“Seriously, though…why so many kids?” Damien asks, watching as they start poking at Idun’s head.

“Damn it, stop! The night is over, and I’ve only got the patience for one externalized version of my monster,” Violet cautions the children. “Don’t make me salt you!”

“Does salting still work? Did it ever truly work? I mean, I’ve got so many questions,” Arion muses, clearly the happiest of all of us about this.

“Salting only works when I want it to work,” Violet confesses on a tired breath. “It’s a whole thing I have to actively handle, now that Hyde is out of the closet, so to speak. Before, however, she just humored us in an effort to keep up the ruse.”

“I can still trick you, if you want,” Anna gloats, batting her lashes at Violet. “After all, I’m an alien from Planet Pluto, and I’m here to have my vengeance on this world for taking away our planetary status. Pluto gets no respect.”

“Trick me, and I’ll figure out a way to bind you myself,” Violet immediately warns.

Anna’s head drops, her lips pucker, and she, along with all the children, start pouting.

Violet uses her hand that’s not holding Idun’s head to pinch the bridge of her nose, while she makes another show of taking a deep, calming breath.

“I realize you guys probably have thousands of questions. Hopefully, we’ll have a long time to sort through every single one of them. I may not know the answers to everything, since I’m still learning—”

“Talbot can surely fill in some blanks,” Vance interjects, his expression more dazed than confused now.

Violet nods.

“For now, however, I need to finish up what Hyde started. Idun’s no joke. It took me a little while to fully understand that. But after what I witnessed her do to Emit, now I see the depths she can escalate toward with no genuine provocation. Now I get it. She’s a power-hungry villain. It’s that simple. No one’s ever checked her, so she’s run rampant for too long, making it impossible for her to change her ways without some severe recourse. No prison will hold her. Death is no consequence. Her power is nearly unlimited. However, it’s no longer unmatched.”

Arion once again adjusts himself in his trousers, because the vampire is a sadistic man who has always been in love with a strong woman. Violet’s now sitting at the top of the fucking food chain, and we’ve spent a lot of pointless time arguing about how best to protect her.

“I’m going to need longer to adjust to the new normal than those two,” I tell her when her eyes stay on me, as though she’s waiting to see where my head is at. “But I’m not going anywhere, little monster. It’s just…a lot to process.”

She almost smiles, but stops herself, her eyes drifting to Vance.

“I’ll have some sort of educated response at the ready, eventually. I think. I’m still working through some things that are quite staggering on the mountainous tower of recent revelations. In the meantime, what are you doing with that?” he asks, pointing at Idun’s head.

“I can coat each piece in silver by duplicating my mother’s spell,” Talbot suggests.

I’m also not ready to process the fact we have Pandora’s son swearing he’s on Violet’s side. He’s been so quiet that I almost forgot he was here.

Almost.

Unbidden, I release a small growl, because my wolf is just as confused and frustrated about all this as I am.

He shrugs a shoulder. “I’m a very fucking powerful blood witch, and Pandora was never sterile like the rest of you. Dear old mom isn’t a monster—in the literal term of the word. She was gifted immortality for creating monsters. Don’t act like it’s a bad thing that I’m her son. I’ve singlehandedly made her a nonissue tonight by using my storm to counteract any of her magical influences. I’m stronger.”

Lovely.

Fucking lovely.

Pandora’s bloody son is stronger than the witch who damn near buried Vance alive, all on her own.

Another growl bubbles up in me for the sake of frustration again, and I run a hand through my hair, allowing myself a moment to catch up to the spinning circle of life-altering events.

How did we not know Pandora had a son?

How did we not know a new box had been unleashed on the world?

What if others are out there?

Who the bloody hell is the box maker? Pandora swore it was of no consequence. We were once too foolishly trusting.

“Do you know the box maker?” Damien asks, almost as though he’s had a few of the same questions bouncing around in his head.

“No more than I know the bloody Muffin Man,” Talbot nearly mutters, as though that’s a sore subject.

Violet’s frequently talked about snowballing downhill.

At least she had some idea what direction she was going.

Personally, I feel like I’m standing in the eye of a hurricane with no idea how to step out without getting caught up in the raging storm surrounding me. I’m certain it’ll sweep me away if I move too suddenly. It’s damn near exhausting to be me in this moment.

“We will be circling back to you,” Vance informs Talbot very deliberately.

Pandora has likely already vanished into the world again, and it’s bloody impossible to find that mad witch.

Talbot’s never taken his mother down. Whether or not he agrees with her, or whether or not he’s on Violet’s side is irrelevant. He clearly has sentimental attachment to his mother, because he’s carefully skated over any details outlining their relationship.

“You’ll continue to beta for me, just so I can keep a close eye on you,” Damien tells him. “That is, if you really do wish to stick around and keep an eye on your monster.”

Talbot sits up, eyes narrowed, as he stares at Damien.

Good luck keeping that powerful beta in line. I don’t envy Damien Morpheous. I’m getting Avery, Vance’s tried, true, and most loyal beta.

Damien gets…Pandora’s freak son…

“I may make poor life choices when I’m hammered, but I do take responsibility for my actions. I created Hyde. As great of a terrifying nuisance as that monster has become, I still care for it.” Talbot pauses and gives Damien a pointed look, before adding, “I’m also responsible enough to take care of the ones you left to their own devices, so I’m certainly responsible enough to care for the monster I created.”

“Say that when Violet accidentally sprouts a whole new generation of beta Hydes,” Damien fires back, quirking an eyebrow. “See how responsible you are then. And if you can manage to do that when no one can fucking remember you, then I’ll be impressed.”

Talbot actually swallows so loud it echoes through the otherwise silent house. It’s clearly that beta Hydes are a terrible fear of his.

“So…yeah. I need to know how to not create an entire line of monsters, because that sounds like a lot of hard work that I really don’t want to do. I have more than enough on my plate. I’m not even knocking on thirty’s door yet,” Violet interjects…as Idun’s head falls out of the sling that has apparently grown lax during Violet’s distraction.

I shut my eyes, because I can’t even see this. It’s too surreal.