I apologize for the long wait for this, I've been busy and caught up with an original story I've been working on for months now. I've also begun revising some of the chapters for this fic, starting with "Alistair"-so if you'd like to go back and take a look at the changes, that would be much appreciated.

So, here's the next chapter. Thanks for reading!

**I am forever grateful to the guest reviewer who pointed out that typo at the end. Not sure what happened there, but it's all fixed now.

Meaningless was all she was, and that couldn't have been more perfect.

"Sookie," I said, more to myself than either Pam or Eric, though they without a doubt had heard me judging by the skeptical look on their faces. I could tell it would take some convincing—Pam more so than Eric—to leave them in the custody of the fairy. I was prepared to do whatever it took to ensure that they would remain alive and well while I was gone.

Given the fact I had killed about ten or so Hounds, maybe more, I didn't think Riggs had much left of his vengeful, mourning army. After all, not many had liked Riggs to begin with, so how many more Hounds could be recruited to kill in his honor?

I sighed quietly. So long as I went over the necessary precautions with Sookie, in great detail, neither of them should have any problem. I glanced over at Eric who had been staring intently at me since I mentioned the blonde, and a pang of sorrow coursed through me, the feeling burying itself deep within me. The thought of leaving him once more, even for a short amount of time…it was physically unbearable. The pull I felt toward him was stronger than ever, overwhelmingly so, and all I craved was to be at his side. To breathe him in and feel his cold skin against mine, to taste the life that coursed through his veins.

But that would have to wait. And in the meantime, I would have to find a way to leave without causing either of us pain. I grimaced; the few feet between us felt like the maximum distance I could withstand. Anymore and I was certain I would fall ill again.

I still didn't understand it all. Why the Viking managed to affect me in such a way. It couldn't have been normal, for many times I had seen a Hound break the bond on their own, and walk away unscathed.

That was impossible for me.

There was only one way I'd be able to go, and that would be with his permission. At least if I had Eric's consent, the effects might not be so bad.

Pam rose suddenly, wiping the slick coating of blood off of her naked body, a scowl contorting her face. She sniffed the air and sighed, stomping off the stage in the direction of the service doors.

"Adrian, your Hound blood smells like shit," she sneered. "It's almost as bad as shifter blood."

"It's the high sulfur content," I explained, smirking at her obvious disgust. "It's common before a shift."

"It tastes better than it smells," Eric said to her.

Pam stared incredulously at the two of us, as if that was the most vile thing she'd ever heard. "I'll take your word for it, Eric. I'm going to go clean myself off. This has to be the one time I've ever been nauseated by blood."

I turned and searched for my clothes in the mess of bodies and found them laying on top of an eviscerated corpse. Luckily, they had barely any blood on them. I wished I could say the same about my body. Hurriedly, I began dressing myself and paused at the sound of Eric's voice.

"Don't you want to shower before putting your clothes back on?"

I shrugged. "There's no point. I won't be remaining in this plane for much longer. If anything, I'll rinse off in the bathroom."

"Really?" Pam said from the doorway. "It might be in your best interest to shower, Hound."

"And why's that?"

"Because you look like a used tampon," she said, without any trace of amusement on her face, disappeared into the hall.

Eric snickered at her remark and offered for me to join him in his room. Eagerly I followed him down the hall, walking awkwardly with only one boot on, and stood still in the middle of his room. I was afraid if I moved even an inch, I'd splatter blood everywhere.

"Are you sure you don't want to shower? It'd be nice to have company after all this time," he purred, and I almost couldn't resist.

But somehow I managed to. "If it was any other time, I wouldn't mind. But right now I need to stay focused in case another attack is headed our way."

Eric looked hurt. "Fine. Don't stain anything," he said.

The shower turned on and I heard the glass door slam shut, signaling that he was in and washing himself off. I left the room, shimmering from shadow to shadow to avoid the blood, and landed in the restroom.

Grabbing a fistful of paper towels, I soaked them with water and began wiping up as much as I could of the crimson fluid. It took what felt like forever for me to even look remotely clean, and by the time I had stepped out of the bathroom, all was silent. I couldn't hear the water spraying from the shower heads, only the muffled creaking of metal against metal. I guessed it was clothes being removed from a closet.

Loud enough for both Vampires to hear, I instructed them to pack as much clothing as they needed, and parked myself on a stool. It didn't take long for them to return to the bar, suitcases in hand. I advised the two of them to lock up and waited patiently while they did so. Shortly they returned and picked their luggage off of the floor.

"Off to Sookie's," I mumbled, not quite ready to leave Eric yet. Pam sped across the room, and with one swift movement, I caught her by the collar of her shirt and jerked her back. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To Sookie's," Pam said curtly. She pulled away from me.

"Not without me you're not," I motioned for Eric to come to my side. I grabbed the two of them by the wrist.

"Are we holding hands the whole way there?" Eric asked.

"Yes. It makes for safer, and quicker, travel. Now do me a favor and hold on to your things. And for the love of God, don't open your eyes," I said quickly.

"Why—"

Eric hadn't had a chance to finish his sentence before our bodies dematerialized into a thick, black mist.

Seconds after, we appeared outside of Sookie's home. The lights were on, indicating her shift at Merlotte's had ended, and she was safe in her home.

Eric and Pam dropped to the ground on either side of me, dry heaving violently. Blood spewed from their mouths, a coppery, viscous mess.

"What the fuck did you just do to us?" Eric asked, a manic look in his eyes.

"Saved us a lot of time. I probably should have mentioned that would hurt," I said sheepishly. I was surprised they had actually survived that.

He gagged, and spoke harshly. "Yeah, that might have been a nice thing to warn us about before you subjected us to that."

"Sorry about that," I mumbled absently.