Van

For the second time in less than a day, Van woke in an unfamiliar place. She stared at the gauzy canopy above her and tried to recall at exactly what point she had become a damsel in distress. At least she didn't think she passed out from shock this time, and she confirmed that when she tried to sit up. Pain raced through her side, making her teeth clench. Lifting her shirt exposed a white bandage wound around her rib cage.

"Be careful."

Her neck twisted to follow the voice. "Isaiah."

Bruises mottled his dark brown skin, and they had shaved his long auburn hair off, revealing a scar running from the side of his head to just above his left eye. The right eye remained as bright and blue as before, but the damaged eye was clouded and unfocused.

"You don't sound happy to see me," he said with all of his usual arrogance plus a hard edge not present before.

He stretched before walking around the bed with a noticeable limp. He wore the uniform of Slayer red, and a gun rested on his hip. She scuttled out of his reach as he lowered himself onto the mattress. The movement lit a fire in her side, but she would burn before she let him touch her.

"So nervous." He didn't reach for her, but his gaze felt like an intrusion. "Do you have something to be nervous for?"

"I thought you'd fallen out of favor when you almost killed me in a car accident."

"True. I made a miscalculation, and I paid dearly for it." He gestured at the ruins of his body. "So I doubled down. You can't go any lower than rock bottom, so it was an acceptable risk."

Van's toes curled under, and her breath became uneven as she waited for him to continue. There was no point in rushing him. Isaiah resembled a movie villain with his need to grandstand before pouncing on his victim. Only this time, she was afraid there was no last-minute salvation in store for her. Not if the memories slowly returning to her were accurate. The devastation of the farmhouse. Her mother fighting off Slayers. The sudden fear that she might have lost her mother after finding her again nearly blinded her, but she fought hard to keep the emotion out of her expression.

"There were rumors swirling about that you and the Brooks boy were friendly. A classmate saw you playing mini golf with him one evening, and shortly after, you showed up at school. I thought perhaps the revelation of who and what you are would cure you of your need to mix with the animals, but then that evening at the diner, I could see the anger mounting in you when I talked about the shifters. If you'd just kept your pretty little mouth shut, the accident would have never happened."

"Excuse me-"

"Shh," he said, throwing his finger over her lips. "A man is speaking."

Nearly gagging, she opened wide and dragged his finger inside her mouth. A lecherous gleam blazed through his eyes, the truth of her intentions sinking in only a moment before her teeth did. Coppery liquid soaked her tongue, and she felt bone before he ripped his hand free.

"You little bitch," he raged, looking down at his torn finger.

She gave him the middle finger, taunting him with its perfection, before she wiped the blood dribbling down her chin. "Didn't your mama ever teach you to look with your eyes and not with your hands?"

"You'll pay for that."

The bedroom door opened, and Abe walked through, ending any chance of payback. He leveled a stern look at the young Slayer, and Isaiah bowed while hiding his hand behind his back. But the Supreme's attention returned quickly to his daughter, causing him to miss Isaiah's respect transforming into malice.

"Vanessa," Abe said, taking her hand in his. Using her full name always rankled, but now, hurt mingled with the irritation. She'd been so foolish to let her guard down.

"Where am I?"

"You're at the estate my family built when they settled in the area. Chateau Lumiere is what we've always called it, though I think it's a little stuffy sounding." His tone strove for something between light and tender, but all she heard was insincerity.

"And why am I here? How did you find me?"

Abe moved back and leaned against the wall. In his bespoke suit, with his arms crossed over his broad chest, he looked out of place against the pink, tea rose wallpaper. His gaze lingered on her injury.

"We rescued you from the infidels. Isaiah informed us that someone had kidnapped you. We expected to find you locked away somewhere. If I'd known you were in the main part of the house, I never would have ordered such a direct hit."

"Thank goodness they had you chipped," Isaiah said.

"What?" she shrieked. Her skin grew splotchy, and her vision blurred.

"Isaiah," Abe growled, while holding out a hand to calm his daughter.

"How could you?"

"It was to keep you safe, and we only activated it when we were told they took you."

"I can't even... And did you somehow forget that he almost killed me?" she shouted.

