Where Forgotten Gods Lie

by MyCosmicAlice

Summary:

"My life was not made for so much excitement. It was made for quiet, solitary nights of reading or watching TV. Yet, in the space of two hours, I had been tackled; abducted; locked up; had my first conversation with a vampire and was now about to free said vampire. Who would likely eat me the second I did."

Godric isn't the only one captured by the Fellowship of the Sun.

Chapter 1: If I Bled Chocolate

Notes:

Chapter edited: 28/7/25

 

The dogs went into a frenzy as I closed the door behind me. Their barks ranged from high pitched squawks to the deep woofs that resonated against my chest. I couldn’t blame them. They were all in a foreign place, locked up in kennels that kept them from following me as they desperately wished to. At least this kennel offered a little more space for them than most. We had a pair of siblings sharing the same pod and they still had plenty of room for play. Yet, even after three years of hearing their barks and whines,  I still felt like an asshole abandoning dogs that have already experienced it at least once before. 

At this time of night, they would usually have been dead to the world but I had to tend to Jasper, a Springer Spaniel. The poor boy had come in the day before with a fractured joint in his rear back leg. He was too weak to eat or drink by himself so I had been spoon feeding him small amounts of boiled chicken and water periodically. His pathetic whimpering reminded me that I had to confirm when his surgery would be.  

I covered my mouth as I yawned. I couldn’t remember the last time I didn’t have the graveyard shift.  

I went to the employee’s lounge to wash my hands. ‘Lounge’ may have been too generous a term since all it had was a table, some lockers, a small fridge and of course, a sink. After drying my hands, I pulled my long almost-black hair out from its ponytail. I generally liked to keep it down as much as possible since the thick weight of it often gave me headaches. I combed my fingers through it, trying to calm the tempest. It was in a strange place between wavy and curly with a little too much frizz for my liking. I glanced at the mirror to see my weary dark eyes stare back at me. The artificial lighting above my head added a sickly yellow tinge to my already wan complexion. I looked away  before I found something else about my appearance to add more weight to the bags under my eyes. 

It was almost eleven, a good time as any to take the trash out. Fisting multiple overflowing bags, I made my way out the back of the shelter, feeling the weight of my keys in my back pocket. The night air was still on the warm side despite how long the sun had been down. We were located in the industrial side of Dallas so our dumpsters were in a carpark we shared with a small candle making factory. Of course, at this time, the factory was closed so the palace was virtually empty. I gave a long, unattractive yawn as I approached the dumpster, hoping to get inside as soon as possible. The overpowering smell of rot and urine emanating from the dumpsters wasn’t something I wanted to bask in. 

An intense sense of foreboding hit me. Made my breath catch in my throat for a few beats. Something was wrong. Did I forget to secure one of the dogs? Left the door to their kennels open? Could they be escaping as I stood out there in the barely lit carpark? 

No, the backdoor was closed, I could see it from where I was standing. And I always kept the front door closed and locked after hours. The dogs were fine. 

But the feeling of complete dread did not go away. Only got worse. Like whenever I got called to the office to be berated on how lousy I was at my job or whenever I knew I knew I wouldn’t be able to pay rent. I looked around, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. There were no new cars, the usual litter decorated the carpark and the dumpsters were still sitting there, waiting to be fed. Everything was as it should be.

Then I heard something that wasn't. Voices coming from the alley adjacent to the candle-making factory. It wasn't so much that they were there, but how they sounded. Sort of frenzied. Except for one commanding voice.

Putting down the trashbags, I took a few steps to my right so that I could see into the alley without actually nearing it. What I saw only confused me further. 

There were five men standing in a semicircle wearing matching bright yellow t-shirts and cargo pants. Hair crisply cut, they looked like camp counsellors that had been on the job for a little too long. Except for the one in the middle who was bald and visibly older than the rest by at least a decade. He was dressed entirely in black tactical gear, and holding up a crossbow. An actual crossbow. Its arrowhead sparkled in the streetlight. He was clearly the boss. Baldman gave an order, something about not  “bein’ pussies’’ which barely seemed to work on the counsellors at his side. 

In front of them, facing me, was a boy. Not a young boy, a teen really, but he looked like a child compared to the taller men around him. Standing beneath a streetlight, his pale complexion and light, monochromatic clothing almost made him glow. His serene expression at having a crossbow pointed at him was the most baffling thing of all.

“Don’t move!” shouted Baldman, loud enough for me to hear clearly.

A couple of the counsellors were holding metal nets and appeared to be attempting to throw them onto the boy. I took a step forward instinctively, wanting to stop the abduction that was clearly taking place. The boy's eyes flickered to me. He did not react to seeing me, as if he had already known I was there. 

Phone. Where was my phone? I had to call the police. I fished into the pocket of my hoodie but came up empty. Of course. Because my phone was in my locker. Like it always was during a shift. 

I looked back at the abductors as they neared the boy. I was not delusional enough to believe I stood a chance against a group of armed men. I locked eyes with the boy again while pointing behind me with one hand and mimicking a phone against my ear with the other. I then made a ‘wait’ motion with my hands, silently imploring him to stall them for as long as he could. If he understood what I was saying, he gave no indication. Then again, with how dark it was on my side of the carpark, he might not have been able to see me. 

I took a step backwards. Then another. Then another. One of the counsellors said something to Baldman which I couldn't hear. Another step. I refused to take my eyes off of them. Baldman gave another order. If this was a horror movie, this would have been the part where I snapped a twig or tripped over my own feet, making a noise to alert the bad guys of my presence. I pushed that thought aside and continued to move backwards unnoticed. Even the boy seemed to have lost interest in me. I started to feel confident that I would actually make it inside. 

An unmarked van came careening from my left. It was using the shelter’s entrance to the carpark, likely trying to take the boy unawares. Instead, it was me who was taken by surprise as it nearly clipped me. Would have if I hadn’t jumped back in time, falling on my rear. I quickly sprang up, ignoring the ache that bloomed from my hip.

I sprinted back to the shelter since I had already lost my invisibility. I wasn’t the fastest runner by any means, but I managed to collide with the backdoor in record time. Hope soared only for it to plummet back down when I realised that it had locked itself behind me. The reason I had taken my keys with me in the first place.

Hands flailing, I fished out the keys from my back pocket, the numerous keychains jingled against each other. With so little light, it was impossible to see which one was the key for my apartment, the shelter’s front door or the one for the backdoor. Taking one at random, I stabbed at the keyhole. I missed on my first try but it went in on my second. Only for it to jam into the lock.

A large body slammed into me. Pressing me into the door that separated me from safety. Air shot out of my mouth in a hoarse, guttural sound.  

“Don’t move! Don’t you fuckin’ move!” a voice seethed into my ear.

I clawed at the door, trying to find leverage to push against but rough hands grabbed my wrists and yanked them to my lower back, forcing me to arch awkwardly against the door. 

“Is it another fanger?”, someone shouted from behind us. 

“No”, grunted the one holding me, “It’s a woman”. I was pulled away from the door and turned to face the men. 

During my mad dash for the door, they had managed to throw the metal net over the boy who, for the first time, actually looked mildly put out by what was going on. What appeared to be steam -but couldn't possibly be- was rising from where the netting met his skin. Baldman kept his crossbow trained on the boy, but he moved so that he could see me as well. “One of them fangbangers?” he questioned. 

“Don’t know”, replied my captor, “Sure don’t look like one”. He gave a shove, forcing me to move closer to the group. We passed the van on our way, the driver’s door wide open and the indicator still flashing. My escort must have been the getaway driver. 

When we were close enough, Baldman regarded me, “You a fangbanger, girlie?”

I was too stunned to answer him. What an insane thing to ask someone you just met during an ongoing abduction. 

“He asked you a question”, my captor said, squeezing my wrists tighter and giving me a jerk. 

“Dear Lord in Heaven, Gabe, I think she works in that dog shelter”. One of the counsellors muttered. 

“What did I say about using names? Why don’t you give them my address too?” questioned the one I now knew as Gabe. He looked like every physical ed. teacher I’d ever had. Perpetually angry and unimpressed by my me. He took a few steps closer to see me better “Is he right? You work at that shelter?” 

“Let the girl go. It is me that you want”, the captured boy said calmly. 

From this distance I could see that Gabe was even older than I first thought. More likely in his 50s than his 40s. I could see how old he was. Because I was staring right at his bare face. Because he wasn't wearing a mask. None of them were. I could have drowned in the hopelessness that hit me like a wave.

Gabe seemed to come to the same realisation because he said, “No, I don’t think we’ll do that”. 

Which is how I ended up lying on my side on the floor of a van, gagged, blindfolded and with my hands tied behind my back. My shoulder blades had already begun to ache terribly at the unnatural angle they were in. I could feel eyes on me, but I wasn’t sure if they were from the counsellors sitting at either side of me, or from the boy whose skin I could hear sizzling in the enclosed space.The smell of burning flesh clogged my nostrils.

I pressed my forehead against the cold metal of the van’s floor and breathed deeply through my nose. My rapid inhales and exhales were all I could hear for a time. I had to think, had to focus on getting out of this situation I had literally stumbled into. First, I had to calm the hell down. Everytime panic began to rise within me, I could practically feel my neurons shutting down, stopping me from thinking clearly. The fact that I saw their faces was bad, really bad , but they still blindfolded me which must have meant they weren’t entirely of the mind to murder me. At least for now.

The van took a sharp turn but I ignored it. Even if I counted how many rights and lefts we took, there was no point. I couldn’t drive so I was awful at navigating the streets of Dallas.

“Hey, she isn’t moving. Do ya think she fainted?” questioned one of the counsellors sitting closest to me. 

“Who cares?” Gabe from somewhere at the front of the van called back, “She can piss herself if she wants, as long as she doesn't cause any trouble”.

For the rest of the journey, I continued to think of all the things I should and should not do. Then I recited them over and over again so I wouldn't have to acknowledge that this was actually happening to me. We drove for less than an hour. Maybe forty minutes? It was hard to keep track of time when every second pulled and stretched themselves so that I could marinate longer in my fear. We were still somewhere in or around Dallas in any case. Something else to give me hope. I had no idea what I would have done if we crossed the border into another State. 

The van drove over gravel for a few minutes. Their crunching against the wheels vibrated into the ear pressed against the van’s floor. It finally came to a standstill.

“Don’t take your eyes off of ‘em” came Gabe’s rough order. Then the sound of the driver door opening and closing. 

In the newfound silence, I began to shiver. 

Years later, I heard both of the van’s back doors swing open then the scurried shuffling of a couple of the counsellors exiting. 

“Alright, fanger, come on out. Nice and slow”. 

I heard what must have been the boy standing up and taking a step, the silver net scratching against the van’s surfaces.

“I said slow , fanger!” shouted Gabe.

After the boy left the van, I heard Gabe shout orders to keep the “fanger surrounded” and have all “weapons on the target”. There was a great deal of movement, more than the original number of abductors could have made. 

Someone grabbed my elbow and yanked me out of the van with enough force that I landed on my knees. I would have smacked my face into the gravel too if the invisible hand had not kept a firm grip on me. Wherever we were was lit up in bright lights because some of it bled through my blindfold. The hand jerked me up straighter but kept me keeling. It was the same man who tackled me into the shelter door. I could recognise his overpowering body spray. 

The crunching of footsteps approached me, “Now what in God’s name is this?” asked a nasally voice I did not recognise. 

“Caught her watching us when we were capturing the vampire”, explained Gabe, “She made a run for it so I figured I should bring her too so you could decide what to do with her”. 

“A Race Traitor?” Nasal asked. I could feel his judgemental eyes travelling over me, “The Creatures of Darkness will lust after anything won’t they?”

“She might not be a fangbanger, looked like she was just working at a nearby dog shelter”. 

“At this time of night? Unlikely. You!” he said louder, presumably to me, “Have you lain with this Creature of Darkness?” 

I went still, not knowing what answer they wanted to hear. 

“Listen girly”, said Gabe as what must have been his hand took a firm hold of my chin, tilting my head up, “You better start answering our questions or things will get real unpleasant, real fast”. He shoved my head to the side as if touching me disgusted him. 

“Have you lain with this Creature of Darkness?!” Nasally asked again. 

I tentatively shook my head. 

“Have you ever lain with a Creature of Darkness?” I shook my head again with more certainty. Apart from the fact that it was the truth, it also appeared to be the answer they wanted to hear. “We shall see about that. Throw her in with the Creature”. 

“Yes sir!” came the shout from my ear.

Bodyspray didn't bother to remove my gag or blindfold. Just shoved me into a room a few feet away with an amused “Have fun” as his only form of farewell. 

I stood shivering in the silent room. I couldn’t tell if I was alone or if there was a faceless killer waiting for me in the dark. Panic rose within me again, furious that I had not let it overcome me before. It pushed against my mind’s ability to reason, and attempted to wash me of it. To stop me from thinking. Stop breathing. But I had to think. Had to focus. 

First, take the damn blindfold off. 

To do that, I needed my bound hands to be in front of me so I squatted down and angled my arms letting them dangle underneath my thighs. Rocking back so I landed on my rear, I pulled my arms up and over my bent legs, ignoring the pain it inflicted on my abused shoulder blades. I yanked the blindfold and gag off. 

The room was dark but with a little light coming through the windows. I didn’t like that I still couldn’t see the boy even though he must have been in the room with me. Who else could the ‘Creature’ be? 

“Hello?” I called into the black, slowly, carefully, rising to a stand. 

No response. 

“Do you-Do you mind if I turn on the lights?” I whispered into the room. 

“I do not”, he said from somewhere in front of me, slightly to the right. He definitely did not have the voice of a boy.

I flicked a switch next to the door we came through to flood the room with artificial light. I blinked against it as my eyes adjusted. Then blinked some more at what I was seeing. 

It was a classroom. They had imprisoned us in a classroom. One fit for a small number of people with only about ten or so desks facing a whiteboard, their chairs stacked upside down on top. Behind them, space had been made for blue training mats to lie on the floor. In the centre of the mats stood a training dummy that someone had glued cheap looking fangs where the mouth would have been. A large bullseye was drawn onto its left upper chest. 

The boy was sitting against the wall adjacent to the dummy, looking for all the world like he was waiting for the bus home. The net was still on him, tied into place with the same rope that was on my wrists. Rivulets of blood streamed down his face and arms.

“Doesn’t that hurt?” I asked lamely.

He looked at me with what might have been curiosity, “No more than I can handle”. 

I cleared my throat, “Do you want me to take it off you?”

“I do not think that would be very wise. You are locked in a room with an injured vampire after all”. 

He said it. He said the word that had been dancing at the back of my mind since I first saw the silver net. I thought I would feel fear when I finally acknowledged what he was, what I had been left alone with, and I did to an extent. But I felt hope too. Vampires were supposed to be fast and stupidly strong. 

I squatted down next to him slowly so as not to startle him. “It doesn’t seem fair. They gave you a shiny silver net while all I got was this lousy rope”, I commented as I lifted my bound hands to pull at the knot that kept said net in place. I took quick glances at his face as I tried to untie it, looking for any sign that he was about to lunge. But he remained perfectly still. I don’t think he even blinked. 

“You are not reacting as you should”, he said as my numb fingers pulled uselessly at the rope around my wrists.

“Sorry, I’ve never been abducted before. How should I be reacting?” I fancied that I could see amusement in his eyes. But that was probably wishful thinking. I dropped down to my knees as I tugged harder at the knot but my own bound hands did not help.

“Humans tend to scream and cry when placed in a situation such as this”. 

I nodded in agreement, “I guess I’m saving that for later. Can you hold on for a second? I’m gonna look for something to cut this”. 

As I went to stand, the vampire suddenly pushed his arms out, snapping the rope right off. He didn’t even have to strain himself. He could have done that the entire time. I blinked at him, perplexed, wondering if this behaviour was the norm for vampires. 

“I doubt they would keep a blade within access of their prisoners”, he commented simply. 

I kneeled back down and took hold of one end of the net, “I’m gonna take the net off now okay? Do you want me to do it slow or fast? " 

“It matters not. In either case there will be pain”. 

Hopefully not too much pain that he would attack me for it, “Alright. I’ll do it quickly then to get it over with”. 

I let out a long breath and hoped he didn’t notice the shake of my fingers as I raised them. 

But he must have, “You do not have to. Your instinct to keep a predator weakened is natural. It would be best for you to follow it”.

I looked him in the eye, unable to tell what colour it was. Something light, like blue or grey. Neither of which were darkened by an intent to harm. Still, he was probably right. I was completely out of my depth and still trying to process everything that had happened that night. 

I yanked the net up and over him in one fluid motion then threw it to the ground next to us. Pieces of his skin went with it. The skin of his upper right cheek bone being one of the largest pieces he lost. He hissed loudly. Bared fangs that were so large, couldn't have possibly been there before. Their length forced him to open his mouth slightly lest he pierce right into his gums. 

I stopped breathing. Stopped moving. Hands up in defence. He closed his eyes for a moment and we both seemed to wait to see what he would do next.

His fangs clicked away, “Excuse me. You took me by surprise”. 

“It’s-It’s alright”, I quickly said, “I thought it would be better if you didn’t see it coming. Are you okay? I didn’t mean to take… so much off of you”. 

“I am well. The wounds are already healing”. 

He wasn't lying. I watched his skin literally stitch itself back together. There wasn’t even a scar when it was done. 

He reached towards me and I was barely able to stop myself from jerking backwards. Without touching me, he ripped the rope from my wrists with one quick tug. Then he did the oddest thing and used his fingers to scoop up some of the blood on his skin before popping them into his mouth. “I cannot risk going into bloodlust”, he explained.

Nodding, I said, “Yes of course”, as if I understood, “I bet I’d do the same if I bled chocolate”. He gave me another curious study. It appeared my lame attempts at humour were confusing him rather than endearing me towards him.

Thinking it would be better to give him some time and space to finish doing whatever he needed to do, I decided my time was better spent learning about the room we were in. The walls were made of cheap white metal, not unlike a trailer. I went to one of the windows and pulled aside its heavy blackout curtains. Only enough for one eye to peek through without (hopefully) anyone outside being able to tell. Because there were indeed people outside. From the window, I could not see if there was anyone standing on the other side of the door, but I did see silhouettes carrying some variation of firearm or crossbow walking around the building. I couldn’t see their features because of the bright floodlights pointed directly at the building we were in. There was no way we would be able to sneak out unnoticed. I didn't bother checking if the door was locked. 

I passed posters on the wall on my way to the teacher’s desk. They were all in shades of yellow and blue, proudly portraying quotations such as ‘We are the Light’ and ‘Band together for a safer, Sanctified World’. On the whiteboard behind the teacher’s desk, someone had written the phrase: ‘Above all, there is one purpose to my life, and that is to honour God by protecting and uplifting my brothers and sisters in Christ - Regardless of the sacrifice’.

The desk ended up being a wasted effort. As was the closet adjacent to it. I didn't find much besides a little stationary. Not even an apple or a ‘World’s Best Teacher’ mug. There was a spare black rain jacket in the closet which I could use as a makeshift blanket to sleep under at least. I doubted my captors were planning on moving us to somewhere more comfortable any time soon. I returned to the vampire.

“Feeling better?” I asked. He was back to waiting for the bus.

He gave me one nod, “Did you find anything of use?”

“Apart from this jacket, no not really. They must have cleared the room before putting us in here”. I rifled through the jacket’s pockets just in case. They too were empty.  

“May I ask for your name, child?”

“I’m older than I look”, I said automatically before realising that it may come off as a rude.  

He didn't seem to mind. In fact, he actually smiled a little, “As am I. I am called Godric”. 

I repeated his name back to him, enjoying the sound and feel of it, “I’m Lenore. Nice to meet you”. I tacked on out of habit.  

“I doubt it is that nice. I apologise that you were forced to come here as well. It is a wonder that they did not believe that you were an innocent bystander when you smell so strongly of dog”. I flushed and resisted the urge to sniff myself. “But then, I no longer recall how strong human senses are”, Godric finished. 

“Do you know why they kidnapped you?”

“I have my suspicions”. 

Which he apparently did not feel the need to share. “Why did-” I began, searching for the right way to ask my question as I rubbed absently on my sore wrists, “What were you doing in our carpark?”

He did not answer straight away. In fact, he did not answer for so long that I had accepted he wasn't going to, but then Godric said, “There was recently an attack on one of my acquaintances. There is a warehouse in the area that has recently gone up for sale”. I knew which one he was talking about. A street over from the candle making factory had a warehouse that used to belong to a phone company. One of the android ones if I remembered right. 

