The Warrior Within

by MinxieJinxie

Full Summary inside: Sookie isn't the first thing that Eric Northman notices the first time she walks into Fangtasia with Bill. Her companion is what catches his eye but she isn't all that she seems. What if there was someone who stole Eric's heart and his curiosity into who and what she is strikes up an unlikely romance? OC/Eric REWRITE in process, new readers skip to Chapter 32!

33. Season 2 rewrite

Hey guys! Hope you're all staying safe and healthy during these crazy times. Isolation has taught me many things and it's also given me the time for yoga and rewriting this Fic for all you amazing people!

I hope all my loyal readers are enjoying this rewrite and noticing the small changes I've made. I think this rewrite will have more noticeable ones.

Welcome to all my new readers! I'm so glad you're enjoying this and that you've subscribed to the story and me.

Please enjoy and join me in fantasizing about a naked Eric Northman.

Chapter 11

I shrugged out of my leather jacket and collapsed in Eric's office chair. It didn't feel nearly as comfortable as it does when I'm straddling Eric whilst he sits in it but I suppose it would have to do. I leaned back and lifted my feet up onto the desk and crossed them; wearing my new ankle boots was not a smart idea. I've been in existence for 3,000 years and still haven't learnt that blisters were by far the most painful things and they hurt throughout the whole healing process. Maybe Eric would appreciate them, although I had a feeling that he wouldn't notice them whilst my cleavage was on full show.

It had been 2 weeks since I had snapped Drew Marshall's neck to stop him from attempting to kill Sookie and me because of our choice of men; if he was around 1,000 years ago, I may have actually let him so I could escape some of the men at the time. It had also been two weeks since I last saw Sookie or actually spent any time with her. I knew she had been back to the house because of the used dishes and the occasional wash load but I hadn't actually spoken to her. Once Bill had seen her after the attack, he blamed himself and refused to let her out of his sight. She spent every night at Bill's and when she did manage to make it home, I was either at work or with my own vampire. I knew where Bill was coming from but I also thought it was a little possessive. I did have a feeling though that it also had something to do with Bill's new vampire daughter.

I had met Jessica when Bill had brought her to Fangtasia a few nights ago. She was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed; eager to try everything she wasn't able to as a human and I didn't blame her. What was immortality if you couldn't do what you wanted? She had spent every night after that in the club but abruptly stopped passing by after she walked in on Eric bending me over his desk. Neither of us was embarrassed but I think it was too much for the baby vampire; she was still a virgin after all and had a lot to learn.

Although my relationship with Sookie had taken a turn, my relationship with Eric couldn't be better. He appeared at my window the night of the attack and just held me. I tried explaining to him that I was okay and I had fully healed but he insisted on just being there for me. We spoke of everything and nothing and when I awoke the next morning, I was wearing Eric's top and engulfed with his scent like he was still there. It also prompted me to arrange some blackout lights. I was determined to make that house light tight in the coming days.

After that night, Eric and I couldn't keep our hands off of each other. It was as if we were both fully open with one another and this was it for us and I wouldn't have it any other way. Not only was Eric my equal, he was my partner in so many ways and I didn't want to imagine an existence where he wasn't with me. It had taken me 3,000 years to find him; I wasn't letting go of him.

"What are you doing here?" I looked up at Eric and smiled. He was standing in the doorway of his office holding a bunch of files. "Can't I come and see you? Since I only have the time between the sun sets and rises with you I thought I would make the most out of it. Aren't you happy to see me?" He placed his files on the desk then moved around to me. He lifted up my legs and sat down in the spot they were in. I lifted my legs back up and placed them on him.

"I'm always happy to see you, especially when you wear tops like that," I looked down at myself and grinned; I had called his preference for my cleavage. "However, you usually come by a little later, not at 7 pm. And Pam usually tells me when you're waiting for me."

"She does but she doesn't know I'm here. I came in through the back. Oh by the way, you need a new door. I yanked it open expecting it to be unlocked but then the door came off its hinges. Guess I don't know my own strength." That was a lie, I knew exactly how strong I was and so did Eric; I had thrown him around rooms before now without breaking a sweat. I was just so angry when I arrived that I needed a way to release and unfortunately, Eric's door was there. It was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"What's wrong Alexandra? And don't say 'nothing' because I know that's not true. You know I lock that door every night and you know your own strength. You've had no problem showing me how strong you really are these past two weeks. Need I remind you this is a new desk?" He indicated down to his desk and I merely shrugged. He was right, as usual. About his door, his desk and me. The destruction of his desk was an accident however. It was after Bill had stormed into the club and warned that I stay away from Jessica because I was a bad influence on her. Apparently, mixing my own blood into a TruBlood cocktail was not the way to help her. I had gotten so angry at how he had spoken to me; I slammed my fist down on the desk instead of his head. The desk didn't stand a chance.

"I quit my job this afternoon. I was just so sick of being treated like a fucking intern that I told Portia to stick her job and her firm. She made it clear that she didn't need me so I did her a favour. And now I'm unemployed and sitting in my boyfriend's chair boring him to death with my problems. Well, I would if he wasn't already dead."

Eric raised his eyebrows at me and smirked. "Boyfriend? Is that what I am now?" I threw my head back in laughter and sat up. "Eric, we have sex nearly every night and when we're not having sex, we're talking. That is the definition of a human relationship. I know you don't understand such words and hate the idea of doing things that human's do but we aren't like normal people: you're a vampire and I'm a demi God. I'm not a human pet that you keep around for food and to satisfy your sexual needs because you believe that you are superior to humans. We're on the same level and since there isn't a word to describe us, I'm going for the human equivalent. So that means that you are my boyfriend."

I stood up and wrapped my hands around Eric's neck while I placed a light kiss against his lips. I pulled away but he pulled me back and kissed me again. I could feel his arms circle me and hold me tight as he pushed his tongue into my mouth.

"Come work for me." "Excuse me?" Eric began to kiss my neck then moved his head down to my collarbone. "Work for me. You can get what needs to be done during the day and apart from Pam, you're the only one I trust enough to deal with everything. You're more than qualified and you already have the wardrobe for it." So that was what this was about: Eric wanted me for my pencil skirts and heels. I suppose he had a point; I couldn't deprive him of his favourite look.

"Fine, but on one condition: you have to buy me more lingerie. I can't have you ripping all my favourite pieces and not replacing them." Eric smiled then lifted me up and slammed me against the wall. If this was a preview of how my new employment was going to be, I couldn't wait to sign on the dotted line.

"So you're going to be working for Eric now? Doing what?" Sookie sat opposite me at Merlotte's. It was the first time I had seen her and we just fell back into a normal routine. She was working the day shift and as usual, wasn't working and spending her time talking to me. I could almost hear Sam saying 'I pay you to work, not talk to Alexi'. I had settled on a club sandwich because Lafayette was still M.I.A and Terry couldn't replicate his burgers.

"Just dealing with the books of the club I guess. Also making sure that the club isn't breaking any liquor laws and things like that. It'll only take me a few hours every week and it's not like I have anything better to do at the moment. Besides, I only get a few hours with Eric every night and this way, he's only going to be a few feet away from me. He also promised me new lingerie; that drawer of mine is getting dangerously low. Anyway enough about that, you seem down. What's up?"

"It's just been weird lately. Jessica's still trying to adjust to being a vampire and since she walked in on you and Eric at Fangtasia, she's been spending more time at the house which means, Bill has less time for me. I'm not saying I'm jealous of her or anything but it would be nice if I could see my boyfriend too." I hung my head down because I knew it was somewhat my fault. Maybe I could learn to lock the door in future.

"Yeah I'm really sorry about that. We usually don't get interrupted because vampire's can hear us. I suppose she isn't use to using her vampire senses yet. I do think you need to tell Bill how you feel though. Say you understand that Jessica needs help but you also need a little TLC from him too and since he refuses to leave you alone, he has to show you love." "That's the thing. I don't think he has any more to show." I stopped eating and looked up at Sookie. For the first time ever, she wasn't smiling like she did when she spoke about Bill.

"What do you mean? Has he hurt you?" "God no! I don't think Bill would even if he could. What I meant is I think his dark side is coming out more. Yesterday he admitted to me that he killed my uncle Barlett because he abused me when I was a little girl. I mean I know he feels possessive over me but I don't know how I feel about it. He can't go around killing people because they've hurt me in the past."

I knew Jason must have gotten his money from somewhere. I ran into him earlier and he mentioned that he was taking a college class out in Texas. He must be paying for it out of the money his uncle left him. He had been really distant since his release from prison but it was understandable: his best friend had practically framed him and then tried to kill his sister.

"I know you want me to tell you that I understand how you're feeling and that you shouldn't be with someone who has a dark side like that but I can't. Sook, you're in love with a vampire; you have to accept that it's in their nature to kill. Yes, they can control it and there are limits but it's also who they are. Bill loves you and to him, that was a way of showing his love. He wanted to protect you from any future pain. It's the same with Eric. I know you can't understand why I'm with him after what everything Bill has told you but he's over a thousand years old and you don't live that long without getting blood on your hands. I'm no exception: I killed Drew Marshall in front of you and I didn't even hesitate. I've opened up to you but there is a lot I've kept from you Sook because I don't want you to ever look at me differently. With Eric, I can completely be myself and I need that. For my own sanity."

Sookie slowly nodded then said she had to get to work. She just needed to accept that there are thing's Bill's going to do that she may not understand but that doesn't mean he's a bad person. I quickly finished my food then got up to leave but Sam grabbed my arm.

"Can I talk to you for a moment? It's important." I nodded then followed Sam into the back. Although I hadn't seen him since the whole ordeal, I had realised that I could trust him. He had protected Sookie when she needed it and he ran to our aid that day. I knew it was more to Sookie's aid but I wouldn't have had the opportunity to end it all if he hadn't intervened. When he plucked up the courage to ask me about the unnatural strength, I merely explained that I was the outcome of a sick twist of fate. That seemed enough for him. I walked into his office after him and took in its features. It was spacious and was filled with liquor boxes, my kind of office.

"What's up? Is everything okay?" "Not quite. Have you seen that woman that Tara is currently staying with, Maryanne?" Sookie had mentioned that some woman had taken Tara under her wing but I hadn't met her. I wasn't close with Tara like Sookie was and only acknowledged her when I saw her. She wasn't all that keen on me either and I suppose it didn't help that not only was I supportive of Sookie's relationship with Bill, I also had my own vampire.

"No I haven't. I've been spending a lot of time with Eric lately so unless she spends time down in Shreveport then I wouldn't have seen her. Why?" Sam sighed then ran his hand through his hair. "You might think I'm crazy but I know she's dangerous. I met her when I was 17 and weird things happened. At first, I thought she was in town because she wanted the money back that I had stolen from her but she hasn't left yet. I thought maybe you could keep an eye on her."

"What do you mean weird things? Like vampire weird or me weird?" "I don't know how to explain it. Like supernatural but bigger than vampires and shifters." I nodded and looked at Sam: he looked worried.

"I'll see what I can do. I can't make any promises and won't be able to act unless she does something but I'll keep an eye out. Look, Sam, I've got to run, I got a few things to deal with down at Eric's place. Keep an eye out on Sookie okay? She's having a few troubles with Bill. Nothing major but she may be a little slow tonight." Sam nodded and waved goodbye as I headed out of his office.

I walked into Fangtasia and noticed how bright the placed looked with the lights on. The red walls were still too much on the eye but I suppose the paintwork wasn't Eric or Pam's priority when they opened this place. It was quite big but seemed smaller when the place was packed out. I went behind the bar and grabbed myself a beer before heading into Eric's office. It was almost sundown so Eric and Pam would be here soon.

I walked into the office and found a folder with my name on it on the desk. I opened it and saw that it was a contract of employment for me. I laughed then read through the terms. One of Eric's terms was that I would wear my pencil skirts while I was on the premises working. Typical Eric, controlling what I wore using employment. I continued reading then stopped when I came down to my annual wage. I nearly choked on my beer as the six-figure sum stared at me. It was more than what I was earning in New York and I wouldn't be doing those kinds of hours.

I leaned down to change it when a noise caught my attention. It sounded like a cry, a human cry. I looked up but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. I shrugged it off but then I heard it again and this time it was louder. It sounded as if it was coming from under me. I looked around the office to see if there was a hidden door or something. My eyes darted around the room and landed on the shelf to my right. I walked over it and moved it away from the wall with ease. Behind it was a door; a door I didn't know existed. I opened it and slowly crossed the threshold.

A stench hit me almost instantly. I walked down the stairs but stopped when I took in the sight at the below me: Lafayette sat curled up against a wall. He was chained around the neck to what looked like a rotating device. I rushed over to him but he cowered away from me. His face was bloody and it looked like he was sitting in blood.

"Lafayette, it's me, Alexi. I'm going get you out of here. Just hold on." He nodded but didn't look up at me. I pulled at the chains that were attached to his neck and hands and they broke away. I pulled him up and told him to lean on me. I dragged him out of the dungeon slash basement and up the stairs. He almost collapsed as we entered Eric's office but I held him tighter as we walked into the bar.

I then felt Lafayette shake in my arms like he was suddenly scared. I didn't understand until I looked up and saw Eric and Pam standing in front of the entrance of the club. Pam had an amused look on her face but Eric looked like I had just caught him out in a lie. I suppose I did. He had forgotten to mention his little dungeon to me and I was mad: very mad.

