Here it is!...finally...

Sorry for the delay. my schedule is hecktic to say the least and my coauthor has some serious family issues at the moment.

This chapter has some humor, some more character insight and I truly hope everyone enjoys it.

I am still planning on doing another author chat as soon as I can find a date and I'll post it on my profile for anyone would like to join me to discuss my fics. In the mean time I try to reply to as many reviews and PMs as I can. I really hope people understand Eric and Dina in this story and can be patient as we watch our character grow [closer with one another].

as always.

thank you for being patient, please review, critisism is accepted, compliments are encouraged, and suggestions are always taken under consideration!

I walked in the bathroom and on the back of the door were three hangers. The first one had a pair of sandstone khakis. They looked like the pair I had wanted, but thought were too expensive. I looked them over and moved them aside. I found a plain blue t-shirt in front of a bright blue hoodie. This wasn't just any hoodie - it was from my Amazon wish list! I'd wanted this outfit for month and always had a bill in my way. Eric had not only ordered this for me, but hid it in the house and got it into the bathroom without me noticing!

I was so happy! It was also shocking that he was going to let me cover up so much, since he kept me next to naked most of the time. I guess he didn't want people seeing what he considered to be his. I wanted to squeal with joy over the clothes and his thoughtfulness.

I slid out of my clothes and put a bra on. I wasn't surprised that he hadn't given me a pair of underwear. I got dressed and looked myself over in the mirror. I looked nice and normal - except for the collar. I zipped the hoodie all the way up and pulled my hair around my shoulders. I couldn't cover the leather up. I was happy to not be so exposed when I was in public, but the fact that I belonged to Eric wasn't going to be ignored. I remembered wearing a spiked collar in high school. I thought I was badass, but now I was embarrassed to have a plain slave collar on. I was glad he hadn't shown an indication of planning to leash me even though my collar had a very noticeable D-ring.

I walked out and Eric was standing by the door slipping on his flip flops. He put on a pair of blue jeans with a black and blue track jacket. I thought we looked very nice, but very different standing next to each other. We complemented one another: my light pants and bright hoodie; his dark jeans and jacket with a deep blue stripe. His very large height and my smaller size. I slid on a pair of flip flops as well. His were plain and mine were decorated with colored beads.

"Ready?" he asked me.

"Yes; thank you for the outfit. I love it."

"You look very good in it," he said with a smile. He reached for me and I slid easily into his embrace. "Almost too good!" he growled possessively and I rubbed my chin and cheek against his chest as I looked up at him. I wondered if he could see my obvious love for him in my eyes. His passionate kiss felt natural to me as he backed me up against the wall and punched the code to open the door. I couldn't imagine living any other way of life with any other man. Even if it meant not going these changes. Even if I got to go back to school, on a physical campus, and not be awake all night. And even if I never had to be submissive again, I wouldn't leave him.

Eric was it for me.

I looked up the poorly lit staircase. I was going to have to talk to him about some new bulbs. He saw me hesitate and looked at me.

"It's dark. You need more bulbs."

"I don't require much light to see. I'll get someone to install them; come here." He pulled me against him and swung me into his arms to carry me up the stairs.

"I can do it during the day if I have a ladder and bulbs," I offered

"No!" He said firmly. "You will no manual labor. Any services you do will be for me only. I will have someone put in lights for you soon."

Well...that was lovely. He was turning me into a delicate doll; a delicate doll he was going to fuck raw later, but a delicate doll nonetheless. I can't say I really felt demeaned. Eric respected me, even as he dominated me. He never treated me as unintelligent. He laughed with me and was going to pay for my education. He cared about my well being and who I was as a person. He may have wanted me to change - be the perfect submissive, control my temper, monitor my big mouth, not over do myself - but not who I was as a person. And some of the changes he wanted benefited me. His damn logical and pragmatic reasoning was hard to argue with. I mean, was I really going to bitch about getting the outfit I'd been pining for and not being allowed to do work that wasn't enjoyable to begin with?

We got out of the house and into his corvette in record time. He drove like a maniac and I was pretty sure I had at least 5 near death experiences in the 20 minutes it took to get the supermarket. I thought my hands were going to leave an imprint on the side of his door I was gripping it so hard. Eric paid me no mind and I wondered how he kept his license. We both walked into the store and I hesitated before grabbing a cart. I guess I was going to push and he would follow. I hoped he didn't get frustrated if I was slow. I also hoped he'd grab some things off the top shelf for me so I didn't have to ask for help or discreetly climb.

