Gypsy Truths (All The Pretty Monsters #6)- Kristy Cunning Page 0,3

without the curse in effect,” he says as he taps his chin, dramatically feigning deep thought.

When his cold gaze returns to me, he winks.

“By law, I’m allowed to use your body to set me free from a curse that prevents me from doing my duties to their fullest extent. Not even Sanctuary has a law to stop it.”

His eyes rake over me very deliberately, as he pauses for dramatic suspense.

“Turn around and put your hands on the desk. Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Even if you later hate yourself for how much you’ll enjoy it. My brother will certainly hate you for loving every second of it,” he continues, his dark smile stretching wider.

My knee slams up, prepared to collide with his balls, but I’m suddenly against the wall and he’s coming down on my back, wrenching my arm behind me so hard and fast that I cry out in surprise.

“Scream for me, Violet Carmine. Nothing would please me more,” he whispers.

My heartbeat starts to drop almost immediately, ready to release the monster, regardless of the consequences. But images are suddenly hammering through my mind, and a scream really does tear free from my throat, as thousands of knives start stabbing me from all directions, feeling so real it’s nearly unbearable.

“You seem to be immune to seduction. Even untrained, your mind is surprisingly hard to manipulate. I’ve tried and failed with you before. See, you have this natural wall in place. I’m sure, once Damien properly fed a few times, and actually put forth some genuine effort, he wiggled his way through those cracks, because they’re easy to find. I needed more time, more privacy, and a proper feeding to break through. Prepare to feel the true, dominating, painful strength of a Morpheous,” he says against my ear. “Or enjoy every fucking second of it. Your choice.”

My heartbeat won’t lower, because the knives keep making it pick up every time they stab, as though he fully prepared to keep it beating too fast.

Damien. He can seduce me and do freaky things in my head, as well as to my body. Damien has more power over me than this, and I’ve fought him back before. Back when he didn’t feed much…

The pain acts like a stimulant, halting any thoughts, and tears start leaking from my eyes when I start seeing visions of him undoing my clothes. The knives stab me again when I try to lower my heartbeat.

“This is going to be the most fun I’ve had in centuries,” he says around his laughter.

The phantom knives stab me harder the next time, as the images of him undressing me continue.

He jerks my head to the side, running his nose along my cheek, as the knives draw another scream out of me in a way not even Idun managed to do.

Strings whir through the air, but I feel a phantom barrier blocking them from reaching me no matter how hard I strain.

“I’m prepared for that as well, tricky gypsy girl. Now that I know all your tricks, I know how to be the perfect counter measure,” he assures me with a lot of pride. “I’m an alpha, sweetheart. Surely you know what that word means by now.”

As the knives sting me again, forcing my heartbeat way up, I cry out in even more pain, feeling too much of it with such an active heartbeat.

He gives me no reprieve between stabs, and smiles against my ear, as he tells me, “I can’t wait to see what all the fuss is about.”

Another scream tears free from my throat, as Dorian Gray manipulates my senses. The pain from thousands of blades that feel like they’re piercing my skin from the inside-out only intensifies the faster my heart beats in response.

I can’t…I can’t make it stop. I can’t.

It only hurts worse and worse, and tears spring from my eyes, as I struggle to call for my threads once again, desperately trying to rip the head off the snake so all the illusions stop.

“I’m rather tired of the screaming now. Maybe you should be choking,” Dorian says with sadistic amusement.

The taste of iron and copper fill my mouth, or at least it feels like it does.

“You like vampires so much that one can only assume you’d be okay with choking on blood. Right?” he asks, laughing as my mind struggles to separate illusion from reality.

“Damien is believed to be the strongest, but I’ve spent a great deal of years mastering the art of manipulating all