Author's Notes:

WARNING: this chapter contains violence of an extreme nature. If you are opposed to such things I would suggest that you skip it and wait for the next chapter comes out next week. You will be missing some plot points but not everyone likes to read or envision the violence that takes place here.

I would like to thank all of you who took the time to review the last chapter that came out. Your words brightened my day. I always appreciate all of your opinions good or bad. Just so that ya'll know though if I don't answer your questions it is because it would give away upcoming plot. Also, if you see an error in the text; be it grammar or something along that nature, could you please point out exactly where it is so that I can correct it. My beta and I are not perfect and things will be missed on occasion.

Thanks to my lovely beta Catie who puts up with all of my issues and is willing to dedicate her time to my work. One last note before I go, I am going working on putting up a blog on wordpress. If you are interested in having access to it let me know and I will give you the web address for it. Have fun reading ya'll and tell me what you think.

Tons of love from the west coast,

Lilli

Chapter 3

*Eric's POV*

I watch helplessly as fucking Compton drags Sookie out the door and away from me, from Godric, from us. I want nothing more than to go running after her and snatch her away from his grasp. "Without her asking for our protection there is nothing we can do." Godric said.

"I know," I growl at him. "I just don't think she realizes that. Fuck, I don't think she realizes how much danger she could possibly be in right now."

"Let us hope that he truly does love her in his own way and that he would not be foolish enough to harm her."

"That girl is a ray of sun in our dreary world and she should be treasured," Isabelle said. You could hear the sorrow and affection for Sookie, in her softly spoken words. "Godric isn't there anything we can do? He is going to hurt her, I just know he is, and I fear that you and Eric will not be in time to prevent him from hurting her beyond repair, or worse, causing her final death," Isabelle said quietly as she stares at the front doors of the nest. The three of us, Godric, Isabelle, and me just stand, motionless staring at the doors. As if we can still see her there, looking at us with those pleading eyes full of confusion and doubt.

Stan interrupted our brooding, sauntering up to us and staring off in the same direction that Sookie had just exited. "I say we all just mount up and go and stake the fucker. That girl is something special. If it weren't for her, we would have lost over half our nest tonight ya'll. You should have seen her Godric, the way she took charge. It was amazing. She was barking orders at us, like an experienced general and not the delicate southern belle that she is. She paired up the non-injured vamps with the humans to cleanse all the wounds of silver and donate. She had the foresight that some of our nest mates might get out of hand, so it was best if the humans had a vamp with them to help control the injured. She arranged for all of us to have safe accommodations for the day, and then sucked the sliver out of your wounds like it was nothing. I could tell she was scared shitless, but she did what she had to do to save all of our butts tonight."

We all stare at Stan in utter disbelief at his statement, all of us unsure as how to react, or what to say to him. Apparently, Godric came to his senses first. "Stan, I find it amazing that you have paid such a high complement to a human."He raises an eyebrow at him questioningly; we all know that Stan has no love for any human. He is always the first to act out savagely against them. He has never been one to advocate peace, let alone, rush in and save the day of one girl.

He shrugs. "We were all human once, I think maybe I just forgot that, but Sookie she ain't like the rest of them is she? She's something else, something more. Even if she was a plain ol' human, which I highly doubt after tasting her tonight, she looks at us and sees the good in us all, she doesn't see just the monsters we have become. Maybe, we all act the way we do because we have only ever been treated a certain way. Hell, I don't know. I ain't no philosopher. But I think, after being told for hundreds of years that you're a monster, eventually you're going to think you are one and act like one to boot." He shrugs again, turns on his boot heel, and walks away.

Before any of us have a chance to respond to this shocking revelation by Stan, of all people, my telephone saves the night. "Northman" I answer grouchily.

"Master, I have the information that you requested and you are not going to like it one bit."

My entire body goes rigid at her words and I know that whatever her investigation has uncovered is going to make this night even worse than it already is. "What is it Pam?"

"Please Master just remember the old proverb don't shoot the messenger."

"DAMN IT PAM! NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR YOUR FUN AND GAMES TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW!"

"God," she huffed, "what crawled into your ass and died?"

"If you must know Pamela, about 20 humans and 12 vampires that's what. Courtesy of The Fellowship of the Sun and a big fucking bomb. So just tell me what the fuck I want to know NOW!"

