AN: Woooo! Enjoy!

Chapter 21

Maria sat in the water with her knees to her chest, staring at it as it changed color. Ever since she sat down, it shifted into a strange burnt orange color. She could only liken it to the red sands of a desert.

She tenderly ran a washcloth over her exposed skin, lazily washing it as she thought about what had happened. It came in flashes because she'd been so heavily drugged. In truth, she didn't want to remember it all. Maria was more than willing to forget the experience, but the marks it left behind were undeniable. She still felt the burning slashes in her back even though she knew Eric's blood had healed them.

Eric.

Maria's brows tugged together as she remembered waking in her own bed feeding from him. It was the only clear memory she had that wasn't warped in some way, and it made the least amount of sense. She didn't understand how he found her or why he bothered saving her. She was grateful, yes, but had no idea why he did it.

She was embarrassed, an emotion that was hard for her to contend with. Maria didn't like being seen that weak or pathetic. It bothered her more than she could express, and she wished it hadn't happened.

An unknown amount of time had passed as Maria bathed. She'd lingered without moving for a while, but finally found some footing. It was the fact that Eric had seen her that way that did it. Her pride wouldn't allow it, so no matter how badly she wanted to curl into a ball and disappear, she wouldn't. She'd fake the strength and bravery that she cloaked herself in for the majority of her life.

With a final rinse and a steadying breath, Maria stepped out of the bath, pulled the plug, and wrapped herself in a towel. She grabbed Eric's shirt with the intent of giving it to him later that night, and opened the door. To her surprise, he was lingering in the hallway. Maria hadn't expected to see him clearly waiting for her. It took a moment, but she shook herself back into reality and offered him the garment.

"Thank you," She said as he took the shirt.

Maria averted her eyes as though it would somehow hide some of her shame. She wasn't so foolish as to think it would, but it helped her.

As she walked into her bedroom, she felt Eric lingering somewhere behind her. She continued to act as though it was nothing and went to her dresser for something to wear.

"He won't be bothering you again." He told her as she dug through her underwear drawer.

She tossed a pair of panties and a bra onto the wooden surface before sifting through the drawer with her jeans without a care as to him seeing them. Why would she? They were just pieces of cloth and there were more important things on her mind.

"You killed him?" She kept her voice even and calm despite the torrent of emotion swirling around inside her.

"Yes," Maria heard his pride and a glimpse of the smile he had on his lips proved it.

"How?"

"I bounced his head off the wall." He replied arrogantly.

Maria paused in her search for her jeans, and turned to him with a curious stare. "And?" she asked.

It was Eric's turn to look confused. "And?" He repeated unsurely.

"And what else?"

"He bled out. I saw it."

Maria's eyes shot wide and terror swept through her. Eric noticed and stood upright, pushing himself away from the doorway he'd been leaning against.

"Oh God," She mumbled. "Oh God, oh God, oh God."

Without warning, she was a flurry of movement, snatching a pair of jeans without a care as to what they were. She stripped herself of her towel and dressed as quickly as she could, completely unconcerned with the fact that Eric had likely caught glimpses of her nudity.

"I have to leave." She said as she tugged her jeans on. "I have to get out of here."

When she turned to retrieve a shirt, Eric appeared in her path. He stared down at her sternly.

"You're not going anywhere."

"He's not dead!" She yelled at him. Eric flinched. "He's been shot, poisoned, stabbed, and you think a little head knock was enough?" She stared up at him almost desperately. "He's still alive and he knows where I live. I have to leave."

Eric went still, so Maria seized her chance. She stepped around him and retrieved a shirt. Once it was on, she began to pack. A while ago, she'd bought an old travel bag large enough for the basics, so she retrieved it, and began to throw everything she could possibly need inside.

As Maria dropped her phone charger and her jewelry into the bag, a hand clasped her wrist. She looked up to see Eric staring down at her intensely again.

"You're not leaving."

She jerked her hand away. "He will find me. Do you understand that? He's been chasing me for almost a fucking century because he thinks I'm his mate. A century, and you think he'll suddenly walk away? He's fucking insane and obsessive, or did that somehow escape your attention?" Eric didn't reply, and she didn't truly expect him to. Maria zipped her bag shut and grabbed hold of it before she looked at him again. "I've been in Louisiana too long. I never should have stayed."

With her bag in hand, Maria charged toward the front door, but only made it to the hall outside her bedroom before Eric once again stood in her path.

"You're. Not. Leaving." He repeated sternly.

