"Eric," Kyra said, knowing the vampire to her left would be able to hear her over the pounding, angry beat of the music. She crossed her legs, the black Fangtasia t-shirt she was wearing sliding up; exposing the small exercise shorts that Pam had brought her. She felt a little silly sitting in an oversized shirt and flip-flops as the leather and mesh masses pulsed around her. She could hear the clicking of stilettos on the concrete floor, the soft tinkling of chains and jewelry as the overpowering smell of perfume, sweat, and alcohol was clogging her throat.

The first few days the music had giving her a throbbing headache but, now, she had managed to tune out the bone-rattling beats, forcing it to become background noise. She didn't want to admit it but she was beginning to enjoy spending time at the club. Kyra enjoyed listening to the drama that inevitably filled its walls. It was fun to listen in the on conversations and horrid pick-up lines.

Eric spent most of the nights ignoring her, busying himself with backlogged paperwork or his cellphone but he made her stay near, always within his sight. She had thought he was just making sure she didn't run out the back, which, honestly, she had considered; but she had learned his true reason behind his overprotectiveness. The sheer number of vampires that had approached her was overwhelming. Most scattered when he sent them a dark look but the more persistent ones required a snarled admission of ownership over her. It annoyed her but it did a wonderful job at keeping everyone away.

Kyra glanced over to Eric, hearing the soft clicking of his cellphone buttons as he continued to ignore her. "Eric," She said again, "It's been over two weeks now." He didn't turn away from his phone, "Your point?"

"I want to go home. I need to get back to work. And I'm a little surprised that Momo hasn't called the National Guard out to find me yet. You can't just keep holding me hostage like this." Kyra stated, running a hand through her curls. "You have to let me go sometime."

"No, I don't." He replied, finally lowering his phone. "You seem to forget, human, I own you. I could chain you in the basement and bleed you dry and no one would stop me." The little human glared at him, her eyes growing cold, "So what, I'm your dinner? That's it? I can hardly imagine that my blood is that much better than everyone else's. I bet that anyone one of these girls here would be more than happy to let you suck off them and be your arm candy for a few days and you wouldn't have to hold them against their will."

He glanced at her, "Arm candy? You're hardly arm candy quality, human. If anyone has ever called you that, they were lying." Her head snapped back as if he had struck her, a hand coming instantly, instinctively up to cover the scars on her face; shame flickering for a moment in her eyes before she turned from him. She drew a knee up, tucking the scarred side of her face against it as she continued to looking away, "I don't know why you don't just kill me. Seriously, what am I worth to you alive?"

"Nothing," He answered honestly, reaching over to take hold of her chin, forcing her to look at him. "But you're absolutely even more useless to me dead." He let her go, leaning back into his throne. "And you needn't worry about your friend. I called him the night I took you; he's more than aware of where you're at. I knew that he would inform the police when you didn't return home, and that's something I don't need right now."

Kyra stared at him in shock, "Momo knows that you're keeping me here? How is he okay with this? Oh, he is such a little turn-coat! I'm so going to drop kick him over a fence when I get back." A sickening wave of betrayal and depression flooded her, and she was horrified when tears welled in her eyes. "How is he okay with this?"

"Because I had Pam glamour him when she retrieved some of your clothing." Eric stated easily, returning to his phone when it chimed. Kyra leapt to her feet, nearly stumbling off the stage, "You had him glamoured? The hell, Eric?"

He lazily reached up, yanking her back into her seat; glaring at the pair of vampires that were openly staring at the fuming firebrand. She shoved his hand away, glaring daggers at him. "Would you rather that I allowed Pam to kill him like she originally wanted to? She thought it would be easier to hide his body than deal with him. Course, she's not much of a people person to begin with."

"Lord, how is this my life?" Kyra asked, scrubbing at her eyes. Eric, again, was ignoring her; confident that there would be no more outbursts from her. She wanted to continue their conversation, demand answers from him but, as usual, getting information from Eric Northman was like stapling Jell-O to a tree. Whatever his reasons were for keeping her here or why he wanted her in the first place, he wasn't about to share them with her; nor was he willing to let her go. Part of her wanted to hate him, to hate what he was doing, for denying her freedom, keeping her basically as a captive; she wanted to hate him.