She is quiet for a long moment; I can hear and feel the questions rolling through her mind. Yet, she is unsure of how I will react if she pushes me for information on the statement I have just made. Finally coming to the conclusion that she doesn't want to push me she says, "I'm sorry Master. Bill was living in New Orleans before he came to our neck of the woods. Apparently, he got into a bit of trouble when he first came here. Poaching or some such nonsense, and he became indebted to the queen for doing this. From what I can find out, Bill had killed one of her pets, so in turn he signed a contract to serve the queen for the next 1000 years or until she releases him for the little indiscretion. Hell, even if she meets her final death he will not be released before the contract is up. The contract would pass to one of her children. Well, as you can imagine, I would not think that she would release her favorite whipping boy, so I made a few calls. Rasul was willing to talk me. He told me that he had heard whispers that the queen sent Bill on some super secret mission to acquire a new asset at any cost. Did you know that the queen has taken a new human pet, named Hadley?"

"Yes I remember Hadley. Do you think that the asset is Sookie?"

"Oh I know it is. Hadley's last name is Stackhouse. I actually spoke to Hadley and from what I could gather she was trying to impress the queen and told her all about our little telepath, including her obsession with the perfect Southern gentleman. Bill's orders were to come to Bon Tempes, seduce Sookie, and convince her to start a blood bond with him. Then he was to bring her before the queen, for a introduction. The queen would swoop in and save her, from a now abusive Bill, and they would all live in the palace happily ever after. Hadley actually seemed quite excited about the prospect of having Sookie join her in the royal entourage."

I was shocked. I really didn't know what to say or how to react to this information. "You have done well Pam, go and buy yourself something pretty." Before she even has an opportunity to answer, I disconnect the call and turn towards a waiting Godric.

"I take it the news was not good as I suspected?" Godric asked calmly. How could he be so fucking calm at a time like this? I knew he had feelings for Sookie, but he was being so rational about it all. My anger was burning me like molten lava from the inside, threatening to rise up and wipe out all that stood in my path.

"The queen sent him for her," I hiss through gritted teeth.

"It will not be safe for her to return to Louisiana, especially once Sophie finds out that Sookie had our blood tonight." He clasps one of my shoulders firmly. "Do not worry Eric; he cannot take her back tonight. There is not enough time for him to arrange transport for them. No, he will try to get them out tomorrow, but we will stop him from taking her, I promise."

"All I know, right now, in this moment, is I am going to fucking kill Bill Compton."

"Calm yourself child, we must think with our heads not our hearts. Killing him will not accomplish anything. It will only put Sookie at greater risk. No, we must tell her what we have learned and convince her to ask for asylum here."

Before I have a chance to respond, pains shoots through every cell of my body and I know it is Sookie. The pain is so intense that I fall to the ground. I look up through gritted teeth and see Godric have a similar reaction as mine. "Sookie" we say in unison.

"Isabelle," Godric yells, "make sure you get everyone to the hotel as quickly as possible. Bill is brutalizing Sookie as we speak. Eric and I will fly to her. Have one of the humans deliver anything Sookie may need to my other nest. Also make sure that everyone is secured for the day at the hotel. We will check in with you tomorrow after sunset." As he gives his orders, we make our way out the front doors, to take off into the night.

"Hold on Sookie, hold on," I whisper softly. I feel the pull towards her, like she is screaming out to me, begging me to help her, save her, from whatever it is she is enduring. Looking over at Godric as we fly through the night sky, I can tell he is feeling the same thing as I am. Compton was a fucking dead man.

We finally reach the hotel after the most agonizing twenty minutes I have ever spent in my entire existence. Every moment, the pain emanating from Sookie grew exponentially worse. We landed heavily, in front of a now very startled door man, and speed through the lobby towards the stairwell. Every stair felt like an insurmountable obstacle standing in my path, every floor felt like a burden keeping me from rescuing her.

I finally clear the last step, practically ripping the door off the hallway entrance to the floor we needed. Putting in another burst of speed I take off down the hallway, coming to a skidding stop in front of the room that I know Compton and Sookie share. Just as I am about to rip the door open, I hear a scream from inside that could have only come from Sookie. "PLEASE BILL NO MORE, I BEG YOU."

"I AM YOUR MASTER NOW BITCH AND YOU WILL LEARN YOUR FUCKING PLACE! NO ONE IS COMING TO SAVE YOU! I CAN DO WITH YOU WHATEVER THE FUCK I LIKE!"

Without another thought I kick the door in and say in my most cool voice. "Oh, I don't know about all that Bill."

