Chapter 14: Scratches

There was something oddly comforting about sitting in the back of old yellow out front of some poor humans house while they screamed bloody murder inside. My eyes flicked over the darkened windows of the little two stories around us, each one separated by a picket fence like in the movies. My eye twitched a little as it caught sight of a pair of poodle statues guarding the front door of the house directly across from the Hamby's. Or at least, I was assuming it was Jessica Hamby's house.

It'd be kind of weird if she just broke into some random persons living room with my sister closely in tow.

Normally I would have been all over a situation that involved Sookie to this extent but right when Bill had kicked down the door and glamored both Jessica's mother and sister - Well, I thought that he might have had it under control.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" I stared down at my fingernails as the sound of shuffling feet and Sookie's apologies met my ears.

Honestly, I was surprised that none of the neighbors heard all the yelling. My lips thinned as I caught the silhouette of a little kid peeking from the curtains of his room. It was almost like they… didn't care. They had surely heard Bill kick down the door. So then why-?

"I'm fucked." I blinked over at my sister as she slammed into the passenger seat, through my rolled-down window I heard Bill's voice softening out. It was odd hearing him talk like that - like he was speaking to a child. And there was a weird rattling in the back of my head. Wide, dark eyes met mine. "She fucked me."

"When exactly did it feel like a good idea to bring a newly formed vampie back to her over-protective, Christian parents?" I wanted to gain some clarity on this. Maybe if I understood a little bit more than I would feel more inclined to defend her when Bill came back and started tearing into her.

"I know," she whimpered, turned around fully into her seat to stare at the busted in door of the Hamby house. "I just - All I could think about was Gran." Her eyes met mine, deep and desolate. "All we have are these memories and - and it's nothing. Gran isn't anything but a memory and we're just - just here. Just here without her. But Jessica - Jessica still has her mom and her dad. They're still here and why - why would I tell her that she can't see them?"

Something painful stabbed at me, making me turn my face away to stare at the deep dark of the street ahead. There was almost no lights on this road - an odd thing for a suburban street.

"It was stupid," I finally whispered. "But I understand. I - I don't know if I would have been able to do anything else."

I tried to force away the sobbing, terrified picture of Jessica that was swimming through my mind. Her last moments were confusing and terrifying and - and I had been there for them. I probably wouldn't have even been able to tell her to just watch instead of go right up and knock.

"GET IN!" The door beside me slammed open suddenly to admit a hiccuping, frazzled Jessica. Curdled blood tracked down her cheeks, fangs peeking out from her lips every time she let out a bellowing wail.

Briefly, her crystal blue eyes met mine before she was curling into the corner of old yellow. I was more inclined to do that as well as the whole car shivered as Bill got into the front seat. Even unable to see his face, I could tell from the way that Sookie recoiled into the seat that his face was thunderous.

I had never particularly favored being the audience to a full-blown couples fight. And, trapped in the back of a car moving at increasingly dangerous speeds there were very few options on escape.

We turned a corner sharply, picking up to near-suicidal speed in our rickety car. Old yellow wasn't a race car. She wasn't even really an average car of average construction. That was on full demonstration as the trunk was making a disturbing rattling.

"Um, Bill honey," I started sweetly, trying not to wince at the resulting snarl that I got. "Could you maybe go down to like 80 - 70?"

The whine that old yellow gave as we sped up was enough to send me fumbling for a seat belt. Funnily enough, I was never a fan of high speeds. It made me nauseous. And right now I was feeling that at full blast as we bumped onto one of the many dirt roads that would lead us past Shreveport and deeper into the bayou.

Given the tough girl exterior and overall bitchiness of my attitude, that came as a particular surprise to some of my biker boyfriends of the past. It became more of a turn off the more they tested me - especially since every time usually ended in my last meal splattered all over their motorcycles or - worse - leather jackets.

"Bill, slow down!" Sookie had never had the same problems as me but from the wobble in her voice, I could gather her uneasiness. I gagged a little as the gravel road got rougher and the car bounced mercilessly. "Runa's turning green!"

