Author's Note: Hello awesome readers! I just wanted to say thank you guys so much for the positive comments about the last chapter. I posted it before I went to work and ended up having the day from hell there, so I came home pretty down. You guys really brightened my day! I really love this chapter, I hope you like it as much as I do.

Disclaimer: I own Gemma Leland and some of the plotline associated with her. The rest of the characters and plot belong to Alan Ball, the creator of the HBO series True Blood, and Charlaine Harris, the author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels.

Chapter 7

I awoke the next evening in complete darkness. It took me a few moments to remember that I was inside a tomb. The cold stone around me made me shiver. It would take a while for me to get used to waking up in a grave every night, but it wasn't quite as traumatizing as the night before.

With a heave, I tossed off the stone top of the tomb, stepping out into the empty room that was the mausoleum. I did a few stretches before walking over to the door, pushing it open with a mighty shove.

Standing outside, making me jump in surprise, was Eric.

"Goddamn, Eric," I exclaimed, grabbing my chest. "Do you really need to sneak up on me like that?"

"I was just standing here," Eric stated matter-of-factly. "I have some business to take care of. I want you to go to Fangtasia and stay there until I get there."

"No, no, no," I said, waving my hands in front of me. "You're not going to keep locking me in your office like a dog. I'm coming with you. Then, whenever you're done, we can go straight to the Queen."

Eric looked like he wanted to argue, but to my surprise, he simply sighed and nodded his head.

"Fine. I am going to Sookie Stackhouse's home. If you must come, I want you to wait in the woods until I finish speaking to her. This conversation has nothing to do with you and I'd rather you didn't get involved."

"Is this about the werewolves you were talking about yesterday?" I asked.

Sighing, Eric said, "Yes, and the fact that you know that is quite an inconvenience, but that does not matter. Just stay out of this and it will be easier for both of us."

I walked over to Eric, standing in front of him so he was forced to look at me. I had to look almost straight up to be able to see into his face.

"Do you think the werewolves that took Bill are the same ones that tried to take me?" I asked seriously, looking him in the eyes. Eric held my gaze for a few long moments, his beautiful blue eyes searching mine. He seemed to be contemplating his answer, deciding what information I could handle. With a sigh, he finally answered, "Yes."

I was not surprised by his answer, more surprised by his honesty. With this knowledge, this situation suddenly became much more important to me. If these werewolves were interested in me, maybe they knew something about me before I was turned. I needed that information.

I followed Eric as we ran through the woods, quickly reaching a large, white house with a big open porch in front of it. Eric turned to me, gesturing for me to stay where I was. Rolling my eyes, I did as he wanted, though I situated myself so that I could still see the porch without drawing any attention to myself.

Eric walked up to the front door, his steps slow, as if he was nervous about going up there. A floorboard creaked as he stepped onto the porch. I watched from the woods, anxious to hear what they would talk about. I was so desperate to know about these werewolves, if I were still human, I would have been sweating bullets.

"Hello, Sookie," Eric said softly to the door. Instinctively, I stepped to the side to hide myself behind the tree, but I realized it was silly. Sookie would not suspect I was there, so she wouldn't be looking for me.

The door squeaked as it opened, revealing Sookie, a gun in her hand as she looked up into Eric's face.

"They came for you," Eric stated rather than asked.

"Just one, this morning," Sookie answered. "He took off before I could get anything out of him. That why you're here, or do you know something about Bill?"

After a slight pause, Eric spoke softly, almost too quiet for me to catch. "I lied to you."

Eric launched into a story about how he and his maker, a vampire named Godric, posed as members of the SS in Germany during World War II in order to find out who was controlling the branded werewolves. They were different than most werewolves in many ways, including their skill, organization, and funds, but the worst part was they were all fueled by vampire blood, which gave them strength beyond that which they already had. These werewolves were now somehow in Louisiana.

I stood still as a stone as he said all this, thinking through every detail of the story. These wolves were a single pack, set apart by the brand on their necks when they were in human form. Now, these werewolves were here, hunting Sookie. From Eric's story, he knew the leader was a vampire. This vampire was now close and had his eye on Sookie. But which vampire? And why did he want Sookie? It must have something to do with Bill, I thought. And why did they want me?

"Why didn't you tell me last night?" Sookie demanded, breaking me from my thoughts.

"The very question is why am I risking everything to tell you now? My loyalty is not to Bill. In fact, it would be advantageous for me in numerous ways if he were never found. But…"

Eric paused. I could not see his face, but I could see Sookie give him a strange look, waiting for him to continue.

"But…?"

