Chapter 14

The minute the wheels touched the tarmac, Eric's skin came alight with a sharp buzz that shot down his arms and chest. With only a few hours of darkness left, the jet met LAX just in time.

There was no chance of his body calming down. The light pins on his skin made it clear that she was close. The Viking was frustrated by this uneasy feeling he had. How was he to know if she was alright? His fingers clenched as he sat patiently in his light beige leather seats.

Over his last millennium there were a few numbers of individuals who brought him to the edge of his seat, nonetheless, human lovers who usually lasted a night. She disobeyed him. Brook refused to listen to his decision in order to save his life. She saved him.

Behind his eyelids, Brooke walking away played over and over. The crinkle in the middle of her forehead as she looked back at him. Soft full lips that sat in a straight line in determination. Her warm brown eyes that reminded him of old memories of the soft fire light in forests that faded with time. When she looked back at him, his human's steady brow held worry not for herself but for what would happen if Eric refused her decision. She didn't want to put him in danger. She worried for him. His chest continued to tingle.

Letting out a short growl, he stood from his seat and slowly paced the short aisle of his own plane. Throughout his immortal life he would have scoffed at the blasphemy of that idea of him caring for a human. She was meant to be property. She was meant to be a helpful piece to own when he learned of her ability and power, not a force of inconvenience derailing his every plan.

Just a week after losing his maker, and he was still so weak. Not physically, no, he could still feel Brooke's blood flowing heavily through his veins making him stand tall and intimidating to all. Emotionally, however, he had a fucking wound the size of a 5'7" woman who he was missing. The Godric he first met would be appalled, he taught Eric that humans were worth nothing more than a snack and fun. Yet- the thought of Brooke's delicate fingers wiping the blood off of his pale face on the night of Godric's true death grounded him. Brooke was his. Brooke was taken. No one took what was his. Not anymore.

I didn't expect to wake up. Not to sound morbid and pathetic, but feeling anything, including the ache in my back, was unexpected to me. Landing in a large pile of garbage was never my ideal night, but in this case, it wasn't the worst scenario. Here I was, eyes closed in a smelly dump letting my fingers move slowly over the different textures underneath them. No hard jolts followed the small movements I started with my extremities. Although the odd splinter and ingrained glass in my palm let a small 'oof' escape from my dry lips.

My heart started beating faster as the reality finally set into my foggy mind. Finally opening my heavy lids, I took in the sight of the small ally that surrounded me. Muscles in my back screamed at me as I raised my upper body onto my elbows in a raised position. Due to the truly immense amount of trash in the dumpster, I could easily see over the dark green container into the shadows of the night. The stack was so dense it didn't give way to my thighs as they started to skootch to the side of the container. This small but active movement made allowed the shooting pain to extend from the stab wounds towards the back of my legs.

So, I jumped through a window. Cool. Now what? The space and shadows of the small dead end gave opportunity to anyone or anything to catch me by surprise. That fact brought fear to the core of my bones, immediately lighting a fire under my bruised ass.

Letting out another soft moan, the previously unfelt cuts and bruises on my body made my stomach turn in pain as my limbs met the lip of the garbage bin. My feet splashed onto the asphalt. I felt the pulse of my blood rush up my legs, through my ears as the 'thwap' of my shoes echo into the night. Looking towards the entrance of the alleyway, I weighed my limited options.

No phone, no money, no ID, no clue where the fuck I was… meant I should probably just start walking. Well…hobbling. Getting away from my former prison felt empowering, and gave me a little more strength to put into each step. A growing flutter in my stomach made me pause as I made it to the open sidewalk.

People. There were people walking through the warm air all around me, giving me an even warmer feeling of comfort. Lights from street lamps and late-night convenience stores brightened up the small walkway. While some passersby let their eyes linger on my stained and tattered clothes, most kept their heads up in disinterest.