I shook my head, tears stinging at my eyes as I tried to reign in my gag reflex. I was really regretting those french fries from McDonald's before our shopping spree. Whatever the magic words were to get through to Bill they obviously didn't concern me.

"Please!" Hysteria was evident in Sookie's voice but I couldn't look anymore. If I saw the trees and road blurring around us any more than I was going to lose all the content of my stomach. "You're scaring me."

Ah, yes. Only the threat of Sookie's fear would be enough to get her to stop. I yanked open the door as we slammed to a stop, not getting farther than a step outside of the car before everything in my stomach was in the dirt. My nose and eyes stung as I gagged, coughing a few more times before spitting. Gross. Oh god. I was going to have to walk or risk throwing up again.

I shut my eyes for a moment, still crouched over the mess at my feet. How many times had I thrown up my lunch since Bill Compton had come into our lives? I felt like it was a lot. Softly, I heard my sister's voice trying to soothe Bill into a more comfortable state.

"She is a vampire!" Bill was snarling to Sookie. Lamely, I wobbled back to the open car, slouching down into the back seat as my head gave a swirl of relief. At least one part of my body was content. "She has no family."

I leaned over to spit one final time as Sookie's eyes met mine, her eyes wide with worry. I shook my head, taking the bottle of water that was lukewarm from a couple of days in our glove compartment. Yuck. I still took a swig, spitting it out into the grass. Jessica was yelling by now, her words halting since she was still sobbing a little.

"I HATE YOU SO FUCKING MUCH!" She screamed, her teeth bared as she stared down the back of Bill's head.

"Be quiet." Something about Bill's soft tone made me more nervous than when he was full on yelling.

"EAT SHIT!" She screamed petulantly, leaning forward more, her shoulders tensing.

Bill whipped around, his eyes cold and hard. "I SAID BE QUIET!"

A small huff forced its way from Jessica before she was curling back into the back corner with me, her eyes water and red from unshed tears. Those same eyes blinked over at me now and for a moment, we shared an exhausted stare.

"You undermined my authority as her maker. You risked those peoples safety and your own." His voice was rough with anger and with each word my sister tightened up where she sat, her throat working. "If I had not glamored them to within an inch of their sanity all of our lives would have been shattered."

"I know! I'm sorry!" I winced. A lot of times when we were growing up our Gran would have us only apologize and not explain. Explanations made her even more enraged. If there was an explanation than she made it seem like it undermined the apology. Right now, in the heat of the moment, it only infuriated Bill.

"You KEEP SAYING THAT." I winced at the ferocity in Bill's face as he stared at Sookie. At that moment, I could see all of his years on this earth. "And I am expected to WHAT? Forget this ever happened?"

"What else do you want me to say?" There was a pleading tone to Sookie's voice that made me think that she wanted to honestly know. I took another swig of my water, slouching down in the car even more and turning my gaze to the woods beyond. Honestly, there was no reason why I should be here. If it wasn't for that stupid shopping trip for- "I knew when she asked me to take her I should say no but all I could think about was Gran and what I'd give to see her again."

"That does not give you license to behave like an irresponsible CHILD!" If I hadn't know Sookie so well then I would have been able to plainly see how much that name hurt her by the way that she reeled back. Sookie hadn't been a child since she was born. She had gone through just as much as I had. "She is a loaded gun, Sookie. Not a doll for you dress up and play with!"

Sookie's door slammed open suddenly and she was out within the second. I bit my lip, taking another gulp of water. She was like this sometimes and - Well, she did better on her own. My eyes scanned over the windswept trees all around us, the deep of the bayou beyond seemingly impenetrable. Slowly, my eyes flicked from the vampires to either side of me. Not the best place to be alone.

"What are you doing?!" Bill yelled after her, his face deeply lined with irritation as my sister stomped away. "Don't be ridiculous! Bon Temp is nearly 20 miles away."