*** Sookie's POV ***

Bill drags me from the house and into the night, and never in all my life have I been more afraid. He is seriously freaking me out. I have never seen him like this and I have the sudden urge to run back into the nest, into Eric and Godric's arms to be kept safe from this monster. I must have made some kind of indication that I was trying to get away because he tightened his grip enough that pain ripped through my now much abused arm. I let out a small whimper of sound and he laughs. He actually laughs at me. What the hell! I get tossed, quite unceremoniously, into the back of the waiting limo and before I could even collect myself, we are speeding off towards the hotel.

I gingerly climb up off the floor and move as far away from Bill as I can, pressing my now aching body into the partition that separates me from the driver. Bill is just sitting there staring at me as my body trembles, and the longer he stares the more afraid I become. He looks like the cat watching the mouse, just waiting for the right moment to pounce. I have never seen him this way before, and honestly I am kind of clueless as to why he is so pissed in the first place. "Bill…" I said, my voice quivering the slightest bit with my terror.

He holds up one slender hand to stop my words. "I would highly suggest that you keep your fucking mouth shut. You have already angered me immensely and unless you truly wish to press your luck, you will not speak further."

"What the hell Bill! Why are you even pissed at me in the first place? Why are you treating me like this way? I don't understand what has gotten into you but I won't stand for…" A sharp pain lances across my face. I shake my head, stunned slightly from the sudden pain that seemed to come out of nowhere. I shake my head again, trying to figure out what the hell just happened and I see Bill sitting across from me, with what can only be described as a smug look plastered across his handsome face. With that look it all just clicked. Oh my God, he just slapped me!

"WHAT THE FUCK? DID YOU JUST FUCKING HIT ME? THAT'S IT I AM LEAVING. STOP THE CAR RIGHT FUCKING NOW! I WILL NOT STAND FOR YOU…" Before I finish my rant of indignation about how he had dared to strike me, I find myself watching the ceiling of the limo fly past my eyes. As I fly through the air and slam into the floor of the limo, a sharp pain shot through my back and tailbone. I let out a small humph noise mixed with a scream of pain, as the wind is knocked out of me. Bill looms above me straddling my waist, his fangs out completely and he is snarling like a rabid pit bull, just inches above me.

"You will do well to heed my warning and shut the fuck up. When we reach our room, you will be taught a lesson for your disobedience. I suggest though that if you want to walk to the room under your own power and not carried over my shoulder, beaten and broken, you shut the fuck up." I blinked and he had resumed his former seat. He leans over to the mini bar area and grabs a towel that is resting on the ledge. He tosses the towel into my face and says in the coldest, cruelest voice I ever heard, "Clean yourself up. You're bleeding on the carpet."

I lick my lips, tasting the tangy metallic taste of my blood coating them. He busted my lip when he smacked me and I hadn't even realized it. Fuck, what the hell am I going to do? I knew I should have stayed in the nest with Godric and Eric. Why hadn't I trusted my instincts? I huddle back into the corner of the limo, as far away from Bill as I can get, grasping the towel desperately to my lips in an effort to stop the blood flow. My mind is racing, trying to figure out some way to get out of the hell that I have suddenly found myself in. The limo slowly squeals to a stop in front of the hotel and my heart stops, and then starts racing at top speed. FUCK FUCK FUCK!

Before the driver can even open the door, Bill is out of the car waiting for me. I don't move. Fuck that. There is no way I want to go anywhere with him. He leans his head in and says. "I suggest you get out of the car now." I shake my head no, suddenly losing my voice. I really want to yell and scream at him, but I have somehow lost my nerve, or was still too traumatized at the idea that he had actually hit me.

"If you don't get out of the car I am going to drag you out." I shake my head again. There is no way I am going with him willingly.

He laughes coldly at me. "It will be much, much worse for you if you make me come in after you."

With those words I loose it. Who the hell did he think he is? I may be scared as hell but there is no way I am gonna stand for any one laying their hands on me. "Fuck you, I'm not going anywhere with you. Why don't you just go back to the room? I am leaving."

He laughs again and climbs into the car, stalking towards me. Nope, there is no way I am going anywhere with him willingly. I shift my weight onto the palms of my hands, tuck my knees up to my chest, and wait until he is directly in front of me. As soon as I know I will be successful, I kick out with my feet as hard as I can and hit him square in the nose. I feel the delicate bones crunch beneath my shoes and blood sprayed slightly, hitting me in the face. At this point though, I really don't give a fuck. He rocks backwards from the unexpected impact; I kick out at him again landing both feet squarely in his sternum. He flys backwards this time and hits his head hard on the mini bar, his eyes fluttering shut. YES, I want to shout with excitement at my success. It is now or never though and I need to get the hell out of there before he wakes up. I know I won't have long. I need to try to get away, to call Eric and Godric, something, anything. There is no way I am going to allow Bill to brutalize me.