“I had been asked to determine whether or not it would be a good facility for our purposes, thus I told her to go check in my place. My acquaintance is quite young and was not paying attention to her surroundings. She was shot”. 

“Oh God, is she okay?”

Another curious look, “Of course. She is Vampire”. 

I wrapped the jacket around my shoulders, feeling myself begin to shiver again, “I’m pretty sure getting shot is unpleasant for anyone. Human or vampire”. 

I couldn’t tell if he agreed but he did clarify that “She has fully healed. However, I was still duty bound to inspect the area of the attack”. 

Pulling my legs up, I rested my chin on them and let my eyes wander as I processed what he said, “Thank God they didn’t shoot you too”. 

“They had no reason. I did not resist”. 

“Why not? Do you know them?”

“I have not made contact with them before this night”. I noticed that he neglected to answer my first question, but I wasn’t going to push him. I was happy with any scraps of information he was willing to give me.

Going for another approach, I asked instead, “Did you tell anyone that you’d be going there tonight?”

“Only a select number of my acquaintances”. 

He was clearly replacing another word with ‘acquaintance’ but that wasn’t important, “So they’ll notice when you don’t return home? Come looking for you?” 

Godric gave a nod. 

“That’s great!” I exclaimed, finally feeling comfortable enough to sit on the floor with him. 

“Perhaps not. I suspect a spy”.

I was about to ask him what he meant until I realised he was right. He wasn’t abducted at home, but somewhere he was only briefly visiting. Meaning the counsellors had to have known he would be there ahead of time. “Maybe it was a coincidence?” I asked hopefully, “Maybe they were just hanging around the area waiting for any vampire to show up”. Even as I said it, I knew it couldn’t be true; there was no way I wouldn’t have noticed my prim and proper abductors trolling around the shelter. Not with those yellow shirts.

Godric did not bother to reply. I felt the hope for a speedy rescue deflate, bringing my hunched shoulders down. If his ‘acquaintances’ were the reason we were in this mess, then there was no way that they would come to save him. 

We fell into silence for a while as I mulled over what this could mean. I was never much of a talker so my exhaustion had eaten up pretty much all of my social skills. A couple of times I caught myself dozing even though I stubbornly refused to lie down. There was always the chance that the counsellors would come back and I wasn’t going to be caught sleeping. Especially if one of them was Bodyspray. At some point in the night, I got up and gave the room another search, looking for anything that I might have missed the first time. There was a broom in the closet with a rather hefty handle. Worst comes to worst, I could maybe use it to hit someone. 

It turns out getting kidnapped was not only terrifying, it was boring. 

It was while I was attempting to sharpen a metal ruler against the edge of a desk that Godric suddenly announced, “The sun will rise soon”. He had been so still for so long that I jumped at the sound of his voice. 

I glanced at the blackout curtains on the windows, “Will they be enough to keep the sun out?”

He did not even bother to look at them, “No”. 

I stared at him wide eyed “So the sunlight might hit you?”

“From the direction that the room is facing, it is more likely to reach me when it sets”. 

I did not think the time of day was what Godric should have been focusing on. Vampires were secretive by nature but there wasn’t a person on the planet who didn't know how detrimental sunlight was to them. “What should we do? Should we try and ask them to take you somewhere else?” I suggested even though I really did not want to talk to the counsellors any time soon. 

“It may be safer if I die for the day in the closet”. 

I gaped at him for a moment before I realised he did not mean literally ‘die’. Then I quickly went to the closet and opened it. I felt its interior, looking for any gaps in the construction to find none. On the bright side, the counsellors had already cleared it out for us. On the down side, “There isn’t much room in here for you”. 

“You need not worry”, Godric said from right behind me. I hadn’t even heard him stand up. “I will not be sleeping after all”. 

“Hold on a sec”, I murmured as another idea came to me. I dragged one of the blue mats closer to the closet, “Once you’re inside, I’ll use this to cover the door. Maybe hold it in place with a desk. That’ll keep any sunlight from seeping through the cracks, right?”

Godric stood at the mouth of the closet, and gave me a long look. He was about an inch or two shorter than me so I hoped he wasn’t one of those men who disliked looking up at a woman. “You are putting a lot of effort in allowing me to safely go to ground”. 

I didn’t know what that meant or how to respond so I simply nodded. 

“They shall not hurt you, child”, he said with so much conviction that for a moment, I immediately believed him. 

The door closed behind him with a loud click. 

I quickly went to work lifting the blue mat up to cover the door. It wasn’t easy doing it alone and even less so pushing one of the desks against it. By the end, I was wiping sweat off the back of my neck. 

Godric was right about the blackout curtains not being enough to keep the sunlight out. I was able to watch the change of the cold floodlights turn into the warm sunlight through the little that peaked around the curtains. I couldn’t hear any movement in the closet so he must have already gone to sleep. Or died. Whatever it was they did.

I was exhausted. Late night hours might have been the norm for me, but not for so long. Not like this. Not with so much stress and fear and new experiences I never asked for. Not with bruises forming on my hip. 

And poor Jasper. He was probably lying in the shelter whimpering for water, wondering why I wasn’t there to help him. The tears that had been vying for release since I was thrown into that van came out in thick streams. I let them.

Chapter 2: The Lost Sheep I had Become

Summary:

Leanore spends her first day as a captive.

Notes:

Chapter edited: 28/7/25

I didn't wake up until they were already in the room.  

It was a couple of the Counselor’s, still wearing that garish yellow shirt that I could now see had the phrase ‘Light of Day Institute’ printed on them in big, blue font. I recognised one of them as the man who correctly assumed I worked in the dog shelter. His upturned nose was an unfortunate addition to his face but they did not take away from the rest of his clear, open features. The gun in his hands did.

At least he wasn’t pointing it at me like his larger partner. 

The woman standing in front of them wasn’t carrying a weapon.  With a hairstyle only a professional could achieve, she looked like she had stepped right out of one of those old magazines in dentist’s waiting rooms about home decor. Her clothes, jewlery and makeup was just a touch too crisp and clean. The bottom of her soles probably were probably clean too.  

“Oh my stars! They really did bring a girl”. 

I quickly stood up only to immediately regret it when two guns moved closer to my face. I raised my hands and hunched my shoulders down, keeping my eyes down to appear as non-threatening as possible.

“Forbes, Brooks! Enough of that!” said the woman as she flapped her hands at them, “Can’t ya see that you’re scarin’ her? Put your guns down”. 

“But ma’am-” began the larger of the two counsellors. 

“‘But ma’am’ nothin’. How am I to find out if she’s a Blood Traitor if she’s too scared to answer any of my questions?” The woman with hair so pale that the sunlight behind her caused it to glow, gave the men the staredown of an unimpressed mother. “Put down your toys so that we can have a civilised conversation please”. 

When they eventually complied with her orders, she instructed them to arrange two chairs for us to sit on while they flanked Ms Flawless like the two paranoid sentries they were. 

“Now that’s better, aint it?” she asked with a large smile that was oddly familiar. I didn’t answer at first, thinking it was rhetorical, only to find her staring at me expectantly. 

“Yes it is, ma’am. Thank you”, I murmured. She seemed to like being called ma’am by her guards though she looked to be my age if not younger. 

She laughed. One of those tinkling giggles some women do that couldn’t possibly be genuine, “Please, call me Sarah”. 

A part of me wondered if I was still dreaming. She made for such a surreal tableau, sitting in the room I was imprisoned in while wearing a toothy smile as if we were catching up over some tea. 

“Lenore”, I replied, hoping that the exchange of names was a good sign. 

“Oh my, if that ain’t just the prettiest name? I was named after my late great aunt, may God rest her soul, but I always wanted a fancy name like yours”, she paused to look me over again and I wondered what she saw. In cheap, unbranded clothing and unkempt hair, there was not much that she and I had in common. I was probably the first woman in an oversized hoodie that she had ever interacted with. 

“Ya know,” Sarah went on, “when Steve told me that they brought a woman with the Creature- speaking of, where is it?” She glanced around the classroom as if expecting Godric to pop his head out from behind a desk. 

I pointed to the closet behind me which she stared at with this disgust. She must have though he was being rude for not braving the sun to greet her. 

“As I was sayin, when Steve told me that they had brought a woman with the Creature, I just knew I had to see you for myself. He suspected that you might be a Fangbanger but he couldn’t be sure so I thought it best to check for myself. After all, we women understand each other better than any man ever could, ain’t that right?” Her eyes lingered on my neck.

I nodded. If she wanted to pretend that this blatant interrogation was just a couple of girlies getting to know each other, then who was I to dispute her. As long as she kept playing nice, she couldn’t do anything to hurt me.  

“Tell me, what would a young woman such as yourself be doing in those parts so late at night?” Sarah asked.

A young woman would be doing her job. “I work at the animal shelter there. We’re a no-kill shelter so we need someone to do lates to look after the most at risk dogs. I’m sure my boss would be happy to tell you if you called him”, I slipped in on the off chance that they actually would, “ When I first saw them surround the Creature, I thought they were kidnapping a boy. I didn’t realise what he was until we got here, I swear”. 

“Oh you poor thing”, Sarah gushed as she took my rough hands in hers. Her soft, manicured hands made my larger ones look distressingly masculine. “That’s how the Creatures of the Night get ya. They take the form of nice, everyday folk so that you don’t know you’re in their claws until it’s too late!”

It was then that I realised why she was so familiar to me. She wasn’t someone I had seen on a magazine but on my TV whenever the news was on. She often wore that same, stepford wives on her face whenever she stood next to her very loud, very nasally husband. “I’m sorry, but are you…Are you Sarah Newlin? From-”

“The Fellowship of the Sun! Yes!” she all but squealed in her excitement, “Have you heard of us?”

Was there anyone in Dallas who hadn’t heard of the certifiable cult that was steadily gaining power as vampires stepped further out of the coffin? The church was a favourite in the city’s rumour mill, making it so that the public knew everything and nothing about them. Their leader, Steve Newlin, inserted himself into as many news cycles he could to twist narratives into blaming the tragedy of the day on vampires. In the last segment I watched him on, he claimed that the hit to their economy was because vampires didn’t go grocery shopping. 

Sarah rarely made an appearance herself unless it was to act as arm candy during a public event. The only reason I remembered her was because I was surprised to learn of her existence. Until that point, I had assumed that Steve Newlin was gay. 

“Of course”, I said, “How can I not when Mr. Newlin has been bravely doing God’s work. It’s a wonder he can bring himself to talk to that vampire woman.” whose name I could no recall. 

A few more teeth were added to her grin, “Oh honey, you don’t know half of what my husband has to do fight the Lord’s fight”. 

And that was it; I flattered her husband, insulted a woman she didn’t like and sprinkled in some religious phrasing. That was all I needed to do to become Sarah’s newest best friend. Innocent of all charges in her eyes. It was shockingly easy, but then, Sarah struck me as someone who was seemingly liked and adored by all she came across. She likely could not tell when someone was playing up to her vanity.

She asked me if I attended church. I considered lying and telling her I attended every Sunday, but on the off chance she demanded that I quote scripture to her, I told her that I hadn’t for a while. That I yet to find one that was suitable to my beliefs. So naturally, Sarah got it into her head that my abduction was part of some grand plan to bring one of “God’s lost sheep” back into “His flock”. That it was fate that I would end up with the Fellowship.

Apparently she too was once lost. With a well practiced, she told me about the vampire rights rallies she used to go to with her sister. The two, according to Sarah, were swept up in the lies the “biassed media” was feeding them until eventually her sister became a V-addict. Sarah made the addiction sound like being possessed by the devil so it was difficult to discern how much of what she said was true. In any case, Sarah’s tragic fairytale ended when a shiny Prince Charming rode into her life and brought her “forever under His Light”. 

It was a nice pitch if not a little on the nose. 

At some point during the recitation of her memoir, Sarah managed to think outside of herself for a minute and realise that I hadn't so much as peed since the night before, let alone had something to eat or drink. “Brooks, would you be a dear and escort Miss Phillips to the nearest restroom”, she said before leaning closer to me and whispering that she would get a female guard to take me next time, as if my sensibilities were the issue right now. “While you freshen up, I’ll have some things sent over until we can see about getting you settled somewhere more appropriate. Anythin’ in particular that ya need?”

What else could I need but a means of escape? If I asked nicely, would she give it to me? Probably not. She spent almost enough time praising her husband and the church as she did herself. She wouldn't go against Steve's wishes and I was almost certain he was the rude nasally voice from the night before. 

But there was something Godric needed, “Do you have any Tru Blood?” I asked. For the first time, Sarah’s smile faltered. A few of her teeth were gone from sight. It might have been satisfying if my life wasn’t controlled by her very whim. “It’s just that…It’s just that I’m worried that it’ll be hungry when it wakes up and I don’t want it near me. I can’t imagine anything worse”. 

Sarah grabbed my hand again, squeezing it even more, “Of course you don’t, you poor girl. I hear that when they taint the skin, they inject some kinda pheromone into their victims to make them come back for more. Like a zombie! I’m so sorry we didn’t think of that before. I hate the thought of it, but for you, I’ll send someone out to get a case and bring you some silver too. That Creature won’t go near that pretty lil’ neck of yours”. 

“Thank you”, I said, “You’re very kind”.

I went through everything I learned during that bizarre conversation while I was escorted to the restroom. Resisting the temptation to study my surroundings lest Brooks caught on that I was looking for a way to get out of there. I didn’t even look at him, just kept my head down and forward like the lost sheep I had become. 

The restroom was a small cubicle with no shower, so after relieving myself, I washed as well as I could over the sink. Keeping my eyes glued to the door I wasn’t allowed to lock. The reflection in the mirror was awful. I looked like I aged at least five years in one night. My hair managed to be messy and limp at the same time. I quickly tied half of it up and off my face before splashing colour back into my cheeks. 

Back in the classroom, where I was locked in again, someone had retrieved some supplies. I was given my very own counsellor uniform which I was pretty sure was a man’s from the way it hung off me. At least it was clean and the pants weren’t too baggy. Before diving into the bland cheese sandwiches they left me, I checked the closet door to make sure it hadn’t been tampered with. I debated  whether it was okay to leave Godric like that again in the future, but figured that if they wanted to open the door and let in the sun, there wouldn’t be much I could do even if I was present. 

By now, the day staff at the shelter should have started their shift. There weren’t any obvious signs of my abduction but there was a chance that they might become suspicious when they read the shelter’s daily log. I tended to write in it more than my other colleagues since I rarely got to interact with them so it should have been fairly obvious when I suddenly stopped. If not, they would surely notice something was wrong when I didn't show up for the changeover that night.

I spent the morning and early afternoon napping; attempting to sharpen the metal ruler; and circling around the classroom to see if I’d missed anything the first few times I had already searched it. By mid-afternoon, a counsellor dropped off a case of Tru Blood with an expression that really wanted me to know how disgusted she was that she had to even touch the thing. I had just smiled politely and looked as placid as possible. That earned me a simple silver necklace. Its cross hung heavy from my neck.

I was also given quite a lot of reading material. A bible -which I pretended to read whenever someone stopped by for my restroom break- and some Fellowship of the Sun booklets which I studied cover to cover. Like everything else, the booklets were in shades of sky blue and yellow, in case anyone forgot that they all but worshipped the sun. The trinity symbol they used ironically reminded me of that popular witches show, Charmed. 

The pamphlets were a mess in and of themselves. The term ‘Monster’ was used far more than ‘vampire’ and they claimed that humans were the “morally superior species” because God “gave us the sun”. There was a FAQ section for vampires which appeared even less informed than I was. It all read as more of a joke than an actual church pamphlet but it was pretty useful in figuring out how I should speak when I met Steve Newlin again. I had a feeling that he would not be as easy to convince as Sarah was. 

The sun had not fully set yet when I heard movement in the closet. I pressed my ear against the door and gave it a soft knock, “Godric? Are you…awake?”

“I am”, came his soft voice.

“The sun’s still up”.

“I am aware. At my age, I can rise early”, he paused for a moment while I thought about his age again. Sorely tempted to just come out and ask him. “Did anything occur while I went to ground?”

“Yes”, I said with a little too much excitement, “I found out who took us. It was the Fellowship of the Sun!”

Rather than comment on my discovery as I expected, Godric asked, “Did they harm you in any way?”

“No, no they didn’t. They were actually kind of nice, in a culty sort of way”. I told him of my meeting with Sarah and my impression of her. I asked him if he thought her kindness was genuine but he said he could not be certain without meeting her as well. Something I doubted would ever happen with how disgusted she seemed by his species. 

I also told him of the Tru Blood I managed to get him, “The instructions say that you need to heat it up in a microwave but they didn’t give us one. Will it still be safe for you to drink it?” Perhaps unheated blood was as detrimental to a vampire’s health as uncooked chicken was to a human.

“It shall suffice”, was all he said. 

Some time later, he told me that he was ready to exit the closet. 

Godric calmly stepped out, looking as un-ruffled as he did before entering the closet. There was not a crease in his clothes or a kink in his hair despite the fact that he must have folded into himself to fit the closet’s floor. The only thing out of place on him were the blue tattoos. I somehow missed the blue tribal designs printed onto his left arm and clavicle the night before. They dripped with history that only continued to age them. I tried not to stare. 

He  did not as he silently looked me over. I tried not to fidget as his eyes trailed from my messy hair to my overly worn sneakers which at one point were white but were now an aged grey. If he had an opinion about my new outfit, he did not express it. He did not even acknowledge the silver on my neck. Instead he breathed deeply through his nose and said “You still smell of dog”. 

That did make me fidget. “Are you hungry?” I asked as I turned around to quickly retrieve a Tru Blood from the teachers desk where I kept our supplies (minus the vaguely sharpened ruler which was shoved under the mat I slept on). “They only brought O+. I didn’t realise that they came in…flavours”, I commented as I gave the bottle a good shake before opening it and handing it over to Godric. 

He gave me a nod in thanks from his position seated on a mat. Feeling wrong standing above him, I took a seat myself. Not too close considering how unpleasant I smelt to him.

I was preparing myself to tell him all I learned about our captors but he surprised me again by stating, “You did not sleep when I went to ground for the day”. 

How did he know that? “No”, I said, trying to see where he was going with this, “I didn’t think it would be safe if we both did”. Not until I apparently fell asleep in time to receive guests. 

He stared into the contents of the Tru Blood, “It is most advantageous to destroy a vampire when they have gone to ground”. 

“Okay?” That was one hell of a non sequitur.

He fixed his eyes on me. I still couldn’t tell what colour they were. Before they appeared Olive in colour, but now they were more of a stormy grey. “It would have been the perfect time to give me the True Death”. 

I sat up straighter “You thought I stayed up so I could kill you in your sleep?!”

“I am Vampire. You are human”, he stated as if that was any kind of explanation. 

“So what? That’s no excuse to murder you!”

He passed his eyes over the Fellowship booklets I had been reading. “I am sure the Fellowship of the Sun’s disciples have told you of the danger you are in while in my presence”. 

“Yes they did, but I was too distracted by the danger that they put me in to pay much attention”. 

“I would not fault you for making the attempt”,  He was being oddly insistent despite his so far placid demeanour. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to trick me into confessing to something I hadn’t done, or if he was trying to convince me that I should have. 

“Well I didn’t and I won’t”, I stated until something else occurred to me, “Did you know it was the Fellowship that took us?”

He tilted his head slightly, “I suspected as much”. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You did not ask”.

I wanted to curl up on the mat and go back to sleep “So, what, are you saying? Did you want to come here? Is that why you didn’t resist them when they came to kidnap you?”

I really wished he would drink his Tru Blood rather than just stare at it, “They are not wrong to fear us. You should not discount their words”. 

I blinked at him as I came to the realisation that I might have been sucked into some crazy cult recruitment scheme. “Really? Because the Fellowship knows so much about your kind?” I picked up one of the booklets and flicked to its FAQ page, feeling myself almost become angry at him, “So are they right in saying that vampires are just ‘sinners who have been cast out of God’s Light, damned to spend eternity in the night?’”

He made what might have been a shrug, “They have good reason to believe it is so”.

“Are you sure? Because in the next page”, I gave the booklet a decisive flick, “They reference a conspiracy theory that vampires were created by the Japanese to sell artificial blood”. 

That seemed to perplex him from the say his thick brows drew in, “My maker was not from Japan”. 

“There’s even an entire page in here dedicated to garlic. They think it must be some kind of devine ingredient which is why you guys are allergic to it. They suggest that humans should eat it in every meal they have. Every meal!”

“Vampires have no such allergy. Some of the young find the smell too pungent but that applies to many smells”. 

“Yet you think I should listen to them?”. 