Chapter 12

"You kidnapped him, Eric! He's been down there for 2 weeks living in that stench and all you can say to me is it had to be done? Enlighten me, Eric, otherwise I'll walk out that door and I won't come back!" Eric and I had been arguing for the past half hour. Lafayette had eventually collapsed in my arms and I laid him down in one of the booths. Pam had just continued to smirk but Eric stormed towards his office with me hot on his tail.

He knew I meant it, even if I didn't actually want to leave him. After everything we had been through these past few weeks, I thought we were beyond keeping secrets from one another. "You know what position I hold! As sheriff of area 5, I have to make sure that rules are followed and punish those who break them. You should understand that more than anyone."

"I do understand law and order Eric, but what I don't understand you hiding things from me. You kept Lafayette in a dudgeon basement under your club and I had no idea it existed! He's been missing for two weeks; I can only assume he's been down there this whole time and you couldn't find the right time to tell me? He's broken! He cowered away from me when I approached him. What did he do Eric? Why are you keeping him down there like that?"

Eric stepped closer to me then I moved forward so we were only mere inches apart. Eric was a full head taller than me. I looked up at him and held his glare. I could feel myself calming down but it didn't mean I didn't expect an explanation.

"He was selling V. It's illegal in your legal system and mine. If the Authority found out that I knew of such a crime and did nothing about it, I would lose my position and probably be sentenced to the true death. Would you have wanted that instead? A life without me?" His voice softened as he probed the notion of me living a life without him. He was right; selling V was the worst thing anyone could do and he would be held responsible if he did nothing to stop him. I hung my head in defeat because the thought was too painful. Eric gripped my shoulders and I looked back up at him.

"I would challenge Hades myself and find a way to bring you back if that ever happened. What punishment did he face?" "Death: that's the sentence for selling V to both humans and vampires. I couldn't do that to him because I knew of your relationship with him but I couldn't sit back and do nothing. If other's knew, my position as sheriff would be in jeopardy and I would be challenged. If I was to lose, you could be in danger and I can't risk anyone in my world finding out about you. They may not be able to kill you but we both know that there are fates worse than death." And there it was: Eric was protecting me when I should be the one to protect him. I could feel the tears burning at my eyes. I didn't know why I was crying; I hadn't cried in years.

"I wish I could tell you how unreasonable you're being and that what you've done is wrong but I can't. You've shown a form of mercy even though you know what it would mean for you if anyone found out. I just wish you would have told me." "And what would you have done? You refer to yourself as a monster but I know how much compassion and love you have in you. You wouldn't have let me done this or anything else. I needed to do this without you. He needed to learn."

Eric brushed away my tears with his thumbs and placed a soft kiss to my forehead. "When were you going to release him?" Eric abruptly pulled his lips away from me and held my gaze: he wasn't going to. "You wanted to keep him down there indefinitely and then what? Keep him around for your amusement?" I pulled out of Eric's grip and shoved him. He stumbled back but then reached out and grabbed me by the neck. His fangs snapped out and he growled as his fangs grazed my skin. I could fight my way out of this but I didn't want to, not this time.

"I don't know what I was going to do with him. I quite enjoyed the idea of him sitting down there while I fucked your brains out up here. If I'm honest, he hasn't been a priority these past weeks and equal as we are, I don't appreciate you challenging my authority." Eric released my neck but his hands remained on me. He roughly grabbed me by the back of my thighs and lifted me up. Instinct took over and my legs wrapped themselves around his waist. He moved back and slammed me against the wall. I winced in pain but kept my gaze on him; he had me trapped.

"Don't ever hide anything from me, Eric. There is a lot of things I'm okay with but that isn't one of them. You can reprimand me for challenging your authority and you can show your dominance but don't ever pretend that I don't mean anything to you. I accept you as you are but you have to accept me. When we're done here, I'm going to take Lafayette home and get him cleaned up. I'll deal with the fallout because I may not have liked what you done, but I can accept it and admit that I've done a whole lot worse in the past." Eric crushed his lips against mine and started pulling at my top to release my breasts. My hands were already making quick work on his zipper when Pam waltzed in.

"Sorry to interrupt…" She looked at us and raised her eyebrows, "whatever this is but you're needed outside Eric." I heard Eric sigh in frustration before he released me and vamped out of the room. I started to straighten myself up when I felt Pam's eyes on me. "You too Goddess. Sookie is injured so I figured you'd want to see her." I rushed towards the door but Pam's hand stopped me. "This is his way of protecting you even though we both know you don't need it. This is new to all of us," I pushed Pam's hand away and re-entered the club, her words still lingering in my mind.

I saw Sookie laying face down on one of the tables with Eric and Bill looking down at her. They were talking in hushed voices with Chow looking at them from a distance. I rushed over to her and saw what looked like three claw gashes in her back. She looked in agony and I looked up at Bill.

"What the fuck happened? You were supposed to be looking after her! Why haven't you healed her?" Bill vamped over to me and stood directly in front of me. If he was looking for confrontation then he had approached me at the right time. I curled my hands into fists at my side and felt Eric appear behind me. He placed his hand on my shoulder and I knew it was more him telling me he was there as opposed to stopping me from attacking Bill.

"I was looking after her! She stormed out of the car then the next thing I know, she was laying on the ground with those marks on her back. I tried to heal her but she spat out my blood and starting foaming at the mouth," I released my fists and pushed past Bill. I leant over Sookie and inspected her back more closely. White puss was pouring out of the wounds and I could see the pain Sookie was in. I had never seen wounds like this before.

"Do you know what attacked her?" I looked up at Eric then back at Bill waiting for his response. "I don't know. I couldn't sense anything." Eric nodded then folded his arms across his chest.

"Pam! Chow! Retrace Compton's steps and see what you can find then report back to me." Chow nodded but Pam pulled a face, "Do I look like I'm dressed to go searching through a forest? These are new," Pam indicated towards her suede pink pumps. I jumped back when I heard Eric growl at her then they were gone. I wasn't sure if I was still turned on from before but Eric's growl caused me to squeeze my thighs together to help relieve myself. I went from being angry to being turned on, to being worried and now back to being turned on. Eric looked over at me and raised an eyebrow. I don't think he was expecting my reaction either.

"Do something, Eric! If she dies I'll…" Eric cut Bill off and looked unfazed at his threat. "Do what? Kill me? I'd like to see you try. And I am doing something. I've called someone to come and look at her. She's the best when it comes to these kinds of wounds." I held Sookie's hand and looked at her face. Her eyes were closed but I could tell she was very much awake and trying to fight the pain. Maybe if I knew what had attacked her, I would know how to heal her.

"Wait! I have an idea. Bill, take off your jacket and use it as a pillow for Sookie's head. She needs to be comfortable." Bill complied and did what I said as I ran into Eric's office. I threw open my bag and grabbed the pouch of epoúlosi herbs that Apollo had given me. Maybe this was the threat he mentioned. The Oracle answered to him so maybe she had warned him. I returned to Sookie and crouched down at her side.

"Eric, can you grab me some water please." He nodded then vamped to the bar. He returned a second later with a bottle of water. I opened it and placed some of the herbs into the bottle. They dissolved in the water and turned it a dark purple colour.

"What are you doing? What are those?" "These are epoúlosi herbs: Apollo's own remedy. They can heal any wound known to man and God but are extremely rare. He gave them to me a few weeks ago saying I would need them. I guess he was right." I shook the water bottle then opened it again. "Bill grab her hand and hold her down. If this works then she's going to be in a lot of pain as whatever it is in her body, leaves. Eric, can you grab her other hand?" He nodded then grabbed her other hand.

I slowly poured the herb-infused water into Sookie's wounds. She cried out in pain and started to violently shake. Bill and Eric held her down as I continued. The white puss that I had previously seen in her wound had started to seep out as well as all the blood that was infected. Once the water had finished I rushed behind the bar and grabbed a towel. I returned and started to wipe her back down. Her wounds slowly started to heal and she stopped shaking.

"Give her your blood Bill. She'll heal faster." He nodded then bit into his wrist and held it to Sookie's mouth. Eric got up and pulled his phone out of his pocket, probably calling whoever he had called before to tell them not to bother. I walked over to the bar and grabbed the bottle of tequila. I poured myself a shot and drank it then poured another one.

I was on my third shot when Sookie sat up. Bill wrapped his jacket around her since her top and bra were now in the bin.

"How did you know that would work?" I looked over at Bill and shrugged my shoulders. "Apollo may be an ass but he's also the God of medicine. He wouldn't give me something that wouldn't work." Sookie looked over at me and smiled. She was too weak at the moment to speak so I knew it was her thanking me.

Eric slowly made his way over to me then placed his hand on the small of my back. When he was satisfied that I was okay with him being so close to me, he sat down next to me and pulled the barstool I was sitting in closer to him. I looked up at him and gave him a small smile before taking another shot of tequila. I was still trying to process what had happened in his office and how I had allowed him to overpower me. For the first time in my immortal life, I didn't fight back and gave into him and allowed him to take control. I hadn't allowed anyone to do that since my mortal husband. I was prepared to give myself up fully to Eric and it didn't scare me; it excited me.

"You owe me a new pair of pumps." I looked up at Pam and Chow entered the club. Pam's pink pumps were covered in mud just like her legs. She had a twig branch sticking out of her hair and a sour look on her face. She wasn't pleased. I contained my laugh by drinking more of the tequila.

"What did you find?" "Nothing. Whatever attacked her was long gone by the time we got there. The tracks were human but the scent was animal. Nothing like I'd ever smelt before." Eric nodded then looked down at me.

"Do you know anything?" I shook my head, "no. It sounds like Pam and Chow came across the scent of a Minotaur, half man half bull, but Sookie's wounds don't match those of a Minotaur. I've never seen anything like it before."

"Oh my god! Is that Lafayette?" I watched as Sookie rushed over to him. I had completely forgotten that he was there. He must have fallen asleep. I got out of my seat and handed Sookie the pouch of epoúlosi herbs.

"He's been here for the past two weeks. Take him home and make sure he rubs these over his wounds. All he has to do is mix them with water and they will heal him." Sookie looked at me in shocked then nodded. I watched as both she and Bill supported Lafayette and walked him out of the bar.

I looked over at Eric and gave him a reassuring smile as I picked up the bottle of tequila and walked back towards his office. I heard him tell Pam that her pumps were in fact, great pumps and he was sorry they were ruined. I could feel his presence behind me as I entered the office. He vamped into the office, closed the door and pulled my back towards his hard chest. He reached for the tequila bottle and dropped it onto the floor. Neither of us flinched as it smashed into a hundred pieces. I leaned my head back into Eric's chest and reached up to grab a hold of the back of his neck. We stayed like that for what felt like hours. Every so often, Eric would brush his lips against my neck and each time, it sent shivers down my spine.

"Why didn't you tell me that Apollo came to visit you?" I released Eric's neck and turned in his arms to face him. He didn't look angry; he looked concerned. I started to walk back until I felt his desk against my knees. I propped myself up on it and pulled Eric towards me so he was standing in between my legs. "Because it was when you were away, then everything happened and it slipped my mind."

Eric cupped my cheek and I felt myself melting in his touch. "But you weren't in danger?" "No, I wasn't. He came to me to warn me and to give me those herbs. I may hate him for what he did to me in the past but he's still my uncle and has love for me. He said I'd know of the danger when the time was right and that I needed to prepare myself. I think this is it."

Eric ran his fingers through my hair and lifted me up. Within an instant, he had spun us around and I was straggling his hips whilst he sat on the edge of the desk. "Why didn't you fight back earlier?" I breathed into Eric's neck and allowed his scent to flow through my senses. I knew we wouldn't be able to stay like this with each other for too long so I wanted to savour it.

"Because I don't want to ever fight back with you. You were making your point because you needed to and I needed to hear it. Your anger is a part of you and so is your authority. I'm giving myself up whole-heartedly to you. Not because you're superior but because I want to. I know you're there to protect me." Eric crushed his lips against mine and I melted into him. His hands slipped up my top and I lifted my arms up so he could remove it.

"I won't hide anything from you, even if I think it will protect you. And I won't ever put my hands on you like that again. My feelings for you scare me but also excite me, Alexandra." I bit down on Eric's lip and heard him hiss out and I drew blood. The smile that tugged at my lips told him everything he needed to know. This time, we weren't disturbed.

Chapter 13

Watching Eric sleeping during the day was quite something. He lay completely still and didn't even stir when I tripped over his shoes and went crashing into the bedside cabinet. My mother may be a God but I didn't have her poise. He was also a bitch to move. I woke up with his arms firmly locked around me and tried to move out of then but it proved harder than I thought it would be. When I finally wriggled out of his grip, I thought it was best that I left Eric's bedroom.

I curled up on the sofa and smiled at the memory of last night. Eric and I were lying on the floor in his office, both naked and completely entwined with one another. Pam had decided not to open the club and had left not long after Eric and I had disappeared into the office. I was glad for the alone time and the freedom for us to do whatever we wanted. "You're going to get downstairs cleaned right?" Eric lifted himself up to rest on his forearms and I felt my eyes drift down to his toned stomach. He truly looked like a Greek God and I would know, I was related to them.

"It wasn't first on my list of priorities right now. Why?" "Because maybe it could be somewhere for us to disappear to when we don't want to be disturbed." Eric laughed as he rose up. He pulled me up and then pulled me flush against him. "I don't need to take you downstairs to have my way with you. Besides, I'm the owner; I could just close the place and spend time with you, like this, naked," his fangs sunk into my neck and I felt his erection poke me in the stomach. "Now, there's a bar out there that is the perfect height…"

I pulled myself back to the present and felt my body react to the memory; my aunt would be proud.

