"Barry, Barry, Barry…, it's Sookie. Need to talk to you. Emergency!"

"Sookie? What's wrong? Are you OK. Ouch! What was that? Is someone hurting you?" Barry asked concerned.

"Oh, sorry Barry, didn't think you'd feel that. No, it's not me it's Bill. He was kidnapped and they are torturing him and I can feel it. Eric set him up I guess. I don't know, maybe. But, he told me that your King was negotiating Bill's release with the King of Montana and the King of the Dakotas. I am so confused Barry, was Eric lying about that? Have you heard anything?"

It was all we could send before Pam spoke and interrupted, "we'll be there shortly. It will be dawn soon, arrangements have been made for you to stay at Eric's home in New Orleans. The king will see you at sun down."

"Pam, what is going on? Is Eric going to be there? I really do not want to be anywhere near him right now." I paused and let out a tired sigh but she just looked at me uninterested in anything I'd said and went into that vamp down time of theirs. Barry came back and told me he would try to find out what he could and asked how it was that I could feel Bill's pain so clearly but couldn't talk to him. Wish I knew the answer to that question myself.

We made it to Eric's house it was all I expected it to be. It was huge, gated and it most certainly must have had a serious security system. I wondered why he kept a place here and who cared for it when he was not around. I didn't think about that too long I really didn't care. I was just too tired and only wanted a shower and sleep.

I was introduced to some really big and scary looking vampire the size of a mack truck named Paul. He took my bag and I was led to the bedroom I'd be staying in. It was huge and I could only assume it was Eric's room. The bed was bigger than a California king sized bed with a hand carved headboard. The windows were covered with light-tight drapes and I was told that the windows were covered with light protecting sheeting. I was also told "the Master will be arriving shortly."

"I have been instructed to inform you that he will not be joining you here tonight, he will rest elsewhere unless you desire for him to join you here. If you are hungry or need anything you can call Camille, by dialing 1 on the intercom phone. She can be called on all hours of day and night." Boy that Paul sure was an informative fellow.

I guessed Camille was not a vampire but Paul did not elaborate and I didn't ask either. I was hungry but I needed a shower and sleep in the worst way. When I made it to the bathroom I noticed that of course it had all the vampire amenities (huge shower and an even bigger hot tub, mirrors everywhere, and heated floors), so I opted for a soak in the hot tub instead. 'Eric sure knows how to live' I thought and started to undress as the tub began to fill. And thinking of the devil, I heard his voice as he spoke to Camille. Leaning into her head I picked through his instructions to her "bring food and drink for Lady Stackhouse, she is the mistress of the house, her wishes shall be met as my own. When she wakes, she is to go shopping for adequate clothing befitting an audience with the King."

"Great, now I am mistress of the house, I really don't want to deal with Eric now. God please don't let him come in here," I thought and prayed. I closed the bathroom door just in case, and found it had no lock, but after not hearing Eric at the door I felt safe enough to be able to slip into the tub to enjoy the hot water and relax.

While I'd been undressing I'd noticed that I had some new welts on my skin; they ranged in color from dark pink to red and to a couple of black and blue ones. They all hurt like hell whenever I tried to touch them, so the bath was the best choice for sure. I had found some bath salts and bubble bath and poured it in the tub as it filled (vamps and their love for baths I tell you). I let my hair out of the pony tail and sank into the hot water and closed my eyes for a few minutes, floating somewhere between being awake and asleep. I could hear soft music in the background somewhere. It was blissful, painful welts and all, and I just let myself relax.

Some time later and no louder than a whisper I heard Eric in that sexy sultry voice of his, "want some company Lover?"

He'd scared the hell out of me and I let out an ear shattering scream as I jumped up almost out of the tub; he just stared at my naked body as I shook in fear. When I finally realized I was giving Eric the view of his life, I sat back down in the tub and tried to cover myself with the bubbles that remained and with my arms. His expression went from lustful to anger in a flash and he scared me even more. He did that vampire movement thing and was at my side in a flash, grabbing my arms and yanking me out of the tub. I was screaming, "no, don't touch me, let go, you are hurting me," but he spun me around and looked me up and down just staring at every piece of very naked flesh that covered my bones.

He grabbed me hard and shook me and held my gaze, his fangs run out in anger as he pulled me to his face he asked, "What the hell happened to you? How did you get those marks? Who did this to you? Did YOU do these to yourself?" As he questioned me and shook me for answers, my knees buckled under me and my eyes almost rolled to the back of my head as I felt a searing pain across my neck and right cheek. He shouted "don't you do it!" his eyes widened and his grip loosened slightly but not enough to let go of me.

He dragged me to the vanity and pointed to the mirror and asked again "what the hell is happening to you? How is this happening to you?" I was in so much pain that turning my head towards the mirror was painful; he spun me around and made me look at myself in the mirror. I had a new terrible looking welt across my neck and on my face a gash that was slowly closing before our very eyes but was leaving behind a terrible black and blue mark. I just fainted. Again.

During my fainting spell I dreamt of Bill. I saw him getting hit over and over. Every blow he received left marks on the both of us. Bill looked up and saw what was happening to me and became enraged. He wanted to kill everyone around him to get to me. He yanked the silver chain wrapped around his body and hands right out of the wall and I could smell and taste his burnt flesh as he grabbed the chain and wrapped it around one of his captors. He growled with such ferocity that I felt it in my bones. He went from one to the other and killed each with his bare hands and with such savagery that I froze in place and cried as I felt his blood lust. When he was done, he flew to my side all covered in blood and held me to his chest. His blood lust gone and his fangs retracted, he looked at me with red tears in his eyes as he traced every welt that was on my body as I mirrored his movements over the welts on his body. He threw his head back and let out a growl that he must have been holding for centuries as he rocked me in his arms. All I could do was hold him and kiss his chest as my eyes closed and my body fell limp; and then he vanished and I woke.

TBC