"I'd rather walk all night than spend another second in that car with you!" With that, my sister whirled away, not caring if Bill followed her or if she was leaving me in the back like a forgotten purse.

I was only slightly surprised when Bill got back into the car. Not many men prided themselves on running after angry females. But… I stared out of the window, catching the blur of a shadow out of the corner of my eyes. A fine mist was starting the gather on the ground, giving the trees a ghostly lean.

One moment ticked after another, making my stomach turn with more anxiety the more time passed.

"Listen," I sighed, leaning forward. "I'll - um - go and get her. She probably just needs to… fume a little."

The only response I got was a stiff nod from Bill and an open eye roll from Jessica beside me which I fully agreed with.

It was easy enough to catch sight of where Sookie had gone off to. It was one of the only cleared paths on the side of the road. And she had never been exactly quiet even when she had wanted to be. Her shoes were snapping twigs left and right.

"Sookie!" I called, jogging up to meet her. "Sookie, wait!"

"Can you believe him?" Sookie seethed, not looking up from her mad trample through the forest. She was nearly glowing with anger.

"Just-" I yanked on her arm, stopping her. "Just calm down. You both just need to - I don't know. Take a breath."

She stared up at me definitely for a moment, her eyes blazing. I took a demonstrative breath, letting it out slowly. Unwillingly, she followed suit. One in. One long one out.

"I just - I mean I get it," she finally whispered, her eyes dropping to the leaves at our feet. "What I did was stupid? But I just wanted her to have that - to get that final moment. Just one more second with the people she loved. Even when she ran to the door, I was a little bit glad. I mean because of me-" She gave a light sob, shaking her head. "It was just so unfair for her."

"She likes her vampire life better," I murmured, squeezing her shoulders reassuringly. "Her human life was cold and unforgiving and she was lonely. Now - weirdly enough - she might get to... live."

A poof of air burst from Sookie, making me smile. "Dammit. You're right. Why are you always right?"

"Eh." I shrugged, letting go of her. "I'm pretty fucking awesome."

"Yeah," she mumbled sardonically. "Especially when you blew those chunks."

"Assh-" I stopped, freezing as a low snarl pierced the silence of the woods. Slowly, our heads turned to take in the choppy path behind us.

"What the fuck?"

A gangly figure stood in the mist, clearly visible over the hazy white that came from the road just beyond the dark of the trees. Thickly, I swallowed, catching sight of the feminine curves and the thick fingers that seemed to lump into sharp points. Atop its head sat wide horns. It was too dark to get anything other than the impression of wild hair.

"Run," I whispered, fear making my blood sing. "RUN!"

We both took off at the same time, cutting around a fallen log and following the path. It had to lead to a main road or maybe even a tavern. My mind raced, my arms pumping as my legs gave a quiver of agreement, moving just as fast. Would we even be safe in a crowd. I ducked beneath a low branch. Soon, I was ahead of Sookie, my legs long enough to carry me forward with no problem. I panted, sweat starting to build at the nape of my neck.

Behind us, I could make out the guttural snorts and scraping sound that came with whatever the fuck was following us. And by the sound of it, they were fucking fast.

We need Bill, I thought suddenly, desperately, surprising even myself. A shrill scream sent me whirling, gravel hitting my shins as I kicked up dust. Sookie whimpered from her place on the ground, her mouth opening and closing like a fish that had been dragged to land. Across her back, three distinct gashes bled freely.

"Okay," I breathed, my hands zinging as they lit with purple static. Fear twisted my insides as I caught the whiff of rotting flesh and mud. Standing over my sister, the creature cocked it's head almost looking amused. "Let's dance, bitch."

I lunged forward, nearly getting slashed in the face as it swung, moving with a lot more agility than I had anticipated. I held my breath, nearly dropping face-first into the dirt as I tried to avoid another quick swing. All I needed was one good touch to any body part and I could drop it - if I wasn't so scared, I could have -

I cried out, reeling as claws slid through the top layer of the skin at my side, digging in to yank away a good chunk of skin.