The fluttering continued to grow in the pit of my gut as my journey went on. My limbs felt pulled in the direction I continued in. Although slow, the farther I got form the abandoned apartment I was stuck in, the calmer my harsh breaths came from my exhausted lungs. Where was my body bringing me? I couldn't tell if this was a natural instinct or a supernatural compulsion. Either way, as long as it wasn't Zander's direction, I felt peachy keen.

As the night continued to fade, I found myself standing still in front of a small, closed sushi restaurant. Something told me to stop. My brain buzzed angrily with the thoughts of, 'What am I doing? I need to GO. I need to find a phone and figure out where the FUCK I am.' At this point not a storefront or sign looked familiar to me. Somehow, I was comfortable in this place and time. I knew this was where I was supposed to be.

The dark moving shadows of the night made me feel nervous as I continued to stand in one place. My body took to resting against the cold window of the business behind me. Blood that had dried against my skin screamed as my odd movements to slide into a sitting position caused my wounds to rip open. A silent scream took over my face as the pain lingered.

Looking at the barren streets and dark sky, I estimated it to be around 4am. When my body finally touched the hard concrete, my eyes fluttered. Although I wasn't home, being the safest I'd been in eight days allowed the true, overwhelming and complete exhaustion to fall over my body. With eyes half opened, I couldn't tell if the shadow that overcame my sight from the harsh street lights was a person, or my drowsiness. Who would stop walking at 4am in the middle of a city? A cop? Was I taking up prime homeless territory? Could it be-

My eyes snapped open at the thought of being found by my kidnapper, mentally preparing to fight before being taken back to that empty hellhole.

The large blonde man in front of me surprised me though. He didn't look healthy. Don't get me wrong, this was a much better moment that I'd anticipated, but Eric didn't seem as dangerous and wide as I left him in Dallas. His cheeks seemed slightly hollowed, his eyes were tinted red, and his vibrant full lips seemed dull.

I wasn't sure how to greet him. Sitting on the concrete looking up at the vampire whose blood kept me alive felt overwhelming. Did he know? Did he know where I was this entire time? Could he feel my hunger and thirst? Was my blood bringing me to him as his brought him to me? Did he know that his strength saved me?

None of these questions came through my severely chapped lips.

"You okay?" Although groggy and light, I knew his heightened hearing caught my question.

His face didn't change. Blue eyes roamed over my body frantically, avoiding my own gaze. His emotionless analysis focused on the tears in the skin of my legs, and the punctures in my hands still filled with wood and glass fragments. Eric crouched down, balancing himself with his elbows on his knees.

He wore a plain black shirt with clean jeans. Blonde hair I never thought I would see again brushed against my cheeks. Large smooth hands enveloped mine lightly without putting pressure on my wounds. Although I didn't expect to feel his lips press against the corner of my mouth, my face leaned into the cool welcome touch. Still silent, Eric let my hands drop to my lap as his strong arms captured me into his hold. Lifting me, the Viking's eyes finally met mine. Relief, comfort, and need reflected to me. A small smirk I'd missed grew on the face of the man holding me, "I'm okay."

Leaning onto his shoulders and tucking my head into his neck I breathed in. Laundry detergent, and a light familiar soap met me, allowing my exhausted eyes to close once more, "I'm okay too."


The confusion and disorientation lingered as my head rose from the soft pillow I'd been resting on. Opening my eyes for the second time since escaping, an expansive and expensive bed filled my view first. Much better than a mattress of garbage. Second, were the metal domes at the foot of the navy-blue comforter making my stomach growl in need. Aside from the echoing anger from my abdomen, a soft foreign murmur came from the corner of the spacious room. The spacious hotel room.

Looking towards the whisper, I recognized the Viking vampire clenching the small burner phone he held to his ear. He was speaking another language. "Pam" & "Brooke" were the only recognizable words to me. However, whiffs of eggs stole my interest from the private conversation, and allowed me to focus on my favorite basic human instinct: eating.