But she couldn't. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to hate him. He didn't realize it, but, in the few short weeks they had spent together; Kyra had learned how to read the Viking, to understand a small bit of how his mind worked. Eric Northman wasn't someone to be trifled with, he conquered and claimed what he wanted without remorse or regret but he did so with a greater reason than simple greed. There was always a reason for his actions; it was something she had been able to gather from his stories. Every thought, every movement was planned through; he was a wicked opponent to play chess with, as she found out the previous evening. He was devastatingly intelligent and incredible loyal to those he allowed close and had no qualms about doing whatever was necessary to keep them safe.

Eric was from a different world, a time that people just didn't understand. His mind was that of a Viking, trained to kill those would do him harm. As a vampire, time hadn't lessened this innate nature; if anything, it only enhanced it. His need to protect and defend was still heavily engrained into his very core.

People claimed that vampire didn't feel like normal humans do, maybe they don't; Kyra didn't know for sure, but, what she did know, what that they still had emotions. Maybe the long years of their existences dulled them or maybe vampire had just learned how to hide their emotions; but they still had them none the less. Eric was no different, though he tried to hide it; he was actually a good person; once you got passed all the pompous arrogance.

She hated to admit it, but she trusted Eric. He had yet to harm her, quite the opposite in fact. Her every need was taken care of, not personally by him, but Eric had make certain that she was more than comfortable in his swank apartment. His day-man, Alphonso, had introduced himself the first day with a bag of groceries and an armful of Braille books. He had kept her company that day, explaining Eric's orders, becoming a sounding board while she ranted and raved. She wasn't certain how the man knew when she was up and about during the daylight hours, but he was always at the penthouse within a half an hour of her rising. Partly, she thought, it was because Alphonso was worried about her staking Eric while he slept; which, she had to admit, had crossed her mind during those first few days.

Alphonso during the waning daylight hours, Eric during the night; she knew there was no chance of escape, no hope of running; not that there was any place that she could run to. Eric was single-minded in his purpose, and, right now, that meant her; he would find her, no matter where she went. She knew this, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Over the last few days she had come to realize that Eric wouldn't let her go until he was ready to; in this, she was powerless. There was no chance of overpowering him, yes, she could actually stake him while he slept but, despite the fact he was a raging sociopath; she didn't just spend the last couple of weeks keeping him alive only to kill him herself.

Though it was a tempting thought at times.

Kyra let out a groan, running a hand down her face. He did truly own her. And didn't that just pissed her right off. "Problems?" Eric asked as he watched her rest her forehead against the bent knee she had drawn to her chest. "Shut up, you dirty rat-fink." She huffed at him. Kyra didn't want to talk to him right now. Hell, with his vampire voo-doo ways, he was probably able to read her mind.

Instead, she closed her eyes, allowing the thrumming music to filter out; leaving only the muted conversations of the club. She chose one at random, honing in on it until she was able to hear every hushed word. The pair of women came to the club in the hopes of tempting a vampire to come home with them, so far they have struck out horribly and were now criticizing every other woman in the bar. It was fun to listen to them tear down everyone that walked passed.

"What are you doing?" Eric asked. She straightened with a smile, "Listening." Kyra could feel the weight of his gaze on her as he waited for her to continue, "There are a lot of interesting people in here. It's entertaining to sit and listen sometimes."

"Who were you listening to?"

Kyra nodded in the general direction of the women, "Those two straight from us, towards the door. They're mad that none of the vampires are interested in them." Eric scanned the crowd until he spotted the pair, "You mean the hippos wrapped in pleather with the bad dye jobs?"

"Really?" Kyra quipped, rolling her eyes at him, "It's not nice to poke fun at your patrons, by the way." Eric ignored her sarcasm, "They're all the way across the bar, how are you able to hear them?"

"Can't you?"

"Of course I can, I'm a vampire; but you're just a human. Such a feat should be impossible for your kind."

She just shrugged, "One of my many talents. Since I don't rely on any form of assistance, I depend on my hearing for my mobility. I suppose that it is better than most peoples. It's how I'm so good with people's emotions too, I can usually tell how a person is feeling based on their voice."

"What do you mean?"

"People have a natural cadence when they speak; it was one of the first things I figured out after I lost my vision. Based on what they're feeling, the cadence changes. I've trained myself to pick up on the tiny nuances, the subtle changes from their normal rhythms. I started with movies, since everything was so exaggerated with them, until I was able to name the emotion on command. It took a while to get the process down but now I can pick up on a person's feeling after listening to them speak for a few minutes. It's actually quite useful. I've gotten so good at it that I'm even able to tell if a person is lying to me."

