Nikola followed Ana down the corridors; they were joined by Rene halfway to Ana's suite. The High Lord looked ruffled, angry, and somewhat out of breath. The guards followed a couple of steps behind.

As they neared the Queen's rooms, Nikola was feeling a rising tide of anger himself. He was the king, he was supposed to be in charge, and he was not going to be the victim here. He strode ahead and opened the door into Ana's quarters, went through, and as soon as Ana and Rene had entered he slammed the door in the guards' faces.

He walked over to Rene and said "You have something to say to me High Lord Dramelin?"

"You got your way didn't you? You made my dogs run wild and pushed through the law against me keeping them behind my back!"

Nikola stepped into him until they were within inches of each other. "Yes I did. I'm the King, what are you going to do about it Rene?" he challenged.

The High Lord retorted "I ought to challenge you and tear you apart!"

"Go ahead and try" Nikola hissed softly, stepping forward again and forcing Dramelin back. "Do it, I'm sick and tired of pussyfooting around you."

Rene raised a clawed hand and swiped down toward Nikola's head. The smaller vampire easily blocked the blow with his left hand and drove his right hand into Dramelin's midsection below his belly button. The razor-edged claws went in easily and Nikola immediately pulled up and out as hard as he could, slicing open the High Lord to his sternum. Blood sprayed.

Dramelin looked down at himself and gaped as his intestines spilled out. While he was distracted Nikola sliced him deeply across the neck. With a gurgle, Rene dropped to the floor. Nikola didn't waste time watching him; he spun to Ana, his eyes still blazing with anger.

The Queen was angry too. "That was not a proper challenge, Teslat."

Nikola stalked up to her. "He attempted to attack me so I removed him" he growled haughtily. "I am the King, Ana, not you, not him . . . me!"

She was still angry, but there was a strange joy growing in her eyes as well. "Are you truly?"

Ana leapt at him with inhuman speed and he easily batted her out of the air into the wall. She got up laughing. "Now you are. Now you know what being the Vampire King truly is. Stronger, more violent, taking what you choose, destroying what you choose. We haven't had a true king in a very long time. I am proud; you are my King and you will never go back to being less."

Nikola hesitated, breathing heavily. There was still an unquenched rage in him, so perhaps she was right. Whatever was coursing through his body, it felt glorious. He didn't have to be afraid of anything or anyone, not anymore, never again. He bared his fangs in an imitation of a smile, his face and clothing still wet with Rene's blood, and he didn't care at all whether Dramelin was alive or dead.

Nikola made a sound then, one he had never made before, deeper than even his usual vampire voice. It was a roar of sorts and it reverberated through Ana's chambers and beyond. He was the King!

In a more normal vampire voice he said "I'm going now. See that the new law is followed."

For the first time Ana truly bowed to him. Nikola turned and smashed open her outer door just because he felt like it. The guards waiting in the reception room quailed before his anger and dropped to their knees. He strode through without really noticing them to the gate room.

It was locked from the inside but fared no better than Ana's door. He stepped over the wreckage, turned on the gate, tuned it to the Sanctuary portal and went through.

He moved quickly through the halls of the Sanctuary, anticipating a barrier to smash. He was lord of the earth; free from fears, free from petty societal constraints, he was the King!

He heard voices to his right and turned into what some part of his brain identified as the media room. There were two males there but they barely acknowledged his presence- insulting!

"Hey you're back" Henry said, giving the vampire a glance and a quick smile before turning back to the video game. Then the vampire's bloody condition and the weird look in his eyes registered.

Will hadn't said anything but when he'd turned to look at the vampire he'd frozen, the game controller falling unnoticed from his hands. He recognized immediately that the being in the room with them wasn't exactly Nikola Tesla; the blood lust in his eyes was a dead giveaway.

"Grovel before your King!" Nikola roared.

Henry put down his controller and stood up, eyes wide. "What's the matter with you?" The HAP moved toward Tesla, concern for his friend showing on his face. "What the hell happened, is that your blood, are you hurt?"

Will realized a moment too late how much danger Henry was in. He grabbed at the other man as he went past but only snagged the sleeve of his tee shirt, which Henry shrugged off. Will said with quiet intensity "Henry, stop, back off, that's not Tesla."