“Being incorrect on some aspects of Vampire does not make them incorrect in all”.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right” I responded as I put the booklet down. Leaning back onto my hands, I suddenly felt so very tired. I thought I had at least one potential ally in all this. Now I wasn’t so sure. “But until I figure out what they’ve got right and wrong, I’m gonna hold off from murdering you in your sleep okay?”

He gave me a cool gaze. Determining whether or not I was being honest.

“After all, we’re in this together. Right? I don't think… I don't think I can make it through this without you. I don’t even want to try” I mumbled, tugging at the end of my shirt so I wouldn’t have to meet his gaze.

He continued to study me but there was a little more warmth in it. His eyes were back to looking more Olive than thunderstorm. “You are right, Lenore. We are ‘in this together’”.

I appreciated the sentiment even if it was a lie. 

After a moment I asked, “Do you know what they plan to do with you?”

“Not with any certainty”.

 

2.

A middle-aged woman visited us. She was very short (the top of her head barely reached my chest) with sandy hair cropped into a pixie-cut. She was the most normal looking person I had seen so far since she wasn’t TV glam like Sarah nor was she a tactical counselor like the latest pair of men who accompanied  this new character.

“Against the wall! Against the wall!” Gabe shouted with his crossbow pointed at Godric once again. His black military gear was covered by an even thicker coat of bravado.

Godric, who was already sitting against the wall, slowly stood up. His bus had arrived.

I, on the other hand, quickly scampered to the wall away from the gun Bodyspray had on me. With my hands up, I almost tripped over the mat I had been sitting on to press my back against the cool surface.

It was the first time I was able to take a good look at Bodyspray. He had a startlingly pleasant appearance with a round face that would clearly stay boyish for years to come. When he would be well into his thirties, people would still likely believe him to be in his twenties. His hair, which must have been the same dark shade of brown as mine, had gone through a buzzcut recently.

“Bonnell, pull up a chair for Mrs Stanley. I got ‘em” Gabe said though he did not so much as glance in my direction. 

Putting away his gun, Bodyspray, or ‘Bonnell’, took one of the chairs off of a table and put it on the ground facing Godric and I. Mrs Stanely thanked him as she gingerly took a seat. She too only gave her attention to Godric, “I’m tempted to treat you like a young man, but I imagine you’re actually a great deal older than me”. 

Godric let his silence answer her.

“What do they call you?” she asked.

“Godric”

Mrs Stanley hummed as she smoothed down her mustard coloured skirt, “I never did find out his name. The one who took my beautiful boy from me”. 

Mrs Stanley was the single parent of an only child. She didn’t specify what happened to her son’s father, but I got the impression that he had been absent from the picture for a long time now. Her son, Lorn, was every parent’s dream come true while he lived under his mother’s roof. Didn't drink, didn’t take drugs or do much socialising at all with people his own age outside of afterschool clubs. Lorn had dedicated his childhood to gaining the scholarship that would grant him a full ride to a college in Dallas. “I knew I shouldn’t have let him move so far from home but he had his heart set on it”.

Apparently leaving the nest had opened the little bird to all sorts of predators. One of which was a vampire. Lorn met them during his first week of college and was quickly swept up in the “vampire’s wiles”. It did not take long for him to start sleeping through his classes just so he could spend all night with the vampire. “I was happy when Lorn told me that he made a new friend, my baby boy always did find it hard to meet new people. But then he told me he loved him. Loved him!”.

Mrs Stanley paused at this point in the story as if she expected a gasp from her audience. All she got was an awkward shuffle from Bodyspray. Mother and son argued about the relationship over the phone for weeks. She demanded that he drop out of college and return home immediately. Which he ultimately did. Sort of. He dropped out of college and disappeared into Dallas with his lover. All he had left his mother was a voice message stating that he needed time and asking her not to look for him. Since then, she had been staying on Fellowship grounds while she searched for Lorn. 

Despite saying that she didn’t know the name of her son’s lover, she asked “Where is he? I know you’ve done something to him! Tell me where he is!”. Her face broke out in angry red splotches that quickly travelled down her neck and into her decolletage. She stood up and attempted to advance on Godric, only stopped by Bodyspray who physically dragged her out of the room. At no point did Godric’s face change from its placid rest. 

It became clear by our second visitor what the agenda for the night was. The powers that be had sent out invitations to the members of the church to come and shout their grievances at the captured vampire. Each of them acted like he was personally responsible for what other vampires did or did not do to them. It didn't matter that not a single one of them had met him before that night, he was at fault for simply being what he was. 

Five people in total visited, two men and three women. A couple did not stay for more than five minutes. The rest stayed for the better part of an hour, ranting or making demands. None of them acknowledged me. None of them garnered a response from Godric. He didn’t even blink. 

“You’ve been behaving real well tonight, fanger”, Gabe said after everyone else had left. At some point in the night, he must have gotten comfortable being in the same room as Godric because he was no longer holding his crossbow up. In fact, he was leaning on the practice dummy, poking at its false teeth.

Godric did not respond.

“Surprised to see you haven’t had a taste of her yet”. It took me a moment to realise that Gabe was talking about me. “She not doing it for ya? Don’t worry, I get ya. I’ll make sure to get you a real pretty lil’ thing next time. Unless of course, ya really are doin’ Mrs Stanley’s baby boy”. 

Gabe left the room laughing. The sound of it cut off abruptly with the close of the door. Nothing took its place.

I didn’t eat anything that night. But then again, neither did Godric. 

 

Notes:

Thank you so much for all the comments and kudos you've given me. They really are great motivators to keep on writing.

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and I cant wait to see you again at the next one! :) x

Chapter 3: At Least I no longer Smelled of Dog

Summary:

Leanore and Godric spend another two days with their captors

Notes:

Hey guys! Thanks so much for coming back for another chapter.

And an even bigger thank you for the +40 kudos! I wasn't expecting that at all.

Here's another long one. Just a word of warning: some fo the themes get pretty dark in this chapter with references to sexual assault towards both adults and children. But don't worry, it won't get too graphic.

In any case, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! :)

 

Chapter edited: 28/07/25

Not much happened during my second day as a captive. Sarah didn’t come see me but Brooks did. While he was dropping off food -which I think was leftovers from a barbecue- he made me watch a handful of videos on his phone. They depicted what he claimed to be “evidence of vampire attacks”. One was security footage that showed a jogger running down an empty street before suddenly being whisked away by a figure so fast, the video could only display it as a brief blur. Another was a first person point of view of someone interrupting a vampire feeding on an unconscious woman in an alley. 

“What do ya think ‘bout that?” Brooks asked me, his wide set blue eyes studying me closely. Looking for any sign that I wasn’t playing for the team.

“It’s terrible”, I told him, “I really hope those people are okay”. 

He gave me a nod, surprised that I could answer such a difficult question. 

During my bathroom breaks, my escort (a female counsellor this time) walked in front of me instead of behind. Leading me rather than guarding me so that I was able to look around the compound. The Fellowship of the Sun was built on flat, empty ground with only a steep hill on its south side. One solitary building was all that accompanied ours though it was a great deal larger with a grand sloping roof. Pristine and entirely white, it looked incredibly out of place in the raw nature that surrounded it. 

That luckily meant that there weren’t too many barriers to get through if we were to escape. It also meant we would be out in the open just asking to be shot during our hypothetical escape attempt. I sure hoped Godric could drive.

After missing my shift last night, my colleagues must have realised something was amiss. It wasn’t like me to pull a no-show. If they tried to call me, they’d hear my phone ringing in my locker and find that I had left my bag with my purse and keys still inside. That would surely be a sign that something wrong had happened to me. The only question was, how long would they wait before reporting me missing?

The first Fellowship member arrived just before night fell, evidently too excited to have their turn at Godric to wait for him to actually be present. At least there were only three of them this time. Gabe also let me stay seated  which was less out of kindness and more out of complete ambivalence. Aside from mild curiosity as to when Godric would lose it and eat me, Gabe seemed completely uninterested in me. A fact I very much appreciated. 

After the visits, Godric and I were sitting at a couple of the students’ desks. His posture was straight and pronounced as he quietly read through one of the Fellowship’s booklets. He was a surprisingly slow reader. For some reason I expected him to be able to read a page at a single glance, flipping through the pages so quickly they would fan his hair. I, on the other hand, was slumped onto my wooden desk, head leaning on my hand and gazing at the quotation on the whiteboard. 

“They really have a one-track mind” I commented, “I thought churches were supposed to preach every part of the bible like being kind to thy neighbour. Not that vampires are in the bible''. 

Godric didn’t reply but I wasn’t surprised. He hadn't said anything since our last visitor and I was just talking for the sake of talking. 

That was how Steve Newlin found us. 

He looked pretty much the same in person as he did on TV. Overly pressed suit, quaffed hair and an ugly snot-coloured tie. One look at him and you could pretty much see his entire personality. Since he was the new big Boss of the Fellowship, he was escorted by the original kidnapping team. A display of power so overt it swung back round and ended up making Steve look rather pathetic.

The influx of testosterone turned the air stifling. With no room for me, I stood up and took my place at the wall. I clasped my elbows and worked to camouflage myself against it. 

“Creature of Darkness, we finally meet”, Steve Newlin said with a dramatic flourish of his hand. He must have forgotten their first meeting the first night we were here. “I hope you haven’t been waiting for me for too long”.

“I have not” Godric replied as he moved to stand in front of me, partially blocking me from the rest of the men in the room. I instantly felt better. Until I saw the way Steve took note of the action. 

Steve did a poor job of hiding how much Godric’s flippant response bothered him. “I am sure you have been wondering why I have brought an evil Creature such as yourself to this sacred land”, he began as he circled round the room and took a seat at the teacher’s desk, “For the past two days and nights, I have been on my knees at His holy altar, praying for His guidance. And it was in His Light that I was shown the way”. Every word was an exclamation, something so profound to him that he just had to share it with the rest of the world. 

Gabe took his place at Steve’s side, an unnerving smirk playing across his mouth as Steve went on, “And it is under His Light that you will be shown the way. This Saturday night, we will have ourselves a Lock In'', he raised his hands to accept the applause no one gave him. 

I had no idea what a ‘lock in’ was. It wasn’t mentioned in any of the booklets I was given. 

“When morning breaks on Sunday, the holiest day, named after God’s greatest gift to his children, you Creature of Darkness, shall have the opportunity to cleanse yourself in His Light”. 

My breathing stopped as my brain attempted to process what it just heard. Steve’s statement was so implausible that I wouldn’t be surprised if other bodily functions ceased as my mind worked to decipher it. It would explain why I felt so cold all of a sudden. 

I think Steve continued to speak but I had no way of knowing. I looked to Godric, hoping he would be able to make sense of what just happened. To tell me that I was misunderstanding. But Godric remained silent. Indeed, he looked as bored as ever. 

“What’s your name again?”

Surely Steve just declared that he was going to force Godric to stand in sunlight. One of the most prevalent themes in the Fellowship’s booklets aside from how amazing the Sun is, was why it was so amazing. Because it was the best way to kill a vampire. They constantly referenced bringing vampires into ‘His Light’ as a way to cleanse the world of them. Steve just declared that he planned to commit murder yet everyone was just standing around. More people waiting for that damn bus. 

“He asked you a question, girlie”, Gabe said, looking at me for the first time since we met. 

I opened my mouth to reply but my body had only just been able to regain its ability to breathe. So I gaped at them like someone who had suffered from severe head trauma. 

“She is called Lenore”, Godric said for me. 

“Well Lenore”, Steve said my name in a sneer for reasons only known to him, “My wife has requested that I move you to more comfortable rooms. She said that you were a true believer who wished to worship Him in His Light but”, he eyed Godric’s position in front of me again, “I’m not too sure about that. What do you think Gabe?”

Gabe, who was being more disciplined with his crossbow since his boss was in the room, shrugged one shoulder, “I don’t wanna contradict Mrs Newlin, sir, but you know what women are like. A lil’ too soft when it comes to making decisions”.

“Yes”, Steve’s face turned lax as his mind appeared to wander to examples of women being ‘too soft’, “You might be right about that. No, I don’t think we will move you. But I will allow you to take a tour of the church tomorrow. Perhaps attend prayer so that you may confess all your sins to Him. If He forgives you, then we shall see. Would you like that?” He quirked his left eyebrow and the left side of his lip at the same time. Apparently very pleased with himself. 

“Yes- Yes, thank you Mr Newlin”, I muttered, keeping my eyes downcast.

“Reverend”, Steve corrected.

I swallowed down my consternation so that my tone would not bring it to life, “Thank you, Reverend”. 

Steve and his entourage stayed for a while longer but I barely paid attention to what he was saying. He went on and on about how he expected the execution to go. The people who would be there -families with children- and the food and drink that would be served as they sat back in their most comfortable sleepwear to watch a man burn to death. Some of his men commended him for the plan as if Steve were the first person ever to think of killing a vampire via sunlight. 

All the while, Godric continued to say nothing.

I waited for only a beat after hearing them lock the door behind them as they left before pushing myself from the wall, “Oh God, they’re gonna kill you. They’re really gonna kill you!”, I said as I paced back and forth in front of Godric. I gripped my elbows even tighter as I hugged myself. Dug my fingernails as far into the skin as I could, “They’ll kill you and then they’ll kill me. I’m nothing but a loose end to them. We have to get out of here”. I stopped and looked at Godric, “You can get out of here right? Vampires are faster and stronger than us so there’s no way they could stop you”. After Brooks' little home movie session, I had no doubt about that. 

Godric gave a nod, confirming my assumption.

“So why don’t you?” I asked, my voice rising in both volume and pitch, “Why don’t you just get out of here? Why did you just stand there while that trumped up asshole boasted about how fun it’ll be to kill you?!”

He made what I saw as his version of a sigh, but was really just a flicker of his eyes going down then back up again. He detached one of my hands from my elbow to lead me to our usual spots on the mats. I resisted at first, holding onto too much tension to give up my method of expelling it. But at his second tug, I relented. If someone like him could be insistent, then it must have been important. 

We both sat on the mats with our backs leaning against the wall. Sitting in this position, I realised that he had chosen that spot because it gave him a clear view of the entire room as well as our only entry and exit. I watched the shadows of our guards pass the window as Godric began to speak.

“You are correct. I can leave at any point of my choosing, however, I do not wish it”. 

I closed my eyes, fed up of watching our captors freely walk around while I was trapped in that God forsaken room. “Why?”

“I cannot tell you when it started. Time does not move as it should anymore. I also cannot give name to it, but for the past few years a feeling has overcome me”. 

“A feeling?” I prompted when he trailed off.

His voice was so soothing, I would have found it peaceful if not for the subject matter. “I have not been able to find another vampire that shares such a feeling. But then again, vampires as old as I are very rare in the New World”. Godric paused. “I began to deteste everything Vampire. 

“Vampires which I might have once respected, appear as rabid beasts before me now. The hunt, which I had reveled in in the centuries after my turning has become a chore. I cannot even bring myself to feed anymore, that which brings a vampire the most pleasure”. 

I opened my eyes and looked at the Tru Blood bottles on the teacher’s desk. He had not taken so much as a sip from them. They looked forlorn in their uselessness. 

“Why do you think that is?” I whispered, studying his profile. 

“I am…tired. I am very tired”. 

I took in a sharp breath. Felt his words hit a place deep within me. A place that, despite my attempts to ignore, thrived more and more as I aged. 

“I understand that you believe yourself safer in my presence than you do in the Fellowship’s”, Godric went on, “But that is foolish to do so. You know not what I am”. 

I was going to point out again that they were the ones who kidnapped me but that would have been insulting his intelligence. Besides, he clearly meant something deeper than that. “So tell me. What are you?”

Tell me he did. 

Godric spoke of Magna Pestilencia, what I eventually realised was another term for The Black Death.  At the time it had been difficult for him to find a healthy human to feed off of. Unsurprising since it killed over 25 million Europeans. To lessen the risk of ingesting the illness, he would hunt and capture heavily pregnant women. After they gave birth, he would kill the newly made mothers and keep the newborns to feed from. A little snack to tide him over during his travels to find somewhere the plague had not reached yet. Like a trail mix. 

There was one baby that he particularly enjoyed the taste of. So much so, that Godric kept it for years. In a little wooden box strapped to the back of his cart. Gave it little scraps of food every once in a while to keep it alive. Godric did not know its name or even its gender. Then one day he just left it, no longer in need of its blood. Left it locked in its little wooden box. 

Once Godric started his stories, he couldn’t seem to stop. On and on they went. Sometimes blending into each other. Sometimes jumping to a new one without warning. The woman he had passed amongst his nest mates to be used turned into the lodge full of guests that he burnt down because he wanted to see if it was possible to drink from a burnt corpse. 

It couldn’t have been real. He spoke with the neutral tone of someone just trying to come up with the most gruesome campfire stories. But I could find no deception on his face. Not through the tears that slid down my cheeks. I desperately wanted to ask him to stop. To beg him. To slap my hand onto his mouth and force him to just stop. But he was right. I needed to know. And he needed to tell me.

He did eventually stop. Doubtlessly from lack of will rather than lack of stories. We sat in silence. Stared blankly at the empty room. 

My first thought was to run out of the room. To get as far away from Godric as I could. How I could ever have seen him as a placid man, I had no idea. But then I started to think over everything he had said. Or more specifically what he had not said. 

“Godric, how old are you?” I asked in a croak. 

He thought for a moment, “I am unsure exactly. I come from a region your historians call Gaul Celtica which the Romans did not conquer until the first century BC. I must be a little over two thousand”. 

Two thousand. Two thousand years of regret. Of poisonous memories. I could not fathom it. I was close friends with sleepless nights of regret not to the scale that Godric was speaking. At least some of my worst memories had become hazy or forgotten. Was it the same for vampires? Or were all of Godric’s still clear and strong. A never ending, high definition film of pain and anguish that looped over and over again in his mind. Even now as he sat next to me.

“How long has it been since you were…last like that?” I asked.

Please don’t let it have been recent.

“I have not felt pleasure in a kill since before my last journey to the New World. It was the late 1940s”. 

My tense shoulders sagged slightly in relief. My parents had not even been born yet. I could work with that. 

My hand lifted. I thought of all the people he had hurt, both directly and indirectly. All of which were dead but still existed in some way if the Fellowship’s teachings were correct. I thought of the pain and fear that they must have felt as my hand moved towards Godric. All of which would have been lost in history if they had not lived on in him. I ached for them. So strongly it was if I known them. I wanted to go back in time and hold them. Protect each one from Godric as I placed my hand on his. 

I did not know if they would ever forgive him so I did not do so in their place. Instead I picked up his cool hand and moved it to my lap. Let it rest there as our fingers locked together. Godric had done monstrous things and at the time he had been a monster. Just as Godric has protected me and became my protector. Each version of him was as real as the other. As important as the other. And each version was working to destroy the other. 

I did not reject him. But I did not dissuade him from suicide either. 

2. 

“I would like you to take some of my blood”. 

By now, I should not be surprised by his sudden proclamations, but I was. 

We were still seated with our backs against the wall though it must have been well into the night by now. The passing shadows through the windows had decreased in number as we drew nearer to dawn. 

His hand was still in mine. 

“They wish to take you from this room”, he said. 

Oh yes. Steve did throw that little titbit in while he was here. I had forgotten in light of the public murder plot. “So you want me to carry your blood around while I’m out?”

The corner of his lip twitched, “No, Lenore. I would like for you to ingest some”.

I let both brows lift at that, “You want me to drink your blood? No offence, but that’s not really a part of my diet. Besides”, I dropped to a stage whisper even though no one else was there to hear me “There isn’t a drug out there that’s more illegal than V”. 

Godric went very still before his mouth curled in distaste, “V in a pox upon both human and vampire alike. Do not go near it”. 

“I wasn’t planning on it. That’s why I’m confused about why you’re offering me your blood”. 

“V is the blood taken without permission. It is why it attacks the body, makes the human crave it insatiably. It is worse if the vampire was killed during the process”. 

“Vampires die making V?” Because the drug was produced directly from vampires, I had just assumed that they were the ones who distributed it as well.

“More often than not”, Godric replied. No wonder he looked so disgusted by its mere mention. “The blood will enter you at my will. You will not feel the adverse effects of V. It will, however, allow me to be aware of your location”. 

“Like a GPS?” 

“Is that the device drivers own in their cars that shows them the way in which they should travel?”

I nodded.

“Then yes. It is like a GPS. It will also tell me if you are in distress and require aid”. 

That got my attention, “How does it do that?”

