TASTE

It took Eric less than a minute to follow the sound. He looked at the wreckage, watching smoke rise from the front of the car, the metal twisted around the tree, shattered glass spread all around.

He darted to the driver's side window, looking in at her limp body. He listened for a moment, a strange relief washing through him as he realised that she was still alive and just unconscious.

He tried the door, growling when it didn't budge, the metal too twisted. He dug his fingers into the frame, wrenching it from its hinges before he knelt beside the opening, patting her cheek lightly, trying to get her to open her eyes. 'Sarah,' he said, his voice urgent. 'Sarah,' he tried again, but she didn't reply. He looked her over, flinching as he saw the cuts in her creamy skin, caused by the shattered glass.

He tore at the seatbelt, pulling her carefully into his arms, cradling her against his chest before he carried her away from the still smoking car, wondering where he should take her. He didn't know where she lived.

Bill and Sookie lived by, but there was no way he was going to go there, not when he could take care of her.

He sprinted to his home, a medium sized but luxury house just around the corner from Fangtasia. He set her carefully on his bed. He checked her over, mostly finding superficial cuts, but there were some deeper ones, blood seeping to stain her white shirt.

He closed his eyes, the delicious scent filling him, his tongue darting out to lick his lips, urging him to taste…

'No,' he growled at himself, forcing his eyes open and he shed his jacket, rolling up his sleeves. He sat beside her, lifting her head onto his knee as he slashed his wrist with his fangs, pressing it to her parted lips before it could heal.

'Come on,' he urged, brushing her hair aside, surprised by how soft the strands were. 'Drink.' He lifted her head higher, that strange flash of relief flashing through him as he felt her lips move, her heartbeat becoming a little stronger, her tongue darting out to lap at the red that dripped slowly from the cut. He smiled. 'Good girl.'

Her eyes fluttered, but she didn't wake even as her hand twitched, the pull of her lips becoming a little stronger. She reached up, gripping his arm. Her fingers dug into his skin and he had to stifle a moan, a jolt of heat washing over him as her tongue flicked over his wrist again. He forced his mind to focus on her wounds, watching as they healed, but was forced to pull his wrist away as another wave of heat hit him, stronger than the first, a shudder moving through his body.

He slipped off the bed, standing beside her. She seemed to relax, her breathing calmer, her heartbeat strong and steady. If not for the blood, she would look like an angel.

Hell, she still looked like an angel.

He took another breath, that same shudder running through him as the scent of her blood filled him. He sat back on the edge of the bed. He leant closer, taking one of her hands to bring it to his lips, his tongue darting out, unable to resist the delicious scent any longer, though he wished that he could take it from her slender neck, or maybe one of those gorgeous pale thighs…

His eyes rolled back at the taste of her. He'd never known that blood could taste so good. Combined with the exquisite scent of her skin, she was intoxicating.

He shot up suddenly, stepping away from the bed and into the shadows as she mumbled something, her eyes fluttering open. He could see the moment when she remembered, her body stiffening as she sat up, looking at her hands, eyes wide when she saw the blood. She looked around, pushing her hair from her eyes, a startled cry escaping her lips as she discovered more of the thick red.

'Hello?' she called, her voice breaking on the word as her eyes continued to evaluate her surroundings, though she didn't notice him. 'Is there anyone there?'

He could smell her fear, could feel it now that he had given her his blood. Something inside him wanted to help her, to comfort her, but another part was…hungry. He wanted more than just a taste of her sweet blood, more than a glimpse of her creamy skin. He so rarely felt those urges so strongly, but now they were clawing inside him, demanding that he indulge them.

No, he scolded himself. You're not going to take advantage of her, not after the accident.

But you've healed her, the hungry part of him argued. She may be grateful…

Even if she is, she's not like that, he argued, though he didn't know why. He didn't know her, so how was he so sure…Right, the blood.

Compromise.

He wasn't sure what that meant, but it slowly began to click, little pieces falling into place. Compromise. He could be charming; he could convince her to stay for a little while. Or maybe he could offer her a deal: if she told him what she was, how she had burned him before, he would let her leave.

Really…?

He stepped out of the shadows slowly and her eyes locked on him, watching carefully as she sat on the end of the bed. 'How are you feeling?'

She pulled her knees up, hugging them to her chest. 'Fine, but I don't know how. I know I crashed, I know it, and there's blood all over me, but there are no cuts. There aren't even little scratches.'

'I healed you.'

She tensed. 'You what?'

'I healed you.'

'How?'

He leant his elbows on his knees. 'I gave you some of my blood.'

She was genuinely surprised by his kindness. Why would someone like Eric Northman care about her?

She tried to smile but it came out half-hearted at best. 'Ah…Thank you Eric,' she said. 'And I don't mean to sound rude, but I…I need to go home.'

'No.'

The word flew out as though it had a mind of its own, and she looked just as surprised as he felt, even though he had planned to keep her there somehow. He had meant to coax her into staying, not act like a barbarian.

'I have to get home to my brother. He'll have realised that something is wrong. I should be home by now,' she said, throwing her legs over the edge of the bed, preparing to stand.

He darted forward, standing in front on her, blocking her exit. 'I want some answers.'

'I don't know what to say.'

'Yes you do,' he said, leaning close. 'How did you burn my wrist?'

