Gypsy Truths (All The Pretty Monsters Book 6) Read online

  Gypsy Truths

  All the Pretty Monsters

  Book 6

  C.M. Owens writing as

  Kristy Cunning

  Copyright 2019 Kristy Cunning

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without express written permission of the author. This eBook is licensed for your enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people.

  The story in this book is the property of the author, in all media both physical and digital. No one, except the owner of this property, may reproduce, copy or publish in any medium any individual story or part of this novel without the expressed permission of the author of this work.

  This entire series is a work of fiction and should not be looked at for historical accuracy. A vast amount of creative liberties have been taken to forge a world of fantasy and escapism. Almost all coincidences, names, and places are simply that—a coincidence.

  Table of Contents:

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter10

  Chapter11

  Chapter12

  Chapter13

  Chapter14

  Chapter15

  Chapter16

  Chapter17

  Chapter18

  Chapter19

  Chapter20

  Chapter21

  Chapter22

  Chapter23

  Chapter24

  Chapter25

  Chapter26

  Chapter27

  Chapter28

  Chapter29

  Chapter30

  Chapter31

  Chapter32

  Chapter33

  Chapter34

  Chapter35

  Chapter36

  Chapter37

  Chapter38

  Chapter39

  Chapter40

  Chapter41

  Chapter42

  Chapter43

  Chapter44

  Chapter45

  Chapter46

  Chapter47

  Chapter48

  Chapter49

  Chapter50

  Chapter51

  Chapter52

  Chapter53

  Chapter54

  Chapter55

  Chapter56

  Chapter57

  Chapter58

  Chapter59

  Epilogue Part1

  Epilogue Part2

  Note from the author

  Spoiler Room

  Where to find me

  Violet’s put-a-pin-in-it notes:

  What does Pandora have to do with me, and how much does it change my story? How much does it play into what’s going on right now?

  How can I curse someone? Is that not a thing anymore? I mean, is anyone still doing that, or is that a thing of the past because everyone’s grown at least a sliver of a conscience? Do you have to slaughter a chicken or something else equally traumatizing in order to deliver a nasty curse? I want to curse Idun. Maybe I’m more Portocale than I realized.

  Why is everyone just now questioning Anna? Is it that hard to believe a ghost came back from her second death? It’s not that farfetched.

  Emit’s my mate.

  Emit’s my mate and I’m weirdly happy, but also really unsure how to be a wolf’s mate, so I’m nervous. I’m not sure why I’m writing this here, but I’m smiling like an idiot as I do it. It’s stupid to feel this good about such a rash, very cosmically binding decision, but I can’t help it.

  I wish I could sword fight just so I could make Vance feel like an idiot long enough to listen to me sometimes. He’s simply too smart for me to argue with, because he knows so much more. Again, I’m not sure why I’m writing this here.

  Arion…

  Onto more important things. I need to learn more about the guys, because Arion is threatening to make me his bride, and Emit’s already mated me. How do you find out your mate’s middle name without looking like a jackass for not already knowing it? How do you find out a little about his family, without looking like you may should have asked these questions a little sooner?

  I’ve been so caught up in Idun and my finding my purpose, that I sort of skipped over the typical dating stuff. I did the same thing they did and jumped ahead to relationship mode.

  I suck at this too, apparently.

  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.

  On another note, life has gotten entirely confusing, and all the details are starting to sound like noise. With all the complicated histories, disturbing betrayals, and constant alpha posturing, I forgot I was the girl who only wanted the gist. The rest I make up as I go.

  The details belong to a past I wasn’t ever a part of. The past has no place in the future. I finally know what I want to do, and no longer care what I’m supposed to do.

  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.

  Dear Reader,

  This book is actually the size of two books. Just a warning. It could have been split, and I apologize if you prefer smaller books, but hopefully you’ll enjoy the long finale. <3

  PROLOGUE

  When Marta Portocale rose from the dead…

  VIOLET

  “Okay, we finally have a moment completely alone, since Idun has them in a full panic. Start talking,” I tell my mother, while crossing my arms over my chest and giving her the sternest look I can muster.

  “Not now, Violet, I’ve—”

  “I put a pin in it, but that pin is popping out. I’m generously offering you a chance to explain yourself, because I love you and trust you. But you owe me the truth. I’ve waited long enough, because you sure have kept a whole lot from me,” I tell her, my voice growing shaky toward the end, as tears cloud my eyes.

  She exhales harshly, and her shoulders sag in defeat.

