I've honestly been feeling a bit sad lately so I've kind of not been writing. Which isn't at all good for my mental well-being but... sometimes we do things that are self-destructive, right? Anyway, I'm not going to answer any reviews again but just know that I really appreciate them. They always brighten my day.

This is a bit of a repost but I realized after I published that my chapters had gotten a bit mixed up so I deleted one and so this is a new chapter and it does have LEMONS! Very citrusy.


Chapter 29: Wait for Me

"Bloodthirsty harpies," I grumbled, forcing myself up onto my elbows as wakefulness stabbed into me. I thought one of the worst ways to wake up was after one alcohol-infused one-night stand. I was wrong. The worst way to wake up was under the thumb of the mares and currently, I was so fucked that I couldn't decide whether to crawl back into bed or go down to the bar and try all of their blood cocktails.

My whole body sank into a mass of feathers and Egyptian cotton as I struggled to a sitting position, taking in the low lighting and blackout shades that were tightly sealed. If I had any confusion on where I was, it would be quickly wiped away by the crude message scrawled on the dresser mirror: Stay put, lover.

Eric, I groused, rolling my eyes at the absurdity of the command. Only that skyscraper of a Viking would give someone an order with no context. But if he thought for one moment that one wonderful, mind-numbing night in bed was going to make me into a slobbering dog then he had another thing coming. I needed to find my brother and sister - and more than that, I needed to think about what the hell I was going to do with this new turn of events.

Groaning, I shimmied my way out of the comfort of the blankets, stalking over to the mirror to try and find a sharpie to leave some variation of: fuck you, handsome, right next to his message. I barely made it a couple of feet before I was stopping, gasping as I blinked owlishly at my reflection.

"What the fuck?!" I gasped, leaping toward the vanity to get a closer look at the golden circlet encompassing my throat, jagged thorns slashing out like a… like an inverted crown. I cussed, fingers pressing along my collarbone as if I would somehow be able to rub it away. "Those sadistic, sneaky, good-for-nothing-"

"I was expecting something along the line of: Eric, I've been waiting in here in nothing but stilettos and raw, sexual tension. Please-" His eyes met mine in the mirror, the humor seeping from their depths as he zeroed in on where my nails were trying to gouge out my own skin. Eric's body immediately crowded me back against the edge of the dresser, turning me swiftly as he crouched down. His breath was hot against my throat, fingers swatting my own away gently as he grazed along the now-coarse skin. "What the fuck is this?"

"I-" I gulped, momentarily distracted by the pure physical reaction that I had whenever he came within kissing range. My body buzzed, instantly remembering the pleasure that we had shared. And also the fact that we could share it again. My nipples tingled at the prospect, my insides beginning to twist with the knowledge. "Um-"

His gaze flicked up, a small, secretive smile tipping his lips up. I blushed. He knew what I was thinking about. "Focus, Runa love."

"I - I -" I forced my gaze away, staring hard at the sliding doors that separated the bedroom from a small parlor area. Focus, you dirty slut. Focus. "The mares are back. They came to me-"

"What?" He hissed, his fangs snapping down with a ferocity that would have made my insides wither if it was aimed at me. His eyes flashed an ungodly winter blue.

I hurried to continue, wincing as his fingers bit into my biceps. Instantly, he eased up, a harsh breath escaping him. "Apparently they thought I was dead. But now that they know I'm alive, they can continue to invade my mind whenever they want. They had a deal - find the creature that attacked Sookie and me that one night and bring it back-"

"Like hell," he growled, words harsh as he switched to Swedish. His fingers yanked through his hair. "That thing almost killed you."

"I know that," I whispered, wincing. If it hadn't been for him, I think it might have succeeded too. That night was still as fresh as day in my mind. "But-"

"You're not doing this," he snapped, his shoulders rising as if he already knew that I wasn't going to like what he was saying.

And he was right.

I didn't.

My teeth bared at the blatant command, my spine stiffening as I glared up at him. "I don't know who the hell you think you're bossing around, Viking-"

A harsh laugh escaped him, disbelief coloring his eyes as he stared down at me. "Contrary to the first time that I met you, I want you to stay alive."

A scoff forced its way up my throat. "Wow. That really gives me the warm and fuzzies."

"You're not chasing after that thing until I get back."