'I don't know,' she stuttered, dropping her gaze.

'How did you burn my wrist?' he repeated.

She shuffled back, trying to put some space between them. He was too close again, those delectable lips barely inches from hers, the blue of his eyes boring though her. 'Please, just let me go home.'

He gripped her ankle dragging her back towards him. 'Tell me what you are.'

'I don't know, okay!' she exclaimed. Her heart was crashing against her ribcage, threatening to break through her chest, the blood coursing through her veins calling out to him. She pulled her knees up again, wrapping her arms around them. 'All I know is that I can do things, control fire and water and other elements, but I don't know how.'

'Show me.'

She stared at him for a moment before dropping her gaze. She lifted her hands and he watched as a ball of flame swirled just above her left hand, a ball of water in the other, his eyes widening as they turned to air and stone. They disappeared just as easily as they appeared, leaving him stunned.

She dropped her hands again, drawing them around herself. 'Can I go home now?'

He was too close to her, his broad shoulders in reach, that sexy mouth still just inches away. She shook her self mentally, knowing that her thoughts were irrational. She'd just been in an accident. She could have died.

But she felt fine. In fact, she felt better than fine, her whole body coursing with energy, her skin more sensitive, her senses keener.

And her libido was going through the roof.

She had been attracted to him at Merlotte's, even when he'd been bearing down on her, boxing her in against her car. But now she was craving him, her whole body crying out for his touch, his kiss, a kiss she knew could have her begging for more in just seconds.

She'd never wanted anyone more, not in her entire life, and he wasn't even like the men she was usually attracted to. They were all sweet boys with bright eyes and bleached blonde hair, the sort of guys that you would take home to your parents.

Eric was far from that. He may have healed her, but there was something dangerous about him, something mysterious and sexy in a way she had never known possible.

She shivered at the thought of closing that gap, but knew that she couldn't. A man like Eric Northman would never be interested in her, not in a million years, but the temptation was so strong that she could feel it burning through her, arousing her in a way that frightened her. So she kept her eyes lowered, not daring to meet his gaze even as he stepped back a little.

His knees almost buckled, the heady scent of her arousal hitting him like a tidal wave. He took another breath just to feel it again, the power of the desire that coiled inside him.

He clenched his fists, stepping away from her to pick up his jacket. He stepped into his closet, reaching for a coat hanger.

He stilled, listening for a moment, a smirk curling his lips. 'Don't bother,' he called from inside the walk in closet, hearing her pause mid step. 'It's locked, and you won't be able to open it.'

He closed his eyes for a moment as he heard her try the door anyway, an exasperated noise escaping her lips. He stayed in there for a moment, hearing the springs of the mattress creak as he tried to listen to the rational part of himself.

It's just the effects of my blood, he told himself, but the hungers inside him still clawed, their sharp points digging in.

Exactly, it said. Use her desire…

He knew he should ignore his hungers, but even as he fought, he sat beside her on the bed. 'Listen, why don't you have a shower? You can wash the blood off.'

She stared at him for a moment, scrutinizing his expression. 'That's probably a good idea,' she admitted after a moment, glancing at her hands. 'My brother will be worried enough about me. If I go home covered in blood, he'll cancel his trip. I can't let that happen, not when he's so close to reaching his dream.'

He was so surprised by her words, the sincerity and selflessness within them. He'd always thought of humans as selfish, their thoughts focused on themselves, yet she held others higher than her. She knew that she'd been in an accident, had been so scared, yet she was always more worried about her brother.

He stood up, offering her his hand, pulling a smile over his lips. He just contained a grin as her heart speed up, the sound so tempting.

She reached out and he closed his hands around her slender fingers, the warmth of her skin sending another jolt of heat shooting through him as he lead her to the bathroom. She stopped in the centre of the room, the white tiles shining in the lights overhead.

'I'll get you a towel and some clean clothes,' he said, stepping towards a small cupboard, smirking as he felt her eyes on his back, her gaze moving south.

She licked her lips, her eyes riveted on that fine ass as he bent, reaching into the cupboard, her head tilting to the side. She almost gasped as she realised what she was thinking, surprised by the fantasies that were running through her mind. She wasn't innocent, but she had never craved someone so…unattainable.

She snapped back into reality as he appeared in front of her, pushing a fluffy white towel into her hands. He smiled. It was the same flash of perfect white teeth that had ramped her heartbeat up before, and now it was skyrocketing in her chest.

He stepped back from her, the smile remaining on his lips, a wicked turn coming into it as he turned around. 'I'll find something for you to wear.'

She breathed a sigh of relief as she the door closed behind him. She tried to calm herself as she stripped the bloodied clothes, cringing every time she found another slash in her shirt. Looking at her skin now, it was hard to believe that she'd don't anything more than have a manicure. The evidence was there, but it was still so hard to believe.

She turned the taps, the hot water filling the room with steam. The system at her house had never worked properly, even when she'd gotten Jason to take a look at it a number of times, so she stepped under the spray, just feeling the water cascaded over her for a while. It felt fantastic, some of the tension that she had been feeling rolling off her shoulders with every drop.

She watched as the water ran red, the blood washing from her body, glad to get it off of her skin. The grungy feeling in her hair was beginning to make her feel self-conscious.

But she was sure that he had kept licking his lips.