rules, because Violet is her punishment for the last time she broke my rules. Trust me when I say Violet is perfectly safe for me to carry on with.”

His jaw grinds. “And what happens when you decide Idun’s been punished enough? Hear yourself, Arion. Hear what you’re actually saying to me.”

“Violet will live the longest life age allows,” I go on, causing his brow to wrinkle again before he slowly nods. “I can guarantee it.”

“Ah, fuck,” he says as he scrubs a hand over his face and shakes his head. “I can’t do this conversation right now. My head hurts too much.”

“That’s because Vance went under,” I inform him tightly. “I momentarily forgot the curse was looming until after I downed him with just one hit.”

He glares at me.

“Be thankful I’ve shown restraint and not clocked you as well,” I add with a careless shrug.

He grabs his phone, and I frown as a familiar voice comes over the phone.

“Anna would have loved to have had four men exhausting her, but I don’t think she knew how much work it could be,” Violet says by way of answering the phone. “What?” she adds on an exasperated sigh.

I’m not sure why I smirk.

“Vance just went under. Thought, since you were so charitable to Emit, you might spare some time with him, despite all our latest misgivings,” he says quietly, using his coaxing tone.

I narrow my eyes at him.

Why does he sound so miserable?

Violet clears her throat. “Oh. Of course. Just so you know, this doesn’t mean I’m not still mad,” she adds, causing my lips to etch up again.

“So mad that you’ll deny me the same mercy when my time comes sooner than I’d like? Emit said it wasn’t quite as severe this time. He’s contributing it to your care,” Damien goes on.

This is why I hate being left out. The three of them combined figure out so many more things than I can on my own. I’d forgotten how good it felt to be included, until that moment we were in the fray of things we could joyfully slaughter. Like the old days when things were right.

Then we had Violet on her knees and in our laps, carefully paying us attention in order of necessary demand. Chillingly perfect.

Aside from the fact she’s scared of me.

“What have you said to her to make her scared of me?” I ask him while I’m thinking about it, uncertain why that prompts him to give me a little glare.

“Arion’s with you?” Violet asks like she’s surprised.

To be honest, now that I think about it, I suppose it is surprising. By the way, I meant to punch his face…

Oh, I can’t do that. That’s right.

Now I’m good.

“It’s not that surprising,” I decide aloud.

Damien just makes a sound of annoyance.

“He’s informed me you told him about Idun. I thought it was clear we’d handle that,” he goes on like he’s chastising her.

“She’s the one who did the right bloody thing,” I tell him very quickly, narrowing my eyes. “Stop leaving me out, damn it. This bullshit is over. I went underground. I’ve paid my dues. I’ve suffered. Stop. Leaving. Me. Out.”

“Now is not the time for this argument,” he snaps, making a throat-slashing gesture.

“Don’t mind me. I’m just driving to Vance’s right now, with no warning about what shape I’m going to find him in, so that the two of you can be teenage boys,” Violet states dryly.

“Violet, that was a very serious request we made. You forget we make these requests as alphas,” he goes on.

“Are you really pulling the alpha card right now? Is that the precedent you want to set?” I ask him dubiously.

Even to me it doesn’t sound smart.

He bristles.

“I told him, because out of the four of you, it’s pretty clear he loves her the most. It’s only fair he had as much warning as possible. It’s not the kind of thing someone volatile and unpredictable should have sprung on them at the last minute.”

“See?” I ask him pointedly, gesturing toward the very thin phone on his ear. “She gets it.”

Damien gives me a look like I’m the biggest idiot in this room and I’m being obtuse.

“Please tell me what I’m walking into. I’m pulling up now,” Violet cuts in.

“He’ll be mostly stiff. Unlike Emit, most of Vance’s pain is internalized. He’ll run painfully hot. Might not hurt to try to cool him down,” Damien goes on far too helpfully.

I mean, this is Vance he’s helping out. He hates Vance worse than he hates me. Well, in normal situations.

“Margie isn’t here. Why isn’t she here?”

“He sent her on a paid vacation a week ago, and she can return when it’s finished. He doesn’t like to been seen suffering,” Damien adds with a cruel smile.

Now it makes more sense.

His smile wavers. “He’s honestly just too prideful to ask for help, though. If you want the real truth.”

Now it no longer makes sense.

I hate this fucking day. Except for the parts where Violet gave in just enough to tease me.

“Anything else?” she asks as her teeth chatter.

“Don’t listen to the things he says. He’s much too prideful to cry out in pain. So when he does make noise, it’s to curse Portocale gypsies all to hell.”

“Is she not wearing a coat?” I ask on a groan when I hear her teeth chatter again.

Damien throws a glass at my head that I easily dodge. It simply shatters and makes a mess against one of his now cracked mirrors. I’m not sure what he intended to accomplish with that.

By now it’s clear all these broken mirrors have accumulated him an eternity of bad luck.

“I probably shouldn’t have told you he needed to cool down,” Damien says, pinching the bridge of his nose, though I’m now annoyingly confused about this entire situation.

“It’s all good,” Violet says very quickly.

He clears his throat. “Right, so, I’ll be there soon to help out.”

“I’m really still underground, trapped in that nightmarish casket, and this is all a made-up fucking delusion in my motherfucking mind,” I determine, scrubbing a hand over my jaw.

He stands, rolling his eyes at me, and I follow him out. I have to see this with my own eyes.

How can I not see this?

If he’s really going to help out Vance, then Violet is more than a gift for us. She’s a bloody miracle worker.

“Why are you helping out?” she asks him, which makes me feel less like I’m losing my mind. Clearly she’s confused as well.

“Because if I’m nice enough to convince you to help him out, then maybe he’ll repay me that courtesy. If I’m even able to stay awake that much longer.”

My eyes narrow again as my lips curve up in a smile.

“I’m not that cruel, Damien. Not sure how else to convince you of that. I wouldn’t leave you to suffer alone just because I’m mad at you,” Violet assures him.

I come to an abrupt halt as he smirks. That crafty devil.

“I know you’re not, sweet gypsy. But you’re cruel enough to make me beg. You’ve proven that already,” he carries on like a charming son of a bitch with a beating heart.

“Do not guilt trip me. That only makes it worse,” she warns him on a tired sigh, as though this is nothing new.

He only grins broader, and gives me a small glare. “It looks like Arion will be joining me,” he says as I get in on the passenger side.

“Your car is scratched, mate,” I tell him, since that’s been annoying me.

Again, he works to resist a grin, and Violet mutters something I miss before hanging up.

Damien puts the phone down, shrugging a shoulder. “Violet only lets you push her so far before she pushes back and lets you know where the middle ground has been met.”

“You make her feel fucking sorry for you, and you’re proud of it,” I say in disgust, physically embarrassed for him.

It’s revolting.

He shrugs again, unashamed, as he drives toward Vance’s.