I gasped, choking back a scream as my mind tried to work through the level of pain that was coursing through me. In a last-ditch effort, I kicked out, hooking my foot around its ankle and yanking hard enough to send it stumbling back.

"R-runa." I choked, fighting to catch a breath as I felt dirt and pebbles force their way into the mangled flesh at my ribs. It was pain so near unconsciousness that I could barely process anything else.

Desperately, I tried to force myself up but only collapsed where I was, face-first into the dirt. My fingertips zinged sporadically, fighting with me as I tried to do anything but lay there in the dirt. Was this it? Gasping like a fish in the gravel as the slimy creature leaned over me.

"G-get - get away from her," Sookie spluttered. Some distant part of me roared, desperately at the sound of her voice. I needed to get up. I needed to protect her.

But thinking things and actually doing them when you're lying in the dirt with a huge, gaping hole in your side and a freaky horned-woman-beast drawing closer to you are two very different things.

My vision flickered between darkness and misty light like a lamp that was being flicked on and off by a bored kid. I couldn't force anything more than a choked gasp from my lips as thick, slime-covered digits clawed into my hair, arching me up with a force that sent my back snapping. Uselessly, my hands hung paralyzed at my side and I wished desperately for unconsciousness.

The angle forced the gaping holes in my side to stretch and yanking wider, some more dirt and small twigs jamming into the mangled mess of my insides. I wanted to scream. Worst of all, I wanted to cry, sob for something greater and stronger to help me. It was a foreign, humiliating urge.

"I haven't seen your kind in centuries." My eyes rolled back in my head at the guttural whisper, that comforting darkness hanging so close. Anything to stop the pain. Anything that would push me closer to whatever end came with this.

I choked, spluttering bile and thick, sweltering foam as my lunges gave out, burning from the effort as bile rose into the back of my throat.

"Hm." Wind whistled through the trees as I struggled to draw in a solid breath of air. My eyes rolled madly, focusing. The lights were back on and I was staring into gaping darkness like the end of the universe. Bull. I blinked, gagging. Horns and darkness.

"Where are your sisters?" Bile and foam ran thickly down my chin, dribbling down my neck. Blurrily, I made out the creature's head tipping to the side like she was listening and then there was the distinct sound of her tongue clicking in disappointment.

"It's a shame that we don't have more time to catch up," I finally did scream as three distinct claws burrowed into the flesh of my shoulder, pus and slime building up at the edge as they sunk further and further in. "But I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again. Our kind always did love to play with each other."

My throat grew raw from the pure force of my wail as those claws curled beneath my skin, dragging up so much skin and muscle as they slowly pulled out.. Pain and fear beat quickly through my brain - so much that that was all my world was made of for a few moments. There was nothing else but the feel of being torn open and dumped back into the dirt like a useless plaything.

Whimpers filled the trees and it took me a moment to realize that that was me. Those sounds were spilling from my lips.

"Runa-" My eyes rolled, unable to fully close while there was still a chance that that thing was going to come back. Sookie lay just a foot away, her words shaken and pain laden even as I heard the struggle in her voice. Like she was trying to drag herself to me. Her mind reached out and then recoiled like the pain she found there was too much for her to touch again. I sobbed the sound halting and half baked like I couldn't even get up the strength to cry properly. "Runa, please - please answer me."

"SOOKIE!" The sound of snapping twigs reached me just before I heard my sister being turned, a wail dragging from her. Cold hands stroked down my face and I spit out some more foam and vomit, my face covered in it. "Oh my god, Runa."

"Bull," Sookie choked out. "Bull - human. Could - couldn't see."

My eyes flickered shut - or maybe they were open. It was so dark. I gave another scream, spitting up a bit as I was turned and the wound at my shoulder got a shower of dirt and pebbles. I was on my back looking up at the ever darkening sky.


"Runa, open your eyes." My eyes were open. I coughed, dragging in a breath. "Runa, you need to stay awake."

