Gypsy Rising (All The Pretty Monsters Book 5)

by Kristy Cunning

  I feel the pulse of power as Idun slams the flogger down. It’s glowing red, breaking all the rules too fast to be stopped, as it crashes down on Violet’s back.

  The pulse of power is so potent that a ring of it almost knocks me back.

  “Fault! You forfeit all other licks; the punishment is concluded,” Zuela quickly says to Idun, as she just laughs under her breath, letting the flogger tumble from her hand, as she walks toward the gate door.

  Idun grins as she glances over at Violet with far too much interest.

  “This is going to be fun, January Violet Carmine. I look forward to our next encounter.”

  Violet’s body is so deep into the concrete that I can barely see the flesh of her skin. Her body is stitched together in patches with all her clothing, and only her underwear remains.

  It was just flesh wounds until that last hit, but I have no idea what damage has been done now.

  The concrete stirs, and Idun’s smile falls just barely, as Violet’s head pops up just enough to see her hair. She starts slowly standing once again.

  Her entire body is patterned with stitches, as she reaches into her bra, cracking a small glass ball, before letting the liquid drip to her face.

  There’s some instant change, but she still looks bludgeoned to bloody death.

  “Still neutral?” I ask Arion so quietly only he can hear, as Marta steps by Idun and into the cage to go to her daughter.

  Violet struggles to stand on her own with one leg broken.

  Arion stands and walks out without saying a word to me. Damien does the same thing. Emit goes last.

  Zuela’s eyes meet mine, as they all three walk out different doors, and he turns and walks out as well. Everyone is damn silent and fast to leave.

  “Oh, come on. That was just like the good ol’ days when arrogant omegas or betas would show how stupid they are,” Idun crows, high off the pain she’s caused, as Violet winces.

  Idun struts outside to where everyone else has gone, wanting her attention. I notice the camera that stays on Violet, as she kisses the top of Marta’s head, while Marta feigns a stoic expression.

  “We’ll talk about this later,” Marta assures her.

  Damien sends me a text, and I stand, buttoning my coat as I read it.

  DAMIEN: Cold Well Creek. We’re meeting there.

  ME: I’m getting Violet home first.

  He sends nothing back, as I walk through the mostly empty arena, ignoring Nadine as she looks on from the shadows. She wordlessly watches, as Marta helps Violet hobble her way toward the exit.

  “Call Ighan,” Violet is saying, as I come up behind her. “I need him to meet us at the back door with something to juice my healing before everyone sees me.”

  Marta turns her cold eyes toward mine, a lethal look in her gaze like she wants to do something that will certainly ignite a war. I know the feeling.

  The yard is still littered with alphas and betas who were here to witness a humbling fight to put Violet in her place.

  Violet makes a peace sign, as she smiles toward the camera, and the cameraman slowly backs away. My eyes come up just in time to see Demetria, the mind-reading gypsy freak, back into the shadows like she was ensuring no one tried anything against Idun.

  She’s probably been inside Violet’s mind the entire time, prying for any and every secret to give Idun. She’s supposed to be fucking forbidden from all alpha gatherings.

  Zuela’s eyes meet mine as he stops in front of his car, but he looks away just as quickly, as his beta/lover takes passenger side. My mother gets into another vehicle, eyes shaded by designer glasses, as her beta kisses her cheek.

  It feels like all eyes are on me as I move through the thinning crowd, hearing Idun animatedly talking to the camera.

  “It’s not as bad as that time I thought I could make a combustible engine and put it on the back of my bicycle to form a rocket,” Violet tells Marta, causing Marta just to glare at her harder, as Violet grins broadly over at her.

  “Vance is going to give me a ride, since he’s stalking me to tell me what an idiot I am for this, and you’re going to go scream into the forest for a few hours before speaking, okay?” Violet says to her.

  A tear leaks down Marta’s face, and she gives Violet one curt nod, before my arm goes around her waist. Marta doesn’t even object to the touch as she stalks off.

  Avery comes over, eyes glassy, as he puts his jacket over her shoulders.