"Umm, Eric? How long do you expect me to be?"

"I'm going to stay with you. How long are you usually?"

"An hour or so. I like to check all the aisles, look at prices...ya know," I said, nervous.

I don't know why I said he knew. He had no idea. He hadn't eaten food in a millennia.

"Don't worry about prices. Just grab it." His voice was stern and I knew this was an order. I fought to not roll my eyes.

We started walking and I grabbed some lunch meats and bacon. We got to the deli and didn't have to grab a number because there was only one person in front of us. Eric watched me very carefully. I ordered a few half pounds of their salads and pudding. Then I got my hot dogs and more meat so I could make some quick sandwiches while Eric rested. He seemed fascinated by me and my shopping skills.

"Why did you get half pounds? Was it the price?" He spoke into my ear as we walked away.

"No; I just want to make sure I don't get too much. They are perishable and taste better the faster you eat them," I explained.

He nodded, satisfied with my answer. We did pretty good until we got to the condiments. I tossed in the extra large family size ketchup without an issue, but when my fingers grabbed the herb and garlic marinade he stopped me. It was pulled from my hand before I could register what was happening.

"Absolutely not." He placed it back on the shelf.

"It's my favorite!" I protested.

"Find a new favorite. What would you do with this anyway?"

"Make my chicken and rice."

"Make it with something else"

"There is hardly any garlic..." I began

"No. Now walk away. "

I glanced to see if anyone was watching us. I decided to not make a scene or a fuss. But I really had a taste for my chicken.

As I silently pouted we walked farther up the aisle, until Eric reached around me and covered my hands with his, stopping our movement as he held me in his embrace. His mouth was very close to my ear. "You are my only food source. Do you want to make me sick?" he asked me sincerely.

He must have felt my irritation. I still wasn't used to the blood bond; I'd forgotten that he could feel my emotions. I looked down at my shoes, realizing that I was being selfish. I knew garlic bothered Vampires, but I hadn't put two and two together. It hadn't occurred to me that I could make Eric sick with something I ate.

Of course I would give up my garlic marinade! He was way more important to me than some seasoning product. Then I thought what a weird conversation this was. If I tried to explain it to anybody who wasn't around Vampires regularly, no way would they get it!

It was actually really romantic. A lot of people said they couldn't live without their lover, or that he or she was the only thing keeping them going. With Eric and me, that was true as long as we were together. I really was keeping him going. I kept him alive- even if he was sorta dead. Our relationship was special in a way, a human/human relationship could never be. Eric needed me. In a different way than I needed him, but he needed me. Eric provided me with everything, including my food. I gave him my blood to sustain him. He gave me his to heal me and attend to my health, so I was always 100% (maybe even 110% with the extra strength and hyper senses). We needed each other. The thought made me smile to myself.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Oh...its just nice- in a weird kinda way - that I'm the only one keeping you going." I blushed. I sounded somewhere between a twit and a lovesick schoolgirl.

Eric only smiled.

We kept up in silence. I hesitated when I saw the price of the Washington Cherries. Eric saw this and grabbed a bag and put it in my cart without a word. I forced a smile. We finished with the produce and went to get me my potato bread. I was looking through the loaves when he crouched beside me and kept his voice low. I didn't know if he wanted to avoid unnecessary attention or if he was so used to being quiet, it was habit.

"You aren't checking prices are you?" He sounded annoyed.

"No, just how fresh they are," I replied and I could feel him relax. He seemed genuinely interested when I showed him the expiration dates and colored ties on the loaves. I explained how the later the expiration date, the fresher the bread and that the tie's color represented the day it was shipped to the store. I'd just have to get over my bargain shopping if I was going to be shopping with Eric. I knew I couldn't joke with him about getting me that diamond encrusted Ipod holder for a long time now. He would actually do it. But my penny pinching was a hard habit to break. There were no more interruptions until I put a bag of frozen chicken fingers into the cart.

"Chickens have fingers now?" He asked incredulously.

