Chapter Twenty:

"Me?" My eyes grew wide. "But..."

"Phoenixes are typically created by the blood that bonds them. But the Gods also believed in reincarnation; the act of a soul or spirit entering another body of some sort. But it would have to be the correct body, the correct being, in order for it to happen. A soul cannot just find another body out of whim. It has to be right." Kyra explained. "You were the one."

"But...But..." I was beginning to feel the familiar state of shock take over me.

"That's how we look exactly alike." Kyra smiled. "My soul found yours; found the vessel it was meant to be with. The only different is our hair, that is one of the traits of your parents that hadn't been altered."

"So...so I'm you." My heart began racing.

"Oh no, not at all. Scientifically, yes, we could pass to be the same person. But it goes much deeper than that. My soul only attached itself to the already existing soul. We share our looks, and I'm sure many other traits, as well as the Phoenix linage, but we are different people."

"This...this is too much." I stood suddenly. "I feel like I can't breathe. I think I'm having another panic attack."

"No, it just your time to go back." Kyra stood beside me, laying her hands on my shoulders.

"Go back? But...no, there's too much that I still need to know." I shook my head wildly. I just began to fully understand everything, but there was still so much more than I needed to know. Like my powers. What could I do? How do I use them? I couldn't just go, not after just meeting my other half.

"I could only speak with you for a short period of time before you are bound back to your own world." She spoke apologetically.

"But..." I could feel tears popping in my eye. "I'm scared. I can't do this. I'm not strong enough to be a Phoenix. I can't."

"You are a strong girl, Elizabeth Cole. And you are not alone. You have many people that care for you. And I will always be here. This will not be our last meeting. We will see each other soon, I promise." She pulled me in for a hug. "Always remember that you are a pure being. You have more power than anyone can account for. Use them wisely."

"How? How do I use them?"

"They will show themselves in time of need. You'll understand it all, I promise you that. You need to find yourself before you can seek out your power." She assured. "Now go. You have a long life ahead of you. And please...do not hate Godric for what he has done. He's gone through centuries of pain. He needs you as much as you need him. You are bonded; not because of the soul you possess or who you look like, but because of who you are as a person. He cares for you deeply."

All I could do was nod before I found myself dropping to my knees, my hands on my throat as I began gasping for breath. My eyes were blinking rapidly as I tried to regain consciousness.

"Goodbye Ellie, I will see you soon."

My eyes were burning with tears as darkness consumed me, my body slumping to the side.

"Did you call Northman?"

"I tried my Queen, but there was no answer."

"This is just great! My Phoenix cannot be dead, and within my own palace! Where's Godric?"

"He fled the moment I arrived. He didn't mean this, Sophie. He was very distraught."

"I will have his heart for dinner if she doesn't regain consciousness."

There was a tug at my consciousness, as well as a flood of oxygen in my lungs that caused me to wake up in an instant, my body shooting up as I gasped in air.

"Oh thank god!" Sophie-Anne sighed out of relief.

"Little phoenix?" Andre shook my shoulder slightly. "Are you..."

"Where is he?" I ignored him as I pushed myself off of the bed, ignoring the fact that the room I had almost died in was lined with both vampires and humans. I did however, search every single face, making sure that Godric was indeed not there. "Where's Godric?"

"He left. He thought he had..." Andre trailed off.

"He thought he killed me. Fuck." My eyes fell on Sophie-Anne. "Can someone go after him? I'm sure he's still in the area. I'd be eternally grateful."

Sophie-Anne stared at me oddly, as if I had five heads.

"He's long gone, Ellie." Andre spoke on her behalf. "You've been unconscious, not breathing for almost an entire day. The only reason we didn't immediately presume you to be death was your aurora. Your soul was still alive."

"No." My face fell. "He thinks he killed me. He thinks I'm dead. I need to call him, or go after him. I need to do something."

"You need to stay here." Sophie-Anne shook her head. "You were sent to me for protection. I will not be blamed for the death of a Phoenix. You'll stay until Northman comes for you."

"But..."

"It's for the best, Ellie." Andre assured, standing beside me and laying a hand on my shoulder. "Come back to bed. You need to rest."

"I'm fine." I pushed his hand away. "I just need to speak with him."

"Impossible." Sophie-Anne stepped forward. "You two are bonded; he'll feel that you're alive. That's all that can be done."

I could feel the tears pricking my eyes, and I wanted nothing more than to be alone to digest everything that I've learned.

