DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ALL OF THE CHARACTERS AND NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGMENT IS INTENDED. ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO THEIR REPECTIVE OWNERS. I AM SIMPLY TAKING THE CHARACTERS OUT TO PLAY FOR MY OWN AMUSMENT. WARNING: RATED M FOR SEXUAL CONTENT, ADULT THEMES, AND LANGUAGE.

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Chapter Two

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A week had passed and Nikolai had signed over the state to me. I was officially a king. A lot of vampires of the state were outraged that Nikolai had been forced to give up the position. Louisiana had not seen such peace, harmony, and prosperity as they had since Nikolai took over. They were not so keen on giving up their monarch. Freyda left as soon as I took over. A polarized vampire population was putting pressure on the current council and were demanding a change in the laws. The council did not budge and as time grew closer to Nikolai's departure of the state, fears of rioting and threats of retaliation rained in. It was a good thing that the vampires of the state did not oppose my rule or we might have been run out of town by torch wielding locals. Most of them knew me from the time I was Sheriff so they accepted me in face of the alternative, which was Freyda, if Nikolai had remained King. I made it clear that my intention was to give back the throne to Nikolai as soon as possible and I would do everything I could to make that happen.

I was surprised at how many of the surrounding monarchs offered their support. They of course would not publicly involve themselves, especially since news of Nikolai's impending marriage hit the papers. Freyda thought it would be a great idea to appear on the cover of American Vampire magazine. The headline was "America's sexiest vampire bachelor to marry Queen of Oklahoma." Needless to say, Nikolai admirers went wild. Freyda's brilliant idea had led to a multitude of death threats and someone went as far as to have one of her vehicles blown up. She didn't happen to be inside it at the time, which was a shame, but the message was clear. She had no choice but to retreat back to her home state. Nikolai still planned on meeting her there, but at least we would have the nearly two weeks left to come up with something.

Nikolai didn't quite return to himself but he was trying hard to appear so. He was sitting in his office going over the contract for the thousandth time when I entered, "You need to look else where for the answer."

Nikolai looked up at me and for a moment his face was unguarded. "I don't know if I can do this."

There was something more, I could feel it in my gut. I tried to get into his mind but he blocked me, even in his weakened state. It had to have been a while since he had fed. Every night he was getting worse. His eyes were sunken in and his skin was turning gray. It was distressing to see. "Nikolai you need to feed. You need your strength."

He shook his head, and his long dark hair laid limply around his head, "It is not possible. I have been spelled to reject any blood that doesn't come from Freyda until our bond is complete. She may be young but she is devious. She tricked me when were were forced to make the first blood exchange." A blood exchange was often done when two vampires began marriage negotiations. The outdated ritual was supposed to keep things honest between the two parties and the since the first exchange was only temporary, it was looked upon as just part of the process. "The officiant was not only loyal to Freyda but she was a witch," Nikolai growled though his ire seemed to wane, "I should have had her vetted, but we were under the impression that the council had sent her. It was a careless and fatal mistake."

"This is absurd! Why would she weaken you? She needs you." If she wanted him as her sentinel, then weakening him was a bad idea. "Freyda is a dumb bitch. She will see her end." "More importantly though, how could the council let this stand?"

Nikolai shrugged.

"She has violated the law by tainting the ritual. There has to be a way to use that!" I was pacing as Nikolai kicked back in his chair behind his desk.

He shrugged again casually. He looked as calm as he usually did. It was pissing me off. I moved with such speed the papers on his desk fluttered off of it. I leaned across it and I got in his face. My fangs dropped in anger, "How can you just sit there?"

Nikolai abruptly stood up and matched my anger, "Tell me Eric, what should I do?" He screamed right back and I welcomed his ire. "The contract has no loopholes! I have hired every lawyer I could find. They all say the same, there is no way out! Don't you think I have tried every avenue to get out of this? I have hired many witches to break this damn spell and none have been able to. They say the magic is too strong. I have spent the six months looking for a way to free myself, but I have failed." He slumped back down in his chair.

"Six months? Is that how long has it been since you fed?" My anger vanished and was replaced by concern. Six months was a long time, even for one as old as Nikolai. Freyda was trying to force him to her side and he had been resisting, but he wouldn't be able to for much longer.

"I have tried feeding from donors and even Christian, but the result is the same. My body rejects the blood and I am forced to expel it." This was the first time in my existence that I had seen Nikolai so defeated. "Eventually I will desiccate, but maybe that is the better choice."