I scramble over his body as quickly as I can. I can feel the breeze of the night air tickling my face I am so close. Then a cold steel trap came crashing down around my ankle and pulls me back into the car. My face smashes into the floor of the limo, from Bill yanking my feet out from underneath me. "You will fucking pay for this," Bill hisses quietly in my ear. He grabs my wrist roughly and drags me, kicking and screaming, from the car and into the lobby.

I am fighting him with all my might, scratching at his wrist, and leaning backwards with all my weight. Trying to somehow slow him down, but my shoes are slick and they just skid across the hard marble floor. He just ignores my scratching, as if I am just giving him gentle caresses, instead of gouging big hunks of flesh from his hand and arm. I look over and see several hotel employees looking on, but when I catch their eyes and scream at them to help me they are suddenly busy with paperwork, or look down at the ground, ignoring my plight entirely. They are all too scared to incur the wrath of an angry vampire. I am pissed that they don't help, but I can't really blame them too much, seeing how said angry vampire is now dragging me towards our room, to do unknown, and undoubtedly unpleasant, things to me.

All too quickly we are exiting the elevator on our floor, standing in front of the doorway to our room. Bill fumbles in his pocket for the key, but it is in the pocket on the side he is holding me and he is having a hard time fishing it out of his pocket. I double my efforts to try and escape, twisting and turning, pulling as hard as I can, trying desperately to get away from him. He finally gets the damn key out of his pocket and is unlocking the door. I kick him as hard as I can on the outside of his knee and he hits the floor like a sack of bricks. He howls in pain, I know without a doubt I have dislocated his knee, maybe even broken it, but I don't care, as he instinctually grabs for his leg as he falls to the floor releasing me.

I take off, running as fast as my legs can carry me through the maze like corridors, back towards the elevators and freedom. I do not dare to look behind me. I know he could be on me at any second and if I look it could be a fatal mistake for me. One misstep and I will be done for. My lungs burn in my chest from the exertion of running so fast, of struggling so hard, but I push myself to keep going. Finally my goal comes into sight. Not even four feet in front of me is the door to my freedom, the stairwell that leads to the lobby. I know it will be more difficult for him to catch me on the stairs because of his knee; all that bending would slow him down considerably. I might, just might have a chance of getting out of this. I grab the door handle to the stairway pulling it open and start to run forward. Only to go flying backwards as my foot touches the landing of the stairwell. Bill had grabs me by the back of my hair and I land on my butt, and he just continues to drag me towards our room without even waiting for me to get to my feet.

"NO BILL STOP THIS, PLEASE DON'T DO THIS," I beg. But he doesn't say a word. He just continues on towards his goal and throws me into our room once we reach the doors. As I sail through the air I think maybe, just maybe, I will land on the window and go flying out of the room when the glass shatters. I knew he couldn't fly, so there is no way he would catch me then. Or maybe I would hit some piece of furniture too hard and I would break my neck; that would solve my problem as well. But neither of these things happen. I mean yes, I land on some piece of furniture, breaking it beneath me when I fell on it. But I don't die from doing so and in that second as I lay there, a heap on the floor, I pray for death so that I won't have to endure what is inevitably coming at the hands of someone that I have loved more than anything else on this planet.

I watch helplessly, as Bill strides towards me, one agonizing step at a time. I know that within seconds, I will be firmly in his grasp and he will begin doing things to me that I never thought him capable of and I am most definitely right. Bill snatches me up off the ground, using my hair as leverage to maneuver me about. He makes sure I am looking him dead in the face when he smiles at me. That huge loving smile I used to love so much, but there is something off about it; it isn't quite right. It is cold, condescending, and is speaking of the pleasure he will be taking at what I am about to endure at his hands. The hands that had caressed every inch of my body, the hands that had soothed me when I was scared, the hands that had helped to convince me to give him my virginity. Those hands were about to do me great harm and he was going to love doing it.

