Disclaimer: The True Blood Characters in this belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Another Disclaimer: I've created fictional backgrounds to characters where the appropriate background is either lacking or currently unknown.


Chapter 13

"Lions, Vampires and Men"


Elliane couldn't stop thinking about Godric. Especially now, that she was aware he had saved her from certain death.

She had awoken a few hours earlier and finally completed her psychometric reading of the golden ring that Godric had given her. The last two centuries of its recent history had proved an interesting, if not sad insight into the emotions of the ancient vampire - that had offered to protect her.

The ring had not always been worn. Elliane was the first to wear it properly since Petronilla of Fontevrault Abbey, some eight hundred years earlier. Godric often wore the ring on a chain around his neck, but not always.

By examining the emotions she found on the ring, Elliane could detect that in the last couple of centuries, Godric's interest in the world had greatly declined. A subconscious apathy it would seem; sparked initially by the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century and continued, as major developments in the world technology emerged. Events like Hiroshima had a profound effect on Godric's view of humans. He didn't like new technology and Elliane could distinctly sense that he long for the world of his past.

The last decade seemed the worse. Godric became tortured by his very existence. He was displaced within the modern world and no longer felt any connection with humanity within it. In the recent 'great revelation' in which vampires had announced their presence to the world; the void within Godric became so deep, that Elliane had found tears falling from her cheeks, as she felt his desperate yearning for the end to come.

And then suddenly, just in recent months, she had felt a rich flood of emotions. Sensations so powerful, she was initially stunned at their sudden release. Anxieties, wonder, anger and fear; they had all arrived in a single flowing moment. One sensation had been stronger than all the others combined… It was hope. For the first time in centuries, Godric had felt hope.

Elliane lay back against the bed and reflected over the events of the last week. A couple of days ago she was feeling trapped… wondering how she would work out this mess she was in. The last thing Elliane had envisaged for herself was becoming some sort of 'pet' for a vampire. The enigmatic Godric now mystified Elli completely. He had saved her life at the compound without asking for anything in return. He had not sought her out later for any kind of compensation. When he did meet her that night in the park, it was to answer her internal call for help. Which, unknown to her at the time, was because he had sensed her despair through the bond of his blood.

She had decided upon consideration, that maybe the current situation was far more workable than she first thought. After all, these vampires had saved her life a couple of times now. They were willing to place her under their protection, with little concern it seemed of the danger that it might pose to them. They had called in a doctor when she needed it, and despite their inclination to be 'touchy feely' far more than she was used to; they had generally kept their hands to themselves. They had even called in a witch to put up protections around her.

True, they were obsessed with power, blood and sex, but in the grander scheme of things – Wasn't the human race pretty much the same? How different in essentials were Vampires to humans? She wondered why exactly they were helping her. What could she offer them… her blood… her gift?

She thought about her blood. She had only just learnt that she was descended from an immortal figure that once walked the land, thousands of years ago. Such a long time ago now, thought Elliane and she acknowledged that this ancient ancestry was some three thousand generations removed. To her reckoning, there would be but a small trace of any 'unusual blood' left within her.

There was her gift. A considerable power to be sure and those who had a control of that power would gain access to a wealth of 'somewhat selective' information. This ability could only see into the past, not into the future, where it of been more useful (in her own opinion) and it was encumbered with environmental constraints and time limitations. Was she to become exploited for this talent? Elliane figured that it was possible. Such information however had its limits and the risks they had taken on her behalf seemed to out-weigh the benefits.

As she considered her predicament, she knew that ultimately she had to roll her dice and hope for the best. In the meantime, she would try to develop a foolproof contingency plan in case the game turned lethal.

Elliane gave herself a mental shake to get herself motivated. It wasn't really like her to bum about all day so she got up and dressed; throwing on a pair of skinny jeans, a loose button up shirt worn over a tank top, putting on some comfortable shoes. Booting up her computer she noted that it was just past 11am. She had slept very well and now realised she was hungry and hadn't eaten properly for days. Styling her hair in a loose braid, she headed out of the room to find something to eat in the kitchen.

She didn't go far. Elli headed along the upper-floor hall and stopped suddenly at the top of the staircase. Her breath caught at the sight below.