Maria clenched her jaw, grinding her teeth in frustration. Why was he being so fucking stubborn? It wasn't as though he didn't understand. He knew exactly what she was dealing with, so why?

"We had a deal."

Her stomach fell and her head dipped. That was why he wouldn't let her leave, their deal. Of course it was, she should have known, so why did it bother her?

"Look," She said with a sigh, "I'll come back in a few years, okay?" His brows twitched together, which she thought was odd, but she pressed on. "A decade at most, but I'll fulfill the rest of the deal."

She took another step and as before, he stood in her path. Maria was losing her patience. She had to get out of her house and Louisiana as quickly as possible, but with Eric blocking her at every turn, it was becoming damn-near impossible to manage.

"Let me go!" She had finally snapped and yelled at him, but Eric didn't seem the slightest bit worried.

"No," He said firmly.

"Why?!" She was angry and nervous, two things that weren't good for an animal to feel. She knew that if she didn't leave soon, she'd lash out. "Our deal can't mean that fucking much to you."

"It doesn't."

"Then why are you forcing me to stay?! Is it my blood? Then fine," Maria was acting erratic and she knew it. The fact that she raked her fingernails across her forearm and tore it open was only further proof. "Then take it! I don't care, but I'm not staying here anymore."

When Eric didn't move or speak, probably stunned into silence by what she'd done, Maria seized her opportunity. She swept past him and downstairs. She made it to the foyer, feet from the front door, when Eric appeared in his path again, but this time was different. He wouldn't look her in the eye for more than a second, and he'd lost his confrontational edge. It made her uncomfortable.

His voice was much softer than before when he spoke again. "Don't leave."

Her brows furrowed and for whatever reason, Maria felt compelled to take a step back. He eventually met her gaze, and when he did, Eric looked strangely sincere.

"I want you to stay."

Maria's façade began to crack. "He'll come for me."

Eric's stormy eyes hardened just a bit. "He'll die. Permanently."

She believed that he thought it was possible, but she wasn't so sure. However, when Eric offered his hand, she took it. She didn't know what else to do. He clearly had no intention of letting her go and Maria didn't know if she had the strength to fight Eric Northman too.

Holding her hand firmly in his, Eric guided her down the rest of the stairs and outside. The moment they were, he lifted her into his arms and sailed into the air.

Maria might have been working her normal shift at Fangtasia that night, but Eric could see her anxiety. If she bothered hiding it at all, she hadn't succeeded. While performing the simplest tasks, he would see her flinch or roll her shoulders, as though she sensed someone lingering just behind her. He knew she would appreciate the distraction, but it seemed to hardly work.

He was glad she chose to stay, however, especially since he was aware of how afraid she was. The desire to run was so prominent that he not only sensed it himself, but he could see it in her eyes. The brilliant green was choked out, dulled with the need to flee.

But she stayed. He asked her to, and she did. There was an odd sense of pride that came along with the fact that she remained behind because he'd been sincere. Manipulation didn't even play into it, and he still got his way.

While things had been relatively subdued, Eric did close Fangtasia early. When two o'clock rolled around that morning, he sent everyone away, including other employees. When he locked the front door, only he, Pam, and Maria remained.

He clicked the lock into place and turned. Maria was doing her best to keep busy, wiping off tables and chairs so she could do the same to the floor. He stood and watched her for a minute or two before she rolled a single shoulder once more. It looked as though she was trying to brush away someone attempting to touch her.

It was the final straw as far as Eric was concerned, and drove him to say something he'd wanted to say for months.

"You're coming home with me today." He kept his tone casual and light because he knew a fight would come. The circumstances didn't matter. Maria would fight him.

Her face twisted with annoyance and confusion when she looked at him. "What?"

"Until this situation is resolved," He said as he strolled toward her. "You are going to be staying at my house, with me."

"But, I have my own place."

"You said he knows where you live."

She flinched and immediately dropped her gaze. "I won't be any safer at your house." She said before meeting his eye again. "I won't be safe until he's dead."

Eric arched a brow and said rather arrogantly, "Then I'll kill him."

He noted her instant disbelief and skepticism. It surprised him. "Why?" She asked in a tone to match. "This isn't your problem. Why would you bother?" He didn't immediately respond. "Just so I stay here working for you, or so you can keep drinking my blood?"

Eric was suddenly presented with an opportunity. He could do one of two things: either lie and manipulate her as he would with anyone else to get what he wanted. Or, he could tell the truth. He'd done it once before and got his way, but he risked exposing himself more than he was willing.

He surprised himself when he chose the latter.

