Everything had been quiet the next few days. I didn't see Eric, and was completely left alone by my stalker. To keep my mind occupied, I picked up an extra shift at Merlotte's, and hung out with my friends after abandoning them for too long. For a moment, it almost felt like I had my own life back again.

I actually was really glad I had told Sam about what I was. During my first shift, he had pulled me aside and asked if I received any new messages. I told him I hadn't and began to wonder if it was all over. Perhaps Eric had found whoever had done it anyway and killed them without informing me. All in all, it was nice to have a friend to talk to, as my girlfriends would never understand since Eric glamored them. As far as they knew, they had never ever even been to a vampire bar before.

My mind kept replaying what Eric had said. Not only had he once loved someone else but his progeny, she had also been a mermaid. While it was definitely striking news to me, it seemed like Eric was uncomfortable with the idea that I attributed feelings to him—a vampire that wasn't supposed to have feelings.

It was during my extra shift that my iPhone's screen lit up. Normally, I never checked my phone during work, but since I was still waiting to hear back from Eric I asked Sam if it was okay if I kept it with me.

I unlocked it and immediately tapped on the unread message I had. Just when I figured out it wasn't one of my friends, my breath got trapped in my throat and my eyes widened. The text came from an anonymous number, so I had no idea who it had been and I couldn't call it, or text back.

My fingers were shaking as I opened it, that feeling of safety and familiarity I had felt a minute ago gone. Someone had sent me a video, without message. I looked around to see if I was alone, and pushed myself against the wall, turning up the volume a tiny bit so I could hear it just myself.

It was like the photos all over again, except this time, they caught Eric as well. The video showed myself, my tail coming above the water every now and again, speak with Eric. We were looking intense, which was why he hadn't perhaps heard whoever had been shooting this. Judging by the grainy quality of the video, they had to have been really far away.

I felt nauseous. For a day, I had hope that it might have stopped, but it only seems to get worse. I pressed the phone against my chest, going through my options which all led to one conclusion: I had to show Eric. This not only affect me, but him, as well.

I found Sam speaking to one of our usual customers Hoyt Fortenberry. He didn't have to as much look at me, before he pulled me to his office, my expression being enough to see my worry.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I have to go, I'm sorry," I said, still clutching the phone in my hand.

"Do you need me to go with you?" Sam suggested.

I shook my head. I hadn't told him about Eric yet, and I didn't want him to worry more than he already did. Even he had to know that me and vampires, and pretty much any other supernatural being, was a horrible combination.

"I'll be fine. I just need to go now."

"Okay," Sam nodded. "Just call me when you need me, okay? Don't do anything stupid."

I had already done many stupid things, and I feared I was about to anger a vampire even more than I already had.

There was someone else working the door, but as soon as I said my name and told him I had something Eric really needed to see, he stepped aside without as much as an argument. The only positive part about this entire ordeal: I seemed to have been granted VIP-treatment at Fangtasia.

I suddenly felt a firm grip around my wrist before I was pulled towards Eric's office in incredible speed. It wasn't until I had come to a standstill again, and my head had stopped spinning, that I realized it had been him.

"Eric," I said, slightly out of breath. "I have something you need to see."

I grabbed my iPhone from my back pocket and opened the video, playing it for him.

Instead of focusing on the video, I placed my eyes on his face, watching his expression closely. But like many vampires, it didn't change at all. They were so incredibly hard to read, that I couldn't tell if he was angry, disappointed, or perhaps impressed that someone managed to capture this while he hadn't noticed.

"This is problematic," he said when the video finished.

I put the phone away again and crossed my arms in front of my chest, nodding in agreement.

"Before you ask—no, I hadn't heard anything," Eric then said before I had the chance to speak. "I have to admit that once you are transformed, you are rather… distracting."

My cheeks flushed red, and I took in a deep breath. This was both flattering and terrifying at the same time.

"So what do we do now?" I asked to break the tension that was growing between us.

"Nothing."

Eric stepped aside and sat down on the edge of his desk, stretching his legs out in front of him as he continued to watch me closely.

"Nothing?" I asked, not sure if I heard that correctly the first time.

"Yes," Eric nodded. "I'll continue the investigation. You should continue your life as you would normally. Don't give in to them, that's what they want."

"Well, it's getting harder, and harder," I admitted. Realizing I didn't want to think about this at all, I changed the subject. "What do you know so far?"

"Whoever is doing this, they're not supernaturals like us."

I ruffled my brows as I let his words sink in. While it coincides with the fact that Sam hadn't heard or seen anything either, it was hard to believe that a human without any special abilities had the capability to anguish me to this level. It also made me wonder if they had any idea who they were dealing with.

"Are you sure?" I asked to be safe.

"Yes," Eric said. "Everything I have done, everyone I have asked. It all led to nothing. That leaves only one options of people I didn't ask—the humans."

"Either way. We severely underestimated their power. Now they even have you on video."

"What video?"

