Chapter seven

Once Godric and Eric had left, I went back to my room. I seriously had no idea what to do now. I was at a loss.

I sat on the bed that whole night, having several true bloods and getting 'blood drunk'. It's where a Vampire takes a little bit too much sustenance and can't really cope with the nutrients. I knew I would have hell tomorrow night. But until then, I happily and drunkenly watched re-runs of the Simpsons, laughing hysterically at everything they did.

Someone called me suddenly and I reached over and fumbled for my rarely used mobile phone. It was an Iphone because I found the Vampire app very amusing. "Helllllooooooo?" I answered, thumping back down onto the bed.

"Nera? Are you okay?" Eric's worried voice filled the phone.

I nodded, then laughed after realising he couldn't see me. "Yes!" I hiccupped. I haven't hiccupped in centuries.

"What is wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing" I said, once again, hiccupping.

"Godric just stormed to the guest room stating that he couldn't believe you were happy" Eric explained.

"Godric can feel my emotions!" I gasped "Opps." Then I laughed. "Pay backs a bitch, huh?"

Eric suddenly understood "You've had too much blood" he said, shaking his head.

"Nah ah!" I stated, reaching for another bottle "I haven't had too much... yet"

He grumbled and seemed to have picked up another phone. "Bill, go to Nera, assure that she does not consume any more blood"

"Bill is coming to look after you. Then, I shall talk to him about bringing you here"

"NO!" I shouted, probably a bit too loud "You can't!"

"I can" He said angrily.

"Noooooo. I'm the boss. You can't do anything to me. I'm old Eric! I'm old enough to be your great great great great great great great great great granny!" I actually slurred. The only other time I got blood drunk was when Godric was particularly upset with me. Hey, I see a pattern coming on!

"Nera..." He sighed.

"I'm not coming to Shreveport" I said suddenly serious "Godric is there and I know he does not want me there." Then, the tears came "And God help me Eric, I will not cause him any more pain."

Someone knocked on my door. "Nera, its Bill... Eric sent me..."

"I know, I'm fine now Bill. Thank you anyway"

He seemed to believe me and went away rather quickly. "I'm fine Eric, I won't drink anymore. I'm heading to bed. Goodnight" I told him, hanging up before he could object.

I slept like a person who drank themself into a coma... oh wait, suppose I did...

When I woke up I did nothing but stay in bed, my head under the covers and my eyes closed tight. Vampire hangovers are the worst.

I left the hotel quickly the next night, once my hangover could be controlled. And quickly went and busied myself with buying a property, equipment and building, by hand and alone, my dream home.

But I grieved every night. I cried every night. I prayed for the forgiveness of the one man I could ever love.

Because it was true.

I loved Godric and no one else would be able to fill that hole.

...

A few years have passed now. It's been hard, knowing that Godric was somewhere out there, most likely with Eric at his bar, and unhappy with his life. It was also a constant pain in my heart, literally. His emotions were still so strong that they often kept me up at night, where I had nothing else to think of and the bond that was between us, made me feel what he was feeling.

I had built my dream home, created it with my own hands and now it was furnished and decorated with my belongings that were once collecting dust in the storage centres. That was the hardest, having to unpack a lot of stuff that either belonged to myself and Godric, or consisted of memories that involved him.

Suddenly, the phone that I had just recently connected and hung up on the kitchen wall rang. The thrilling tune made me get up in annoyance and answer it, only to stop the sound.

"Hello?" I said bluntly, moving the sit on the kitchen counter.

"Is this Nera?" Someone with a very familiar voice said.

"Yes, who is this?"

"This is Andre"

"Oh! Hi Andre, I thought I recognised your voice. How can I help you?" I asked nicely, but very curious as to why Andre would be calling me.

"I cannot tell you much over the phone, so you will have to make your way over here. But the Queen requests your presence immediately."

I frowned "And if I was to not come? You know I don't like her making people call me... she should call me herself!"

"If you do not come, she will have someone sent to bring you over."

"No one can force me to do anything Andre, tell me why I should come" I ordered.

"I cannot over the phone, but please know you are not safe there. Come, please, as soon as you can"

I told him I'd be there soon and packed a small bag. He had sounded very desperate and worried. Once that was done, I climbed into my car, a corvette, inspired by Eric's one, and drove towards Sophie's place.

I had been driving for over 3hours. Sure I could have run, but driving seemed like it'd be more fun. So I drove.

