Lucy
“I’m so happy for Eliza.” I say as the little pup in my arms sucks happily on a bottle.
“I have to say, I was astonished she’d applied to the university here, to study metallurgy of all things,” Grace says. “She’s going to do a master’s degree to complement her first degree in chemistry.”
“Wow,” I reply. “I’ve been a bit out of the loop with the group chat, clearly.”
“You’ve been busy.” Grace eyes my stomach. “I have to know…really…is it…Dominik’s?”
“Vampires can’t have children, you know that,” I scoff. “They turn humans into vampires. That’s sort of always been the way they…well…breed for want of a better word.”
“So?” Grace trails her gaze down me.
“So?”
“Who is the father? And just exactly when were you going to tell me all about you, your bump, and Dominik?”
All at once, I both seethe at Dominik for putting me on the spot with Grace, but at the same time, I welcome the opportunity to rip off the band-aid and get it over with.
“The father was some bloke I met on a one-night stand. A drunken fumble I can hardly remember, so much so, I almost blocked it out, meaning I’m far more pregnant than I thought.”
“That doesn’t sound like you, Lucy,” Grace says.
“Yeah, well, that’s not the only thing I’ve been keeping from you.” I dip my head, looking down at the little pup who is falling asleep but at the same time still wants his bottle. “I’m a vampire hunter. I come from a family of vampire hunters. And my uncle is the head of the Monster Force.”
I daren’t look up. I don’t want to meet Grace’s eyes.
After everything we’ve been through together.
Meeting each other by chance in a coffee shop when we first moved to London, her unfortunately falling for a complete and utter twat of a man and very, very nearly marrying him.
To finding her true love with Ferenc and having a family.
Everything has moved so quickly for her, and she is so damn happy, I don’t want to put it on her.
“The same Monster Force which came for Ferenc,” Grace clarifies.
My eyes are filled with tears. I nod and still don’t look up. “I was doing everything I could, legally, to stop him, Grace. I really was.”
“I know you were.” Her hand appears on my arm.
This time, I do meet her gaze, and it is filled with tears too.
“I am so sorry you had to deal with all of this on your own, Lucy,” she says. “All of it.”
“But…Ferenc?”
“I saw how hard you worked to help him and me. I know you had nothing to do with them taking him.” She looks over to where Dominik and Ferenc are talking. “That was basically all of his own making.”
“You don’t care I was a vampire hunter?”
“Care? I’m impressed you fit it all in! You seemed to work all hours as a solicitor.”
“I did. I was just expected to put in the night shift staking vamps,” I say as the pup’s eyelids droop and he finally lets go of the bottle.
“And now you’re with the biggest, baddest vamp of them all,” Grace says with a big grin. “Not that I blame you. If I didn’t already think Ferenc was sex on legs, Dominik would be on my radar. He certainly has an arse on him…”
“Oh my god, Grace,” I say with fake shock in my voice, carefully covering the pup’s ears so as not to wake him.
“I bet the sex is good. Has he bitten you yet? Has he drunk your blood? Have you drunk his?” Grace says animatedly.
“This isn’t the group chat, and you are not Lydia.” I laugh and sob in equal measure.
“I know, but I haven’t been able to talk about monster sex with anyone who actually understands it,” she gushes.
I am genuinely not sure this is a conversation I’m ready to have, and it’s with some relief I see Ferenc walking towards us with the third pup.
“Do you have a bottle?” he asks. “Zoli is hungry.”
Grace shuffles her pup and digs into her bag, finding another bottle and handing it to Ferenc. The pup yelps for his meal, and Ferenc stuffs it in his mouth, meaning the yelps stop and the feeding noises start.
“Lucy.” Grace curls her hand around my arm. “As long as you are happy, that’s the main thing. Nothing else really matters.”
“Even the vampire hunting?” I say with a sad laugh.
“You are a vampire hunter?” Ferenc asks. “Dominik has more taste than I thought.”
“I was a vampire hunter.” I look down at the pup cradled in my arms, sitting over my rounding stomach. “I don’t do it anymore.”
“Shame,” Ferenc grumbles. “Dominik could do with a good staking every now and then. Put him in his place.”
I can’t disagree. So, I don’t.
“I hear you are his consort.” Ferenc eyes me.
“I am. But I’m not a vampire if that’s what you were thinking.”
“I could scent you weren’t a vampire,” Ferenc says with a wolfish smile as Dominik appears behind him, looming over us in a very vampiric way.
“If you don’t stop talking about scenting my wife, I will have to cause you some injury,” Dominik says quietly.
Grace stares at me.
“His wife? You got married.”
I look at Dominik in confusion. “Vampires don’t marry. They take consorts.” I feel my brow crease. “Don’t they?”
“There’s so much you don’t know about vampires, little vampire hunter.” Dominik grins, happy to have the upper hand for a change.
“That might be the case, but I’m absolutely certain we haven’t got married,” I retort. “Honestly, we haven’t.” I turn to Grace. “You would have been invited.”
“I should think so too,” she huffs, but only slightly. “I think you’ve been keeping enough from me for the time being.”
I glare at Dominik for making this harder than it needed to be. He looks wholly unrepentant.
“Do you like my newest acquisition?” he asks Ferenc.
“So you bought the old place.” The werewolf looks around with interest. “I wondered who had outbid me.”
“You boys better be careful,” I say. “You’re running a severe risk of actually becoming legit businessmen.”
This time I get two snorts of annoyance rather than just the one.
Which is good. It means my work here is done.