Chapter 14

There was still darkness, but now I was aware of it. There were also arms wrapped tightly around me, and I knew with every fibre of my being those arms belonged to Eric. I wasn't sure how I knew. I certainly couldn't see him. I couldn't see anything.

It was damp and musty and heavy, where ever we were. I tried to move, and when I couldn't, I tried to struggle.

"Calm down," Eric whispered, and instantly my body relaxed. "Now we rise."

And he started moving, pushing and clawing, soil falling on my face, and I tried to wipe it off but all I touched was more soil. We were buried, I faintly realized, but just as I did Eric broke the surface, pulling me with him. The night's air was fresh and alive with a thousand scents, and one of them I knew only too well.

Godric.

We crawled out of the dirt and Eric sat down on the grass and pulled me close to him. Godric was there, I knew he was, so why was I clinging to Eric? I glanced around, and the whole world seemed so much brighter. I knew it was night, but the night had never been so colourful before. Gone were the blacks and blues and greys, and instead I saw every detail in every colour I'd ever seen, and some colours that were new.

Godric was crouching a few feet away from us, looking at us with an unreadable expression on his face. I longed for his touch, his kiss, his soothing words that everything was fine, and yet I couldn't let go of Eric.

"Turid," Godric whispered, and moved a little closer. I stared at him, and I didn't think he'd ever looked this beautiful before. His eyes were blazing and his skin was glowing, and when he finally smiled at me something broke inside me and I reached out my hand.

Instantly, Godric was at our side, and he caressed my face while he pressed his mouth against my hair.

"I will release her to your care," Eric said, even though his arms tightened around me. "If you wish it, Master."

Godric didn't answer for a few moments while his arm wrapped around my shoulders as though he were thinking of pulling me away from Eric. "No," he said at last, and there was regret in his voice. "Not yet. She needs her maker. At least for a while."

"As you wish," Eric mumbled, and I felt his mouth brush against the back of my neck.

"Come," Godric said, pulling away from us. "Let's get you cleaned up."

And before I could make any sense of the situation, before the conversation could sink in, Eric scooped me up in his arms and stood. And just as I saw we were standing in the meadow Godric had brought me to during our first meeting, Godric took off into the air, and Eric was right behind me.

I couldn't feel the wind or the cold, not as I'd felt them before when I'd flown with Godric. I felt Eric, though, but I felt more than just his body as he held me close. I felt him inside of me, as though every cell in my body had suddenly merged with him.

It didn't take long at all before we reached our safe house, and we zoomed straight to the bathroom. Eric set me down and started removing my clothing as Godric turned on the shower. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I gasped.

I was covered, head to toe, in dirt and caked blood and other things I didn't want to think about.

"We'll get you clean," Eric said, as he removed his own clothing. He also looked dirty, but nowhere near as bad as me.

Godric, who was also naked, took my hand and led me into the shower. The warm water felt good, as if I'd been cold all this time but hadn't realized it. Eric joined us, and even though we barely fit into the shower stall, Eric and Godric set to work.

Eric washed my hair as he stood behind me, running his fingers gently through the strands to remove any knots and tangles, and Godric rubbed me up and down with a bar of soap, his hands carefully washing away every speck of dirt and blood. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the warmth and the slow caresses. They took their time, and I didn't mind one bit.

When they were done and we just stood there under the spray, Godric asked, "How much do you remember?"

I frowned, and worked my brain to remember anything from before Eric had pulled me out of the dirt that evening. And slowly, some memories returned in bright flashes. Some made sense, and some didn't, but one stood out above the others.

"Gabe," I whispered, startling growls out of both Godric and Eric. "I killed Gabe with magic."

"Good for you," Eric said, and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer. "We were wondering what had happened to him."

I examined my other memories, and another truth pushed itself to the forefront of my mind until I couldn't ignore it any longer. "Allison. She killed me." I turned my head and looked up at Eric. "And then you turned me."

"Yes," Eric said simply.

I looked at Godric and wondered why he hadn't been there. Why hadn't Godric turned me? I was pretty sure I'd much rather be Godric's child than Eric's, even though my body now seemed to crave Eric's touch as I pressed back against him.