  “Thanks, Sir Avery,” Violet says like she’s in some way grateful he’s a traitorous son of a bitch.

  “You knew?” I ask him, narrowing my eyes.

  His lethal, cold glare swings to me. “You passed these laws, Sir. I have no choice but to uphold them, and you requested not to be disturbed when I brought it up the past four times. Then you left before I could show you what is in the book you refused to read, and Ms. Carmine thought it’d be simpler to get this over with.”

  I’ve stood still hundreds of thousands of times, and never once felt like I missed anything. My eyes fall down to Violet, as she prompts me to start moving.

  “Who the fucking hell hit my car?” Dorian shouts, jerking his gaze around.

  “Don’t carry me, Van Helsing. Cameras are rolling. I need to walk away,” Violet says as she puts her hand on my chest, stilling me from lifting her.

  “How much more will you punish me today, Violet? How many apologies will it take to ever fix all this?” I ask her quietly, my jaw tensing, as the weight just presses me down farther.

  “This isn’t about you,” she says like she wishes I understood that.

  I stare at her for a moment before I finally nod, letting her use me like a crutch, even though I do subtly and unnoticeably use my grip to lift some of her weight off the leg she’s dragging.

  My jaw tenses as bile rises to my throat, but I swallow it all back, not fucking making it about me, as Damien’s new SUV pulls to a stop in front of us.

  The suspicious lad from earlier hops out and runs around to open the back door for Violet. “Ms. Carmine, I hope you don’t mind if I drive instead of Anna this time. Or would it offend her?” he asks, looking around.

  “Anna’s not here, you prat. Who the hell are you?” I ask as I lift Violet into the seat too quickly for anyone to notice and shut the door.

  He jogs around to the driver’s door and hops in, and I take the seat behind him and next to Violet, as I narrow my eyes.

  “Talbot Lane. I’m Damien’s new favorite beta.”

  “Damien took you on already?” Violet asks like this is the time to be genuinely interested in anyone other than herself.

  “Not yet, but I’m exceedingly arrogant, so I’ve already given myself the job. Be seeing you around some then, eh, Ms. Carmine?”

  I pause, realizing I’ve been so distracted I missed the scent in the car. Damien taps my shoulder like he knows I’ve just caught on to the fact they’re in here.

  Violet remains oblivious, as Damien drops the illusion to my eyes only. Talbot drives us on.

  Violet glances around like she’s checking to see if anyone is nearby.

  “Talbot Lane, I need you to pull over and get out. Walk around for about five minutes, please,” Violet tells him.

  I sit up straighter, expecting her to have something to say to me in private, as he does as instructed without argument.

  The second he’s gone, her mask slips for the first time, and tears spring to her eyes, as she stops pretending, doubling over. She sucks back a pained sob. Arion bites down on his fist. Violet never makes more than a smothered cry of pain, rocking back and forth, as she leans her head toward me.

  “I’m sorry. I’m not punishing you, but that metal has to come out of my head, and I can’t get it with the threads,” she says on a choked, pained whisper. “I don’t have it in me to pretend to be a badass right now.”

  Damien gags and looks away, swallowing down any sound, as Emit’s eyes burn with wolf color, when I glance down to the battered back of her head, n
oticing the blood matting her hair. The heartless vampire in the front passenger seat even cuts his gaze away like he can’t stomach it.

  Little threads from the stitches have opened on the back of her head and are trying to wiggle a piece of rusted metal free. The damage is…killing me.

  Trying not to react, I touch just the tip of the rusty metal, turning it back to Van Helsing silver so that it will come out more smoothly. She makes a few pained sounds, her hand gripping my leg, as I manage to work it out. Then she just exhales in relief as I toss it outside, watching it turn back to rust, just so I have an excuse to look away.

  “Will you get out for a second now?” Violet asks me, drawing my attention back, as she fights to keep the pain out of her expressions.

