A/N: Hello Everyone! Well here are the final few chapters before the epilogue. Sorry for the LOOONG delay. I'm not going to give the excuses, so I will just get on with it. By the way, thanks for all the reviews. I'm glad the ones who disapproved of the Sookie and Marius storyline wrote long and detailed critiques to explain why they don't like them instead of just saying "THEY SUCK!" without any explanation. Everyone has their opinions and like I have said in the past, there are hundreds of happy Eric/Sookie stories out there if you don't like what I have here. I was so surprised that people are still reading my story after a long time away. Thank you all for that.

Sookie's POV:

Where am I? I think to myself, disoriented and drowsy. I slowly open my eyes, becoming more aware of my surroundings. Oh yeah, now it was all coming back to me. I was kidnapped, taken to an island in the Caribbean where a mad woman/vampire was going to kill me after she breaks my bond with Eric. Either that or enslave me; just another typical day in the life of Sookie Stackhouse.

"You're awake," Ari says looking down at me. I was lying on the sofa now after being brought in from outside at some point.

I answer him with a scowl on my face and sit up. I look outside and it was getting dark. Fear was creeping in on me.

He offers me more food but I decline. I don't think I would have been able to keep it down anyway.

The sun sets a few hours later. I stare outside at the fading light and suddenly I feel strong emotions of arrogance, determination, anger, and confidence. It was Eric! I knew those feelings weren't my own. I probe our weakened bond and I could feel that he was still quite a distance away from me but at least closer than before. Was Marius with him? Probably not, but I had no doubt in my mind that he was coming for me as well.

It is just then that Rosamund and her other cronies walk in. There were more weres and vampires than the night before. They were all dressed in black with armour and swords as though ready for combat. The weres were armed with guns with what I can assume were loaded with silver bullets. Were they anticipating Marius' or Eric's arrival? Rosamund herself was in some sort of black spandex suit that clung to her figure. She had a sword strapped to her back. Her strawberry blonde hair was in a tight bun. Her attire reminded me of the female vampire from the Underworld movies.

Ari helps me to my feet and she steps in front of me with a smirk on her face. "I hoped you enjoyed your last day. Because whatever the outcome is, Eric will be mine by the end of the night. And you my dear, if you survive the spell, will be one of my many slaves. You will spend the rest of your life crawling on your knees behind me. Whatever talents you may possess will be used to make me wealthier and powerful. You will live by my hand."

God I hated this bitch. "That is where you are wrong. I won't be your slave; I would rather die. I can't wait till Marius or better yet, Eric, kills you. You just signed your final death sentence by kidnapping me."

"You think that he will come and save you, your new lover?" Rosamund says. She leans in and breathes me in. "I can still smell him on you and it's such a powerful scent too. It's such a pity that he took up with you. It's an even greater pity that we will have to destroy him."

She turns around and walks outside. Ari nudges me to start walking as well.

We walk to the same site from the night before. The candles and torches had been re-lit. The goblet and the dagger were there. The old woman was sitting on the ground drawing symbols in the sand and chanting.

"They are coming," she says while continuing to draw symbols with her finger.

"How far are they?" Rosamund says, looking worried.

"Do not fret. By the time they arrive, it will be too late," the old woman says. "Lay her on the earth."

One of the weres picks me up and dumps me on the ground.

"Let go of me!" I say as I struggle a bit. He pins me down with his arms.

The old woman picks up the dagger and comes closer to me. This time she slices through my lower arm. The cut was small but still hurt.

"Ow!" I yelp. My blood starts dripping into the goblet.

"I will need more of Northman's blood," she says to Rosamund.

I look up at Rosamund. She unties a small leather brown pouch. In it was a vial of blood which she hands over to the old woman.

Again she starts saying the same chants from the night before. The vibe in the air was similar but somehow stronger. Her chants become more faster and louder. Her white hair starts to rise up. She opens her eyes which have now become black. My breathing becomes more erratic. I wanted to crawl away from her but yet I couldn't move my limbs even though the were had let me go.

The wind starts swirling around us and a bright light engulfs the area. In one swift moment I feel as though something has been literally ripped from my soul.

Her chants start to fade and slow down as the light dims.

I was having a hard time breathing and I couldn't move my arms or legs. I was absolutely weak. I mustered up some strength and checked my bond with Eric. I couldn't feel him anymore, not even the hum of our bond that reminded me it was there.

I tilt my head towards the old woman who was still sitting up close by with the help of another vampire. She looked weakened too.

"We will continue shortly," she says.

A tear slides down the side of my face. "Please come soon," I whisper to myself.

