"If they can control the dead, then they can control us."

I heard the words leave Bill's lips as I burst through the door, sending splintered bits of wood around the room. A group of armed guards were behind me, ordering me to stand down so that they may restrain me. I ignored them and entered Bill's office, taking a seat on one of the leather chairs. They advanced, giving one final warning before unloading their bullets and filling my back with wooden rounds. I winced at the stinging sensation the bullets left and rose, keeping my back to the guards, and felt them push out of the wounds and onto the floor.

Eric glared at me. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Well, they wouldn't let me in." I said, shrugging. "And since you were taking a little too long for my liking, not to mention the fact that I don't like being told what to do, I just let myself in."

My gaze drifted to the guards who remained in the doorway. "And you," I pointed to them, "are so rude, shooting a lady like that. In the back no less."

"We have orders to keep out anyone who isn't authorized by the king himself." The Vampire said through his mask. "Regardless of what your business is."

"Oh, we have orders." I said in a mocking tone. "Well I have a hit list that's just begging to have another name scratched off. So excuse me if I don't have the patience to sit outside while you rent-a-cop's drone on and on about your duties."

Bill cut in as I moved toward the wall of guards that blocked the entrance of the room. He ordered them away before I had the chance to inflict bodily harm, which was awfully disappointing, and I resumed my seat with a huff. Tension radiated from the two and filled the empty space in the room, a stifling, tangible feeling. I knew I'd caused quite the upset. There were easier ways of going about getting into the house, but I was never good at keeping things easy.

"Was that necessary?" Bill asked, gesturing to the broken door and bloodstained furniture. "I would have let you in."

"I'm going to say no, because it sounds like the right thing to say." I kicked my feet up on the desk. "I won't lie though; I've always had a flair for the dramatic."

"By 'dramatic' do you mean 'overcome with separation anxiety'? I hear that's a common occurrence in canines." Eric quipped.

"I resent that comment, and I'm going to pretend you didn't say it. Now, what is so important that you had to interrupt our fun, murder-filled date night?" I asked Bill.

The Vampire tossed a folder my way. I swiped it from the edge of the desk and thumbed through the contents. There were dozens of photos and detailed reports of various people and goings on within this supposed coven he had been investigating. The final page revealed the coven's leader had begun delving into the world of necromancy. It was a dangerous place for a witch to travel, however experienced they may be, and I understood the urgency of this meeting.

"Are you alerting Eric to the possible threat, or requesting that he eliminate the threat?" I said while reading. "If it's the latter, I suggest you hold off on making any moves against these witches."

"And just why would I do that? We had enough of an issue while my kind was being wiped out, and now these humans are attempting to raise the dead. Do you not comprehend the severity of this situation?"

"I fully grasp the importance, yes, but as someone more experienced in that aspect, it'd be wise to—"

Eric rolled his eyes. "How much power could a group of humans and their parlor tricks have?"

"Their tricks summon things like me, if you remember correctly, Eric. If they can do that, they can do much worse."

"You were already in the bar that night." He argued.

"And you're lucky I was. If I hadn't been, imagine what she could have plucked from the bowels of the earth. Something far worse than me." I set the folder back down on the desk, leaving it open on the section devoted to the coven's leader. I stared at her photo for a moment, at the others that surrounded her. Something seemed off about all of them, but I couldn't tell what. "How exactly did you discover this?"

Bill hesitated. "I have someone on the inside."

"Who is that someone?" I asked. "I need to know Eric will be safe, and that you're not throwing him into some sort of trap."

"It's not a trap." he snapped suddenly, and stopped to collect himself. "Even if it was, the end result would still be the same; vampires will be harmed. Greatly, if we do not make a move on this soon."

"What did you have in mind for dissolving this scourge?" Eric asked. "A polite email, brute force…"

"Normally I'd second the brute force option, but as someone with experience in the field of pissing off witches, I wouldn't advise that." I said.

Bill quirked a brow. "Then try your best to be peaceful. If that doesn't work, I don't think it would be too difficult to rid our area of those necromancers."

"Not at all." Eric answered.

. . .

We came to a halt just across the street from the coven's meeting place. The air was still, and the streets were bare of all forms of life. It was strange to see the streets so empty. After the vampires came out of hiding, activity soared during the night hours, and there wasn't a single place you couldn't find at least one straggler ambling down the road. Tonight it was just the two of us and the seemingly vacant shop across the way. I kept my distance, not wanting to approach right away; who knew what they could have protecting the place.

"Since when did Shreveport become a ghost town?" Eric muttered.

"My thoughts exactly." I looked around. Nothing—not even the sounds of cars in the distance to fill the void. It was unsettling. Cities never sleep anymore.

"I know you want to get this over with, but I really think we should hold off until I can find out more. Riggs, he's hold up with a coven; if these are friendlies, killing them would be a bad move." I said. "They could be used for our benefit in the end."

"Try telling that to King Bill." he sneered. "He wants them dispelled by any means, and personally, I don't feel like having him on my back for something that shouldn't even be of my concern."

"And you wonder why I wasn't at all pleased when you requested my aid. We all have to do things we don't want to, Eric. It's worth it in the end though." I said.

The two of us froze, having felt the same small tremor we had earlier. It was Sookie once more and I sensed the impulse he felt to find her. I held his arm and felt the muscle in my grip become rigid. His eyes narrowed slightly at me; this was the second time I had prevented him from leaving tonight to rush to his beloved fairy. He wasn't happy.

"Let me go." he ordered. I was hesitant to release him, but I did, and he still hadn't moved like I expected him to. "Why won't you let me go to her?"

I opened my mouth to speak but failed to produce any sound. Seconds dragged on as I searched for an answer, and the more reasons I dredged up, the more I felt a heaviness in my chest. A pain like the night I had been summoned. I choked back the halfhearted excuses and stepped away from him, eyes averted from his gaze.

"I just want to stay focused on the orders I'd been given. No distractions. But if you want, I'll go with you to check on her." I said. "Unless you'd rather go alone."

"No. Come with me." He said, a small smile creeping on his face. "This is our date night after all, isn't it?"

I shook my head. "I suppose it is. Let's get going then." I took one last look at the sign that hung above the storefront. "Moon Goddess Emporium…remind me to pass the name along, will you?"