Lying at the bottom of the stairs was the familiar figure of Dickson. Something strange had happened to him and he was left unmoving on the tile floor. His body positioned awkwardly on his side.

Elliane rushed down the steps - her eyes quick to take in the situation.

There were no visible injuries on the man. A wooden tray was nearby. Its contents spilled out upon the entry floor. She knelt beside him and looked into his face. His eyes were wide open, staring vacantly into nothing and Elliane paled and prayed he wasn't dead. She rolled him onto his back, her heart sinking as she noticed his stiff dead weight and the complete lack of response in his eyes.

His body was very cold. From her position at his side, she placed a hand over his chest and leaned over to check his airways. To her surprise, she discovered his heart beating in a perfect steady rhythm. Her brows knitted together as she felt the gentle rise and fall of his shallow breath. Why are his eyes open like that? she thought to herself. A stroke maybe or an epileptic fit…

"Don't worry Dickson," she said soothingly…. "I am getting help"

She stood up and wondered what to do. Was anyone else here at the moment? Should she ring an ambulance? Elliane didn't even know where she was. If there was even a phone here…

"Umm… hello?" she called out. She quickly checked the kitchen, lounge and all the other rooms on the level, looking for another person or even a phone. Where were the guards that Eric spoke about? She grabbed a cushion from the sofa and put it under Dickson's head before she eyed the staircase that led downstairs.

Elliane hesitated for a moment at the sight of the stairs, remembering that Carlotta had said to not go down there. But this was an emergency! Deciding to take her chances, she headed towards the stairwell and had gone no more than a few steps when she felt a flicker of warning tingle through her, a split moment before she felt a sharp stinging sensation in front of her neck, just at the base of her throat.

Elliane took a few more paces and then her feet stopped working. She tumbled onto her knees before crashing into the ground motionless. She was paralysed! She was stuck unable to move a finger or to utter a sound. A freezing cold chill coursed through her body and she was unable to even blink her eyes.

She laid there for the longest of moments, her eyes fixed at some place where the stair-rail met the floor. She felt deeply uncomfortable. Her left arm was stretched ahead of her with her cheek pressing slightly on its bicep. The hand of her other arm was pressed flat upon the cold surface of the tiles, its elbow jutting out awkwardly. Her left hip was supporting most of her body weight and was starting to ache. She simply couldn't move and the sensation of being mentally alert yet paralysed was frightening. She longed to take a deep breath, but her breath was slow and controlled.

A slight vibration in the floor alerted her to another presence and she was then flipped onto her back. Her eyes were now stuck staring at the roof. Her arms were raised over her head, and she felt herself being dragged across the cold tiles. The pressure on her hip was thankfully alleviated and she became desperate to make sense of her situation.

What was going on…? A strange tingle of cold was coursing through her from a sharp sensation in her neck. Had the agency found her..?

The entryway wall appeared to her restricted vision and she heard the front door open. She was dragged out of the entry and down the step that lead outside. If she could have flinched, she would have - as her cold lower back connected roughly with the stone landing. She prepared herself for the pain of being dragged down the remaining four stone steps that would take her into the gardens.

There was a momentary break however and she felt a slight warm weight upon her chest. She heard for the first time a noise. An incredible voice that was mesmerising and soothing. There was a gentle pressure on her cheek and then within her limited vision, a beautiful, little, pale-green face appeared.

Elliane was confounded by the small exquisite creature that looked right into one of her eyes. Never had she seen anything like it. Silvery silk like hair flowed from its head. It was standing on her shoulder and balancing itself with a hand on her face and it looked at her with a smile of pure delight. It spoke with strange eloquence that was distracting and Elliane could only make out a few words of its speech.

"Golios protect and keepth safe," The creature called Golios stated in a cooing voice before gently patting her cheek with a little thumb sized hand.

Then, Elliane was being dragged across the ground once more, but by someone else other than the little creature, since it remained where it was on her shoulder.

She was pulled down the dreaded steps, and out into the full sunlight, which felt like bliss on her freezing skin, and onto the bumpy garden path. The little pixie like creature on her shoulder was now singing. Elliane became enchanted with its voice. So much so, that she remained surprisingly calm, given the circumstances. She was dragged around the side of the house and then further away, eventually leaving the property's boundaries as she was taken into the wilderness. She lost both her shoes along the way, and her heels became painfully raw as they were pulled against the rough ground, over twigs and stones.