I was awake. That was the problem.


"Her hearts still beating."

The sky. I couldn't see it anymore.

Now it was just broken clothe and stuffing. A ceiling? A car ceiling. Why did they make car ceilings out of cloth like a ottoman?

Lights flickered through the windows.

"Runa, you can't go back to sleep. Shit. Her hearts slowing-"

If anything my heart was beating too fast.

Make it stop.


"What happened?" Eric's voice. Eric would have helped.

I let out a short wail as cloth met the open meat at my shoulder and side. I was laid out on something cold and hard in a room that was cold enough that I was shivering.

"Runa-" The lights went off again, my mind fading into darkness like a light trying desperately to splutter to life but failing miserably.


"... got the worst. It looked like she tried to fight-"

"And it did this to her?" Someone was mad. Someone was very, very mad. Cold hands skimmed along my arms, ending at the hem of my shirt. "Give me some scissors."


Someone was screaming, I realized distantly. Someone was screaming and for once it wasn't me.

Lamplight made the red of the wall seem soft as my eyes slowly adjusted to being fully focused. The pain was still there but it wasn't as bad, just sizzling and constant like the flow of blood that had seeped to wet the cloth beneath me. Cool air tickled my skin and I realized dizzily that someone had cut away my top to allow full view of my wounds.

Sookie. I jerked, snarling even as my body rejected the action with a shiver. Sookie was screaming. And whoever was hurting her was about to get a handful of my fingers in their throats. My fingers crackled as I turned, trying to get a handful of hair or skin so that I could take this lady down.

"Runa." Iron circled my wrist and I choked down a cry of agony as whoever held me lowered it back to the hard mat below me. Serious, blue eyes met mine.

"E-Eric," I choked out, flinching as my sister gave another scream, desperately my eyes searched for her but my head wouldn't turn. I had used up most of my energy trying to claw whoever was torturing her to shreds. Eric was seated at a chair just next to my head, his hair slightly disheveled and his eyes dangerously hooded as they moved over my injuries. "Doctor?"

"Your sister is being treated," he reassured and I dimly registered that he was speaking in his native tongue to me, a strange comfort. His eyes grew dark and serious as they moved to take in the mangled flesh at my ribs once more, the skin puffy and pus-smeared. I gulped, trying to force some saliva to wet my throat.

At another scream, I finally was able to jerk my head to the side enough to catch sight of my sister. I immediately regretted it. Her skin looked just as grotesque as mine, the flesh around the gashes running the length of her smile deep and bubbling with inflammation. It looked… slimy. Slimy just like mine. My stomach crawled as the squat little woman sitting on a stool beside her in baby blue scrubs snapped on some gloves and then started to dig around in my sister's open back.

Instinctively, my fingers crackled to life, a warning look from Eric the only thing that stopped me from trying to jump the doctor once more. Behind me, I heard Bill gasp and jump as well. I was unable to see his face but I could only imagine the anguish there as Sookie's eyes met mine.

"Are we - are we dying?" Sookie swallowed once and I winced as I saw the pain flicker there.

"Yes." the doctor answered immediately, staring down at the goop covering her fingertips.

"NO!" Bill snarled but his words were less sure as desperation sunk into them. "She cannot die. You will save her."

"Back off, vampire," the small little lady responded, clearly unfazed and used to these types of threats. My head spun uneasily, shifting like a boat rocking in the middle of a storm. "Let me do my job."

"Forgive him," Eric drawled out, his words belying the stormy look in his eyes as they stayed fixed on me. "Bill is abnormally attached to this human." There was a slight pause that I nearly missed as my eyes gave up the pretense of focus and rolled into the back of my head. There were clouds at the edge of my vision that I wanted to chase. "However, doctor you will save this one here. No negotiation."

A snarl shook me back to the present, making me aware of a cool hand rest at the base of my neck, rubbing and supporting all at once as the doctor turned her attention to me. I couldn't help the whimper then. She had brought Sookie pain and she would bring me pain as well. My eyes rolled desperately, a sick fear making my intestines roll.