"Turid," Godric said. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "We will explain everything. But please answer me this. Would you rather have met your final death than rise as Eric's child?"

I thought about that, and when another memory returned I knew the answer. "No," I said, and I was finally able to step away from Eric and closer to Godric. "As I lay dieing, I had one regret. I never told you I loved you, and I do. I love you very much. Just to have this chance to tell you, that makes it worth it." And I wrapped my arms around Godric's neck, and he pulled me into a tight embrace. Eric followed me and pressed against my back again, but I didn't mind. Eric's touch felt like the most natural thing in the world.

"I know," Godric whispered, and when he saw my confusion, he added, "I have been able to feel your emotions for a while now, Turid. I know you love me, as I love you."

I felt warm, truly warm, for the first time that night.

At once, Eric stepped away from us and turned off the shower. "We should explain the details to her," he said, and marched out the shower, tossing a few towels our way as he stalked into the bedroom.

I kissed Godric, and then I kissed him again, and we stepped out of the shower and dried off. None of us put on any clothing as we gathered on the bed, Godric and Eric both leaning back against the headboard, and I sat between them, facing them.

"What happened?" I asked, and Eric glanced at Godric and nodded.

"After you left, I realized I should not have let you go there without backup," Godric said, staring down at his lap. "I asked Eric to fly to the church, just in case something happened. You had his blood, so he could sense you." Godric nodded at Eric, who continued.

"When I was halfway there, I sensed some distress," Eric said. He looked me straight in the eye. "But it passed. But when I was nearly there, I felt your pain and I knew it was serious. I felt you slipping away. I tracked you and when I found you, Allison was draining you. She'd ripped your throat open, so you were bleeding out all over the floor. You barely had a spark left, so it was either turn you or watch you die. I knew my maker would be unhappy if he lost you, so I did what I had to do."

"What happened to Allison?" I asked, wondering if she'd ever made it out of the church. I was too shocked, still, to consider any of the other things Eric had told me.

"She's fine," Godric said. "I felt you slip away as well. Of course, when I got to the church, I was too late. Eric had already turned you, and if he hadn't, you'd have been dead at that point. I'd brought a few vampires with me, and Gerald took Allison home. She has recovered completely, and regrets what has happened."

"It wasn't her fault," I mumbled, and I believed that. You couldn't blame a starved young vampire from going after an available human. "And what happened to the body? To Gabe?"

"We told the authorities Allison killed him. That Gabe was torturing her and she got loose and killed him."

"The authorities?" I asked, confused.

Godric nodded. "That's what I was doing when - " He closed his mouth and looked away for a moment. "After you left the nest, that's why I didn't go after you myself at first, but sent Eric instead. I should have gone after you, but I didn't. I was preparing the evidence we had against the Fellowship of the Sun. Joseph delivered it to the police that night, and they raided the church the next day. Steve Newlin has been arrested."

"Well," I said, dumbfounded. "That's good, at least."

"Tell us what happened to you," Eric said, and I found it difficult to even consider denying his request. Was this because he was my maker?

I nodded, and started telling them what had happened. How I'd been busy unlocking the chains with magic when Gabe had hit me over the head, how I'd pushed all my magic into him, how he'd exploded, and how I'd been too exhausted to do anything but unwrap the chains from Allison.

"He must have hit you over the head harder than I thought," Eric said, shaking his head. "If you didn't realize unchaining a hungry vampire while you were covered in blood was a very bad idea."

I gaped at him. My goodness, he was right. How the hell hadn't I realized that? I wasn't stupid. I knew enough about vampire behaviour to know that. I wanted to smack myself for having been so incredibly stupid. "I panicked," I said, as I recalled the events. "I used power," I glanced at Godric, "I used that power, and I panicked, and my head throbbed and I couldn't think straight. All I could think was that I had to save Allison."

Godric nodded. "If your head was seriously injured, it is no surprise you made such a mistake."

"So what happens now?" I asked, glancing between Godric and Eric. "I mean, I'm a vampire now." I thought about that for a moment. "This is so weird."

