CHAPTER II:

"Why do you have to be such an ass?" I worked diligently to disentangle myself from the distractingly beautiful vampire.

"Why is the sky blue?" He retorted.

"I was going to tell you what a lovely transformation Fangtasia has undergone, but now I'm too annoyed to even speak to you. And, a drink 'on the house' would be much better if it ended up someplace besides 'on the house,'" I quipped looking at my second spilled drink currently adorning the soles of many shoes.

"Perhaps you should try again" He indicated with his arm that I should ask again for a drink.

I turned back the bartender. "Disaster seems to have befallen my last Vampire Kiss," meaning every bit of the pun. "I think I may need to forswear them in the future."

The bartended looked a bit nervously from Eric and back to me, which was interesting, as this had been the big bad vamp that had displaced the last bartender.

Eric leaned forward, an arm on either side of me, but looking directly at the bartender, "Dance with me"

"You dance?" I turned around and gave Eric a bewildered stare. He scooped up my hand as he led me to the dance floor. I had never imagined that Eric was someone who would dance. I imagined him as the standoffish brooding type.

"When the moment suits me, yes" He replied seriously.

He pulled me tightly to him and led me in an elaborate succession of movements. My lacking dancer's grace was swept away by his sureness and fluid motion. His large hands guided me, held me, showed me, and enticed me, while his eyes never left mine.

Once, while he held me closely to him I heard him whisper, "Jag måste ha dig."

It felt surprisingly right, cradled against the massive Swede.

"Eric, why is it that sometimes you are so amazingly perfect, and others, you are disgustingly horrid?"

I felt, rather than heard, the grumbling guffaw of a laugh as it rumbled through his chest.

"I am horrid by nature, and amazing only when infected by your nature. Do remember, this is a masquerade, my identity is entirely unknowable," he smirked knowingly.

And then we were both silent for a while, dancing softly to the soothing music. I felt his hands exploring my body. They moved over me like rain sliding down a window, cool, effortless. It was as if he knew exactly were I needed his touch; my shoulder blade, my hip, the small of my back, the nape of my neck. His hands were like ice cubes and feathers; they tingled as they traveled across the plains of my body.

Eric made me nervous. There was something unsettling about the way he could touch me and leave me feeling ravished and hungry at the same moment. He was dangerous in a way that had nothing to do with the fact that he could pulverize me without breaking a sweat. And yet there was a softness in Eric that I longed to unearth further.

"Why do you want me?" the question was a ghost of a whisper. It left my throat and wafted the few inches hesitantly over to my dance partner.

I knew he heard me. There was no way, with his vampire senses, that he could have misheard me, but he remained silent. What was he thinking?

I felt him smell my hair and lean his check against the top of my head.

"You're perfect," he replied as the last notes of the violin reverberated against us and the song came to a halt.

Leaning further into him, I signed contentedly. Had I really just danced with Eric Northman? In the moments I took contemplating our turbulent friendship, he was gone. One moment he had been so close, so firm, so strong, so near, and then, the next he was gone.

- 0 -

Like a lamb suddenly lacking a fierce lion for protection, lions of all shapes and sizes almost immediately swamped me. Their masks seemed to spur them into a territorial frenzy.

"Beautiful lady," a large football shaped man called out as he ran his thick knuckles across my backside.

"Hot stuff, who you here with? Wanna go home with me?" a scrawny dark skinned man with a blue mohawk and a horrifying mask that looked to have been strung together with teeth.

Like a vacuum created by the space Eric had been, the predators of Fangtasia converged in on me.

I stuck out my chin defiantly and glared openly at the unsolicited attention.

"Back off" I mustered.

This seemed to only encourage the melee.

A slender, sallow looking man with thick black hair greased back into a tight pony and an expensive looking tribal mask whistled haughtily.

"My, my. What a scrumptious looking morsel." His 's's all sounded hard and foreign on his tongue. He then began circling me like I was his prey.

"I said back off" this time louder and with more anger.

He whistled again, " She's got fire." All the while his circle was growing more and more narrow.

"Gentlemen," a familiar voice drawled.

"No need to get your panties in a pinch. This ones taken" She said with authority and a quick grab at my arm. She batted her eyelashes and flipped her hair while forcible dragging me in the opposite direction.

"Jesus, Prada, and Harry Winston" Pam muttered under her breath "What a bunch of tween vultures."

"Ow Pam, you're hurting my arm." Sometimes it seemed that vampires were forgetful of my more delicate tendencies.

"You're welcome," she drolled, releasing her talons when we were back in Eric's office.

I rubbed my sore arm and glowered at my savior.

"Thank you" I sputtered ungraciously. "Where's Eric?" I asked.

She just rolled her eyes and replied, "The poor soul doesn't even know what hit him."

To be continued? What do you think? Please review… I am totally hooked on reviews right now… like major addict… enable me please. "Will write for reviews": is what my cardboard box ought to read. Thanks for reading! -K