It was past 5 when Eric emerged from his room. He walked out completely naked and over to his kitchenette area. I watched him over my cup of coffee as he opened the cupboard and pulled out something. He had one of those bodies where he should only ever be naked. Clothes didn't do him justice.

"Is that blood?" He turned to look at me and smirked. "I tend to keep a few blood bags around. You know I can't stand the synthetic stuff and this satisfies me enough when the sun's still out. Want some?" I pulled a face causing him to laugh as he drank the bag of blood. For a moment I wondered where it came from but then decided not to dwell on it.

"You know you look really good naked." He turned to face me fully and my eyebrow rose when I saw his erection. He slowly walked over to me and trapped me in on the sofa with his arms. "I should say the same to you. Laying next to you whilst you're naked is my second favourite thing to do with you." I looked up at him and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"And what's your favourite?" "Well I could show you better than I could tell you," and with that, Eric picked me up and vamped us up to his bathroom. I giggled as he pulled his top off of me and pushed me into the shower. His lips were then on mine and I felt myself melt into him. He pushed me up against the wall and continued to kiss me as he turned the water on. I pulled him with me to stand under the water flow and kissed him again. His erection continued to poke me in the stomach and I smiled at the feel of it.

Eric wasted no time in lifting me up and burying himself into my wet core. I moaned at the feel of it and smiled when his fangs popped out: someone was really turned on. I squeezed my legs and pulled his head back as I felt his whole length enter me. Sex with Eric was like nothing I had ever felt before. Whether it was hard and quick or slow and loving, it always sent me over the edge and left me wanting more.

"This never gets old." Eric grinned at me then slammed me against the wall. I moaned in pleasure and begged him to continue. My moans got louder with every thrust, which meant this was going to end before either of us wanted it to. I could feel my release and knew Eric was close to his too. He tended to bite my shoulder when he was and his head had just dipped down.

"Phone call Eric." We both looked over at Pam who was standing on the other side of the shower holding Eric's cell phone in her hand. She was wearing a see-through negligee, which I admired; it was definitely something I would buy. Now that the moment was gone, Eric rolled his eyes and pulled out of me. I think I whimpered at the loss of contact as he set me down on my feet, snatched his phone from Pam and stormed out of the bathroom. I think he mumbled something like 'jealous bitch' as he walked past Pam. She smirked then watched me as I stepped out of the shower.

"You can pick out some clothes from my closet if you like. I think I have a few pairs of jeans shoved in the back. Take your pick." I wrapped a towel around me and turned to face her. "Thanks. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an orgasm to reach." Pam smirked then vamped out of the bathroom.

I walked back into Eric's room around twenty minutes later and found him sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. I sat down next to him and he looked over to me and smirked. His thumb grazed over the swell of my breasts and my nipples hardened at the contact.

"Who was on the phone?" "An associate from Dallas. The sheriff of area 9 in Texas has gone missing; he hasn't been seen in over a week. I said I'd go and help find him. They want him found before the Authority steps in."

"Let me come with you. I can help. There's only so much looking you can do at night and maybe the key to finding him is looking during the day." He nodded then got up and quickly got dressed.

"I also need Sookie's help. She'll be able to find out information without being detected. I'm sure you have your own methods of getting information out of people but we may need to be subtle." I was about to protest but Eric was right; Sookie was invaluable in this kind of situation. I just wasn't sure on how we were going to convince her.

To say that Sookie wasn't happy to see either Eric or me was the understatement of the century. We arrived at Bill's and Jessica opened the door. She looked excited to see us despite what had happened the last time she did. She apologised for walking in on us and promised that it would never happen again. After I had explained to her that it was fine and we weren't embarrassed, she told us that Bill and Sookie were in his study and that we should go right in, which we did. However, if I had known what was waiting for us on the other side of the door, I would have stayed outside with Jessica.

"He tortured Lafayette for two weeks and you're acting as if he hasn't done anything! He's a monster with no heart and yet you worship the ground he walks on. How could you be so naive and stupid?" Eric's fangs snapped out at hearing Sookie's words. I really wished she hadn't have said that. Eric's protectiveness of me was still at the front of our relationship and he would take that as an attack against me. Bill's then snapped out in retaliation to Eric and I rolled my eyes. This was getting out of hand and was going to end in a blood bath if we weren't careful.

"How do you want me to act Sookie? Like you? Come out with all guns blazing and never allow the other person to speak? If you want to know how I dealt with it and the effect it had on me, then I'm happy to talk to you. Alone," my eyes darted towards Bill who was still squaring off with Eric, "but until then, I'll keep it to myself because I don't think you really care. You're just more upset with the fact that I'm not with you this. We didn't come here to talk about what happened. We came here because we need your help."

"Oh, that's rich, you coming to me when you need my help. I'm assuming I'll also be helping him too?" She indicated at Eric who was yet to say anything. His fangs were still out but he hadn't moved from his position beside me. "Well you can forget it! There is no way in hell I'm going to help him. And you! I can't even look at you without feeling disgusted. You forgave him after what he did? Why?"

Sookie moved closer to me and I wished she hadn't. I had been calm up until now because I didn't want to scare her but she wasn't Eric; I wasn't going to back down to her.

"Are you listening to yourself? Of all people, I would expect you to understand since you're dating a fucking vampire yourself! The world isn't black and white like you seem to believe it is; just because you don't understand why something happens, doesn't mean it doesn't have to happen. You can't imagine what ran through my mind when I found Lafayette but I got him out of there and I gave him the means to heal himself. If memory serves, I saved your life before that." Sookie suddenly backed away from me and broke eye contact. "You want to make this about good and evil but it's not and I'm sorry for that but I won't apologise for what side I'm taking."

Eric suddenly wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I looked up at him and smiled before turning back to Sookie. "When you first met Bill, you wouldn't let anyone say a bad word against him without knowing him and now I'm going to do the same to you about Eric. You want to believe that he's the epitome of evil because to you, Bill is righteous and good and everything requires an opposite right? If that's the case, then I'm the opposite of you Sook; where there's light in you, there's darkness in me." I felt Eric's arm squeeze me tighter as I continued.

"You have to understand this world if you're going to be a part of it! I'm sorry if you don't agree with it but it's the way it has to be. I can't step on eggshells around you anymore: I can't hide things about myself in fear that you will look at me differently. And you are more than welcome to hate me for that but don't hate me for things that aren't my fault."

Sookie was about to say something to me but then bit her tongue. Maybe it was for the best. "I'm not here to ask you to help just Eric and I. The Sheriff of area 9 in Texas is missing and we need to find him before something happens. We need your help Sookie. We don't want to shed any more blood. This is bigger than us and you know it. Please come with us to Dallas. We'll be gone for a few days but there's a hotel there that fully accommodates vampires so we'll be safe."

Sookie looked up at me then at Eric before turning back to Bill. He didn't say anything; there was nothing he could say. If Sookie agreed to come with us then Bill would too, but at least she would be safe. I don't think she'd want to spend her free time with me right now.

"Fine. I'll help but only because I don't want any more bloodshed either and you haven't asked much of and yet you do so much. But just know, I'm not doing this for him," she pointed at, "he doesn't deserve my help right now. Oh, and I want $3,000. I'll be missing a lot of work."

"Fine. You can have $3,000. I'll organise a room for the three of you. I don't think Bill would leave his new vampire daughter alone for a while." Eric smirked as Bill glared at him. I was definitely going to ask Eric why it was always a pissing contest between the two of them. "I'll also organise your transport: a flight from Louisiana to Texas for one human and two vampires for tomorrow evening. Alexandra and I are leaving tonight so we'll be there when you arrive tomorrow."

Sookie just nodded then turned to face Bill. We took it as our invitation to leave so we did. On our way out I could hear Jessica's excitement over going to Texas. At least someone was happy about the trip. As we stepped outside Eric grabbed me and vamped us back to mine.

"How are we getting there tonight? It's a long drive and it'll be daylight when we arrive." I opened the door then headed straight up to my room with Eric following me.

"We aren't driving. I'm taking us although I've never done a long distance flight with a passenger before." I looked over at him and saw that he was smiling: he was serious. I stepped out of Pam's heels and threw on my ankle boots.

"Are you serious? I can't go to Dallas without packing." "Just take what you can't buy there. I heard there's a great clothing store inside the hotel. Besides, I thought I owed you some new clothes anyway?" He was trying to be charming. He was also succeeding. I grabbed an overnight bag and threw a few items of clothing in it. I threw it at Eric who caught it with ease. He watched me as I pulled up a few floorboards and pulled out an old trunk. I opened it and pulled out a small dagger. It was easy to hide and could cut through anything.

"Planning on fighting a war?" I smiled as I placed the trunk back and slipped into my leather jacket. "You should see what else I have in there. I have a wicked aim with a bow and arrow. I just have to grab one more thing then we're good to go." He nodded then followed me back downstairs, still holding my bag. Always the gentleman. I opened the drawer where I kept my sai blades and grabbed them. I tucked them into the back of my jeans and pulled my top over the waistline. I wasn't looking forward to this journey.

"You okay in there, Alexandra?" I could hear Eric laughing on the other side of the door. I loved hearing his laugh but not when my head was practically in the toilet bowl. I had been fine when we first reached the hotel. We managed to check in but as soon as we walked into our suite, everything in my stomach decided to come up. Gods I hated flying.

When I finally stopped, I managed to rinse out my mouth then joined Eric. The suite was extremely luxurious; it was completely light tight and came with a very comfy looking sofa, a TV, a mini fridge and something that looked like a hot tub in the bathroom.

"Can we not fly anymore? I think I've just remembered why I like my feet firmly on the ground." I walked over to Eric and sat down next to him. It had only taken us an hour to get here but it felt longer. "So when do we start?"

"Tomorrow, when Sookie gets here. The sooner we find Godric, the sooner we can get out of here. I appreciate what you said earlier and I know it's difficult for you to talk about your dark side with her." Eric pulled me closer to him and placed a kiss on my temple. It was times like this when I wished that Sookie could see Eric because maybe then she would see what I see in him.

"I didn't know his name was Godric. You never mentioned it before." Eric looked down at me but I saw that his eyes were filled with emotion; something I didn't always see. It was then that I noticed Eric's body language. He looked stiff like something was worrying him or something was hurting him inside: like he was uncomfortable.

"Eric, tell me what's wrong. Who is Godric?" I climbed onto his lap and he held me tight.

"Godric's my maker, Alexandra. That's why I have to find him and why I'm glad you're here with me."

Chapter 14

"When I said you would charge whatever you wanted to the room, I didn't mean the whole shop." I smiled as I continued to put away my new clothes. "And I told you, I'm more than capable of buying my own clothes. Your bank account is not the reason why I take my clothes off for you every night." Eric tipped my head to one side and started placing small kisses along my neck. "Besides, most of this is lingerie which, you have no appreciation for since you rip them off my body." "They get in my way and you know I prefer you naked." Eric released me and headed over to his drawer.

"Is Sookie here yet?" Eric shook his head as he dropped his towel and got dress; pity. "I asked reception to let me know when they did. I've organized for Isabel and Stan to meet us here in a couple of hours. They help Godric run area 9 and are currently in charge." I nodded then stepped into a pair of jeans and a black top. I opened my bag and grabbed my sai blades and slipped them into the waistline of my jeans. I grabbed my bracelets off of the sides and popped them on too.

"Do you not trust me?" "Baby, I'd trust you even if you led me into Tartarus. Sookie however, is a different story." Eric smirked then pulled me close to him. The feel of his hard body against mine sparked an arousal through me and I could feel my core growing wet: Eric had a way of getting my body to react to him. He must have sensed my arousal because he leaned down into my ear and whispered, "not now lover." I then felt something vibrate against me and raised an eyebrow at him. He held my gaze as he held his cell up to his ear and listened to whoever was on the other end.

"They're here. But they're with someone else, a man. I better tell Isabel and Stan to get here now."

I stood to the side of Eric as he spoke to Sookie and Bill. Apparently someone from the Fellowship of the Sun had sent the driver to abduct Sookie. The Fellowship was an anti-vampire Christian group that tended to abuse the name of God as opposed to doing 'His' work. I didn't believe in their God, I couldn't believe in something I didn't see. Believing in Gods like my mother and Apollo was more out of understanding the world than a religion. They also did whatever they wanted and usually used me to help them.

Bill had glamoured the driver into believing that their plane never arrived and Sookie was not in Dallas. What struck me as odd was the fact that the Fellowship knew when they would be arriving. Eric told me that he had only told Isabel and Stan of their arrival and since Godric trusted them, Eric did too.

I had always known that the bond between a maker and their child was strong but it wasn't until Eric spoke of Godric last night that I realised how much Godric meant to him. He explained that he was a young man who was dying when Godric offered him immortality. Eric believed he owed Godric everything and in a way, I did too. If it weren't for Godric, Eric wouldn't be here with me right now.

Just as Sookie and Bill's glamoured driver left the hotel room, two vampires entered: Isabel and Stan. Both with dark hair, Isabel looked as if she belonged in a 1950's flapper movie. Stan, on the other hand, just looked a thug who happened to also be a vampire.