Henry looked back and frowned. "What do you mean it's not Tesla, of course it's . . ." He had turned back to Nikola and his voice died as he looked into his eyes. He was right in front of fangs and claws and black orbs that shone with both anger and glee in a blood-flecked face and blood-soaked clothes.

Henry swallowed. "Umm, hey Nikola. How's it going? I'm Henry, remember me, your friend and lab par . . ."

The HAP never finished his sentence. Nikola lashed out at the impertinent being in front of him, not using his claws but just his strength to smack the annoying disrespectful creature across the room and into a grand piano with a satisfyingly loud crash and muted twang.

Will leapt across the couch, flipped open a bust of Mozart and hit the alarm button. That brought the vampire's attention back to him. The psychiatrist looked around for something to use to defend himself and picked up a chair and held it in front of him.

"Stay back. Henry, are you all right? Henry?"

The HAP was moving a little in the wreckage but Nikola was now focused on Will. He leapt forward with augmented speed and easily swept the chair out of Will's hand and tossed it aside. Will tried to dodge past him to get to the door, but he wasn't even close to being fast enough. The vampire hammered him flat with one blow.

Henry was up and had one of the piano legs in both hands. "Sorry" he muttered and charged Nikola from behind, swinging the leg at his head. Nikola spun and put out one hand, stopping the wild swing dead in place and took the leg out of the HAP's hands. He tapped Henry in the head with it, and he dropped. For good measure, the King hit his still form a couple more times in the body, and then tossed the piano leg aside and turned back to the other disobedient creature.

Will had rolled over and sat up, but was still dazed and not in the least ready for Nikola leaping on him. He batted ineffectually at the vampire, but Tesla had his head in both hands, stretching his neck. Will looked at his face in horror, seeing his death in the red-rimmed black eyes.

"NIKOLA!" Helen yelled from the doorway. "What the hell are you doing?"

The vampire let go of the defeated thing on the floor and stood to face the beautiful female. Oh yes, that's what he wanted, and since he was King it was his for the taking.

He leered and advanced toward her. Helen pulled out a small gun and pointed it at him. He didn't notice it; he just walked until his chest bumped the end of the barrel. Nikola leaned into the gun, tilting his head to kiss her and she let the gun slide aside.

Helen knew there was something drastically wrong with Nikola. But considering the level of destruction in the room, a body shot wasn't going to stop him; it would just make him angrier. This wasn't the time to irritate him any further than he already was. Although at the moment he didn't seem so much angry as just insistent.

She kissed him back, and he slid his mouth down to her neck. But instead of playful nibbling he took the front of her throat between his fangs; if he bit down she would die. Helen held very still. His mouth moved slightly to one side and she felt the little sting of his feeders penetrating her skin and into her artery. She was shocked he had actually bitten her.

He pushed her back against the wall, starting to feed. Nikola's hands went to her skirt and pulled it and her slip up around her waist. He was leaning into her and she could feel him grow hard against her. This wasn't the time or place for this.

But what could she do? He was violent and he had her throat between his teeth. She still had the gun in her hand and she could shoot him somewhere that would stop him and make him uninterested in sex for quite a while, but that was terribly drastic.

She could see Will moving a little over Nikola's shoulder, his hands holding his neck. Henry wasn't moving, but he was breathing, she could see that, so no one was dead although she couldn't tell how serious anyone's injuries were. She could try telling Nikola to stop, but she didn't really want him to. He'd never fed on her like this before, and there seemed to be a direct line between her neck and the pleasure centers of her brain. She dropped the gun.

Nikola tore off her panties and freed himself from his pants. Whatever he was doing to her neck was sending ripples of pleasure through her and she wanted him inside her right now. But her mind was a fog, and she wasn't sure if it was her desire or his that was driving her.

He lifted her and penetrated her, her legs wrapping around his hips. He turned, holding her to him with one hand and went to his knees, then fell forward catching them and easing them down on the carpet with the other hand.

He rocked on top of her, stroking and making her moan and gasp. Helen was starting to feel light-headed from the blood drain but she didn't want him to stop. They came together and Nikola finally withdrew from her, released her neck and rolled to one side.

He tucked himself back in his pants. There was a gasp from the doorway.

"OMG" Kate said, and Helen heard Big Guy grunt in surprise. Helen realized she was naked from her waist down to her high heels and quickly pulled down her slip and skirt. She looked at Nikola; he was still in vampire form, but he no longer looked angry just very satisfied with himself.