“The Blood within you shall call to The Blood within me”, It was this statement that made me realise that whenever Godric was talking about vampire blood, he was doing so with a capital ‘B’. As if their blood was something sacred, “I shall also be able to feel your strongest emotions. I am apprehensive of you leaving while I am dead for the day. If something untoward happens to you, I can come to your aid as long as you stay alive until nightfall". 

Now that was a very attractive feature. I hadn’t had a chance to think about what might happen tomorrow while they took me for the tour, but speaking about it now brought on an anxiety that prickled against the back of my neck. The entire thing was clearly some kind of test; a way to see just how devout I was to the religion. How willing I was to participate in a vampire’s murder. Who knows what they would do if I wasn’t convincing enough.

“Can your blood do anything else?” I asked.

“If you are sexually attracted to me, it will increase that attraction. Most likely in the form of vivid dreams”. Godric replied so bluntly that I couldn’t help the flush that drained my cheeks. “It shall also heal any wound you already have both internally and externally, as well as increase your general health”. 

I took a moment to consider his offer. One of the things I have already found enjoyable about talking to Godric was that he was never in a rush to hear me respond. I felt like I could actually take the time to consider what I was saying without him becoming impatient. 

“How long does it last for?” I asked

“The Blood is too old for you to need more than a drop. It should last no more than a month. Perhaps two”. One drop of his blood could last for two months?! He must have had steroids mixed with straight up magic flowing in his veins. 

There wasn’t anything jumping out and telling me that I should not accept his offer. Before, I might have been daunted at the thought of a certifiable stranger being able to feel and find me wherever I was, but now I was just grateful that he would want that. That I would be taking a piece of him with me to keep me company while I was surrounded by those who wish us harm. If he was telling the truth. For all I knew, Sarah was right in saying vampires inject something in humans to enthral them. Maybe this was how they did it. 

It all boiled down to whether or not I trusted this strange vampire who had just told me about the numerous people he had raped and murdered. Whether I trusted Godric.

“Alright”, I said, “I’ll take a drop of your blood. Thank you”. 

I think he was pleased with my acquiesce. Not in the ‘haha, the silly human is falling for my evil plan’ sense, but in the sense that he had one less thing to worry about. Like my safety was something he was worried about. 

Godric’s long fangs clicked down. This time I found them more fascinating than frightening. It was strange that I could hear their descent so clearly and wondered what they were hitting against to make that sound. It did not appear to hurt him to bear them, but perhaps he was just used to the pain. 

He gave me a long look, “Ready?” he asked. 

I nodded, his asking for consent one more time made me feel even more positive that I was making the right decision. 

Godric used one of his fangs to prick the index finger of the hand I wasn’t holding. A small bead of blood quickly bloomed on the tip. The red shined prettily against his finger, turned rough from the life he led before his turning. He lifted it up to my mouth but waited for me to take the blood myself. Feeling incredibly awkward, I gave his finger a quick lick before retreating back a bit. There was no wound on his finger. 

I did not feel different at first. Considered telling him that I didn't think it worked. Then I was suddenly on my feet flapping my hands up and down as I paced again. The sudden rush of energy was almost too much to handle, “Is it supposed to feel like this? I feel like I’ve just downed every shot of coffee in every cafe in the world. Like I’ll never go to sleep again. Like maybe I really am one of those people that can leave the house at 5am to go for a 10k run before work”, I babbled. 

Godric was not put off by my manic behaviour, “Reactions do vary, but yes, what you are feeling is to be expected”. 

The dull ache that ran from my shoulders and down my side was gone. Gone. Later I would have to check if the bruises from my abduction were still there. For now, my pacing extended until I was jogging from one end of the classroom to the other, weaving through the desks in an impromptu obstacle course. “I don’t think this was a good idea. They’re gonna know something’s wrong with me. They're gonna know I took some of your blood and then they’ll probably burn me at the stake for witchcraft. For being the whore of Satan or any other bullshit they manage to pull from their sanctimonious asses”, later, I’ll be embarrassed for the way I spoke in front of him.

“You shall settle soon. The Blood is working its way through your system. I can feel it”. He tilted his head. I should have asked him why that seemed to intrigue him.

Instead I went faster. The sooner I calmed myself down, the better. A Fellowship member could come in any second and I couldn't let them see me like this. 

I have no idea how long I was running for, but eventually I did start to tire out. In this case, ‘tire out’ meant that I no longer felt like I could shoot up into the sky like a rocket. I was still very much awake as I sat down with Godric again. “Sorry”, I muttered, feeling bashful. 

In lieu of responding to my apology, Godric said, “Sleep when you are able”. 

I did not think it would be possible to do so, but not long after Godric died for the day, I somehow managed to take a half hour nap. Rather than feel groggy after going for so long with so little sleep, I felt wide awake the second I opened my eyes. Ready for whatever the day had in store for me. Much like the dogs I looked after, I was sleeping on the mat one second, and up on my feet the next. 

Who needed coffee when you had vampire blood?

During my morning bathroom break, I made an effort to look less deranged. Since this was clearly a test to see if I could integrate into their cult, I had to look the part. So after washing myself as much as I could at the sink, I finger combed my hair up into a high ponytail, hoping its height would make me look perky and approachable. I also squeezed colour into my cheeks and rubbed my lips together so I didn’t look as sick anymore. It might have been my imagination, a trick of the eye born from Godric’s suggestion, but my skin looked clearer. Closer to how I looked before I hit puberty and discovered that I’d have to worry about pores for the rest of my life. 
 
Brooks was the one who retrieved me for my tour. When before he had looked overly serious , today he appeared closer to bored. His dark blue eyes passed over me the same as any other piece of furniture in the room. He did not lead me by the arm as we turned left instead of right outside of the classroom, but he did make sure that I walked in front. 

As we walked towards the large white building, I noted that the Fellowship’s security drastically dropped during the day. Likely due to a mixture of feeling safe under the sun’s rays and wanting to look like an actual church. I saw some fellow Yellow Shirts but they didn’t have any visible weapons and were simply milling around outside rather than patrolling.

Brooks led me through the church’s rear entrance and directly into a small industrial kitchen. A handful of women were in there prepping food, ranging in ages from middle-aged to elderly. Each one in modest dresses, they chattered away with a familiarity that only people who had known each other for a long time could achieve. All I received from them was a couple of curious glances and a “Mornin’!”

Not knowing if I was allowed to respond, I simply nodded and offered a stiff smile back. 

Our destination was a cafeteria that conformed to the school theme the church was playing with. Rows of long tables were adorned with bench seating. The side table of food, however, was more like a continental breakfast you might get in a hotel. There wasn’t much left on it as we arrived at the tail end of breakfast with only a small collection of people in the cafeteria finishing off their meals. The timing was likely done on purpose so I would not be able to interact with someone who might help me. 

Still, I cast a furtive glance at the people there in the hopes of finding one. I didn’t.

At the breakfast table, I stood there awkwardly, staring at the sparse food. 

Brooks lifted a brow, “Well? Aren’t ya hungry?” 

Since he had spoken to me first, I risked asking, “What about you? Have you eaten yet?”

“I’ll eat when I’m off duty”, he said while wearing his overly serious face again. 

“It doesn’t seem right that I get to enjoy such a lovely breakfast while you have to sit and watch me. My Mama always said that was rude”. It was acrually something I heard an old friend’s mother say once upon a time. I had never even referred to my own as ‘Mama’ before.

Brooks considered what I said. He was very easy to read which was probably not a good trait in a guard. 

“And with how hot it is today, it wouldn’t be good to wear yourself out”, I added

That was all he needed to hear because he said, “Yeah, you’re right”, before grabbing himself a plate. He passed me one too so I smiled and thanked him. I was getting better at making it look natural.

I was picking at a buttered piece of toast when Sarah Newlin entered the cafeteria. In pastel green, she scanned the room before finding Brooks and I seated at the far corner of the room. Her expertly curled hair made me think I should not have bothered with the mass sitting on top of my head. As she walked towards us, her heels click-clacking away, the sunlight streaming through the numerous windows bounced against the pearls of her teeth.

“There ya are! I thought I’d have to search all of God’s green Earth for the two of you!”, Sarah proclaimed in her usual pleasing lilt. 

Brooks shot up from his seat across from me like he’d been caught misbehaving by the teacher. I took his plate and slid it to my side of the table. He gave me an appreciative glance.

“Well ain’t you lookin’ mighty fine this mornin’”, Sarah said as she perched herself onto Brooks seat. Though only after he pulled it out for her.

I took a sip of milk to give myself a second to quell my new onslaught of nerves, “Thank you, Sarah. You’re looking very well yourself”.

“Ya ain’t mad at me for not moving you out of that classroom yet? I did talk to Steve about it, honest, but it’s hard for him to trust people these days, you understand. After the tragic murder of his family by those vile demons, he’s dedicated himself to protectin’ his flock. And as the good book says, a woman must abide by her husband’s words”, Sarah finished with her hands to her chest, looking very much the victim of circumstance.

“Of course I’m not angry at you”, I said quickly, “You’ve all been taking such great care of me. I’m just so thankful”. 

Sarah bestowed the smile of a socialite upon me, “Oh I just knew you’d understand”

No longer able to stomach any more food, we began the tour with Brooks trailing behind us. He had gone from guard to third wheel as Sarah easily recited various facts of the building we were in. It was clear that it wasn’t her first time giving the tour but she still gave it her all, enjoying it the most out of the three of us. I was the perfect listener, nodded along while she was on a particularly long tangent and asked the expected questions during her brief pauses. 

Sarah, ever the showwoman, left the best for last. It was a grand hall fit for a king. So long that it must have taken up an entire side of the building with a high, sloping ceiling that made the click of Sarah’s heels echo loudly. Pillars adorned with ornate buttresses ran along either side and pews sat facing a slightly raised stage where Steve must have taken his sermons. 

But none of that compared to the floor-to-ceiling window that acted as the backdrop to the stage. It was not stained with colour as one might expect from such an ostentatious church. Instead, beams of pure white criss-crossed at its peak in a pleasing geometric pattern. 

We slowed slightly as we approached it.

“Ain’t it just the grandest thing you’ve ever seen?” Sarah said, a little too loudly for the moment. 

Grand it was. I could imagine how beautiful watching a sunrise through the window must have been. The way the kaleidoscope of colours would be amplified by the sheets of glass before bathing the hall in them. 

It was not until we were walking through the centre of the pews did I notice her. Her head bowed but she did not appear to be praying. Did not appear to be present at all. 

Allicia was one of our visitors the night before. Where Mrs Stanley’s tale could have been chalked up to an overbearing mother who refused to accept her child’s sexual orientation, Allicia’s was something entirely different.

When she had first entered the classroom, she did not sit on the offered seat, did not so much as touch anything in the room. She did not speak at first. Didn’t need to. The abject loathing in her eyes told me all I needed to know. If she could have killed Godric with her bare hands, she would have. There was no doubt in my mind. The others might have enjoyed the thought of killing him, but I was not truly worried for Godric’s safety until her.

And then she told us why.

Allicia had dated a vampire once. She had not known at the time because it was years before they all came out of the coffin. It was only a few months in that she realised that the relationship was not for her since her ex cared for her about as much as he cared for the next shirt he was going to wear. So they broke up. No fanfare, no tears. Just a mutual understanding. That's it. 

Allicia moved on over the years and eventually got married (to a human) and gave birth to a beautiful pair of twin girls. Life had not been perfect, but she had been happy. That was until Allicia started losing time.

She had not noticed at first. It mostly happened when she should have been sound asleep anyway. It took her going to bed one night only to wake up sitting on a bench a couple of streets over from her home to realise something was wrong. She believed it was a bad case of sleepwalking, but the blank periods became longer and more frequent, sometimes bleeding into the day.

It all came to a head in a group chat of all places. A cousin of hers she didn’t particularly get on with posted a picture of Allicia in the arms of a man. Who was not her husband. 

No one believed Allicia’s claims that it wasn’t her. That it was a look alike. Photoshop. A long forgotten picture from years ago. That she had not seen her ex for the better part of a decade. Her husband, who was aware of her spells of missing time, was understanding at first, or at least tried to be. Sightings of Allicia with her ex became too frequent for him to bear no matter how much she insisted that she had no memory of going to see him. 

Her family did not truly break apart until, one day, her husband arrived home from work to find that Allicia had left their toddlers alone for hours. The fact that she did not remember leaving them in the first place did not matter. Only their loud wails of hunger and abandonment. She lost her husband. She lost custody.

Not long after, The Great Revelation took place. It was then that her ex found her. Walked right up to her with his large, fanged smile and told her the most fantastical tale. A year before, he had happened to see Allicia while she was out for dinner with her family. He found himself vaguely bothered that she could be happy without him in her life. So on a whim, he decided to insert himself back into it. He had glamoured her to meet him, had his fill of her then glamoured her to forget it ever happened. He’d even used his own blood to heal any wounds he left on her body. In between her legs.

He had found the dissolution of her family to be especially amusing. But the divorce sucked out all the fun for him so he moved on to more interesting toys. He just wanted to see the look on her face when she found out the truth. 

My babies! He took my babies! And all I could do was stand there as he laughed!

Sensing my eyes on her, Allicia turned her head slightly to look at me. She could not place me at first. When she did, her eyes hardened. Not with the same level of loathing she gave Godric, but like she was ready to hate me if I gave her the slightest cause.

Allicia broke eye contact with me in favour of the large window. Her expression laxed. Then the ghost of a smile appeared. This was the place. This was where they were planning on doing it. Where they planned to murder Godric.

“Lenore?” Sarah broke in. “You alright?”

I joined Allicia’s study of the window. It really was a wonder of architecture. Whoever had designed it must have been proud. Proud that instead of mode of light and warmth it was to be used as a weapon. That instead of families laying out blankets before it to have an indoor picnic, they would be laying them out to watch an execution. Instead of a woman curling up at the windows base to read a comforting book, would be a man. Burning.

“Lenore?”

And Sarah, in all her kind smiles and polished heels was going to help turn this place ugly. 

Allicia thought that only vampires brought pain into this world but she was wrong. Humans were just as capable of taking something that was good and beautiful and turning it into something ugly and horrific.  

I stepped forward and grabbed Sarah by the hand with a little more force than she had during our first meeting. Brooks jerked in alarm at my sudden movement but I ignored him. “Sarah I need- I need your help with something”.

 

3.

I was already sitting with my back against the wall by the time Godric stepped out of the closet. 

From my peripherals, I watched as he approached me. Too nervous to catch his eye or make a sound, I kept my eyes on the floor and my mouth shut. The room itself seemed to grow quieter. Waiting. Waiting for me to tell him what I had done as he slept. 

Godric quietly sat down next to me. “You smell of the outside”, he stated.

I almost laughed. At least I no longer smelled of dog. 

“Something has occurred”, Even though Godric acted like someone who was entirely out of touch with modern social cues, he could still tell something was wrong.

“I’ve done something I don't think you’ll like”, I muttered.

He waited for me to elaborate but I couldn't. A part of me, a big part, still could not believe what I had done. How could I make him understand it when I was still trying to understand it myself?

“Tell me”, he said without inflection. 

I drew up my knees but refrained from resting my chin on them. My own hands became manacles as I wrapped them around my ankles. Weighing me down so that I could not get up and flee. “Sarah-” I paused as I searched for the right words, “Sarah Newlin took me to where it’s gonna happen. Where they’ll force you to meet the sun”. 

Godric did not react to his possible death but I had already grown used to his blase attitude. I wished he would so I could hold off from telling him what I’d done. Then again, I also just wanted to come out and tell him.

“While we were there… while we were there, I asked if they could tie me to you as you burn. She said yes”. 

Chapter 4: I never should have set foot inside this place

Summary:

Will Lenore finally escape the Fellowship?

Notes:

Ooft, this took me a lot longer to write than I thought it would. Real life has gotten pretty busy. Sorry about that! I might start writing shorter chapters so that I can post quicker. Feel free to tell me what you think.

Thank you all so much for the comments and kudos so far. I've loved each and every one of them

Content warning for violence and sexual assault
It isn't explicit but it might be distressing for some.

 

Chapter edited: 28/07/25

There was no response.

Maybe he had not understood. Maybe I had only imagined speaking. 

But then he was suddenly standing directly in front of me, blocking my view. All I could see was Godric and his anger. 

“Explain”, Godric said in a clipped voice. The consonants sharp in the quiet room. 

I swallowed, “I-I asked Sarah to tie-”.

“Explain”.

In a rush I said, “I just thought it would be the best way to make sure I’d be there when it happens”. 

Godric’s eyes narrowed a fraction, “Lie”.

“It’s not a lie”. At least not entirely. 

He swiftly squatted down so we were sharing eye level. Something on my face made him soften his. “Explain, Leanore”, Godric repeated, the sharp edges having been sanded down slightly. 

He was being startlingly patient with me. I would not have blamed him if he wanted to wash his hands of the irrational woman he was stuck with. If the roles were reversed, I would have grabbed him by the shoulders by now and shaken him until he explained how he could be so damn stupid.

I am tired. I am very tired.

Some of the most captivating stories are based on contradictions. Two teens from warring houses raised to hate each other end up falling in love; a kingdom of men is saved by a lone woman. I’ve enjoyed tales that followed this vein myself, not how difficult it was to actually live as a contradiction. 

Godric was a vampire who came to hate vampirism. 

And I was a coward terrified of dying, but hated being alive. 

There was a point in my life that I would have said that I would never take my own life. As if I had some sort of superior sense of will over those who had. A few years ago, I would have been talking Godric’s ear off about all the reasons why he shouldnt resort to suicide. I probably would have said something condescending like ‘Don't worry, everything will be fine, you’ll see’. How cruel I would have looked to him. Pretending that today’s bad could not also become tomorrow’s terrible. 

Perhaps those before me had felt as I did; hated life but feared death. Perhaps the only difference was that, during their last moments, they had finally been able to let go of the fear that was holding them back.

But how do I explain that to him? I was still trying to wrap my head around it myself.

I broke my gaze from his and cast it on the spot he had just vacated and saw that the impression he left on the mat was still there. It reminded me of how he helped me understand his reasoning. The way he sat there and told me a bit of his past. Trusted me to read between the lines and discover the truth behind his words.

“Lenore isn’t really my name” I began with a quick glance to check his expression. As per the norm, he did not react to my drastic subject change. “It’s Eleanor. I actually used to really like it. It sounded like a name a fairytale princess would have. When I found out my mother had named me after a character she liked, I’d beg my dad to read out every storybook I could find. I was convinced that I would find the beautiful, strong Princess Eleanor between one of their pages”. I gave a derisive laugh. Even now,I felt embarrassed at how stupid I had been. I just wanted to know what kind of life my mother had hoped for me; a magical and wondrous one like Alice’s? Or one full of love and companionship like Snow Whites?

“I don’t know how I didn't figure it out sooner”, I went on, pushing the heels of my palms up and down my thighs. Looking for the pressure. Looking for the pain. “My mother had their signed photograph framed and mounted on our living room wall; she was that big of a fan. I guess it just never occurred to me that songs can have characters too”.

Godric must have realised what I was doing because he moved to sit back down at his usual spot. This time slow enough so that I could actually see him do it. 

“I think I was eleven or twelve when I first started listening to my mother’s music. At this point she-”, I paused, trying to think of the best way to phrase it without giving too much away, “she had been out of the picture for a while and I guess I wanted to do something to feel closer to her. It was when I started listening to The Beatles Album, Revolver, that I finally found it. The song that gave me my name”.

I looked to Godric, hoping to see some sign of understanding in his eyes. When I found none, I turned to the empty room instead. “There isn’t much I remember about her anymore, but I do remember that she wasn't  the type to do anything by accident. ‘Eleanor Rigby’” I recited, “‘died in the church and was buried along with her name”.

Nobody came

There was no princess, only a song of loneliness. It was not love and adventure my mother had envisioned for me. It was and always had been, solitude. Death. 

It felt like a curse. One that grew in strength throughout the years that followed. One that was real and tangible, wrapped around my neck and pulling be down further into an all consuming pit. One that might finally come to fruition. 

We sat there as the ensuing silence weighed us down. My hands now griping my thighs for purchase.

I worried that I hadn’t explained it right. I was making a big assumption that he had ever listened to the song. That he understood it as I did. 

It was while I was thinking of another way to explain myself that Godric lifted his hand. He picked up mine and brought it to his lap, letting it rest on his knee. His skin felt even colder than before yet the warmth it gave me pricked my eyes. 

No one had sought to comfort me like that since my father died.

 

 2.

The next day was oddly peaceful. It was already Friday. Another day and my life would change drastically one way or another. I should have been a hot wire of nerves with sparks of anxiety shooting out everytime I moved. Yet I did not feel much of anything. 