"Isaiah has paid penance for his behavior, but you shouldn't hold someone accountable for the mistakes they make forever. Especially not when it resulted from youthful foolishness. Not to mention his intel not only saved you but led us to an enemy hideout. We captured a Protean. A full-blooded one according to the tests, and as soon as it shifts back into something more human, it will tell us where the others are."

Isaiah stepped forward, his body vibrating with excitement. "We should go back, Sire. Strike while they're weak from our attack. We should have brought more than two in."

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, Slayer Isaiah, but our primary goal was the retrieval of my daughter. Your intel didn't inform us of the numbers they had, and we weren't prepared to do more than what we did. No doubt they've moved on or have called in reinforcements. Remember what happens when we act in haste."

Van sank back into her pillow and ignored the conversation between her father and Isaiah. Her mother was still alive, and Abe didn't know her identity. Whether her mother could remain in another form without effort, she didn't know, and she had to push back frustration as it rose to overwhelm her. If only she'd been told the truth when she was younger, she might be able to formulate a solid plan for escape, but then again, they might not be in this mess if she'd known the truth sooner. She would never have trusted Abraham Van Helsing.

"Vanessa, are you feeling up for a brief walk? The doctors say it's best for you to walk around as soon as possible. They were quite pleased by the speed of your healing. I must say, even I have never had a wound close up so quickly. You'll barely have a bruise by morning at this rate."

She grimaced at the pride in his voice. What would he think if he knew her speed healing resulted from her Protean genetics? Would he lock her in a cage? Experiment on her? Or have mercy and kill her on the spot?

"So no one else was hurt?" she asked, gently climbing from the bed. Abe was right. The intense pain faded with every moment.

"Why are you concerned about the infidels?" Isaiah asked. The question was smooth, designed to tip her hand and reveal her treachery.

But Abe offered her an out before she could speak. "Isaiah, you know my daughter wasn't raised among us. She has a soft heart like her mother."

She leaned on her father and smirked at Isaiah. "Yep, big old softy. That's me."

"If you're curious whether or not Luca Brooks was hurt, the answer is no.

"He wasn't seen at the place." Isaiah wouldn't give up.

"Why would I be worried about Brooks? I didn't see him when they threw me into the car." She sagged against her father in relief. Luca was safe. Now, she might as well play along with the kidnapping angle since Isaiah had so kindly provided a cover story.

They were in a narrow corridor now, the only lighting provided by dim, flickering sconces on the walls. A threadbare runner covered the wooden floors, and the air smelled of must. Her father kept an arm around her waist while Isaiah followed two steps behind.

They took a left turn at the end of the hallway, went down a set of polished stairs, and stopped in a well-appointed parlor. The floral theme from her bedroom continued in here, covering the walls and furniture. Abe directed her to an overstuffed chair that looked as if it should be very comfortable only to find herself wondering if they stuffed it with cement.

"My grandmother redecorated the house when she married into the family, and my father found it too painful to change anything after she died. I never cared to be bothered with it, but if you'd like to make changes, we could talk about it," Abe said, perching on the edge of a table.

"Gabby didn't want to redecorate?" she asked.

"Gabriella has never been to this house. In fact, very few people are aware of its existence..." Abe loosened his tie and sighed. "I thought we had grown beyond this game. We were getting along."

Until I found out everything you told me was a lie.

"If it's because of what happened earlier, I'm sorry. I needed to take care of things, and I thought you were safer. I would have never sent you away if I'd known they would make a move on you in retaliation. That's why it's so important to make an example of traitors like Tommy, Vanessa."

This game grew tiresome, so she pushed her luck, hoping Isaiah's presence wouldn't present a problem. The tears in her eyes were real when she said, "That's not why I was so angry. I thought we were getting closer too. I changed for you. I embraced school and training, and you couldn't even trust me. You didn't even tell me you were putting a chip inside of my body. How can I keep giving when you won't give me anything in return?"

"Are you serious? You're going to have everything because of who you are!"

"Isaiah, leave us."

"But-"

"Leave."

The Supreme remained silent until they were alone. Then he lowered himself to eye level with Van. "Let me show you I trust you."

"How?"

He held out his hand, helping her to her feet. "By showing you the truth about our family. It's time you meet The Countess."