"No!" I blurted out, then reigned it in, "No, Nikolai, you have to hang in there. I will find a way." I was determined, but I knew that if I didn't come up with something soon it would be too late. Nikolai might never be the same if his brain started to break down. First dementia and paranoia would set in, after that it was anyone's guess. Most vampires simply went insane.

"I will hold on as long as I can." He gave me a weak smile but I couldn't return it.

"Why did you wait so long to tell me about this? For six months you have been suffering." I had to ask, even though in his weakened state I didn't want to push him further.

"It felt like if I disrupted your happiness, Ocella would win. He never wanted any of us to be happy. At least one of us achieved it and I got to experience it vicariously through you. What you have is precious and the family I have been given through your union has been more than I could ever ask for. It saved my child, Eric." He sighed as if even speaking made him weak, "I may not have been able to shield you all from Ocella while he was alive, but I will not let him ruin the lives of all I care about from the grave. Whatever happens now, I am content in knowing that you are now King and our family is safe."

Nikolai might have been a laid back, womanizing, troublemaker, but he was above all else noble, loyal, and a true brother. "This is not the end." I would do whatever was necessary to save him. If I had to go to war with Freyda, I would do just that. He didn't want me to risk the happiness of all the ones we had come to call family, but he didn't realize the fact that he was the reason this family had known happiness at all. If he hadn't stepped in when Sophie-Anne was ended, things would have been a lot bloodier, and Sookie and I would have never been able to leave Louisiana. I was sure our entire family would feel the same.

I left Nikolai feeling a mixture of emotions but when I was hit with Sookie's worry, I closed off my end of the bond and went to find her. She had been downstairs in the kitchen area with Christian and Pam. She was picking at some sort of salad and Christian and Pam sat across from her drinking bagged blood. Sookie stood when she saw me. I moved to her side and took her in my arms. I held her tightly against me. I never did like to give Sookie bad news and I knew this would send her into a tizzy. "Better to get this over with..."

I pulled away from her and motioned for her to sit. I had every intention of telling Sookie everything very carefully, until I took the seat next to her and stared over at Christian. All kinds of thoughts were going through my mind and my ire rose to a pitch. I was sure he had been aware of the situation from the beginning and I wanted to know why he hadn't contacted me sooner, "Have you known all this time?"

Christian didn't need further explanation. He knew exactly what I was asking. "Yes." Without even thinking I reached across the table and had Christian by the throat. I pulled him across the table and slammed him on the floor next to me. He didn't resist which made me all the madder. "Why? Why would you sit by and watch him die?" I felt Sookie's pain as soon as the words left my lips.

Pam jumped at me like a flying spider monkey. She wrapped her arms around my neck and tried to pry me off Christian. "Eric please!" she pleaded, but her attempts to move me were fruitless.

"I had no choice. He gave me a maker's command," Christian choked out and I released him. Sookie just stood by with a horrified expression on her face. I wasn't sure if it was because I almost killed Christian or if it was because I revealed that Nikolai might die. Her emotions were such a mess I couldn't tell what was going on in her head. She had stood stock still and hadn't moved. I let go of Christian and moved over to Sookie. Pam was at Christian's side in a moment and tending to his already healing wounds.

I wrapped my Sookie in my arms and she stayed there stiffly as I apologized, "Forgive me Christian...Pam. I lost my temper. I should have known you would come to me if you could have."

Christian rubbed his neck but gave me a half smile, "There is nothing to forgive." Pam helped him up and they returned to the table. I led Sookie over to her chair and sat her down, then joined her.

"Tell me everything," Sookie said softly as she came back to herself. After being with Sookie for the last six years I have learned that when she feels so chaotic, it is best to give her time to process things, which was why I didn't panic when she seemed a little dazed.

Christian told her the tale and I held onto her as the roller coaster of emotions rolled through her. By the time he had finished, Sookie was deep in thought. All of us sat silently thinking over the situation when Sookie came up with a suggestion, "I should call Claude."

"Why would we call him?" I whipped my head around to look at her. Sookie met Claude on our travels through Ireland almost three years ago. It was a chance encounter. We happened to be in a pub in Dublin. He approached her despite her vampire company. He had ended up being part of the Brigant line as she was. They were cousins, only Claude had been tossed out by the Fae since he refused to procreate. Claude didn't like women, Fairy or otherwise. He spent most of his time traveling and entering into as many dalliances as he could. Apparently when Fairies are together the closeness of their sparks helped to heal and strengthen them. They enjoyed each others company and it was good thing that Claude was "strictly dickly", as he liked to say, or I would have had an issue with his overly affectionate demeanor when he was around Sookie.