"Now you feed," Eric said, as Godric chuckled. Eric held out his hand to me, and I took it before I even knew what he meant to do. "Feed from me first," Eric said.

"From you?" I asked, bewildered. I'd figured they'd just give me a bottle of True Blood or something.

"Yes, and then from Godric. It will help make the connection between us strong."

I crawled into Eric's lap and stared down at him. He was waiting patiently, an amused smile on his face. I reached up and touched my teeth. They felt normal. "I don't have fangs," I whispered, wondering if something had gone wrong when Erid had turned me.

"Just bite me," Eric said with a chuckle. "They'll come out when you smell my blood."

It all sounded a little distasteful, but I let Eric push my head towards his neck, and he was right. The moment my nose touched his skin and I smelled the blood underneath it, my fangs snapped out with a click. I touched them briefly with my tongue and they were razor sharp, but soon I was too distracted by the scent of blood, Eric's blood, my maker's blood. I was running on instinct now, and I bit him, my fangs piercing his skin with ease. His blood flooded my mouth, and it was the best thing I'd ever tasted. It was what I needed, what I craved, and it brought my body warmth and life.

Eric moaned as I sucked and drank, and he positioned me in his lap, and entered me in a single thrust. He yanked my head away from his throat, and sank his fangs into my neck as he pounded into me.

I was too overwhelmed by his taste, by the feel of him inside of me, to protest. I knew Godric was right there watching us, but all I could think of was Eric was drinking my blood, Eric was fucking me harder than anyone ever had, and it was perfect and it was right.

I came at some point, my body clenching around Eric as his hands gripped my hips as he slammed into me. Eric pulled away from my throat and crushed his lips against mine. I tasted his blood and I tasted my blood, our tongues sliced open by our fangs over and over again. But it didn't hurt exactly. The wounds healed too quickly for that. Eric gripped me closer, and came with a growl.

I leaned back on my hands, our bodies still connected, and I thought I might be exhausted after such a round of mind blowing sex, but I felt fine.

I glanced at Godric, and he was looking at us with a small smile. "So your connection is sexual. That was to be expected."

"Isn't it always sexual?" I wondered aloud.

"Not always," Eric said as he admired my breasts with soft caresses of his hands. He seemed fascinated with them, and it made me grin. My fangs were still out, and I touched them with my tongue, carefully this time. It was such a weird sensation, to have fangs.

"So it wasn't sexual for you?" I asked, glancing between Godric and Eric. They shared a look, and both grinned. That should have told me enough, but Godric explained anyway.

"Our connection has been sexual at times." He shrugged. "It's waned a little over the years, but that's natural."

Godric and Eric together, intimately. That idea certainly had potential, and I giggled at myself for my naughty thoughts. But before I could think on it further, Godric held out his hand to me, and I crawled off Eric's lap, moaning softly as he slipped out of me.

"Now you will feed from me," Godric said, as I slid into his lap. He was hard, and without thinking I rubbed my wet centre across him. "Drink first, my dear heart," Godric said, grabbing my neck and lowering my head to his throat.

I knew what to do now, and even though I realized I perhaps should have been disgusted by the idea of doing this, it felt so natural that I couldn't find any objections. I sliced my fangs through Godric's skin, and I moaned when his blood hit my tongue. His blood didn't have that close connection that I'd felt when I fed on Eric, but his blood did taste of power, sweet and heady, so much power that it was intoxicating, and I sucked eagerly for as long as Godric let me.

When he pulled my head away, he flipped us over so I landed on my back, and he thrust into me as he bit my throat. I wrapped my legs around him, and then my arms, and I held him close, as close as I could as he pounded inside me. This was Godric, my Godric, and that meant something, even though the connection I felt with him wasn't as strong as I felt with Eric.

I loved Godric, and it eased my mind a little to know that would never change.

Godric brought me quickly to an orgasm, and he followed soon after, his body tensing as he buried his face against my throat and growled.

This wasn't about elaborate love making, I knew. This was about sating our hungers, and for vampires the hunger for blood and the hunger for sex often coincided. It was weird and strangely exhilarating to experience this for myself.

