Gypsy Rising (All the Pretty Monsters, #5)

by Kristy Cunning

And I’m going to find a way to force her to call me Violet. January was the child. Violet is the adult I am now. It really does suit me better.

“Vance’s travel team has just arrived, and some very concerned omegas stowed away on that flight,” he tells me, and then steps aside, as Leiza bursts forth first, followed by Tiara, Lemon and Mary.

“What the hell is that?” Damien asks as he comes up on my right. “Rockband is what that is, and Violet’s singing,” Marta says as she passes us. That’s Violet singing? I’ve never heard her singing without a radio, another singer, and…I’ve never heard her with a very loud microphone.

“You chopped off your own foot when I tried to teach you to use a sword, Violet. You lost an arm learning to swing an axe, for Pete’s sake. Don’t even get me started on archery; I’ve never seen a person shoot their own kneecap. It’s not something that should be possible,” Marta says as she glares back over at Zuela.

“What’s wrong, Violet?” Anna asks very quietly, smirking. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Her head tilts to the other side as I just gape at her. “You’re the one who told me to find a way back.” Everything tumbles from my hands at once. As I stumble back a step, she grins and adds, “Looks like things are finally getting interesting around here. And you kept a lot of secrets from me.” Anna. Anna’s here. Anna’s back from her second death. Anna is…here.

Arion moves to me, kissing the top of my head. “Sure, love. Come find us later.” Jerome’s eyes follow after Arion briefly, but they widen on me again when Vance distractedly gives me a quick kiss on the head too. Damien doesn’t settle for a chaste kiss. His lips are on mine so fast that it’s dizzying, and his arm circles around my waist as I lean into him, momentarily rendered stupid, as he works his mojo.

“Why are they all so tall? Usually I feel tall, but unless your dad is in the room, I’m the shortest man most times.” “Don’t forget Luis,” I point out just as Luis comes to pat my back on his way by, hobbling a little. “Why does he have the huge hunch?” Jerome asks me.

Why are so judgmental

“So that means I do influence the living after all. I’ve been a naughty girl. Let me possess you so they’ll spank me,” she adds very seriously. “You have no excuse to be this ridiculous anymore,” I inform her as I walk out of the closet. “Says the girl with her skirt still flipped up in the back. Newsflash, he ran away because of the granny panties you’re wearing right now,” Anna says very loudly.

“That must have been one nasty death window,” Anna concludes, as her head slides between my arms, because now she’s lying under me and staring up into my eyes. “Deep breaths, Violet. Big girl panties right now, remember?” Shera says as she pats my back on her way by.

“Who are you, Anna?” I ask, my eyes meeting hers. She grins at me. “I’m Casper the friendly fucking ghost,” she assures me, her smile spreading larger. “Who do you think I am, Violet?”

Okay, now I’m starting to get worried that she really is breaking up with us. Anna props up beside her, grinning darkly at us. I don’t like that Anna is magically back. Far too suspicious timing. Not to mention…she’s a salt pile in a fucking urn.

Two arms lift me suddenly, and my head falls against a chest. I know exactly whose chest it is too. “Put me down, Emit,” I mumble against his shirt. “I’ll put you in bed so you can sleep, little monster. But you can’t be on your feet any longer,” he murmurs against my forehead, before brushing a kiss there. “And you can’t break up with friends the same as boyfriends.” “You’ve been a shitty friend,” I point out, eyes still closed.

Violet just gives her a tight smile. “I’m January Violet Carmine. I’m half Neopry. Half Portocale. I’m all gypsy with all my gypsy pride. And I’m the only person in the room who can say that last part. I’m here to remind you of just how far you’ve all fallen.”

“Ten!” Anna shouts. “I said to salt that fucking ghost!” Idun shouts as she turns and points once again.

Idun kys

“I’m January Violet Carmine,” she says as she pops all five of her fingers back into place, one by one. “I’m twenty-six-years-old, newly single, have an excellent driving record, pay all my bills on time, and work my ass off to make a living, when I’m not building a sanctuary, dodging wolves who want me dead for no reason, vampire mercenaries paid for by one of my own kin, and crazy ex-girlfriends,” Violet chirps.

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

“I’ll keep this short and sweet. Here’s a list of my rules. Violet needs to learn what she can and cannot push for, but you know not to push me, Idun. Be gentle. She’s mine.” That was my warning. “For you, dear, I’ll make such a concession. Only because I owe you that much.” She agreed to heed my warning, no matter what.