I was weary of the Fairy at first, but after speaking with Cataliades I learned that what Claude had told us was true. It took a couple of years, but I came to trust him as Sookie did. Claude was barely a hundred and young. He was a full fledged Fairy but he did not have nearly the amount of power Sookie did. Being that he had lived with the Fae for some time, he did know quite a bit, even if he had been tossed out before all his powers could manifest. I couldn't deny that some of his suggestions on controlling our powers had been helpful. Not to mention a couple of years back when Sookie became ill, he had come to her side and healed her, so I did owe the bastard, and now I had the feeling I was about to owe him again.

"Claude told me that Fairy magic is much more potent than human magic. Maybe we can try to remove the spell." I had to admit, I had not thought about that. Sookie was always good at thinking outside of the box, and I loved her all the more for it.

"Call him," I nodded and Sookie pulled out her phone.

The Fairy picked up in two rings, "Sookie, my sweet cousin! I hope you are not canceling our lunch date. You tell that Viking of yours that if he wishes we can change it to dinner so he can join us. I do love to see him in a suit. Yummy."

"Claude, I need your help." Sookie ignored Claude's playful comments.

Claude took the hint and turned serious, "Are you hurt? What's going on?"

"No. I'm fine, but a friend of mine is ill and I was hoping you could meet with me." Sookie didn't tell Claude who her friend was and he didn't ask.

"I can pop over now...unless it is unsafe." Claude knew the company Sookie kept was mostly of the fanged persuasion. The first time he popped in unexpected the twins caught him. It was a good thing they had enough control not to harm him. After that, he called first.

"Give me five minutes. I will move to a safe location and you can meet me. I'll text you when I'm ready." Sookie looked to me and I nodded. I would protect the Fairy. There was no guessing how some of Nikolai's guards would handle the scent of Fae. Sookie hung up with the Fairy and she seemed so determined. "Where would it be safe to meet with Claude?" she asked Christian. He knew the place better than anyone since he was head of Nikolai's security.

"You can use the library upstairs. I will relieve the guards on the floor and you can replace them with your own guards."

"That will be fine." I looked to Sookie, "I will join you."

Sookie grabbed my hand and told Christian, "Lead the way."

We followed Christian to a small library upstairs. It only held one small desk, a couple of chairs, and all the walls were covered in books. Sookie paced in the office while I took a seat behind the desk. It was where I was most comfortable.

As soon as Sookie sent Claude the text, he popped in less than a minute later, "Well, my lovely cousin, what seems to be the problem?" When Claude took in Sookie's frantic manner he changed his tune, "Sookie what is going on?" I don't know what Claude was doing earlier but he was dressed in a powder blue suit with matching bow tie. It was a ridiculous outfit, but somehow the Fairy pulled it off.

"It's Nikolai. He's been spelled by a witch. He can't feed off of any other people besides this bitch of a Queen vampire named Freyda. She is forcing him to marry her and he had been holding out while trying to find a way out of this marriage contract. Claude, Nikolai hasn't fed in over six months. If we can't break the spell he may have no other choice but to give into her or die!"

Claude looked properly shocked, "Wow it's like a daytime drama. So tell me about the spell itself."

I stepped in since I had made Nikolai walk me through it. "The spell was cast using the blood of both Freyda and Nikolai. The witch performing the ceremony of the first blood exchange did it. Freyda wants to ensure that Nikolai bonds with her for good. The spell makes him unable to feed on any other until the bond has been completed. If this happens, he will be bonded to her forever or until one of them dies."

"So a human witch used blood magic to bind them together." Claude looked thoughtful and I hoped he would come up with something. "I guess I could have put it that simply."

"That about sums it up." Sookie was anxiously awaiting his response.

"Well..." Claude thoughtfully tapped his chin with his forefinger, "I'm not sure..."

Sookie looked deflated, "Claude there has to be something we can do. I can't just stand here and watch him die."

"I could consult some friends of mine..." Claude offered. I wasn't keen on that idea. Claude had a big mouth.

"You can not tell anyone about Nikolai's condition!" I tried to keep my voice down even though Christian told me he cleared the floor. "You healed Sookie when she was ill! Isn't there anything you can do?" I had seen him join his light with hers and heal her illness. "Can't he do something like that for Nikolai?"

Claude didn't look bothered by my outburst. I had spent entirely too much time with the Fairy if he perceived me as non-threatening. "I shared the light from my spark with Sookie to cleanse her. Only a Fairy can do that with another Fairy and they have to share the same blood." Claude rejected the idea, but I couldn't. The way he put it made me immediately think of when Sookie and I made love. She shared her light with me then and we often shared blood.