At some stage, the little pixie stopped singing and instead just chatted away, his animated face appearing from time to time within her sight. He seemed to be telling a story of sorts, and when he produced a little narrow pipe and gleefully mimed out a scene of blowing into it, before clutching at his throat dramatically, Elliane started to panic anew.

This pixie thing had paralysed her with his dart pipe! She realised.

Elliane was suddenly aware of the extreme discomfort she was feeling. The little creature, perhaps sensing her shift in mood, frowned into her face and started singing again. This time however, the sweet enchanting voice only added to her increasing panic.

Her cold wrists now ached painfully, held tightly as they were by something or someone as yet unseen. She was pulled through thorny bushes and itchy grass. Her eyes were burning from being unable to blink. The painful chill seemed to sink into her bones. Elli desperately wanted to scream but still couldn't utter a sound. Her shallow breath was suffocating. She felt nauseated from the lack of needed oxygen.

On and on she was dragged, while the little creature continued his singing. Elliane's state of anxiety was now at a critical level and she was fast on the way to a point of complete emotional hysteria. Then, her hands were suddenly dropped and the pixie looked momentarily horrified before he simply vanished. Her head and shoulders were was now resting on the ground Elli could hear a thudding rumble upon the earth. Something was coming! It was pounding across the earth at great speed.

Elliane recognised the sound and a very natural fear completely gripped her. A great roar was heard and then it appeared, landing powerfully with a huge paw either side of her head. Inches away from her face were the deadly canines of a massive lion.

Convinced that death was finally upon her, she made one last vain attempt to move before she succumbed to the darkness and slipped into oblivion.


Pam was agitated, pacing to and fro with a cell phone at her ear.

"They are all frozen in a similar way," she said into the device "Their skin like ice to touch." There was a pause while she listened to the phone on the other end.

"I have tried Eric, but the Doctor is not answering her phone." Another pause and presumably another question was asked.

"No, the shifter is still looking for Jeb, who is his cousin," she replied.

After a series of vague comments and affirmations to Eric at other end of the conversation, Pam ended the phone call.

Elliane came around slowly. Attempts on her behalf to get up, reminded her, that what had recently passed was not a dream and that she was still frozen like in a state of paralysis. She was pleased to hear Pam's voice and her eyes were now thankfully closed. But she was still so cold. She would have been shivering if her body allowed itself to do so.

Elliane sensed movement in the room and heard a door open.

"I've found Jeb," said a male voice she hadn't heard before. "He was frozen mid-shift."

"Oh.. Gross…" said Pam in her Southern twang. "Put him where-ever you can find some room."

"What are we gonna do with them all. I can't take Jeb to the hospital, not like he is," continued the other voice.

Pam answered with a vague tone. "We need to seal off an area until re-enforcements come."

Elliane, alert only to sounds, could hear the strain in Pam's voice and she wondered if it was still daylight outside. Then she heard Pam's cell phone ring.

"Hello Godric." answered Pam. A distinct anxiety had entered Pam's voice and there was the pause while she listened to the other end of the call.

"She is stable, her vitals are steady." Pam replied.

Another silence while Godric spoke on his end of the phone.

"Yes Godric. But she is still… er… frozen." There was another longer pause this time before Pam spoke again.

"They all seem unmarked. I can't find any injuries to explain what is wrong with them."

A short pause and again Pam replied. This time, in a language that Elliane did not understand. There was a rapid exchange of communication in the foreign language and then the call ended with a characteristic 'blip' noise.

"Who is Godric?" Elliane heard the man ask.

"Godric is someone who you do not want to piss off," remarked Pam dryly.

There was a moment before the man replied. Deciding to take Pam at her word, his voice revealed a sudden caution.

"And... err…what is his interest here?"

"Elliane," Pam answered offhandedly. "He is completely infatuated with her."

If she wasn't paralysed, Elliane would of jolted with the idea. Godric infatuated… with her? She became especially alert to the conversation.

"Really?" The man said in a deflated tone, as if the very idea was implausible. Elliane wondered if she should be offended. "But she has no scent."

Pam laughed huskily. "Oh, she has a scent alright… it's tantalising and vague... hard to discern."

