I scrub a hand over my face.

“And Arion Vampyre is a soulless vampire who cares nothing at all about anything other than Violet. He’s loved a far worse monster, in his opinion. Hyde can easily charm him. Violet will be lost to all of you if I don’t strip Hyde free,” Talbot continues. “The vampire is going to be more trouble than help.”

“Arion’s not that simple,” Emit is fast to argue. “He must have really felt something that made him believe Violet was still somewhat present.”

Talbot narrows his eyes.

“Sure, all seems fine. There’s no threat. A monster like you’ve never before witnessed just tore Idun Neopry down in an effortless fashion and it was fun. I’m sure Violet will be exactly the same…while she’s trapped somewhere in her own mind for the rest of eternity,” Talbot says, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

I hate doubting Violet.

Every time I doubt her, she makes a fool of us, and she gets angry.

But Talbot’s dread only doubles my own.

“What would you suggest?” Emit asks him, clearly suspicious.

But hell, at this point, I find everyone and everything bloody suspicious.

“Since I learned of Hyde’s presence in Violet, I’ve hoped for the best side of the proverbial coin to land every time she tosses it,” Talbot says, speaking in squirrely metaphors.

“Shoot it straight. We don’t have time for this,” Emit chimes in, verbalizing the gist of my thoughts.

Talbot stares for a moment, lips tensing, as he seemingly tries to figure out how to explain whatever grand plan he’s hesitating to share.

“Hyde’s a complex monster, but this is the first time it has found immortality. However, I’ve had a great deal of time to study every single thing about it. Since it landed in Violet, I’ve been preparing a spell I think will work—”

“Cut out the details. Give us the gist of what you want to do,” Vance cuts in, his patience gone.

Talbot exhales harshly. “I have created a spell, that if executed perfectly, will draw Hyde out of Violet and insert it into myself,” he says. “But I’ll need five of the six family Heads to help me.”

No one’s expression changes.

So this is why the prick has been weaving his way into our group.

After another beat of silence, Vance bursts out laughing. Emit and I immediately laugh along with him, because this prat truly takes us for bloody morons.

Through his laughter, Vance says, “You want to steal a monster, whose unfathomable power has been revealed to us tonight, and you want us to help you do it?”

Talbot bristles, as though he wasn’t expecting to be laughed at.

“We just watched that monster break Idun’s untouchable dignity in under a few hours,” I very seriously point out. “Because it’s really that powerful.”

“I’ve been dealing with that powerful monster for ages, and none of you were the wiser. I’m not suddenly going power mad and craving world domination, I assure you. For over a thousand fucking years, I’ve loyally and honorably served—”

“Save your breath, beta,” I cut in, some of my laughter still lingering.

Talbot’s face turns a very alarming shade of angry.

“He’s right. There’s no fucking way we’re trusting your magic and helping you use it against Violet,” Vance says, while staring at Talbot like he’s a foolish wanker for thinking we’d ever find this to be a plausible solution.

“Let me dumb this down for you, since you’re struggling to grasp the severity of this situation,” Talbot argues, pointing a finger at each of us, not noticing Diva appearing behind him with a grin. “January Violet Carmine is a soft, compassionate, gentle girl who was born a Simpleton.”

I start to warn him we’re being eavesdropped on, but he continues talking, and I let the wanker run his mouth, because at this point, I’m not sure I trust him more than the monster kicking Idun’s head around.

I do know that I most definitely, without a doubt, undeniably do not trust anyone with a monster that powerful, aside from Violet.

“Idun Neopry, the fiercest monster to ever live, looks like a fucking joke right now. She’ll be degraded, humiliated, and toyed with for possibly all eternity. But Hyde is just getting started. Cross the monster, and it will do the same to you. Make no mistake, gentlemen,” Talbot carries on, passionate about this, it seems. “No gentle soul has ever managed to overcome Hyde’s overwhelming dominance. It always drives the host mad, and always takes over. It’s never been powerful enough to be a great threat, but now? Now it’s proven it is the greatest threat in the world.”

Diva nods in complete agreement.

We…make no movement and say no words, because we’re all staring at the eavesdropper. It slowly sinks in just how much we’ve shared around these ghosts…

That’s uncanny and clever on a level I almost respect. Violet has been bloody openly spying on us. Her ghosts are nothing more than informants.

“Technically,” Diva says, startling Talbot so much that he stumbles forward and falls to the ground, damn near jumping out of his skin.

He pales when he sees her, and she grins down at him. It’s slowly becoming apparent just how much fear he truly has for this monster.

“Technically,” she starts again, still grinning, “Violet’s head is so warped it’s taken a while for us to understand one another. Even longer for us to figure out what I am. We’re never breaking up. You can’t make us. I love Violet. We all do.”

She gets down on her hands and knees, and she crawls toward him, her eyes bright with excitement.

He shivers and cuts his gaze away when she puts her face inches from his.

“I’m Diva, bitch!” she shouts, and then a spray of salt fills the air, as she vanishes.

“The salt sprays are more dramatic now that she knows we know. Also, Violet clearly has a multiple personality disorder,” I decide to point out. “She has ‘mimicked’ a lot.”

“Just like Leiza said,” Emit murmurs, more to himself than us, as he cuts his gaze toward the bells that are ringing.

“Sanctuary,” Vance says under his breath in a damn near worried tone.

“She surely wouldn’t harm anyone in Sanctuary,” I say, feeling uncertainty and dread creeping up my spine.

Vance takes off in a dead sprint, with me right on his heels.

The wolf, on four legs, races by us with a desperate speed, as Talbot drags behind us on shaky legs.

I can see hints of the sun rising, as the storm begins to ebb, the blood-magic incubus losing steam at last, it seems.

It’s been a full night.

The longest night I’ve ever lived through.

“Even if we all have to die, we stop it before it harms a single person in Sanctuary!” Vance commands.

“No need for orders, Van Helsing! For once, I think we’re all on the same fucking page with who doesn’t need to die,” I call out, barely managing to keep up with him, which isn’t the usual.

Fuck’s sake, I need to feed.

It’s a terrible time to be without energy.

When Sanctuary comes into view, I spot Marta Portocale sitting on the front steps with Zuela Van Helsing, as though this is a casual night for a front-stoop sitting.