"Because I want you to keep you." He told her. Her skepticism deepened. "And I don't mean because you were given to me." Eric took a couple steps forward, but still kept some space between them. He could tell she was as uncomfortable as he was. "But I will protect you regardless."

Maria withdrew from him, taking a step away because she needed the distance. He remained where he was and simply watched her. She didn't seem to know what to think and was struggling with her disbelief. He didn't entirely blame her, but it did bother him.

"Is that why you saved me, because you want to keep me?"

He gave her a simple, silent nod.

"What does that even mean?" She was confused and that confusion led to growing anxiety. "You already have me."

"No, I don't. You work for me. It's not the same."

"Jesus Christ," She sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. He could hear her heart racing. "You make it sound like you have feelings for me, or something." He didn't reply. Instead, Eric tensed his jaw, forcing the muscle to roll and coil. "Well, stop it." She snapped. Her nerves were all but fried, and he was smart enough to guess why. "You don't like me. That's not what this is. I don't mean anything to you."

He remained silent while she began to pace. He was offended by her outburst given the vulnerability he'd shown, but he knew where it came from. Maria was like him when it came to connections with other people. It was easier to avoid them. It was a side-effect to having the people you actually cared about taken away violently, or stalked by a psychotic murderer.

He understood it, but his pride and ego lamented her reaction.

"I need some air." She mumbled as she headed for the door.

Eric said nothing as she unlocked it and disappeared outside. He was annoyed and angry, and genuinely considering glamoring the entire situation out of her head when he felt a shock of fear.

The distance he traveled to get to Maria was instant. It was a reaction, instinctual, an unconscious decision that brought him to her side milliseconds after he felt it, and he soon saw why. She was frozen in fear, staring directly at the man Eric genuinely thought he'd killed only a few hours prior.

Rasputin stood a few yards from them, still bathed in black clothing, but now with dried blood matting his hair to his head. He stared at Maria with nothing short of rage, an emotion that he showed Eric when he appeared, too.

Eric's fangs immediately snapped into place. He stepped forward, placing himself between Maria and her nightmare.

"Coming here was a mistake." Eric said with a growl. "I'm going to make sure you're dead this time."

Rasputin was completely at ease as he removed his hand from behind his back. He lobbed a powdery substance at Eric, causing the vampire to shield his eyes, but it blanketed him anyway.

Eric was instantly angry and swatted at his body to remove the mystery substance as best he could, but it clung to him as though it had a mind of its own.

"Vampires," Rasputin sneered.

Eric shot him a furious glare. He only managed to take a step toward the sorcerer before he felt something tickle the back of his throat. It was such an odd sensation that it caused him to pause.

"You think you are so powerful," he continued, "but you are only dead flesh."

Something was wrong. Eric felt a light sizzle and he didn't know why. He glanced at his hands. They were still covered in the powder, but everything it touched was beginning to melt. His skin was bubbling and burning. Eric could only compare it to the way peroxide reacted on a cut, except this was beginning to eat away at his flesh.

He felt it everywhere the powder touched –his hands, his neck, his face, and his airways. Even his eyes were beginning to burn.

"No!" He heard Maria scream.

Eric felt his strength flee his body in one swift blow. He crumbled to the pavement and struggled to keep from touching anything.

Maria appeared in front of him. She looked terrified as she looked at him. God only knew how horrifying the scene was. When she reached forward to touch him, he jerked away.

"Don't," he told her. His voice was hoarse and broken, damaged from the powder.

Maria spun to face Rasputin. "What did you do?!"

"Killed him." Rasputin replied coldly. "Slowly, and painfully."

Her eyes were wide when they turned back to him, fill with fear, but no longer regarding the man standing behind her. Eric kept her gaze and saw her eyes well with tears.

"I'm sorry," She whispered. "I'm so sorry." When she blinked, they tenderly fell down her cheeks.

Eric couldn't help himself. Perhaps he was simply more comfortable nestled within his sarcasm.

"Are those for me?" He asked with a semi-joking tone. "I didn't know you cared."

She scowled at him, which was what he'd hoped she'd do, but the reaction was short-lived. For those few seconds, they'd forgotten about the real trouble.

Eric didn't see him until another collar, like the one from before, appeared around Maria's neck. She reacted instantly, threading her fingers through the gap between it and her neck as just as she was yanked violently backward.

"NO!" She screamed.

She kicked and fought as she was being dragged away, and all Eric could think was why isn't she fighting harder? He knew she was strong and that she was a thrope, so he didn't understand why she had such trouble fighting against the human sorcerer.

Eric rose on his feet with every intention of following, only to fall to his knees once more.

