Eric didn't return the following night, much to my annoyance. Ever since I received those pictures I felt anxious, even throughout the day where I once felt safe before. The pictures were still laying on the kitchen table, as a reminder there was someone or something after me.

The water behind my house went unused for the day. I didn't dare to transform anymore while the sun was out, and swimming at night was an equally bad idea. To satisfy my water needs, I drank liters of it. It wasn't the same as actually emerging myself under the water, but it helped.

I promised Jade and Allison to join them for a movie the night after. They had chosen to watch one of their favorite; Titanic. I hardly paid any attention while it was playing, focusing solely on my iPhone and my glass of wine. My water cravings were getting higher, and this particular film only added to it.

Initially, I didn't want to leave my house as I was still anxiously waiting for Eric to return with information. He had promised he would find out who had taken the pictures, and I was desperate to get closer to the truth. Likewise, I had promised my friends I would come, and I knew if he would return to see me, this house would be the second place he would look.

But when the film was finally over, no one had come, apart from the guy who had delivered our pizzas. I had to admit I was getting worried. Either he couldn't find anything, or his word to me had meant nothing.

I decided to give him another day. Taking into consideration he could only investigate during the night meant that perhaps I hadn't given him enough time yet. But if he didn't show tomorrow night, I would have no choice but to pay Fangtasia another visit.

The following morning, I woke up with my hands shaking. I needed the transform to my mermaid form as often as I could, but ever since the pictures I hadn't been in the water at all, and merely drinking it wasn't enough anymore to satisfy my needs. The stress was only making things worse, and I felt like a vampire without blood, or a junkie without their drug of choice.

I was getting desperate. In an attempt to get in the water, I let my bathtub run full. It was deep enough for me to emerge myself, but when I got in and my legs began to glue together it didn't take long for me to realize the bath was too small. While it fit my body, it wouldn't fit my tail which happened to be quite a bit longer than my legs were.

At least my quick transformation had taken the edge off, but it hadn't stopped my mind from being preoccupied with just two toughts; water, and Eric. I waited for the sun set again, and placed myself on the couch where I could look out of the window to see him arrive.

But like the other nights, Eric didn't come. I was growing impatient, and above all, angry. This was no way to live. I needed to be in the water, and since I had no idea who was stalking me during the day, it meant I had to go during the night, right when there were vampires on the loose.

I suddenly remembered Eric had offered me protection, and while I didn't particularly want it, I really wanted to swim. I needed to. If he could just protect me while I was doing my thing, it would at least solve this problem. But did I trust him enough to do something like this? Taking into account he hadn't seen someone like me for so long, I had no idea how he was going to respond. While Eric was old, was he hold enough to have enough self control to not drain me right then and there?

When midnight passed, I felt like I had no other choice. I downed another bottle of water and got into the car, telling myself desperate times call for desperate measures.

Pam was working at the door as always. She was wearing a black leather skirt, with a red tube top, He hair was straightened sleek, and her make up was impeccable. You could say much about vampires, but even I had to admit that most of them were incredibly attractive.

This time, she let me in immediately without any hesitation. I had no idea what Eric had told her about me, but I nodded gratefully and headed in. As expected, the place was packed, but unlike other nights, Eric couldn't be found on his throne. My eyes scanned the room. With his tall stature he shouldn't be hard to find, but after looking around thoroughly I couldn't find him anywhere.

Just as I was about to head outside again to ask Pam, she appeared besides me. I still had to get used to the fact they moved so fast, and above all, so silently.

"He's downstairs."

She pointed to a door which read 'Staff Only' and disappeared again.

I had seen quite a bit of Fangtasia by now, at least more than I wanted to, but I didn't even know they had some sort of a basement. To my surprise, the door wasn't locked, and I figured people here knew better than to go down. I opened it, revealing a flight of stairs leading downstairs. It was very dark, and I could hardly see the bottom of it, and for a moment I began to wonder if this was a trap.

Against my better judgement, I headed down anyway. By the time I reached the end, my eyes finally adjusted to the lighting.

I let out an audible gasp when I saw Eric before me, naked, on the ground, and on top of a woman. It didn't dawn on me until now that this wasn't simply a basement—it was a dungeon. After I managed to pull my gaze away from Eric's muscular back and firm backside, I noticed the chains hanging from the ceiling, and further in the back was something that almost looked like a torture device.

Eric had obviously heard me arrive. He got up and turned around, not ashamed of his completely naked body. I had to do my best from letting my eyes wander down, but I could still see he had a very well defined sixpack, and I had no words to describe the rest.

My eyes met with his, and I was greeted by a slightly amused grin.

"Serena," he spoke, taking a step forward. "Lovely to see you again. Care to join us?"