"Back out to the hall" Helen ordered Kate and Big Guy. The Sasquatch protested "But Henry . . ."

"Now!" Helen said sharply. She had no idea how Nikola was going to react to them and she didn't want any more casualties. The two Sanctuary people withdrew out of sight.

Nikola rose fluidly to his feet and looked down at her. "That was adequate. I am master here, you will obey me."

Helen got up carefully while saying "Of course your Majesty. May I tend to these two injured ones?"

Nikola waved a hand grandly and she went to Will. But Will gestured her over to Henry saying "I'm okay, just every muscle in my neck has locked up."

"We'd better X-ray to be sure" Helen replied as she knelt to examine Henry. The HAP had a lump on one side of his forehead and he was unconscious. "He needs a full exam. Will, when Nikola and I leave get Biggie to take him to the infirmary and you go too."

Helen stood up and faced Nikola, keeping her anger firmly under control. It wasn't Nikola's fault, he definitely wasn't himself. She said calmly "Nikola, would you like to choose some wine from my private stock?" It was the best lure she could think of but for a moment she feared he would refuse.

He stepped in close to her invading her personal space again, but after a moment of thought he said "I could just tell you to fetch the best you have, but it's true you don't know what I have a taste for. All right Helen my dear, let's take a walk. And tell your minions in the hall to be properly respectful or they'll end up like these two."

She lowered her eyes so he couldn't see the defiance in them and linked her arm with his. Kate and Biggie had overheard their conversation and Biggie bowed and Kate did a half-satirical curtsy as they passed. Nikola paraded her past them and if he caught the satire he ignored it.

He is acting so much like John at his worst Helen thought. She was playing with fire and she knew it, but somewhere beneath the ego of the king was her own dear Nikola. Meekly she asked "Your Majesty, you don't happen to have an energy being inside you, do you?"

Nikola frowned and replied "Of course not, I'm the Vampire King; anything that attacks me will be utterly destroyed. Why did you ask that?" Nikola halted and turned to her. "Are you thinking about . . . someone else?" She could see he was becoming angry again.

She tried to placate him. "I'm just worried about you. You've been the King of the Vampires for some time, but you've never acted like this before."

"I wasn't being a proper Vampire King before, but now I am." But at least he looked thoughtful and his anger had subsided again.

"Your Majesty, you wouldn't hurt me, would you?"

He gave her sharp look. "You're my female; I would only hurt you if your behavior needed correcting. But you've been behaving very well recently" he said, leering.

"Nikola, your Majesty, do you remember when you were here before?"

"Of course I never forget anything" he replied scornfully.

"Then you remember that Henry and Will are your friends."

"I remember letting them be overly familiar with me, especially Foss; a mistake I won't make again."

Helen stopped walking, and Nikola did also, turning to her with a questioning look. They were outside the containment rooms, not the wine cellar. "Nikola, could you do a favor for me? Change back to human; I want to see your beautiful blue eyes. Please?"

He looked at her suspiciously. "This isn't the wine cellar. Are you attempting to betray me Ahelena?" He checked the hall both ways as if expecting attackers to come running toward them.

"I'm attempting to bring you back to yourself. Please Nikola, I love you. I love the inventor, the scholar, the genius, the wit and the man who can be inordinately honest, kind and gentle when he chooses. I want him back. Please?" she begged, her eyes full of tears when she finished.

Nikola looked both uneasy and suspicious. "You shouldn't talk like that; it makes me feel very odd. It's uncomfortable, and you shouldn't make me uncomfortable." But he was troubled and spoke without heat.

"Nikola Tesla, do you love me? If you do then please, please change back to human."

"Of course I . . . Helen, I'm not . . . I . . ." Nikola stopped talking, looking down at the floor, shaking his head but not changing. Helen waited silently, seeing he was struggling, hoping Nikola would win out over Teslat.

Nikola's breathing deepened and he closed his eyes. "I don't think . . . I don't seem to be able to . . ."

Helen said quickly "It's all right Nikola. Can you make yourself go into a containment cell?" She quickly unlocked the door and stood aside.

The vampire flushed and said "Why should I do that? I am the King; I should have a grand throne room, not some dinky little . . . did you say cell?" He stared at the door but didn't move except for a slow shake of his head.