My fingers sparked, something like scorn tightening my gut as his breath blew along my lips. I could see my own feral light reflected in his eyes, an emotion that I knew all too well, warming his cerulean gaze. Loyalty. He and I were the same. And right now I could see the same kind of rabid protectiveness lighting his eyes as I had felt just a few hours before when faced with someone demeaning his position as a vampire.

My interest peaked. My next words were soft, lilting. "Eric Northman… I thought you didn't particularly care about human life."

His gaze shuttered, becoming guarded. "You're as much of a human as I am."

"Close enough," I taunted and his eyes lit at the familiar phrase he had thrown at me our very first meeting. My eyes roamed over his tight features, the unhappy tilt to his lips, the slight crease that made his already brooding features go from unflappable to thunderous. My hands moved without any conscious thought, smoothing along the worry lines creasng his forehead. He looked earnest in that moment - so… so vulnerable. "You know I can take care of myself."

His eyes flashed a startling shade of winter blue, his head tipping to the side as he gave me a snarl. "That's not the point," he snapped and his fingers curled along my wrists, pulling my hands away from his face with an agitated growl. "Stop trying to distract me, Runa." A smile was just at the edge of my lips. Having the power to distract the great Eric Northman was more of a compliment than an insult. He continued with a flash of canines. "The extent of our information on this thing is that it almost butchered Sookie and you last meeting. One slice and you'll be poisoned. We don't know where it is. What it looks like. What it even is-"

"A maenad," I supplied, earning a glare from the hulking man, the muscles in his shoulders rolling with irritation. "My sisters gave me that information at least." I paused for a moment, mulling over the details of my meeting with them. "They also gave me a warning. Apparently, this thing works a lot like I do - it plays with human emotions, heightening their fears until they reach a frenzy. The mare… she mentioned that they might be able to - to control me."

I pressed my lips together, suppressing my urge to continue that thought. And that if she ended up worming her way in too deep that I would be immediately executed.

Eric gave another harsh growl, his fingers tightening on my wrists, tugging me until I was flush against his chest. His eyes bore into mine. "You're not going after this thing without me." Fangs flashing, he let out a harsh breath, his eyes rolling with anger. "They're using you to do their dirty work because they're too weak or lazy or simply incompetent to do it themselves. Those useless jubelidiots." He went on, muttering vehement slurs in Swedish.

"They offered me freedom," I whispered, causing his eyes to snap to mine again. I let some of the hope brim up inside of me, smiling. "If I just do this for them, they'll give me my freedom."

Clouds rolled across his gaze, darkening his expression. "Sometimes even freedom comes with strings."

He was right. Of course, he was. I wasn't stupid. They could tie me up in a million different ways before I completed this little task for them. And perhaps… perhaps earning my freedom would strip me of my powers. Could they take away who I was? Could they make me-? I cut that thought off, grasping desperately at the glimmer of an escape that I could see just ahead of me. I couldn't think about the ifs. If I wanted them to stop threatening me, stop hurting me, I needed to do this.

I shook my head, tugging my wrists free from his grasp so that I could smooth my fingers along the chiseled lines of his chin, cupping his face. My next words were hushed. "Eric - this is my only option."

For a moment, his eyes held mine, pain lighting across the stormy blue of his pupils. He hated it. Hated that he had to relinquish this much control. Hated that the mares - a race that he openly despised and more than likely believed that he could decimate in a night - would force his hand like this. But there was more to it than that. There was the fact that meeting them head-on was virtually impossible. Time after time they had dragged me to their home ground and even though viloplats gave me just as much strength, I was new to this game. My people were a cunning race and I wasn't about to squander an opportunity that they had been so unwilling to give me.

A long, harsh breath tore from Eric. His head dropped, resting in the curve of my shoulder. His next words were so soft that my ears strained to pick up on them. "They collared you."

Even though it was virtually weightless, the gold circlet around my throat pressed down on my throat, suffocating. Bile rose in my throat, nausea twisting my guts. In one night they had both offered me my release and branded me all at once. It was the last twist of the dagger - a reminder that although I had power they still owned me on a cellular basis. My fingers slid from his jaw to his shoulders, tightening on the material of his shirt.

Rough hands scraped up my spine, tugging me closer until every breath I drew felt like it belonged to both of us. My head went light, a slow ache starting in my stomach. Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, my mind sang greedily.

His lips moved against my throat, the words cutting in their rawness. "They took you when you were supposed to be safe with me and they collared you like a dog."