The man sniffed. "Well I couldn't track her. The trail I followed was probably the scent of whatever took her. And that was, by the way… a scent I've not encountered before."

Pam didn't reply immediately. She was acutely aware of how vulnerable they all were in the situation.

If whatever attacked Elliane and the guards was still around, she would need the help of this shifter. It was the purest luck that he arrived when he did. Pam was exhausted. It was just after midday, when Pam was supposed to be dead to the world. She was in a weakened state and would not be able to defend the situation alone.

"I need to move them downstairs," she stated. "They are alive at least and whatever is affecting them may eventually wear off."

Trapped within a frozen body Elli was cringing. She could feel that the paralysis was originating from whatever it was, that had been shot into her throat. Could they not see something stuck in there? Never had a situation brought her more frustration. How could she communicate to them? Unable to move, but with a mind that was completely alert, Elliane suddenly had an idea.

Elliane focused and did her best to gain a sense of calm. Opening up her thoughts, she focused on Sookie. Sookie's telepathic ability was meant to be off the charts, so hopefully, if she sent a thought to Sookie, she would receive it. She waited until she had a clear inner vision of the telepath before shooting out a sharp mental call.

"Sookie! Sookie if you can hear me I need your help!"she sent out desperately.

It was a pretty long shot in the dark, but she had nothing to lose by trying. She could not bear the idea of being stuck in this state a moment longer.

Elliane maintained her focus on the inner vision "Sookie! Sookie!" She was waiting for a response, but then it occurred to Elliane that even if Sookie could hear her, she might not be able to answer back. After all, it was Sookie who was telepathic… not Elliane!

"Sookie, if you can hear me I need you to call Pam! Ring Pam on her cell phone and tell her that there is something stuck in my throat."

Elliane was distracted suddenly as two blissfully warm arms reached beneath her and began to lift her up.

"No!" Pam said sharply. "I will take Elli, you take the others down."

Elliane frantically re-focussed on Sookie and put all her mental energy into the transmission.

"Sookie, please help! I am paralysed!" She tried to project her state of urgency into the message.

The warm arms left Elliane and she sank back into what she suspected was the lounge-room sofa. Pam's phone rang.

"Hello?" answered Pam.

A second or two hung in suspense for Elli.

"Sookie. Well… what a surprise, especially at this time of day." Pam might have been tired but she still had the energy to inject a bit of sarcasm into her voice.

The next delay seemed even longer.

"Let me check…"answered Pam and Elliane felt a hand sweep over her neck and along her throat. "Hmm, I can't see anything… what am I looking for"

Elliane felt a surge of energy! Sookie had got her message and she refocussed again on the telepath. "Please tell Pam that it is small, like a dart!"

"Oh?"Pam chuckled softly and Elliane felt fingertips stroke her cheek. "Elli dear, Sookie asks that you not scream so loud at her."

"What is happening?" asked the man.

"Elliane is in some sort of psychic contact with an associate. Apparently, a paralysis dart has been shot into her throat."

"Does she know what attacked her?" he asked.

"A little green man and a lion." Elliane quickly sent the message back to Sookie, and tried somehow to make the thought more gentle this time.

She waited for Pam to receive the message.

"Really?" she heard Pam say with curious tone. "Some sort of alien and a lion."

"No No! It looked like pixie or a sprite. A very beautiful little man." Elliane tried not to let her frustration scream at Sookie

"Ooooo… A Faerie!" she heard Pam exclaim.

"I've found a little sliver of glass in Jeb's neck," the man said.

"Thanks Sookie," said Pam suddenly and she ended the call.

"I've got it!" said the man. "It's a fine shard of cold glass crystal."

As luck would have it, the piece in Elli's throat had lodged itself deep and she endured a longer wait, while Pam retrieved some tweezers to get it out.

As soon as it was removed, Elliane felt her limbs begin to loosen and after a few moments she could blink her eyes. She started to shiver violently, and it took only a minute or two longer for the affects of the dart to wear off.

When she could sit up and look around, Elli saw that Pam nearby, looked dreadful. The strain of staying awake was taking a huge toll on Pam's strength.

There was a soft hub of chatter as the guards started to also recover from the ordeal. Dickson spoke up, directly to Pam.

