The Vampire Princess and the mate curse

Chapter 3

-PIPPA-

Kris slammed the brakes hard, trying to send whatever had landed on the roof flying forward.

Too late.

Metal screeched as the intruder tore through the van’s roof like it was flimsy aluminum foil. The beast dropped inside in an instant, hitting the floor with a deafening thud.

My body jerked like I’d been hit with a live wire, every instinct screaming before my brain even caught up. I didn’t need to look up.

I already knew.

Nobody else carried that kind of raw, bone-deep force. Nobody brought a reaction so intense from my body.

Helios.

He crouched in his wolf form, massive and imposing, his golden fur darkened under the van’s dim glow. His green eyes locked onto mine, and suddenly, it was like the world tilted on its axis.

And I saw all the emotions underneath those blue-green orbs. First, relief—warm and fleeting. Then, something softer, something almost tender. But it didn’t last.

Because right after that came the fire.

Rage. Power. The kind of energy that crackled in the air and made my pulse hammer against my ribs. His presence wasn’t just overwhelming—it was consuming. Unstoppable.

I could barely think past it.

The van hadn’t even come to a full stop before his wolf lunged at Dustin, driving him to the floor with brutal force. For half a second, I felt pity.

Only half.

Then I remembered his revolting words. His kicks. His hands on my skin.

Good riddance.

I scrambled to my feet as Kris and Will fumbled with the doors, desperate to escape. But Kris wasn’t getting away that easily. I caught her just in time, slamming her head into the windshield with bone-rattling force. Stunned but still conscious, she turned, sharp claws flashing, swiping at me with a vicious sideways strike.

I twisted, dodging, then looped an arm around her neck, locking her into a chokehold. In the front of the van, she thrashed wildly, clawing at my grip, her strength fueled by desperation. But it didn’t matter.

Within seconds, she went limp.

She wasn’t dead. Not yet. I needed her alive.

Even if she was just a pawn, she might hold the key to uncovering who had sent them. And I would get my answers.

I tossed her lifeless body into the driver's seat and left the van to find Will on the side of the road. But Helios' wolf was already attacking him, its massive maw clamped around his neck. With a sickening sound, it broke.

I let out a sharp exhale, forcing myself to steady my breathing. My eyes fluttered shut for a brief second, just long enough to push away the lingering shock. When they opened, Helios was right there in front of me, already back in his human form.

His eyes roamed over me, scanning every inch, like he was searching for an answer my words couldn’t give. His breaths came quickly, uneven, but his voice still cut through.

"Are you okay?"

His brow was drawn tight, fists clenched at his sides, a muscle twitching in his jaw. I knew that look. If he caught even the faintest sign that I was hurt, he’d turn back to Will and Dustin’s lifeless bodies and kill them all over again. And again.

"I am," I said, pulling up a small, easy smile to lighten the air. "Thanks for coming, but you didn’t have to. I was about to take them down."

A single step, and suddenly I was in his arms. Strong hands pulled me close, locking me into a bear hug I melted into instantly. My head found his chest, and the steady hammering of his heartbeat drowned out everything else.

"Goddess, princess," he breathed. His grip tightened, like the thought of me being taken still hadn’t settled in his bones. "As if I was going to stand down. How did they even manage to get you?"

I stood there, letting his warmth settle over me for a moment before I answered. "They crashed into my car and injected me with a mix of wolfsbane and vervain. They took me off guard because I was still shaken from the crash, so it hit me hard."

His whole body went rigid. His head tilted back, like he was trying to keep himself together.

"They injected venom in you?"

Helios’ gaze snapped back at mine, and suddenly, worry seeped into every crack of his expression. "Tell me the truth, Pippa. How are you really feeling?"

The use of my name made my chest tighten. He never called me that—not unless it was important. He always stuck to "princess", knowing how much I hated it, just to get a rise out of me.

I let my lips tilt up in a smirk. "I told you, I’m fine. I was only out for a few minutes before my vampire blood burned through the wolfsbane. And vervain does nothing to me."

His hand lifted to my face, fingers brushing against my skin as he tucked a stray lock behind my ear. Sparks danced along my cheek where he touched—tiny, electric reminders that I was caught in his gravity again.

His eyes softened, pulling me in, trapping me in that invisible force field I could never escape.

Kiss me.

The thought screamed through my mind just as he parted his lips to speak.

"I..."

But before the words could form, a sudden presence shattered the moment.

"I can't believe you guys. You took everyone down already? You couldn’t leave any fun for me?"

Dawn strode up, her form shifting back to human as she approached. Her voice held its usual tease, but I barely heard it over the frustration curling in my chest.

"I run fast, Helios, but you? You were nuclear!"

Helios stepped away, and just like that, the warmth was gone. "They were too weak, Dawn. You didn’t miss much. There’s still one alive, though."

He gestured toward the slumped body inside the van.

Dawn moved to step closer, but I cut her off. "No. I want this one alive. She led the others. If we get her talking, we might get some information about her boss."

"Pretty pleeease…" she whined, batting her long lashes over bright blue eyes. "Last ones I took down were those two rogues in our pack borders last month!" Her gaze turned wild, that familiar psycho glint flashing in her eyes. "And before your parents arrive. They’ll be here any second now."

"My parents are coming?" I asked, searching the pitch-dark sky for any sign of them. But I couldn't see a thing.

"Oh yeah. And they’re bringing half of Petru’s coven with them." She sighed. "Daddy lost it when he found out his little girl was taken."

"How did you guys even know?" I asked.

"Oh, you know. Little brother here couldn’t sit still because you weren’t showing up." She jabbed a thumb toward her brother. "No matter what I said, the guy was useless until I agreed to go looking for you."

"Good thing we did," Helios muttered through clenched teeth. “We found your car on the road, crashed into another, about a mile from the restaurant. No one was inside, but we hacked a traffic surveillance camera that caught three people shoving you into a van.”

"We called your parents, but headed in the direction you took before they got there. Helios was losing his mind, driving like a lunatic. When we finally spotted the van, he stopped the car and shifted, leaving me behind.” She shot him a glare. "You always have to be first. It’s been that way since we were born."

"It’s not my fault you’re slow." Helios shrugged, and Dawn flared her nostrils.

"Guys, enough," I interrupted. If I let them go on, we’d be here for hours. "Look, my parents are here!"

Right on cue, my Mom and Dad descended, their huge wings slicing through the night sky before landing just in front of me. My mom was the first to reach me, her hands frantic, searching for any signs of injury.

"Sweetheart," her hug crushed me. "Are you okay?"

"Let her breathe, and she will be, little eagle. She’s about to pass out!" my father joked. But his eyes were sharp, his relief overshadowed by lingering tension.

He came closer, fingers threading through my hair, before pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

"I'm okay, guys. Stop fussing."

"I hope you killed every single one of those f.uckers," my Dad said, his voice heavy with the promise of wrath.

"Helios did. I knocked one out, but let her live—for interrogation," I answered, gesturing toward the van. "Help me restrain her with silver chains. I don’t want to take any chances."

They followed me to the van’s driver seat.

But what we found was not how I left Kris.

Her body was slumped back, her mouth slightly open, eyes vacant and hazy. In her open hand sat a syringe—but it was empty.

She had made the ultimate sacrifice to protect someone. Or something. But what secret was worth dying for?

And just like that, we had even more questions than answers.