"It seems like we have already been compromised. The Fellowship of the Sun knew of Bill and Sookie's arrival and planned to kidnap her." Isabel and Stan sat down with Eric, Bill and Sookie taking a seat opposite them. I continued to stand but noticed Stan eyeing me up. I couldn't tell whether it was because he thought I was dinner or someone who couldn't be trusted.

"Well, then it's obvious that the Fellowship have Godric. Why else would they want to prevent people from trying to find him?" Isabel's body language screamed she had no idea of the ambush but that didn't mean she was in the clear. Stan continued to stare at me and only broke eye contact when Sookie spoke.

"He mentioned something about another vampire but that was all I managed to get from him." Sookie looked uncomfortable; well not that I could blame her. She was sitting in a room with 4 vampires and a demi God and she had managed to piss off nearly all of us.

"So you're the telepath. Eric was right; you could come in handy. And being a human also means that you can get close with the fellowship without raising any alarm. You and Isabel's human, Hugo." Stan pulled a face at the mention of his companion's human. I doubt he kept a human of his own around. Sookie ignored Stan and looked over at Isabel and smiled.

"Hugo? Is he your boyfriend?" Isabel nodded and dove into a conversation with Sookie about what it was like to be with a human. Bill looked on from a distance but made no attempt to join in on the conversation. Eric questioned Stan on his knowledge about the Fellowship and where they were based. I took that as my opportunity to get a drink. I headed over to the minibar and poured myself a large glass of bourbon.

I gulped it down in one and went to pour myself another drink when Stan's voice caught my attention. "And what's the other human doing here? I didn't realise this was an open event. Surely you haven't become monogamous with a human, like these two Eric? I always thought you were better than that." I saw Eric look up at me with a pleading look but it was too late. I practically flew across the room and grabbed Stan by his throat. I pushed him up against the wall and started to squeeze. If he had been human, he would be suffocating right now. I reached behind and grabbed one of my blades, which I held up to his chest.

"Do you really think that's going to kill me? Only wood through the heart can kill a vampire sweetheart." He started to laugh but stopped when I slammed him against the wall again. I could feel Eric's presence behind me but made no indication that I was going to release Stan.

"If I wanted to kill you then I would have ripped off your head by now. But the best thing about this is it will adapt depending on your opponent. For example, if I decided to drive this through your heart, the core will turn to wood and then you will become a pile of goo at my feet. Also, if I touch you like this," I placed the blade on his skin and heard him cry out in pain, "your skin will burn at the contact. However, if I give it to Eric, it won't." I passed the blade over my head and Eric took it from me. I saw Isabel's eyes grow wide as Eric took the blade. "So, it's clear to see that I am no measly human but a valuable asset to Eric which is why he's asked me to accompany him. It would also be wise if you kept your opinions about me to yourself. If you don't, I won't hesitate next time."

I released Stan and watched as he tried to recover his balance. I walked passed Eric and he handed me my blade, which I placed back behind my back. He smiled at me and I winked back at him.

"What are you?" I looked over at Isabel who still looked astonished.

"Clearly I'm someone who can take care of myself. Now it seems to me that someone else knew of our intentions to rescue Godric and our methods of doing so." I looked over at Sookie but she didn't look back at me. "Which puts us in a vulnerable position. We need the element of surprise, which doesn't mean we go into the Fellowship with all guns blazing. They're an anti-vampire hate group, which means they probably have weapons that are deadly to vampires. We need to devise a plan. Sookie's telepathy is our biggest weapon right now. Maybe if we sent her in undercover…"

I couldn't finish what I was about to say because Bill interrupted me. "Absolutely not! Sookie is not a bit of meat for you to use when you want something. We can't send her in there; I won't let you risk her life for some Sheriff." Eric's fangs snapped out as he faced Bill. In Bill's defence, he didn't know that Godric was Eric's maker.

"That isn't for you to decide Bill. Do you honestly believe that I would allow Sookie to do something she didn't want to do? Or let her do something so dangerous alone? It's a suggestion, and since none of you has come up with anything else, it's the only plan we have right now. I understand that you want to protect her but you need to let her make her own decision. She isn't the fragile being you're treating her as so back off and let her make up her own mind."

Bill had me by the throat and pinned to the floor within an instant. He barred his fangs but before I could fight back, he was thrown off of me and into the opposite wall. Eric picked me up effortlessly and placed me on my feet. He held me close to him as he continued to watch Bill.

"Enough!" We all turned to look at Sookie who was now standing up. "Alexi is right, this is my decision and I agree with her. I can get in there without raising any suspicion and I can find things out that the rest of you can't. They'll be expecting vampires to attempt a rescue mission so me going will throw them off." She grabbed her purse then went over to Bill and held on to him. "I'm sure we can arrange all the details in the morning," and with that, they left the room. Sookie didn't even look at me.

Stan left soon after which only left Isabel, Eric and I. She turned to face us and grinned when she saw Eric's arm around my waist. "Godric would be pleased," then left before either of us could say anything. Once we were alone, Eric turned me to face him and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Are you hurt anywhere? Compton had no right to attack you like that." His hand cupped the side of my face and I leaned into him. "I'm fine. It didn't even hurt. I just can't believe that Sookie didn't even look at me. I thought that after everything we've been through she would at least speak to me. I never realised that I had a hole in my soul before I moved to Bon Temps. Meeting Sookie filled part of that hole up but you're the one that made me whole again and I don't think Sookie will ever understand that. I'm with you now Eric and she needs to accept that."

Eric didn't say anything as he picked me up and carried me towards the bedroom. He laid me down gently and began taking my clothes off, one item at a time. He kissed my skin as he gently exposed it until I was lying there naked. I watched him as he slowly undressed and joined me on the bed.

The feel of his body weight on mine sent chills down my spine. I pulled his face towards mine and placed a soft gentle kiss on his lips. There were no words; we didn't need them, we spoke with only our bodies.

I knew I had to be dreaming but when I tried to wake myself up, I couldn't. I was definitely on Olympus, more specifically, I was standing next to Aphrodite's fountain: the one she had made from the tears of her previous lovers. I would know; I collected half of those tears.

She appeared to me a moment later. Her long blonde hair trailed down her naked back and she was smiling but she didn't say anything. Suddenly, she transformed into a dove and flew away from me. I looked up at the sky but I couldn't see her anymore. What was she trying to tell me? What was so important that I needed to figure it out on my own?

Chapter 15

"You guys ready?" Sookie looked up at me but didn't say anything. Isabel's boyfriend, Hugo, had arrived a few hours ago and offered to help Sookie infiltrate the Fellowship. They were to pose as a newly engaged couple that wanted to get married at the Church. That way, Sookie could get a good look inside and see if there was anywhere that they could be holding Godric. Sookie had on a wig to cover her blonde hair since that was what gave her away the night before. Since Eric and Bill had gone to ground for the day, I was to watch Sookie and Hugo from a distance. I was then to be relived when the sun went down.

"Yup, we're good to go," Hugo got up and Sookie followed him. We headed out of the hotel and climbed into Hugo's car. I was to get out a few blocks before so no one would see me. I listened to Hugo and Sookie discuss their cover story on the way there. Sookie had made it clear that she still didn't want to speak to me so I wasn't going to bother. Just as I was about to get out of the car, I reached into my pocket and passed a small device to Sookie.

"It's a tracker. If you press the little button then a signal will be sent to my cell and I'll know where you are. Just think of it as a panic button. It was Bill's idea." At the mention of Bill's name, Sookie looked up at me. She took the device off of me and placed it down the front of her dress. It wasn't Bill's idea, but I didn't think Sookie would believe me if I told her that it was actually Eric who thought of it.

"Thanks." I nodded at her then got out of the car. I watched them as they drove off then made the rest of the journey on foot. I tried to keep my mind clear as I did but all I could think about what my dream the night before. I still couldn't figure it out what it meant, despite my mother being the Goddess of wisdom; I obviously didn't inherit that trait.

I managed to get up on the roof of one of the adjacent buildings to the church; it would be the perfect place for a stakeout. I suppose that was the benefit of the U-S-of-A: most of the roofs were flat and there was almost always roof access. I let out a loud sigh and slumped down, sunset couldn't come quick enough.

"I didn't realise that warriors wore catsuits." I looked back and saw Eric and Isabel approach me. Eric had a twinkle in his eye and I couldn't tell if it was because he had seen me or he had seen what I was wearing. I had forgotten to pack my usual leather pants so needed to improvise. The all in one was proving to be extremely comfortable.

"We move with the times. Wouldn't want to stick out like a sore thumb in armour. Where's Bill?" Isabel looked over at Eric who merely shook his head. "Don't know. We waited; he didn't show so we left. It wouldn't have been fair on you if we weren't here when the sun went down. You've been here all day." I jumped back off the ledge and walked over to Eric.

"A few more hours wouldn't have mattered. I find it strange about Bill though, I thought he would have been the first one here." I leaned up and placed a soft kiss on Eric's lips. He truly looked irresistible when he wore all black and if we didn't have a reason for being here, then I would probably have my way with him, like I did most nights.

"Notice anything out of the ordinary?" Isabel's voice pulled me out of my little fantasy and I turned to face her. I could hear Eric laughing behind me; he knew what I was thinking about. I dug my elbow into his side, "nothing. It's been strangely quiet but Sookie hasn't alerted me so I assume they're fine. Did you feel anything?"

"Only something small a few hours ago but it went. If Hugo were truly in trouble, I would know it. He was probably in a small confined space for a moment. Nothing to worry about." I nodded then went back to my usual spot when Eric grabbed my arm.

"We got this from here. You need to get some rest, it's been a long day." I was about to argue with Eric but thought against it. I don't think it was a suggestion. I nodded and walked into Eric's open arms. I knew what was coming so I held my breath and a moment later, I found myself on the roof of our hotel. I turned to face Eric but saw that he was already gone, probably out of fear for his own life.

I rushed down to our room with the intention of drawing myself a very hot bath in our enormous tub, when I heard glass break. I released the door handle then reached for one of my blades; something didn't sit right in me. I walked down the hall until I came to Sookie and Bill's room. I focused my hearing and thought it too quiet: I couldn't even hear Jessica's bubbly self. I was about to open the door when it swung open to reveal a woman standing on the other side. I knew she was a vampire because of her pale skin and the trail of blood that was coming from her nose: the bleeds.

"Bill darling, you didn't tell me that you ordered dinner. I'm so happy that you remembered my favourite." She smiled at me as I looked behind her. The room was trashed but what caught my eye was Bill. He was laying on the floor and being held down by what looked like a silver chain. I suppose no sleep and silver was the way to keep Bill down.

"Alexi, you must go." The female vampire looked back at Bill then at me again. "Alexi? Oh, so you know her? I'm sure you would want to share with me. She smells luxurious." She looked me up and down and bit her lip: this isn't what I needed right now.

"Bill, what's going on here? Who the hell is she?" "She's a bit feisty. Maybe she's more than food. Is she your human lover? You did say she was blonde and she is by far the most beautiful human I've been this side of the century." She grabbed ahold of my arms and pulled me into the room. I stumbled back but before I could regain my footing, she tossed me across the room with little effort. My back hit the mirror above the bar before I hit the floor. Who was this vampire? She was strong, fast and clearly wanted to kill Sookie. Once again, I found myself in the middle of Sookie's dramas. I gritted my teeth, pulled myself up and hopped over the bar. Enough of niceties.

"You think you can waltz into Bill's life and steal him away from me? With your trashy outfits and delicious scent. Bill will always be mine. You're just a phase." When it came to crazy ex-lovers, she wasn't the worst I had come across but it definitely was a first: Bill was far from my lover. Crazy-vampire-lady started to walk towards me and I knew a fight was inevitable. Just before she reached me, however, her fangs snapped out and she licked her lips. I looked down and saw a piece of glass sticking out of my side. I pulled it out and watched as blood started to ooze out of it; that would take a while to heal.

"I wouldn't do that again if I was you. I've had enough of vampires threatening me. Now, please move out of my way before I end you." She didn't. Instead, she charged at me. I anticipated her move and swiftly moved out of her way, crouched down and sunk my sai blade into her foot, wedging it to the floorboard. She screamed out in agony as she tried to grab the blade to pull it out of her foot, but the silver burned into her skin. I kicked out at her knee and heard her leg break in half. She fell to the floor and I took that as my opportunity. I grabbed my other blade from my back with the intention of driving it through her heart.

"Alexi, no!" I stopped and looked over at Bill. He was trying to sit up but the silver was preventing him from doing so. I pulled my other blade from the vampire's foot then rushed over to him. I removed the silver from him and helped him up. He stumbled but I supported him and helped him over to the sofa. He slumped against it as I turned to the small kitchenette and grabbed him a bottle of TruBlood.

"Bill, you better start talking. What the hell is going on?" He looked up at me as I handed the bottle over to him. He gulped it back in one without pulling a face. From what Eric has told me, drinking the synthetic stuff for was drinking stale coffee. I suppose Bill was used to it and it did look like it was helping him.

"This is Lorena, my maker. That's why I can't allow you to kill her even though she may deserve it." I looked over at Lorena and saw that she was struggling to move. Her leg would heal in time but for now, she wasn't going anywhere.

"What's she doing here Bill? I can't imagine that it's a coincidence that she happens to be at the same hotel as us?" He was about to answer but a noise from my cell stopped him. I looked down at it and saw that Sookie had activated her GPS.