He pulls his hand back and slaps me in my face so hard that I know if he hadn't have been holding my hair, I would have flown backwards. Before I can even shake off the stun I received from the first blow, he hits me again and again. Over and over he strikes me, and laughs the entire time. I can feel the bones creaking and finally giving way under his determined hand. I feel my lips split; cracking open like rotten tomatoes on a hot summer day, spilling forth their juices and seeds into the awaiting earth. I would give anything, do anything, if only this frenzy would end. I say the only thing I could think of "I love you Bill don't do this please," I beg him.

His hand stills suddenly halfway to my face and I breathe a small sigh of relief that his merciless torrent of blows has come to a temporary halt. "Of course you do," he laughs coldly. "You stupid cow. Of course you love me, but you are going to get everything you deserve tonight." He throws his head back and roars with satisfaction and I seize the moment. I swing back my foot and kick that son of a bitch square in the nuts. That will teach him. I really want to spit on him as he falls to the floor, but I know I don't have much time. I leap over his body, as he groans and writhes on the floor, clutching his dick in his hands.

I don't even make it halfway across the room; I'm not even close when a force hits me like a speeding train runs into me from behind, taking me down to the floor. Bill is snarling behind me, I can feel his cold salvia dripping onto the back of my neck; he is like a rabid dog. He leans forward gnashing his teeth right next to my earlobe; I can hear his teeth clicking together loudly. "Before this night is through, I am going to teach you who your Master is, you worthless bitch. You will learn to have the proper respect and fear of me, you will learn to roll over take it and beg me for more. You pathetic fucking blood bag."

He lifts me up off the floor tucking me under his arm, like I am a human shaped football. I twist, and turn and writhe, trying to escape his grasp, to no avail. Once again I get the sensation of flying, as he throws me through the air and onto the awaiting bed. Landing face first, I feel the breath fly out of me, as my face and abdomen connect with the mattress. Pain shoots through my already sore and broken face, and if I had any air in my lungs to scream I would have. My eyes water with the intensity and suddenness of it.

Before I can even try to get off the bed, to put some distance between Bill and I, I feel him land heavily on my back, a knee placed firmly on each side of my waist, and his butt resting on my own. For the first time I really began to panic. I know that no good will come from us, being here, in this room, with me lying face down on a mattress. My flight or fight instinct kicks into overdrive as I realize, my chances of escape have just diminished considerably. I kick my feet out and flail my arms, twisting and turning, throwing my body around, trying with all that I am to get away from this mad man, this mad man that I once loved more than anything in the world.

"None of that now, my pet, you will learn your lesson well this evening," he says cruelly. He slowly starts to apply pressure to my waist with his thighs. Squeezing me tighter and tighter, to the point of where I think that my two halves are going to separate from this insane pressure. I muse to myself briefly that this must be what a rat feels like when it is being squeezed by the boa constrictor, right before the snake eats it for dinner.

His icy cold fingers brush softly across the back of my neck almost lovingly; the very act of cruelty mixed with such kindness sends shivers down my body. He laughs loudly at my shiver and grabbed roughly at the back of my dress, ripping it off of my body. He continued to squeeze me tightly around the middle, making it a struggle to breathe properly, and he laughs manically at my obvious discomfort. I have a sudden flash of him standing over me as one of those poorly dressed villains that used to star in all the silent black and white films of the twenties and thirties.

You know the villains I am thinking of. Large top hat, sinister black cape, holding a large cane in one hand, while twirling their handle bar mustaches in the other. They always have their head thrown back in perpetually evil laughter, standing over the damsel in distress, who is always tied helplessly to a railroad track. Her mouth always open in a silent scream as she awaits the train to come barreling down on her, to bring her to her inevitable death. She is always saved at the last minute by her super hero, her white knight. He always rushes in to save her from her messy end at the last minute and smites the evil villain like an avenging angel. There would be no super hero, no white knight, and no avenging angel for me. How I wished there was though.

My thoughts wander longingly to Eric and Godric. How I wish that I was with them at the moment, instead of stuck here with this abusive, psychotic, asshole. I must have moaned their names aloud whilst still in the grips of my evil villain/superhero delusion that I created for myself, because Bill growls loudly snapping at my ear and then barks with laughter. "You know," he chuckles, "you really only have yourself to blame for the situation you currently find yourself in. Do you want me to tell you the multiple mistakes you made this evening darling? First, there is the fact that you committed a very serious faux pas by drinking their blood, when you knew that you belong to ME."

He emphasizes his words by slapping the back of my head so hard I can't help but to cry out with the pain. "The second mistake amuses me to no end though. Did you know that any human who does not have a full blood bond to the vampire they currently belong to can request protection from another vampire? One that is more powerful and could step in and protect you from your current vampire master. There would have been nothing that I could have done about it if you asked, and they accepted your plea."

