A/N: As you can see, this author's note is going to be a bit longer than usual. There's a few things I'd like to talk about so bear with me. First of all, I was going to try and get this out before the season premier but I had to work a little extra to ensure I didn't have to work Sunday night. (And can I just say, WOW! This season's going to be epic! Already watched episode 1 and 2 on HBOoD so I wouldn't miss it when I visit family in New York) I apologize for the delay, but with the new season starting, I'm super inspired after seeing more of Mr. Sweden himself! I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed this story. You guys really have no idea how honored it makes me feel to know that people are actually reading this fic and liking it. I'm glad all of you like it, and I'm even more glad that you take the time to post your comments on it. While I'm onto that, feel free to PM me. I was thinking of making a 'Meet the Author' biography on my profile, but I decided against it. I'm a friendly person, and I enjoy talking to people, so don't be scared to talk to me. I might just tell you my plans for upcoming chapters. I wanted to explain a little about the elements of this story, to clear things up for some people, but this note would be way too long if I did. So if you want to know my reasons, it'll give you an excuse to PM me. Also, I've been reading some Godric fanfictions lately and I'm beginning to like the ideas I'm getting if I decide to keep him. I've gotten reviews on both sides on whether or not I should let him live, but I'm still in the middle at the moment. If he stays, I have an idea set for another installment. If he goes, that paves the way for more relations between Eric and Rayne. I'm conflicted, and I hope I don't piss anyone off when I finally choose what to do with him. So just keep giving me your opinions, and it might just sway my vote. Haha, I can be bought with reviews! Anyways, here's Chapter 13!

I woke sometime early in the afternoon the next morning. I could only tell this because the automated windows were closed to the outside world, leaving my room completely pitch black. I looked over to the alarm clock on the night stand and saw it was only noon. I sighed and threw a pillow over my face. I hadn't forgotten the night before. As much as I wanted to forget it, I knew that wasn't an option. Somehow, I was able to glamour a man last night. I didn't like it at all. I didn't want this to go on any longer. It seemed I was learning something new every day, and not in a good way. I had a hard time dealing with myself normally, and all these new 'techniques' I was learning was making it that much harder.

"Goddammit." I said to myself, muffled by the pillow that was still covering my face.

I pulled the pillow away and stared at the ceiling. I clapped on the lights (One of the features the room had that I had found amusing) and looked around. I looked over to Eric's door in longing, wishing somehow he would be able to help me with all that was going on. He didn't understand it, and I was certain he didn't care. This didn't upset me, I knew he was conceited and saw humans as weak creatures who relied too much on their emotions. At the same time however, I wished I had someone I could talk to about all this. I knew Sookie was only a few rooms away, but for some reason that didn't comfort. I wasn't sure I wanted to tell her about what was going on. She was becoming my best friend, but I didn't want anyone else to know about last night. Eric knew, and that was bad enough. A sigh once again passed my lips as I lifted myself into a sitting position.

I thought about the night before. I replayed the events leading up to my falling asleep in hysterics. It was then that I remembered that the Fellowship of the Sun was to blame for almost being kidnapped. I needed to think of a plan. I knew we were going to the Dallas nest tonight, but I wasn't sure how inclined they'd be to not put us in danger. I had to think of something myself, and I had to think of something good before dusk. I knew we couldn't just go on an all out assault on the church searching for Godric. I was pretty sure they expected that, hoping it would show the world the true nature of vampires. I scrunched up my nose. I hated Jesus freaks, but these people gave the term a whole new meaning. It seemed somewhere along the road, they were so wrapped up in their own ideals to actually read the bible. I wasn't religious, I believed in karma and reincarnation, but that was the extent of my beliefs. I had seen the leader of the church, Steve Newlin, on the television recently, preaching about how vampires were nothing but bloodthirsty, manipulative fiends who were abominations of God. I laughed to myself and cracked a smile when a funny thought popped into my head.

Someone should turn him into a vampire. It would be the biggest kick in the nads in the history of... well, ever.

I chuckled and then I had a brilliant idea.

Vampires couldn't storm the church without risking breaking down all the accomplishments they've made since the Great Revelation, but that didn't mean I couldn't. I was a human, I could easily go in and tear the place apart looking for Godric.

I sighed when I remembered, that's exactly what I am. I'm a human, and I may be a challenge to others, but I was no match to a church full of crazed Christians.

Wait a minute, yes I was.

I had powers now that I never knew I could ever possess. I could go in, in animal form, and search the grounds for Godric. If anyone stood in my way, I could glamour them into forgetting. I smiled widely. Maybe these powers would be a lot cooler than I thought they would be. Then I had another thought.