The Fellowship gave me far more freedom that day than they had before. When the female counselor (I hadn’t had the chance to ask her name and by that point I had lost all desire to do so) came for my restroom break, she allowed me to sit outside afterwards to get some fresh air. As I sat in the sun’s warmth I watched people in the distance enter and exit the large white church. I wondered how many of them were waiting in anticipation for Godric’s death.

The lax in security was not surprising. Despite telling Godric that it was Sarah who consented to my involvement in his execution, it was actually Steve who readily agreed to my request. Sarah had refused. Profusely. No matter how many times I asked, she would not agree. Looking back now, I appreciated the look of horror on her face as she said “Sweetheart, no! How could you even ask me that?”. Despite everything, she had retained some level of humanity. 

She might have gotten her way if Steve had not chosen that moment to interrupt our tour. Entering the hall with his faithful companion, Gabe, Steve immediately demanded to know what I had done to distress his wife. The wide grin he gave me when Sarah told him shocked even her. She looked at him like it was the first time she had met her own husband.

We stood there in stunned silence as he gloried in the possible spectacle of my dying. As he congratulated himself for being the reason why a sinner was ready to repent in ‘His Light’. During his debate with Gabe on whether they needed chains to tie me to Godric or if a rope would be fine.

I just hoped I hadn’t given him an idea for other future guests. 

Sitting outside so I could stare at the backside of his ridiculous church must have been my reward for seeing the Light. 

By mid-afternoon, I started to feel nauseous. I thought it might have been from something I ate, but as the day wore on, it only got worse. When Godric rose for the night, the first thing he commented on was my slightly elevated pulse.

It increased as we reached Saturday, our final day. 

I couldn't bring myself to eat breakfast. Or lunch for that matter, though I kept the bowl of soup they gave me in case I found my appetite later on. Its garlicky scent was so strong that it permeated the air for hours.

As the day wore on, I saw an increase of activity around the church during my allotted breaks from the room. They were likely preparing for their glorified sleepover. That would potentially end with two people dying. 

This time the sun’s rays gave me no solace. I sat outside on the dehydrated grass, gripping my forearms and digging my fingernails into my skin. When I started clawing at myself, my disturbed guard decided that recess was done for the day. Afterall, she too had to help prepare for the Lock In. It was while she complained about getting kitchen duty again, that I realised that I could not see any other counselor nearby. 

At roughly 7pm, I was beside myself. Pacing the length of the classroom yet again but this time hunched over and stiff as I jerked one foot in front of another. Why the walls chose that day out of all days to move closer together was beyond my understanding. At least I finally recognised what this sickening feeling was. Dread. The same dread I felt the night I was abducted, that made me turn and see Godric for the first time. 

That told me something terrible was about to happen. Is happening. Right now.

I had to get out. I had to get out of that classroom. I had to.

I rushed to the closet and banged on its door, “Godric? Are you awake?” Please, please be awake.

“Lenore, you are in a panic”, came his muffled reply.

“I need- I need to get out. Please, can you help me?”

“You wish to escape?” Godric sounded completely unbothered by my frantic speaking. 

“Yes. No. I don’t know. I just need to get out of here but the fucking door is locked” as if he did not already know. “Please, I don’t know what to do. I just have to get out of this room”. 

I leaned my forehead on the door as a wave of nausea battered against me repeatedly. I held my breath and dug my teeth into my lower lip. Closed my eyes and worked as hard as I could not to release the sound of pain trying to force its way out. 

“Is sunlight in the room?”

It took me a moment to register that he had spoken, let alone what he had said. I slowly moved my heavy head to check. The blackout blinds were already pulled down as the brightness of the day had bothered me. I couldn’t remember when. “Not fully”.

“Step back”.

With far too much effort, I did.

The blue mat and accompanying table gave way as he opened the door a crack. Pause. The door opened wider. Another pause.  The door opened entirely, revealing Godric’s usual relaxed, unrumpled form.

He was shorter than me, there was no doubt about that, but sometimes, like now, we were the same height. Maybe even taller. It was more from my slouching than anything else, but still, there was something about sharing the same eye level that reminded me how much more he was. A blanket of power. Not to subdue as Steve might have, but to cover. Protect.

Godric placed his hand on my head, the direct contact between my forehead and his cool palm was a short lived relief, “You are unwell, child”.

“I’m sorry. I tried not to bother you, I promise. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I just need to get out of here”.

I think I heard Godric inhale deeply, “So you shall”.

It was not too long until nightfall so he did not find it difficult to stay within the shadows. “I hear no movement outside. I shall come protect you when I am able”. I was too anxious to reply but at his reminder that forcing my way out of this room was in fact, a dangerous thing to do, I quickly retrieved my ruler-turned-weapon. My obsessive sharpening had caused one end to come to a point. Tucking it into the waistband of my pants and under my shirt, the cold metal against my bare back reminded me of Godric’s comforting palm. 

“Move swiftly”, Godric instructed. I could only nod dumbly. Seeing this, he placed his hand on the door jamb. With a slight push that required no strain on his part, Godric broke the lock, effectively opening the door without so much as a splinter. And after all that effort the Fellowship must have gone through to make a door knob out of silver. 

In my next breath, Godric was gone, back in his closet. 

With one last look at the training dummy with its ugly fake teeth, I promptly left the room. 

Closing the door behind me, I immediately felt better. The dread was still very much there, but it had at least lessened enough that I could think somewhat clearly. I took in the long deep breath of a drowning victim. 

A part of me was almost annoyed at how easy it was to get out of the classroom. It seemed a disservice to all that happened for my escape to be so anticlimactic. If we survived this, I was going to have to ask Godric why it took him so long to open that God forsaken door. 

There was no one on my side of the church. Not a single Yellow Shirt in sight. I could still see people in the distance near the church’s front entrance, but that was it. This would have been the perfect time to escape. I’d have to walk -likely for miles to reach any neighbours- but with how busy the Fellowship was with the Lock In, it would have probably take them that long just to notice that I was gone

Yes, this would be the perfect time to escape. The road that led away from the church curved around the sole adjacent hill, disappearing from sight. Hiding the real world that I had once been a part of. It would be so easy to become a part of it again. 

But I couldn't take my eyes off of the church. Its bright white paint reflected the sunlight so strongly that it was almost painful. There was a deep sense of knowing within me. The kind of knowing that left no room for doubt. It told me that whatever had been filling me with dread was inside the church. That if I left without first discovering its source, it would only worsen.

I gritted my teeth, ignored the Knowing and started walking towards the road. Nothing happened at first and I admonished myself for thinking anything would. It had all been in my head. Of course it had. The stress and anxiety had clearly muddled my mind to the extent that I was experiencing it physically. 

My shoes had not even touched tarmac before the dread reverted back to the intense nausea I had felt while in the classroom. I shouldn’t have been surprised. 

I stopped to stare at the empty road again and breathed deep my resignation. Let it overtake the freedom that had briefly visited my lungs. Then I turned back around.

Retracing the steps Brooks showed me during the tour, I debated the rear entrance that led directly to the kitchens. I could already hear those working away inside; they were even more boisterous this time. But the traffic was likely higher around the front entrance of the church. And with my luck, Steve and his entire team of counselors would be there. It helped that they had already given me my disguise. 

I opened the door slowly at first before realising how conspicuous that was. Upon entering the kitchen, a young girl in her early teens passed directly in front of me to toss something in a nearby trash can. When we made eye contact, I forced a smile and a nod. Her responding grin and greeting came far more naturally to her. 

There were more women in the large kitchen this time, some of which were fellow Yellow Shirts. As I weaved through one woman frying spice scented chicken and a couple more popping a shockingly large bag of popcorn, I kept  an eye out for my female guard. When I saw the familiar short chestnut hair turn to walk in my direction, I quickly stepped behind a pair who were debating whether or not to add garlic shavings to their finger sandwiches. Neither seemed to notice me. Nor did the female counselor who had crossed the kitchen to berate two young girls for not washing the dishes fast enough. 

Leaving the kitchen, I made my way to the main corridor that spanned the breadth of the church. It struck me that I had no idea where I was going or even what I was doing there in the first place. The dread had lessened, so I was walking in the right direction at least. Though it still crackled hotly inside me, as if impatient. 

There were even more people in the corridor. Some carried sleeping bags while most stood in little clusters, catching up on the past week’s events as they waited for the Lock In to officially begin. Two boys were playing chase in between the clusters. The one in the lead almost knocked into me as they passed but managed to swerve to the left just in time. In lieu of an apology, he shouted a “May His holy light shine upon you”, over his shoulder. 

In this crowd, I was even more out of place. 

What the hell was I doing? I should have been running for my life, not standing there gawking at the people preparing for a quiet night of public murder. That’s exactly what I’ll do, even if it meant I had to crawl my way back to civilization.
 
Decision made, I began to turn to do just that. 

Of course, that was when I heard his aggravated voice, loud even amongst the ambient chatter. “That’s it, son. You’ve had your peace, now drop it”, Gabe said from behind me. 

From my peripherals, I watched as Gabe, Brooks and Bodyspray exited from a rear stairwell, blocking my retreat. I slowly shifted so I was facing the front end of the church again.

“No.” Gabe said a moment later, his voice even louder as they approached, “It’s you who doesn't understand”.

I frantically swept my eyes back and forth across the corridor, looking for an escape route. A few steps to my right was a door.

Gabe’s voice went on, “When I give you an order, all I wanna hear come outta your mouth is ‘yes sir’. That’s it. None of this pussy shit you’ve been spoutin’”.

I slowly walked to the door. An anxious prickling brushed up and down my spine before nestling itself in the back of my neck. Had they spotted me? I extended my hand and grasped the door handle. Lately, it felt like every door I encountered was locked. This one would probably be too. I’ll try to turn the handle only to find it locked and Gabe will see me. See me and drag me right back to the classroom where I’d drown in Dread. Waiting for my fiery death.

Their voices grew in volume. I turned the handle.

It opened with a soft click. 

I practically jumped into the dark room. I didn’t bother turning on the lights until the door was safely shut behind me. Leaning against it, I allowed myself a moment to calm myself. To appreciate how close I was to being captured again. Then I stepped further into the latest room I had found myself trapped in.

A Room of Propaganda was the only thing I could call it. The small space was almost entirely taken up by countertops lining the walls and the large table at its centre. Every available surface was blanketed in stacks of posters, stationary and picket signs. They more or less echoed the posters in my first prison only with far more red ‘X’s covering fang symbols. It must have been where they planned some of the protests I saw on TV. 

The door behind me clicked open again. My heart jolted right up my throat as I dove under the centre table. My knees hit the floor hard, promising a pair of twin bruises. Ignoring the pain, I scurried further under the table and tucked my abused legs below me. 

A set of tan boots walked into the room. They closed the door behind them. Silently, they took a slow step forward. Then another. 

The shoes were well taken care of. Though from my newfound angle, I could see a grey scuff the owner had not managed to buff out. “I know you’re in here”, they said, “There's no point in hiding”.

That was Brook’s voice. 

The legs attached to the boots bent down into a squat, bringing Brook’s unimpressed face into view. He extended a hand to me, “Come on out now”, he said. 

I hesitated, but seeing no other option, I crawled out of the table. I did avoid his hand though. 

I leaned away from him, pressed onto the edge of the table I gripped onto. He wasn’t holding a weapon, nor was he standing in a particularly hostile way. If anything, he looked like about as put out as I was. 

“You’re not supposed to be here”, he said.

I considered begging. Falling to my knees and pleading for him to just let me go. Pretend he had never seen me. “You’re right”, I muttered instead, “I shouldn’t be here. I never should have set foot inside this place”. 

Brooks had the decency to look ashamed. Until now, he had acted as if he had forgotten that I was the victim of a kidnapping plot that he was complicit in. “That wasn’t supposed to happen. We was just tryin’ to save everyone. No one was supposed to get hurt”.

“No one was supposed to get hurt? What about Godric?" The incredulous statement added more force into my voice. 

Brooks only looked baffled, “You mean the Creature? That don’t count. It ain’t like it’s a real person”, he said, his accent becoming stronger as he became more agitated

The grip I had on the table loosened slightly as I stood up straighter, “Call him by whatever name you want, that doesn’t change what you’ve done. How does this save anyone?” I questioned.

Brooks took a step back while running a hand through his hair “Look, we don’t got time for this-”

“Are you going to take me back?” 

He paused for a moment. It stretched time like a long piece of elastic. Pulled taut, ready to snap.

Calm again, Brooks said, “They got another woman here”.

My head jerked back I was so surprised, “What!?”

“A man too”, he continued, “Stuck them in the cell we made for the next Creature”.

“Why? Who are they?” I asked, my brain unable to keep up with the drastic turn this conversation had taken. 

“Don’t know. Only found out about it cause I gotta make sure no one goes near the basement during the Lock In. I came here to do God’s work not to kidnap women. We’ve been moving further and further from His light. You need to get out while you can”. 

“What about the other woman? And the man she’s with?”

Brooks looked surprised again, “You ain’t got time to worry about other people. You gotta go now”. 

I didn’t disagree with him. I was more than done with being anywhere near the Fellowship. “Are you going to help them?”

He recoiled. Only a fraction. But it was enough for me to see the shame and fear in it even though he could not look me in the eye, “I can’t”. He could. He was just too scared to. 

Which left the question on whether I could. Run down to the basement to save the day like some cliche superhero. Cape flowing behind me as I freed the damsels in distress. It was a joke too ridiculous to even be worth considering. Especially for people whose faces and names I did not know. The smart thing to do would be to run for the hills and notify the real heroes. Ones preferably carrying guns. 

But what if I didn’t get back in time? What if the Fellowship killed them all at dawn? What time was sun rise again? I hadn’t been keeping track but it must have been rising earlier than before as we went into summer. 

I closed my mind and attempted to calm my mind before it careened any further out of control. “And Godric? Will they really kill him in the morning?”

I opened my eyes to see resolution return to his, “Course they will. What else would they do with it?”

Right. What else would they do to him? As far as the Fellowship was concerned, he didn’t deserve to be alive. None of us did. 

“The basement you said. The one near the front entrance?” I asked. I had a vague recollection of where it was from the tour. I remember wondering why Godric and I weren’t being kept down there instead of the classroom where sunlight could get in. 

“Are you insane?! You don’t got time for this, you gotta go now!" His elevated voice made me glance at the closed door to make sure no one was about to burst in at the sound. 

“Look, you don’t want to help? Fine. Just point me in the right direction and I’ll get them myself”.

“But-”

“Please” I implored, just short of begging. 

Brooks made a needlessly loud sigh, “Yeah, that’s the one. You wanna throw your life away, I ain’t gonna stop you. Just leave the Creature. It’s gotta die”. 

I ignored the last statement. Needed to so I could say, “Thank you”. After all, I didn’t want him to change his mind about not turning me in.

 

3.

The corridors were thankfully emptier as I made my way to the basement. Most had made their way to the Main Hall to settle down for the night’s events. I only had to pass a handful of stragglers.

I didn’t have to worry about the basement door being locked since it was ajar when I found it. Which only increased my worry. If this was where they were holding their other victims, it made no sense to leave the way out open. 

I leaned on the wall next to the door with my ear up to better hear any sound from the basement. In my hand was the sharpened ruler, half of it wrapped in a rag I snagged from the Propaganda room. It made for a terrible hilt but at least I would be less likely to cut into my hand if I had to use it. 

I couldn't hear anything coming from the basement. Though that might have been because it was drowned out by the rapid thumping of my blood rushing behind my ears. I didn't pause to think about what I was about to do this time. If I did, I knew my cowardice would take over. 

Slowly, I pushed the door open further. Just enough to slip through lest I make it creak. Pausing at the top of the stairs, I still couldn't hear anything. I couldn’t see much of anything either as the hall at the bottom took a sharp turn to the right. The stairs were made of stone but I was still careful not to make a sound as I slowly took step after step down them. About half way down, I began to hear something but it was still too quiet to make out what it was. Talking perhaps. A few steps more. Definitely talking. 

At the bottom of the stairs. Not talking. Shouting. Then the sound of something hitting against a larger structure. A shelf from the sound of the clatter. Turning the corner, I was faced with a wide open door.

“Stop it!” a woman screamed, terror adding a high pitched screech to her voice. 

Gabe was there. He had stormed into the room in a rage after an altercation he had with another man. One he had lost. He wanted- needed something weaker, smaller to beat on. To reassure himself that he was still a man. A man with respect, with power. He deserved it after all the work he had done to get to where he was. Especially after that snivelling little shit, Steve took over the show. 

So he’ll make sure to remind everyone why he was the one who was really in charge. The two Blood Traitors will help. It’s what they deserve for getting caught trying to spy on them for those fangers. And if he took a little something from the blonde, then who’s to say anything about it? After all, no one did after the Gibson girl. And her family were devout members of the church. Her dad still played ball with Gabe for Christ’s sake. Bet the lil’ slut will like it. Bet she’ll get all wet when-

I vibrated, I was so enraged. I hardened my grip on my makeshift weapon. Watched my tendons protrude along my arm as I felt the ruler’s edge through the rag. I was in the room with them now, staring at a large, male back. Everything else was shrouded in a red haze. The back was talking but I couldn't hear it. Only the strong thumping of my heart, readying me for what was to come. 

I could feel it even more now, the pleasure he felt at hurting the woman he held by the throat. The vile beast was already fully erect just thinking about what he was going to do to her. Give it to her good. Give it to her good. Give it-

I didn’t realise that I was gritting my teeth until I had already started panting through them. Spittle shot out of my mouth like some of the dogs at the shelter. I might have even been growling. His back had become much bigger. No. I was just standing directly behind him now. He still hadn’t noticed me. 

They never do. 

Any second now, he will throw the woman to the floor. Rip her pretty blue dress down the middle. Relish in the way her buttons fly off to the side. Then he’ll flip her over and-

With a loud, deep cry, I stabbed my weapon into the juncture between his shoulders and the back of his neck. The bones I could not see scraped against its edge as I pushed until the side of my clenched fist hit his back. 

And just like that, the wrath that I had succumbed to was gone. Snuffed out. As if it was never there in the first place. I reeled back a step as my vision expanded once again to the entire room. The first sound I could hear was the roar of pain Gabe bellowed. It bounced against the brown storage boxes that  filled the room. 

Gabe dropped the other woman, letting her crumple to the floor wheezing. He whirled round with a wide swing of his arm that would have clipped me in the chin if I hadn’t jumped back another step. It took him a second to place me, “You?! You fucking bitch! I’ll fucking kill you, you whore!”

His eyes bulged as he swung for me again. I managed another dodge but at the cost of staying on my feet. I tripped on something on the floor, falling hard on my rear with my legs bent over whatever it was. A second pair of legs it turned out, belonging to a man that I hoped was only unconscious. 

Gabe tried to grab for the ruler in his back but wasn’t able to get a firm grip of it since the cloth hilt had unravelled. The only thing he managed to hold onto was the slick of his blood, “Fucking bitch”, he muttered, “Fucking bitch! Come ‘ere!” he squatted down and grabbed me by the ankle, staining my white church-issued sock with his blood. 

We played tug-of-war with my foot, him cursing at me all the while. Gabe managed to lurch me closer, the strength of it caused something to click inside my ankle. I responded by kicking him in the face with my other foot. It wasn't strong enough to make him drop his hold but it still must have hurt from the howl he let out. So I gave him another harsh kick, managing to make blood bloom from his left nostril. 

“Get the hell off of me!” I screamed as I went for another kick. This time he blocked and grabbed my foot with his free hand, his fingers digging into the laces of my sneakers. 

He used the leverage that gave him to pull himself up and over my body. I flailed. Swung my fits at him. The angle sapped the strength from my punches so I made sure to hit him as much as I could. More blood from his nose. Gushing now. Drops landed onto my clenched teeth. I tried to knee him in the groin but he quickly settled himself between my legs. 

Gabe punched me back with far more force than I had. Enough to thump the back of my head against the hard floor. I didn’t see stars, only a painful fog that stole my wits away.  I couldn't focus. Couldn’t even see him. I raised my arms up to cover my face in case he went for another punch which he slapped angrily at. 

“Stop fucking moving!” Gabe shouted, straightening up to better tower over me.

I lifted my right leg up and locked it high under his armpit. I tried to use the strength of my hips and legs to get him under me but I only managed to pull him further down to my left. His forehead thumped satisfyingly against the floor.

“I said stop fuckin’ moving!”

Which was alright because I could now see the ruler still protruding out of his back. 

Locking my other leg around him, I grabbed the handle of my weapon. I didn't bother trying to unsheath it. The aim of my first strike might have been poor but the strength of it had wedged the ruler in place. So I instead jerked the weapon back and forth, widening the wound and cutting further into his flesh. The warmth of his blood made mine sing. 