Eric grew still, his voice suddenly calculating, "Are you able to do this with vampires?" Kyra tilted her head to the side, "Not as well, vampires, especially the older ones, don't convey their emotions all that much. The way they speak is very monotone, but they still have a cadence; it just takes me longer to identify the emotions. I've got yours pretty much down and I'm working on Pam's. She's actually far more expressive than she lets on."

"That's very interesting." Eric stated, "Mind if we test this?" Kyra shook her head, her eyes glittering, "Not at all."

"To the very left of you," He said. She sat silently for a moment, "Two men, one's a vampire. The human is desperate; he's trying to make himself seem interesting so the vampire will leave with him." She grew quiet as she continued to listen, "I think the vampire is bored, he's not that old though, his voice hasn't leveled out yet but it's still difficult to get a read off him. Dispassionate, bored, maybe he's just not interested; either way, it's not going to end the way the human is hoping for."

Eric leaned back, "I'm impressed."

"I could be lying to you, you know." Kyra stated, shooting him a smile, "Making all this up." He shook his head, "I highly doubt that. You're not the type to lie."

"What does that mean?" She asked with a laugh, "I can be a very devious person if I want to be." Eric chuckled, a sinful noise that still caused shivers to explode under her skin, "I don't think you could lie to save your life, you're too honest of a person."

She wrinkled her nose at him, fighting a losing battle to keep her smile hidden; a battle she lost when she laughed again, "You're right, I hate liars. And thieves, I hate those almost as much. I don't understand lying. They always catch up to you in the end, so there's really no point in lying in the first place."

"So, you always tell the truth?" Eric asked. She nodded, "I try to. I mean, there are social situations where small lies are needed; like when a person says how great the weather is and I agree even though I think it's way too hot and muggy. But, besides the little things like that, I always try and tell the truth. Who keeps texting you?" She asked when his phone went off again.

He ignored her for a moment as he read the message before responding, "My maker." Kyra tilted her head to the side again, "Godric, right? The Sheriff in Dallas?" Eric nodded, using his vampire speed to type his response, "You do realize you look like a dog whenever you do that."

She brushed the curls out of her eyes with a small, bitter smile as heat rose in her cheeks, "Yeah, my cousin use to say that. I can't help it though. Is everything all right?"

"It will be." He stated as he stood. "I need to talk to Pam. Go wait in my office until I'm done." Eric pulled her to her feet, his hand resting against the small of her back as he guided her to the office. "Don't leave this room with anyone unless it is myself or Pam, do you understand me?"

"Eric what is-"

He shoved her onto the leather couch, caging her against the plush cushions. Eric tunneled a hand into her hair, pulling at the curls until he was able to look into her eyes as he leaned in. "Do you understand me?" He asked again, biting out the words between his fangs. Kyra inhaled, wetting her lips before nodding, "I understand. I won't leave."

Eric ran a thumb along her lower lip, feeling her breath catch in her throat at the gentle gesture, "Good girl." Then he was gone. Kyra sat up with a huff, shoving a hand through her hair as she glanced towards the door. "Lord," She said, as she situated herself more comfortably, "How is this my life?"

Hours had passed by the time Eric returned to his office to collect his human, he wasn't surprised when he found her asleep. He watched her for a moment, trying to find what exactly it was about her that had captivated him. She was average on all aspects; beauty, intelligence, abilities, whatever the category, she was average. Yet, people were drawn to her; vampires and humans alike were helplessly enthralled with her, craved to be near her.

He couldn't fathom why.

It didn't matter though, she belonged to him. He had noticed a change in her over the course of the last few nights; she had accepted her fate, accepted his claim. Eric had hoped that she would have fought a little longer; relishing the fire and sass he had received those first risings with her. But he knew it would only be a matter of time before she succumbed, her mind far too logical to allow the rebellion for long.

Eric would never openly admit it, but he enjoyed having her near. She was entertaining, constantly surprising him with her openness, how the simplest things amused her; she was like a child, finding joy wherever she was. As idiotic as it was, he felt lighter with her.

He snarled as that thought slipped through his guard, he was acting like a doe-eyed virgin. He didn't need to justify himself to anyone. He had wanted her, so he had taken her; Kyra belonged to him. Period. He didn't need reasons or explanations to keep her. He was Eric Northman, which was the only reason he needed.

