Hi Everyone! Authors note is at the end of the chapter this time. Mostly so I can address somethings in this chapter without giving it away!

Godric was just turning into the front yard of his nest when he became aware of another being nearby. He could hear their heart beat, but their scent was not human. He paused and turned in a slow circle, eyes taking in every detail of his surroundings. Just to behind the treeline to the side of the house he spotted a shadow. As soon as his eyes had fallen on the shape, the figure stepped forward.

He was tall, taller than Godric but several inches shorter than his progeny. The man has thin but athletic in build and he moved gracefully across the lawn as if his feet were barely touching the ground. He wore ripped dark jeans and a faded green v neck shirt. The mans features, still somewhat obscured by the shadows, were sharp and defined. Thin lips stretched into a smirk, revealing dimples on either side of his face. High set cheek bones, a long straight nose and deep set eyes gave him an interesting sort of attractiveness. His skin was tanned but had a peculiar greyish tint to it and his eyes were void of any white. Instead it was as if his pupils took up the whole of his eyes. But these were not the most striking features. It was his horns that grabbed the attention. They sprouted from the mess of chocolate curls that fluttered around his face and curled back on either side of his head. They were akin to that of a ram, Godric guessed, though on a smaller scale.

The man approached Godric with little concern, a smile on his face like an old friend who had managed a surprise visit.

Godric considered reaching out to his child. He was weakened from the nights events and as he wasn't sure what to expect from the creature before him, it would be wise to have back up. But the man didn't seem hostile or confrontational. He strode easily across the lawn, long arms swinging at his sides.

"Who are you?" Godric demanded as he got closer.

The smile on his face grew wider. "My name is Anthony. I seek Alyssa, daughter of Bael. You smell of her."

Godric's eyes narrowed. Was this a friend of the demons? Or an adversary? Bael was sure to have many enemies who would like to get their hands on the daughter he had recently shown such affection for. Surely the demon would have mentioned sending someone to them? Then he did seem like the type to wait until after the fact to explain himself.

"Who are you to Bael?" Godric questioned him further, forcing himself to ignore the painful throbbing in his shoulder. The silver bullet would have to be forced out and soon, his skin would try to heal over it if it wasn't tended to.

Anthony sighed impatiently, he had stopped several feet away from Godric and crossed his arms. "I am his...nephew I suppose. My mother is a demon from Bael's bloodline. Little Alyssa is my cousin. The first addition to our bloodline with human blood since, well, me."

The information didn't make Godric trust him any more than he had at first sight. He was debating what his next move would be, when Anthony waved a hand at his shoulder.

"I can remove the bullet for you, if you'd like. I'm sure its causing a fair bit of pain."

Godric grit his teeth "I am fine."

Anthony seemed less than impressed. "you needn't lie to me, vampire. I can sense my cousins blood in you. She obviously cares about you so I would like to help. I needn't touch you, I possess the ability to manipulate objects with my mind. Allow me to safely remove the silver from you."

Godric had hardly opened his mouth to respond when Anthony adopted a look of concentration. The bullet in his shoulder shuddered and began to pull out of his wound. Godric hissed in pain as the silver rubbed over his skin anew. But a moment later it dropped to the ground in front of him and his body set to work healing itself.

"what are you doing here? What do you want from Alyssa?" Godric demanded after a moment.

He eyed Anthony as he explained, watching for even the slightest indication that he was lying. "Bael asked me to watch over Alyssa and to teach her about her gifts. Her father cannot long be away from his realm as there is...trouble brewing. As I am a halfbreed I am less important in the demon realm and will not be missed."

Godric stored the information away for later. They would certainly be confirming the information with Alyssa's father before the night was over. No way was he letting a strange man, half demon or no, into their nest without first assuring his credibility. He didn't exactly trust Bael, but he knew the demon would not do anything to put his daughter at risk. If he had truly sent the man standing in front of him, then he was no threat to his Alyssa at any rate. "Very well. We will contact Bael to...confirm your explanation. For now, you may come in" Godric invited, leading the way into the house.

The first thing he noticed was that Sookie and Eric were already locked away in their room. He would fill his progeny in on Alyssa's supposed cousin later. There was still enough of the night left that he didn't think it would be worth tearing them apart just yet.

Next he noticed his beloved curled up on the couch of the living room, her sisters head in her lap. Alyssa was anxiously running her hands through the younger womans hair while staring off into space. He cleared his throat gently to draw her attention. Alyssa's head whipped around and landed on him, her mouth popped open in surprise. She quickly disentangled herself from her sibling and leapt off the couch. The feeling of her arms around him eased an anxious knot in the pit of his stomach he hadn't realized was there. Godric wrapped his arms around her slender waist and relaxed into her. He breathed in her scent and let his breath fan out into her hair, marking her in a small way.