My hurt body crawled over the lavish sheets in desperation to open the delivered meals. Utensils sat idly until I snatched them up, practically throwing the covers off of the two plates. Pancakes, eggs, and bacon sat in front of me, ready to be destroyed.

Pure euphoria of a full warm meal distracted me from the dull noise of Eric speaking ceasing. The sweetness of the pancakes covered in butter with surprise chocolate chips in them caused the embarrassing 'mmm' escape my mouth. As the bed dipped next to me minutes later, I hesitantly tilted my head up with embarrassingly full cheeks. A light smirk lifted his bright mouth, "Feeling better?" his low voice held a teasing tone.

Swallowing the remaining pancake, I shrugged. Putting down the fork and knife, I looked to my damaged hands. Although the small stinging stabs littered my skin, there was no glass or wood in sight. Lifting an eyebrow, I inspected myself for the first time since waking this morning in this unfamiliar room. A robe? I wasn't wearing that.

"Did you clean my hands?" He nodded. My voice still held a rough arid dry tenor, causing Eric to grab a glass of orange juice as I spoke. Taking a small gulp, the tangy liquid let a relaxing sigh to roll through me. Eric's eagle-like gaze continued to linger on my damaged skin as I let out a small hiss.

"I should have given you my blood last night."

"Why didn't you?" He cleaned my wounds anyway, why hesitate?

His fingertips reached for mine, his attention still captured there, "I assumed you were already uncomfortable being taken against your will…" Eric's wild blue eyes flew to mine as if he knew they also wanted to be held.

Words couldn't convey the warmth that spread up my spine. With my body turned to him, I leaned my forehead against his as he still leaned towards me. Another sigh made its way through my dry lips, an emotional safety blanket spreading throughout me – my slumping shoulders made it visible to the Viking. Eric cared enough to wait for me to feel comfortable. Gone was the pushy Sheriff who damned what I thought a mere few weeks ago. He trusted me, and now I could do the same.

Standing up stiffly, my body cried as I lumbered forward. Eric's hold, still on my fingers, caused him to follow silently. I pulled him into the white, clean ensuite bathroom. It had a white large bathtub that took up half of the room. Still ignoring Eric's questioning looks, I turned on the faucet and plugged the drain, the water filled the tub rapidly.

Finally looking up, Eric's gaze had darkened. Reaching towards his black t-shirt, I started to raise the cotton material up his sides until he raised his arms. Once I couldn't reach up any further, he lowered himself until the dark material made it up past his hands. His eyes were alight as he continued to look at me, allowing heat to travel fiercely down my back. He stood straight and I couldn't help but let my eyes shamelessly roam over his torso. Light hair covered his broad muscled chest. I knew Eric was a large man. I'd stood beside him, found him in crowds, watched him across rooms enough to realize he was the size of a barn. However, in this moment, him standing shirtless in front of me, and all of his pure power on display made my teeth graze over my lips in a soft bite.

With all of my focus stolen by his athletic build, I didn't have time to prepare myself as his agile fingers pulled quickly at the white tie to my robe. The fabric was gone in an instant from my frame and puddled quietly at my feet.

Pink tinged my cheeks. I was naked. Eric's eyes continued to darken as they traced my frame unapologetically. He started his travels at my neck and made his way down my body causing each of my muscles to shudder as the heat of his gaze caused them to clench.

In response, I moved my hands over to his jeans and unskillfully popped off the button after a few clumsy tries. The reality of this moment hit me hard as Eric slid his grey boxers down his legs with his jeans. This time I didn't have the nerve to look at his newly exposed flesh. Instead, I let out a shaky breath, and turned back toward the tub, my fingers fiddling with the warm water that reached the brim. Turning off the faucet, I continued to turn my back to the naked vampire.