"Because you love me and somewhere inside you know you're out of control." He just stared at her.

"Come on Nikola, you can do it. You don't want to hurt anyone else, I know you don't" Helen gently urged.

Nikola looked uncertain. "Hurting people . . . I should care about that, shouldn't I?"

"Yes, you should, and you do. We're your friends Nikola, you've injured people you care about."

A tear of blood gathered in his eye and ran down his face. "I did hurt them didn't I; it wasn't really me, I wouldn't . . . I'm so sorry Helen." He looked at her, pleading.

"I know Nikola. I forgive you and they will too once they understand. Now go in so we'll all be safe."

Nikola hesitated for a long moment; then he dropped his head and shuffled into the cell. Helen quickly closed and locked the door behind him, watching him through the window. He just stood with his back to her unmoving. She was both relieved and sad to have him locked away, but she would have to deal with him later; for now she needed to see to Henry and Will.

Helen walked quickly to the infirmary. Will was sitting with a brace around his neck, but otherwise looked fine. "Henry?" she asked. He used his thumb to point at an inner room. Helen went in to find Henry unconscious in a bed, stripped of clothes with a sheet covering him up to his waist.

Big Guy was standing next to Henry. Helen came up beside him and asked "How is he?"

"Concussion, but his pupils are equal and reactive; deep muscle bruising." She could see the purple stripes across Henry's arm and side where Nikola had hit him with the piano leg and other bruises as well.

"Has he wakened at all?"

Big Guy nodded. "Briefly; he recognized me."

"Then it sounds like he'll be all right." Biggie nodded again and said "Hope so."

"You'll stay with him?" she asked and he replied "Of course." Helen went back out to Will.

"Henry will be very likely be fine, but he'll require darkness and quiet for a while" she told him. "How do you feel?"

"Like Tesla came really close to pulling my head off; I've got bruises on my bruises but nothing's broken. Where is he?"

"I talked him into a containment cell. He's not really back to himself but he realizes he hurt you and Henry and he's sorry for it."

"He didn't look very sorry the last time I saw him."

Helen nodded in agreement. "Something happened to him when he was with Ana, but I don't know what. He's not himself, and he really hasn't been since we rescued him from Ginger."

"Are you going to put him back on diazepam?"

"Honestly I don't know what I'm going to do. If you have any suggestions I'd like to hear them."

"Sorry, at the moment I've got nothing beyond the urge to clobber him. If I think of anything useful I'll let you know." Will carefully got to his feet grimacing a little every time his neck muscles tried to function. "I took a muscle relaxer and I'm going to go lie down, hairy doctor's orders."

Helen followed him out and went to her own suite to shower and change her clothes; her skirt was definitely worse for wear. She was very thirsty too so she downed a bottle of water, promising herself a nice cup of tea at the earliest opportunity. She went to Nikola's rooms and picked up a washcloth, towel, shampoo and his favorite soap; the cell he was in didn't have a shower, just a toilet and sink so he would have to make do to clean up. But he was likely going to be in there for some time so she got out a small suitcase and packed his personal care items and clean clothes too.

When she got back to his cell he didn't seem to have moved at all. "Nikola?" she said and saw him start a little and turn toward her. The fangs and claws were gone and his eyes were blue again. "Hi Helen" was all he said.

Relieved, she said "I'm so glad you're back to human. Here, I packed you a bag; I thought you might want to wash the blood off and change." She unlocked the door and set the suitcase inside, watching him every moment. He very carefully didn't move and she backed out and locked the door behind her.

"Thank you" he said when she was back in the hall. "How are Henry and Will?"

"Henry has a concussion and some very bad bruises, and Will has a stiff neck."

"He's lucky he has a head. If I hadn't been interrupted . . . well I was so there's no need to go there." Nikola ran his hand through his hair and looked distressed. "Helen, did I . . . did I do anything against your will?"

"No, not really. I had a gun and I could have shot you so no, what we did was consensual although I would have preferred somewhere more private."

"But I forced myself on you, didn't I?"

"Let's just say you were a little more aggressive than usual; rather masterful actually. I have to say I rather liked it. But next time let's be a bit more discreet."

"So we're okay?"

"We're fine; except perhaps for you drinking my blood without a by your leave. That was presumptuous and you broke your promise not to attack anyone for blood."