He intended to bond with her as they had discussed, if of course she was still willing, then the world over would know she belonged with him.

It felt like I was able to breath again. Godric was safe, he was home, and he was alright. Though the amount of blood soaking his shirt was worrisome. I had been a nervous wreck all night, my mind on overdrive thinking of all the terrible things that could have been happening at the tribunal. When I had felt Godrics pain spike through our bond I had nearly torn my hair out. There was nothing I could do, i felt useless and terrified.

It felt like they had been gone forever, Evan had fallen asleep in my lap in the middle of a movie. Sookie and I had let the credits roll through after and stared at the menu screen of the DVD for an eternity. Neither of us had really been watching and I don't know how long that menu screen played infront of us before I noticed the movie had ended.

Eric had breezed into the house not long after I just gave up and shut the television off. He had had Sookie off the couch and in his arms before I could process him being there. He had called a quick "Godric and Pam are alive" over his shoulder before they had disappeared upstairs.

I didn't blame him wanting some 'quality alone time' with Sookie after what had happened but I really wished he had stayed long enough to tell me where Godric was and if he was even coming back. It was a small relief to know he was alive but it had created a whole knew worry for me. What if Godric wasn't coming back? Why else would Eric have left him and Pam?

And then I had heard someone clear their throat and suddenly he was there. I all but threw Evan's head off my lap, thankful that she was a sound sleeper, and launched myself at my vampire. I had barely processed the blood on his shirt, the pained expression on his face or the tired way in which he carried himself, before I was wrapped up in him. I couldn't get close enough.

With his face buried in the side of my neck, his breath tickling the sensitive skin, my hands stroked up and down his arms. I combed through his hair and pressed tightly against him. One of his hands was pressed between my shoulder blades, holding me against him. The other wound into my hair. Cool fingers massaged into my scalp eliciting a pleased groan.

As he pulled back I peppered kisses up his neck and along his jaw. When our lips finally met, it quickly morphed from sweet to needy. His mouth moved aggressively against mine. I opened my mouth to him and his tongue delved forward to dance along mine. I scraped my teeth along his lip and his hands clutched me a little tighter. I could feel his need matching mine not only through our bond, but pressed against my stomach as well. I moaned against his mouth and found my back suddenly pressed against the cool surface of a wall. He easily lifted me up and I wound my legs around his hips. His hands cupped my ass, holding me up and I felt his length along my centre. He moved to mouth along my jaw, being careful that his fangs didn't unintentionally draw blood. He had just gotten to the underside of my jaw where I was sure he intended to bite me when someone coughed awkwardly.

I froze, my eyes flying open in search of the sound. Godric growled into my neck, his whole body shaking with it. The man standing in the doorway had an amused, if slightly uncomfortable, expression on his face. He leaned against the open door easily, arms folded across his chest as if he had been here a thousand times.

I'm sure my face was as red as a cherry. Godric had glanced at who had dared to interrupt us, murder in his eyes. But when they lighted upon the man, he came back into his right mind. I wondered at how much he must need not only to reaffirm our connection, but blood as well. He had clearly been very injured at the tribunal and lost a lot of blood. I wondered if I would be able to provide him enough or if he would need to drink some of the bagged blood in the fridge as well.

More importantly, who the hell was this and why did Godric seem to recognize him? He set me back on my feet and flashed me an apologetic smile. "Alyssa, is Anthony. He has come at the request of Bael, although we will have to confirm that."

"I seem to have come at a bad time. I did not mean to...interrupt the reunion you all are clearly having" Anthony apologized, glancing meaningfully in the direction of the upstairs bedrooms. His voice was deep and unexpectedly rough. It sounded like he had been gargling gravel.

"As you can see it has been a very trying night" Godric offered by way of an explanation.

Anthony shrugged it off and moved into the entryway. The door swung shut of its own accord behind him. "If you would like, you can contact Bael to confirm my presence and I can come back during daylight, so you can get back to, well, before I interrupted."

I still wasn't sure what was going on, nor why Anthony was here. Bael had never mentioned sending someone to me and Anthony's presence warranted some forewarning. The man had horns for crying out loud. I quickly pulled out my phone and dialed Baels number. He picked up just when I was thinking it would go to voicemail.

"Hello, dearest Alyssa" his voice sang through the phone.

I sighed, "hello Bael. Do you know why someone named Anthony would be looking for me?"

There was silence on the other end of the line. It stretched for long enough that I began to wonder if the call had been dropped "is he there right now?" Bael demanded.

Godric had tensed beside me. He shifted subtly to put himself more completely in front of me. "yes. I'm looking at him right now."

Bael sighed in exasperation "I see. I'm sure he's under the impression I sent him to you."

I nodded though Bael couldn't see me "yes, that seems to be the case."