I looked past him to the brunette laying on the ground, waiting for him to return to whatever they were doing. And then when I had gotten over the incredibly awkwardness of this situation, I felt myself growing angry.

"What are you doing?" I snarled, continuing fast before he was able to reply with a witty response. "Why aren't you searching for whoever took those pictures?"

His grin disappeared. Eric motioned with his hand and the naked lady grabbed what looked like her torn up clothing, covered her private parts, and ran up the stairs, leaving us alone, in a sex dungeon.

I felt my muscles shaking, and even though it was quite cold down here, a light layer of sweat covered my forehead. I had never let it come so far before, and I truly felt like a junkie of some sort.

"I am searching, but I din't have any leads, not yet," Eric admitted.

I felt my hope of this ordeal being over soon crushed. If he couldn't find out who did it, then who could?

"So instead of expanding your investigation you decided it was a good time to fuck?"

I was surprised by my own feistiness, and blamed it on my withdrawal symptoms.

"Well, Serena, we all have needs that have to be satisfied."

"Yes, that was why I came here," I remembered, his naked body before me distracting me from the real reason I had come.

"Oh, you want to have sex?"

I rolled my eyes as I curled my fingers in a fist to stop them from shaking too violently.

"It's something else."

"Another favor?" Eric asked, raising his eyebrows. "When can I expect something in return?"

"Is seeing a mermaid for the first time in hundred of years not a reward?" I fired back, knowing that would spark his interest. "Since I'm not safe anymore during the day, I need to take my swim during the night, but that is when there are vampires around. I am asking if you are willing to protect me, and preferably, not drink me."

He seemed to take my remark into consideration for a moment before nodding. I knew he was incredibly curious and he would never let an opportunity like this pass—no vampire would.

"I'll meet you at your house," he then said.

I nodded as well. I spun on my heel, careful not to let my eyes wander down from his face, and headed up the stairs again. But before I was about to go, I turned myself to Eric one more time.

"Oh, and please put on some pants."

Eric was already waiting for my on my porch when I arrived with my car. I was glad to see he had covered up, wearing a pair of black jeans, and a black tank top which showed off his arm muscles. I felt his eyes burning on my skin as I made my way towards him. I couldn't believe I was actually allowing this to happen. A vampire was going to witness my transformation. This could either go right, or horribly wrong.

"Let's go," I said, cocking my head slightly, not wanting to waste any more time. I had already waited long enough for this.

I had hardly spoken the words and he already stood next to me. Now I had protection, I decided I could swim in one of the bigger bodies of water, where I could actually move, rather than just float for a bit. I pointed in the direction where I wanted to go, and in complete silence we walked over.

There was a lot of tension between us. I was scared, while Eric was excited. I knew I had the upper hand as long as I was in the water, but as soon as I came out of it, he would dominate me. But I came prepared. Earlier, I had found a hold hammer in the toolbox in the bag of my car, and with a saw I had cut off the end, leaving a make-shift stake made out of solid wood. While the edge wasn't particularly sharp, I knew I could hurt him if I tried hard enough.

With the stake tucked in my underpants, covered by my t-shirt, we arrived at the particular pond I wanted to swim in. Before I could do this, I needed to lay down some rules.

"Okay," I began, turning myself to him. "Since you have never done this before, I think it would be wise to inform you what's going to happen and what you can and cannot do, okay?"

Eric nodded. I decided to ignore the fact that he licked his lips.

"First, you can't come in the water while I'm in that state. It's been a while since I have swum with anyone else, let alone a vampire, and I don't know if I can contain my powers. Second, when I come out of the water, I will be vulnerable, and I would appreciate it if you kept your distance, for my own safety."

It took an enormous amount of trust to tell him all of this. It had been years, perhaps even decades, since I revealed my true identity to someone else other than myself. And while I had to admit the way his eyes scanned my body didn't make me feel entirely comfortable, I knew that if he wanted to taste my blood he would've done so by now. Especially now we were all alone in the swamp, covered in darkness.

"Clear?" I asked to be sure.

"Crystal clear," Eric confirmed.

I nodded, taking in a deep breath as I looked at the water on more time to check if there were any gators, but it appeared we were all alone.

"Could you please turn around while I get undressed?"

Eric chuckled darkly. "It's not like I haven't seen it before, Serena."

I was fully aware the photos were probably etched in his brain, but he didn't have to see the stake that I had brought with me.

"Please," I asked again.

Eric sighed disappointedly, but turned around nevertheless.

I immediately began to work on the laces of my shoes, kicking off my sneakers before taking off my t-shirt so I could hide the stake underneath. I placed my jeans on top, warned Eric not to peak, and took of my underwear.

The water was calling me. Without hesitation, I jumped in, and while I couldn't hear it anymore, I knew Eric would've turned around by now. My legs immediately stuck together and the transformation was quicker than I ever had it happened before. Due to the water deprivation, I had completely lost control of my abilities, and I decided to stay underwater for just a couple of minutes to calm myself down.