Godric pulled out of me, and I scooted a little closer to Eric so Godric could stretch out beside me.

Again, I expected to be exhausted, to want to doze off, but I felt fine. Sated, yes. Satisfied, yes. But also wide awake and ready for any kind of action. I blinked, and glanced between Godric and Eric, who both grinned at me.

"How do you feel now?" Eric asked, his hand returning to my breasts to stroke them.

I thought about that. Before, I'd felt rather numb and hollow, but now I felt alive and completely energized. I had needed the blood badly, apparently. "I feel great," I said honestly. I was a vampire now, and somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that once that sank in I might have some problems with it, but now I felt too good to care. "So what happens now?" I asked, knowing that was something we had to talk about. "I mean, you're my maker, Eric, but I'm also Godric's."

"We can stay for a few more days, but then we will have to return to my area," Eric said.

"We?" I squeaked, sitting up in alarm. I turned around so I could look at them both as they pushed themselves up as well.

"Yes. You are my child," Eric said, as though that answered everything. I didn't for me.

"Look, Eric," I said, trying to sound reasonable. "It's not that I object going somewhere with you. I don't. I can feel our connection. But I do object going away from him." I pointed a finger at Godric.

"Turid," Godric said, reaching for my hand. "It will be just for a little while. And then you can return to me, if you want to."

"A little while? That could be like a century in vampire years."

"No, not a century," Godric said, bringing my hand up to his lips so he could brush a kiss against my palm. "A few years at the most."

"A few years?" I was panicking now. I had to leave Godric for a few years?

Eric clamped his hand down on my shoulder. "Calm down," he growled, and I did at once.

"Shreveport is only three hours away," Godric said, and kissed my hand again. "We can visit, and we can write each other, and you can always call me. It's not as though we wouldn't stay in touch. I won't allow that."

"We could visit?" I asked, uncertainly. "Like I could drive up here in the weekends or something?"

Eric snorted, but didn't comment. Godric nodded with a smile.

"You have to understand, my dear heart, that Eric is your maker. Your connection allows him to teach you all you need to know in the best possible manner. And you need to learn a lot about being a vampire." Godric leaned closer and kissed me. "And when he's ready to release you, I'll be here for you." He kissed me again. "I will always be here for you, don't ever doubt that."

I sniffed, and suddenly smelled blood. I touched a finger to my cheek and it came back red. Great. I was crying bloody tears. How weird was that?

Eric pulled me closer and licked them off. I let him. Though I still felt a little apprehensive about the situation, Godric's words had reassured me somewhat.

"It'll be like a vacation," I mumbled, and Eric burst out into laughter, leaning his forehead against my shoulder.

Godric shook his head, but he was amused. "Only you could think of becoming a vampire as a vacation."

If I could have blushed, I would have. "That's not what I meant," I said with a little huff, and I slapped at Godric, and then I slapped at Eric, just for good measure. That only made Eric laugh louder.

"We should go to the nest so we can introduce you," Godric said, after we'd calmed down.

"We need another shower then," I said, ready to hop off the bed.

"No," both Eric and Godric said at once. Then they looked at each other and chuckled.

"But, we smell like we've just...you know." I hunched over a little and spread my legs, and I inhaled. My goodness, I could smell both Godric and Eric's fluids leaking out of me as clearly as I could smell them sitting across from me. "Everyone will know," I finished lamely.

"Exactly," Eric said, and Godric added, "It will let everyone know how much you matter to us, if they smell us on each other's bodies."

"Ah." I was a little uncomfortable with that idea, until I remembered that I'd been around all these vampires on numerous occasions, and they'd all probably smelled Godric on me before, and perhaps even Eric after our blood exchange. "Okay," I said with a sigh. I slid off the bed and entered the bathroom. I washed my face (I had blood caked around my mouth), and then quickly ran a damp washcloth between my legs to get rid of the worst of the mess. Not that it helped much. I could still smell Godric and Eric as clear as I could smell anything.

