FYI:

Hlin is the Nordic Goddess of consolation and a Handmaiden to Frigga. Her name means "protector" and Frigga gave her the duty to protect men and to console grieving mortals. It is believed that she would come down and kiss your tears away to console you. Hlin is one of the Goddesses Eric prays to since his Viking days.

Chapter 6

I woke in a room full of flowers, it smelled wonderful.

I tried to focus my eyes enough to recognize what was around me, but it was so light-tight that it was almost impossible to do with my human eyes.

But I felt him.

I knew he was near.

I knew, I just knew.

I turned my head and then I saw him; the only clear object in the room.

He was in a bed next to mine, tubes hanging from his arms and chest all connected to blood bags.

He glowed softly in that vampire way and I called out to him, "Bill?"

He shook, his head moved left then right and I called out to him again "Bill?"

This time his head turned towards me and I heard a faint "Sookie."

"I love you Bill," I said and fell asleep again.

When I woke, I shot up in the bed screaming from the nightmare that repeated in my dreams.

Bill was being hurt, he had slashes on his skin and I could smell and taste his burnt flesh in the air.

As I screamed I watched as Bill shot up in his bed with his eyes wide open and his fangs run full out, his only words were "Sookie?"

Amelia and Sam ran into the room and Bill was ready to pounce on them as I screamed: "No Bill No!"

"How? How…, How is he awake? It's still day?" shouted Amelia.

Bill moved next to my bed with fangs still run out, he sat next to me on the bed and held me by the waist pulling me close to him.

He sat there scanning them as Sam and Amelia ogled us with shock on their faces.

I asked Bill to go back to bed but he wouldn't budge. I could see he was still tired and needed to go to sleep but he wouldn't move.

I asked Sam and Amelia to move our beds closer together and after hesitating they did and Bill finally went to sleep again while holding my hand.

Again, he was dead to the world; but I knew he would wake again if he felt me in fear or danger.

I'd wondered if we were back in Bon Temps but Sam let me know they flew in the moment they'd heard from Eric.

"Jason couldn't make it. He's gonna try a fly in later. He knows you're doing better though." Sam looked as if he was trying to will me to believe him. (But I knew better than to believe that my no-good brother would actually come to see me all the way out here.)

After a while, I tried to make it to the bathroom but with Bill holding on to me for dear life it was almost impossible to move. Every time I tried to pull away he would growl but he finally let go when I shouted; "Bill, let go, I have to go to the bathroom!" Sam and Amelia still could not believe it.

The light in the bathroom made my eyes hurt but I needed to see my face. From the look on Sam and Amelia's face I could tell it had one too many bruises and welts. I checked my face in the mirror and couldn't believe my eyes; I had a bruise on my cheek that looked purple and green, small cuts and welts that were red on one end and pinkish at the other. I didn't know how long they would last but I hoped none left a permanent scar.

After using the facilities, I quickly fell asleep and Sam and Amelia left.

When I woke Eric was in the room and Bill was holding my hand again.

Eric was staring at us with pain and tender love clearly swirling in his gorgeous blue eyes and a pensive look on his face.

He nodded to me and smiled that million dollar smile of his when he saw I had awakened.

"I thought you would never wake up."

"I was told he woke up in the middle of the day to protect you from a bad dream and almost attacked your guests."

"Amazing for such a young vampire!" he said.

I let go of Bill's hand and inched off the bed, moved closer to Eric and whispered, "He knows you know."

"He is going to ask me and I will lie to him if I have to in order to protect you. But I will let him know what is in your heart and he will let it be for me."

"I can not thank you enough for helping me find him and for fighting for us. I know how hard that was for you."

"I heard your cry, I saw your tears, I felt your pain and I felt your love."

"I can tell you that my love for you was once just the same; but my love for him, even without a bond is immeasurable."

"I am sorry I could not love you that much but it took this event to show me how much he meant to me."

"Even though it almost cost us our lives, it brought me to him again and for that I will never be able to thank you enough."

As I continued I could see the pain in Eric's eyes.

"I will pray to Hlin that one day you may find what I have found with him."

I leaned over and gave Eric a heartfelt hug and a quick soft (but) loving kiss on his lips. (I had truly loved him once but he wasn't himself then and he never would be again and neither would I.)

He wrapped his arms around me just as Bill awoke.