Another long suffering sigh from the demon "the boy can be trusted, you needn't worry about that. His mother is... like family to me and as an extension so is Anthony. I had only mentioned that you would need coaching as your gifts developed and of course Abraxas thought she would get involved. Anthony is one of the few other half demons who know from whence they came. As you can no doubt see, his demonic presence is quite...obvious. So he had been brought up mainly in the demon realm. Nevertheless he will be a good resource for identifying your gifts and helping you expand on them as they emerge. He can protect you as well."

My eyebrows came together and I frowned. "protect me? Maybe you forgot but I live in a vampire nest at the moment and Godric is more than enough protection."

"even your ancient thrall will be all but powerless against the demons that may wish you ill. There is...trouble stirring in the realm. It may not be long before it spills over into yours. No. Anthony's presence will be good in the coming months."

I bit back a frustrated groan. It really did never end. If it wasn't crazy people coming after me, then it was vampires with a grudge against Godric, and since that was taken care of, of course there had to be demon trouble. "Great. Thanks for the heads up about that too" I huffed sarcastically.

"Many still do not know you exist. I suggest you find some witches to work a cloaking spell over you and your nest mates for added protection. Now I must go, child. Be safe and call me again if anything should come up."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and screwed my face up "sure. Yeah, I'll get right on that. Goodbye Bael."

The line went dead a moment later and I leaned forward to rest my forehead against Godric's shoulder. "You heard him I assume" I mumbled.

Godric nodded and wound his arm around me, pulling me into his side. "Eric will know of a coven we can trust. He can take care of it tomorrow night."

"I'm glad we cleared that up" Anthony smirked from the other side of the room. "Now that I know where you are, I'll come back tomorrow...say, three o'clock? We can figure out a gameplan then, alright cousin?"

It felt odd, this man i had never met calling me his cousin. I wasn't even sure he technically was my cousin. Bael hadn't really said he and the other demon were related. But they were like family. Did demons have family like that? Or were they all just there? I was going to make a list of questions one of these days. Then i would sit every supernatural being in my life down and we'd work through it all. Maybe after that I would stop being surprised every time something new popped up.

"Yeah, that sounds great Anthony. It was nice to meet you" I sighed, lifting my head off of Godrics shoulder to smile at him.

"A pleasure, dear cousin. And you as well vampire. Enjoy what remains of the night." He had hardly finished his sentence before he was suddenly gone.

It was a jarring experience and I was suddenly glad Bael had the consideration to at least walk out of the room before he disappeared.

"Why can't I do that?" I grumbled against Godric.

He chuckled and tightened his arm around me for a moment. "Perhaps you will, with a little help from your...cousin."

I shook my head "I don't even want to start thinking about what this means. Let's just focus on tonight."

Godric massaged his hand against the base of my neck soothingly and nodded. "Of course, lover. It has been a long night."

"You need blood, right? You aren't healing. Do you still want to..?" i trailed off, suddenly unsure of myself.

Godric's hand cupped my cheek, bringing me back to look at him "there is nothing I want more than for you to be my bonded Alyssa. If that is still your desire."

My cheeks turned bright red but I couldn't help the smile that took over my face at his words. It felt like it had been forever, that i had been waiting for that. I eagerly pressed a kiss to his lips.

We lay in bed together afterwards, curled tightly together. I couldn't help but marvel at the renewed sense of him in my mind. It felt different then, now that it was a bond. It felt more like an open connection between us than just a sense of his emotions. I could send emotions to him, but I could also feel Godric's emotions flowing over me. His hand stroked up and down my arm and I snuggled closer to his side, humming in appreciation. The physical contact set our bond on fire, making me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Part of it had to do as well with the feelings I was getting from him. He was happy, content, in awe of our bond, and there was something underneath that I couldn't name. It was deep and warm and inviting.

I wanted to ask him about it, but it was like an undercurrent to his other emotions so I didn't even know if it was something he was aware of. I didn't know how to explain it either. So I kept my mouth shut and nuzzled into his shoulder.

Godric's lips dropped kisses onto the top of my head every couple of minutes. I could tell he was as lost in exploring our new bond as much as I was. I was content to just lay with him anyway. After thinking I was going to lose him a short couple of hours ago, I was just happy to have him by my side again.

I drifted off shortly before the sun rose for the day, blissfully at peace for what felt like the first time in ages. I could only hope it was going to last a while longer this time.

Sorry for the longer space between chapters! And that this one is a bit shorter than the chapters I've been writing lately. I swear I rewrote this chapter like, 80 times before I got it to a place I'm ok with. You'll notice I glossed over them bonding for the first time. I'm really sorry if anyone is particularly disappointed. But it made this chapter way too long plus sex has turned into the focal point of many a chapter but that's not what I wanted for this one. So I'll include the next ones for sure because they will be more important. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter and the new developments! Let me know what you think! I always love hearing from you! What do you think of Anthony?