More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
Do you have to slaughter a chicken or something else traumatizing in order to deliver a nasty curse? I want to curse Idun. Maybe I’m more Portocale than I realized.
Great. No one knows how to be in a relationship, and there are five of us in total involved in this one. I really am a masochist.
With four dominant, old-fashioned, completely infuriating, sometimes psychotic boyfriends, it’s hard to be in the middle. But getting in the middle of things has always been a problem of mine. May as well learn to hold my footing, even amongst alphas. Soldiering on is no longer good enough. I need a plan. Now I have one. It feels good to be me again. Even if there is still a lot more I’m putting a pin in right now. There are some things I’m just not ready to process.
She laughs twice as hard. My mother is a huge asshole.
“Do you know what I would have given to have been raised in an era where you can swipe right to go spread your legs with a pretty boy, without having to deal with all their gushing emotions, back when hard men could only show their soft sides to a woman in the sack?” she gripes.
“You’re twenty-six years old. Four jaded, hardened, seasoned monsters, who’ve lived through countless heartbreaks and vicious wars are not the sort of men who are going to care too much about your feelings, dear. Either you’ll have to settle, or they’ll have to change everything about themselves to accompany your demands. You decide what love is for yourself, and then make your decision.”
“She’s not wrong. You and them? You’re nothing alike. With four against one odds, you’ll never make it. But it doesn’t happen all at once. You build a foundation, make it sturdy, and build the rest brick by brick. My father taught me that.”
I can’t panic and tear apart Damien’s brother. Also, what if Dorian destroys me? I have no idea what he’s capable of.
She really does have a thing for our monsters, doesn’t she? Can I just turn mine loose on her and see what happens?” the lunatic bloodsucker presses. “No,” we all state in unison. “I hate voting when I never win,”
“No son of a whore is going to represent my family,” shouts the man who sounds both offended and affronted by Dorian’s mother’s sexual past, even as he’s proud to own a brothel.
“If I do this right,” Dorian says, both in my head and in my ear, his voice nearly taunting me with all his sadistic enjoyment, “you’ll bear my mark by the time we’re through. You only get one Flame, Violet. You’ll never be able to take another, and Damien will have no choice but to surrender you to me. They’ll have no choice but to deal with me instead of him. It’ll be me at the center of all the power. I’ll take his place in every way.”
“Violet will be angry if she finds out you were here instead of an important meeting that could cost omegas their lives. You’d better not let anyone die after what he made her endure,” she says in a dead tone. “I’d be embarrassed if I was an ancient alpha, who had the element of surprise against a new little monster, who hasn’t fully learned to defend herself against his type, and still couldn’t win.”
This time, it’s a bunch of baby doll heads staring up at me, and I’m creeped right the hell out. Some are missing one or both eyes, and all are smiling brightly up at me. One even giggles at me, as another coos. I’m starting to find my girlfriend’s mind a little scary.
Dorian will pay. But for now, Violet needs to see me calm. Destroy him, the old, familiar, almost-forgotten hiss of my monster whispers inside my mind.
As the threads finish falling away, I take in more damage than I was prepared to see. Her throat is bruised with fingerprints, and her body is striped with welts, proof of internal and external torture. My jaw grinds, and I feel my monster working hard to surge forth. Her face is stained by so many tears that it’s almost unbearable to look upon right now. And her shirt is ripped open, as though things had started to progress before she managed to seal herself away.
I feel my monster fighting to seize control and claim her, leave my mark imprinted so deep on her that she never has to fear attacks like this ever again.
Gypsies and salt, she says. Simpletons and electricity, she says.
“Another voice told me what to do,” she confesses quietly. Another voice, she says. She says these things like they’re supposed to make sense and we’re supposed to simply accept it as the only answer available.
“When I finish destroying Dorian, you’re going to be my Flame,” I tell her very seriously. She smiles up at me, only a single tear escaping her lids. “Only if you stop pissing me off so much.”
return my lips to hers, kissing her the way I’ve wanted to since the day I met her. Kissing her the way I should have those five months I stood still. Kissing her like she’s the last breath I’m ever going to have.
Damn this girl for making me care so fucking much about anything, even if she is my new favorite addiction that I never want to let go.
Shera is coming down the stairs, but she oddly pales when she sees me. “What happened to front door?” I ask her. I’ve never seen my beta run so fast. “I’ll let Violet tell you about it,” she calls over her shoulder. “Gotta run, Boss.” Again, I check the mirror. Good hair. Perfect teeth. Excellent outfit.
Not a fucking clue what’s going on. Typically, I enjoy instilling that sort of terror, but I’m still in trouble with Violet, and she doesn’t like her Sanctuary members feeling scared in their own home. I work harder on giving a wider smile and aim for looking like a nice vampire alpha. Literally, everyone scatters and disappears,
Idiots. I’m constantly surrounded by idiots. Why can’t everyone be as smart as I am?
A familiar male ghost suddenly appears in Vance’s lap, leaning forward, as he watches ahead. Vance’s eyes widen with undisguisable indignity, and his jaw tics, a clear sign something is about to die. “Behave, monsters. Don’t make this about you,” the dude ghost says. “She’ll be very upset if you keep letting her down.”
No one fucking tells me to behave and gets away with it. Besides Vance. That’s only because he’s the one who is actually supposed to make us behave, and he can sometimes kick my ass.
“I realize we’re extremely high maintenance boyfriend material, and we lack a certain sensitivity a delicate woman like Violet seems to demand from a man, but—” “But a ghost coming back from the dead is the human equivalent to hearing your grandmother just climbed out of her grave,” I interject, understanding his meaning. “Even if grandma did dig out of hell, she couldn’t have come back the same.”