Gabe let out another bellow as he tried to pull away from me. I kept him locked in place with my legs and desperately dug the ruler as deep as I could. Created as much damage to his body as possible. He punched at what he could reach, mainly my ribs, but I couldn’t feel it. Couldn’t tell if he was breaking every bone in my body. The blade was all there was. The blade I forged with my own hands. 

I constricted my body around him even more

Over Gabe’s large shoulders, I caught sight of the woman leaning against some shelving. She was still recovering but at least she had not passed out “Help- help me” I croaked out to her. 

My voice was so low compared to Gabe’s incessant shouting that I did not think she could possibly hear me. But somehow she did. Locked her surprisingly dark brown eyes with my own. Seemed to gain strength from them.

The next second she was on her feet rushing towards us, screaming her battle cry, “Get ya filthy hands off’a her!”. She landed on top of us, the added weight pushed all the air out of my lungs in a rough whoosh. Yet I could only be grateful as she wrapped her clean hands around my blood-soaked ones and put all her strength in pushing the weapon in further. 

I prayed desperately that he would pass out before I did. 

The black spots appearing in my vision did not give me much hope

Gabe stopped punching me to reach one hand behind him for the woman, “You fuckin’ whores! I’ll kill you! I’ll fuck you to death you fuckin’ Blood Traitors!”, he screamed into my ear.

He very likely would. I could feel my strength rapidly depleting while his only seemed to grow. 

“Is that what you shall do?” came a calm, soft voice from somewhere behind me. 

I could have wept in relief. 

He was so fast that I did not see him until the woman was already sprawled on the floor beside me and Gabe was suspended in the air. Only held up by the pale hand wrapped around his neck. 

“God-Godric?” Gabe asked. His voice had never sounded so weak. So scared.

Godric did not respond. Instead he looked down on my prostate form as I wheezed air back into my furious lungs. I was completely spent. It was an honest miracle that I was able to hold onto Gabe for so long. Godric’s gaze focused on my right hand lying on the floor. He too took a deep breath through his nose.

“You’re Godric?!” exclaimed the woman next to me. If I wasn't so spent, I would have wondered how she seemed to both know and not know my fellow abductee. 

With his eyes still on me, Godric said “I had hoped not to cause any human deaths during my stay here”. 

Gabe made to speak. His mouth opened to make a “Wha” sound right before his head was forcibly removed from the rest of his body. It sounded like wet cloth being torn. 

Godric tossed it carelessly behind him before I could get a good look at macabre sight. I heard the odd ‘thunk’ it made as it collided with a wall. 

A geyser of blood shot up from the body that Godric still held up. The torn arteries worked overtime to provide blood to a head that was no longer there, so it shot up into the air and rained down upon us. The woman, with a shriek, managed to scurry away before any got on her but I was showered in it. I barely managed to muster the energy to squeeze my eyes and mouth shut as I turned my head away. 

And it continued to rain. 

I don’t know what happened in the moments after Godric dropped what was left of Gabe onto the floor. Neither Godric nor the woman said anything during the time and I refused to open my eyes yet. To feel the blood I was drenched in or think about what had just happened. I would have forced myself straight into unconsciousness if not for the sound of a woman's startled scream from somewhere in the level above. 

“Bill!” exclaimed the woman next to me. 

“No”, Godric said, “I am here my child. Down here”. 

That made me open my eyes. 

A tall blond man appeared at the doorway. I tried to get up to get up at the latest addition to our little gathering, but a sharp pain from my ribs broke through the adrenaline-induced numbness that I had been enjoying. So instead of standing, I stayed half lying on the floor, leaning on one elbow. 

The Tall Man had a look of pure awe on his face as he walked slowly into the room. He was even more blatantly vampire than Godric, though I could not point to what about him made me think that. Perhaps it was his parlour coupled with the slightly reddish tint that surrounded his eyes. As if he cried blood rather than tears. 

All he said was “Godric” before kneeling before him with his head bowed low. 

“Do not take scent. We cannot risk  Blood-lust” Godric said in response.

I tried wiping some of the blood off of my face but my hands were covered in it too. 

“You sent humans after me”, Godric continued. 

“I had no other choice”, said the Tall Man, “These…savages seek to destroy you”

I was drenched in it. Drenched in the blood of a man I just watched die.

“I am aware of what they have planned”.

“Hugo betrayed us”, the woman interjected, “He was with the Fellowship all along, they set a trap for us”.

His headless body was lying barely two feet away from me. If I looked down to Godric’s right, I’d see the gaping neck staring back at me. The broken bones of his neck might even give me a wink. 

“How long has it been since you fed?” asked the Tall Man.

“I require very little blood anymore”. 

I watched Godric kill him. But he only had to do it because my aim had been poor. I could lie to myself and say that I only wanted to wound him but what would be the point? I had wanted him dead, my rage had been that strong. I wanted him dead and I wanted to be the one to do it. Because I knew, I knew it would feel so damn good to . 

Just then, an alarm started blaring. The flashing lights added a nice touch to our bloody party.

“Save the human you sent here. Go now”, Godric said.

The Tall Man replied, “I am not leaving your side until-” 

“I can take care of myself”. Later -days later- I would think about how the annoyance in Godric’s voice made him sound like an actual teenager for the first time. 

“We have to go!” the woman said as she ran past me to be closer to them.

“Spill no blood on your way out”, Godric commanded. “Go”. 

The fair haired couple left. 

I laid back down on the floor again. Relaxed against its cool surface that was drying the blood faster. It seemed, after everything, I was to be left there. Abandoned with a supposed traitor and a dead man. 

“You must not fall asleep”, Godric said, suddenly squatting above me. I had no idea that I had been. 

He opened up a large bottle of water that he magiced out of nowhere and poured its contents over my right hand. I watched passively as the blood sloshed away. I didn't even react when Godric cut his fang with his finger again and spread his blood over my palm and finger before washing it again. 

Godric snaked one arm under my back and the other under my knees before lifting me up with little effort. “You are shivering. Do you fear me for what I did to Gabe?”

I did not answer, hardly even registering his question. 

Godric did not seem to mind, “I shall take you to safety”. 

Did I fear Godric? I had gone from simply hearing about his stories of murder to watching him commit one. And in such a needlessly brutal way.  Surely wasting so much blood was a faux pas for vampires.

Did I fear him? Hate him? No. because I knew that Gabe was a monster. A true one. Knew what he had done to other women and what he planned on doing to me. 

What terrified me was that I had no idea how I knew. 

 

Notes:

We're finally leaving the Fellowship!

This will probably be the only instance of sexual violence that I will have in this story because I'm really not a fan of things like that being used as a plot device. I would have ommited it entirely if it wasn't a part of the source material. But we shall see where this story takes us.

From here on out, there's going to be a pretty big divergent from the original plot. I plan to mess around with the order in which events happen in the show as well as completely skip over some of them. So sorry to any of the fans of the Maryann, but her plot line isn't something I plan on playing with.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Chapter 5: I was Stolen from the World

Summary:

The aftermath of the Fellowship

Notes:

Hey everyone, a big BIG thank you for all the comment kudos you've all give me. You've all been so sweet! I can't believe this story has broken 100 kudos already.

Here's just a reminder that I am diverging from the original plot and timeline so things are going to start changing in this chapter.

Also I've been debating whether I want to modernise the story a little bit. I like the idea of keeping it in the late 2000s to early 2010s like the show, but I also think it would be interesting to set the world in the 2024. It might be fun to see how vampires would utilise social media or AI. What do you all think?

Anyway, on with the show

 

Chapter edited: 28/07/25

Things moved quickly after we left the church. Or at least it felt that way. 

Godric carried me to an SUV that had been painted a black so matte that it blended with the night sky. Next to it stood a woman whom he greeted as if this was all a pre-arranged meeting. She had not gotten down to her knees as the Tall Man had, but her bow was still noticeably low. 

They spoke in Spanish for a bit before she disappeared into the church. While she was gone, Godric leaned my boneless form against the car. From its trunk, he retrieved a container of water, the kind you’d see sitting on top of an office water cooler. He flicked the lid off with his thumb then proceeded to pour the gallon of water all over me. The sudden onslaught of cold water briefly woke me with a shuddering gasp. It did not do much to wash the blood away which had clung to my skin, refusing to be forgotten but the cheap hotel-like towels did. Their coarse fibres rubbed aggravation into my exposed skin.

The woman who spoke Spanish came back, carrying the apparent traitor in her arms the same way Godric had me. Upon their arrival, Godric left, but only after wrapping a fresh towel around my shoulders and strapping into the back seat of the SUV with the promise that he would return soon. 

I breathed through the pain of my damaged ribs and the seatbelt pressing against them. 

The Spanish speaking woman did not join me in the car, though I could see from the corner of my eye that she was observing me through the window. I let her, not caring about the broken mess she was staring at. 

When Godric returned, it was with the Tall Man but not the blonde woman. They entered the car with the Tall Man in the driver’s seat and Godric in the passenger. The Spanish woman left with her unconscious cargo, walking into the dark.

This must have been the strangest escape that’s ever happened. There was no running, no rushing of any kind.  We were just… leaving. 

Looking at me through the rear view mirror, Godric said, “Lenore, this is my progeny, Eric. He will bring no harm to you”. 

My eyes made contact with the one named Eric through his rear view mirror. His sky eyes were hard to read but not nearly as much as Godric’s were. I suspected he was unimpressed with me. 

He said something in a language that I did not understand though was clearly about me.

I was proven right when Godric responded in English, “She is in shock. It shall pass”. 

My shivering increased.

Eventually, we did drive away from the church. No pitchforked mob appeared to chase us, but when we passed the front entrance, I saw a large crowd running for their cars, making a much better escape than we were. 

I found myself idly wondering if Sarah was alright. 

They took me to a hotel, the most famous one in Dallas. There wasn’t a person in the entire state who did not know about the Hotel Carmilla. Not because of its quality of service but because of who that service was for. Owned by vampires for vampires, humans could only patron the establishment as a designated companion. Even in the bar and restaurant. 

There was some talk about a lawsuit accusing the hotel of being ‘unconstitutional and discriminatory’ for excluding humans headed by the one and only Fellowship of the Sun. The owners contested on the grounds that they had the right to ensure their guests’ safety during their stay. It was a legal back and forth that had become the norm ever since vampires had come out.

I stared up at the large building lit up with red lights as we drove around the entrance and into the rear underground parking lot. It was not a place I ever expected to enter and I did not see why I would so now.

The car park was empty with fewer cars than one would expect for a popular hotel like the Carmilla. While Eric parked the car next to an entrance, Godric said “Hugo has been my underling’s human for a significant part of his lifespan. We cannot risk going to a safehouse”, he said, both answering and ignoring my unspoken questions. 

What I really wanted to know was why we were not currently running to the police station. But I couldn’t bring myself to open my mouth. I just wanted to leave all the decision making to them. 

Eric led us into the hotel with me shuffling next to Godric, looking all the while like he owned the place. For all I knew he did. It was almost as quiet in the hotel as it was in the carpark so my sodden shoes squeaked against the polished floor. I pulled the towel tighter around me and hid behind Godric, suddenly feeling shame.

The receptionist standing behind her sleek navy blue desk looked at me as she spoke to Eric. Dressed in a tight grey pencil dress that accentuated how slim she was, she was completely unfazed by my appearance. 

“And your human? Does she require her own room?” she asked, her hands pausing above the keyboard. 

“Yes, next to ours”. 

Afterwards, the two vampires left me in the hotel room they got me with the command to rest. I watched as their backs retreated down the hall, not going into the one next to mine. I wanted to call them back. But I didn’t. 

I only had enough energy to take off my sodden clothing and let it fall in a heap on the floor. Naked, I fell into my bed uncaring of the state I would leave the white sheets in. I could worry about reimbursing the hotel later.

If I was the type to make puns, I would have said that I slept like the dead.

I woke in the early afternoon. Something I only knew from the digital clock by my bed since blackout curtains completely covered the windows. I laid there in the dark, staring as the bright red numbers changed. The dried blood in my hair scratched, scratched, scratched against my scalp. The minutes continued to go by.  

Eventually I did get up. Still naked, I padded into the ensuite bathroom that had a lingering scent of floral soap in the air. It was equipped with a toilet which told me that humans staying in the hotel was not as uncommon as I thought. 

Carefully, oh so carefully, I lowered myself into the bathtub, taking extra care of my maybe-fractured ribs and my ankle that cracked every time I stretched it. I lost my strength and slumped into the tub, almost banging my head against it. I used my foot to turn the water on as hot as I could and watched it come out of the spout in an angry torrent. It stayed on until the prickling heat gradually covered my entire body up to my neck. Then I submerged myself and basked in the dull silence the water granted me for as long as my lungs allowed. The heat hurt the more sensitive skin of my face but I did it over and over again whenever my lungs begged for air. I needed that silence, that nothingness. It was the closest to peach that I could get. 

Until I had to scrub the dried blood off of my skin. They came off in small and large flakes that floated in the darkening water. But my skin stayed red. 

Washed and dressed in a hotel bathrobe that was fluffier than anything I could afford, I finally turned the lights on in the bedroom. The unmade bed looked like the aftermath of a brutal murder. The sheets were a dark charcoal but there was no doubt what was on them. 

Perhaps Gabe would have liked that he helped ruin a vampire’s property.

Skirting right past it, I went to a settee next to the covered window. With it was a small coffee table that had a pen, notepad and telephone. The first order of the day after washing myself of blood was to call my job. I needed to tell them that I was okay and find out who they reported my disappearance to so that I could speak to them myself.  

It took a few rings too many for someone to answer the phone, “Hello, you’re through to Ellum Shelter, how can I help?”

I recognised the voice immediately, “Hey, Chris, it’s me Lenore”. 

“I’m sorry, come again?”

“Lenore”, I repeated for him. After a pause that made it clear that he had indeed heard me the first time, I clarified with, “I work the night shifts”. 

“Oh you!” he exclaimed “Where the hell have you been? I can’t believe you bailed in the middle of a shift”.

This time I was the one to pause, “What?”

“If you wanted to quit, you should’a just said so. Don’t you think it’s a pretty shitty thing to do, leaving all the dogs like that?”. 

My mouth opened and closed, trying to catch what he was saying “What do you mean quit?” It should have been obvious that something had happened to me, after all, “My stuff-”.

“That’s why you’re calling? The dogs were freaking out when we got in the next morning and you’re calling about the crap you left behind?”

“So does that mean you didn’t call the police?”

“Police? Why would we do that? Did ya steal something?”

“What? No, of course not, I meant because I disappeared-”

“Yeah, leaving poor Jasper whining in a corner in pain. The least ya could’a done was give him his meds before you ditched him”. 

My heart dropped, “Is he okay?”

“Ain’t no point pretending to care now, it won’t get your job back”. 

I pushed forward on my seat, “Get it back? Was I- Was I fired?”

A deep huff came through the phone receiver, “Of course ya were. What did ya expect, your job just sitting here waiting for you? You kids”, he began to mutter, “if you can’t hack it, ya shouldn’t start a job in the first place”. 

“Is Dan working today? Maybe I should just come in and explain what happened ”. 

For whatever reason, my suggestion only seemed to annoy Chris further “Look, I ain’t got time to argue with you and Dan sure as hell won’t be happy seeing you neither. Who do you think had to pick up the shifts you dropped? To take Jasper to the vet? If you want your stuff, ya got ‘till next week to pick it up before Bossman tosses it. Now, I’ve got some actual work to do”. With that, Chris hung up the phone.

I did not. Instead, I stared at the phone receiver in hopes that it might stop screaming the dial tone at me and explain what had just happened. It made no sense. It should have been obvious that something had happened to me midshift. I ran through each point in my head again; phone and keys left in my locker; incomplete shift log; dinner waiting for me in the breakroom; a three year history of perfect attendance; no one in my apartment. How could the people I worked with for years believe that I had just upped and left? That I would ever do that to the dogs?

While I was at the Fellowship, I had been functioning under the belief that all I needed to do was stall. Stall, stall, stall until the professionals put their big brains together and figured out where I was.  If I just kept my head down and did whatever the Fellowship asked, the police would find us sooner or later. But the heroes I had envisioned in my head were just that, illusions of my own making. There was never anyone coming to save me. If it had not been for Godric and even Eric, I would have died at that church. Died with no one ever knowing or caring that I was gone. 

Eleanor Rigby, died in the church and was buried along with her name 

Nobody came. 

I banged the receiver against my head. I would not allow my mind to go in that direction. I would not. 

Deep breath in. Received back in its cradle. Lights off. The comforting blanket of darkness wrapped around my shoulders like it did when I was a child. Loneliness was something that I was familiar with but at least I had always had the care of dark. 

I then crawled into bed, the corner furthest from the bloody crime scene, and brought the sheets up and over my head. I pressed my face further into my pillow to stifle my crying.

One dark night, I was stolen from the world by people who did not want me, hidden from people who were not looking for me, and left with people who did not know me. 

What a hilarious joke.  

I started to laugh

2.

“You do not need to worry, human”, Eric said as he walked ahead of me, down the empty hotel hall.

I blinked at the ever expanding breadth of his back, wondering what I had done to make him think I was. Probably should have been. Worried about my job or the possibility that the Fellowship would kidnap me again. But I just wasn’t. 

I felt the whisper of embarrassment when Eric came to collect me and saw the state of the bed. 

I felt awkward in the new clothes that still weren’t mine but somehow fit me better than some of the articles I had purchased myself. 

I felt exhaustion weigh my feet into a shuffle.

Worry was the furthest thing from my mind.  

When Eric came to my room to retrieve me, he had placed a white paper shopping bag on a counter before giving the hotel room a very long, very noticeable sniff through his nose and mouth. Creating an almost snorting sound. Like what some of the dogs would do whenever I played ‘find the treat’ with them. He then gave me a slow sweep of his gaze from the top of my head to my toes then back again. It was in no way sexual in nature, but I still felt highly uncomfortable in my bathrobe. He smiled when I pulled the belt tighter around me. Or maybe ‘smirked’ would have been a better word. 

“How long is this shock supposed to last? Your presence is needed”. 

When I had asked him to explain he told me, “There is to be an inquest due to Godric’s disappearance. You are to act as a witness”

That had woken me up a little, “The police are here?” 

Eric paused for a moment, “Not a human inquest. A vampire one. Get dressed”. 

The inquest ended up being in another hotel room, albeit a much larger one than mine. Two people were already there, one of which I recognised as the blonde woman and the other was a man who could only be a vampire. His pale pallor was made sickly by the tanned glow of his companion. 

“Oh my stars!” the woman exclaimed after I entered the room behind Eric, reminding me a lot of Sarah Newlin only shorter and with a thicker accent. She broke from the man she had been talking to and rushed towards me, “I’m so glad you’re here. I can’t believe we just left you there, I don’t know what I was thinkin’. Are ya feelin’ okay?” 

Her brown eyes traced over my face and focused on the angry purple bruise that spanned over my left eye and up into my temple. The eye was not too swollen but I suspected there was a bump on the back of my head where it impacted with the ground. Unconsciously, I brought my hand up to my face to trace over some of the damage. I had tied half of the mass on my head up since I could not be bothered styling it, but now I wished that I had left it down to cover some of the damage. 

By comparison, the shorter woman had been manicured to perfection. Her coiffed hair could have rivalled Sarah’s and the red and white checkered dress she wore showed she knew how to dress to compliment her complexion. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that she had been attacked the night before. 

I cleared my throat “It’s not as bad as it looks”, arguably it was worse, “How about you? Are you alright, Ms…”

“Oh, where are my manners? Here’s me acting like I ain’t ever been raised right. My name’s Sookie, Sookie Stackhouse”, she said as she took my hand and aggressively shook it as if we had just concluded an intense business meeting, “What’s your’s?”

“Lenore”, I replied. While we spoke, Eric walked past us to lounge on a large ottoman and type needlessly fast into his phone. 

“Lenore, what a pretty name! This here is my boyfriend Bill Compton”, Sookie introduced the man whose arm she took hold of. They were a good looking couple as they stood side by side, if not a tad old fashioned in their demeanour. 

“A pleasure to meet you, ma’am” he said. If he had been wearing a hat, he would have surely taken it off in respect. “Please accept my thanks in all the help you provided Sookie”. 

Before I had the chance to say there was no need, he went on with,“You sure you’re alright? I’m surprised that you have not healed her yet”. It took me a second to realise that the last statement was directed at Eric. 

“Why should I? I’m not the one who’s mainstreaming” he said with derision. 

