|| 9. Just A Little Guidance ||

I opened my mouth to speak, but the vampire's blood splurted out.

Pam, Sookie and Bill all stared in a state of shock. The fang-bangers and groupies and vampires that lingered in Fangtasia all stared at the bloody puddle of vampire on the floor, then to Eric, who was inhaling and exhaling rapidly, the blood on his face fresh and splattered like someone had flashed a red paintbrush across his handsome face. It stained his blond hair and cascaded across his bright blue eyes. It soaked his new Armani dress jacket that he'd been so proud of earlier. I watched as he looked down at the dead vampire, his fangs reached out and bloody like the rest of him., his chest heaving up and down as if he had gone ten rounds with a boxer. The female fang-bangers, who usually lusted after and swooned over Eric during normal clubbing hours and nights, looked at him as though he were holding up one of his medieval Viking axes to them. I was sopping wet with the vampire's crimson red blood. Everything seemed slow motion through my eyes while Sookie dashed over to me, out of Bill's arms. Bill quickly came next to me as well. Pam scurried over to Eric. Sookie wiped away some of the blood off my face with her thumb and trying to paw the blood out of my hair, fussing over me like I was five. Bill was asking me furiously if the vampire had threatened me or bitten me, all these seemingly unimportant questions. Eric and I locked eyes, and it was a surreal moment. Eric had just killed another vampire to save me. Part of me was absolutely terrified of him now, those fangs fresh from the blood of the vampire. He ripped that vamp apart, to help me. I was terrified, yet relieved that Eric had done that for me. But somehow, I felt as though it wasn't right. His chest heaved up and down again, wiping the blood off his forehead. He exchanged one last look at me and was instantly by my side, and Sookie (surprisingly) let Eric get through her and let him near me. I was trembling, my body shaking and my eyes looking at him with horror.

"I'm sorry Evie," He murmured, "I couldn't let him harm you."

I gaped at him, my jaw ajar. I weakily got up, strided over to him, and slammed my palm across his handsome face, making a loud slap! noise. "Evangeline!" Sookie gasped. Eric looked completely unaffected. Pam and Bill seemed to think this was funny, that I slapped Eric. He pleasantly looked at me in slight curiousity, and I felt my eyes almost tear up. My throat formed a slight lump and I choked out, "Why did you do that? You know you'll get punished by the Magister if you kill a vampire! Damnit, Eric!" He smirked at me and said, "I'm slightly surprised that you care so much about if I get punished, so I appreciate that. But, Evie, you have to understand he would've killed you if I hadn't stepped in."

"I don't care! You wouldn't have to get punished!" I roared back at him, glaring at him.

Eric's expression changed and he lunged at me, his fangs out to their full extent. I did a double-take and opened my mouth in horror and suprise, my eyes burning into his. Eric searched my face and hissed, "I did it to protect you. I didn't have to do that. But I did it because you are mine, not that other fucking vampire's, not anyone elses'. You're my responsibility. You belong to me, Evie. You are my human and you are vulnerable. Get that through your fucking head." I stood there, feeling like the smallest thing in the world as Eric barked at me and stormed off, back to the backroom. Pam put a hand on my shoulder, something she never did, sympatheticly. She followed Eric, and Sookie stayed with me as Bill followed after Pam. I bit my lip, chewing on it nervously. But I didn't regret what I said to Eric. He'd be punished, just like Bill had been before him. The Magister was a tough son of a bitch, a very, very old vampire who was creepy and had a ton of power in his hands, as I had heard through the grapevine. Sookie looked at me, quite concerned. I blinked and sighed, and hopelessly wiped my forehead, getting a streak of the vampire's blood on my hand.

I returned home at around four o'clock in the morning, the sun still down and the sky was very dark and cloudy, as if it was still in the middle of the night. It was raining outside, the rain slamming down on the window pane. Eric and I still hadn't spoken since his killing of the vampire earlier in the night. I was mad at him, but grateful. Very grateful. But now he'd be punished, for my sake. My house was quiet as always, even though I hadn't been there since five days ago. It was creepy to go home alone. I didn't like being in this big, creeky old house all by myself, along with the creepy woods that surrounded it. I bit my lip as I set my bag down on my couch. Something wasn't right. I felt - not alone. It was an odd feelin, as if I was being watched. Knowing everything I was going through, I figured my hunch was probably right. I scampered throughout the house, looking for the creep in my house. No one was there; in the bedrooms, the basement, the living room, the family room. I practically sprinted to the kitchen, with a steak knife shakily in my right hand. I trembled as I edged the corner, and to my dismay, I saw a vampire there. She was tall, pale and a redhead. She had the same hair color as Jessica, but she wasn't pretty like Jessica was. This girl was slim and had a model's body. But her face was snobby and stuck-up, like she had a permanant sneer. She had skanky lace and leather, buxom-style clothing on, her red hair gathered together, cascading down the left side of her body. Her dark black to-the-knee high-heeled boots scuffed the floors as she walked towards me. I swallowed hard and stepped back, with the knife trembling in my hand, and I stuttered, "W-hat are you doing in my house? How did you get in?"