I had no idea how to use these new powers.

I sighed and began thinking again. I had only partially controlled telepathy, and that still took work. I wasn't quite sure how exactly I'd be able to go about shifting on a whim. Glamouring might be a little easier; I remembered everything Bill told Jessica on the car ride here. If it was easy as he made it out to be, I was pretty sure I could do it again. Shifting on the other hand, would take a lot of work.

But I had to try.

I got up from the bed and made my way into the bathroom to get ready. I took a shower, brushed my teeth, tamed my hair, and put on clothes. I wore something baggy, knowing if I managed to be able to shift, I was going to lose them in the process. I stood in front of the mirror and looked at my reflection. I didn't have a whole lot of time to admire myself since I've been here, and I was surprised by what I saw when I finally did.

My appearance had changed slightly, but not enough for anyone else to notice. My hair was a shade brighter, looking even more like fire as it framed my face. My skin was paler than it usually was (believe me, that's impressive), and it seemed to almost glow. The part that captivated me the most however, was my eyes. The seafoam green they've always been has always been one of my most stunning features, but not they were magnified. Maybe it was just me, but they seemed to brighten like my hair. They looked almost like someone held a flashlight behind them, shining a few slivers of light through their depths. I looked magnificent, and I wasn't sure why. I knew my appearance had been altered by Eric's blood when I was scratched, but it wasn't this intense. I shook my head, deciding I wasn't going to worry about it. I got prettier, that's not something you complain about. I stepped out into the room and made my way over to the phone. I picked it up and dialed the concierge's number.

"Hello, how can I help you today Miss Crassus." The voice of a young boy asked.

"Uh, yeah, I was wondering if you could bring me a magazine. Preferably one with a lot of animals in it." I said. Yeah, I was sure this was a request he got on a daily basis. I shook my head.

"It will be up in a few minutes, will there be anything else? Can I offer you room service for lunch?"

My stomach growled as soon as he said lunch and I remembered that I hadn't eaten in God knows how long. I cupped a hand to my stomach, rubbing the hunger away. "That sounds excellent. I'll have.." I grabbed the menu sitting next to the phone and began looking through it. Everything sounded so appetizing, I couldn't decide. "I'll take a reuban with french fries, some of those chicken tenders, french onion soup, and a few slices of cheesecake." I said, looking down at the menu, practically drooling.

"I'll put your order into the kitchen. Is there anything else I can help you with?" He asked nicely.

"No, that's all. Thank you." I said before hanging up.

I probably shouldn't have ordered all that food but I was starving, and I needed nourishment before I put my body into stress trying to shift. That was my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.

I sat on the bed and waited for the food. Within about twenty minutes, there was a knock at my door with the recognized greeting. I rushed towards the door and grabbed the tray of food before thanking the waiter and shutting the door in his face. I didn't mean to be rude, but I was starving and I needed something in my stomach. I scarfed down every last crumb of food, happy there was no one in the room to watch me eat like a slob. I wiped my mouth with a napkin and put the empty plates on the tray and pushed it into the hallway to be picked up. I shut the door and leaned against it. I let out a sigh before straightening up and walking towards the center of the room. The magazine I asked for came with the food, so now it was sitting on my bed. I picked it up and looked through it, trying to find an animal to shift into. I heard Sam say before that it was easier to shift if he had a muse. I figured that would be my best bet. Since this hotel didn't allow animals, I had to find my model from this magazine. I looked through the pages before settling on a small calico cat. I figured cats and dogs would be the easiest to shift into, and if I could do that, then I could begin doing harder transformations such as birds and larger animals. I set the magazine with the picture of the cat open on the table. I pictured the cat in my mind, trying to make it appear every time I closed my eyes. Once I was able to burn the image into my head, I grabbed the small mirror and propped it against a chair. If I did manage to shift right, I needed to see that. I didn't know if something could have gone horribly wrong (Like turning into some cat/human hybrid), so I thought the mirror was a good idea. I stood back up and took a deep breath. I envisioned myself as the animal, and imagined myself slowly changing into this animal. I opened my eyes a little and saw that I was still at my normal height. I sighed and closed my eyes again, trying harder to concentrate on my goal. I took a deep breath once again and let all my worries go into a big mental box. Once I had all my unnecessary thoughts in this box, I locked it and pushed it out of my mental picture. I focused solely on the cat, on achieving the form of this cat.