I flinched, the words slicing through me even though I knew his ferocity wasn't directed at me. His shoulders rolled, the muscles in his back tightened as his arms curled around my waist, lifting me effortlessly onto the edge. My body immediately accommodated him, thighs splaying to curl around his hips as he pressed against me, his face now level with mine.

Those striking, cerulean eyes cut into me, kindling something instinctive inside of me. Loyalty. Possessiveness. His fangs flashed. "Wait for me to come to Bon Temp with you and we'll track the maenad together." His gaze darkened. "And then we'll have the mares meet us in person so I can tear out their throats myself."

A shiver rolled up my spine. "They're still my people, Eric."

His lips curled away from his teeth, a snarl ripping from his throat as his hands tightened on my hips, dragging me closer. "I'm your people, Runa. Me and mine. "

My heart seizes, my whole world falling to pieces in that single moment. Because he's given me something that I'd never have thought to ask for. Given me a part of him that I never thought I would even glimpse. He's not cold, at that moment. He's not all those horrible things I thought he was only a few months ago. He's mine. He's everything that I've ever wanted.

And I would do anything to keep him.

My lips crashing down on his, my fingers tangling in his hair as he stills, surprise jolting through him. Maybe we should be talking about how we're going to go about hunting down this thing. How we're going to get the mares off of my neck. How any of this is ever going to work. But I can't. I can't think about anything besides the need to feel his skin against mine. We have time, I tell myself. We'll have time when he comes to Bon Temp.

My teeth bite into his bottom lip until he gives a snarl of reprimand, his hands tighten on my hips. I don't care. I take the opportunity, a low moan bursting from my lips to his as I run my tongue along his. The kiss is primal, half-crazed with lust and urgency. Mine. My nails slip over his shoulders, slipping past the loose collar of his shirt to dig into the hard muscles of his back. Mine. My legs tighten around his hips, drawing him closer until he cinches into the cradle of my thighs, rubbing against my sex.

A low growl rips from his throat, a hand tangle in my hair, yanking me away from his lips mid-kiss. My lips tingle, my eyes catching and lighting on the swollen, wet curve of his lips. His words are low, spoken to me in guttural Swedish. "Greedy brat." A thumb presses rough to my lips, catching the startled whimper as his hips thrust up, his cock rubbing along my wet folds. A hot shiver rolls up my spine. He's at just the right angle that his cock is rubbing just right against my clit. His eyes flash a dangerous blue, watching me wither, grinding against him. "Say you'll wait for me."

"I'll wait for you," I whimper, arching into him, my heels digging into his ass as I try and make him understand - make him move-

His fingers tighten in my hair, the bite of pain forcing another moan from me. Angry - angry that I've made him lose control. Angry at the whole situation. My nipples tighten, begging for attention. I like his anger, I realize. I feel safe with it. The first man who I can see the storm in and not be terrified - not want to rip him apart. I feel a smile tug at my lips, watching a tick go off in his jaw as I roll my hips forward, my nails breaking through the skin of his back. Well, maybe rip apart in a different way.

Eric's breath saws out of him harshly, his hips rolling against me as if he can't control himself before he's shaking his head like a dog that's trying to get up from a nasty fall. His lips curl away from his teeth, flashing sharply in the low light. "I mean it, mare. I like it when you disobey me but not on this - Fuck. Stop rolling that tight, little pussy against me-"

My toes tingle, my panties drenched. It was getting hard to focus on what he was saying - my body started to rule out everything that didn't include the climax that was building up inside of me. But one thing that I knew was that I wasn't going to get there unless he was inside of me.

My teeth sank into his shoulder, frustration making me see red for a moment as he swore, his hips giving me an erratic pump. "I - I promise. I promise to stay in my little house with the curtains drawn and all the doors locked. Just please -"

His fingers tightened in my hair, yanking my head back until the column of my throat was completely exposed. His eyes cut into me, a sharp warning even as his tongue lapped at my harsh pulse with reverence. "Next time you try and distract me with this tight little body I'm going to leave you wanting."

Why did that turn me on even more? Blindly, I nodded, barely blinking before I was being yanked from the dresser, my shorts shimmied down my legs with a swiftness that made me dizzy. Coldness presses against my cheek as he spins me to the wall, my whole body vibrating with an unfulfilled climax.

