Lucy
I’m groggy in the extreme, and my hands are bound uncomfortably behind my back as I lift my head to stare into the eyes of the Scotsman and a young woman with dark hair pulled back from her face and then spiked out in all directions, the tips a bright blue.
Her blue eyes blaze at me, ringed with kohl.
A wannabe goth. Well you’d have to be if you’re a vampire hunter…
right? The giant Scotsman is impassive, his arms folded over his broad chest.
The square box we’re in rocks gently from side to side, and there is the hum of tires against tarmac. We’re in a vehicle of some description, and we’re still moving. It would appear my tolerance of sedation has been of some assistance for a change.
“I need to pee,” I tell them.
“Then pee,” Goth girl says. “We don’t care.”
It would appear she’s been well and truly trained by my uncle.
“Ever smelt a pregnant woman’s pee?” I say evenly. “If not, this one is on you.”
I shift position. The Scotsman’s face has also morphed into something which suggests he does care about sharing the back of a van awash with piss.
I do my best to make a good peeing face, and he unfolds his arms to bang on the side of the van.
“She’s no pissing in here,” he growls at the goth girl.
“Pregnant piss smells like any other piss,” she sneers at him. “She’s playing us.”
I hear the van slow and come to a halt on some gravel.
“So what if she is?” the Scotsman says. “I’m not spending the next ten hours in here with the pair of ye.”
He reaches for me and grasps the front of my clothing, pulling me upright as he stands.
“And if she’s fucking around, she’ll find out why it’s a bad idea to piss me off.” He pulls me against him until my pregnant belly comes between us. “And then she’ll really know the meaning of pissing off.” He growls.
Delightful. I appear to have ended up in a parallel universe with Dr. Scottish Death and the goth tooth fairy as captors.
The back doors swing open and a man peers in. I recognize him as one of my uncle’s long-time minions, a weasely faced male called John with a bald patch and a suit which looks like it’s more patches than original fabric, and from the way he glares at me, I doubt I have a friend here.
“What’s going on?” he asks, his voice instantly grating on me.
“This one says she has to piss.” The Scotsman jumps out of the back with me still attached to his fist. “And so she’s going to piss.”
“What, here?” I stare at him. “I didn’t have any of you down as being into that sort of thing, but just goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover.” I swing around to present him with my backside. “Hands if you please, or are you going to pull my pants down for me?”
“The commander said not to release her,” John says.
“She’s fuckin’ pregnant. How far is she going to get?” Goth Girl says, walking around me and pulling a large hunting knife out of her belt.
It would appear in my absence, my uncle has had to resort to scraping the bottom of the psychopath barrel.
“If I wet myself, you’re still going to have to smell it,” I say, crossing my legs. “So, hurry up.”
“Fuck this. Let her have a pee and we need to get back on the road. If we don’t get to Würzburg before nightfall, the commander will have our hides. All of them.” John throws his hands up in the air and stomps off back to the driver’s door.
Goth Girl puts her hand on my shoulder and waves the knife in my face.
“Try anything and you’ll find I’ll fuck up your pretty face.”
“Oh, I’m terrified,” I say in a dull tone.
She reaches behind me, inserts the knife between my wrists, and pulls upwards, the zip-tie popping open.
“Go do your business,” she snarls.
I walk away from the pair of them down the side of the van. It’s a nondescript rental with German plates. The scent of the pine forest fills my nostrils, and from the level of the sun in the sky, it has to be around two in the afternoon. Which means I’ve been out for some time.
I feel sick to my stomach. Uncle is going to use me as bait for Dominik, and my vampire is going to come for me no matter what.
Without a backward look, I pull down my pants and squat with a sigh of relief.
I needed time to think, to find out as much information as I could, but I did also need to pee.
Pregnant lady’s prerogative. And frankly I’d do my business anywhere even if I wasn’t pregnant.
Given we’re heading for a Bavarian town, chances are we’re already in Germany.
Uncle was never keen on flying. He thought it was too easy for vamps to bring planes down by sending waves of bats into their engines.
Not that it ever happened, and given the time I’ve spent with Dominik, I doubt he’d ever do anything so cruel to innocent bats, but it was still a fear of his, hence the ground transport.
I give myself a shake and pull my knickers back up. Admittedly I don’t have a plan at this moment, but I do have an idea where Goth Girl keeps her knife, and it’s a step forward from earlier.
“Are you fucking done?” she calls out at me. “Because I fucking hate nature.”
“I bet you do,” I mutter under my breath, walking back to them. “Hope you enjoyed the show,” I call out to John as I pass by. “He was always keen on golden showers,” I say with a knowing wink at the Scotsman who actually blanches.
Goth Girl grabs my shoulders and spins me around, zip-tying my hands again before I’m shoved back in the van and they both get in.
Shame she didn’t check what happened to her knife. Its weight is nicely balanced up my sleeve, and once we get to our destination, I’ll need to act fast.
But then, despite everything my uncle ever said to me, I was the best vampire hunter in a generation. All I need to do is turn those skills to my advantage.
The Scotsman slams the van door and Goth Girl pounds on the bulkhead. The engine starts and we sway as the vehicle pulls away.
Next stop, freedom. The Van Helsing family is not going to take the one good thing I’ve got in my life. Dominik is my mate and that’s how it’s going to stay.