She brings ghosts back from the bloody dead and shrugs a shoulder at the following inquisitions into such. Then she uses our neglectful romance tendencies to shut us down for farther probing, not understanding the severity. She’s maddening.”
“I really don’t understand you boys. I’d cut a man’s wanker off before I graciously let him use it on my woman,” he confesses. “We know,” we all state in unison, vividly remembering him doing just that. Back when he was married to Vance’s mother. Who…didn’t appreciate her lover’s dick being removed for all eternity. We all shudder in unison.
“You’re too easy, brother. You know better than to have a weakness—” Dorian’s words end on a pained cry, and he drops to the ground almost immediately. I lean way forward, because this is damn interesting. Even at full strength, Damien should have had to struggle for a while to break into Dorian’s mind. “Sorry. I’ll skip taunts and threats and get straight to the point,” Damien says coldly, as Dorian’s eyes glaze over, and a scream leaves his lips.
“You’re a little too old to be blaming Father for all your problems. You want someone to fuck with, next time, come directly to me,” he says in a chilling tone, even as the room’s temperature heats significantly. “I’ve got chills in the best possible way,” I confess, truly gobsmacked to see Damien so powerful for the first time in ages.
“I wouldn’t have,” Dorian cries out, welts showing up on every piece of skin visible. “I was just scaring her! It was just the bloodlust and maddening spirits of sin from Pandora’s Box that time. I swear I wouldn’t have done it, Damien!” Ice forms on the floor beneath me, and Vance grabs my arm and Emit’s dragging us back down to our seats. I was just scaring her…
Amos looks terrified. Damien fed off Violet enough to send Dorian to the ground. It’s a damn good thing she can’t die, because he clearly took more than he’s ever taken from one source so quickly. The only thing that would spur him to take such desperate measures, is—
“As the firstborn, and the most enraged at the sight of Idun’s death, Arion encompassed the blood-thirstiest spirit,” Vance tells him. “I’m aware,” Zuela bites out. “As firstborn, I encompassed the wildest, most savage spirit,” Emit says on a quiet, thoughtful breath, as we watch Dorian’s body begin to writhe. “As firstborn, I encompassed the most prideful, valiant spirit, the moment I stepped in to temporarily play a hero,” Vance adds. My eyes flick to Dorian. “As firstborn, Dorian encompassed the most sexually deviant spirit from that box. He’s the most physically powerful.” “But as
...more
The vampire who willingly bows at his woman’s feet is now dubbing you his new center. After you broke up with him. And the sexual deviant monster will only feed from you, after doing something that killed him to have to do to his brother. For you.
My monster would love to break free and go chase after someone to feed on. I can’t do that until I take Violet as a Flame. Then my monster can break free whenever it wants, because it’ll only seek her out.
his fucking mind. I don’t have the patience for this, and he doesn’t seem to understand that I’ve already considered ripping his heart out. Twice. Just for fun.
I’ve never actually had a good beta. Fucking Arion gets them in droves, even though he stabs them all with sharp objects. Vance has some of the finest, most loyal ever, despite the fact he’s a rigid hardass. Even Emit has numerous betas looking after him, even though he only keeps the worst ones the closest.
Violet’s shampoo masked my scent, and—” “Stop talking. You’re telling me new information I can’t deal with right now. The fucking shampoo? I can’t. I just can’t. How she causes so many problems with such innocence…” I simply let the words trail off, unable to keep thinking about new things. Shampoo that masks a scent? From alphas? Damn that girl for being so ignorantly brilliant.
A growl tries to bubble out, but I swallow it down. My monster is more jealous and possessive than I am. The sight of her…really relieves and infuriates me. I certainly don’t want her seeing what this has done to me. Not when I’m this close to losing control. I need a damn minute— She drops the trench coat she’s donning, and my mind goes blank. She fidgets awkwardly, tugging at the lacy ends of the very scandalous black lace number she’s wearing, complete with garters and stockings. The negligee is mostly transparent, revealing her scanty, devious underwear. She came to seduce me?
Take her. Claim her. Mark her. Devour her.
Take her. Claim her. Mark her. Devour her.
Free me. Free me. Give her to me. My arms go around her, and I fight the urge to rip the daring little outfit from her delectable, tempting body. I can’t make myself release her. This isn’t going to end well. Give her to me.
I fight to keep my monster in check. It’s too close to the surface in my weakened state, and it really does want to claim her.
This never happened with Idun. Violet soothes me all the way down to the worst part of me, while baiting my monster to the surface too easily. I’ve been in control for well over a thousand years. Violet shatters a male’s control without even meaning to.
My fingers dig into her hips, and I glance down to where our laps meet. She smells so good. I want to taste every inch of her body. Free me.
She’s vulnerable. Claim her. Free me. Take her. Mark her. Devour her.
But she runs when I’m insensitive. She’s young. She’s weaker than she realizes. She’s naïve. She’s far too trusting. Claim her before another does.
I’ve seen her cry. I’ve seen her nearly hyperventilate. I’ve seen her leap off mountainsides in a panic. I’ve seen her take everything, and still feel confident enough to stand tall and tackle the next major thing. Time after time. I’ve seen her overestimate herself more times than I can count. I’ve also been stupefied by how much I’ve underestimated her just as many times. This is the first time I’ve truly seen her question what she’s capable of.
My control is slipping. I can’t push her away. I can’t seem to stop touching her. It’s too late now. If she tried to run, the monster would break free and give chase. Possibly traumatize her and leave her to hate me for all eternity, even after I’ve claimed her as mine. Free me.