“Eric, do you have to be such an ass?” Sookie asked, the polite Southern Belle completely disappearing. 

“Really, I’m fine”, I insisted, not wanting to be the cause of an argument amongst people I had just met. 

Sookie leaned into me and sagely whispered, “Ya can’t let vampires walk all over ya or they won’t stop. Ya might as well start makin’ your demands now”. She must have been interacting with vampires for a long time to say so. Then again maybe not, if she believed that the two in the room could not hear her. 

Eric suddenly stood up straight, eyes fixed on the door. 

“Wha-” Sookie began, only to be interrupted by said door opening. 

I don’t know who I expected to walk in, but it sure as hell was not Nan Flanagan; the face of the vampire movement who seemed to grow ill if she did not quip and rant politics in front of a camera every other day.

Striding in with unwavering confidence, she wore a simple but expensive looking outfit coloured in different shades of black. With her hair up in a ponytail, she looked more like the evil twin of the persona she presented on the news. At her side was a man and another woman that would not say a word throughout their time in the room. Her heels clicked against the floor as she said, “Oh look, you’re all here. I guess you can follow instructions, Northman”. Her voice was deeper in person, without the soft lilt she usually had on TV. 

Behind Nan and her entourage, at a much more leisurely pace, came Godric and the woman who spoke Spanish. He did not look any different than the last time I saw him except for the white tunic he had changed into that showed more of his blue tattoos. Before, I had only seen a peak of them. Now I could see the intricate blue band that created a permanent necklace around his shoulder blades. Ignoring everyone else in the room, he stopped in front of me  and said,” Lenore, I trust you slept well”. 

I nodded to show I had.

As usual, Godric did not mind my silence, he only nodded in return and went to sit next to Nan with me sticking right behind him. Eric gave Godric a bow of his head but did not go lower than that. We took our seats, I was given the honour of sharing the white leather couch with the enamoured Bill and Sookie. Without further ado, the inquest began. 

It was more like a heated conversation amongst colleagues with Nan acting as the pissed off boss. In her eyes, Godric was not a victim but an incompetent “Sheriff” who let himself be taken by some annoying religious extremists. There was a piece of legislation she was hoping to get passed that would help vampires gain more legal rights, and she believed this entire event could jeopardise it. Why she thought that, she felt no need to elaborate. 

I  did learn what I missed while I waited in the car though. Apparently Steve Newlin, who was pretty put out by the fact that Godric and I had not shown up for our public burning, decided to replace us with Eric and Sookie. Only to be interrupted by some hot-head vampire named Stan who apparently wanted to slaughter every member of the Fellowship under the guise of rescuing Godric. This, Nan decided, was also Godric’s fault.

Eric, fed up with the verbal attack on Godric, resorted to name calling whilst Sookie interrupted the conversation to announce that Godric had saved her and I from “a really large rapist”. 

Aside from that, the argument was going nowhere. It went round and round in a circle of accusations, rebuttal and martyrdom. None of it mattered because it was clear that Nan wanted someone she could easily place the blame on and Godric was the one she had chosen. 

And he was helping her do it. 

“C’mon Lenore” Sookie said, suddenly bringing the attention to me, “Tell her, you were there too”. 

I went still as all eyes in the room fell on me. 

Why oh why she felt the need to drag me in, I did not know. Until then, they’d all seemed to have forgotten me and I was more than happy to keep it that way. After all, what could I possibly contribute? I was exhausted, wounded and completely new to vampire politics. Nothing I said would change minds already made. In fact, I would very likely make it worse. Put not only Godric’s head on the chopping block, but all of our too.  

I flicked my eyes to Godric who gave me no hint to his thoughts. Then to Eric who reversely felt no need to hide how agitated he felt. 

“Well I…” I began lamely, desperately willing for any cohesive thought to form in my mind, only to be left with a blank panic. 

“Yes, riveting”, Nan said in a monotonous voice, “I allowed you to bring your humans as a show of good faith, not to sit here and waste my time”. 

Seeing the opening that Eric had been waiting for to jab at Nan once more, Eric leaned forward with a sardonic grin, “Don’t say that. Your base might find out that you’re nothing but a lying bitch who only pretends to care about equal rights for all human and vampire kind”. 

Nan snapped her attention to Eric again, seeming genuinely insulted for the first time even though this was twice in as many minutes that he had called her a bitch, “My base only knows what I want it to know. You forget that I am the one in charge of the narrative. Me”. 

“It matters not”, Godric interjected before another argument could start, “I chose to go with the Fellowship of the Sun. I will take responsibility”. 

I took in a deep breath then let it out as slowly and quietly as I could, trying to push all the tension out with it. He really was determined to take all the blame. It wasn’t as if I didn’t know why. But did anyone else? Could Nan and that’s why she was happy to have such an easy scapegoat that wouldn’t be around later to cry victim?

The thought kind of pissed me off

“I think we were all lucky that Godric was kidnapped”, I blurted out a little too loudly. But at least it stopped everyone from talking. Even Sookie seemed stunned, though I could have done without the pitying look her boyfriend sent me.

“What did you say?” Eric’s voice was lower, quieter than it had been before. It chilled my spine into a straight stiff line. I looked away so I wouldn’t be distracted by how much bigger his teeth seemed. 

I pushed on, “As Sookie said, we were lucky because Godric saved us. The Fellowship was lucky because some or all of them might have been hurt if they went after another vampire”, I obviously meant killed, “And The Vampire League was lucky because there’s no way the Fellowship would not have broadcasted that all over the news. They’d have framed it as a senseless attack made by a vampire on helpless, God fearing Christians. That might have been the plan from the get-go. It would explain how unplanned it all seemed when we got there”.

I glanced at Godric again to suss out if what I had said was alright or if I had committed a major vampire faux pas but he remained placid. 

“Exactly!” Sookie exclaimed, “I bet they got all sorts of illegal activity goin’ on too. Stuff they don’t show you on the tour”. 

“I don’t know about that. I didn’t see anything myself, but I can tell you that they are a lot more organised than they let on, and dedicated too”, even Brooks who helped me was still wholeheartedly committed to the cause. “The Fellowship might seem like just a small group of fanatics, but they’re really good at pulling people in”. I thought of all the people who came to tell Godric and I their stories. I thought of Allicia. 

Nan leaned forward herself. I could not tell if it was to intimidate or because she was genuinely interested in what I was saying. Perhaps it was both, “Since you have all the answers, tell me, what should I do next? Let Godric keep his job? Pretend this fuck up never happened?”.

I flushed slightly but did not let it distract me, “Well, if I were in charge of the narrative”, I replied, utilising her own words, “then I would tell the story of a victim who wanted to bridge the divide between vampires and humans only to be attacked by a heavily armed cult. Or better yet, the latest home-grown terrorist group”, ‘terrorist’ was an even bigger boogeyman in the American zeitgeist than ‘Communist’, “I would publicise Godric’s image everywhere too. He looks like every teen heartthrob combined which Steve… does not”. 

The couch shifted slightly as Sookie leaned forward herself, “Lenore’s right. Without Godric, this would have been a PR nightmare. No, a million times worse than that. You shouldn’t be punishing him you should be thanking him”

“Someone died”, Nan pointed out, “Godric ripped his head off. Doesn’t really go with the saintly heartthrob image you’re making”. 

A valid point, but Sookie had one of her own, “Gabe attacked women before. I’m sure they will come out now that he’s dead. He’s even done it to a 15 year old girl that’s a member of the church. I think her name was Gibbon, no Gibson”. 

My breath hitched in my throat. 

“And how do you know that?” Nan asked, “Did the blushing virgin tell you? Was she kind enough to supply you with irrefutable evidence of all the mean man’s evil deeds?”.

“I’m tellin’ you, he raped multiple women! Surely one of them will come out to testify about it. I will if need be”. Bill put a hand on Sookie’s arm, probably not liking the offer she had made. 

“So what? You think anyone will give a fuck? All they’ll see is a headless man lying on the floor. So far we’ve been able to suppress the news but it will get out. That’s the shit that I have to clean up because of you”, Nan pointed at Godric. 

Eric surged onto his feet, showing that I had been wrong that he had calmed down. The woman who now spoke English jumped up as well to hold him back with a “Don’t”. Bill stood up too but it was hard to tell what he had been planning to do. He did not seem inclined to either fight or help Eric. Perhaps he had just felt left out. 

“Eric”, Godric said in warning. 

Just as before, Eric reigned in his anger and sat down again, acting as if he were not just about to throttle Nan in front of us. The other two joined him. Nan watched on in amusement. 

Nan turned to Godric “What are your thoughts on your little human’s idea? Want to be the next poster boy for the vampire movement? I’d have to run it up the chain of command but it would not be the worst idea I’ve ever heard. I’m doing pretty well with white women between 30 and 50 but I haven’t managed to break into the teen market yet. We’d have to change your age of course, say you were made when you turned 18”. 

“I am uninterested”, Godric replied. 

Nan’s shiny red lips went up into a sneer, “Oh excuse me, my question must have made it sound like you have a choice. If it is what the Vampire League wants, it’s what the Vampire League will get”. 

Eric growled at her.

Guilt brushed against me. In my effort to help Godric, it looked like I might have just helped to force him to play the Propagandist.. 

Not that it would likely happen anyway.

Standing up, Nan smoothed down clothing that was already perfectly straight  and said “Come to my rooms to sign your statement. I will get in touch once we’ve decided what to do with you”. 

“First I have something to say”, Godric paused as he looked at all of us with what might have been called a bashful expression, “I am sorry. I apologise for all the harm I have caused”, he looked at me, “I will make amends, I swear”. 

“Take it easy”, Nan said with a pat on Godric’s shoulder, “It’s just a few signatures”. 

Nan Flanagan and her entourage left with the click of her heels. 

Godric would have followed right after if Eric had not stood to stop him. 

Using his greater height to arch over Godric, he simply said, “No”.

“Look into my heart”, Godric replied. 

If Eric could, he was braver than I was. 

When the police came to tell me my father was dead, I didn’t believe them. I stood there in my baggy pyjamas, squinting through the early morning sun at the taller of the two police officers.

“Did you hear what he said?” his partner had asked, her tone softer. The kind one would use on a child. 

I had. But the words were foreign to me. An alien language that spoke of fantastical, impossible things. Only to speak even more impossible things when they told me how he had died.

In pieces, I remember “...found in the Red River…tried to call…suspected suicide-”.

“You have to listen to me”, Eric implored.

“There is nothing to say”.

“There is”, Eric insisted. 

My father hadn’t left a suicide note. No scribbled ‘I’m sorrys’ no recorded ‘goodbyes’. He did call me the night it happened though. A little later than he usually would have but not so much that it set off any alarm bells. We caught up. Went over the latest news. Nothing noteworthy. Nothing that stuck to my mind as strange. I did not even get a glimpse of his decayed heart. 

In fact, I don’t remember a single thing my father and I talked about. 

Godric said “On the roof”.

 

3.

I made sure not to follow Eric and Godric too closely lest they told me to leave. 

They did not speak out in the hall but that changed when we entered the side staircase that led directly up to the roof. 

“Can you at least tell me why?” Eric implored as we ascended. 

“I could, but it would mean little to one such as yourself. Your love of life has no equal”, Godric replied smoothly. His steps did not break rhythm as he went higher and higher. 

“Try”. 

There was a pause that lasted an entire flight of stairs, “Two thousand years is enough”. 

I was not my father’s only living relative, but I was the only one that the police could easily get in touch with. So I had to identify his body. The pathologist who spoke more like a therapist, lifted the thin white sheet just enough for me to see my father’s face. 

He must have been in the water for mere hours but I could already see signs of bloating. His cheeks were fuller in the most unhealthy of ways. The pale skin looked unnaturally fragile, like all I needed to do was give his cheek a good poke for it to split under my finger.

“When? When was it enough?” Eric asked but he did not wait for an answer "I cannot accept this”. 

It did not matter if he accepted it. It did not matter if anyone did. Godric had long since made his choice.

Realising that Godric was planning to ignore him for the rest of the rise, Eric moved in front of him to block the way “This is insanity”. 

The two had stopped on the last landing. I stayed on the stairs right behind them, trying to quieten my heavy breathing. We were close now. Craning my neck, I could see the bland, grey door to the roof. 

“Our existence is insanity. We don't belong here”. 

“We are here!” 

Apart from that, my father might have been sleeping. There wasn’t a mark on him. I could almost convince myself that he had died peacefully, dreaming of the happy life he should have had. 

What really bothered me was his hair. 

For as long as I could remember, my father had always been on the cusp of going bald. There was a patch near the back of his head with hair so thin that you could see his scalp through it. It made him self conscious, though he’d never admit it. You’d only know from how persistently he’d brush his hair over and down to make the balding patch less obvious. He even carried a cheap plastic comb in his pocket everywhere he went just in case. I thought all dads did that.

On the metal table of the morgue, his hair was out of place. Sticking upwards in a way he would have hated. I could not remember our last conversation, but the memory of his messy hair was still fresh in my mind despite the years that had passed. 

I moved my hand to smooth it back down but stopped, worried that I was doing something I shouldn’t.

It was while I stood there, with my hand raised, that the doctor offered me counselling. To make sure I did not do something that I might regret. As if my father’s suicide was contagious. Hereditary. 

Maybe she was right.

I slowly approached them and took Godric’s hand. Slipped my fingers in between his to show him he was not alone. That I was with him. That I would be with him.

“It’s not right”, Godric said, breaking the terrible news much the same way the police had years ago, “We are not right”. 

“You taught me that there is no right or wrong. Only survival, or death”. 

“I told a lie, as it turns out”. 

Eric, the vampire far quicker to anger than his maker, advanced on us and said “I will keep you alive by force”.

“Even if you could, why would you be so cruel?”

Yes. My father would have likely said the same thing. He might have died truly hating me for my selfishness. Something that I had often suspected that he already did, if only in his lowest moments. 

But then they started speaking in their own language again. I let it wash over me like before until Godric said something that made Eric’s voice crack. Fall to his knees. Weep. Weep with his entire being. With enough anguish the floor shook beneath him, responding to his pain. He spoke words I did not understand but I knew he was begging Godric. Begging him with the soul I was told he did not have. 

Please, please, please.
 
The blood of his tears, for Eric did cry blood, dripped onto the cement floor. I could hear each one hit the cold surface. The echo reverberated through the stairwell. My own eyes moistened as I watched this man fall apart for someone he loved. Someone he loved. Someone who he would mourn. Who he would miss. Who he would think upon when he was feeling joy, sadness and heartache. Someone he would think about fondly. Someone he would hate for abandoning him.

There would be no one to mourn me, miss me or think about me at all. No one to remember me fondly. No one to hate me for leaving them. No one would even remember my name. 

This entire time, Godric had it. Possessed what had only ever been a ghost to me.

I found myself getting angry. Getting so goddamn angry. Not as I was the night before. I could still think cleary. See clearly what Godric was leaving behind. Throwing away.  

I tugged harshly at Godric’s hand “Come on then, let’s go”. 

Godric turned to me, his eyes widened a fraction. As if he were surprised to find me there pulling at him. Or simply surprised to find me there at all. As if he had already forgotten me. Like they always do.

It’s me, Lenore

…I’m sorry, who is this?

That only made me angrier, “Hurry up! I know how impatient you’ve been to get this over with so let’s go.”

Godric did not budge, “You will not join me, Lenore”. 

What he had, what he was throwing away, was a miracle. 

“Why the hell not?!” my shrill voice bounced against the bare walls. He did not answer but it didn't matter. I wouldn't have accepted any he might have given. 

Did he not realise how rare genuine love is? Did he still believe the fairytales, the lies they told us as children? Not everyone gets to find their happily ever after. Some of us are fated to live and die alone. 

Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave. No one was saved.

I pulled at his arm again, using more of my body to pull him up the last flight of stairs. He still would not move. “Why do you get to die and I don’t?”.

“I am Vampire. My existence has brought pain to others. You know this, you have seen it”. 

I stopped pulling at him. Moved so I was Godric’s entire field of vision. “And? How do you know the same doesn’t apply to me? How do you know that I haven’t made everyone, everyone miserable since the moment I was born? How do you know that I haven’t ruined lives?!”

All I wanted was a child, not this.

“Lenore-”

No. I would not listen. I would not calm. Not stop. 

Dropping his arm, I turned to the roof door. There was light entering the stairwell through the thin gap below the door. We were missing the sunrise.

“Maybe I should just jump off”, I said more to myself. I was terrified of heights but it would be a less painful death than clinging onto a vampire on fire. And there was a sick irony to it that I could not deny was laughable. I started for the final flight of stairs. 

I did not need Godric. Did not need to wait for him. My father did not wait for me. I could do this on my own. My foot pressed against the first step.

A hand gripped my wrist. It was cool and solid. A shackle. And it stopped me completely. 

Looking down, I saw Eric’s face stare back up at me. There were still streaks of blood on his pale cheeks but he was no longer crying. No longer mourning the eventual loss of someone he loved. 

“She is right, master”, Eric said as he stood, his voice even once more. “We should just all die together”. 

Now Godric was mad, “We will not. I forbid it. I will command you”. 

“You have released me”. 

“A master’s command still holds”. 

Eric’s smirk held no humour, “But not after the True Death. I can walk out there right after you. And the human you have picked up can end her little life any time she wants. As a last gift to you I can do it for her so that she feels no pain”, Eric took hold of the back of my neck with his other hand. I went very still. The fear that I should have felt before dumped a bucket of freezing water over my head, cooling my anger. “I can make it quick, break her neck. Or-” he leaned in closer, “I can do as you taught me and-”. 

Godric shouted something in their language, halting Eric. He then followed with more words I did not understand but were no less angry.  

Eric, however, shouted back in English, “You cannot stop me!”. The hand on my neck tightened. If his nails had been longer, they would have been cutting into my skin by now. 

The ensuing silence was tense. It stretched as tall and wide as the Carmilla itself. 

Only for Godric to snatch me from Eric’s hold and bring me to his own. He cupped the sides of my head, gently, but with enough strength to stop me from looking anywhere but his eyes. 

There was something mesmerising about his eyes. I couldn’t believe that I had not noticed before. Calming. Safe and warm. Nothing could hurt me in those eyes. If I would but listen. “You will leave now, Lenore. You will go home and forget this. Forget meeting me”. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked as I pushed Godric away from me, something I could only do because he had let me, “I can’t just forget. This is my life, not a game”. 

At first Godric was taken aback. 

Then he was resigned, “Lenore, are you set upon this?”. 

I broke the eye contact he was trying to maintain, unable to give him the answer either of us wanted. 

Godric could see my indecision. He did not like it.

He took my hand and pulled me to the stairs.  Pulling me back down them.

 

Chapter 6: More Bruises to add to my Collection

Summary:

Our characters now have to decide what happens next.

Notes:

Hi guys, I just want to wanted to give you all a BIG thank you for all the comments and kudos you've given me. I feel absolutely spoiled by all the love you've showered on me.

I'm not lying when I say that every single one has pushed me to keep on writing. Which is why you're getting a +8,100 word chapter this time ;)

Much love to you all! x

 

Chapter edited: 28/07/25

We were moving so fast that I almost tripped down the stairs, “Where are we going?”

Godric did not answer. He did not slow down.

“Godric!”

“Our room”

I trailed my free hand on the bannister to keep my balance “Why? What about…” I trailed off. 

“You will not go up there again”, was his clipped reply. 

“Will you?”

Again he did not answer and continued to stay silent as I repeated the question. When we reached a landing, I used the opportunity to grab him with both hands. “Are you going back up there?

Godric looked behind me to Eric’s slow approach. Whatever he saw displeased him. But he also seemed resigned to his displeasure. “No, I will not”. 

He pulled us further down.

Sookie was standing in the hall near our bedrooms. She made the startled face of someone who wasn’t sure if they just got caught somewhere they shouldn’t be. Part guilty, part self-righteous. “You’re back”, she noted lamely, “Everything okay?”

No one answered her. But then, she was asking a question she already knew the answer to. 

Godric stopped his towing to speak to Eric in their language. He clipped the sentences into short orders that were sharpened by the hard line of his jaw. Nan’s name popped in there at some point so she must have been part of at least one of them. He then turned to me and said in the same impatient tone, “Stay with Eric”, before leaving.

“Lenore, is everythin’ alright?” Sookie asked again, stepping closer to us. I felt guilty for not appreciating her  worry, but her timing was too awful for me to retrieve my patience. 

“Ms. Stackhouse”, Eric stepped in, “As much as I delight in your company, the sun is up and I feel the Bleeds coming”. I stiffened at the feel of Eric’s hand on my lower back as it gently but firmly propelled me forward. 