He laughs again, and I begin to weep, if only I had known this. "But you didn't ask did you? Because you are to fucking stupid to find out all the rules of the game you are currently playing. You will never, ever, see your precious Godric and Eric again. Now I own you. I OWN THIS ASS!!" he emphasizes each of his last words with a cruel slap, on said ass.

I feel his weight shift off of me, but before I even have time to react, I feel the sudden intrusion of him buried deep inside of me. This is not the gentle coupling we had always before committed. No, this is a violation of my very being. He pounds into me roughly, so much rougher than he ever has before. I can hear the little grunting noises he is making with each inward thrust, and I am disgusted. My stomach rolls with the sound. I'm not sure how much more I could take before I vomit all over myself and the bed that I lay on. I scream, and weep, and plead with him to stop, but he only becomes crueler with each plea that leaves my lips.

I feel my pelvis crack under his cruel thrusts and I let out a scream of pain, and he grabs my hips roughly pushing them inwards so that the crack is irritated from the pressure he is creating. Another stab of pain shoots through me and then I do lose it; I empty the contents of my stomach on the bed that lay beneath me, gagging and sputtering on the contents that are now being inhaled through my nose.

He stills suddenly and starts to caress my back and ribs almost lovingly, tickling them in feather light touches. It isn't so different from touches that he has bestowed on me before this terrible evening occurred. The sudden shift in his attitude sends my brain reeling with the contradiction. He whispers softly, lovingly, "Did you know, if done just right, you can break every rib in the body without piercing a lung or the heart." He breaks my bottom two ribs and a scream rips from my lungs, my body convulsing violently with the pain. All the while, he holds me firmly in place; I can only assume that he does this because the convulsions could cause a rib to puncture my lungs.

Although I know it would be an extremely painful death if he punctured my lung, at least it would be a release from this hell, this torture that I am now enduring. I almost pray to God that he would fuck up and kill me by mistake, by puncturing my lungs or heart. As if reading my mind he coos at me. "Don't worry sweetheart, I can always heal you if I take it too far accidently." His hands slide up and down my sides and then press firmly on my next set of ribs breaking them instantly. Another scream rips from my lips, and I feel the world swim around me, threatening to make me pass out from the pain and trauma. 'Oh,' I think to myself, 'blacking out would be lovely, right about now.'

"You know it really is too bad," he complains suddenly cutting off my thoughts and prayers of blacking out and sudden death. "That I have to give you to the queen eventually. I think I would really enjoy keeping you as a pet. Well at least now that I don't have to pretend to be all happy and in love. We could have so much fun together." I can hear the pouting in his voice and I can envision it on his face, looking very much like the little boy who has just been told his favorite dog has died. As if to cheer himself up, he says. "But, even if you are going to end up with that red headed cunt Sophie Anne, it doesn't mean that I can't have fun with you. At least until she forces me to give you to her."

He presses down on the next set of ribs breaking them instantly and I scream out to him. "PLEASE BILL, PLEASE, NO MORE. I BEG YOU. NO MORE!"

"I AM YOUR MASTER NOW BITCH! YOU WILL LEARN YOUR PLACE. NO ONE IS COMING TO SAVE YOU. I CAN DO WITH YOU WHATEVER THE FUCK I LIKE!"

As soon as the words escape his lips there is a thunderous crash from the front room. A deep voice that I recognize instantly flitters into my head, and I begin to cry with relief at the sound of Eric's voice. "Oh, I don't know about all of that Bill. I think we will be rescuing Sookie this evening thank you very much."

I feel Bill's weight leave my body and hear a sickening thud, of what I could only assume was Bill, being slammed into a wall. Strong, rough hands, grip my naked and abused body, rolling me gently onto my back and pulling me softly against a large muscular chest. I cry out in both pain and relief as I look up into the beautiful face of my rescuer. Eric's icy blue eyes stare down at me kindly, asking me for forgiveness for a sin he didn't commit.

I try to speak, but my voice isn't working right. I clear my throat painfully and rasp, "Godric, Eric, I ask for your protection from Bill Compton."

"Protection granted." I hear Godric say from somewhere else in the room, that I can't currently see at the moment. My heart swells with joy at the sound of those two words and I feel a small smile creep onto my face. I am amazed because I never thought I could smile again, not after this evening. But with Godric's simple words, I know joy and was grateful.