Within seconds, I heard that familiar goopy sound. I knew what was coming so I continued my concentration on changing. When the sound stopped, I opened my eyes again. I peeked over to the mirror that was now at eye level and was impressed. I had managed to change into the cat perfectly. Down to every little spot, I was a perfect match. I was impressed with myself and gave myself a mental pat on the back. Now was part two, being comfortable in this body. I thought of how cats move, and decided to give myself a little test. I hopped over to the bathroom and looked up at the high sink. I could do this. If not, cats always land on their feet... right? I slouched back, letting my back legs prepare for the leap I was about to make. I envisioned all the cats I have seen before they make a jump, and stuck that to my mental white board. I kept focus, and then took the plunge. I used my claws to hook into the overflow protection hole in the sink and pulled myself up. I had done it. I was impressed with myself, so much so that I didn't notice the water that was on the edge of the sink. I slipped on the water and fell to the floor. Luckily, I was able to shift my body in the nick of time and landed on my feet. Apparently, when you shift, you don't just obtain the body of the animal you choose, you also gain a bit of their mental makeup. I had quick reflexes, and that was lucky. I shook myself and hopped over to the center of the room. Now was part three: turning back. I took a breath and imagined myself in my own body again. This was much easier than the shift to an animal, as I was comfortable with my own body. Within a few seconds, I was in my own body, checking my naked form for any problems, such as animal hair or claws (What? I was cautious). When I found my search to be in vain, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was with this sigh that I realized I was pretty drained. I wasn't giving up now, not knowing when I was going to have to use these powers for real. I shook it off and decided to begin again.

I had shifted back and forth between cat and human a few times until I felt completely comfortable in the furry form. I switched back to my human body and looked down at the magazine. After the first few times of getting used to the body, it got less tiring. I flipped through the pages, confident with whatever choice I made. I wanted to try something different, something... fun. I found the perfect specimen in a few pages.

A scarlet macaw was pictured in one of the small boxes. I smiled at the idea. Macaws were some of my favorite birds, and this one was perfect. I closed my eyes and repeated the process of shifting. I was perched on the floor, bright colors surrounding me. I realized my wings were open and I tried to move them, but they were much more difficult to maneuver than cat limbs. I finally managed to put my wings to the side. I repeated fanning them out and putting them against my body again multiple times. I was getting used to moving the wings, and decided to try the movement of flying. I wasn't going to try and fly myself just yet, just use the movements. I fanned my wings up, and moved them in the flight pattern. I did it rapidly until I got comfortable. I decided to try a hand at flying now. I hopped up to the bed and used my beak and claws to climb up the bed covers. Once I reach the top, I squawked. I had meant to say, "here goes nothing". I fanned out my wings and hopped off the bed, flapping my wings rapidly as soon as I left ground. It didn't work out too well. I fell to the floor with a 'thud'. I hit my head on the side of the chair. My vision was blurry for a moment, but it was nothing bad. I decided to try again. I've always been way to persistent for my own good. I did the whole thing again, only this time I managed to get a little air in before lading on a wing. I tried a few more times, progressively getting better flying, but still hurting myself at landing. I kept trying over and over until I managed to fly and land as gracefully as I could. I shifted back to my usual form and clapped my hands together. I did a little dance in my birthday suit, happy that I managed accomplish so much in one day.

I was flipping through different animals all day, shifting into all sorts of creatures. A lizard, an owl, a bear, a sloth (That one wasn't as fun as I hoped it would be), and even a chimp (We must have evolved from apes. That one felt the most comfortable). I was in the middle of trying something... different, when I heard something in the room.

"What on earth are you doing?"

I turned around, bearing my fangs at the voice. I was now in the body of a saber-tooth tiger. I found some article on the comparison of that and modern big cats and I had to try it. Eric was looking down at me, an eyebrow raised. I stalked over to the bed and caught the comforter in my teeth before shifting back into my usual form.

I opened my mouth and let go of the comforter, letting it wrap around my body. Eric was still looking at me, only this time he had a scowl on his face. I don't think he expected me to be clever enough to cover myself as I shifted. I smiled at him widely, a huge grin plastered on my face.

"I've been practicing!" I said, grin still intact. "I can shift into just about any animal now!"

I felt dizzy when I stood up, and I had to catch myself on the bedpost. I think all that shifting was taking a toll on me. I was becoming exhausted. I slid down the bed to the floor. I looked up at Eric and noticed his fangs were out, and he was looking down at me with hunger.

"Your head." He said, looking directly at what he was talking about. "It's bleeding."

I raised an eyebrow at him before touching my forehead. There was bits of dried blood caked to my hair, and blood was slowly oozing from a slice just above my brow.

"Shit, I must have hit my head harder than I thought." I said, applying pressure to the cut.