Eric's POV:

The sun was going to set soon, but not soon enough. I lie still in this coffin waiting for the darkness to rise. I use this time to contemplate my next move. My main objective was to ensure the safety of Sookie. I needed to get her away from the danger that I could feel she was in. Last night she had opened up her end of the bond and all her emotions started flooding out, filling me. I could feel her fear, determination, and most of all her love. She still loved me. Despite of all that she has said she still loved me. This new revelation would make my task of winning her forgiveness easier. Along with her love for me, her friends, and her family, I could feel her love for him as well. It took all my self control to stop myself from ripping his head off his shoulders last night on the plane. I could even smell her on him. I hated him even more, more than I hated Rosamund and De Castro combined.

But to ensure Sookie's safety I needed his help. If Rosamund was able to breach Marten's security and kidnap Sookie, then there was no telling how strong her defences were. If she wanted to kill Sookie she would have done so in New York. I had a feeling there was an ulterior motive. She was going to attempt to break the bond with the help of magic. It took powerful magic to break a vampire bond. She must have found a very strong witch to perform the task. He said that she had come to him claiming that she had a way to break our bond. As much as I hated him I needed his help. He was one of the oldest vampires who still existed and had mysterious powers. His powers may be useful in bringing down the witch. Marten was almost as equally strong as me. I had fought with him in many battles and I knew how proficient he was with a sword. Pamela was also capable of holding her own in combat. Before leaving New York I had called some of my people to come with us. I had five of my vampire guards as well as four of my were guards with us to fight Rosamund.

Knock, knock... "Master have you risen?" a voice asks.

It was Pam. I punch in the code and the door of the coffin swings open. We had landed in Martinique early this morning and the weres had brought us to an underground lair during the day.

I get up and look around the small room. Marten was sitting on a chair slowly sharpening his sword and he was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his eyes closed with his sword beside him. My vampire guards were circling the room.

"It's about time you woke up Eric. I thought for vampires, the older you get, the earlier you rise. I guess it is the reverse with you. Is old age taking its toll on you?" Marten smirks.

I glare back at him.

"Can you still feel her?" he asks, looking up at me from the floor.

"Yes," I snap back. The bond had weakened as we were getting closer. Whatever spell was being performed had not been completed. I suspected it needed to be done at least three times for it to work. I worried about Sookie. I had felt a slight convulsion the moment that I felt the bond weaken. If the witch completed the spell, I feared that she would not be strong enough to survive.

"I calculate she is about sixty kilometres away," I say. I take out my cell and send a text to Taylor, one of my weres, who was securing a helicopter for the short trip. I tell them to standby. It was still about twenty minutes till the sun set. "What about you?"

He stands up and picks up his sword, putting it into its case. "About the same," he replies.

"Master take me with you," Pam says. I was going to fly to Rosamund's island as well as him. The weres and other vampireswere to go by helicopter.

"It is impossible. The extra weight would slow me down and every second is precious," I tell her.

"So Eric what is your master plan that you haven't fully let us in on?" Marten asks as he leans against the wall. "I mean you do have a plan don't you Eric?"

He smiles at me. "You don't have to answer that Eric, because we have our own plan. Why don't you just stand back and clean up the damage that is left behind by my master and me. We've always worked better alone. You and your little posse would just get in the way."

I growl at him. In a blink of an eye, I hold him up by the collar.

"Enough," he says. "Marten and I will handle the witch and rescue Sookie. You can deal with your wife."

I drop Marten. "You will not go anywhere near Sookie. You gave me your word, she is mine!" I sneer.

He blinks at me. "Alright if she is within your reach then I will not interfere, but if I see that she is in any imminent danger and I am able to assist her, I will. Surely you will not object to that."

I think for a moment and reply. "Agreed."

We race out of the underground lair to the helicopter pad the exact moment the sun goes down. I give the coordinates to the pilot.

I also give the weres and my vampires some orders. "You will jump into the water when you are close. Do not land on the island. Do not attack until I have properly assessed the area. We do not know how dangerous the situation is."

Just as Pam is about to reply, Marten blurts out loudly, "Yes sir!" and mockingly salutes me.

I growl at him as the helicopter ascends into the sky.

"Time is being wasted and like you said, every second is precious," he says just before shooting up into the sky.

With that being said, I take off trailing closely behind him. We get closer to our destination and Sookie's emotions were becoming stronger. Her fear was growing along with her apprehension. In an instant I feel something, a strange surge rippling through me. It feels as though a huge part of me was being taken away. It is almost agonizing. The emotional turmoil is so great that I lose focus flying and fall from the sky and into the sea. I am weakened. I couldn't move so I sink further like a dead weight into the sea. I try to reach out to Sookie, but she was no longer part of me.

To be continued...