I shot around to find Pam standing in the doorway. She was wearing a pink pencil skirt and high heeled pumps while her hair was curled to perfection. I cursed under my breath when I realized she had heard more than she probably should.

Eric came to stand besides me, making me feel safer. I decided it would be best to let him do the talking, as I had no idea what he had told Pam about me and what he hadn't.

"We were captured on film together," he simply stated.

"And that is a problem because."

"You know I can't be spotted meddling with a human."

Even though I technically wasn't human, it stung a bit. There definitely was a stigma regarding humans dating vampires, and considering no one could know what I really was, it would seem I would fall under the latter. One of them obsessed fangbangers wanting to get laid and do anything to get their blood sucked. If he couldn't be seen with me… No. I stopped my mind from going there. I wasn't even sure how I felt about him, how could I already be thinking about things like that?

"You have to watch out, Eric. I don't understand why you allow to get so much shit for this human? First the vampire you killed, and now a sex tape?"

I wanted to protest at the sex tape part, but I decided wisely to shut my mouth.

"Pam, could you please go outside, so I can finish talking to her?" Eric said somewhat annoyed.

"No," Pam defied, crossing her arms in front of her as she took a stand. "Not until you tell me why she is so special."

I bit my lip as my eyes widened. I wanted to take a step back as I wasn't planning on getting in between a vampire fight, but I didn't want to come across as suspicious. The only thing I could do was trust Eric could talk his way out of this.

"I can't," he admitted. "It will get clear in due time, but I can't right now."

It was the first time I had ever seen Pam speechless. For a moment, I expected her to attack him, either verbally or physically, but she remained standing with controlled poise. Eric was her maker, and anything he would say to her, she had to accept, whether she wanted it or not.

"I need you to leave us alone."

Pam looked at me one last time, her eyes scanning the entirety of my body as if she was searching for something, a mere detail, that made me so special. Perhaps she hadn't been made until the last mermaid had already died, and she didn't even know of our existence. Either way, I prepared myself for the fact it wouldn't be very long until Pam would also realize what I was.

She left reluctantly. I couldn't blame her for wanting to know what was happening. Her maker was visiting a human without a clear reason why. The lack of bite marks in my neck indicating he hadn't bitten me, so if not for blood, what would he do with me?

But then the words she had spoken sunk in, and I had to ask him.

"Wait a minute," I said. "Did Pam mean to say you got in trouble over the vampire you killed?"

"Yes," Eric said, without hesitation.

We were standing close to each other, our bodies were almost touching. I couldn't bring myself to take a step back and instead found myself lost in his gaze again.

"We can't just kill other vampires."

"Even if it's self-defense?" I asked, ruffling my brows. I had no idea there was such a thing as a vampire law to which they had to adhere.

Eric nodded slowly.

I let out a trapped breath, glancing at my feet before looking up again. I couldn't do this to him. This was my problem, and I didn't want him to end up going to jail over this (if there was a vampire law, there had to be a vampire prison, right?). Eric cared about preserving my species, I knew that. But was it all worth it? There was a much simpler solution to it all…

"Look. I don't want you to get into trouble over me. If you don't want to do any of this again, I fully understand, and I don't blame you. Just say the word, and I can solve this myself. I'll move away like I've always done. Get a new passport, start a new life. I don't mind. Truly."

Eric responded by cupping by cheeks with his hands. A shock rippled down my spine from both the contact, and the coldness of his fingertips. He forced me to look at him, and as I did my best to read him, I guessed he was both offended, and disappointed at the same time.

"Serena. I will not abandon you. Even if you were just a human, I would have killed the vampire either way. You can't move. You shouldn't run. Stay, and fight this. We'll fight this together."

It was like he glamored me. I could only nod and tell him okay. Truth to be told, I didn't want to move away either, but I was willing to sacrifice myself if it meant everything here could go back to normal. The fact that Eric didn't seem to want me to go, delighted me more than it probably should.

And then he leaned in, pulling my face closer to his as his lips captured mine with a surprising amount of delicacy. My head was screaming no as loud as it could, but my body was already pressed against his. One of his hands traveled down to the small of my back and pulled me as close as I could go.

I had never kissed a vampire before. I had never kissed a supernatural before either, for that matter. People always prided vampires for being excellent lovers, and even with this tiny amount of experience, I couldn't help but agree.

Eric's kisses were as intense as he was himself, with enough character to surprise me. It wasn't as rough as I imagined it to be, and he managed to place his lips repeatedly on mine, letting our tongues meet every time, without exposing his fangs.

I took me some time to come over the initial shock, and when it did, I managed to pull myself away. I placed my hands in his chest, and created some space between us. I had to listen to my head for once. This was wrong. It could result in my death if I wasn't careful, and even taking all of that into consideration, I couldn't explain why it felt so incredibly good.

A/N: I bet this is a moment a lot of you had been waiting for! I loved writing this chapter and I loved the internal struggle Serena has as she knows vampires are extremely dangerous to her. Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter as well! Please leave a review with your thoughts and until next time! :D