Eric's breath is hot against my ear, the words decorated with the sound of his zipper going down. "Get up on your toes." Breathing becomes hard as his hand slips around my hip, the pad of his middle finger rubbing circles along my clit. My insides twist, prickling, the sound of my own wetness filling my ears as he gives a guttural groan. "I should just leave you like this. Shouldn't let you cum-"

A whine tears from me, the very idea making me crack open. "No - please -"

The broad head of his cock rubs along my ass, slipping between my wet folds. Possessively, his hand curls around my front, yanking me back into him. "Fuck," he snarls, drawing back until his head is at my entrance, my whole body shaking with the need. "You're making me go crazy."

We both let out ragged groans as his length finally sinks into me, shivers coursing up my spine to tingle my scalp. Mine, my mind chants, toes curling as the hand not curled around my sex kneads at my breast. His breath his harsh against my throat, his whole body pressing me into the wall. Dominating me. Coddling me. My fingers grapple with the slick wall trying to find purchase to hold onto and only slipping in the effort.

A low hiss left me at the almost painful stretch, my body reminding me that we had just gone at it only an hour or so before. Even with the throb, I was clenching though, my body just a touch away from release.

I knew my body responded to him but… Jesus. My nails dug into the wall, breaking through the first layer of paint and drywall as he pulled out slowly and then pushed back into me. My whole body tingled, my toes cramping from trying to push back into him more even as he kept me crowded against the wall.

"God, I love that you have bite and claws to go with that filthy mouth of yours," he groaned and I shivered as the words raked along my nape. His hands tightened on me as he kept a slow pace, the hard muscles of his chest rolling against my back.

My head tipped back, my crown resting against his shoulder as my whole body bubbled, loosening into a compliant haze. His eyes met mine, his head tipping to the side as he nudged his nose against my own, the gesture so soft and sweet that I clenched around him, making him squeeze his eyes shut.

When he blinked them open again, they blazed, his hips rolling with a laziness that belied the fire I saw there. I loved that look. Loved that I knew that at this very moment, every thought, every other action was consumed by me. It made me reckless.

"I dreamed about you," I blurted out and his eyes widened, some of the haze clearing for a moment as he tried to focus on my words. Heat rose up my nape, burning my cheeks and, embarrassed, I continued. "After you - after you gave me your blood, every night, for weeks, it was only you."

His cock pushed into me, his fingers pulling my lips apart for better access. Or maybe just to feel me quiver around him. I didn't know. But it was hot - made me clutch around him. A slow smile curled his lips, the expression looking closer to pain than what it really was. "Did we fuck?" His hips slammed into me, his pace increasing to a pace that made my head go fuzzy, my head falling forward until my forehead pressed to the wall. "Did I get down on my knees and worship this tight, little pussy every night?"

"Yes," I moaned, my whole body tightening, fire scalding me from head to toe. There it was again. So intense that I let out a hiccuped breath as I tightened around him. "We - we did this but - but we also talked. And-"

And what? I didn't know what I was going to say because I was shattering, my hips canting back desperately to get more of him. He let me, growling beneath his breath as I withered against him, trapped between his hard body and the wall. His fingers tighten on my breast, leaving bruises that I'm sure to see tomorrow and the day after and that possessive grip on my pussy flexes. "Then it looks like I have some catching up to do - fuck, Runa."

My whole body loosened, my head buzzing with pleasure as he snarled, grunting brokenly into my hair as he chased desperately after his own release. Eric arms band around my waist, holding me up as he cums. Desperate noises rip from his throat as he keeps pumping, seemingly unable to let the moment end as I shiver, the very sight making me clench. My body tingles, grateful for the glimpse of how much I unhinge this man.

Breathless, both of us stumble, his big body pressing me to the wall in a sweaty heap, his arms still tight around me, his nose still pressed into the wild mess of hair. For a moment, we stay like that, my body humming with contentment, his head nuzzling at my ear, my hair.

"You won't go to this maenad without me, love," he finally rasps and I shiver as his tongue licks along the sensitive shell of my ear.

Affection tightens my gut, my fingers rubbing along where his forearms are still branded around me. "If you don't trust me to do as you wish, why don't you come with me, handsome?"

A light groan greets my ear, his arms tightening a bit. "Godric requires my assistance. He's become quite entangled with a human girl, it seems. Gave up his position as Sheriff to take her away."

I still, some of reality seeping back in as I took in the information. Godric was a natural leader, someone who deserved the position that he was in. To hear that he was leaving… "Is that for the best?"

A long pause met my question, Eric's face pressing absently into my hair, his chest expanding on a deep breath. His answer was slow, deliberate. "It's best for him."