"Wake up, human." Eric commanded harshly. She groaned, curling into a tight ball as she shooed him away with a nearly limp hand, "No." He fought back a smile as he knelt next to the couch, shoving roughly at her hunched shoulders, "I said to wake up. I don't have time for your foolishness-"

His tirade was cut short when she gently pressed the tips of her fingers to his lips while her grey eyes lazily opened. Kyra hefted herself up onto an elbow but then let out a pitiful mew, allowing her head to fall onto his chest, tucking it neatly under his chin as her hand fell from his mouth to curl around the back of his neck; the clipped nails scratching lightly at his hairline. "Stop talking," She commanded, her warm breath seeping through the thin material of his shirt, "I like it better when you kiss me anyways."

Eric was stunned as she nuzzled closer, her lips skimming along his throat. His cock came awake with a jerk when she nipped at the curve of his shoulder, lavishing away the sting with her tongue. He yanked her fully onto his lap, running a hand up the lush expanse of her thighs as she straddled him. Kyra leaned back as Eric slid a hand beneath her loose shirt, blinking a few times as confusion settled on her face as her slumber-addled mind tried to process.

"Oh God," She whimpered as he braced her back against the couch, his chilled hand closing over her breast, "This isn't a dream, is it?" Eric grinned wickedly, as he wedged his hips between her legs, pressing it tightly against her. Kyra's hips gave an involuntary jerk when his thumb grazed over her nipple through the sheer lace of her bra, a whimper spilling passed her lips. Her head fell back onto the cushions when he pinched her nipple, exposing her luxuriously pale throat to him, "I'm afraid not, little human."

Kyra pushed weakly at his chest as he rose over her, rocking slightly; the hard, throbbing length of his cock pressing tightly against her core, causing a mewling pant to escape. "Eric, please, stop. I didn't mean-"

"You started this," Eric stated, running his tongue along the shell of her ear before dropping his attention to her exposed throat, "I'm merely following your lead." He needed to taste her again, to taste the clean spring rain that filled her veins, to feel the fire she caused coursing through his system.

His fangs broke through the thin barrier of skin, her moan echoing loudly as he drank. He thrust against her again, feeling her drenching heat through their clothing; her legs locking around his waist, opening herself to him even more. One hand clasped her hip, keeping her still as he drove intot her; the other continuing to toy with her nipples.

"You have got to be kidding me," Pam's droll voice cut through passionate haze that had filled the small office, "Are you at least going to share? I don't mind waiting my turn." Eric pulled back along enough to snarl, "Leave, Pam."

His progeny leaned lazily against the doorframe, "Normally I wouldn't argue, however, you told me to take Red shopping. There's only a few hours left until dawn." He let out a vicious growl but leaned back after lapping at his mark one last time. Kyra was panting, a hand pressed against her forehead, her face flushed with an enticing mix of lust and embarrassment; the sight of her nearly destroyed what was left of his self-control. Eric gathered her into his arms, shielding her from Pam's prying gaze, "Wait outside, I'll send her out in a moment."

Kyra was horrified as Pam shut the door behind herself, shielding her face against Eric's shoulder. She wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere; God, how did she get herself into messes like this? What was it about Eric that made her lose control? She groaned, running a hand down her face, focusing on the soothing feeling of his fingers running through her curls instead of the chaotic whirl of emotions filling her mind.

"As much as I would love to continue this," He stated, pulling her back so he could see her face, "You need to go with Pam. You need clothes." Kyra stared up at him, her eyes slightly glazed with the remints of her lust, "I have clothes."

Eric couldn't stop himself from tracing her lips with the pad of his thumb as he cupped her cheek, "We're leaving for Dallas tomorrow evening. The clothing you have won't suffice for the trip. Go with Pam, she'll pick up everything you need." He stood, cradling her against him for a moment before allowing her to step away. She looked conflicted for a moment but, then, she nodded and moved towards the door. "Kyra," Eric called, stilling her hand on the knob as she glanced over her shoulder at him, "I may have stopped this time but don't mistake my restraint. I will fuck you. This simply wasn't the time or the place, but I will have you."

Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment before pining him with a hard, serious look, "Eric, I'm not going to deny that some part of me is as into you as a fat kid is into a buffet but I'm not willing to become just another notch in your bedpost. If you haven't noticed, I'm really hating myself for letting it go as far as it just did. I don't know if it's because of your blood or all the insane crap we've been through, but you're the first person that I've ever wanted to be physical with. You're right though, I will most likely sleep with you. But you have to know something, you could really hurt me, Squeakers; you could utterly destroy me. It may mean nothing to you but it will mean so much more to me. You need to be aware of that before we pick up where we've left off."

And, with that, she was gone.