Eric looked to the side and I could see that he was struggling within himself. It was a strange sight. Since I met Eric, he had always seemed so sure of himself, save for a slight glimmer of emotion in the hotel room, but he looked worried. Maybe even scared.

"Now they're coming for you and I…owe you."

A giant light bulb went off in my head, making me nearly cry out. Hot damn, Eric loves Sookie. With the realization came a slight pang of jealousy, but I tried to ignore it. So the plot thickens, I thought to myself. There was no way I could leave now. I had to see how this story ended.

"And you said you were risking everything to tell me," Sookie pressed on, not seeming to notice the obvious signs of Eric's love for her. Either that or she was ignoring them. "What did that mean?"

"The goal tonight was to keep you out of danger, not put you in more of it," Eric answered, his voice strained with frustration. He pushed himself up to his feet, walking toward the door. Sookie jumped up to follow him.

"Eric, you can't just say something like that and leave."

"Oh I'm not leaving," he answered, turning toward her. "You're going to invite me in so I can protect you…or have passionate, primal sex with you. How 'bout both?"

A low growl escaped my lips before I could stop it. Eric was really going to proposition a girl for sex when he had somebody waiting for him out in the shadows? What a dick.

Eric had Sookie backed up against the wall. Okay, I thought, this is going too far.

"You're not gonna distract me by talkin' nasty."

"I already have. So, you going to invite me in?"

"I'm still Bill's," Sookie answered. I nearly jumped and clapped for her. You go girl, don't let that asshole get to you.

Eric looked down at her, seemingly unmoved by what she said, but I knew it hurt him. He wanted Sookie, but her heart belonged to another. Poor guy.

"So you are."

I was starting to grow bored watching those two banter back and forth from the sidelines. Eric's story had provided me with some important information, but there was so much more that I wanted to know. For instance, what did this brand look like? Did werewolves really hate vampires as much as they do in the movies? And if they do, why would they do the bidding of one? I had a lot of questions, but considering Eric was desperate to get rid of me, nobody was going to answer them for me.

"To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, to blah blah blah blah blah until death do you part," Eric babbled on. I was surprised by his words, clearly recognizing them from marriage vows. I looked over at Sookie, trying to check for a ring, but from where I was standing, I couldn't see. Evidently, Bill and Sookie were getting married. "It doesn't bother you that you'll be the only one doing the dying?"

"I'm not gonna talk about this with you," she stated, obviously exasperated with Eric.

"Okay. So you'd really rather stay out here all night than invite me in?"

"One minute you lie to me, the next minute you ask me to trust you. You do something generous, selfless, and then you follow that up with something nasty or downright cruel."

Her statement made me feel a little better. At least I wasn't the only one Eric was terrible to. He was even a jackass to the woman he clearly loved.

I didn't have much time to bask in the delight of my realization. Something made a sound inside Sookie's house, making both Eric's and my eyes snap over. Using his speed, Eric pushed Sookie against the wall and demanded she invite him in. When she refused, he extended his fangs, scaring her into finally letting him in. As he ran through the front door, I ran up to the porch to where Sookie stood, looking shocked.

"Gemma?" she asked in surprise.

I didn't answer her. Instead, I moved over to the doorway, trying to get in to see what was happening, but it was like an invisible brick wall stood in front of the door. No amount of effort could get me past, but I watched Sookie easily pass through the door and look over to see what was happening. I strained as best I could to get a glimpse of what was going on, but I could see nothing. Suddenly, I heard a growl and Eric's distinct yell. I ran to the edge of the porch and looked in the window. Through a gap in the curtain, I saw a chilling scene. Eric was facing off against a wolf, his fangs protruding from his mouth. He was snarling at the wolf when suddenly there was the sound of a gunshot. Sookie fired a handgun at the wolf, but to my shock, Eric suddenly jumped in front of the bullet, taking it directly to the chest. I screamed, clapping my hands over my mouth.

Eric hit the ground, grunting in pain. The wolf turned its eyes to him before suddenly shifting into the form of an ugly, long-haired, naked man. The man shot toward the fallen vampire, desperately trying to get to him. Eric's hand circled his neck, holding him off. I couldn't take anymore. Taking off at a sprint, I ran toward the front door, desperate to get inside.

"Sookie!" I yelled from the doorway, still unable to enter. My yell was unheard, though, and I heard more rustling inside the house. I called out again for Sookie and Eric, unsure of what to do. I had heard that vampires could not enter a home without being invited, but this was a very inconvenient time to find out that was true.