"Sookie share's her light with me," I protested and Claude whipped his head around sharply to look at me.

"No, you must be confusing it with something else she is doing. Not even I can do that with someone who is not Fae," Claude shook his head. "Hadn't Sookie told him?" I figured they would have gossiped at some point. Claude was more like a girlfriend of Sookie's than a cousin.

"It's true." Sookie had been listening to our exchange and she was now on the same wavelength as I was. "When Eric and I..." she hesitated and I couldn't help the stirring of lust I felt. She did so many dirty little things with me and yet she was still embarrassed to say the words, "make love, sometimes I share my light with him."

Claude was flabbergasted, "Are you sure? I mean, I have never heard of a Fairy being able to do that with a Vampire. Not that Vampire and Fae relationships are common." Claude scrunched up his face as if he ate a lemon, "You do share blood. Maybe the sharing of blood has made it possible?"

"So you think if Sookie shares blood with Nikolai then she might be able to cleanse him with her light?" It dawned on me, "But that won't work. Nikolai can not hold down any blood other than Freyda's."

"That could be a problem. Nikolai would need to hold it down long enough for Sookie to share her light." Claude smiled like we had made progress in solving the puzzle before us.

"Sookie," I said sternly, but the words died on my lips as I met her eyes. A random thought caught my attention in Sookie's mind. She had been concentrating so hard on working this problem out and the shields in her mind were wide open. I snuck inside her mind to listen but she caught me and shut me out with a wide eyed look. I may not have been able to catch her whole thought but I was able to catch enough. She had been thinking about the times she shared her light with me, and every time she had it had been while we were having sex.

Visions that I had long since repressed came to the fore. When I met Alexei for the first time, he showed me visions of Sookie and Nikolai together. My jealousy raged and I sent the nearest item to me, which happened to be the desk lamp, flying across the room. I didn't even have to touch it. My telekinesis did it for me. Claude and Sookie both jumped and Claude quickly pulled Sookie back away from me. That angered me even more. I would never harm Sookie. I bared my fangs at Claude, and Sookie pushed him behind her and took a step forward. Claude tried to hold her back but she pushed his hands away. I could feel in the bond that she was not afraid and she was sending me as much calm as she could.

"Eric, it was just a random thought. It doesn't mean that I would do that with Nikolai. I was just trying to examine the reasons I was able to share my light with you." The tone of her voice was calming, but I had to beat back my racing emotions myself.

"Can you not share it without the...physical contact?" I ground out the words, unable to call it what it was.

Sookie tried to reassure me with a smile and feelings of hope, "I don't know. We might need to experiment and do some research." I began to calm further with the idea of finding another way.

I put away my fangs and grudgingly apologized to the Fairy, well sort of, "You may sit now. I am now under control and I assure you that your safety was never in jeopardy." I gave him a nod and he relaxed some but stayed on his feet and stuck close to Sookie.

"I can also ask around." Claude glanced at me, "I would only ask about the ritual itself. I will not reveal who is involved."

"Thank you Claude." Sookie reached out to Claude and clutched his hand. I saw their glow flare for just a moment before they let go of each other. "I will call you if I find anything."

Claude was about to pop out when Sookie added, "We only have about a week to figure this out or we will need a plan B." He nodded and then disappeared. His scent now lingered since his magic that masked it was dissipating. I was growing more and more aroused by the mix of Fairy and my lover. It didn't help that I had seen the images of Sookie with Nikolai that had been burned in to my mind by Alexei. It could have been the bond, maybe it was the vampire in me, or even just the man, but I felt the need to claim her. "I will push her up against that bookcase and then move her to the desk..." My plans to make that happen as soon as possible formed in my mind. They were incomplete but I would begin to act on them anyway and wing the rest.

Sookie got the hint and her rising lust put my plan into action as I walked towards her. The bond told her loud and clear just what I needed and she was more than willing to oblige. I had her skirt hiked up and her panties long gone in a blink. She wound her legs around my waist tightly and her back was to the wall when I ripped her shirt open, sending buttons flying everywhere just has I had imagined earlier. My hand was in her hair as I pulled her head back to expose her neck, assaulting her skin with my lips and teeth. I unzipped my pants with the other hand and freed my straining manhood. I entered her in one swift stroke and her head rolled back in pleasure as I roared with the intensity of it. "You are mine."

It had been a long time since I spoke those words and Sookie cried out in response "Yes, yes...I am yours...only yours."