The dirt and grime of the past eight days seemed to cover me. There was no way I could feel comfortable in my own skin without washing off my capture. Delicately, my toes dipped in the water, a soft 'hm' rose through my throat as the rest of my leg followed. Once my body was in a sitting position, the pressure of the warm water wrapped around me, I looked up. Eric's eyes were pleading with me to explain this to him. He didn't know what to do. This display of need and weakness was unfamiliar with him, and clearly made him uncomfortable. Somehow, I was in charge.

I smiled up at him, and moved forward to leave room between my back and the porcelain tub. He still stared in confusion. My fingers reached up for his and pulled them lightly towards me. For once, Eric's movements were awkward and fawn-like as his feet stepped beside me in the water. Sitting down behind me seemed the most comfortable to both of us, but even with this lavish bathtub, his legs were bent from a lack of space.

How had I ended up here? In a warm bath with Eric Northman. His nimble fingers pulled at my shoulders, bringing me backwards to rest on the very chest I was admiring earlier. The water temperature transferred onto his own skin making him warmer than usual. "I jumped out of a window." I confessed suddenly.

"Where did he keep you?" The tenor of his voice was felt through my entire body. His strong arms rested themselves against each other just below my navel, further enveloping me in his safety.

"An apartment…abandoned," my eyes closed bringing back the stuffy feeling of unclean air and the grimy floors I laid on. "He would leave me there for hours at a time."

"So, you jumped out of a window?" His curiosity of my first sentence finally got to him.

Nodding my head as it laid tucked underneath his chin was uncomfortable, so I answered verbally, "Yes." He stayed in silence wishing to hear more, "Your blood helped me pull two-by-fours off of a wall, and punch through a double-paned window."

"How many stories up?" Punching through a window and becoming a human crowbar was not that interesting to a thousand-year-old vampire apparently.

Nudging my nose up against his neck, I took in his smell. It was clean, and light, like a morning onboard a ship. He had rough stubble that scratched against my cheeks. I didn't know that vampires could have such noticeable 5 O'Clock shadow- which caused my mind to travel on when a vampire's 5 o'clock is, AM or PM?

I was brought back as his arms tightened their hold around me. I'd paused my story to make sure this moment was real, and he was getting impatient. Was this moment another blood dream to further prove what I couldn't have?

Reaching down, I pulled his hand to my face-soft and strong. My body leaned forward, setting my lips to the back of his palm. A small cat-like purr escaped his throat. Holding his wet, long hand against my chest I continued, "He wants to destroy vampires." I didn't look up, "and honestly Northman, I think he can."

His body tensed underneath mine, "Brooke, what else did he say?"

"That he wants me next to him," I shivered, "Eric, he wants to hurt you."

"I'm not exactly made of glass."

I didn't allow my thoughts to escape, 'You might as well be.'

He filled in the silence, "Tell me again where you met this man."

"In a bar," I paused, "I guess that's a pattern for me." His fingers splayed themselves against my chest, tracing the delicate lines of my collar-bones. Eric waited, wanting more, "He looked at me across this busy Irish pub- right off of 8th Ave, and I couldn't look away. At the time I thought it was chemistry, but now," A sad chuckle left my mouth, "I think he was looking for me."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I mean…" Lifting myself off of his chest I finally looked at him and I mean really looked at him in the eyes, "Try to glamour me."

Raising his eyebrow, a signature of Eric Northman's interest, he opened his mouth slightly before shutting it.

"Please."

He rested his arms around my hips as I turned around completely. We were flesh to flesh, my hips pressed against his. If I didn't have such a desperate disposition, I'm sure he would have made a joke about our position, or maybe a move.

"Ms. Cotter," His irises diminished as his pupils grew, "you want me to kiss you." I knew it, that horny jackass, "you're dying for me to fuck you." The crease in his eyebrows furrowed, and his gaze became more intense. A sharp knocking could be felt in my temple as if my thoughts had a visitor.