"It's just a name." I laughed at his expression and would have shrugged it off, but he stood in front of my cart and read the ingredients. "I don't trust misleading food. And why is almost everything in a can or a box?"

I tried to not laugh. "They are pieces of chicken shaped like fingers. The packaging helps preserve them."

He made a face and still didn't release my chicken.

"I've been eating those for years. They're safe." I really hoped no one was watching us.

"I'll trust that you know more about food than I do. I've seen many humans grabbing cans and boxes. But I want you to know I don't trust this stuff." He dropped the bag into the cart and continued. "I am going to do research to make sure you are eating what's best for you." He gave me a serious look and raised an eyebrow. I groaned inwardly.

"Thank you." I nodded, unsure of what to say. I think he might have gotten really mad if I would have laughed. It was too funny to watch him worrying over a bag of frozen chicken. I was going to be quick getting my instant mashed potatoes.

Eric was fairly sweet to me, if not unnervingly quiet. I love the chatter of humans. Eric only bantered casually with me when we were alone. He was very helpful in pulling things down for me. Everything was great until we got to the back aisles by the pharmacy. I knew I couldn't buy razors and wondered how he'd feel about my bodywash suggestions.

But the worst was going to be my need of feminine care products.

I wondered if I could send him away. I knew I couldn't and decided to bite the bullet.

"What is this aisle for?" Eric asked, peeking around.

"For women," I said quietly, but he heard me perfectly.

"For your bleeding?" He looked happy for some reason. I wanted to stake him.

"Shh...Yes, we'll be in and out in a moment." I said, trying to keep calm.

"What are tampons? Why do they have pearls on them? This isn't a jewelry store," he asked, reaching for a box.

I wanted to die, and I looked around surreptitiously to make sure nobody else was around. The only person I saw was an old man near the other end of the aisle where the adult diapers were sold. I decided to distract him and not come back to this aisle. I would figure out what to do later.

"I forgot something back in the produce section, Eric!" I said, and quickly started to move away from the offending feminine products.

I was walking as fast as I could, but he was faster. He used his damn Vampire speed and was behind me in less than a second. I squeaked a little as his hands covered mine like they had the last time he'd stopped me. He squeezed more firmly this time and then spun me so that I was facing him, trapped between him and the cart. I lost my balance and had to hold on to his arms for support. The old man looked at us briefly as though deciding whether to interfere. One look at Eric's angry face was enough to change his mind. He quickly left the aisle.

Eric's fingers appeared under my chin, forcing me to look up at him. It was hard, considering our close proximity. His expression was dangerous.

"Do not ever walk away from me like that!" He enunciated each word and then seemed to be waiting for something. Finally I nodded to tell him I understood.

He relaxed a little bit and then leaned down as though to kiss me, but he turned his head at the last second.

"These products fascinate me," he said softly. "I have always wondered what they do and now I have you to answer my questions. And you will answer my questions." I was too nervous to speak so I just nodded again.

He continued. "When we go out in public together I need to know that you will stay with me." I nodded again, squeezing his biceps for emphasis.

He seemed to want to make a point so I just let him go ahead and talk. He unzipped his jacket part of the way and reached inside to pull something out. I was horrified to see that it was a leash! It was made of bright silver chain except for the leather loop that he would hold if he…. I swallowed loudly, my mouth hanging open, gaping at it. "You will stay by my side at all times unless I give you permission to leave," he said firmly. "Do not make me use this!"

My eyes widened. He wouldn't, would he? I wanted to scream and I definitely didn't want that on me. He took my stunned silence as agreement, put it away, and I took a shaky breath. He began to walk back to where we were standing before. I turned the cart around and followed reluctantly.

We started with the tampons. He actually pulled one out of the box and opened it. I was bouncing foot to foot, looking all around, hoping no one could see us. I was going to die from embarrassment.

"How does this work? What is the string for?" He had managed to push one out of its holder and was holding it up by the string like a dead mouse by the tail. Then he grabbed it and started trying to open the layers. I wished the earth would open up and swallow me whole.

"You, ummm, insert it and when it's full, you use the string to pull it out and flush it," I said quickly, wanting this ordeal to be over.

"This goes inside of you? It catches your blood and you flush it?" He asked incredulously. "Absolutely not! You will not be wasting your blood like that!"

