Vance takes the book, eyes quickly scanning the section she has highlighted, but Damien jerks it away and starts reading aloud.

“January Violet Carmine, representative speaking on behalf of all sanctuary dwellers, has the right to challenge any alpha in combat, should she disagree with any ruling that directly affects Sanctuary. The combat will take place in the Van Helsing flogging rings, same as all public floggings—”

“St. Mary and Joseph,” Vance says as he interrupts, running a hand over his face. “We fucking signed off on this?”

Damien continues as though he hasn’t been interrupted. “—and combat will be judged as an alpha fight, despite the Carmine representative’s undetermined omega status.”

Four very angry gazes swing to me, as Idun steps into the back of a car that begins to immediately move.

“What’s wrong with you?” Damien asks me like I’ve lost my damn mind.

“Shera, don’t open those bars again. Keep everyone safe, and hit the panic button if anything happens,” I say very loudly over my shoulder, as I start walking.

Vance explodes, metaphorically, shouting about how fucking badly I just fucked things up for Ivannah. Arion punches the air, snapping about how I can’t possibly be thinking of challenging Idun.

“She will tear you apart. Literally,” Emit says like he’s pleading with me to understand. “She’s not some caught-off-guard beta wolves who have no idea what you are or are capable of, Violet. She knows Simpletons far more than you even know yourselves.”

I nod as I step around the monstar quad.

“Shera, let the fucking shifter out right now, or I will tear you apart myself the second I get in there,” Arion threatens, his eyes turning red.

The bars don’t raise as I keep walking.

“Almost there,” Anna whispers. “Just keep walking, Violet.”

Mom moves toward me, coming from across the street, eyes narrowing.

“Violet, this is not at all what you were supposed to do! This wasn’t our agreement at all,” she says louder, moving faster, but gets tangled in a remaining camera cord.

I idly notice Idun TV is split between us and Idun, as she smiles on her way to Vance’s home.

“Vance, don’t you dare get in our way,” Arion cautions him.

“What the hell am I supposed to do, Arion? What the fuck about you? Still neutral?” Vance shouts.

Emit shoves between them just before they come to blows, while Damien is distracted with frantically reading on.

“Pssst!”

I glance over, seeing Anna behind the wheel of a sedan with the motor already running. While everyone is distracted, I hop into the back seat, and then remember…Anna’s a fucking ghost.

The car lurches forward, before quickly speeding up faster and faster, and I squeal while clinging to the door. My entire body tries to get airborne around a curve.

Anna screams just as loud as I do, as a random stack of nachos come out of nowhere and slap me in the face. For Pete’s sake! This is a tense situation, and she’s ruining that!

“Why are you driving?!” I shout at her. “How are you driving?!”

“Because you can’t have a fast getaway if you’re doing the speed limit!” she snaps. “And I have ghost powers, eejit!”

Another scream comes out of us both when she takes another curve.

Her scream turns into diabolical laughter, as she lifts her hands so high they pass through the roof. “Look ma! No hands!”

That, of course, only makes me scream louder, even though she’s clearly copy-catting Shera right now.

“Oh! He’s waving at me! And he’s so pretty that I just have to pick him up!”

I barely manage to push up from the floor. How did I land on the floor? I get up just in time to see a shock of dark hair, as an unknown guy slides into the back seat with me.

“Violet Carmine?” he asks with a broad grin.

“Anna, you really shouldn’t pick up creepy hitch hikers right now,” I hiss, wondering why in the world I thought letting Anna drive was a good idea.

He glances around the car.

“Damien Morpheous isn’t driving?” he asks like he’s confused, seconds before the car takes off, slinging us both into each other.

When our foreheads crash together, Anna snorts.

“That’s what you get for stealing my man, bitch. Did you not hear me call dibs?”

“He can’t see you,” I remind the mostly transparent lunatic, as I hurriedly strap into my seatbelt on the straightaway she’s zooming down. I cut my eyes to the guy still clutching his head like it aches. “Who are you? Why are you hijacking the car we already hijacked?” I demand.

The music cuts up, making it hard to hear him when he tries answering.

Anna grins at me in the rearview mirror. “Sorry not sorry. You already have four stalkers. I just want one.”

“He can’t see you!” I shout again.

Why do I bother?

As the taxi from hell wreaks havoc on my stomach that’s already dreading what comes next with every fiber in my body, the unknown guy just scrambles to also get in his seatbelt.

“I’m actually here to talk to you about a possible beta position, after I talk you out of this really bad idea,” he tells me, as Anna sighs. “You’re not able to challenge her, but you may be able to circumvent her plan today by asking for mercy from the alpha ring. You have enough Heads to back you, and they’ll—”