"Can I...can I be alone?" My eyes met Sophie-Anne's. "I'm sorry; I know you wanted to know me because of what I am. But I...I need to figure this all out. Please."

"Leave us." Sophie-Anne called to the others, her eyes never leaving mine.

In only a blink of an eye the room was cleared.

"Sit."

I sighed but nodded, waiting for Sophie-Anne to sit as well.

"I've had my eye on you for many months now." She began, her eyes roaming over me. "You've caused quite an uproar in the Vampire community."

"That wasn't my intention."

"Of course not. It never is." She chuckled softly. "You are a brave one, for going through the things you have. I knew there had to be something special about you. When Northman told me what you truly were, I was surprise of course, but I knew there was something about you that was different than any other silly human."

"Wish I could have had the same intuition." I admitted, looking down at my lap. "This is just all so...sudden."

"You and I aren't so different, you know."

"You're a vampire Queen." I pointed out.

"I haven't always been a Queen, nor have I always been a vampire." She looked away, as if remembering the past. Do you know how I came to be a vampire?"

I shook my head, not knowing the story at all. I barely even knew how Eric became a vampire. I just knew what Godric had told me, but there were always two sides to every story. I knew the story of one's turn was sensitive to many vampires however, some more than others. It was personal, and from what I could tell, not many of them were willingly telling humans. Then again, I've been the phoenix in the making for 1400 years.

"I lived in what became Northern France when I was human nearly a thousand years ago. It was a small village where I lived with my family. I was only 18 at the time when a traveller came to our village. We weren't accustomed to visitors, we rarely got them. We were excited, gave him a place to stay, food to eat. But there was a price to our generosity." Sophie-Anne broke off for a moment, and I could see the pain and anguish on her face. "He travelled with an illness, what I believe now to be a form of the influenza, and within only weeks the entire village was dead. Except for me and another boy."

"Oh my god." I spoke softly. I knew what it felt to lose the people you care about, your family. And in such a sudden and unexpected way. I knew better than anyone how that felt. I'm sure the memory still haunted her to this day.

"Clovis, he didn't like me. The reason why, I no longer remember. Perhaps if he felt differently, than I never would have become who I am today; what I am. He...he raped me, and sold me to whoever would pay for my services."

My heart ached for her. I had been so close to being raped and had somehow escaped that fate. I was a different person because of it. I couldn't imagine what would have happened if they had succeeded in taking my innocence by force. I surely wouldn't be the same person that I was today.

"We travelled from village to village, never catching the influenza that seemed to follow us. That is, until one night while residing in the woods." A small smile tugged at her lips. But it wasn't a typical happy mile. I could see that she was more than happy at what had occurred in those woods that night. "A Vampire killed him before my very eyes. I couldn't have been happier."

Vampires seemed to have a thing for damsels in distress.

"He spared me, thought I would be a good companion. His name was Alain. We travelled for many years together. Vampires then of course lived in secret, and Alain was good at masking his hunts. He had a thing for priests as he had been one before he was turned. I wanted nothing more than for him to bring me over, to make me what he was. I wanted the strength." She glanced over at me, and I nodded in understanding. There's been more than one occasion that I wished I had the strength of a vampire, that I didn't need to rely on Eric or Godric to protect me. "He had promised for years to do so, but never complied. Eventually we needed money, for clothes and food for me. He sold me in the same way that Clovis did."

And vampires always have an ulterior motive for everything.

"We came to a village where the headman's wife had been murdered by Alain. He was stupid enough to return to the village. They attacked and bound him with silver. There was to be a ceremony for Alain to meet the sun. I was going to become a slave as they knew I had been abused and used by Alain. I suppose it was their way of showing mercy, but I knew how slaves were treated. I bargained with Alain one night before the sun came up, told him that if he turned me I could free him. He agreed eventually, and he drained me of every drop of blood before replacing it with his own. I had dug myself a hole beside him in the hut he was bound in, and there I rested for three days.

She stopped for a moment, letting her words sink in, before continuing.

"The Priest the village had been waiting for to conduct the ceremony returned before he was due, and Alain was burned in the sun before I could awake a vampire. I clawed my way out of the ground, only to find him as a lump of ash." She snickered to herself. "It turns out I was in the priests' hut when I woke. I didn't kill him, though the urge was great."

"Why didn't you?" I found my voice for the first time since the story began.

She smiled wicked, sending chills up my spine. "He had killed the man that abused me, used me in so many ways. I was grateful."

"So you just left?"

