Blinded from the blast of fire through Eric's front window, I stumbled into the counter. Spilling my hot chocolate across the counter and down the cabinets, I slipped on the slickness while feeling for Eric beside me. Taking me by the arm he led me to the garage. I shook my head and motioned upstairs, to where my papers were, along with the crown and scepter. He sped up the stairs and returned a minute later with most of the important items in my bag, and with fresh clothes for me to change into.

I had kept the fire at bay for as long as possible waiting for him, but I was wearing out. We stepped through the door and slid into his Corvette as the door opened. I would miss my car if we weren't able to come back for it, but it was a small thing to lose compared to my life.

"Where is Pam?" I asked Eric, as he sped along the private street toward the gate. As the guard on duty noticed his car the gate began to open. Eric must have called upstairs, multitasking to save time and get us to safety.

"I sent her to Fangtasia after our consummation," he answered flatly. "We're going there now, and then we will plan on what to do next."

I couldn't argue, I had no real knowledge of the area or what would benefit us through this, so I sat quietly. I was still shaking slightly from the exertion of the night, and afraid of what had caused everything to turn around so suddenly. There were plenty of answers for what had happened, it could have been Freyda in a fit of jealous rage. It could have been cult members from the Fellowship of the Sun group with a pointed hatred of vampires. My most likely theory, however, was that my brother had found me, found us.

The one person in the universe that could strike fear into me without even being near me, and he was after me personally. Now he had multiple reasons for chasing me down, I had finally secured the throne of my home planet and had someone to rule by my side and protect me. These were all things my brother, Kayden had wanted and was unable to have. Yes, I do mean my brother had a burning desire for me, body and soul. It wasn't one of misplaced or inappropriate love though, it was one of hate and impudence. He wanted to corrupt me in every way possible to tear down my soul and make me helpless and weak.

Never again would I allow him that power over me, but I couldn't help trembling at the thought of facing him now. I was newly crowned and appropriated by my marriage only a short while before this. Although I seemed young to have these responsibilities thrust upon me, I was more than old enough to handle them, and I had run from them for too long.

As we arrived at Fangtasia, I quickly threw on my clothes in the car, leaving my sleepwear in the front seat. We had parked behind the club in the employee parking and were quickly swept in through the back door. I hadn't been into the club before, having only been in the state for about a month. The maze of back halls for liquor deliveries and other items led through to the front, but we turned before hitting the dance floor and loud music.

The hallway that led to Eric's office was small and dark, but the office was everything I had come to expect from him. A rich wood desk adorned the center of the back wall, and a low sleek couch sat against another wall. File cabinets and bookcases were on the other walls filled with books and knick-knacks. Behind the desk was an ancient sword hung with care above the seat that Eric now took. I had been deposited on the couch and Pam had come in and perched on the edge of Eric's desk while he typed furiously on his keyboard. The flurry of activity as we arrived had slowed and a few vampires flitted in and out of the office, delivering messages and information to either Pam or Eric. They openly stared at me, a new piece for Eric's collection is what I assumed the thought of me. I didn't care.

I openly stared back at them and quickly stopped receiving looks. I thought about what actions I would need to take, if I should contact the Elders or if they knew what had happened and were formulating a plan to assist me. I wouldn't be safe in Louisiana anymore, I probably wouldn't be safe in the country either. I had yet to travel the globe entirely, but I had a feeling I would start soon, but not for leisure or fun.

I could feel the tension as it built, a tight knot in my stomach, churning and undulating through me as Eric fretted over small details and large decisions. I hadn't paid much mind to the conversation in his office until the door was shut and it was only Pam, myself, and Eric left. I gathered that Eric was leaving Pam to run the nightclub in his absence and should he perish, as the full and outright owner, to do with it as she pleased.

I knew it was upsetting for her, and for Eric as well, but I admired his foresight considering the circumstances. I hated putting his family, his loved ones at risk because I was destined for something great that I hadn't ever wanted. The only family I had left I would never claim voluntarily and was determined to strip me of my power and dignity when they got the chance.

My brother, Kayden, wasn't the only person I was related to still living. My sister, Adria, was alive too, a fact I had kept from the Council of Elders during my rise to power. As far as I was concerned, she was no longer my sister, and whatever bond we had forged before our parents had fled, with me in tow, had evaporated from existence. It broke my heart thinking of how she had been changed if she even had a spark of her old self left. It wasn't something I could change overnight, or possibly at all. I had to move past her and focus on the people I had sworn to protect and help thrive, the people thousands of lightyears away with no clue they were still in danger.

"Tristan," Eric said to turn me from my thoughts. "Please, come sit with me."

I stood and glided to him, sitting on his lap at an angle in front of the screen so we could both see. Before me was a travel site and bookings for two, first class from New Orleans to Stockholm, with a stop in Newark midway. There was also lodging for us at world-class resorts and travel destinations in the country.

"Sweden?" I asked breathlessly. "Glass cabins to see the Northern Lights?"

"Yes," Eric said cautiously. "Do you like it?"

"I do, it looks beautiful," I responded earnestly. Even if we were running for our lives, we would be running in style. I should have known Eric would find the best place to hide, without hiding at all.

"Good, we're leaving first thing tomorrow evening. In the meantime, let us enjoy the rest of the night, my Queen," Eric finished, shutting off the screen and sliding me off his leg teasingly.

The phone rang and he picked it up immediately. It was the police calling to inform him about the damage to his home. He fibbed and made up an excuse about having been at work all night and the security guard at the gate had "accidentally" erased the footage of our getaway earlier. The damage was severe and they suggested finding other lodgings for the day. Whatever else they said, promises of finding the person or persons responsible, investigating further, I didn't hear.

Pam shuffled me out of the office and toward the bar, where a vampire provided me with alcohol immediately. Out in the rest of the club, I was surprised at the amount of people here. Many of them were women of all ages, dressed in varying degrees of fancy. Some were truly made up like I had been earlier that night, others just looked whorishly awful. There were a good deal of men too, there to boast about living on the edge and being dangerous for going to a vampire bar. It was comedic but superficial and I lost interest in people watching after the third drunken co-ed had tried, unsuccessfully, to detain Eric on his way to the bar where I still sat.

For all the dirty looks I was getting, I was thrilled that he found me so important, and fascinating. I had no reason to believe he had true feelings for me, I wasn't even sure of the feelings I had myself. We had been pushed together by a cosmic force, and for whatever purpose, we were stuck together until I found a way to rule my people without a secondary power at my side. It was something I had been fighting for since I found I would have to rule, or die disgracefully to be free of my wretched brother's plans.

The only trouble was I needed Eric beside me to rule until I could change the laws regarding a single ruler's sovereignty. If I didn't accomplish that soon, I might not get a chance to. I wasn't opposed to growing closer and forming a meaningful relationship with Eric, but I was wary. We both had our baggage and problems to face, alone and together, but if it came naturally I wouldn't fight it.

Eric slipped a hand around my waist and pulled me off the stool I was perched on. I moved closer to him, my drink forgotten and we slipped onto the dance floor. I wasn't much of a dancer, but Eric led me around the floor effortlessly. We maneuvered from fast and relentless to slow and sweet with the music's tempo. I clung for dear life when we whirled around the rest of the dancers and I still held fast as Eric directed me to the back of the club again.