Godric and Eric were already dressed as I entered the bedroom, and Eric had apparently inspected the contents of my wardrobe. He held out my purple dress for me. "Wear this," he said, and then tossed a pink lingerie set at me after I accepted the dress.

I shared a glance with Godric, who looked entirely too amused, but I decided this wasn't a battle worth fighting. Besides, I liked the dress and thought I looked pretty good in it. Apparently, Eric agreed, and he eyed me with interest as I pulled my clothes on.

"Very nice," Eric purred, as I twirled around once to show myself off.

I quickly ran a brush through my hair, and as it was mostly dry now I decided to let it hang loose. I didn't bother with makeup, and after I stepped into my black heels, I was ready to go.

Godric handed me my purse (he'd apparently brought it back from the nest where I'd left it), and I followed them out of the house. But the moment I stepped foot outside, I became distracted by the colours and scents and sounds. It was as though I could absorb the whole world, and I kept looking up and down and left and right, and there were insects crawling through the bushes, and an owl hooting in a tree in the distance, and I heard someone laughing loudly in a house across the street, and I smelled flowers and earth, and -

Eric grabbed my elbow and yanked me towards the car, an exasperated look on his face.

"It's just so amazing," I gushed, but Eric ignored me as he stuffed me in the backseat and slammed the door closed. Godric was laughing quietly behind the wheel, and the moment Eric got in the car we were off.

"What happened with Sookie?" I asked after a while, as I remembered her precarious situation at the nest. "And Bill," I added as an afterthought.

"They went home," Eric said. "That same night."

"Yesterday," I said, more to myself than to Eric.

"Two night ago," Eric corrected me.

"What?" I leaned forward and stared at Eric.

"The night at the church, that was two night ago. It takes some time to make a vampire. We've been in the earth since then."

"Oh. Okay." I sat back and frowned. So I'd been dead for two nights. How odd. I didn't feel dead, though I knew that was the general opinion of vampires, an opinion I'd shared for most of my life. Vampires were dead people, right? But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't think of myself as dead. I felt alive, more alive than I'd ever felt, probably. The whole world was out there, and I couldn't wait to inspect every inch of it, to smell every scent and hear every sound.

And then it kind of hit me. I'd been dead. I gasped.

"Turid?" Godric asked, making eye contact with me in the rear view mirror. "What is wrong?"

"I was dead," I whispered. "Really, truly dead. But now I'm not."

"Well," Eric said with a shrug. "Opinions vary on that."

"But I don't feel dead," I insisted.

"None of us do," Godric said, while Eric snorted.

"And yet you have no heartbeat and no need to breathe. Draw your own conclusions from that," Eric said with the kind of practicality I'd come to expect from him.

I pressed my hand against my chest and inhaled deeply. There was no heartbeat, of course. And then I held my breath, but the expected struggle for oxygen didn't come. In fact, it felt rather natural not to breathe.

"This is so weird," I said, causing both Godric and Eric to snort with laughter. I gave a weak giggle, and then it hit me. If Eric hadn't turned me, I'd have stayed dead. I'd made a grave mistake, Allison had acted like a vampire would, and if Eric hadn't been there, hadn't felt the need to please his maker by turning me, I'd have bled to death right there in the basement of the Fellowship of the Sun.

I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Eric's cheek. He glanced at me in surprise. "Thank you," I said sincerely. He quirked an eyebrow. "I just realized that being your child is much better than being really, truly dead."

Eric smiled at me, and I turned towards Godric and kissed him on the cheek as well. "Sorry I was so incredibly stupid. Head wound or not."

Godric gave me a brief kiss in return. "I am just happy you are still here, albeit in a slightly different way."

"Me too," I whispered, as I settled back in my seat. And I meant it.

We arrived at the nest just a few minutes later, and this time it was Eric who offered me a hand to help me out of the car. He held onto my hand as we walked towards the house, and I knew that this was how I'd be introduced to the nest. I was no longer Godric's human. I was now Eric's child.

That made Godric my granddad, didn't it? I giggled at that thought, and when both men looked at me, I pointed at Godric. "You're my granddaddy."

Godric gave me an incredulous look and shook his head. Eric chuckled, though, and pulled me with him as we entered the house.