She nodded. "Over a century later, I found myself growing lonely. I found an orphan treated in the same way I had, and well...I took care of the problem."

"Andre." I made the connection.

Sophie-Anne nodded, a loving smile on her face. After all these centuries, her love for her child has not changed. I suppose to vampires, it was their form of unconditional love.

"We haven't spent a moment a part. Most makers and their children will part, even just for a few decades. But Andre has stayed by my side since the day I created him." she spoke fondly of him. "It's one of my gifts. When we're turned, we all have the usual strength, ability to control minds, and immortality. But we are also given a special gift or two that is unique. Godric, you may know, has the ability to fly. Because he shares the same blood, Northman can also fly. I'm able to keep my children close, converse with them telepathically because our bond is so deep."

"You really love him." I commented.

"I do. I love all of them. But I will always have a deeper bond with Andre. He was my first child, my companion for so long." She sighed in content before turning her attention back onto me. "But this story wasn't about my connection with Andre. You've had similar experiences, have you not?"

I had a feeling this conversation would turn back onto me, and the moment she said the word rape, I just knew that this was the entire reason she told me her history. I stared down at my fidgeting hand as I bit down on my bottom lip. I hadn't openly talked about the attempted rape in so long; the nightmares were enough to make me never want to think about it. Even now it still haunted me; the nightmares may have faded over time, with the help of both Eric and Godric, but the memories were still fresh. They would always be there, reminding me of one of the darkest days in my life.

"It took me many years to come to terms with what I had to go through to become the strong vampire I am today. And now look at me, I'm a Queen!" Sophie-Anne smile broadly.

"I...I don't think I'm as strong as you are." I mumbled.

"Nonsense, you're a phoenix!"

I snorted. "I didn't even know that until you told me. I don't understand my powers at all, and I just found out that I'm the reincarnation of someone from 1400 years ago. Did you know there hasn't been a Phoenix since then? I'm the first in 1400 years. That's a lot of pressure. I can't live up to this strong powerful being that everyone thinks I am. I'm not. I'm just a scared shitless human who just wants to run under the covers and hide away from the world. I'm just weak."

The Queen turned towards me, an eyebrow quirked. "A Phoenix is one of the most powerful beings. Only the Gods can match the power. You can heal battle wounds, give life, kill a vampire with just a touch. You have powers that I could only dream of having. You are by no means weak, Ellie."

"Then how come I don't know a damn thing about anything I can do? I don't know how to do any of those things." I jumped off the bed, my frustration getting the best of me. "I'm not strong. I'm not powerful. If I was, then I would have been able to stop them before they even tried to rape me! But I didn't. Eric had to come along and save the day. Just like he always has to do." My eyes welled up with tears, a lump rising in my throat. "I don't deserve to be a phoenix."

Sophie-Anne was in front of me in a flash, a frown on her face. Even with such a serious expression, she seemed full of life and happiness. How was it that a vampire could appear that happy? She was nothing like I ever could have predicted. Before she could speak a word however, the door to the room burst open.

"My Queen..." Andre looked between us, a look of worry on his face.

"What is it Andre, I'm in the middle of something." A look of annoyance crossed Sophie-Anne's face as she glanced over her shoulder at Andre. The expression changed drastically however, and her head snapped back towards me. "There's trouble."

"What?" my voice was full of alarm.

"We're no longer alone. Or safe for that matter." The Queen tensed. "Is it Russell, Andre?"

"It is." Andre's eyes found mine. "And he's not alone."

"Of course not." She rolled her eyes. "He's never alone."

"We'll need to work fast; he's taking care of the guards as we speak."

"Are..."

"They're outside the door." Andre stepped in and shut the door. "But you know that will not be enough."

"I know, I know." Sophie-Anne sighed, her eyes finding mine. "Do you trust me, Ellie?"

"I..." I had just met her the other day, and yet, I knew exactly how to answer that question. "I do. What's going on? Why is Russell here?"

"He wants me to marry him." he shuddered. "I would never dream about it. He's a snake. But he's over 3000 years old; he knows how to be persuasive."

"If he finds me...I'm a good as dead." My breathing was growing faster.

"No. Much worse." She shook her head. "He'll use you. You must understand that. He won't kill you, but he'll enslave you until you pass the linage on, and then he'll control the next in line."

My face paled, almost matching the vampires before me. "What do we do?"

Sophie-Anne shared a look with Andre before she turned her attention back onto me. "I promise you protection. Whatever may happen, I give you my word that you will live and make it back to Shreveport or wherever it is you wish to go. However...I would like one thing in return."