After a few minutes, Sookie came stumbling out to the door. Her face was pale as a sheet, not surprising after what I had seen. Undoubtedly, there had been more that I was glad to have missed. Sookie's chocolate brown eyes met mine as she came to the door.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice full of the same shock that was clear on her face. I could tell she was not being malicious with her question, just merely confused.

"I came with Eric," I admitted, feeling a little abashed. "Do you mind if I come in?"

"Oh sure," she said, shaking her head. "Would you please come in, Gemma?"

It was as if an invisible door opened with her words. Suddenly, I was able to walk into the home without interference. I looked around at the décor of the house. It was a very homey place, full of personality and warmth. It was far different from any homes I had lived in.

I stepped into the living room, looking down at the scene on the floor. The naked man lay dead on the rug, his blood flowing freely still from an open wound in his neck. I grimaced when I looked at the wound, disgusted by the broken veins and torn skin.

The thing that shocked me the most, though, was his face. Without thinking, I got down on my knees, bringing my face closer to his. The smell of his free-flowing blood exhilarated me, made me feel suddenly very excited and hungry, but I was not focused on these feelings. My nose was nearly touching his as I looked into his face. The eyes were wide-open, vacant of any sparkle or signs of life. His hair was a tangled, red mane around his face, which was covered with equally red stubble.

I knew this man.

I searched my thoughts rigorously, sifting through my memories for whatever recollection of this man was tugging at the edge of my consciousness. Invisible hands in my mind were reaching for the memory, brushing it, but it always slipped through the fingers. All of a sudden, I was nearly knocked over when I finally grasped onto the thought. I jumped to my feet, spinning around so quickly I nearly lost my balance.

A few feet away, Eric was standing by the couch, blood glistening on his chin. His icy-blue eyes were locked on me, his expression clearly indicating his anger.

"I told you to wait in the woods," he growled at me, his face looking so terrifying covered in blood.

"I know him," I said, pointing down at the naked man.

Eric shot over to me so quickly, it appeared that he teleported. He brought his face so close to mine, I could feel his cool breath as he spoke. "How do you know him?" he demanded, grabbing me by my shoulders.

"I…I remember something, but it's really vague. I just remember him holding me down. I was screaming and kicking, but he was just laughing. Somebody was standing behind him, I can't really see his face, but I know it was a man."

The memory played over and over in my head. My stomach began to turn, making me physically ill. I bent over, my head spinning. This solidified what Eric and I suspected. I was clearly connected to these same werewolves that were hunting Sookie. The problem was I still didn't know why.

Eric stepped away from me, walking over to the window. His left hand held his other wrist behind his back as he stared out the glass into the moonlit night. I managed to regain my composure and walked over to him.

"What does this mean, Eric?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

Sookie walked over beside me, surprising me. I had nearly forgotten about her. She said, "What if they want Gemma for the same reason that they wanted Bill."

Eric shook his head, not sparing a glance toward me or Sookie.

"We need to get that body out of here."

Eric turned away from the window and marched right over to the body. He bent over the limp man, picking him up with inhuman ease. When Eric stood up, I could see the spot on his chest where he had been shot. There was a little hole in his shirt from the bullet's entry, but through it I could already tell that the wound was beginning to heal. When my eyes went back to Eric's, I saw that his attention was back on me.

"I am going to bury this body for Sookie," Eric stated, his stare cold and authoritative. "I want you to get back to Fangtasia and wait there. It is not open to discussion."

I could tell Eric would not take kindly to any objections on my part, and I did not want to start a fight. But there was something I needed to do and there was no way I would let Eric stop me. Without a word, I nodded at Eric before turning and walking toward the front door.

"Gemma, wait."

I turned around to see Sookie standing behind me. Her face was emotional chaos, a mix of fear, sadness, shock, and confusion. She was wringing her hands absentmindedly in front of her. She looked so vulnerable and scared, I wasn't sure what to do.

"Gemma, you need to be careful," she said, her voice shaking. "These wolves are strong. Bill is over a hundred years old and they were able to take him so easily, I did hear them enter or leave with him. If they can kidnap him, there's no telling what they would do to you."

I shook my head. Sookie's fiancé may have been strong, but I was determined. Nothing she said would stop me.

"Sookie, this wolf was probably not by himself. There is a chance that there are other wolves waiting out in those woods right now who know something about what happened to me and I need to find out. I don't care what risk I am taking," I said softly, not wanting Eric to hear. I knew if he had any knowledge of what I was doing, he would put a stop to it right away.

Sookie sighed, and then took a few steps toward me. She took my hands in her own and looked into my eyes.

"Be careful, Gemma."

With a slight smile, I nodded before bolting out the door.