  “Violet, let me—”

  “My leg is healing backwards, so I have to re-break it and turn it back around. It’s going to be painful, and I need just a moment to be weak before I get home and put on a brave face for everyone who needs to see it,” she says very seriously, as her eyes water with unshed tears. “Apparently you need the brave face too, and I just…I just can’t. One minute to be weak, Vance. Please.”

  I shove out the door, slamming it behind me, as I run a frustrated hand through my hair. Her little cry of pain precedes bones breaking and a scream behind tight lips.

  I look back to see her head down, hands still on her freshly straightened leg, as her body shakes with her silent sobs.

  Talbot returns, not batting an eye, as he moves past me to the driver’s side.

  Violet looks up, tears dried and face painted with a smile. It’s been a long time since I struggled with tears. Tears are a weakness I eradicated very early on as a mortal lad.

  But today, I find myself weakened too. Since I have no other choice, I manage to recover myself, before getting into the backseat again.

  “So, Ms. Carmine, can I ask for a favor?” Talbot asks from the driver’s seat.

  “Really?” I ask the sniveling little incubus in the front seat, whose neck I’d wring if not for the fact Violet would be upset by it right now.

  “Sure,” Violet tells him, as she closes her eyes, the bruises on her body becoming more pronounced, interrupted by strings of stitching without her trademark satin.

  Talbot clears his throat, averting my glare in the mirror as he drives, oblivious to Arion studying him rather intently.

  “While I’m interning for Damien Morpheous to prove I can be a better beta than I appeared to be earlier, I’d like to request sanctuary for an omega. She’s dear to me,” he adds, eyes glancing back at Violet again.

  “I have wolves who vet the omegas to ensure they want and deserve sanctuary, so that we don’t get played or taken advantage of. They’ll see anyone requesting admittance,” Violet states like he should already know that.

  Talbot just gives her a slow nod. “It’ll take her a few days to get here. Is there a way I can rush her to the front of the line when she does? That’s the favor I’m requesting, Ms. Carmine.”

  “There won’t be a line. We have a system in place, Talbot Lane. You’re supposed to be better at predicting things, aren’t you?”

  I admit that I enjoy the incubus squirming in the seat like he’s trying to figure out what to say next.

  “I think you’re underestimating the impact you just had on the entire immortal community, Ms. Carmine.”

  “In other words, he predicts a lot of omegas will line up to let you be their whipping post,” I grind out, glaring over at her.

  “That’s not—”

  “Talbot, shut up. Trust me. Just shut up,” I say to him, as Arion struggles not to remove the idiot’s head.

  He locks his lips, as I look back over at Violet, ignoring the car full of alphas who don’t want her noticing them, while she idly stares out the window at the passing scenery.

  “Do you know why I broke up with you?” Violet randomly asks me.

  “Because I fucked up,” I state, not bothering to elaborate.

  She smiles a little sadly as she shakes her head.

  “No. It’s because you simply don’t care what an omega—even me—tries to accomplish, even if it’s in compliance with your own laws. It’s because it’s not worth the turmoil Idun will cause. I broke up with you because you refused to understand that Idun will never be my problem, no matter how many times she needs to be dealt with.” Her eyes return to mine as we pull up outside the back of Omega U.

  “Arion will never choose me over her, and that’s okay. I don’t need him,” Violet goes on, causing Arion to shoot a glare at her. “Damien doesn’t even bother feeding from his one source, because he has no plans of dealing with Idun,” she adds, making Damien lean forward, his hand almost touching her, but stopping short.

  “Emit, the alpha who does still care, will only care about all his wolves—to hell with vampires and any other weaker beings Idun will crush if she goes unchecked. They’re not his problem.”

  Emit bristles from the backseat, but Violet stares at her house ahead.

  “I built this place, because not even you would listen to a voice weaker than an alpha’s. You’re all hardened, and I understand why. I don’t even judge you for it, despite appearances,” Violet says as she pushes open her door.

  Her eyes flick back to mine as she steps out on her good leg.

  “So that means I have to step up if I want someone to care about everyone who will die. If Idun claims even one life from sanctuary, no one will ever have faith in it. And all you care about is what she may do to all of you and me. To hell with everyone else.”