  “I’ll tell you what I’ve figured out so far. My late brother and cousins tormented BoBo, and it escalated to the point where they damn near killed him. When he was on the brink of dying, he panicked, and his survival instincts kicked in. He killed them, and you retaliated by hanging him and destroying his family’s name, as well as painting an even bigger target on all the Simpletons. How am I doing so far?”

  “So far, you’re being incredibly insensitive…but fairly accurate,” she says on a long, exhausted breath.

  “Tension gathered, fear grew pretty suffocating, and before you knew it, war broke out. You got vicious. They got vicious. Idun got worse than everyone because she wanted at the top of the food chain,” I carry on.

  I pause, waiting for her to comment.

  She narrows her eyes. “Don’t oversimplify this many centuries of history. Just because you have no emotion tied to the topic, it doesn’t mean I’m not still emotionally invested.”

  “Maybe that’s why you’re tired all the time. You keep clinging really hard to every grudge collected over the centuri
es. Dad always said you were going to die young if you kept doing that to yourself.”

  She snorts. “Your father stopped saying that once I showed him the difference between an immortal and a human. He’s also still terrified to come too close to me. Clearly, the real me is even more intimidating than the watered-down version of myself,” she grumbles, glancing away from me, as her cheeks turn pink.

  “Don’t be cute right now,” I scold, pointing a finger at her. “Seriously, Mom. You kept all of this a secret. Why?”

  She sighs harshly.

  “The other day, when your pests were watching us inside the soundproof box, I told you Pandora visited me the night I took hold of Marta’s body. I woke up to spot her, just as she was leaping out the window,” she confesses.

  “Stop rehashing. You’re just stalling,” I tell her.

  She goes quiet, and I glare at her.

  “You also said Pandora hated you so much that she sided with Idun. Why would she let you keep a child you weren’t supposed to be able to carry?” I prompt.

  She shrugs, not looking at me.

  “Mom…”

  “I couldn’t give two shits about what she was up to,” she says without looking at me. “You’re my daughter. I decided what was best for you, and it had nothing to do with Pandora. For all I know, she was just simply spying. She does that a lot.”

  “I need to understand why you kept this colossal secret from me. I mean, this is pretty big. I’m trying to remain rational, but it’s all I can do not to hate you for this.”

  She slants her gaze to me.

  “Hate me if you must. But if I had to choose, I’d do it all over again just to keep you from Idun’s clutches,” Mom says with a hollow tone.

  That has me calming my temper a little.

  “I went back and forth on bringing you out to Shadow Hills,” she says as she looks away. “I couldn’t tell you were a monster, Violet. Not until you were thirteen and there was no denying it. I knew you were certainly not going to be human, but honestly, all I wanted to do was love you and protect you for your whole life.”

  “So why come to Shadow Hills if you wanted to keep it all a big secret? Why even put the place on my radar?” I ask her.

  “I couldn’t help but wonder if they’d notice. I needed help figuring out what to do, because you simply couldn’t stop searching for answers, and it was consuming you,” she gripes.

  “How am I possible? Why have you always called me the perfect storm?” I ask her, leaning forward.

  “I’m not telling you,” she chirps, smiling over at me.

  My jaw grinds. “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t trust you with this information. You’re too young, impatient, headstrong, and stubborn. For now, why don’t you tell me how you can stand four of the worst monsters alive touching you without recoiling?” she growls. “Since we’re pulling pins out of things.”

  “Maybe because my mother left me super desensitized to everything, since she wanted me open-minded enough to one day forgive her for the fact she’s been a pretty ruthless monster. Also, I’m sure you wanted me to forgive myself, fairly easily, for the lives I took during my panics. I really enjoyed killing that one time, back when I apparently scared you—the night I lost my head. I’m not appalled too easily. Sad, but true.”

  My elbows prop up on the counter, and I gauge my mother’s reaction to that confession. There’s no fear in her eyes.

  Did I only imagine it in the past because I assumed she feared me?

  “You’re not afraid of me, are you?”

  She snorts, and then she doubles over with laughter. “Why on earth would I fear you?”

  “Because I’m a really powerful and scary monster!” I gripe. “I’ve lived with that as a burden, and you’re laughing, yet have the audacity to call me insensitive!” I say, my voice growing louder and louder.

  She laughs twice as hard.

  My mother is a huge asshole.

  She sighs as her laughter tapers off, and she looks over at me, smiling almost sadly.