I gulped. This couldn't have been good. I knew all of this protection had to come at a price. She had been the reason that Eric was selling V to begin with. She knew what she was doing when she asked him to do so, when she ordered him to sell the illegal drug. She knew it could come down to this, and hell, she could have sent the magister there herself. But when she found out what I was, she offered to protect me. There's always a but. There's always the fine print. I knew she would try and collect whatever it is she wanted one day, and that day seemed to be today.

But did that matter? Russell was here, the vampire that wanted me, that had Jeffrey working for him, had the Weres and god even knows what else coming after me. I couldn't live for centuries under his authority. I couldn't curse my potential daughter with that life. Whatever it is that the Queen wanted, my freedom has to mean more to me than to refuse to do as she wished.

"W-What is it?" I asked nervously.

"I've spent almost a millennium as a vampire, walking the earth under the moonlight. I've loved the life I made for myself, the company I've held." She glanced over at Andre. "I do not regret the decision I made to become a vampire. I do not miss anything from my former life. That is, except for one thing."

"What?" I raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"My heart beat."

"I-I don't understand."

The Queen smiled. "You can heal death."

"But...but that would kill me." My heart was racing like no other.

"If you gave one the entirety of your life, yes. But...I just wish for a few moments with a heartbeat. I want to feel it. I want to hear it. Just for a moment. The briefest of seconds. That's all I ask of you."

"I-I don't know how."

"These powers, they're inside of you." She raised a hand to cup my cheek. "All you need to do is believe in yourself."

"But...how?"

"You are a strong being. Powerful. You may not believe so yourself, but you are. Look deep within yourself. See the beauty and power that lays there."

"I'm not. I'm just weak." I shook my head.

"You are anything but weak. You have two vampires fighting for your affection. You allowed Godric to fly in the sunlight. You fought off a handful of vampires, multiple times in one night. You can move objects with your mind. You can do so much, and yet you believe you're a weakling. If you are weak, than I am nothing but an ant."

"How do you know I can do this?"

"Because, little phoenix, you are a miracle to this world. And call me naive, but I do believe in miracles. You are a powerful being, never forget that."

"We need to hurry, my Queen. I can hear them." Andre urged.

"There is no time now. But I ask that you give me your word, that once safety has come upon us, you'll give me this small gift. And in return, you will have complete and total safety, no matter where you are."

I glanced at Andre and saw the look of worry on his face and knew that the moment Russell found us, hell was going to break loose. Looked back at the Queen, and I could see the honesty in her usually brightened eyes. I never thought I would come to enjoy the presence of a vampire queen, one who I presumed to be evil and horrible. But she was anything but that. I could relate to her. I felt safe around her. There was nothing telling me that I couldn't trust her.

"I give you my word." I breathed out barely above a whisper.

But as the smile grew on her face, I knew he had heard me. "Andre?"

"Yes my Queen?" he stepped forward, ready to die for her I was sure.

"If Russell is able to take over the palace, I want you to stay at Ellie's side at all times."

"But Sophie..."

"No buts, Andre." She turned towards him, cupping his face in her hand. "You mean the world to me, my love. You have served me for centuries and have never left. That is why I can ask this of you. Pledge your allegiance to Russell, say whatever you must to gain his trust. And never leave her side. You cannot let him control her. Do this for me Andre."

"You are my master, I cannot." He shook his head.

"I ask you this, not as your maker, but as your friend, as your companion and lover. Russell doesn't want to harm me, he merely wants my Queendom. But he does want her. He will hurt her in whatever way he possibly can, knowing she cannot die. You must not let that happen. Protect her Andre."

A look of distraught crossed his face, but he nodded in agreement.

"Now, there's a disgusting snake of a vampire I need to take care of. Don't leave her side Andre." Sophie-Anne laid a kiss on both of his cheeks before sending me a small smile. "I will see you soon, Ellie. Perhaps we won't have Russell to deal with."

I hated that I didn't believe that. Because I had the most horrible feeling in the world that this wouldn't end so easily.

A/N: Okay, so I lied, no Eric and action in this chapter, but this chapter needed to happen. I know the show Sophie-Anne would probably never be this nice, but from the books, i feel like she could have been. She was much nicer, more humble, and more human in the books than she was portrayed in the show. I took her history from the books, so credit all goes to that. I personally liked her history, made her more...real i guess, more relatable.

And now the craziness begins. Russell is there, and if we all remember, Eric isn't far behind. What's Ellie going to do when she sees him?