It looked so differently now. Well, not so much the house, but the people in it. The humans all looked rather dull, and most of them smelled terribly; like old sweat and semen and cheap perfume that made my nose itch. But the vampires looked amazing; they were glowing and it seemed as if I just could see more of them. As if I could see inside of them.

"Good evening, everyone," Godric said, as Eric and I stood beside him. "As most of you have heard, Turid was injured during Allison's rescue, and Eric was forced to turn her to save her. So I hereby present to you, Turid, child of Eric."

All vampires gave me a nod, and I nodded back at them.

"As most of you know, Eric is my child," Godric continued. "And therefore Turid is still under my personal protection."

I wasn't sure what that meant, so I made a mental note to ask later. Just then, Gerald and Allison approached us. Allison looked terrible, red tears staining her face. She dropped to her knees in front of us.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, over and over again.

Gerald went down on one knee. "Sheriff," he said, his head bowed. "My child has wronged you. She fed on your human, and because of this, your human died. Do with her as you will."

I looked at Godric in shock. He wasn't honestly going to punish Allison for this, was he? I crouched down in front of Allison and touched her shoulder.

"Ally," I said, shaking her a little to snap her out of it. "Ally, it's okay. I wasn't thinking clearly. Gabe had hit me over the head, hard, and I just wasn't thinking. Otherwise I'd have known not to unchain a hungry vampire while I was covered in blood. I don't blame you. I really don't."

"You mean that?" Allison, her voice trembling. I nodded. "Oh, thank you. I'm so sorry, Turid. When I realized what I was doing, it was already too late, and then Eric was there and he threw me against the wall, and he saved you. I'm so sorry."

Ally grabbed me in a bone-crushing hug, and for a moment I was worried, until I remembered I had super strength now, too, so I hugged her back with all my might.

"Well," Godric said with a small smile. "It seems as though Turid forgives your child, Gerald. Therefore I will not punish her too harshly. Allison, you will clean the bathrooms in the nest for three months."

Allison looked up at Godric with wide eyes, and nodded. "Yes, Sheriff. Thank you, Sheriff."

I smiled to myself. Cleaning bathrooms that were used by humans was a dreaded task for any vampire, and I knew Godric used it often to punish mild offences. He'd let Allison off the hook, yet was still punishing her. A perfect deal, considering the circumstances.

Ally and I pulled apart and rose to our feet. We exchanged a smile, and then Gerald led her away.

A few more vampires came to greet me personally, mostly vampires I'd gotten to know a bit over the last few weeks, like Joseph and Lisbeth. Isabel was missing, and I wasn't sure what had happened to her. I'd have to ask Godric later.

The last to greet me was Stan. He stopped in front of me and stared down at me with a grin. "My, sugar, don't you look pretty as a vampire. You've got a lot to learn now. Maybe I can teach you a thing or two later."

Eric growled at him, baring his fangs.

Sneering, Stan stalked off again, and I rolled my eyes while Godric chuckled. It was just Stan being Stan, and I'd gotten used to his attitude some time ago.

I looked around the room, and then said to Eric and Godric, "Excuse me, I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Eric asked when I'd already taken a few steps away from him.

"To the kitchen," I said, as I stopped in my tracks. "To get some orange juice." The moment I said it, I knew how ridiculous that was. I buried my face in my hands, and I heard Ally giggling madly from across the room.

"Never mind," I said, as Eric's arm wrapped around my shoulder. Godric was snorting with laughter, and I wanted to kick him and that stupid child of his, who was now chuckling in my ear.

"If you want something to drink, my little witch," Eric said, kissing my throat just below my ear. "All you have to do is ask. I think that will be your lesson for this evening. How to feed on a human without killing them."

I pulled back from Eric and blinked up at him. "What?"

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A/N Yeah, I went there. Poor Turid is now officially dead. I know some people were surprised by this turn of events, but really, the title of this story should have been a dead giveaway (all puns intended *g*) I've got some spare time today, so I might just be able to write another chapter later, or else, the tale will continue tomorrow. Thanks for reading, everyone, and as always, let me know what you think!