"Let her-" His words were cut short by something crawling up his throat. Eric coughed to relieve the blockage. It was blood, so much blood, that poured from his throat.

"Let me go!" Maria cried out. "I need to help him!"

Rasputin jerked the collar sharply, forcing Maria onto her back. Eric heard her head bounce off the pavement. Temporarily stunned, she'd gone motionless which let Grigori stand over her.

"He will rot and die." He spat hatefully. "And there will be no one to come save you now. We are meant to be together. You. Are. Mine!"

Grigori grabbed the collar once more and used it to roll Maria onto her stomach. He struggled with the lock and as he did, Maria's eyes fell to Eric. He met her gaze unblinkingly. He felt the skin on his face boil and slide off the bone. He felt himself rotting and judging by the look on her face, it was horrible.

"You will never escape me again, l'vitsa. Ever."

Rasputin jerked her from side to side as he maneuvered the lock, and it seemed to shock Maria back into the moment. Eric saw the moment her "flight or fight" response became "fight".

"No!"

Her scream echoed through the air, but it was twisted and unnatural. It was inhuman, like her.

Eric watched it happen in startling detail even though his vision was blurring. An animal tore through Maria's skin, shredding it and her clothing as it made its way into the world. Maria's angry cry turned into a deep, vicious roar that belonged to a terrifying creature.

Rasputin shot back from the lion Maria had become. She was enormous, standing tall enough that her head reached the center of Rasputin's chest, and the man himself was only two, perhaps three, inches shorter than Eric.

She was swathed in dusky grey fur, speckled with sparse spots, with paws that rivaled a car's hubcaps. A black line ran from beneath her black-lined eyes to her jaw, while tufts of fur sprouted from the tips of pointed ears.

She squared herself on Rasputin and let loose another furious roar, revealing undeniably dangerous teeth. Maria's ears dropped and her head dipped. She dug her paws into the asphalt and launched herself toward the sorcerer, but never made contact. While she was fast, Rasputin darted out of the way.

Eric couldn't take his eyes off her. It was an incredible sight, but the sound of another vicious animal forced his attention to divert. A few yards from her, shaking off the black fabric that was once his clothing, stood another equally large beast.

In that moment, Eric suddenly knew why Maria had been so afraid, and Rasputin was so possessive. Against him, her supernatural strength meant nothing, because he was the same creature. And he wanted her for the same reason. He wanted a mate. That was why he was still alive after so many years, and why Eric had been unable to kill him, too.

What followed the shocking revelation was perhaps the most violent fight Eric had ever witnessed. The two lions charged for one another with claws and teeth bared. They would rear back onto their hind legs and swat their incredible paws at their opponent, the sound of which was so intense that Eric felt it in his chest. They slashed at each other, bit and tore at their opponent's flesh, but Eric didn't know who was who. His vision was still fading and they looked too similar, a problem added to by their intense speed.

"Oh my God," Pam's voice met his ears a second before she appeared in front of him. "What-"

"Don't," He choked out as she reached for him, but he didn't manage to get the warning out quickly enough.

Her hand touched his shoulders for only a second, but that was more than enough for the powder to transfer. She felt its affects quickly, too. Thankfully, she hadn't been doused in it.

"The fuck is this?" She asked as she frantically tried to wipe it off. "And what the fuck is that?"

Eric tried to say Maria's name and it might have left his lips, but he wasn't sure.

"Jesus," Pam muttered in shock.

The two vampires could do nothing while the animals fought. One was too weak to move, and the other was too stunned.

Through his bleary vision, Eric saw flashes of blood and fur fly. He saw one of the creatures swipe its paw across the other's face before diving at its throat. He heard the one lion choke just as its throat was ripped out completely. The first lion, with a face now stained crimson, wasn't finished. While its opponent struggled to breathe, it threw its body against it, knocking the bleeding feline to the ground.

The dominant lion immediately tore into the second's ribcage and began to chew. The sound of mewling cries and crunching bones was deafening and didn't end until the dominant lion tore the heart from the other's chest. Even in his state, Eric could tell what the red object being ground in the cat's mouth was.

And then the monster turned its attention on him and Pam.

Eric's stomach curled and his heart sank. Rasputin killed her. Maria was dead and there would be no saving her with his blood this time. There would be no saving himself, either. He only hoped Pam would be smart enough to save herself.

A thousand thoughts and emotions swirled within him, but each was as pointless as the last. There was nothing he could do about them, whether it was regret or sadness.

The last thing he saw was the lion's massive paws bringing it ever-closer. And then the world went dark.