  “I’m sorry. You’re right. You’re a powerful, scary monster. Tell me, how silly do you feel knowing what you really are?” she muses.

  I bristle, because now that I think about it, I do feel sort of silly. I’ve been terrified…of a monster everyone else mocks as weak.

  It’s a bit surreal.

  “I really am soft by comparison to all of you, aren’t I?” I mumble, starting to feel sillier, now that I realize they patronize the hell out of me.

  “You’ll never have an ounce of respect from the four of them,” she says softly. “They only respect strength. They’ll coddle you, placate you, and treat you like a glass doll. I know better than to think that’s the way you want to be treated. They’re not going to let you be you, Violet. They’re going to treat you like a woman who needs soft gloves and gentle care.”

  “Are you saying they’re out of my league in the monster realm?”

  “I’m saying you’re in a different league altogether. A good beta, who respects and enjoys being a beta, will be the perfect male for a girl like you. Someone on equal footing, and someone who can appreciate your softer attributes, without seeing them as weaknesses,” she supplies, speaking like this is great wisdom.

  I narrow my eyes on her. “You spent years begging me to be a dirty slut, and now that I finally am, you’re trying to make me single.”

  She narrows her eyes back on mine.

  “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 really are a bitch, aren’t you?” I ask her very seriously.

  “No, I’m a monster. I’ve lived for too many centuries to even keep up with the numbers anymore. I’ve lived through fire and ice hells. I’ve watched the world constantly change its mind about right or wrong. I’ve watched egos bounce back and forth, to the point where nuclear war is threatened because of an insulting mouth or two. I’m a jaded, hardened, seasoned monster, who knows more about war than any soldier in any human army. Just like all of them,” she says, her eyes staying fixed to mine.

  She reaches out, taking my hand in hers, and gives me a pitying look.

  “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.”

  This conversation started with me having her on the ropes. It’s ended with me on the ropes instead.

  She’s not telling me a whole lot, because she’s sure deflecting damn hard.

  Instead of saying anything, I give her the final word, and she leaves, likely feeling satisfied.

  A ghost I’ve not seen in a while pops through the wall, and I startle. It’s that weird guy the triplets introduced me to.

  “Why did you start ignoring me?” he gripes.

  “Why did you start stalking me?” I counter, feeling defensive.

  His eyes level mine. “If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it’s meant to be.”

  I blink. Rapidly.

  “What?”

  He shrugs. “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.”

  He turns and starts walking away, and I sigh harshly.

  “Did you seriously stalk me just to eavesdrop and offer unsolicited advice?” I ask him.

  “Of course not,” he says over his shoulder. “I stalked you because you started ignoring me. I don’t like to be ig
nored.”

  With that, he disappears.

  “Why couldn’t I have been a normal girl who played with Barbies?” I whimper, as I slide down the wall and shut my eyes.

  A weird smile suddenly stretches across my lips. Then again, since I met the four of them, I’m starting to love being a monster. You know, when it isn’t a pain in the ass.

  Chapter 1

  Now…

  VIOLET

  Dorian Gray is in my office, alone with me, and smiling like he’s planning to do something that will prompt my monster to break free. I really don’t trust my monster enough to let it loose in a houseful of Simpletons it could rip apart, after I’ve promised to keep them all safe.

  I end up backing into my desk so hard I bump a few papers off, and Dorian grins down at the bottle of apple shampoo in his hands.

  “This stuff is quite remarkable. Did you know it masks a person’s scent?” he asks me, looking up to meet my gaze.

  Swallowing thickly, I tune out my mother’s voice in my head. She said to take the apple products off the shelf. She told me not to grow the apples. She said it’d be used against me.

  I have no sense of smell. It’s not like it affects me one way or another.

  But the guys won’t know he’s here if—

  “To be honest, I didn’t believe it when Idun first told me such a thing. I thought she was setting me up for my younger brother to destroy me for coming to take his potential Flame away,” he tells me, using far too casual of a tone, while placing the bottle on the desk.

  He’s eerily similar to Damien, but when Damien says stuff like this, it’s a turn-on. When Dorian says it, my skin crawls.

  “You can’t be in Sanctuary without—”

  “I’ve read your book quite thoroughly, Violet Carmine,” he says as he grins broader. “By the way, they can’t hear us in here, so speak freely. The sound-trapping illusion is a specialty of mine. Damien was never quite as good at working the audio as well as he does the visual. I do have to hand it to him for being a master of visionary illusions, though.”