Eric laid splayed out on the floor in a Christ-like position in a pool of his own blood, struggling against the silver blades that pinned him to the floor. Bullet holes covered his chest and stomach, the wounds sizzling, hissing as the flesh burned. I rushed to his side and ripped the blades from his hands and feet, then got to work on removing the bullets. The vampire groaned and cursed as my nails dug into each hole and popped the silver bullets out. It took me longer than I had expected to remove them from his body. They were set deep into his flesh. Riggs had definitely shot him more than ten times, maybe about fifty is more like it.

A sigh escaped his lips as the last bullet was removed from his abdomen, allowing him to begin the healing process, which, due to the ridiculous amount of silver that was lodged inside him, won't begin as rapidly as it normally would. I looked down at the floor. Eric lost a lot of blood, and I'm not sure just how long he has been laying here pinned to the floor. All I know, is that he is weak, and the only way to ensure that his strength is restored, is for Eric to feed. I extended my forearm out toward his face.

"You've lost a lot of blood," I said, staring at the crimson puddle he laid in. "Take mine. It'll help."

Weakly, he mumbled, "I can't take your blood."

"Now isn't the time to argue, you need to feed."

"You're a demon…" He shook his head.

I pulled him up by the collar. "And we have blood just like everyone else, only stronger than you could ever imagine," I held my arm out. "Drink."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. "I have offered my blood to help a vampire before. I can assure you it will do no harm…if you watch how much you drink."

The vampire's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"My blood to you, is like heroin to a human; just enough will get you by. Too much, and you'll die," I pricked my finger tip and allowed a drop of blood to fall into one of the bullet holes. It healed instantly. "Basically, you could overdose on my blood. It's lethal in large quantities, so you can't drink much. You won't need a lot, anyway."

Eric leaned forward and plunged his teeth into my wrist and began draining the blood from my veins. His hands wrapped around my arm and held the appendage close, burying his mouth and lips and teeth into my skin hungrily. Growls rumbled in his chest as he fed, lapping up whatever liquid he could that poured from the wound. I pulled my arm away. This is the second time Eric has bitten me, and hopefully the first and last time he will be feeding off of me.

I can't let Riggs get to him again.

Or anyone else.

Eric used the back of his hand to wipe the blood from his mouth. "Do you have any idea who it was that did this to me?"

I hesitated before answering. "I…do, yeah. Riggs is another Hound. He's young…one of the Collectors. But he shouldn't come after you again, there's no bounty on you."

"Collectors? As in souls?"

"No. As in vampires."

"This Hound…could it be possible that he is the reason vampires have gone missing?"

I dragged a nail along the floor, scratching a line in the wood. "It is possible. And if it is the case, then I'll have to kill him…which should prove to be a rather trying task," I looked away.

Riggs is definitely behind the disappearances. He confirmed it before when he said he'd been hunting. Riggs, being a Collector, doesn't receive the normal bounties a regular Hound would. So, instead of hunting souls, he tracks down live creatures.

The creatures in question being vampires.

But, the collecting stopped many years ago when they found that the Hound-vampire hybrids were able to breed successfully and produce a healthy litter of hybrid pups.

When they were taken, usually, the bloodsuckers were removed from rural areas, where no one would notice if they were gone or not. With all the Kings and Queens now, a missing vampire sets off a red flag. Despite being on alert at all times, the vampires would never be able to figure out who or what exactly is capturing them.

Now they'll know, and with my help, there will be an end to this. I sighed. He isn't hunting for fun, either. No, Riggs is hunting the vampires for a completely different reason. A personal one.

"If this Hound is behind the disappearances, you must kill him," Eric said. It sounded like an order. And if it is, this is one order I don't mind taking.

"Believe me, I will kill him. It's a wonder I haven't done it already…" I trailed off. "I just need to find him. All I know now, is that he was summoned by a group of Christians. Vampire hating ones, too. If he's somehow surrounded himself with true believers, it could make things more difficult. Dangerous."

"Do whatever you need to to put an end to this. I can't have anymore vampires go missing. We'll have none left in the area at this rate."

"How many have gone missing so far?"

"Fifteen. That I know of."

I made a face. "That's quite a bit. Why hadn't you called me earlier?"

"I didn't even know you were an option until a week ago. If I had known, I would have summoned you. You're probably the only thing that's going to help us," His lips formed a tight line.

I scoffed. "You sound happy about needing to rely on me."

"I would rather do things on my own, but it seems I have no choice but to ask you."

"And I have no choice but to help you," I stood up and pulled Eric to his feet. "I should be staying with you, not with that human…if all of you could stay in one spot, that would make things so much easier."

"If only things were that easy."

"Yeah…if only. But if Riggs knew where to go to find you, he might know where to find Sookie and that other vampire. Shit, and that redhead, too," I shook my head. "I'm gonna need help."

"As I said, do whatever you need to. Just don't let anymore vampires go missing."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "I can't promise you anything, Eric. But I can try my best to put a stop to it soon - shit!"

I clutched my temple, feeling the same pain I had earlier. I looked around the room, sniffing, my vision blurred due to the pain. No one was in the building, no one that didn't belong, anyway. That must mean something is wrong with Sookie. She may not be my Keeper, but because I am to protect her, I hold a bond with her much like mine and Eric's. It may not be as strong, but it's close. I took a deep breath and calmed myself.

Pounding loudly in my head like a drum, I can only assume is Sookie's heartbeat, the organ beating faster due to some external stressor. I listened as her bones cracked as they moved, her muscles tensing, her mood shifting from calm to angered. Hopefully a customer has pissed her off, otherwise Riggs has gotten to her. Already.

"Eric, I need to go. Something's fucking wrong with Sookie, now," I growled. "Lock up behind me. I'll be back later tonight to check on you. I'll bring the human and her vampire to keep a better watch."

Eric nodded and followed me out into the bar area and locked the front door once I was outside. I took off, and rushed back to Merlotte's.