Okay, I have the first 9 chapters of this story written already. But instead of submitting all the nine chapters in one go, I'm going to submit a new chapter when I get reviews for the previous one.

Sunset came, and she woke. He watched as she rose, ribs first out of her coffin. She gracefully stepped over the side and he watched as she moved, no there's only one word for this, as she slithered towards him. The movement so smooth, so unified it mesmerized him. She sat in front of him and looked up at him, coming to her knees she wrapped a delicate hand around his neck and brought it to her lips. He felt her breath on his skin a second before her teeth broke through.

Riddick came awake with a jolt, sitting upright in his bed. His chrono showed it two minutes before sunset, one minute, zero wake up time. There was a knock on his door and it opened before he could respond. Victoria stuck her head into the room and looked at him.

"You weren't there when I woke." She said and he got up.

"I didn't have time, I just woke up a couple minutes ago." Riddick said and she nodded stepping into the room.

"Hmm..." she said tilting her head to the side, her brow furrowed.

"What?"

"Fear is coming off of you in waves, what are you afraid of Riddick?" she asked.

"Nothing." He said and she wagged a finger at him.

"No use trying to lie, I can smell it. Adrenaline is coursing through your blood stream, I can hear your heartbeat it's almost a constant hum. Blood is rushing to your muscles, making them denser, as if you were getting ready to fight or run. What has made you this scared?"

"I had a bad dream, that's all."

"What about?" she asked and he looked away. "About me, about me biting you."

"We're going to New Mecca, I need to make my annual visit to some people I know."

"Will I be meeting them?"

"You'll be dead to the world when I visit."

"Deliberate?"

"One of them is a teenager, the other, a holy man. I don't know how they would take the appearance of a...of someone such as yourself. They may overreact."

"Are you protecting me from them Riddick?"

"I'm protecting them from you Victoria." Riddick said and the danger level in the room rose but after a while she bowed her head at him.

"Of course Riddick, after all I'm just an animal." She said and she was gone. Shaking slightly he sat down on his bed with his head in his hands.

If only I could guarantee the same protection for myself. He thought, the whole feeding event three days and night's prior was a real eye-opener. It showed him just how much control she has over him, over his very life. She could've drained him dry that night and jettisoned his body out the air lock. She didn't, but she could've. For the first time since he was wounded, the creatures closing in on him, he was scared for his life. He just wanted to curl up in his bed and wish all the monsters away, especially the one living down the hall. After a while he got up and went into the bathroom taking a shower, reveling in the feel of the hot water running down his unusually chilled skin. He finished, got out and dried off putting his sweatpants back on again.

Riddick went into the kitchen to find a glass full of slightly pink water in the sink, the smell of pig's blood still fresh in the air. Suddenly feeling sick to his stomach, he skipped getting something to eat and went back up to his room lying on his bed again, burrowing under the sheets and blankets, trying to get warm. He slipped into catnap mode and lay there for hours; he came into his full senses as his door opened.

"Riddick?" he heard Victoria ask. "Are you okay? You've been in bed all night."

"I'm fine." He said and curled up tighter.

"Sunrise in is a couple of minutes, I just wanted to...I'll see you tonight." She said and was gone again, a few minutes later the alarm on his chrono went off as sunrise came and he got up. Determined to regulate his sleeping pattern again he stayed awake the entire day and went to bed a few minutes before sunset. He heard Victoria open his door but she didn't say anything, just backed out letting him go to sleep.

He woke when the sun rose and set the coordinates for Helion Prime.