Gypsy Truths

“I’m not ready to kill you just yet, Portocale. I’ll let you join your daughter in some family bonding, while I force you to watch everything I do to her for the rest of forever,” Idun gloats, smiling happily next to Marta’s face.

She shoves Marta to the ground, and Marta heaves for air, as blood pours from her wound. Idun grins at us, as I remain cemented to the ground.

She’s truly even fucking stronger than she ever was. Even if we were all at full strength, we would be ashes by the time we reached her just from her fucking heat the second she turned it on full-blast.

“As always, you’re at my mercy, and this time, I’m the one who planned the darling surprise for you,” Idun says, kicking Marta so hard it launches her into Emit.

Emit stumbles, as Marta flops to the ground next to him. Then the wolf snarls, savagely barking at Idun, his eyes wild and his monster begging for a chance to get at her throat.

“I could kill you, but I don’t have to. I can have Pandora cast you in silver, which will leave you utterly immobile. All the while, I’ll let all of you watch your precious January Violet Carmine, as I tear her apart for no less than one thousand years,” Idun says, as she casually tugs at the tattered strap of her sports bra, paying it more attention than us.

Now that she’s proven she’s stronger, she’s already bored.

My fists form, even though they’re pointless. My monster stirs, even though it’s pointless. The fight rises to the surface, even though I don’t stand a chance.

“If you’re really lucky, I’ll give her a small break from time to time, as a small show of compassion,” she carries on, smiling victoriously at us. “And to think, I could have played along for at least another few centuries. I’m a patient woman, after all. You could have plotted and planned, and we could have danced around each other, until we rekindled that dark and sinister flame. Instead, you all decided to make her irrevocably yours, and thought I’d just take your complete disrespect, after you stuck me underground for a thousand bloody years,” she says, adding that last part a little more angrily.

I try to look over to see Violet, but I can’t see beyond the throng of ghosts, who’ve all come to simply stare.

The cameraman steps closer, zeroing in on Idun, as she grins all the wider. The show never stops with Idun. It’s always a spectacle. Always a ruthless fucking game.

Even if we’d had a hundred years of feeding from Violet, we still couldn’t have defeated her.

“It’s been more fun than ever making you look like fools these past years. As always, Emit was the easiest. Shocking how that never changes,” Idun says, as her grin fades into a sardonic smirk.

Emit is frothing at the mouth, his entire body poised and ready, visibly waiting for the perfect opportunity. He’s not risking a pointless death. He’s waiting until he can take the bitch’s throat and possibly remove her head.

For all the bloody good it’ll do us. The body doesn’t need the fucking head to function, and it’s simply a headless monster on a mission then.

“Damien, I commend you on your unwavering hatred for me to the point you wouldn’t even risk a single soul getting close to you. Hat’s off, really. However, the fact you wanted Violet so much, despite that faithful paranoia I came to respect, only pisses me off, lover. You know how jealous you make me,” she continues, casually strutting toward me a few steps.

“And Arion, my one constant, decides I’m not worth it if he can have what he wants with another girl in the middle. He was only loyal to me because of his love for the idealistic relationship he had for the five of us in his head. He never could seem to grasp how this was going to really work,” Idun states, as one of her shifter betas hurries to bring her a chair.

She takes a seat, making quite the production of this, while I stave off the sweeping bouts of nausea. Every breath feels weighted with lead and laced with the undeniable scent of Violet’s blood.

“That was quite the release,” Idun says, back to smiling broadly. “That girl knows how to get under someone’s skin real quick. She gets all over your toes, and gets her darling little feelings hurt when someone puts her in her place,” Idun adds, while Emit’s never-ending growl begins to grate on my nerves.

The numbness in me begins to fade, giving way to the rising fury that begins to slowly burn in my veins. My eyes narrow to slits on Idun, as my monster finds the will to drain every pheromone it can find in the air.

She doesn’t yet know Talbot has blood magic.

It may be our only edge.

“Emit, you’re going to quit being such a fucking soft sock in the mud and get back to that man I used to care about. I can’t respect a man who doesn’t keep his pack in line,” Idun tells the seething wolf, who snaps his teeth at her. “That’s a good start. Use that anger to do what I fucking say, otherwise, I’ll continue adding years to her sentence, dears.”

“You’re insane if you think we won’t find a way to destroy you. All you’re doing is giving us the motivation now, dear,” Arion says, practically spitting out the last word.

She cuts her gaze to him. “You’re going to love me the way you’ve been loving her. You’re frigid and too compliant with me. You give me everything I want, and you never challenge me. I hate that,” Idun says, softening her words for him. “Then maybe I’ll finally let you claim me as your bride.”

The vampire takes a step back, eyes going cold, as the chill floats through the air with more presence than he’s been able to force out yet.

“I’ll cut my dick off and settle for eternal celibacy. I belong to one woman, and you know how loyal I am,” he tells her, smirking. “Life without sex is just fine with me. I’m certainly a man who enjoys the act, but never once have I been ruled by my baser urges. I’m steadfast.”

“You’re expendable,” she assures him, losing that composure of hers.

“You’re unworthy,” he tells her very seriously.

Her look turns cold, and his turns dead. It’s the stand-off we’ve all been waiting for.

Not that it matters anymore.

“It seems that when Arion’s done with a woman, he’s truly done. She’s simply been the only woman until now, so it’s new territory for her relentless ego,” the triplets say, reminding me of something very important.

My head jerks back to the spectating ghosts, who are still blocking the view to Violet.

If all those ghosts are just fragments of Violet’s subconscious, then her subconscious is still awake, even though there’s nothing left but shreds of her…

I think.

Fuck, I don’t know how this bloody works, but I do know there’s a lot of hope swelling inside me, and it pisses me off.

Idun slants her gaze toward the ghosts, as if she’s noticing them all for the first time. Immediately, there’s an intense pulse of heat.

“You’re just making it worse. I won’t be taunted by some insolent spectrums,” Idun assures them.

Diva makes a show of zipping her lips, smiling thereafter.

Idun’s attention returns to us, even though she’s less amused now.

“Back to my demands,” Idun states, eyes leveling Vance. “You’ll be in charge, just as you once were. You’ll keep these three in line for me, and you’ll treat me just as you’ve treated her.”