"I'm a vampire, sweetie. I can do whatever the hell I want. So you're Eric Northman's little human pet?" This female vampire cackled, her eyebrows arched. She had a strong accent of what I assumed was Australian. She blinked at me with smugness, her mouth spreading to a grin. Her teeth shot out with a flick and I gasped. I chewed on my lip in anxiety and I flashed out of my trance from her glamor. "Why the fuck are you in my house?" I screamed, threatening the knife at her with a quick jab. She laughed, cackling in my face, her scary eyes examining my face. She ran her tongue across her lips and inhaled before she spoke and said coldly, but with attitude, "The Magister knows what Eric has done for you. He wants you to know, that you're in the line of fire, my friend." I looked at her in horror and my jaw dropped. Because of vampires' fast movement abilities, so before I could even blink, the knife that was in my right hand was in her's, and she jabbed it at me, giving me a gash in the leg. I howled in pain and the female vampire leaned in, licking the blood off the knife in a slow motion, "Watch your back."

And then within the blink of an eye she was gone, out of the house. I was in such bad pain I could barely move. I looked down at the blood that was starting to come out of my leg. I screamed. My leg stung and I used my hands to crawl to the counter. Blood was streaking the kitchen hardwood floor. The cut she made wasn't that bad, but the blood was coming out in a steady flow. I screamed in anger and agony as the pain ensued. I reached up the highest I could and reached for the phone, sending it to the floor, the coiled wire all mixed up from the fall of the counter. This was an older phone, so I untangled the mess and yanked it off the reciever. For a minute, I completely blanked out who I should call. Who would I call for a vampire attack? I know it sounds stupid, but I didn't trust the police about this problem. They'd probably blame it on Eric, or Bill. I smacked my forehead with my bloodied hand. I dialed Fangtasia's number as fast as I could. "Pick up, pick up, pick up!" I yelled at the dial tone as I lay scrunched up against the side of the counter island, my leg in unbearable pain. "Fangtasia." A murmur that could only be his voice answered. "Eric, it's Evie."

O-O-O-O-O

"You shouldn't have gone looking for a vampire, Evangeline." Eric murmured as I laid on the couch, my head on a pillow at one end of the couch, my leg at the other end, on Eric's lap. I yelped in pain as he bandaged it tightly, which I suspected was on purpouse. "Fuck you, Eric!" I hissed as I shut my eyes, afterwards insulting him in Swedish under my breath. "Shut up, Evie. Let Eric help." Sookie said firmly. After I had panickly called Eric, he had rounded up Pam, Sookie and Bill to retreat to my house. They had gotten there in a matter of minutes. Eric had carried me over to the couch and immediatley began work on me. He cleaned me up and fixed up my leg. Neither of us had spoke a word of the prior events of the night to each other, and Eric seemed more focused on fixing and cleaning me up than to discuss the vampire killing. Because Eric was so old, he hardly thirsted for much blood. He cleaned it up, only drinking a little bit of the blood. Pam, Bill and Sookie stood next to Eric, who sat down. He looked up at me, his blue eyes serious and his hair messy. He was severely concerned, as was Sookie, when I told them what my attacker had said to me. Eric said she worked for the Magister, one of his messengers. He said I was unsafe here at this house, and Bill agreed curtly with him. My elbows dug into the couch as I propped myself up, Eric finished with my leg. "What do you mean, 'not safe'?" I asked, getting up. Eric huffed, rolled his eyes and pushed him palm on my chest and made me lay back down. I scowled at him in protest.

"It means you'll have to stay elsewhere. It's too risky to leave you here unprotected," Bill said seriously, his face cold and without much emotion. Sookie looked at me worriedly. It was odd, having me lying down and seeing all three of them standing up, looking at me. Sookie pushed her hair behind her ear. It was around four thirty in the morning now, and the rain was still pouring with a lot of thunder to occompany it. It would be a very rainy day, I guessed. Sookie stood by me and said, "I don't want no vampires coming around and harmin' Evangeline. I won't. I'll tell the cops, or Nan Flanagan, or someone!" I huffed in response, "Oh, Sookie. I'll be fine."

"Not here, you won't." Eric muttered, "You won't be safe until my hearing is over with the Magister." I rolled my eyes and grumbled. Eric continued, "You'll stay at Fangtasia until then and will not leave without me. Which, I assume, will most likely be late tomorrow night. Vampires are very quick with their trials." Eric decided, and I glared at him contemptly. He flashed me a smug grin back. I attempted to get up again but Eric pushed me back down, "I won't be babysat by a vampire! I'm not a child!" Eric, Sookie, Pam and Bill all rolled their eyes. "You will be babysat by Eric, and you'll accept it. It's for your own safety." Sookie instructed.

With Eric Northman babysitting me, all hell would break loose.