"What is it? Is it Sookie?" Bill attempted to get up but I pushed him back down. "You're too weak to go anywhere. I can't protect Sookie if I'm trying to protect you too. Eric and I can handle it. Just stay here and rest up." I knew he wasn't happy about it but he would be a liability if he came with me. He was thinking with his heart and it would probably get him killed and Sookie would never forgive me if he did. I picked up the silver chain that Lorena used to hold Bill down and threw it on top of her. That would probably hold her for a while.

I left the room and headed straight down to the reception desk, ignoring the strange looks I was getting. The receptionist jumped back a little when I approached her and I rolled my eyes. These people worked in a vampire hotel and yet were shocked when they saw a girl in a black leather catsuit.

"I need a car. Now." "Umm, I need a drivers license and a credit card Miss." I rolled my eyes in frustration. Did she not realise I was in a hurry? "Just get me the fastest car you have in your disposal and charge it to Eric's Northman's room." She quickly set to arranging it once she heard Eric's name. Maybe I could get use to that.

Twenty minutes later, I pulled up outside the church. As I climbed out of the car, Eric appeared in front of me. "What are you doing here?" "Sookie's in trouble. We need to get in there." He nodded then followed me into the church. We walked in and quickly looked around. When we were satisfied that we were alone, I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

"She isn't far from here. This way." We headed further into the church and towards Sookie's location. The place was strangely quiet but that wasn't the concern right now, Sookie was. We finally came to a stop when I saw that we were standing in the same position as the GPS.

"She must be below us. Come on, before anyone arrives." I nodded and continued to walk forward. When we reached a door, Eric reached for it and ripped it off of its hinges without saying anything. I ran after him down the stairs and the sight I saw shocked me.

Sookie was crawled up in the corner of the room. She looked up at me with wide eyes and a look of relief washed over her face. I then looked over and saw a young man facing us. He was wearing white trousers and a white shirt, which made him look paler than he was. I could see what looked like tribal tattoos through his shirt and but gave off a very calm vibe.

"Godric." I looked over at Eric and watched as he bowed on one knee out of a sign of respect for his maker. I let out a sigh of relief; at least he was in one piece.

Chapter 16

"Rise my child." Godric placed a hand on Eric's shoulder and Eric slowly stood up. Eric towered over Godric but it was Eric that looked up to Godric. I had seen the loving side of Eric, especially the way he looked at me last night, but I had never seen the obedient side of him.

'He loves you.' I quickly turned my head to see who had said that but there was no one there. I looked around and saw that I was the only one who had heard that voice; it must have been in my head. Was I hearing voices now? First weird tingling feelings, then strange dreams and now a voice only I can hear. What the hell was Aphrodite doing to me? What did she want me to figure out? And what the fuck did it have to do with Eric?

"Alexandra, did you hear me?" I looked over to Eric and then over to Godric who was helping Sookie stand. "What?" "We need to get out of here. Apparently the Fellowship wants to sacrifice Godric tonight so they'll be here soon. We've got to go now." I nodded then went over to Sookie. I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close to me. Godric smiled at me then turned to face Eric.

"I must do something before I leave. Do not shed any bled. Once you leave, return to my Dallas house. I shall meet you there," then he was gone, completely out of sight. He must have been much faster than Eric because I had no idea what direction he went in. Sookie draped her arm around my shoulders and leaned into me. She was clearly traumatised over something.

"Where's Hugo?" Sookie shook her head and looked at Eric. All she managed to say was "traitor," before looking away from him. That was going to go down well later.

"Come on. Let's get out of here. Follow my lead okay?" I nodded at Eric and held onto Sookie to support her and we followed Eric up out of the basement and into the church. Sookie softened her grip on me and started to run alongside me on her own. We reached the main chapel and came to an immediate stop.

Steve Newlin stood in front of us holding a wooden stake in his hand. Behind him stood a group of young boys who were also carrying similar stakes. They were obviously the group that was planning on killing Godric. And there was me thinking this was a peaceful Church.

"So glad you could join us for our little celebration vampire. It wouldn't have been a party without the guest of honour." I let go of Sookie and went to stand by Eric's side. I pulled out both my blades as Eric barred his fangs. He leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Godric said not to shed any blood." I twirled my blades around in my hand and watched the shocked look on some of the men's faces: they were scared.

"I know that, but they don't." Eric smiled at me and squeezed his hands into fists. "If you let us go then no one has to get hurt. Killing unarmed humans isn't my thing." Steve Newlin laughed at us and spoke in between laughs, "Unarmed? We are more than equipped to defeat you, vampires." The mob started to walk towards us but we all stood still. Sookie came to stand next to me and I felt her squeeze my arm.

"You vampires and vampire lovers are a disgrace to our world. We were all made in God's image and we are the ones He loves. Not you. Now either you give us our vampire or we'll kill those who stand in the way." It was Sookie who spoke up after Newlin's empty threat.

"You can't be a Christian if you're willing to kill innocent people. Do you really think God would want that?" "You vampire lovers are living in sin: you aren't innocent! Now, we need our vampire." Eric laughed at Newlin. This was clearly amusing him as much as it was me.

"Godric isn't here anymore. He escaped. Now I suggest you do as the woman in leather said. Move aside and let us pass." "Any vampire will do. Godric was just an insurance policy. Now, do as we say or we kill one of your own." I was about to retaliate when the crowd moved and Jason was pushed through. His hands were tied behind his back and he looked a little worse for wear.

"JASON!" Sookie ran towards Jason before I could grab her. As she approached him, someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her away from Jason. "Now vampire, if you please?" Newlin indicated towards the table behind us. He wanted Eric to willingly lie there and allow them to kill him. I was about to step forward when I felt Eric grab my hand. He looked down at me and mouthed 'go' as he started walking towards Newlin.

"No!" I held onto Eric to stop him from going anywhere. I wasn't going to allow him to sacrifice himself to save us. We could do this without him dying. "You can't have him." Newlin shrugged his shoulders then indicated to someone behind him. I saw the gun and knew I only had a moment to react. I dived in front of Eric and felt the bullet enter my chest. The impact pushed me back but Eric caught me. I heard Sookie scream but all I could focus on was Eric's eyes.

"What the hell did you do that for?" I tried to laugh but the pain rippled through me; I think the bullet lodged itself into one of my lungs. "It was a wooden bullet, it would have killed you and I'm not wearing my bracelets." I indicated towards my hands and Eric just smiled. Then, without warning, Eric inserted his fingers into my wound to retrieve the bullet. I screamed out in pain but he was done before I could say anything. Eric helped me to my feet and I leaned into him to support myself.

"Let us leave now, otherwise, I won't hesitate to spill blood." Just as Eric had said that the church doors burst opened and in walked Stan with a group of vampires. And here comes the bloodbath that Godric didn't want. The men standing behind Newlin seemed to freeze out of fear. They were far outnumbered and none of them had a chance against that many vampires.

This was supposed to be a simple rescue mission and here I was, still bleeding and feeling a bit worse for wear. 'One to save the other'. I heard Aphrodite's voice again and rolled my eyes; she had perfect timing. And what the hell did that mean?

"Enough!" Godric's voice boomed through the church and everyone looked up at him. Eric lifted me into his arms and turned us to face Godric. "It does not have to be this way. No blood has to be shed. Allow us to leave and you shall not be harmed. We do not wish to kill you."

"But we won't be safe forever! Your kind killed my father! You have to pay. It's what God wants." And there Newlin went again with his God-talk. I had enough Gods to worry about than his make-belief one.

"I am older than your God but would have liked to meet him. He sounds like a smart man, but would he want such bloodshed? And you," Godric indicated towards Newlin's followers, "are you all willing to risk your lives for one man?" It was clear they weren't going to fight but Newlin couldn't see that. Newlin said nothing to either Godric or his followers. Instead, he ran towards Godric, holding a wooden stake in his hand. Without hesitating, I threw one of my blades and watched as it sunk into his shoulder. He dropped to the floor and released the stake. "Nice aim," Eric looked down at me and I just shrugged my shoulders. I indicated to him to put me down and he did.

I took a moment to gain my balance, and then I walked over to Newlin. The wound had stopped bleeding and I could feel my body begin to heal. As I reached Newlin, I stepped on his shoulder before pulling my blade out. "That was for trying to kill my vampire." I then walked over to Sookie and Jason. Whoever had grabbed Sookie was long gone by now. I cut the rope that was binding Jason's hands together and he wrapped his arms around me once he was free.

I could hear him asking me what the hell just happened but I shook his questions off. Now wasn't the time to speak about it. "Come on. Let's get out of here." I looked up at Eric and smiled. Getting out of here sounded like a perfect idea.

"Come with me." Eric pulled me away from Jason before I could say anything. Once we had arrived at Godric's Dallas house, Eric had insisted on me drinking some of his blood. He had said that he didn't want to watch me while I slowly healed. I had felt instantly better which was why I was able to give a break down of my life to Jason: I wasn't quite human and a bullet wound couldn't kill me. I silently thanked the Gods that Jason had a simple mind and just accepted what I had told him.

"Where are you taking me?" Eric didn't say anything as he led me into an office at the back of the house. Godric sat behind the rather large desk with Isabel standing on his right-hand side. They stopped talking as we approached them and Godric welcomed us with a warm smile. "Godric, this is Alexandra. Alexandra, this is Godric, my maker." Godric rose from his seat and walked over to us.

"Alexandra, the defender of men. You clearly showed your namesake today. I would like to thank you for your bravery." I was pleasantly surprised when Godric referred to my namesake. It was nice meeting someone who had probably seen just as much as me in their existence. "I'm glad you've found yourself a companion Eric; immortality can be quite lonely. Not a vampire and certainly not just a human. Perhaps one day we could talk about yourself, Alexandra?"

I nodded at Godric then he excused himself. Isabel followed him and left Eric and me alone. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me flush against his hard body. He hands moved down my body and rested on the curve of my bum.

Eric dipped his head and kissed me square on the lips. A soft moan escaped my lips as Eric forced his tongue into my mouth and fought with mine. I jumped up and Eric caught me and held me as I wrapped my legs around his waist. It had been a long night for the both of us and this was the only release we needed.

"You stupid bitch!" The sound of Lorena's voice pulled me away from kissing Eric. I jumped off of him and ran towards her voice. When I arrived in the dining room, I wasn't expecting the scene I had just walked in on. Bill was comforting Sookie who was rubbing her neck while Godric held Lorena by her neck above the ground.

"I will not allow you to come into my house and mistreat my guests. You are to leave my district and this state. I am willing to spare your life on the promise that you do not return, ever." He dropped Lorena and she vamped out of the house. Clearly, Lorena had that effect on everyone she met. I walked over to Sookie with Eric close behind me.

"Are you okay?" Sookie looked up at me and smiled. "I'm fine. I just had the pleasure of meeting Bill's maker. He mentioned that you helped him escape from her earlier. Thanks." I smiled and lightly punched her in the shoulder, which she laughed at. "Anytime. It's actually a bit of fresh air when I get the opportunity to save someone else and someone else saves you." We laughed together and didn't stop. I had missed laughing with Sookie, especially when we laughed like this. We were so engrossed with our laughing that I didn't notice Eric arms around me. For a brief moment, I felt like everything was going to be okay.

It was only after the bomb went off that everything went dark. The last thing I heard before I was thrown to the floor was, 'and the other to save one'.

Chapter 17

I managed to pry my eyes open not long after the bomb went off. I could feel a lump of dust and dirt in my throat and my eyes couldn't register anything at that moment. I felt a dead weight on me and tried to look down at myself but all I could see was Eric's body thrown across mine. I guess that explained why I couldn't move.

I looked over and saw Bill cradling Sookie in his arms and feeding her some of his blood; she must have been injured by the blast. He was taking care of her so all I needed to do now was get out from under Eric.

"Eric? Eric, you have to move off of me. I can't get up." When Eric didn't move I knew something was wrong. I managed to wriggle myself out from underneath him and sit by his side. I could see that he was trying to keep his eyes open but couldn't. I looked down and saw that he had taken some shrapnel from the bomb; it must have been a dirty one.

"Silver… bullets…. I can't…" Only Steve fucking Newlin would set off with a bomb with silver bullets. I grabbed one of my blades behind me and stuck it into the first wound. Eric cried out in pain but I had to get the bullets out. I didn't have time to watch as his body slowly pushed them out. I dug my blade in and managed to flick the bullet out.

"Only one more Erastís Mou." Eric nodded and I could see him brace himself as I removed the other bullet. I let out a sigh of relief as I saw Eric's wound start to heal. He tried to sit up but was still too weak. I pulled my blade across my wrist and held it out to him, "here, drink. You have to get your strength back." Eric pulled my wrist closer to his mouth and dug his fangs into me. If I had known he needed to bit me then I wouldn't have slit my own wrist.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that." I punched Eric in the shoulder before I threw my head back and laughed. "You're such an idiot. I'm immortal remember? You didn't need to shield me from the blast, what if a piece of wood had lodged itself in your heart? You wouldn't be here right now." He sat up and pulled me towards him.

"I wasn't thinking that far ahead lover. I just didn't want you to get hurt. You've already taken a bullet for me today, now it was my turn." He kissed my temple and I couldn't help but chuckle. Only Eric would insist on outshining me by taking two bullets for me. That competitive bastard.

'Gia pánta mazí' I pulled away from Eric and looked around to make sure Aphrodite was still speaking to me in my head and not walking around the room naked: she wasn't. 'Together forever', what the hell did that mean? Eric looked down at me with a questioning look and that was when it dawned on me. The dove, the burning, the dreams and the voices. It could only mean one thing and I had just figured it out. I definitely didn't inherit the wisdom part of my mother's title. I'd have to talk to her about that when I next see her.