Eric was knelt down in front of me in a flash, his fangs still extended. I gasped at the sudden movement and the look of hunger in Eric's eyes.

"Eric, what are you-" I said before I was interrupted. His large hand was now wrapped around the back of my neck. He looked directly into my eyes and so many different emotions swam through his eyes in a moment. I wasn't sure whether to be frightened, or turned on. He maneuvered my head by my neck until our faces were only centimeters apart. His fangs were still out, and he pressed on my chin with his thumb, forcing my head to bow. I was afraid he was going to drain me by drinking from the wound in my head, but was surprised by what he did instead.

I mean, really surprised.

He moved his lips to my forehead and began licking the blood from my head. I was taken back by this action. I wasn't quite sure what he was doing. He growled deep in his throat as he continued lapping up the blood. I wasn't exactly aroused by this, but it seemed he was. Then again, he said before that my blood was intoxicating. I sat there, my face buried in his chest, as he licked the blood clean from my wound. After a few seconds, he stopped and caught my gaze, my blood staining his lips. Hunger was filling his eyes. I stared right into his eyes, trying to figure out if he intended on letting me live.

"What are you?" He said, his eyes piercing mine in a very intimidating way. His eyes still looked glazed over with hunger.

"I've told you already, I don't know." I whispered, unable to avoid his stare. His hand was still on my neck, and his touch sent waves of pleasure through my body. It wasn't cold, instead it felt like his hand was injecting heat throughout my entire body.

He licked the blood from his lips as the hunger in his eyes slowly started to fade. "You're not human." He said, standing up. I took this opportunity to lift myself off of the floor, climbing onto the bed and sitting down. He took a seat beside me. "Humans have different tastes, mainly due to their ethnicity or diet."

I could help but chuckle. I was just wondering if it was like eating Mexican or Asain cuisine. Did Indians taste spicy?

He looked over to me and smiled. I figured he could tell what I thought was funny. "It's difficult to explain. You're ethnicity has a lot to do with your composition. It shows in your blood just like your diet does. They figure in the taste of you blood. For example, I could taste a hint of sour in your blood along with sweet. You had something tart with lunch along with a dessert, correct?" He said, tilting his head at me.

"I had pretty much everything for lunch," I said, blushing a little at the fact of how much food I had consumed earlier. "But you're right. I had sauerkraut with my reuban earlier along with a few slices of cheesecake I'm going to regret." I said, looking down at my stomach, laying my hands on it.

Eric took my hands from my stomach and held them in his own. The heat emanated from his touch again. I shuddered at the feeling, and my heart began racing. He looked me in the eyes and I turned, not wanting him to see my blushing cheeks. I wasn't usually this way around guys. There was something about Eric that made me feel... different. I wasn't sure what it was, but I didn't like looking like a weak teenage girl.

"You humans worry too much of your appearance." He said before letting my hands go again. "There is something more than that to your blood, however. It tasted unlike anything I have ever had before. I've only ingested a drop of your blood before, and I knew it was different, but after healing your wound, I can see just how correct I was." He said, the hunger returning in his eyes. "It's difficult to put into words. It was like.. liquid fire."

I sighed. This was just great. Not only am I magical menagerie, but I also taste like Taco Bell 'Fire Sauce'.

Wait a minute, he said he healed my wound. I lifted my hand to my head, touching the spot where only moments ago I was bleeding. Not only was the blood gone, the wound was completely closed. It was then that I noticed all the small bruises covering my arms and legs.

Eric saw my inspection of my body and grabbed my arm, inspecting while also digging a large thumb into a rather painful purple bruise on my forearm.

"Shit Eric! Watch where your digging your freakishly large fingers! Purple means it hurts!" I said, snatching my arm from his grasp, lightly touching the particularly large splotch.

"Who did this to you?" He said, his expression growing fierce.

"No one." I said, still inspecting the pattern of bruises littered around my limbs. "I told you, I was practicing. Flying is a lot harder than it looks."

He looked at me with a blank expression. I was pretty sure he had no idea what I meant.

I sighed. "I figured if I could get a grip on all these bothersome 'talents', I could be more useful. That why I decided to practice shifting today. I turned into a cat at first, just to test it out. Then I decided to try something a little harder, so I shifted into a bird; a scarlet macaw to be exact." I said proudly. "I tried flying off the bed, but it's a lot harder than I thought. It took a few tries as you can see." I said, lifting my arms out and showing the product of my practicing. "I hit my head at first, hence the gash, but after a while I got the hang of it. I'd be able to test it fully outside, but I've got the jist of it."