“He’s lying. I know you’re all in here, so you can drop the charades, Damien. They’re no—” Her words die when the more complicated, certainly well-executed illusion drops, which means the floor falls away as well, since it was never real. The chain she never felt being attached to her throat yanks tight against the heavy Van Helsing collar. Her words die on a choked sound, as she drops ten feet down the hole she had no idea even existed, and I crack my neck to the side.

“Violet! Vance is having daddy issues and is trying to talk him out of giving you the stained glass!” Anna yells very loudly. Vance’s eyes widen. “I’m going to fucking kill you for fifty-three years, you stupid son of a b—” He stops, calming himself, because his grandmomma was a damn fine woman who’d punch him in the nuts for calling her that word…if she knew what it meant.

“All the pretty monsters want in your pants again, and you’re hanging out with the archives. You don’t deserve that vagina,” Anna informs me as she drops in and takes a seat. “Don’t let anyone else see you who isn’t supposed to see you.” “But I like the dirty omegas. I want to be their friend too. You’re just stingy and want to keep them for yourself,” my bestie from hell argues.

“If I had real fingers and a vagina, I could totally masturbate right now!” she adds in excitement. “Crazy fucking ghost,” I mumble to myself while massaging my temples.

DAMIEN That fucking wanker. I’m going to tear off the wanker’s wanker and give it to another wanker who wants a wee wanker.

Real

“Since they split up?” Arion asks, as a slight chill causes our breaths to fog. “What’s his name?” “Dead Wanker,” I say absently, just as Vance answers, “Jerome.” “Jerome?” Arion parrots in a very agitated tone. “Jerome has spent five months tending to her one dream right under our noses? He’s the bloody ex she fucking lived with, you stupid fucks,” he adds like this is all our fault. “She lived with him?” Vance asks, not sounding one bit happy.

“Shut the fuck up and quit guilt-tripping the damn girl,” Emit’s voice cuts in, just as Talbot was selling the hell out of me. I glance down, realizing I’m clutching Arion’s hand like we’re two teen girls watching our crush get worked up.

“Because I’m just starting to realize how very much in control my wolf is, and if you continue to linger, I’m going to pin you down, fuck you, and leave you with my mark.”

BET BET BET

Arion smirks again. “You’d have to ask the wolf for the details, and he’s going to need some space, clearly. He tied up your ex and left him in Damien’s car. It’s only going to—” “What?!” I shriek, bolting off the bed.

“Your secrets are not safe with me when they’re stupid secrets,” Anna continues. “You brought me back from the super dead. I’d like to keep you among the truly living to pay off that really big debt I sort of owe you.”

“Arion, what’s brought this on?” I ask on a tired sigh. “Violet stuck me in the friend zone. I’m going to remind her I’m one helluva romantic son of a bitch, far more so than any of you lot. Then she’ll be my bride.”

As if Damien feels like antagonizing her as well, the illusion drops, revealing himself and Violet, just as our fully-healed little monster unconsciously turns over, sliding her leg over Arion’s hip, searching him out in her sleep. Idun’s pupils try to dilate, and I see her struggle to keep her composure. I expect Arion to be smirking and enjoying her inconvenient moment of jealousy, but his attention is solely on Violet, as he brushes her hair down around her face and curves an arm around her waist. Damien is behind her, gingerly stroking her back as he leans forward to kiss her shoulder.

“Fucking hell. She already thinks we’re too much work,” Damien groans, as the whites of his eyes return to take over his sight. “I’m starting to see her point.”

“That was epic!” Anna shouts. “I love watching Violet have sex with you guys! See how much better this is than Idun TV?” she harps on.

“If she’s this agreeable with savagery, I wish my monster had the urge to claim her,” Arion grumbles. “If I don’t feed within the next week or so, my monster may take things into its own hands,” Damien points out very deliberately. “This monster is going to sleep right now,” I mutter into the werewolf’s chest. “Maybe you all should have spent the last five months—” “You’re never going to let that go, are you?” Vance interrupts, sounding amused. “Don’t worry, Violet. Such a small grudge will surely flee you soon enough. I’ll make it up to you.”

“That’s my girl!” Anna shouts from the rafters, where she’s leisurely perched with a dreamy smile on her face. “Fuck em’ for three days and walk out like the boss you are, while they’re begging for more. I’m so damn proud of you!”