"Stupid Goddess of love." "What did you say?" I held Eric's face in my hands and kissed him lightly on the lips. Now was not the time for this conversation. "Nothing. I'm just glad you're okay." I stood up and pulled Eric with me. Even with my blood, he was still weak and it would take him a while to fully heal.

I looked around and saw that the place was ruined. Some of the vampires were extinguishing some fires while others were tending to those still wounded. Newlin really did outdo himself this time. I saw Sookie trying to stand so I headed towards her. As I took my first step though, a pain shot through my right leg. I looked down and saw a gash across my thigh and blood seeping out of it. I turned back to Eric and grinned.

"It's only fair. I did just give you some of mine." He rolled his eyes as he bit his wrist and held it out to me, "I should start charging you." "We both know I could afford it." I held Eric's wrist to my mouth and felt his blood slip down my throat. I could feel my wound start to heal and felt relieved. I know the effect my blood had on vampires and I don't think it's a good idea to walk around with an open wound at a time like this.

"Alexandra, may I speak to you?" I pulled my mouth away from Eric's wrist and saw Godric standing in front of me. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and nodded. "Of course." I squeezed Eric's hand then followed his maker out of the room. He led me back to his office and I closed the door behind me.

"I have known Eric for over a thousand years and I thought I knew of all the relationships he was capable of. There aren't many people in his life that he holds dear and would do anything to protect. There's me which is evident from his efforts to rescues me tonight; Pamela with whom he travels everywhere with and Nora."

"Nora?" "His sister." Sister? Eric had never mentioned her to me before. And there was me thinking I had a messed up family. "How close are they?" I felt Godric's eye on me as I sat down. I was trying to act casual but I think he knew that I was bothered by the mention of a vampire sister. Eric had never mentioned her to me before and I couldn't help but think there was a reason for that.

"At first they were very close. Physically as well as emotionally." Great, Eric use to have hot, vampire sex with his sister; he was more Olympian than I was. "And then what?" "And then Nora went off to find herself and we became estranged from her. That would explain why Eric had not mentioned her to you. I'm sure you have members in your family that you do not talk about." "Only because there's too many of them and mortals would not be able to keep up with me." Godric's eyebrows rose as I mentioned the word 'mortals'; I was going to pay for that comment.

"Estranged or not, Eric would still do anything to protect her and I thought that was where his commitment to others ended until tonight: until I saw him with you. I watched as you threw yourself in front of a bullet to protect him and then the way he did the same for you. I watched as he removed a bullet from your heart and then you did the same thing. The way he looks as you and the way you relax when you feel him around you. You two have a connection that I cannot explain. A bond I have never seen before."

It warmed my heart to hear Godric speak of Eric in such a loving way. I loved Eric more than life itself but I knew that the love you have from a father figure is unlike any other. I had my share of father figures since my real father's passing and I was glad that Eric had one too. Despite all the love Godric had for Eric, I could tell that wasn't enough for Godric. He looked sad, lonely even. He was carrying something and it was taking its toll on him.

"I don't think I've ever seen a bond like it either and I've seen a lot in my time, just like you. I was born in Greece over 3,000 years ago to two mortals but after the death of my husband, I discovered that I was the daughter of Athena but even she couldn't undo what had already been done to me. Since then I've lived many lives amongst mortals but this one is by far my favourite."

"I have met many supernatural beings in my time but never a God. You may only be half but the blood of one runs through your veins and I can imagine it being intoxicating for a vampire. Much like the blood of the fae. However, I am sure that it is more than your blood that attracts Eric. He is drawn to you and you to him."

"Eric and I are very similar. I have never met anyone where I didn't have to explain my actions to and he doesn't have to explain his to me. He has certain responsibilities as Sheriff and I have my own as the daughter of one of the Twelve Olympians. In spite of that, however, I think there is something more between us; something that even we may not fully understand." For once, I felt my thoughts finally come together. When I first met Eric, I never doubted that he was capable of love but this kind of love was something different. I didn't even think I was capable of it but maybe it was just all about timing. Aphrodite did always have the best hindsight of the Gods.

"That may be the case Alexandra, but I think you will both be okay. You're also very accepting of our world and what we are, even if we are monsters." I looked up at Godric and saw the emptiness behind his eyes.

"You are not a monster Godric. As a vampire, you have a certain way of living and that's no different to humans. They slaughter each other in the name of war and yet they look at you as the monster and they couldn't be further from the truth. Humans are yet to evolve but you and I have had thousands of years to do so."

"How have you managed to live your life for so long? You must have seen those you love die around you and yet here you stand, stronger than ever." It was then I realised what the emptiness behind Godric's eyes was: surrender. Godric wanted to give up.

"I've seen so many people that I have cared for die for I have lived many lives. And there have been moments where I have wanted to end my suffering but I've never known of a way to do so. I spent many years on Olympus to distract myself from the pain I felt, but that all changed. And I think you know when it did."

Godric nodded at me then softly spoke, "Eric. It changed when you met Eric." I nodded in agreement and got up to stand in front of Godric. "I knew there had to be more than the initial attraction between us but at the time, I didn't think much about it. It wasn't until I was away from Eric that things started to fall into place. Then, when Eric shielded me with his own body I knew he would always be a part of me. My aunt must have taken pity on my life and gifted me with her greatest gift: love. But a kind of love that would last forever and one I would always be bonded to."

"You really love him, don't you?" I placed my hand on Godric's shoulder and nodded.

"I do and it's because of that love that I will continue to live my life for as long as possible. And I think that you should too. There's still so much more for us to see and I'm willing to help show you. Eric loves you and still needs your guidance. If you're not going to think about yourself then think of Eric. Do not do this to him."

Godric looked up at me and after what felt like hours, he nodded. "I'm glad Eric has you. Your wisdom is unparalleled to anyone I know and what you speak has sense. There is much more for us to learn and for me to do. Please do not speak of this to Eric. I would not want him knowing that I wanted to meet the true death."

I smiled at Godric and agreed. Eric didn't need to know about this but he did need to know something very important. Godric and I parted ways and I made my way back to Eric. Back to where I belonged.

We arrived back to our room just as the sun was starting to set. I didn't want to keep Eric up all day but now was the only time I was going to get to talk to him. We were flying back to Louisiana in a few hours and I wouldn't see Eric on the plane.

"Eric, I have to talk to you." He stopped getting undressed and joined me on the bed. He cupped my cheek with his hand and softly spoke to me, "What's wrong lover?"

"Nothing's wrong but I've recently discovered something that affects both of us and it's something I don't have the power to change." He nodded and gestured for me to continue. "Lately I've been having these strange feelings and they started when you went away for Bill's trial. I could feel Aphrodite's mark burning my skin, almost as if it was a warning but no danger came. I had felt it once before but that was a long time ago. She was then appearing in my dreams and giving me hints as to why I was seeing her but I didn't understand."

"What are you trying to tell me Alexandra? What's Aphrodite's done to you?" I sucked in a deep breath and held it for a few moments; it was now or never.

"We have what's known as a love bond. Aphrodite used to gift humans with love bonds when she knew that their true love was ready for love. Aphrodite gifted me with this," I indicated towards her mark on my shoulder, "a thousand years ago, probably when Godric turned you into a vampire. She knew that we would meet and that we would share a love that would last for eternity but we had to earn it. And earlier today, we did. I saved your life and then you saved mine, Gia pánta mazí, together forever."

Eric didn't say anything straight away. I don't think he knew what to say. I had just told him that a God had taken our futures into her own hands and was now telling us what to do.

"The love you speak of is something I'm not familiar with. How can one God know how I feel when I am yet to?"

"She's the Goddess of love, she knows all there is to know. She would never create a love bond between two people if they don't understand what love is. I love you Eric and it isn't like a mortal love. It's a love that fills my every fibre and courses through my body. Like I am a part of you through your blood, you're now a part of me through love."

Eric then captured my lips in a breathtaking kiss. He held my head with his hand as his lips moved against mine and my body moulded into his. When we finally pulled apart, he rested his head against mine and looked me in the eyes.

"So we're together because a God said so?" "No. We're together because it was what the Fates intended. Our love is more sacred now because Aphrodite didn't want a love like ours to go to waste. She wants us to cherish it. Gia pánta mazí."

Chapter 18

"I still hate flying. Next time, we drive." Sookie rolled her eyes as we walked across the cemetery to our house. We had gotten back to Louisiana an hour ago and I hadn't stopped complaining about how much I hated flying. I threw up several times on the plane and nothing could calm my nerves. I practically jumped off the plane once it landed; at least when I flew with Eric, it was over much sooner.

"If you hate flying so much then how do you travel?" I looked over at Bill and smirked. We had just dropped off Jessica at Bill's but didn't mention to him that she was planning on inviting Hoyt over. I was glad there was someone who made her smile. She would always be 17; she needed this.

"By sea. My uncle is the God of the sea although he isn't my favourite uncle. He's as bad-tempered as they come and is probably the most selfish of the Olympians but I'm family, and he's probably too scared of what Zeus and Hades would do to him if anything happened to him whilst I travelled by sea." Bill laughed as he pulled Sookie closer to him and kissed her lightly on her forehead. They usually spent the night together and now that Sookie and I had made up, they decided to come and keep me company for the night. Eric had gotten a phone call from Pam as we landed saying he was needed urgently. I reassured him that I could live without him for one night; our bond didn't mean we couldn't be apart.

"What the fuck?" I looked over at Sookie then turned my gaze towards the house. What the fuck was right: the house looked a mess! We walked closer and I saw that vines covered the walls and all the windows had been smashed out. Who could have done this?

"I thought you said Tara wasn't messy." "She is a little but I don't understand why she would have done this. Wait, can you hear that?" I concentrated and could hear music coming from the back. It sounded like drums, a kind of tribal chant. I moved towards the front porch, both Bill and Sookie behind me, then I stopped dead.

"What's wrong?" I looked over at Sookie and held my finger to my lips and I continued walking up onto the front porch. The front door was open but I couldn't see anyone in there. "That chant. It's what mortals would play when they wanted to summon a God, although it never worked. A mortal cannot look at a God in their true form. If they did, they would die instantly. Why the hell is it being played in the back garden though?"

"Because I told them to play it." Suddenly, Maryanne appeared in the doorway wearing a peplos, although it looked like it had recently been made and by someone who had no experience in making one. I placed my hands behind my back and gripped my sai blades tightly. Maybe Sam was right when he said that there was something seriously wrong with Maryanne; how would a mortal know of a way to summon the Gods?

"I was wondering when you would return Sookie. Tara said you were special." An invisible force then pulled Sookie forward and Maryanne grabbed her. Maryanne's eyes widened as her skin touched Sookie and she smiled, "what are you?" Sookie looked at her in confusion as she tried to wriggle out of her grasp. Bill launched himself towards Maryanne before I could even blink. He knocked her backwards and ripped her throat open with his fangs but just as he began to suck her blood, he released her and began to foam at the mouth.

Maryanne laughed at him and watched as Sookie ran over to Bill and helped him up. What the hell was going on here? I watched at Maryanne sat up and adjusted her robe. She stopped however when she made eye contact with me. Like she did when she held Sookie, her eyes widen and her grin grew even bigger.

"Daughter of Athena. I would say it's an honour to meet you but then I would be lying. I didn't realise that the Gods were still producing offsprings. At one point there were so many of you, perhaps that's why I'm unsurprised by your appearance." I ran towards Maryanne with the intention of knocking her off her feet but she held out her hand as I approached her and I felt myself fly back. I winced in pain as my back hit the grass and I was pretty sure I had dislocated my shoulder. I pulled myself to my feet and watched in astonishment as Sookie held up her hands to Maryanne and released a blue light. It knocked Maryanne backwards and I could hear her laugh again and ask, "What are you?" Sookie grabbed Bill and held him upright as they ran off the porch and headed towards me. She released Bill and pulled me up once I held out my arm to her.

"We have to get out of here. I have no idea what the fuck is going on but Bill is weak." "I second that notion. You take Bill back to his and make sure you're both okay. I'm going to head over to Fangtasia. Hopefully, I can use some of my contacts in high places to see what the fuck is going on." She nodded then held Bill again as we parted ways. For his sake, I hope this wasn't the threat Apollo had warned me about.

The first thing I had noticed when I arrived at Fangtasia was that the door was closed and there was no one waiting to get in. I couldn't hear any music coming from inside and there weren't many cars in the car park. I jogged towards the door and pulled it open to find the lights on and only a handful of people inside.

Eric and Pam looked up at me as I made my way in the bar, holding my shoulder as I walked; I needed to put it back into place but needed help to do so. Ginger was behind the bar so I indicated to her that I wanted a drink. I moved towards Eric then saw who was sitting opposite him; Sam sat there with Coby and Lisa, Arlene's children. Why would he bring them here? And why was he here? He's always made it clear that he hated vampires.

"Sam, what are you doing here?" I grabbed my beer off the bar and stood beside Pam. She didn't look happy but I figured that was something to do with being in the presence of children; she didn't strike me as a woman who liked children.

"You know him?" I looked over at Eric and rolled my eyes. "Jealous Viking? I should have known you were the type. He's Sookie's boss, of course I know him. Oh, and Sam," he moved his attention from Eric to me, "you were right about Maryanne. Weird things do happen when she's around. Speaking of which, can you help me pop my shoulder back into place Pam? That bitch dislocated it when she threw me across the lawn with her ancient magic."