My thrusts were erratic and unrelenting and when Sookie offered her neck I couldn't hold back an longer. I sunk my teeth into the silky skin of her neck and let the ambrosia of her blood and her orgasm take me with her. We never made it to the desk, but we sunk down onto the floor next to the bookcase and I held her in my arms. Her closeness was the only thing left in this world that could sooth me.

As I was coming down from the high of our joining, I realized Sookie didn't share her light. Sookie had shared her light with me just earlier that evening and I knew it took a lot out of her. She would need to conserve her energy and recharge before she could do it again. Sookie had been around me long enough to pick up some of my traits, I was pleased pragmatism was one of them.

After a long silence Sookie looked up at me, "Eric." She was trying to keep me tranquil, "I will need to meet with Claude daily to help me keep up my strength if we are going to be experimenting with sharing my light so often." She said it carefully as if it might set me off again, but I retained my calm.

"I understand." I held her closer and she sighed. "We will find a way." I was assuring myself as much as I was her. Even the notion of having to share Sookie with another, even if it was to save Nikolai's life, seemed unfathomable and cruel. I silently cursed the gods for setting this obstacle before us.

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The next night when I had awoken alone in bed, I immediately rose to look for Sookie. We had returned to the hotel and spent the rest of the night worshiping one another. I hadn't even bothered to dress thinking that we would be alone, but when I entered the living room Claude and Sookie were sitting across the table from one another holding hands. Their bodies were glowing gold and the scent of Fairy was strong. Ethan and Even were standing at the far wall like statues. They didn't move and stood their ground, but I could see their eyes had dilated at the permeating scent.

Claude and Sookie broke their connection as soon and they heard me approach. I didn't walk silently and Claude's eyes bulged out as he took me in. "Holy shit Sookie, now I know why you married the vamp." His eyes were fucking my body and I was far from modest but wished I had dressed before coming out.

"Eric...clothes," was all Sookie said and I took off and threw on some jeans and a tee-shirt before I returned.

I asked Ethan and Evan to step outside while I spoke to Sookie and Claude. They looked a little more strained than usual and I thought they might need the break. Not only that, I wanted to keep this possible cure to ourselves until we knew it would work.

"So," I looked between the two of them, "any progress today?"

"Yes," Claude was proud, but I could feel Sookie's underlying anxiety even as she tried to hide it, the bond didn't lie, "it seems that this act is not as uncommon as I thought. Although it had not been documented to happen between Fairies and Vampires, it has with other supernatural species. When there is sharing of blood and mutual consent of joining as..." Sookie took a sharp intake of breath which caused Claude to stoppedspeaking suddenly, as if he realized what he was about to say so casually.

"The joining as what?" I attempted not to spit out the words but failed. I knew the answer before he said it.

"One." Claude's smile was long gone and he looked to Sookie. She was staring at me with the bond blocked off while I processed this. It took every fiber of my being not to lose it. It was my worst nightmare come true. Thanks to my brother, Alexei, I knew exactly what that would be like, smell like, and feel like.

"This doesn't mean it's the only way." Sookie reached out her hand to me and I took it. She pulled me down into the seat next to her, wrapped me in her arms. and held me tightly. "We will still experiment and see if I can share my light without...that part."

"She is right. There is no documented case of this happening between vampires and the fae so who knows what could work. Look at the two of you." Claude went on, "You have evolved together in ways no one could have predicted. So don't give up hope. I will also continue to assist in any way I can."

"Your assistance is appreciated." I grumbled and Sookie squeezed me tighter.

"It is what families do, it is not?" Claude grinned and he popped away after a quick, "See ya two later," I had never considered Claude part of our family, but if he managed to help us get through this, I would welcome him with open arms.

"Eric," Sookie removed her arms from around me and then took my hand. She pulled me up and I let her lead me. She walked us to the balcony and outside. I admit the night air and being away from the intense smell of Fairy had me thinking more clearly.

I wrapped her in my arms as we stared silently into the night sky. We had been through so much and come so far. I may have allowed myself to hope that Sookie and I could find another way for her to share her light with Nikolai, but I couldn't stop the nagging voice in the back of my mind that reminded me that I may be faced with an incomprehensible choice if we failed.

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A quick note: Thank you all so much for such a kind welcome back. I really missed you all and I am so lucky to have such great and supportive readers. It was fantastic to see so many familiar names and a few new ones too. I wish sexy Viking kisses for you all and don't forget to let me know what you thought in that little box below.

XOXO

GoddessD