  She hops on one leg as Shera comes outside, eyes rimmed red like she’s been crying, as she comes to an abrupt halt, seeing Violet in all her battered glory.

  “You’re supposed to heal faster than this,” Shera manages to say through strain.

  “Well, I ran my mouth a little to make sure she was hitting hard enough to send a message,” Violet chirps. “No worries, Shera. I’m good. I barely felt it at all.”

  She lies so well I’d believe her if not for the fact I watched her break.

  Tiara practically sprints out to us, and she throws Violet’s arm around her shoulders, before helping her toward the back door.

  It’s late, and no one is out, but the spotlights are blaring down on the ground, lighting everything up. Omegas are scared of the dark, after all.

  I glance around at the bars lifting on the windows, hearing a buzzer from somewhere inside, as Violet holds her head high, despite the beating and public shaming.

  Emit comes up on my left, Arion on my right, and Damien on his right. Shera wipes the tears from her face, as Arion just stares at her, becoming visible once Damien drops the illusion. She doesn’t even look surprised to see him, as she turns her glare on us.

  “You may want to read that big thick book now,” Shera tells us very calmly, as another tear leaks from her eye.

  I’ve never seen Shera with tears before.

  My gaze moves back to Violet, as Leiza, Lemon, and Mary come rushing out to throw their arms around the maddening gypsy as well, even as Violet continues to feign no pain.

  “She built this because she knew you’d stand still. Now there’s nothing left to do but watch her work,” Shera adds, as she turns and walks away.

  “She’s certainly mouthier when she’s not scared of my pencils,” Arion says, mock indifference in his tone, even as his jaw tics.

  “Clear!” I hear Anna shouting, just before something electrical zaps, and Violet comes shooting out of the door, soaring through the air.

  Arion hisses out a breath when she slams into the ground, groaning, and we all fight the urge to rush to her side.

  “Too much?” Ighan calls out in a panic, as he comes jogging down the steps, stumbling over his own feet with a wide-eyed Bobo right on his heels.

  “Nope,” Violet says, smoke rising from her body, as she peels herself up from the snow.

  Avery’s jacket slips off, as she stands in just her underwear, an
d holds up an okay sign with her fingers.

  Her body starts healing right in front of us, as she leans down and picks the jacket up.

  “Hit me again,” she shouts, while the bruises continue to fade, the swelling starts to subside, and her stitches begin falling out.

  Tiara’s eyes lift to Emit, disappointment shining for a moment, before she turns and walks back inside.

  Music starts blaring from inside the house, and I watch as Violet walks through, already dancing and wearing a small sundress someone has apparently given her.

  Simpletons pile in, right in front of the massive windows, and dance alongside her, as she pretends taking that beating was cake.

  Violet dances her way over to a silent, unmoving shifter, who is holding a tiny baby. Violet just winks at the shifter she took that beating for, and kisses the baby, before dancing over to Bobo. He lifts her up to sit on one of his massive shoulders.

  “You’re not my beta,” Damien says without looking away from Violet.

  “I’m afraid I am, sir,” Talbot says as he gets out and hands Damien back his keys, eyes not even glancing toward us, as he watches the house as well. “You see, you’re the only thing standing between me and the legend she’s attempting to build. I’ve spent too long knowing what comes next to pass up the opportunity to see something real and different.”

  With that, the fucking incubus we’d normally kill for showing too much interest in Violet, just walks away with his hands in his pockets, smirking over at the madhouse full of partiers like today was something to celebrate.

  “For five months, Violet sat around planning this right under our noses,” Emit says very quietly.

  “While we watched Idun to see what she was up to,” I point out dryly, laughing bitterly and slightly maniacally.

  “I have a meeting with Idun I probably shouldn’t be late for,” Arion says before he turns and walks off.

  He’s been eerily quiet and calm.

  I back away, as Anna waves her hand in front of Idun TV, turning it off with a smirk on her face. Then she gives Violet a mock fist-bump. They both turn and look through the windows at us, before looking away like we’re no longer of any consequence.