"Mistress, if we retreat to the young Miss's room, we should be safe. When I was frozen, I overheard the little creature's displeasure at being unable to enter her room due to the magic protections around it."

There was a distinct look of relief on Pam's face as she replied.

"Please see to it then Dickson. I must go!" With that, Pam sped out of the room and right out of sight.

As information from people came together, Elliane discovered that the guards had been shot by the darts much earlier in the morning, and would have endured a longer time of frozen frustration than she had.

As it happened, Jeb was just about to finish up from the previous nightshift, and when he didn't return home, his wife had sent his cousin Robbie to come looking for him. His cousin was the 'voice' that Elliane could hear talking to Pam. Elliane could see that the trauma of the day had some lasting affects on the guards and she suggested to Dickson that they should be encouraged to go home.

Dickson agreed and two of the guards decided to go. Dickson Jeb and Robbie remained with Elliane.

Another thing of interest was the discovery that Robbie was a 'shifter'. Elliane knew about Werewolves, but had no idea about the existence of these people called 'Shifters'. Given the nature of how the world was revealing its secrets, it should hardly have come as a surprise though, she thought. Robbie was the lion that had frightened off the pixie creature. His cousin Jeb had been frozen while in mid shift of becoming a hawk. Both of them explained that although they had a favoured animal into which they would shift, they could change into any animal they got a visual on.

The other guards were all apparently normal humans. Elliane had to laugh when Dickson described them as such. What was a normal human these days? When she asked Dickson about himself however, he went a quiet for a moment and gave a small smile.

"I am mostly human," replied Dickson quietly "I am fortunate to live a life that is extended beyond what we humans normally live and I need little if any sleep. Other than that I have no extraordinary abilities."

Dickson suddenly intrigued Elliane and she wanted to probe a little more but kept silent. He seemed such a non-descript looking man, but clearly there was much hidden beneath his exterior. She idly thought about his position within Eric's employ and wondered if he was possibly the informer that had reported on Eric's activities. The room had fallen silent and remained that way for a while until Jeb complained of his hunger and they all agreed to being quite starved.

Dickson offered to leave the room to get food supplies and Elliane was left with Robbie and Jeb keeping an eye on things. . She looked at the two men and felt guilty that they were stuck here watching out for her.

"Jeb," she said, looking at the tall dark-haired man with a smile. "You should really return home. I can appreciate that it has been a long day for you and your family are likely worried about you."

"Thanks Miss, but I would rather stay," he replied with a stern expression. "I was employed to keep this place protected, and I would rather stay and make sure the job is done properly."

Elliane looked at Robbie, who had sandy coloured hair and brown eyes like his cousin. She just shrugged. "You are not meant to be here at all. What is your excuse?"

"Curiosity mostly," he answered. "From what I understand, these critters that tried to take you today - were not the reason that you were being protected. Why were you in need of protection in the first place?"

Elliane sighed. "That is a long story. And one that in repeating enhances the risk that I am already at." She smiled a little. "I can say however, that I have done nothing illegal."

Robbie gave her a thoughtful look.

"You must be some sort of asset to them. Vampires never risk themselves unless there is something to be gained. They are always ruthless. Never fool yourself into thinking otherwise."

Elliane nodded. The reminder of who she was dealing with was appreciated, since she had felt herself softening towards race.

"Who is this Godric that the female vamp spoke about?" he continued.

"He is someone that is going to a lot of trouble to help me out." Elliane replied simply.

More trouble than she felt she was worth at the moment. With all the fuss and bother she seemed to have brought in the last few days, Elliane was starting to really feel the pressure of being a burden. She hoped Pam was okay.

"Hmm.. very interesting." Robbie replied and continued to look at her thoughtfully.

"And are you lovers?"

"Ah no. Definitely not." She continued to remember what she had overheard earlier, "You said to Pam that I had no scent, is that unusual?"

"Very…" he answered. "Everyone has a scent and I suppose you would have one too, but it seems hidden somehow and I can not smell your own natural scent, only the scents attached to you."

"You mean like perfume and such?"

"Yes. Perfumes, soaps and even the scent of the people you have come into contact with. They seem to over-ride your own scent."

"Wow, that is kinda weird."

Robbie nodded. "It is. I've certainly never come across it before." Robbie then walked over to her and lifted up a strand of her hand inhaling deeply. "Even the external scents don't seem to cling as well as they might to other people."