Without my influence my fingertips brushed against the hair on his chest that I was admiring earlier. No. My expression turned into a scowl as I looked away and broke from his compulsion. Suddenly, I was exhausted. Apparently, not screwing Eric was very tiring.

I dropped my head against his shoulder once more. Being so close to his body was comforting as we were flush together. "Why can't I get glamoured? What's wrong with me?" My lips tickled his neck as I whined. His body wiggled slightly underneath me.

"I don't know." His voice sounded far away, "…yet."

"So, when we find out, then we'll know why he wants me?"

He nodded. An answer to my plea. Answers, signs, missions. Those are things I understood. I loved a game plan. I loved next steps. Knowing that Eric would be there to help me keep away from my captor made the muscles in my abdomen that I didn't know where clenched to relax. Eric's limbs bushed softly against my thigh and a small cry escaped me.

Pushing me back into a sitting position, his fang popped out suddenly. Was he hungry? I knew I was still weak, but if he needed it, I could spare a little for him. Picking up my arm from the warm water, I offered him my wrist.

He pushed it away. Instead, he snagged the skin of his own arm between his teeth. The blood flowed freely, dripping quickly into the tub around us and stained the water pink. My mouth gently closed around his self-inflicted wound. He understood the questioning look in my eyes, and the moment he nodded his head, I took.

Once again, his taste caught me by surprise. It wasn't refreshing like a glass of water after a long run. It was empowering. It was a piece of him. Eric's head leaned back languidly as I continued with long pulls of his blood.

He immediately grew against me, his length pressed up toward my heat. A moan tumbled out between his fangs. The blood dripped out of the corners of my mouth and raced down the sides of my neck- I couldn't swallow fast enough.

My vision started to blur as a buzzing in my body raced through my skin. Without meaning to, my hips ground down, pleasure spreading through me- a gasp tangled with the steamy air of the bathroom.

Eric pulled my chin up to meet his lips with mine. I couldn't breathe. I didn't want to. I was consumed by him. While I was the one to take his blood, it was his essence that took over me. His strength, passion, and fire. Tongues meeting and teeth clashing against lips were the only feelings I could focus on.

The Viking's fangs sloppily met my cheek. I didn't want to be the only one overwhelmed. I craned my head back to give him more access. His plush lips continued down to my jaw, and finally the hollow of my neck.

I felt free, although trapped in Eric's grip. My heartbeat sped as I continued to rock on top of him. My lungs struggled to keep up with my excitement. This was my choice. I picked this vampire. I picked this man. Eric couldn't make me do anything. But he made me want to. Made me want to take him in this moment.

Wrapping my healed arms around his neck, I took control without his approval, or okay, I rubbed myself down his length in long slow strokes. Strong palms pressed against my ribs breaking the contact of our chests.

Warm, wet fingers massaged up each breast as they started to make their way up my body. The electric feeling spread through my bones with a strong spike as he grazed both nipples. My nails reached into his short hair aching to find a way to release the built tension. Unable to stay silent I begged, "Eric, please," my body shuddered as his mouth continued its soft assault on my neck. I could feel he his smile against my skin as he waited for me to finish my sentence. Leaning away I took his jaw in my hands to look at him in the eyes, "bed. Now."

Eric chuckled as he trailed his hands down my back to my ass before picking me up as he stood. Before I knew it, I had a Viking vampire above me and the white sheets of a hotel bed underneath me. Our lips met once more, and my stomach clenched as my hips rocked up to meet his. I was desperate to have him, my muscles felt like they were seconds from unraveling. He leaned above me, ready to give me exactly what I wanted.

Eric growled when the first ring echoed through the room. He was across the room when it rang the second time. I was getting off the bed going to finish my bath on the third ring. The viking's angry whispers filled the hotel room before the fourth and final ring.


A/N: Life is weird, and I wanted to post this. Sorry that I'm the literal worst, and that I can't promise consistency.
I literally own nothing, I hope you enjoy.