That… I sighed, turning to catch Eric's lips in a light kiss. That seemed to be the only thing that mattered then. I pulled back a little, wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders and meeting his gaze. "I won't go after the maenad. No matter what happens, I'll wait for you, Eric Northman."


The ride back to Bon Temp, Louisiana was a long and arduous one. I had forgotten the discomfort that came from road trips. Especially road trips shared by three siblings.

"Nothing looks exactly the way that I left it," Jason was saying and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He had been making these sort of dreamy, whimsical comments the whole way home. When we had passed the swamps that led to the town, he had made a comment that they were strangely beautiful "in their own dac-e-dante way." My first thought had been that he didn't know what the hell decadent even was. Then we had passed a biker's bar that he had frequented and he said that he couldn't "even imagine going back to that old part of my life."

By the time that we had breached the city walls of Bon Temp I was about ready to leap over the center console and beat him over the head with my shoe.

Jason's wide, brown eyes met mine in the mirror, darting to where our sister sat with a thoroughly brain-dead expression on her face. She had been nice enough to keep along with his holier-than-thou act up until he had asked if she was up for going vegan - because he "really didn't like knowin' that all those honey bees were dyin' because we liked honey with biscuits."

Sookie sighed, her eyes darting briefly to the industrial-grade casket in the back of the van, housing poor, old Bill. "I've never been away before," she admitted. Her gaze caught mine. "Seems like something's different to me."

Aside from the raw tension that was between us at the moment, there was something else that felt… off. Something in the dark, foggy cast to the evening sky. Something that had a lot to do with the impending doom that seemed to be tightening my gut.

"What the fuck?" Jason suddenly whispered and my head jerked to the side, the low ringing of a distant alarm breaking through the silence of the day. My stomach dropped, the opening road to Bon Temps littered with broken glass and trash. My finger jabbed into the locking system as my eyes caught on the busted out windows of the hardware store and bakery, clothes piled in odd heaps at every street corner. "Look at this guy."

My head buzzed, something feral and altogether too familair lighting me up like a christmas tree. I forced down bile as my gaze zeroed in on the man that Jason was nodding to, his eyes wide. He was young, maybe just out of his 20s, his hands clutched around one of the pillars at the entrance of the flower shop.

And he was slamming his head so hard into it that his skull had already cracked open.

Sookie gasped, her body recoiling back into the seat. I couldn't tear my eyes away. Because I didn't feel a single ounce of fear in him. No hesitation for the horrible death that was sure to greet him once his skull cracked like an egg shell.

"Runa," Sookie whispered, her eyes meeting mine for a split second in the mirror before the van slammed to a stop, broken glass flying into my face, snipping delicate lines into my face as I smashed into the dashboard.

"Shit," Jason was whispering. "Shit, shit, shit, shit."

"They just ran out in front of me!" Our driver was saying, his voice going high with panic.

Hands grappled with my seatbelt, my brother's arms curling around me as he helped me out of the passenger seat. Bringing a hand up, I slopped up some of the blood dribbling into my eyes.

"Hey!" Jason snarled, something like alarm making his voice gruff. Roughly, he pushed me behind him, my head still spinning from slamming into that dashboard. Sookie's cool fingers pressed my hair away from my face, her brows pinched in concern as she looked me over for more injuries. "What the hell's wrong with your eyes?"

Both of us stilled, our gaze clashing before we were leaning around Jason to get a better look at the woman and man who threw themselves in front of the van. My insides went cold, danger buzzing through me. Their bodies were bloodied, one swaying slightly on her feet from a head wound. But their eyes - their eyes were alight, obliterated by darkness so deep that i thought for a moment that they had to be wearing some type of contact. Smiles curled thier lips, giggles creeping past their lips.

"Let's go," the man suddenly whispered and the girl gave an appreciative laugh, both stumbling away.

Jason jerked, his shoulders rolling. "Wait, wait. Where ya goin'?"

"WE GOTTA FIND SAM!" The blonde cackled, throwing her head back and tearing her vest away to leave her in nothing but a bra and skirt.

The guy that she was with grinned, splaying his hands. "It's almost time, man!"

And then they were sprinting, taking the hill like they were gazelles instead of two humans that had been run over by a ten-ton van.

"Sam," Sookie whispered, her eyes locking onto mine.

My mouth went cottony. "There's only one Sam I know in Bon Temps."


I really hope that you like it and please REVIEW if you do! I've been feeling kind of down lately so I need a bit of a pick-me-up.