"Uh, yeah, I'm sorry, I really had no control over that you know. You were scrumptious by the way."

"Hmm. In any case except for frightening me a little there's no permanent harm done."

Nikola nodded. "I'm glad I didn't hurt you and I'm sorry about Will and Henry. Tell them that for me will you?"

"I've already told Will and I'll tell Henry first chance I get."

"I'd tell them myself but I doubt they want to see me right now."

"Especially covered in blood."

"Oh yeah, it is kind of sticky and smelly. I really need to do something about that."

"Then I'll leave you alone to clean up."

Nikola said seriously "Helen? Thank you. Not just for the clothes but for interrupting me before I killed someone and talking me down into here. And the sex was pretty fantastic too."

"I'll see you this evening. I want to know what happened with Ana that triggered this."

"I'll talk to you later then, but I'm not sure I know exactly what happened either."

"Well think about it Nikola" were Helen's parting words.

Nikola did think about it as he stripped and washed himself and dressed in clean clothes. But he still wasn't sure hours later when she came back. Helen brought a double handful of the new science books with her, opened the door and quickly slid them inside.

He stood still as she did, not wanting to scare her; he felt terrible that she would ever be afraid of him. He looked at the stack of books not quite as happily as she had expected. "I'm going to be in here that long, am I?" he asked.

"I don't know. If I could be sure you wouldn't hurt yourself or anyone else I'd let you out right now."

Nikola picked up the books and set them gently on a small desk in the room. "Thanks for bringing these."

"So why don't you tell me what happened?"

Nikola started to pace, thinking. "I was fine when I left you, just a little concerned what was going to happen with Ana. She was not at all happy that I can change humans into vampires and vice versa. I didn't know if she thought she could keep me prisoner or what."

"Then Dramelin joined us and he was really pissed off at me and suddenly I just got really angry." Nikola stopped and faced her. "I don't intend to be a victim any more Helen. Ginger was enough, I've just had it. Those vampires thought they could just push me around and do whatever they wanted to me, and I refuse to let that happen again. No more!" he finished, nearly yelling the last two words. He was starting to vamp again.

Helen said calmly "It's all right Nikola, no one is trying to make you do anything you don't want to; you're completely safe in there, Will and I are the only ones who know the combination."

Nikola became quieter and his vampire characteristics receded. "I know, I know. Just thinking about it . . . well something happened inside of me. Suddenly they all seemed so petty and weak. I'm talking about full-grown vampires, an outer room full of guards all bigger than me and two vampires both older and more powerful than I am. At least they should have been more powerful but I just ripped Dramelin up and smacked Ana across the room."

"You hit the woman you call Grandmother?"

"Older isn't weaker with vampires. She got up laughing, pleased about whatever was happening to me. She said I was finally a real Vampire King."

Helen said thoughtfully "I remember Afina; she was supremely confident, violent, and thought she could just take whatever she wanted. She cared nothing about anyone but herself. Is that what being vampire royalty is like?"

"If my behavior and the way I was thinking about all of you is any indication, I would say that's right on the nose."

"How were you thinking about us Nikola?"

He began to pace again. She waited for his answer, pretty sure she wasn't going to like it.

Finally he stopped and said "Henry and Will weren't people to me, not even valuable animals, just irritating disrespectful creatures in my way."

"Was I a creature to you Nikola, when you and I were . . ."

"No! But I felt like I owned you. You were my female, meant to give me pleasure and obey me." He held his hands up to stop her when she began to respond. Nikola said "I know that's disgusting, you don't have to say it. But underneath the real me was still in there in a way. That's why Henry and Will are alive; part of me didn't really want to hurt them. And I love you Helen. If I didn't I would have taken a lot more blood and if you thought I was being rough, I wasn't. I could have hurt you very badly."

"I see. What you've just told me is that you can be very, very dangerous and you are unable to control yourself."

"I suppose so. Do you have a pill for that, Helen?"

Helen just shook her head, and he could see the tears in her eyes. She said in a broken voice "I don't have a solution Nikola and I'm afraid of what will become of you if I can't find one. I'm sorry; I just can't go on with this conversation right now. I'll talk to you in the morning."

Helen walked quickly down the hall and he just watched her. There was nothing else he could do.

A/N: JBB, epichlexi, and LilliantYay thanks for the reviews.