I was very glad the water here was fairly murky, and Eric wouldn't be able to see too much of me. I realized I had to show Eric some of me sooner rather than later, as a form of thank you for doing this for me, but I just wanted to stay underwater for a bit and work my muscles. I promised myself to never let it come this far again, and if this deal with Eric actually worked, we could do this more often.

After spending close to ten minutes emerged under water, I felt my cravings had been satisfied, and I felt like I was in control again. My muscles stopped shaking, and I didn't feel so incredibly hot anymore. The water had given me the fix I needed.

I had to give Eric a peek, I owned him as much. I swam towards the surface again, the air of the night hitting my skin. I kept my eyes closed for a second as I slicked my wet hair back. I always enjoyed breathing again after spending some time under water, which was perhaps my human side dominating me for a moment.

Before I opened my eyes to look at him, I listened carefully to my surroundings. I didn't hear anything move, which meant he still had to be at the exact same spot where I left him, and above all, no one had come this time to snap photos.

I had to admit I was a little anxious about returning to him, and showing off my tail. Perhaps this was what animals in a zoo felt like. Constantly observed, admired, but in addition I was also lusted for.

While swimming to the edge of the water, I purposely let my tail come above the surface, preparing him a little bit for what he was about to see. In the darkness it was almost translucent rather than a pale blue, and it didn't shimmer as much as it did in the sun, but still, after thinking mermaids were extinct, I had to look somewhat impressive.

When I reached the edge, my heart began to pound again, as if I suddenly felt embarrassed. I made sure my breasts were covered in the water, while I let my fins stick out of the water. Before lifting my eyes, I took in a sharp breath and held it until my gaze met with his.

I swallowed when I saw Eric. His fangs were exposed, to which I responded by moving a little further down in the water and pulling my fins under completely. With me in the water, he towered over me, but I knew that if he were to attack I was faster here than I was on land.

But while I thought I was only seeing hunger in his eyes, I realized it was more an intrigue, and he was more captivated than rapturous.

"Is it like you remember?" I said finally, breaking the silence between us.

Eric never pulled his gaze away from mine, and the intensity was shaking me.

"Better," he replied as he moved down to his knees before me. "Show me again."

I obliged and lifted my tail in the air while I rested my arms on the water's edge. I kept a close watch on him, ready to fall back if necessary.

"Tell me about the mermaids you knew."

"I only knew one," Eric said, his fangs shiny in the moonlight. I suddenly felt the urge to touch them. "She was very beautiful, like you, but with darker skin and hair black as the night. Her tail was a faint trace of red, and I remembered her voice was able to captivate men and women alike."

I pictured the mermaid in my head. The only ones I had ever seen where in pictures in children's books. They all looked the same, with sea shells covering the breasts and their tails in every color of the rainbow. Hearing how one truly had looked once many years ago, fulfilled me beyond anything I might have imagined.

"Her name was Francesca, and I was told she was the last mermaids known to vampires around. A few years later I heard she had passed away."

I knew that 'passed away' meant murdered, but I didn't let it show.

"But here you are," Eric added. "Which means there are more."

The idea that there were more who shared the same abilities excited me beyond words. Growing up, knowing you were able to do things no one else could, had been terrifying. I had taught myself to control it, most of the times, and when researching my condition only I had a tough time dividing facts from fiction. Unlike vampires, mermaids were not supposed to exist, and there wasn't much information about us available.

My body had soaked up the water for a long time now, and I was ready to come out. So far, Eric hadn't killed me yet nor had he attempted to suck my blood. Still, I didn't want him so close when I got out, knowing it would take me a good minute to get my legs back.

"Could you wait at the house while I get changed?"

I formulated it as a question, but it really was more a demand.

Eric seemed to hesitate for a moment. He hadn't seen me as a whole yet, only flashes of my tail, but I didn't want to push my luck for today. Only this was already an immense step for me and my general trust in vampires.

Finally, he nodded, and within a split second he was gone. I waited a little bit to make sure he wasn't just hiding in the bushes, but I couldn't here any other sound apart from the water lapping against my body.

Once my legs had returned and I could safely stand up right again, I put on my underwear again. It was always a little hard, putting on clothes with a wet body, but I didn't feel like carrying a towel with me everything I did this. I pulled on my t-shirt, which wasn't long enough to cover my backside, but I couldn't be bothered to struggle putting on my skinny jeans.

I headed back, carrying the stake in one hand, covering it with my pants with the other. I had a sneaky suspicion this night wasn't over just yet.

A/N: Okay, this was one of my favorite chapters to write. Please let me know your thoughts, I'd love to hear them. Oh, and happy holidays :D