“He’s not with Idun. He plans to make Violet his bride to prove as much,” Damien chimes in from the top. “Someone kiss me. I’m hurting up here.” I’m not bloody kissing him. “He’s suffering because of you milking your time with Violet,” I tell the fucker in front of me. “You kiss him.”

“If you don’t stop laughing—” Anna brays like a donkey with her next bout of laughter, as though my demand for her to quit mocking me right now is only fueling her hysterics. “Y-y-you’re walking funny a-a-after fucking like a champion during a three-day sex-a-thon, and you expect me to resist having a commentary?” Anna asks me through her guffaws, quite literally rolling on the ground, as she zaps from place to place in front of my uneven strides.

“To take a long, cleansing shower, so people will hopefully stop being weird around me,” I answer without looking back, waddling my way up the stairs. When I whimper, Anna snorts out a laugh. “I hate you,” I inform her. “Only because I love your pain,” she volleys.

Arion pulls back, settling down on the bed a little more, as Jasper’s eyes sleepily close, and he flattens his cheek against Arion’s bare chest. “I’d say he’s perfectly content with his latest meal holding him,” he drawls.

AWEEEEEE

“Stop staring at me like I’m going to eat the lad,” he says with a slight growl, looking truly offended by my obvious urge to snatch Jasper from his arms. “I’m proud of the fact I’m not that much of a monster.” I bristle, shrugging a shoulder.

is tucked under my arms and loosely draped over his lap. Jasper is resting his head on Arion’s reclined chest, already peacefully snoozing, while facing me with his inexplicably cute, scrunched-up expression. It’s the weirdest domestic moment—a vampire alpha and a Simpleton pureblood omega with an impossible shifter/vampire baby, who has a hearty appetite for immortal blood, all lying together like one big family.

shifter baby he has strapped to his chest, which only makes my headache worse. There’s no more disturbing sight than seeing Arion play father to a shifter child. Our world used to make more sense than it does. How does one fucking woman change so much?

distraction, as he reads something off his phone. To himself, he mutters, “Pacifier. Pacifier. What the bloody hell is a pacifier?” Damien leans over, lifting the oddly shaped thing, and plugs it into the intimidated babe’s mouth. The child isn’t going to stop that wailing when he’s stuck in a room with alphas that painfully enlist his instincts to—

“As soon as I get to feed, I’ll spin you some exciting illusions, little one,” Damien chirps, talking to the child as though the infant can understand a damn thing he’s saying.

Marta glares over at Emit, who drops my very expensive, authentic, Wild West cowboy hat on his fucking lap to cover his stupid dick in front of his mate’s mother. At last.

I consider Arion’s words, weighing them in my head. “He’s genuinely going to steal that child and make Violet his bride, isn’t he?” Marta asks on a shaky breath she works hard to steady. “Yes, yes he is,” Damien answers with zero hesitation.

Violet’s hand chills against my heart, as though she’s soothing pain that isn’t there, and a ghost of a smile tugs at my lips. Even in her sleep, she’s still protective. I’ve never had anyone but the three of them willing to protect me. Everyone else has always needed me to protect them.

“This could go another way if she wakes up. Something to keep in mind,” the vampire— “Definitely wake her up,” Anna chirps from overhead, blinking down at us when we all jerk our attention to her. She fans herself and releases a dreamy sigh, as she contently lounges on the rafters. “Can I pick who goes first?” she adds. Damien tosses up a ball of salt that shatters somewhere in the room, and she vanishes from sight.

Four boys are in my bed. Well, technically three boys are in my bed, and one boy is haphazardly sprawled on a stretcher that’s pushed against the bed, and he’s got an arm curled around my leg. I’ll ask about the stretcher later.

Arion…is naked. Fully naked. And he’s underneath me. And he’s apparently happy about being underneath me, if the thing poking me in the stomach is any indication toward his current mood. Damn vampire.

experience, and just enjoy all the added sensations Emit’s attention brings, while I make the vampire feel like as much of a king as I can. Arion writhes underneath me, as Emit works my body to a fine edge, the two of them doing things to me in such different ways that it’s almost intoxicating.

“I’ll make you my bride, Violet Carmine. And when I do, you’ll love every fucking second of it. You have a month to adjust to that warning before I make it a reality. Find a way to make peace with that,” he says before he practically vanishes, leaving my mind rushing after the really crazy shit he just said like it wasn’t a big deal.