"Wasting?" I asked, confused.

"I plan on having my meals from between your legs when you bleed. This..,cotton intruder isn't welcome in our home!" He shoved it back in the box and tossed the box in the cart.

Okay...I couldn't be overly surprised by his 'meal' comment. But he was so confident when he said it; it kinda made me feel grossed out. I knew people who had their 'red wings,' but...eeewww! I had to reason with him. I had a feeling he'd be dining however he pleased no matter what I said, but I needed something while he rested.

"I still need something while you sleep," I told him, picturing myself sitting on a giant cup all day so he could have every drop. I shivered.

"What else is there?" He walked until he found the pads and started looking at the boxes.

"Wings? Are they made with feathers?"

I was back to feeling like laughing, after being so mortified. Eric was going to drive me insane! "No, you attach them to the sides of your underwear to help hold them in place."

"But I don't allow you to wear underwear...I don't like any of these. They restrict my access to you. That's unacceptable."

I was beginning to get exacerbated. Eric was reminding me of a child not getting his way.

"No matter what we buy, its going to 'restrict' you. But we *need* something!" I stressed to him.

"Which do you prefer? Why?"

"Tampons. They leak less and can stay in longer," I replied.

"Won't these…pads be easier and faster to remove?" He asked, saying the word pads as though he was speaking a foreign language.

"Yes, but they have to be changed more often. It's a hassle." I never thought I'd have to explain this and try to justify my purchasing choices to someone. He looked deep in thought.

"Why don't we get both? We can alternate."

I wasn't adverse to a pad on a 'light' day.

"Get both. You can get however many you need for during the day. As soon as I rise, they will be disposed of and you will be available for me." He dictated.

"What are we going to do, lay in bed? I'll make a mess!"

"I'm unconcerned. Your blood isn't dirty to me. You won't have to lift a finger or do any work while you have your monthly flow. I'll take care of you. After all, you are giving me the best treat of my life." He gave me a fangy smile.

I had no idea how he could be so caring and sweet, and so gross and selfish all at the same time. I took a breath and just forced myself to let it go. I reached for some boxes and he looked over each one before placing them in the cart.

"What else is in this female section?" Eric asked more to himself than to me. He started checking all the products. I was his tour guide.

"What is douche?"

"It's for women to clean themselves."

"Their woman parts? Why is it...flavored?" He actually opened one and wet his finger, making a face after he tasted it. "Disgusting!"

This was going to be hard. Technically doctors recommended never using it, but some women swore by it. I knew many ladies embarrassed by having strong odors, most of which were imagined. "Some women like to smell different. Its more cosmetic."

He made a disgruntled noise. "You silly humans these days. There is nothing dirty about being a woman. I want you to smell like one and not like fruit." He shoved the box back on the shelf, none too gently. I smiled. It was really nice to have a man like Eric - blood drinking aside. So many men were grossed about by normal odors or by menstruation. I once had a boyfriend who was very hostile about me wearing pantyliners to bed because he said he could smell them. It really made me feel horrible.

Eric, on the other hand, loved what my body did naturally. I wondered if he'd have me sit on a an ice cube tray, pop in some tooth picks, and make him bloody popsicles. I decided to not say that aloud and give him any ideas.

After that Eric said he was done with this section. Maybe he'd explore more next time, but he was too disgusted with 'dumb humans and their idiotic views' to stay any longer. I didn't reply to any of these comments. We were finally at the checkout lane and I was so happy!

"Go, sit by the bank. I don't want you watching the prices...Now!" He commanded when I hesitated. I walked past the cashier and sat down on the bench by the bank. This night hadn't been that bad and I got all my food. I was happy.

I relaxed a bit and closed my eyes. I was still adjusting to being up all night. I hadn't worked out all the kinks. Eric touched my shoulder and jolted me back to the present. "Let's get home."

We walked to the car and I tried to help with putting the bags in the trunk, but Eric waved me off and told me to get in the car. I didn't argue because I was still sleepy. I pulled on my seatbelt for extra safety and laid my head back. I opened my eyes when Eric appeared beside me, firing up the engine.

"Rest. We'll be home soon." He said kindly.

I nodded and fell asleep. It would be a nice little cat nap before we got home and talked about what came up at the store. And did god knows what...