I'm sorry this is such a short chapter, but I promise the next ones will be longer!

Also, thanks to everyone for the reviews/favorites! I really appreciate it. It's good to know people are still reading and enjoying this story.

I laid there limply, moaning in pain while the figure crossed the room, their eyes cold and calculating, looking between me and Jade, who still laid flat on the floor underneath the door. She hadn't stirred in the time since the door first hit her and when he decided to actually enter the room, which had been a good five minutes after the fact.

Still, I struggled to remove the metal from my neck, but the more I moved, the more pain that shot through the whole right side of my body. I clenched my fist and glowered at him, wondering why, after all the things I'd done for him, he just stood there, blank eyes staring down at me while I was clearly injured and in need of help.

"You know, not to sound rude or anything, but I'm in a lot of fucking pain right now. You can continue your gawking after you pull this thing out of my neck," I growled. A beat. "It's not silver; you can touch it. It won't hurt you."

He sped over and sat down on the couch beside me, gently turning my body so that the blade could be removed. It came out smoothly, and I winced as it burned the skin. He set it down on the coffee table in front of us and pricked his finger with the tip of his fang and letting the blood drip onto the wound. It wasn't necessary, but I decided not to tell him that. I was just glad he was here, helping me.

I sat up, slowly feeling better than I had in months. My entire body felt warm, warmer than usual, and every nerve ending felt like as if it were on overload. Colors seemed more vibrant, every sound became clearer, every emotion more intense. I felt absolutely euphoric.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes. I'm fine. Great, actually."

He didn't answer. I stared at him, wondering if this was all a dream, and I was still in bed asleep. I silently prayed that wasn't the case.

"Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?" I all but whispered.

Eric's eyebrows raised. "I find that somewhat hard to believe. Disappearing for seven months with no contact doesn't exactly say 'I missed you'."

I frowned. "You're upset with me."

"Upset?" he asked, an edge to his voice. "Upset is a fucking understatement, Adrian. I can't even begin to explain what I felt."

"Eric…" I trailed off. I felt so guilty for leaving him like that. But what reason did I have to stay? "I'm so sorry."

He reached forward and grabbed me by the shoulders, pulling me flush against his body. Eric wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly. "Sorry isn't good enough. No apology is."

I leaned back to face him. "Then how can I make it up to you?"

"Don't leave, Adrian. Please," Eric's voice shook. He looked away from me. "There were times where I couldn't feel you anymore…I thought you were gone. For good."

I shook my head. "I've been sick…for a while now. And it gets so bad sometimes that I would pass out, for hours, or like the last time, which was close to two days."

"You should have come back…I could have gotten you help."

"I'm not sure anything would have helped," I said sullenly. "I'm not even completely sure why I felt like that in the first place."

"You don't think it had anything to do with the bond?"

I shrugged. "To be honest, I don't know much about the bond. I was never truly bound to someone other than you."

"How could you not know?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I never cared to know, never wanted to be bound to anyone."

"Do you want to be bound to me?"

I didn't even have to think about it. "Yes, yes, I do."

Eric smiled. Not just a smirk, but an actual smile. He craned his head down and planted a kiss on my forehead.

"Now, I don't mean to steal you away from your friends, but would you mind coming back to Fangtasia?"

"Not at all," I glanced over at Jade who still laid there on the floor, motionless. "But I have a little problem to deal with first."

Eric's fangs dropped. "Is she the one that did this to you?" his eyes darted to the blade on the table.

I nodded. "She is. And I'm going to kill the bitch."