I faced him and he was looking down at me with an eyebrow raised. "What's your favorite animal, I'll show you just how good I've gotten." I said. I wasn't going to lie, my ego was building. I had learned how to shift pretty well in a matter of hours. That's something to be proud of, in my opinion.

"People have called me a snake before." He said, brow still raised.

I stood from the bed and thought for a second. I wanted to really impress him, so I decided on an impressive display.

My body shook and the now familiar goopy sound filled the thick air. After the transformation, I was on the floor, looking up at Eric in the body of a yellow python, a snake I had become familiar with in my early adulthood. Eric was looking at my with his eyebrows raised. He looked impressed. I slithered up to him and he lifted my large body with ease.

"Impressive. I'm not fond of shifters, but you give it a sort of.. elegance." He said, watching me as I licked the air with my forked tongue. I opened my large mouth, putting my fangs on display. Eric displayed his and I hissed. I was laughing... in a snake way. He chuckled and I slid off the bed, and towards the comforter that was now in a heap. It was going to be a lot harder to cover myself while I shifted in this form. Eric apparently saw my dilemma and smirked, lifting himself off the bed and turning his back towards me. I was hesitant.

"I won't peak, I promise." He said over his shoulder. "Though it would be a nice view."

I hissed again before beginning the process to revert back into my usual form. When I was back in my own body, I lifted up the comforter to my chest. "You can turn around now." I said, pressing the fabric to my body.

He turned around and displayed his usual smirk. "That was quite interesting. As I said, I despise shifters, but watching you change is quite entertaining."

"Thanks." I said, a big grin on my face. "I figured, I have the power now, why not use it? I need to start practicing glamouring now, though I don't think it will be too difficult after watching Bill teach Jessica." I shrugged.

"Ah yes, that insufferable newborn." He said, wrinkling his nose. "Well, as much as I would like to stay and observe you in nothing but a patterned bed sheet, I have something for you." He said over his shoulder as he walked towards his room. I raised an eyebrow. Eric got me something? I wasn't sure whether to be thankful or hesitant.

He returned from his room with a large shopping bag. I watched him with a questioning look as he handed the bag to me. Upon further inspection, I saw it was a clothing bag.

"We will be leaving for the Dallas nest as soon as you're ready, and I'd like you to wear this." He smirked.

I was hesitant. The last time Eric got me clothing, I was half naked and looked like a fangbanger. I wasn't sure looking like a fangbanger in a vampire nest was the best idea. I looked down at the bag again before looking at Eric.

"Oh no!" I said, holding the bag out. "I'm not wearing one of your outfits again. I'm not a big fan of looking like a cheap hooker." I swayed my arms in front of me in a 'no way' motion. "You might like that, but I don't."

He smiled. "At least look inside the bag before insulting my taste in fashion."

I sighed and set the bag down on the bed. I pulled the tissue paper out before removing the garmet. My mouth was wide as I lifted the clothing out of its bag.

"I thought you might like it." He said, his usual smirk glued to his face.

Boy, was he right.

It was a cocktail dress, emerald green silk in a very intricate design. The dress had a corset bust, with hand-embroidered black roses decorating the thin fabric layered above the silk. The waist was cinched, and flowed out in layers of black tulle and more emerald silk. It was beautiful, while still practical. I scrunched up my nose.

"You don't like it?" He asked, frowning.

"It's not that, it's just... I can't accept this Eric. This must have cost a fortune." I may have a lot of money myself, but I did appreciate the value of a dollar, and I knew this dress cost quite a few.

"Nonsense. I saw your closet, and you don't have many party dresses. Besides, I'm over a thousand years old, and have accumulated quite a wealth over my years."

I sighed. He was right. My closet was mostly filled with casual clothing. Jeans and T-Shirts were more my style. I never really had a reason to wear nice dresses.

"I'll pay you back for this." I said, walking towards the dresser to grab my wallet. "How much was it?"

Just as I was opening my drawer, Eric appeared in front of me, shutting the drawer quickly.

"Can you not accept a gift?" He said, looking down at me. "There's no reason for you to pay me back. Just go get ready and I'll meet you when you're done. I figured you and Pam have the same body type, so I used her for measurements. I hope it fits you well."

I looked up at him. I didn't want to accept the dress. It was against my principles. I also knew that there was no arguing with Eric Northman. I sighed and carefully picked up the dress and a pair of black heels I had brought with me. I walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.

Eric's voice echoed from the other side of the door. "I hope you're not too exhausted from practicing. We have a long night ahead of us."

A/N: I seriously had to re-write this chapter four times before I got it the way I wanted it. I hope you all like it! Review?