I was crossing an intersection of lights when it happened. A truck came smashing in behind me, making me fly through the windshield. I hadn't been wearing a seatbelt. I mean, what vampire wears a seat belt? Where supposed to be indestructible!

The moment I hit the floor, some people were surrounding me. And then... I was burning. Why was I burning? The sun wasn't out...

It hurt so bad that I began to black out. Oh right... Silver... how much fucking silver did they need to use?

I came back to the present and found myself locked in a truck, silver wrapped around me in thick heavy chains. It was burning so much! Every bump the truck made, made the silver rub against my skin, burning more than if it had of been stationary.

"Do you know why you are here?" Someone asked me.

I couldn't turn to see who it was. But I didn't care. The silver was hurting so much. "No!" I gasped.

The person laughed. "You'll find out soon enough"

Then, more silver was placed on me. How much more did they have!

I was breathing heavily. I knew my fangs were out and I knew that the steam rising from my skin was due to the stupid burning silver.

It was a few hours in the truck, but eventually, the hauled me out. Myself hissing, growling and kicking the captors in a chance to escape, knowing if they kept the silver on me, my energy will be gone very quickly and I will not be able to fight them off.

They shoved me down into a basement. "Who are you?" I shouted as they closed the door, leaving me in the dark.

Darkness was my safety. It was a place I could take refuge in, it was a safe haven from the sun... It was my home, until now. Now, for the first time ever... I was afraid.

Because I had no control over what was happening.

There have been very little situations in my long life where I have been absent of any control...

I didn't like it then and I don't like it now.

I wanted out.

It was a few days later that they came down. The basement was thick with the stench of my burning flesh and my skin itself had now been burnt down to basically nothing, it had taken on this odd greyish-purple colour and it was disgusting for even myself to look at. You could almost see the bone.

"What do you want from me?" I whispered from my spot on the floor. I was lying down now, too tired to sit up and try to support myself.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing from you. It is your child we want. We want Sophie dead and what better way than to bring her here, than trap her maker"

"It won't work. She won't come" I said determinedly, knowing full well that if I was in trouble, any of my children would come running. Oh wait, probably only Sophie now... Since I made one of them hate me.

"Oh but she will" the man said longingly "You see, many Queen's kill there makers once they hit royalty, to avoid this situation here. But you... you lived. Why?"

"Because I am loyal and loving to my child" I spat, leaning away from his gloved hands going to my burns. So he was a vampire!

He laughed "Yes. Sure. That's what you are to Godric"

"Leave him out of this" I growled, pushing myself up into a sitting position.

"Why not, don't you want to talk about him? I looked him up. I went to Fangtasia. He sits on that throne, next to your great-child and morns the loss of his own life. It's very depressing. Do you feel it? Do you feel it deep inside of you? His pain" He asked me "Does it hurt even more knowing you caused that pain. Think Nera, look for that bond, can you feel what he is feeling?"

I automatically did, at the mention of our bond, and I gasped out in pain before quickly shutting it off. Tears were falling now. I was so weak at the moment that I didn't even try to stop them. "Shut up" I pleaded "Don't do this. Just leave me alone"

"The great Nera!" he roared with laughter "A 3000 year old vampire is now begging for me to stop talking about someone she made very upset. Oh the irony. I heard you were ruler material. That you were the strongest vampire alive... now look at you."

"Piss off" I mumbled, falling back down to my back, hissing as the silver there burnt through my clothes, through my burnt skin, and shook me in pain.

"Pathetic. I would have expected at least a little fight from you" He told me, standing. "Oh well. I think I'm going to give Fangtasia a call, make those two come visit. Perhaps they'll find you. Or perhaps your just have to listen to your only chance at survival walk out that front door"

I growled and pushed all my energy forward, throwing myself off the ground and right at him. Successfully burning his face with my silver. "Fuck you" I spat at him.

Pay back's a bitch, especially when it's aimed at me. More silver means more pain which also means a deader Nera.

Then he knelt down beside me, moving the silver from my legs. He grinned at me as his hands found the top of my pants.

Fear flooded me. No... Not again. "Don't" I begged "Don't touch me"

All my screaming and pleading went unnoticed as he violated me, raped and used me for the whole night and then continuing throughout the day, despite the bleeds coming.

He left after putting more silver on me, and my pants back on, and then throwing a bottle of True Blood in my face, probably to keep me alive longer.

The night's events repeated in my mind over and over. I drank the blood, hoping to dull the pain, but it just wouldn't end. Neither would the memories.

In the end, I was still dying either way. Slowly. Painfully. Dying.