Elliane was thoughtful about Robbie's words. It wasn't something she had really taken notice of before - always thinking herself lucky, that any deodorants she sprayed on seemed to do their job efficiently. She had often wondered why the aroma of perfumes seemed to fade quickly when she wore them.

Dickson returned then with a bag of assorted food.

"I'm sorry about the poor selection," he said, pulling out a few bags of Doritos, cookies and a couple of bottles of soft drink.

"Don't apologise - I could eat just about anything right now," Elliane grinned.

Dickson also brought out a deck of cards and the afternoon was spent in general, amenable chatter and quite a few rounds of poker. Elliane learned a little more about her 'human' companions. Robbie worked as a Veterinary Surgeon, in a small business of his own and his cousin was an Electrician. Both of them were local to the area.

Despite the auspicious morning, Elliane enjoyed the remainder of the day. It seemed like forever since she had been comfortable with company. The hours passed and everyone was surprised when a sudden wind entered the room, blowing the cards around. Elliane looked up to see Eric standing amidst them.

Wasting no time, Eric reached down and raised Elliane to her feet. Suddenly unnerved by the unexpected contact, she remained still, while his blue eyes scanned over her carefully.

"You seem well," he stated finally.

"Yes, I am fine now," she answered. Dickson and the others got up, Jeb starting to pick up the scattered cards.

"What are you playing?" Eric asked Elliane. He looked at her intently, waiting for an answer.

"Poker." She replied plainly, refusing to be intimidated by his abrupt behaviour.

"Want in?" interrupted Jeb, who was directing the question to Eric.

Eric turned to look at Jeb and Elliane held her breath. Eric felt like a loose cannon at times and she wondered just how annoyed exactly he was with her. The earlier events would have disturbed his rest today. Was he about to snap?

Eric smiled slightly. "Sure, deal me in."

Then he vanished, but returned in no time - armed and ready with a pack of 'Tru Blood' and some beer.

"What do you drink Elliane?" he asked.

"Err… nothing really," she replied and Eric raised his brows.

"I get you some red wine," he stated and then was off again - and then back with a dusty vintage bottle.

Eric then sat himself down on the floor with the others and Jeb dealt out a hand. Elliane smothered a laugh at the situation.

"We can't play with Eric, he will cheat," she stated. All of the other 'humans' in the room looked up puzzled while Eric looked at her innocently.

"He can hear our heartbeats," she said chuckling. "He will know if we are bluffing."

Robbie shrugged. "Oh well. We will have to bluff better then."

Elliane just shook her head and went with it. She wanted to ask Eric about Pam but thought she would wait until a more appropriate time. They play for about an hour, with Eric winning most, but not 'all' of the games, before Jeb and Robbie called it quits. It was clearly past dark and they needed to get going.

They left, with Dickson showing them out, which left Elliane alone in the room with Eric.

"Is Pam alright?" she asked him.

Eric nodded and smirk a little. "She is out getting some breakfast."

"Ahh…" she nodded. "I've been worried about her."

"She can take of herself." Eric stated and stepped closer.

When Eric met her gaze she looked down. Although she knew now, that she was hard to glamour, Elliane didn't want to risk meeting his eyes. She became nervous. She always felt so conscious of herself when they, the vampires, were near her.

Eric lifted her chin with a fingertip. He looked over her face carefully and his eyes rested on her mouth for a moment before he spoke.

"I've rarely seen you in what I would imagine is your true appearance," he stated.

Elliane wondered what he meant and then recalled their recent history. That first time he saw her, in the rain, she was half bedraggled. Next time at Fangtasia, she had been somewhat disguised, with heavy makeup, contacts and dark hair. Then she was feverish and weak. She flicked her eyes up to meet his briefly and a small smile reached his lips.

"You are beautiful Elliane," he said gently.

Then he leaned down and Elliane tried to step away as she saw his intent to kiss her. But her blood 'his blood', suddenly surged through her and she was riveted to the spot. She willed herself to not respond.

His kiss however - was gentle and brief. A cursory kiss almost before he stepped back.

"You should get your things together," he said. "Godric will be here in a few hours and he wishes to get you settled into your new home."

At the mention of Godric, Eric could hear her heart-rate rapidly increase.