"I've always wanted to perform a miracle." She snapped on a new pair of gloves and before I could fully react, she was digging a finger beneath the outer skin and into the oozing mess of torn tissue beneath. I gulped down a breath, my lungs trying to work while the rest of my body seized under the pain, a wet squelching sound following her as she dug a little deeper and I could feel the imprint of her nail scrape along my insides. "We don't have a lot of choices, they've both been poisoned."

My lips moved wordlessly through the pain, lights popping beneath my eyes like fireworks seen from behind a blanket. Her finger curled inside of me, the skin there popping as she dug up some of the pus coating my injuries. I panted, shivering uncontrollably after that onset of pain.

"Breath," Eric whispered, his fingers moving higher until they were massaging the hair at the base of my skull. Silently, I nodded, trying not to let the dizzying shock and agony show on my face. I didn't want her hands on me again.

My eyes met his, the blues there swirling to grey as he surely saw the plea. Please don't let her touch me again. His lips thinned, an odd sort of agony showing for a moment before there was cold again and he was shaking his head discreetly.

"You ever heard of Komodo dragons?" I blinked, not even fully processing what was being said. "Their mouths are teeming with bacteria. After one has bitten you, it will track you for hours - days just waiting for the toxins to slowly eat away at your nervous system 'til you're good and helpless. Then it will devour you alive."

Beside me, Sookie whimpered and I gurgled out a breath as the doctor's fingers skimmed along the top of my mangled, rotting flesh. This was a new level of pain. I had never - my mind couldn't even fully wrap around the amount of agony that was coursing through my system.

"We were scratched by a dragon?" my sister choked out and I relaxed a little as the doctor turned once more to her, her rolling stool squeaking.

"No," I whispered, searching dizzily for Eric's eyes once more. "Three fingers. Claws. Hair. Bull - human. Female."

Eric's eyebrows drew together, his hand tightening on the nape of my neck. "What did its face look like?"

My vision blurred for a moment, going back to that horrible moment when it had dragged me to it. "Dark. Darkness."

"No," the doctor said thoughtfully, drawing a blue vial from her bags on the floor and then turning swiftly back to me. "But this posion is similar and way for efficient. I don't think I've seen it before but it's hard to tell without further testing and we don't have that kind of time." Her eyes met mine over the rim of her glasses and for a moment she paused, a brief lapse of sympathy there before it disappeared completely. "This one here has suffered severe injuries and even with the eradication of the poison - well there's still a chance that she'll die."

I bared my teeth in a grimace, something savage and angry clawing up inside of me. Dying without even getting my hands on that filthy creature would be the last thing that would happen. The doctor's eyes flicked briefly to the sharp points of my teeth before she uncapped the vial and leaned forward. Eric's smile was grim as he stared on.

"You won't die," he murmured in Swedish. "We don't die."

"Give us some privacy," the doctor murmured, her eyes all business again as they flickered over my injuries. Slowly, Eric got up, his eyes never leaving mine, a dare lighting them. Daring me to die. I gritted my teeth, breath quickening as he moved out of sight and I was left staring at the liquid swirling in the bottle held so carefully in the doctor's hands. "This will get ugly."

Beside me, I heard the murmur of Bill as he crouched over Sookie. He was apologizing.

She did it before I could even look back, her hands deft as they held me down with one and poured tipped the bottle over my exposed wounds. Liquid, scorching and acidic trickled down into the raw tissue. At first, I didn't scream. I couldn't. My eyes blinked unseeingly up at the ceiling as something dark and wonderful opened up for me. My mouth opened and closed, my throat constricting around the sound that wanted to come out. I was dying. I was going to die. Eric would win the dare.

"Another one?" Was it them? My sisters? Yes. My mind silently supplied something like comfort working through me as I felt them crowd around me in those endless moments. "How?"

"Maenad," another voice, silky and soft in the darkness supplied, some inner fury reaching me.