Coby and Lisa's eyes went wide as I slowly removed my jacket and they saw my shoulder in an awkward position. Maybe this wasn't something they should watch. Eric obviously picked up on this because he called out to Ginger and Pam grabbed my arm. "Ginger, take the little teacups into the back and show them the merchandise room. I'm sure they'll find something to keep themselves occupied." Their eyes lit up as Ginger led them out of the bar.

"Teacups? What blood have you been drinking lately?" Eric smirked as he watched Pam twist my arm with one hand and knock my shoulder forward with the other. I gritted my teeth as I felt my shoulder pop back into place then downed the rest of my beer to numb the pain. I was going to kill that bitch.

"I like mini humans, they ask fewer questions. Now, are you going to explain to me what happened?" I quickly told Eric, Pam and Sam what Maryanne had done and how she managed to poison Bill and knock me off my feet without touching me. I didn't mention Sookie's little ray of light because I was still trying to figure out if that actually happened or I was just hallucinating.

"That's exactly why I came here. I thought you would know how to defeat her." Sam looked over at Eric and held a hopeful face. He must have been the emergency that Pam had phoned Eric about. "Well, I don't. I have never heard of a maenad so I would not know how to defeat one. I had no interest in your story before but now I know what it is capable of, I will try and find out more information."

"Wait, did you just say a maenad?" Sam and Eric looked over at me and Sam nodded. That was impossible but it did explain the chant and the robes. "Do you know what they are?" I nodded as I made my way over to Eric. I sat down next to him and looked over at Sam.

"Maenads are ancient creatures but I didn't realise they were still around. They were followers of my uncle, Dionysus, but I figured that once mortals stopped believing in the Gods existence, all of their followers ceased to exist." "Daphne mentioned Dionysus but isn't he the God of wine? I looked it up after she was found in my freezer with her heart cut out."

I raised my eyebrow at Sam. "Who's Daphne and why was her heart cut out?" He shrugged his shoulders and reached out for a drink that was sitting in front of him. "She was my new waitress and a shapeshifter but she also worked for Maryanne. She was the one who told me she was a maenad but I haven't found any information on them."

"You wouldn't. Dionysus didn't want anyone to know about them because of how they served him. They influenced those around them and then he fed off of the energy created by the dancing and frenzy of the mortals. It often led to orgy's, which was fitting since Dionysus was also the God of Drunken Orgy. But that's where my knowledge of them stops." I didn't know that they possessed some form of telekinesis and were immortal.

"Yours might but I think I know someone who may know more. But I need to leave now if I wish to see the Queen tonight." Eric stood up and whispered something in Pam's ear. She nodded then vamped towards Eric's office. "I will let you know of any information I may find out." Just as Eric went to leave, I pulled his arm back and he faced me.

"Woah where are you going without me? I have every right to know more about maenad's and how the fuck to get rid of them." "I don't think Sophie-Anne would appreciate if I brought you with me. I do not wish to reveal our relationship to her."

"Sophie-Anne Leclerq? She's the Queen of Louisiana?" Eric raised his eyebrow and chuckled. "You know her?" I nodded and smiled as I remembered the pale ginger-haired vampire. "I met her a few hundred years ago in Greece. Remember I said I went through a phase that involved women?" Eric nodded as Sam looked on; I was definitely going to get questioned about that by him when this was all over. "She was the reason for it."

Memories of meeting Sophie-Anne in Athens came flooding back to me. She spoke perfect Greek and managed to blend in with everyone. I knew from first glance that she was a vampire because of her pale skin and decided to have some fun with her. I hadn't been with a woman before but I was intrigued after I caught Aphrodite with a mortal woman and figured that a vampire would be the best bet since gender made no difference in their eyes.

"You had sex with Sophie-Anne?" "Yup then wrapped my silver chain round her neck when she tried to bite me a week after we had met. Safe to say that little act abruptly ended our relationship. I never revealed my true nature to her but perhaps we could use that to our advantage."

"I suppose that means you're coming with me to New Orleans. Hopefully, she'll know something." I nodded then followed Eric out of the bar. I headed towards my car but Eric pulled me back. Before I could ask him how we were getting there, he grabbed me and shot up into the sky. I fucking hated flying!

Chapter 19

Eric held my hand tightly as we walked towards Sophie-Anne Leclerq's front lawn. It was a nice comforting gesture but I knew it was really his way of preventing me from attacking him after our little journey. We were halfway up the path when Bill merged from the house.

"What are you doing here? What business do you have with the Queen?" I was taken back at Bill's tone. I had never quite heard him speak to Eric like that. I knew they loathed each other but this was on a completely different level. Bill always showed some level of respect towards Eric due to his superiority but he wasn't showing that respect right now. It was as if he was marking his territory over Eric.

"Watch your mouth, Compton. You may be the Queen's favourite but I am still your superior and I do not have to justify my actions to you." Bill's fangs snapped out and he vamped in front of Eric. Eric kept his cool but I didn't; I was ready to snap Bill's neck if he made one more move towards Eric. "But you do have to justify your actions to the Queen. Tell me, what would she say if I told her that you were selling V in your own area? I'm sure that would earn you a one-way ticket to the true death."

My mouth dropped; was Bill threatening Eric with the true death? Who the hell was he to say such a thing? Before either of us could respond, Bill was gone. "What do you mean about Bill being the Queen's favourite and what the hell is he talking about? Since when do you sell V? Don't tell me you've dragged Lafayette back into this?" Still holding my hand, Eric pulled my body flush towards his. He then released my hand and held my head in his hands so he could slam his lips against mine. He forced his tongue between my lips and I moaned at the taste of him; I had missed this.

"I will explain everything later, there is more I must tell you. But for now, we're here for a purpose." I whimpered at the loss of contact between us but straightened myself up. I nodded at Eric and held his hand and we walked towards the front door.

The house was guarded by humans, all of whom were armed. I made the assumption that the guns were loaded with wooden bullets since anything else would be useless against vampires.

"Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area 5 here to see the Queen," the guard nodded then looked down at me. Before I could say anything, Eric spoke for me, "this is my human pet. I get hungry." I crushed Eric's hand with my own and smirked when I felt a few of his bones break; he deserved that. The guard nodded then stepped aside and allowed us to walk in. The house looked extremely modern but the white walls and ionic pillars made me feel like I was in Greece.

We walked into the poolroom and saw three people sitting on the floor around a small table. I instantly recognised Sophie-Anne but said nothing.

"Sheriff Northman, to what do I owe the pleasure? And a human pet? I thought that was beneath you." Sophie-Anne vamped towards us but then stopped when she saw me. I gritted my teeth as she reached out and held my chin. "You look strangely familiar human. Hmm, have I tasted you before?" She ran her finger up and down my face and traced my lips. And to think that there was a time when I found this arousing.

"She is mine Sophie-Anne." "Quiet! I can do as I please and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it Northman. Now, where was I?" She turned my face to reveal my neck with the full intention of biting me. Eric was definitely going to hate me after this. I grabbed Sophie-Anne's neck and watched her eyes go wide.

"Like he said, I'm his." I pushed her away from me and smiled as she tried to regain her footing. She slowly walked back towards me and barred her fangs at me.

"How dare you? I am a vampire queen, I can have whoever I want." "Just not me. Now, retract your fangs before I pull them out myself. You have no authority over me so it's best if we keep things civil." She didn't say anything but I knew she understood my threat because she did as I said and strolled back over to her little table.

Eric and I followed her and he grinned as he whispered in my ear, "you just put a 500-year-old vampire in her place. Would it be completely inappropriate if I told you that I was hard for you right now?" I looked down at Eric and licked my lips as I saw his growing erection. "Later Erastís Mou, we have a maenad to kill first."

"Did you just say a maenad? I'm intrigued." Sophie-Anne looked up from her game and beckoned us to join her. She was obviously over trying to bite me but I had a feeling it was only a matter of time before she figured out who I was. When we got closer, I saw that she was playing 'Yahtzee' with two humans. One of them, the girl, had a striking resemblance to Sookie with her blonde hair and sweetheart face but it could have just been a coincidence. Most Southern girls shared similar features.

"Yes. Apparently they still exist although I can't imagine why. There are better things to do than serve Dionysus; all he could do was show us a good time." She held out the cup of dice to me and I grabbed it. I pulled Eric down with me and ignored him when he tried to pull away. I flipped the cup over and smiled. "Full house."

"So I see. I don't know much of maenad's, they're foul creatures who wait for the 'God that comes' to appear so he can devour them. Quite sad really when we all know that Gods do not exist." "Your majesty, we need to know of a way to kill her."

She looked over at Eric and flicked her hair behind her back. She grinned at me and continued to play her round. "They're immortal, supposedly. Although their immortality stems from their belief since no one actually granted it to them. They'll continue to create chaos until Dionysus presents himself to them and that isn't going to happen."

"Of course not. A God cannot present themselves to a human in their true form without that human dying. That's why maenads believe Dionysus is the horned God; the rare times he is on earth, he takes the form of a bull and that was how he managed to create maenads in the first place. He always spoke of how they came to existence but never of how to kill them." At the mention of Dionysus talking of maenads, Sophie-Anne stopped what she was doing and stared at me. Me and my big mouth. "Or so I've read. Texts on Greek mythology provide more questions than answers."

"You seem to know a lot about them. And you do have an unusual strength about you. Let me guess, you're one of their human offspring's, a demi God right?" Before I could say anything, Sophie-Anne continued, "such a shame really; that you don't have the same immortality as them but you are rare. Maybe I could find a place for you here. I was looking for demi Gods in Greece a long time ago but didn't come across one, who knew one would come to me."

I let out the breath I had been holding in. Sophie-Anne may have figured out what I was, but just like Maryanne, she only knew part of it. "I think I'm more of a distant relative and I'm just stronger than normal humans. I just need to know more about maenads so I could help save my roommate Sookie."

At the mention of Sookie's name, Sophie-Anne and her female companion looked at me. "You know Sookie?" I looked over at the girl sitting next to me but before I could say anything, Sophie-Anne interrupted. "I didn't realise you were close to Compton's human. Tell me, is there anything supernatural about her?" I thought of the strange ability I saw Sookie use a few hours before but said nothing. Sophie-Anne was a collector and there was no way I was going to allow her anywhere near Sookie.

"No. Now, you can understand that Eric and I must leave if we are to reach Bon Temps before the sun comes up." "Of course. I hope you deal with your little maenad problem. Oh and Eric? Make sure Compton stays out of our affairs. I wouldn't want him to know all of my secrets."

"Well, that was a waste of time." Eric opened Bill's front door and I followed him inside. "I wouldn't say that. I didn't realise that maenad's wanted Dionysus to present himself to them. Maybe we could use that to our advantage." "But we still don't know how to kill her."

Eric was right; we didn't and had no idea where to begin. I walked into Bill's sitting room hoping to find Sookie there but instead, Sam stood there with Bill. "Where's Sookie?" They turned to look at me but neither one of them spoke.

"I do not know. I returned home to find Sam waiting for me. I have a feeling she's gone to find Tara which is incredibly stupid since we have no way of killing Maryanne. I assume you went to the Queen for the same reason as I did and were disappointed to discover that she did not know much."

"She didn't, but I know someone who will. It's a long shot but it's the only one we have. Bill, I need you to bring me five candles and clear a space on the floor." He nodded then vamped away. "Eric, I need you to sneak into my room at Sookie's and open the box I keep under the floorboards. In there, you'll find a shield with an owl imprinted on it; I need it. But be careful, it's made of silver and gold. Use some of my gloves if you have to." Eric kissed me softly on the lips then vamped out the house.

"Sam, I'm about to do something that is going to put me in a position I do not want to be in but it's the only way. And because of that, you can't be here. There's a reason why no human has ever seen a God in his or her true form; they can't. Head over to Sookie's and stake the place out. We have to know exactly what's going on in there." Before Sam could say anything, Bill returned and handed me the candles. I set them down in the shape of a pentagon and sighed in relief as I heard Sam leave. Shapeshifter or not, he was still human.

I set to work on lighting them when Eric returned with my shield. "You're going to summon your mother aren't you?" Eric handed me my shield then I stepped away from the pentagon. "Yes, and I'm going to use the shield she gave me. She gave this to Perseus before I was born to kill Medusa then to me once he died. It's the only thing I have that once belonged to her which is why it will work. Now before I do this, I need you both to swear that you won't speak to her unless she speaks to you. Gods are very proud creatures and don't take kindly to any form of disrespect. Also, to see a God in its true form is something extraordinary and something very rare. Understood?"

They both nodded and watched as I began to summon my mother. I used one of my blades to draw blood from my hand and held it over the pentagon. My blood slowly poured out of my hand and onto the floor as I called my mother, "éla Athína, éla se ména mitéra." I watched as my blood suddenly turned to gold; it was working. I threw my shield into the pentagon and looked away as a flash of light erupted from the shield. I turned back a moment later and saw my mother standing in the middle of the pentagon.

"Alexandra, I must say I'm surprised you have called me and even more surprised by the company you keep. Tell me, vampires, do you understand me?" I looked back at Bill and Eric who seemed to be frozen in their spot. However, Eric managed to recover quicker than Bill, "yes we do."

Athena smiled then turned to look at me. Her straight brown hair flowed down and around her shoulders and her golden sheer peplos clung to her like a second skin.

"Your Theía mentioned your love bond to me and I must say that I am proud of the work my sister has accomplished. She has given you a companion to which you truly can be yourself with and I am pleased of that. Now, why have you summoned me? It must be of great importance since you know of the consequences."

