The Vampire Princess and the mate curse

Chapter 2

-PIPPA-

The stench hit me first—rancid and overwhelming—just before the grimy floor smacked its salty, tangy slap against my tongue.

I lay sprawled, face down in the back of a moving vehicle, my body limp. The venom’s burn lingered, a bitter aftertaste clawing at my throat, but as strength seeped back into my limbs, every instinct screamed for me to stay perfectly still.

My mind, sluggish but sharpening, took stock of my surroundings. A van, perhaps the same one that was driving in front of my car earlier.

"Perse? Are you there?" My voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper. I reached for my Lycan, searching in the fog, and after a few beats, I saw her.

She rested in the quiet corners of my mind, weak but healing. Tentatively, I brushed against her beautiful chestnut fur. She let out a content whimper—small, but reassuring. She was okay.

The ride was rough, jostling over an uneven road. Dim lighting hinted that it was still night, and my nose picked up at least three distinct werewolf scents mixed into the pungent air.

"You're crawling, man! At this rate, we’ll get there next year," a voice barked from the front—gravelly, like he’d drowned his lungs in cigarette smoke. His scent was the worst of them, thick with ash and mold.

"We have to keep it low-key. Last thing I need is the cops sniffing around and finding the vampire princess knocked out in the back," a woman snapped from the driver’s seat, frustration sharpening her tone. Her voice was deep and rough, like someone nursing a bad cold. "How’s she doing back there, Dustin?"

A hard kick to my hip made sure I wasn’t too comfortable before he answered. "Still totally out. Flatter than Will’s limp d.ick."

"Shut the f.uck up," the driver—presumably Will—fired back. "I have zero complaints from that department, thanks."

"Oh yeah? Then why’d you try to grope the princess while she was knocked out? Vervain and wolfsbane didn’t make her any hotter, man—they just put her on the floor. She’s got fewer curves than a straight road in the middle of nowhere."

Jerk. My muscles tensed, instincts screaming to lunge and knock him flat.

But I held back, keeping my breathing deep as if I was still unconscious.

First, I needed to figure out who these people were and what they wanted with me. Then, I’d make my move.

My life wasn’t exactly thrilling. Even being a skilled fighter, I was just an instructor, not some battle-hardened warrior. No enemies, at least none I knew of. If I was being abducted, it had to be because of my father.

Even after twenty years of peace between vampires and werewolves, Petru Matei was still feared. Still hated. Someone was definitely using me to get to him.

The poison had done its job, knocking me out cold. Wolfsbane is toxic to werewolves and Lycans, weakening their blood, while vervain does the same to vampires. Apparently, they thought mixing the two would be enough.

What they didn’t realize was that my hybrid blood played by different rules.

My vampire side—straight from the vampire king himself—was far stronger than any ordinary vampire. Not only was I resistant to vervain, but my mixed blood completely canceled the effects of wolfsbane.

"Can you blame me? The girl is smoking hot. I’ve never been this close to a Lycan, even if she’s a hybrid. They’re way more athletic than werewolves. Just picture those long, toned legs wrapped around your waist, man..." Will’s voice dripped with sleaze, making my skin crawl.

I forced myself to stay still, though each second made it harder to stick to the plan and not break his jaw. Fortunately, the guy was not very smart. Otherwise, he'd already noticed my increased heartbeat.

"Pff. I’ve had better," Dustin scoffed. "Remember that redhead I hooked up with last week? Now that was hot. Not this giant princess doll with tiny boobs."

Perse snarled in my mind. She was fully awake by now and wanted nothing more than to rip his head from his shoulders.

Patience. This was a test of patience. My fingers twitched, the urge to lash out winding tight in my muscles. I counted at least ten different ways I could put him down in one hit.

"That was a dude, Dustin. Not judging your preferences, but you’re right, his boobs were bigger. Too bad they were fake," Will laughed, loud enough that even the woman in the front seat chuckled.

The laughter died down, and the woman’s tone turned serious. "Dustin, put on the thick gloves. Wrap her in silver chains before we arrive. The boss wants the girl packaged up like a Christmas present."

Silver chains? That changed everything. I had to rethink my plan—I couldn’t let them lock me down.

"Really, Kris? Do I have to?" Dustin whined, reluctant to handle something that could poison him too. "She’s practically dead, man." To prove his point, he drove his muddy boot into my ribs. Pain ripped through my torso, and I bit down hard on my cheek to keep from making a sound.

"Don't be a f.ucking pup!" Kris snapped from the front seat. Between Chip and Dale over here, she was the only one with a functioning brain cell. "The gloves will protect you. We’re halfway there, and we need to deliver the girl. The boss is meeting his buyer today—we don’t get paid until he does."

"That's bullsh.it!" Will snarled, his voice slicing through the hum of the moving van. "We did all the hard work, and he gets the bigger cut? I had to park my a.ss in the bushes for a whole f.ucking month just to watch the girl!" His breath came fast and ragged, like a rhino ready to pounce. "I say we keep the princess for ourselves—have some fun first—then sell her straight to the buyer."

"Yeah!" Dustin chimed in eagerly, a spark of excitement in his tone. His hand groped my b.utt, rough and possessive. I forced myself not to flinch. "Let's do it."

Perse growled in my mind, this time louder. She was about to break free.

"Easy, girl. We'll have our fun when we make them choke with their own hands," I told her. These guys had nothing useful I could learn. It was time to take them down.

"Shut the f.uck up!" Kris snapped, voice razor-sharp. "If we don’t hand over the girl, we’re dead. Will, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. If you bring it up again, I swear I’ll kill you myself. Now, Dustin—put the chains on her."

The van sped up. Kris was at a snapping point.

Dustin let out a sharp breath, moving near my head as he tugged on his gloves. The sound of leather tightening over his fingers sent a chill down my spine. He crouched at the back of the van, rummaging for the chains.

I had seconds to strike.

But before I could move, something slammed into the roof of the van with crushing force. A deafening roar ripped through the air, shaking the entire vehicle.