"They've been hunting us to extinction," the first one snarled. "When will we fight back? When will we stop the slaughter of our own people?"

"Soon, sister, soon."

Dying? I snarled, something inside of me growing furious at the accusation. I wasn't going to let those bitches see me die. My fingers crackled, all of that anger making me lunge for the doctor's throat. I would rip out her heart before I would let her drive me to death. I would kill her.

"Be still." My hands slammed back to the mat, bracketed above my head. Painfully, the wound at my shoulder screamed out. Blond hair fell around me, the sea engulfing my vision. I snarled, baring my teeth up at Eric. "If you kill the nice doctor, you'll die, darling."

"Keep her still!" I did scream this time as I the liquid returned, my skin sizzling and bubbling beneath the acid. All thoughts of living fled as it continued, on and on like time was stopping and would never return. I blinked, surprised to feel tears slide down to my hairline at the action.

Briefly, Eric's eyes flicked away from mine, his face pinching before smoothing back over as he met my gaze again. "Be strong, Runa."

A second later I knew why he had said that. Spindly fingers clawed through the bubbling mess at my ribs, digging into the flesh until they could pinch onto the flaps of skin and squeeze. I wheezed, gaping, my eyes rolling. This was - my brain stopped for a moment, pinning me there in that moment for an eternity. I was going to remain in this for the rest of my life.

Wordlessly, Eric murmured to me, his forehead coming to rest cooly on mine even as his fingers kept me pinned in place. I screamed, guttural, animal sounds tearing from me every time her fingers dug into me and pinched.

"Turn her over." I wept, openly, freely as Eric did just that, realizing distantly that he was trying to be gentle. I didn't care. Distantly, I heard a bottle being uncorked as Eric settled beside me, holding me down at my elbows.

"Please, not again-" I sobbed, not caring that I was begging, not even realizing that I was speaking to him in old Swedish. My eyes met his as he hovered over me, the agony there tearing into me. Slowly, he leaned down, his forehead resting softly against my temple.

"This will keep you alive, you beautiful, infuriating creature." It didn't sound like he had meant the words to reassure me.

I didn't get much time to think about it as the bottle was tipped again. This time all I could do was weep, choking and gagging as unconsciousness hovered right out of my reach.

When it was done, Eric didn't let me go. And I didn't pull away, too exhausted and shocked to do anything but breath through the puddle of tears that I was in. Sookie's treatment was almost as agonizing as my own. Her screamed twisted through me like a knife. But even if I had been able to paste together more than a few vague strings of thought, I didn't have the energy.

Finally, silence filled the main room of Fangtasia and Eric raised his head from mine, his fangs visible as they scanned over the bloody mess beneath me. I should have been afraid. Instead, I just felt exhausted.

"You can give them blood now," the doctor informed us, already packing away all of her tools. "Their bodies should accept it."

Instantly, Eric's hand swept to his lips, his fangs ripping into the skin of his wrist before I could even say anything. One massive hand swept the sweaty, grimy tangle of my hair away from my face, cupping the back of my head to turn me more fully.

"Drink," he murmured, nudging the bloody mess of his wrist to my mouth, a gush of blood smeared across my lips.

Exhaustion made it hard to think straight but I could still process the consequences of drinking any of Eric's blood. He could track me. He could invade my dreams. I kept my mouth shut, staring blankly up at him.

"Drink, dammit," he hissed, eyes flicking to take in the extent of my injuries once more. "Without my blood, these wounds will scar."

I kept his gaze for a few more seconds before turning away. I wouldn't drink from him. I would rather carry these reminders than let him have this small victory.

"My blood will only stay with you for a week at the most." Was that a note of pleading. The tangy metal smell of blood tickled my nose as he waved his quickly healing wrist in front of my face. "You infuriating girl," he snarled, turning away from me with a sneer, his eyes striking in their fury.

I closed my eyes, darkness quickly taking over as I finally relaxed, my side and shoulder pulsing dully. I slipped into sleep.