"I know mother and I accept those. A few weeks ago, Apollo appeared himself to me to warn me of a threat that was in my future and one I would not be able to defeat alone. I believe that the threat is that of a maenad. She has already attacked me once with a force I am unfamiliar with and I fear that if I don't stop her, she will cause chaos unlike that we have ever seen before."

"A maenad you say? Well, I suppose it is a pity that Dionysus is in his annual drunken state otherwise I would insist he comes down and sort of the mess he started thousands of years ago. Why Zeus allows him to drink himself into a drunken sleep every year I will never know. A maenad is a mad creature and that is their weakness: they will not die if Dionysus reveals himself to them for they are not truly mortal but it will weaken them. I have no effect on you, my daughter because you have the blood of a God and your companions are already dead but if a being such as a maenad looks upon what they believe to be the true form of a God, they will weaken."

"So she will become vulnerable when she believes she is in the presence of Dionysus?" Athena nodded then stepped out of the pentagon. As she did, her appearance changed into that of a mortal; she decreased in size and was now fully clothed. She held my hands in hers and smiled.

"Yes. If you can convince her that Dionysus has presented himself to her, she will release the magic within her and temporarily become mortal. When that happens, you have only a matter of seconds to remove her heart from her chest; it is the only way. I hope you have the answers you were looking for."

I nodded at my mother and smiled when she kissed my cheek. "I am so proud of you Alexandra. You are more than I ever imagined you would be. But you know what must come next."

"I do mother and I accept it. Thank you for all your help, I knew I could rely on you." She smiled as she walked back towards the pentagon. Another flash of light erupted and she was gone. All that remained in the pentagon was my shield. I turned to face Bill and Eric and gave them a hopeful smile.

"Now all we need to do is convince Maryanne that Dionysus has come. It can't be that hard. Bill, go and get Sam and bring him back here. We're going need his help." Once Bill had left, Eric pulled me into his arms and kissed me softly.

"Are you going tell me of the consequences she spoke of?" "I will but not now. First, we've got a maenad to kill."

Just an FYI, éla Athína, éla se ména mitéra simply means "come Athena, come to me mother" and Theía means aunt :)

Chapter 20

"No fucking way!" I couldn't believe my eyes as we approached Sookie's house the following night. After my talk with Athena, I realised that the sun was going to be coming up soon so we weren't going to be able to achieve anything. Bill had offered Eric a spare coffin he kept in the house, which struck us both as strange considering the conversation we had with him outside the Queen's mansion. Sam and I had crashed on the couch but woke up not long after due to Arlene's kids.

It was sweet of Sam to look after them until this whole thing was dealt with but I couldn't understand why they had to wake up so early. I hadn't dealt with kids in so long so I left Sam to it. After he had found something to keep them occupied, we went about trying to devise a plan to kill Maryanne. I couldn't think of a way to trick her into believing that Dionysus had appeared to her.

Eric and Bill rose when the sun went down and all we had for them was that we just needed to get in there and save Sookie; everything else would have to be improvised.

"What is it?" "She's planning a wedding. Do you see that arch? It's placed to the north side of the house. In Ancient Greece, when two people got married, their wedding arch was to face north of the house, north towards Olympus. Although those wedding arches weren't made of raw meat." I pulled a face at the awful display and continued to walk towards the house. I felt Eric's hand on my back and smiled inside. His touch was the only thing I needed and I intended to make full use of our bond after this was over.

"Well, well, well. It's the daughter of Athena and a vampire. Here to celebrate with us?" Maryanne appeared in front of us wearing a wedding dress and wreath around her head. She definitely was planning on a wedding and I had a feeling it was to Dionysus. I wonder how she would feel if she knew he wasn't going to show because he was too drunk.

"We just came here for Sookie. Let her leave with us and we'll give you the sacrifice you need for your ceremony." Maryanne smirked at us then shouted something in a language I didn't understand. A moment later, Tara and Lafayette emerged from the house holding Sookie. They were all dressed in white dresses and looked like bridesmaids. Both Tara and Lafayette's eyes were black, which were probably a result of Maryanne's influence; she really was a powerful Maenad. They released her and she ran towards Eric and me and hid behind us.

Bill appeared a moment later holding Sam. "NO! Sam, you can't do this! You can't die!" Sam didn't listen to Sookie as he continued to walk towards Maryanne.

"No. I don't want the shapeshifter. His heart would work but I would much rather have a stronger heart. A heart from someone who is the true definition of a being from both worlds. I want you in return for Sookie, daughter of Athena. Your mother was never happy with those who used their beauty to get what they wanted; this would be the perfect way her to repay for all her past sins." Well shit, I wasn't expecting that.

"What? No! You can't have her either. It wouldn't even work…" Sookie's words were cut off due to Eric wrapping his hand around her mouth. Her eyes went wide when she realised that we wanted Maryanne to believe that I was mortal. Eric nodded at me then I walked towards Maryanne who smiled at me and pulled me into an embrace.

"Dionysus will be pleased that I have found you. It's such a shame you offsprings aren't like your immortal parents but I suppose that works in my favour." Her words echoed in my ear. Sophie-Anne had said the same thing but I was sure it was a coincidence; it had to be. Despite that, another thought dawned on me: I may be immortal but I didn't know how I was going to heal if Maryanne succeeded in cutting out my heart. Gods, I hoped Eric was better at improvising than I was.

Maryanne grabbed a fistful of my hair and dragged me towards the arch. She was seriously strong for a measly Maenad. I struggled and attempted to remove her grip from my hair but I couldn't. I could hear Sookie calling after me but Eric wasn't allowing her to run to me. He whispered something in Sam's ear and I was hoping it was a plan to kill the bitch who was pulling my hair out.

"Eggs? Is everything ready for our guest?" I looked over and saw a very familiar man wearing nothing but a sheet around his lower body and a wreath on his head nod at Maryanne. "Excellent." She threw me towards the arch and two people I didn't recognise caught me. They must have channelled Maryanne's strength because I couldn't break free of their grip. Maryanne stood to the side of me with her 'bridesmaids' standing behind her. I didn't think now was the best time to mention that we didn't really have bridesmaids in Ancient Greece, we didn't even need the actual ceremony. Just sharing a bed with your intended and the promise in the presence of the Gods seemed to suffice.

Maryanne started to chant in a language that wasn't traditional Modern Greek so I had no idea what she was saying. Eggs then appeared in front of me holding a very large knife in his hands. He was smiling and before I knew it, he drove it into my heart. A pain beyond one I had ever felt before erupted through my body and I screamed out in agony. I dropped to my knees and looked down as blood poured out of me.

I could see that Eggs was about to stab me again, probably to actually cut out my heart, but Maryanne stopped him. "No, her blood must fill the earth first." I could feel myself growing weak with every second and hoped that Hades wasn't getting ready to see his favourite niece. I managed to look up and saw Sookie running towards me. I felt her wrap her arms around me and pull me into her lap. What was she doing? She leaned down and started whispering things in my ear. I couldn't quite make out what she was saying but I prayed that she was explaining some sort of plan to me.

"The arch. Sook, destroy it." She looked down at me with a questioning look and I realised that I probably didn't speak a word of sense. I tried to lift my arm up but it felt too heavy. "Destroy it." I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness but refused to close my eyes. Sookie finally understood what I was saying because she suddenly got up and started to pull things off the arch. I could hear Maryanne screaming but she stopped once Eric pushed her away. He pulled me into his arms and started whispering things in Swedish to me. I couldn't understand it but it was soothing.

I felt Eric sit me up and place his wrist in front of my mouth: he was giving me his blood. I eagerly took it as I looked over to see what looked like a bull approach Maryanne. It couldn't be Dionysus; Athena said he wouldn't be able to appear himself. The last thing I saw before passing out was a horn piercing Maryanne's chest.

I shot up once I opened my eyes. I had to blink a few times to register my surroundings but once I did, I relaxed. I was lying in Eric's bed; I knew the feel of his silk sheets. I looked around the room but I couldn't see him, which meant it was dark outside. I swung my legs round and stood up but instantly regretted it. My head started spinning so I immediately sat back down again. I have got to stop almost dying. The recovery period wasn't fun and I hated having blank holes in my memory.

"Well, it's about time. You had me worried that my blood isn't as precious as I thought." Eric stood in the doorway wearing his trademark dark jeans and a leather jacket. He must have just come back from the club.

"How long was I out for?" I rubbed my head hoping it would soothe my headache but it didn't help. "Just one day. I brought you back here last night and you slept through. I think you also spoke in your sleep. What does 'fýlo' mean?" I looked up at Eric and laughed. I laughed so hard I could feel the blood rushing to my ears.

"It means sex. It was the last thing I was thinking about before Maryanne dragged me over to her meat-arch. I was thinking that since we now have a love bond, we should use all of our free time to utilise it. And, I miss the feel of your body on mine." Eric's fangs snapped out then he vamped over to me. He pulled the sheet off of me to reveal my naked body and he growled. Gods, I had missed that noise.

"I'm sure we can arrange something." Eric grabbed the back of my head and planted his lips on top of mine. His kiss was breathtaking like he was sucking the air out of my lungs. I bit down on his lips and shoved my tongue into his mouth when he granted me access. My hands started running up and down his chest and within a matter of minutes, I had Eric naked whilst I straddled his lap.

He pulled at one of my nipples and I could feel it go hard at his touch. His hand moved to the other one while his mouth descended down my body and he placed his lips over my hard nipple. I could feel his teeth pull at it and threw my head back in pleasure. This man really did know how to use his tongue.

"What happened last night?" Eric pulled his mouth away from my nipple but his hand continued to tease the other one. His erection was poking at my wet core but I needed to know what happened after I blacked out last night before we continued. I had every intention to devour him sexually but I needed a clear mind to do so.

"Sam and Bill hatch up a plan to trick Maryanne. Sam shifted into a bull although I can't explain to you how, and stabbed her with one of his horns. Then he shifted back and ripped out her heart. It's safe to say that she's gone for good and her spell is broken. Now, can I go to back to what I was doing?"

I nodded then moaned as he resumed his previous position. I lifted my hips and gasped as he entered my wet core. I lowered my hips again and cried out in pleasure as I felt Eric's hard dick inside of me. I had definitely missed this. I started slowly moving up and down whilst Eric was still focused on my nipples. I started moving faster which Eric responded to; he moved his assault to my neck and then back to my lips where he kissed me hard and fast.

I pushed him down onto the bed and watched him as I moved my hips up and down on his large length. He suddenly moved us and was pounding into me from behind. A loud moan erupted from my lips as my back arched in pleasure. I could feel my walls tighten around him and I knew I was close to feeling an orgasm that was going to erupt through my whole body.

"Here, drink," I looked at Eric's bloody wrist but before I could say anything, he spoke again, "trust me." I did so and when my lips touched his wrist, I felt his fangs sink into my neck. Pleasure rippled through my body; pleasure, unlike anything I had felt before. My orgasm attacked my body and I pulled my mouth away from Eric's wrist to cry out in pleasure. It was unlike any other orgasm I had ever had and I had a feeling it wasn't going to stop there.

"We should do that more often." Eric looked over at me and laughed. It had been a few hours since I had woken and I was only just catching my breath. I curled up around a pillow after what felt like my 10th orgasm of the night and attempted to catch my breath.

"We should but in different places. Have to keep the spark." I smiled at him and started to trace small patterns on his chest. He seemed to enjoy it as I felt him relax under my touch. "It's hard for me to believe that I am now monogamous with one human. I usually have a pick and mix every night."

"Well I'm only half-human and it seems that my other half is more dominate to keep you monogamous. Maybe you've met your match Eric Northman." "Maybe I have." He leaned over and lightly kissed me on the lips. He then turned to face me and affectionately ran his finger down my side.

"Why did you ask me to drink your blood? What happened?" Eric rested his hand on my hip and shifted closer to me. "We started a blood bond. It's similar to the love bond we already share but it's something that I can feel. I'll be able to feel your emotions much clearer now among other things. It only works when a vampire takes the blood of a human while they take theirs at the same time. Also, said vampire must care for that human otherwise it would have no effect. It would weaken if we spend an extended amount of time away from each other but I don't see that happening."

I bit down on my lip and looked away from Eric's gaze. The fact that he had created such a bond between us warmed my heart. In such a short amount of time, Eric had become a huge part of my life and I knew why Aphrodite had chosen him for me.

"Except that it might." Eric grabbed my chin and lifted my head so that I was looking at him again. "When I summoned Athena, she spoke of a consequence of my actions; I was to repay the price for her coming to me when I called and asking for her help. She may be my mother but I still must comply with the rules. I now owe her and in terms of me, that means she is allowed to call upon me whenever she deems right and I must comply. It can happen at any time and I won't know what I'm doing, where I'm going or how long I'll be gone for until I go."

"That doesn't matter to me. You'll be back and I know that you'll come back to me." Eric wiped away a tear that slowly trickled down my cheek and kissed me softly. I felt my heart burst open with love at that moment and made a promise to myself that I would spend every night until Athena called me with Eric. He is the future the Fates had planned for me.

And there you have it guys! Season 2 is done and it is definitely one of my favourites. I hope you all enjoyed it and it was everything you imagined! If you have any ideas for season 3 or even for the future of this story, review and let me know! I'd love to have some input in this.

Season 3 should be with you next week so look out for that.

Please review and stay safe!