Sookie clearly did not like the brush off, though she said, “Fine. But we’re talking when you wake up. I can’t stay in Dallas another day. I need to get back home”. 

“Bon Temps will still be there waiting for you, Ms Stackhouse. You need not worry”, Eric threw over his shoulder as we walked away from her. 

He took me to a suite that looked a lot like the one we were in for the meeting. I couldn’t give reason to why I was so placidly following him. It was not as if I wanted to stay in this strange man’s company. Or anyone’s really. The antsy, scratchy feeling of needing to be holed up in my room alone was as strong as ever. 

After flicking on the lights, Eric stepped into an adjoining room without a word or glance my way. I stayed standing near the front door, wondering if I should take that as a dismissal for the day. 

The sudden break in events had an interestingly calming effect on me. All the anger and grief that was propelling me up the last flight of steps was now gone. Left me with a lethargy that begged for bed. 

Was I really going to jump from the roof? The thought of it brought on the familiar sick feeling of fear in the pit of my stomach. Yet, there was a part of me that was almost disappointed. 

Rubbing the ache from my temples, Eric re-entered the room with a damp towel. “Oh God, you’re eyes. Are you okay?” I asked as I rushed closer to him, my hands flapping as they tried to figure out the best way to help. 

“It’s only the Bleeds” he said as he tried to wipe the blood from his face.

I had heard of the Bleeds, but thought it might have been one of those Vampire myths that humans had made up like turning into bats or having no reflection. Bleeding from multiple orifices just because the sun was up had seemed a bit too fantastical to be true. 

“You did not see Godric have the Bleeds”, Eric stated as he moved to the nearby leather couch and made himself comfortable. 

It was an observation rather than a question but I still answered with, “No, Godric always went to ground when the sun came up”. It felt weird using their terminology but I wanted to show that I was being respectful of their way of life. 

“Godric did not go to ground”. 

“Yes he did, I helped seal him into the closet”. 

Eric held the towel to his left ear where blood was now trickling out of, “You did. But Godric did not go to ground. No Vampire worth his lineage would die for the day in the presence of a human they had just met”. He had a low, naturally seductive voice. I wondered if it was a remnant of his life as a human or something he learned as a vampire. 

“He was awake the entire time?”

A nod, “Yes. It’s how he was able to hear you play guard dog”. 

My cheeks flushed at that, “I just wanted to make sure that no one would open the door while he was in there”. 

“What would you have done to stop them?” 

“I don’t know, something?” I crossed my arms, resenting how foolish he made me feel for trying to help. No, I did not think that I would really be able to fight off the entire Fellowship to protect Godric, but at least I had tried. 

Eric studied me for a second, “Perhaps that is why Godric has a peculiar fondness for you. He does not tend to give so much attention to humans”. 

“Why not?”

Eric raised his brow as if I had asked a ridiculous question, “What would be the point when you all die so quickly?”

I somehow managed to not be insulted by that. Perhaps because I was too busy thinking of an excuse to leave the room. 

“Come here”, Eric said. 

“I don’t-” 

“Come here”, Eric repeated when I made eye contact with him again. And what beautiful eyes they were. So bright and blue, they were the kind that poets compared to a clear sky. I wanted to get closer to them. See if there were darker flecks of sea within them. Maybe they would be deep enough to dive into. 

“So you can be Glamoured”, Eric said, causing me to jump. On the couch that I was suddenly sitting on.  I whipped my head left and right, trying to figure out how I managed to teleport there.

“Then why didn’t it work upstairs?” Eric asked himself as he took hold of my chin, halting my movements and making me look into his eyes again, “Ask me to bite you”. 

I reeled my head back and pushed myself as far away from him as I could without getting off the couch, “What? No! Why would I do that?”

He ignored my question, “I could feel you resist me that time”, he broke into a grin, “What interesting creatures I have been running into lately. Tell me, can you read minds too?” 

I barked out a laugh, unable to keep up with the conversation, “Read minds? No sorry. Reading books is as far as I go”. 

Eric tossed the soiled towel onto the coffee table and leaned in, seemingly happy to just let the Bleeds have at him, “Do you have another psychic ability?” 

I sat up straighter. This guy had picked the worst time to make a joke out of me “No. I can’t fly on a broomstick either”. 

He leaned in even more. Not enough to touch me but enough to enter my very strict and armoured personal bubble. I was about to ask what he was doing when he did that deep dog sniff again, only louder this time. The inhale was so long, I was sure his lungs were about to pop any second. I could almost see them bulge through his shirt.  When he was finally done, he closed his eyes and held onto the inhale for a few beats longer than a human would ever be able to. In the exhale, he said, “I cannot smell you”, before leaning back again. 

At this point, I just wanted to go. Forget polite excuses, forget waiting for Godric. I was too tired to deal with any more of whatever this was, “Right, okay. Thanks for such a pleasant conversation but I’m just going to go now”, I put my hands on the couch to push myself up. 

“Can Godric?”

“What?”

“Can Godric scent you”.

I stifled a sigh, “Yes”. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Positive. He’s told me multiple times that I smell like a dog. Though I’d just like to point out that I was kidnapped during my shift at the shelter and the Fellowship wasn’t exactly jumping at the chance to let me shower”. 

Eric made himself comfortable again on the couch, one arm running along the headrest. The man liked to take up as much space as possible and then some. Well he could have as much as he wanted as long as he didn’t take any of mine again. “He was not critiquing your scent, he was noting your lack of it”. 

“What do you mean? He said-”

“I am sure he could smell the dogs that you care for, but he could not smell you. The unique scent that all beings have. I can smell every toiletry you have used in the last 24 hours, every person who came into close contact with you. I can even smell the shopkeeper who sold me those clothes you are wearing. But I cannot smell you. If not for my other senses, I would have said that you don’t exist at all”. 

The chill up my spine made me shiver, “What-What does that mean?” 

Eric simply shrugged, “Godric might know, but he is not forthcoming when it comes to you. He has only told me not to drink from you”. 

I startled slightly. I had no idea I was an option on the menu in the first place. 

“He did not give me a command”, Eric continued, “only requested it, something he does not do often”. 

“Why would he need to ask you in the first place?”

He gave me a ‘did you really just ask that?’ face.

Changing the subject before we went further into that tunnel, “Where is he?”. 

“Writing his statement for Nan”. 

“Are you sure? He might have gone back up-”

“He did not”. 

“But-”

“I would know”. Eric said with finality. He sounded a lot like Godric when he was angry. 

I leaned further away from him onto the armrest and watched as more blood dribbled out of his ear. It would start dripping onto the couch any moment now. Maybe that was why it was made of leather. “Shouldn’t you go to sleep?”

“I need to make sure you don’t do something aggravatingly human like wander off and die. Since I doubt Godric would appreciate me chaining up his latest pet, this is the next best thing”, he grinned, “Unless of course, you like being chained up”. 

“It didn’t fix anything you know. Just because he didn’t try today, doesn’t mean he won’t try again tomorrow or the day after”. 

It would still be there. At the forefront of his thoughts. Nibbling at the back of his mind. Just as it would mine.

Eric’s smile dropped, “That is why I must keep you around. For some unfathomable reason, he cares about you enough to keep living”. 

“So your plan is to use me as some kind of bandaid? To just ignore the real problem?”. 

The blood that pooled around his eyes only seemed to brighten them, “There is no problem. With time Godric will forget he ever thought about meeting the sun”. 

This time, I did not stifle my sigh. Despite his confidence, I could not say I believed he was right. 

 

2. 

Why oh why, did I have to be here? Have I not suffered enough? Do I not deserve a little peace after everything I’ve been through? I hadn’t even gone home yet. Had not so much as glimpsed my own bed. It might have been an old shity one I bought second hand, but it was my shitty, second hand bed. In my rental that I could only just afford. With a rat that would make an uninvited appearance every few months and absolutely no vampires.  

After my rather revealing chit chat with Eric, Godric had made an appearance. While there was some blood coming out of his eyes and ears, it was nowhere near to the extent of Eric’s. He had calmed down while he was gone but the remnants of his anger had survived in the way he looked at me. It made me want to apologise. Not that it mattered as Godric dismissed me after stating he had to speak privately to Eric. 

Only to appear at my door the following night to “escort” me downstairs for “refreshments”. 

“Kurosawa, Ishido pays respect to the Vampire Sheriff of Area 9”, said the latest vampire to approach us with a deep bow. 

Sitting stiffly on yet another leather couch -this one black- I pressed my hand to my stomach to stop the embarrassing gurgling sound it was making. I had intended to leave them in the hotel lounge and head for the restaurant but had been distracted by the first vampire to ‘run into us’. 

My first thought was that she was a waitress coming to take my order until had I noticed she was wearing one too many diamonds. After she had made her unprompted introductions, she went on a lengthy tirade about how disgusted she was that humans -she had said the word like a curse- would dare harm a vampire “of such power”. That if Godric so wished, she would kill any human that was involved. She either did not know or did not care that one such human had been sitting right next to him.

Godric for his part, had stayed silent throughout and only gave a single nod after it was done. That seemed to please her as she left to speak to someone at the nearby bar. 

When another vampire gave us a similar performance not two minutes later, I gave in and asked, “What’s going on?”

It was Eric who answered. He was standing slightly behind Godric in a dark red button down shirt that was a dress up from the tank tops I had seen him in so far. He looked like a secret service guard, minus the sunglasses. “Politics”. When I indicated I needed a little more explanation than one word he continued with, “Word of Godric’s possible unseating has already spread throughout Dallas. Every vampire in the Area will come tonight to see if it will happen”. 

“To show their support?”

“To take his place”.

“But they seem to really like Godric”, to an uncomfortable degree. 

Eric just stared at me as if I were an idiot before eyeing the vampires that had approached so far. Each of which had lingered in the lounge. Watching without looking. 

So I sat there as one after the other, vampires came to greet Godric. Despite Eric’s cynicism, my untrained eye still saw some of them as genuinely happy to see Godric back. Take Isabel for example; the Spanish speaking woman whom I was finally introduced to. Her smile was warm and gratitude overwhelming. 

“It was very brave of you”, she had said in an accent as beautiful as she was, “especially under such trying conditions”. 

Those that I thought were genuine in their joy were the ones that Eric actively spoke to after their little speeches. Each one in a different language as if he were interviewing to become a translator for the UN. He only spoke to one vampire in English which was how I found out he was generously ‘gifting’ a lucrative property that she had apparently been eyeing for some time. Just for being such a loyal underling to Godric. No other reason. No expectation for reciprocation. None whatsoever. 

Mostly, Eric did not speak much unless directly spoken to. Those vampires were more neutral than overjoyed at Godric’s appearance. Some were accompanied by humans  though not one of them spoke or looked up from the ground during their visit. I tried to catch one by the eye to see if they were alright but for some reason they avoided looking at me even more than they did Godric or Eric. 

The humans were all impeccably dressed however. I glanced down at the modest but tight fitting mint green dress Eric has given me to wear and felt like an idiot for thinking he got me it because it was all they had in the hotel’s shop. I had been dressed for display. Arm candy that was to be seen and apparently not heard if I was to go by the other humans in the lounge. Well the joke was on him because the green of the dress only brought out the sickly yellow of my bruises even more. 

Then again, when I caught yet another vampire giving me a surreptitious look over when they thought Godric was distracted, I kind of wished I had at least a little concealer on. 

Then there were those that I could not tell if they were friends or foe from how contradictory they were being. One vampire, whose name I had not listened to, spent more time talking to Eric than Godric. Her accent was a relatively neutral American one, but every once in a while she said something that sounded more Eastern European in nature. She looked at Eric like she wanted to mount him right then and there but spoke to him with derision. 

“Now what is a Sheriff of Louisiana doing here?” she asked, “Finally sick of that backwater dump you found yourself in?” 

Eric only smirked in amusement, “Not at all. What about you? How is your area in Oklahoma, Dragana?”. Before she could answer, he said, “Ah wait, how could I forget? You’ve been stripped of your title. Something about a deal you made with a certain human scientist". 

“Rumours!” Dragana seethed, her accent even stronger now. 

“Quite a convincing rumour. I wonder what will happen once your maker hears of this in the Old World”. 

She then said something in a different language that I did not need to understand to know was full of expletives. 

When she ultimately walked away, Eric told Godric, “She was caught allowing a scientist to experiment on her. Another fool trying to harness the Blood’s immortality in pill form. Luckily for her, all the evidence burned in a fire at the scientist’s home. Killed his entire family I hear”. 

“Inform Isabel”, Godric commanded. 

From the stiffening of her spine, I knew Dragana had heard them. She had not stayed in the lounge much longer. 

“She is not as good a fuck as she thinks she is”, Eric said to me, “Her maker still believes in the old ways so she take it out on all her partners. Her pathetic attempts at dominance are a bit too sad for my taste”

“What?” I asked, incredulous. 

“You were about to ask”. 

“No I wasn’t”, I retorted. 

“But you are interested”. 

“I’m really not”. 

“Everyone is”. 

“If you say so”, I turned my head away from him to show just how interested in the topic I was. I like to think that I saw Godric’s face soften in amusement at the exchange. 

For the most part, it was all just very boring. No vampire said anything that didn’t sound like a platitude and Godric did not respond further than a single nod of acknowledgement. The monotony of it all must have been driving him crazy. 

Twelve hours ago we almost killed ourselves

Eric shifted in my peripherals. Moved so he was more at Godric’s side rather than behind him. His eyes were trained at the glass doors of the now full hotel lounge. My own eyes joined them as I waited to see who had him so interested. 

A vampire roughly the same height as Eric swaggered into the room. If I had thought that Eric walked around like he owned the place, this guy walked like he created the world. 

With hair almost as dark as mine, the fine lines on his forehead and extending from his eyes showed that he had been turned into a vampire a little older than anyone else I had seen so far. That, or he came from a time when people aged 5 years every fortnight. He was still handsome, but then every vampire appeared to be exceptional in the looks department. 

He took his hat off momentarily to give Godric a nod before slapping it back on again, “Good to see you back Sherif. Thought we lost you for a second”. 

“I am sure your heart broke at the thought”, Eric said. 

The newcomer put his hand over his still heart and smiled, “Why of course I was, Champ. Why else would I have stormed the Fellowship? I had to save my Sheriff since everyone else seemed too busy coddling humans”. 

“You are as bad at lying now as you were when you first turned, Stan”. 

So this was the Stan they mentioned at the inquest the night before. The one that Nan had said was a known “hot head”. Meeting him now, I could see it. 

Stan seemed to only just notice me. Unlike the previous vampires, his eyes trailed over me slowly with a blatant disregard that we could all see him do it. It stayed uncomfortably longer on my bare legs. 

I crossed them. 

“I see that you’ve brought another one”, Stan commented, still looking at me, “Never pegged you for having such a hard-on for humans, Northman”. 

“Lenore is my guest”, Godric said, “You will treat her as such”. 

Stan put his hands up in surrender, “Sure I will, Sheriff. I wouldn’t dream of doing otherwise” he said. 

But I was no longer listening. Instead I was back in the Fellowship's classroom-turned-prison listening to someone else speak. What was it that Allicia had said when she spoke of dating that vampire? It stood out to me because it was the only time she did not speak with anger. But rather, almost wistfully. As if she were remembering a time when things were better. When she was better. 

“He was a little too cocky for my taste, I don’t usually go for guys that are so in love with themselves” she paused then and stewed in her shame, “I guess I just have a thing for tall cowboys”

Stan adjusted his hat so that it sat further back on his head. The wide brimmed, jet black stetson really suited him. It matched perfectly with the black shirt that was more popular in 1800s America.  

I immediately dropped my gaze, afraid to make eye contact with him like I had with Eric the night before. I could feel Godric look at me.

I sprang from my seat and mumbled, “I’m just gonna go find something to eat”. 

As I scurried away, I heard Stan laugh and say, “Skittish little thing, ain’t she?”

I went to the far end of the bar, the furthest away from the three vampires. Not the best spot to catch a bartender’s attention but I was happy to be ignored for a moment while I collected my thoughts. 

Surely it was a coincidence. This was Texas after all, there’s probably hundreds of vampires that dress like gaudy cowboys. What were the odds that I would run into the vampire from Alicia’s story?

“Lenore, hey Lenore”, I turned to see Sookie approaching me, “I was hopin’ to find ya here”. 

Her perfect blonde hair was down this time and she was clothed in a long white blazer that doubled as a dress. Her white heels complimented the look but she was still noticeably shorter than me. I felt gangly and out of place next to her. 

“Hi Sookie, I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you would have gone back to…” I trailed off. 

“Bon Temp”, she finished for me, “Yeah I was plannin’ on going today but Bill said he has some vampire business to do first and apparently it ain’t polite for us to leave before formally welcomin’ Godric back or somethin’”. 

“Where is Bon Temp?” I asked to keep her talking while I eyed Stan. He was no longer with Godric and was now leaning against a wall, talking to a woman. I was glad to see that she was a vampire. 

“It’s a dead-end a few miles outside of Shreveport”. 

I gave my attention back to Sookie, “Louisiana right?”

That made her grin, the little gap in her front teeth made it incredibly endearing, “Yeah! Ya ever been?” 

“No, but I’ve always wanted to go to New Orleans”. 

Sookie rolled her eyes but in good humour, “Everybody only ever wants to go to New Orleans”. 

A bartender finally noticed me and came over to ask for my order which was a Sprite and a menu for food. When I asked Sookie if she wanted anything, she went for a Gin and Tonic. 

“So”, Sookie began after the bartender stepped away to prepare our drinks, “How’s everythin’ going with Godric?”

“What do you mean?” I asked even though I already knew. 

“He alright?”

“I’m not sure”, I answered honestly, “It’s hard to tell”. 

“You’re tellin’ me”, Sookie said, “Bill’s usually so affectionate, but he can be so cagey. Like tonight, I have no idea where he is or what he’s doin’. I guess Godric’s like that with you too, huh?”. 

It occurred to me then that Sookie might have thought Godric and I were in some kind of romantic relationship. A startling prospect considering that, despite how long he had lived, Godric still very much looked like a teenager. 

“Well, I mean, we haven’t known each other that long”, I stressed, hoping she would take the hint, “But he does seem the private type. Eric, not so much”. 

She made a disgusted sound, “Now I don’t wanna tell you how to live your life but you really gotta stay clear of that guy”. 

“I take it you don’t like him”. 

“Like him? Hate more like. I know that if ya don’t got nothin’ nice to say then don’t go sayin’ nothin’ at all, but Eric takes the cake”. 

The bartender put down our drinks next to us as well as a food menu then left before I could pay for them. Assuming my room would be charged I asked Sookie, “Then why come all the way to Dallas to help him?”

“Oh I ain’t doin’ it outta the goodness of my heart, Eric’s payin’ me”.

I stared at her, perplexed. Trying to figure out what kind of job she must have to entail infiltrating cults. “I’m sorry, what is it that you do exactly?”

She grinned at me, “I’m a waitress”, she declared proudly, “In a lil’ place called Merlottes. Been there for a good few years now that I think about it. Probably about time to get myself a raise”. 

Now I was even more confused. 

“Oh Lord almighty”, she continued before I could ask any followups, “there’s my idiot brother makin’ a fool of himself again”. 

I turned to look at what caught her eye. A man that shared Sookie’s colouring was standing before Godric. He was the first and only human I had seen do it but Godric did not seem to mind. In fact, he was responding to the apparent brother with actual words. 

“That’s your brother? Where’s he been this entire time?”

“With the Fellowship”, Sookie replied bluntly. I turned to her startled. “It’s a long story. He wasn’t with them for very long and he hadn’t caught on to what they really were until a coupl’a days ago, it’s just that when Jason gets a bee in his bonnet, there ain’t nothin’ anyone can do to make him see sense”. 

I looked at the brother again. I did not recognise him as one of the counselors and read more as nervous than hateful. He may very well have been just another victim who got sucked into a cult. 

He’s the one who beat up Gabe. 

I blinked at the thought that passed through my mind. I had no idea where it came from or where it went. Only that it was not entirely my own. 

To cover my discomfort, I said, “He must be nice, Godric seems to like him already”. I had no way of knowing if what I had said was true since all I could see of him from this angle was part of his profile. 

Sookie placed her hand on my arm to take back my attention, “I can’t hear you”. 

I turned to look down at her, “I said that Godric and your brother might become friends”. 

“No, I mean-”

I had not seen her coming. One second I was looking at Sookie’s face. The next I was looking at glossy, chestnut brown hair styled intricately upon a woman’s head. I took an involuntary step back from the intruder, holding onto the side of the bar behind me. 

“Hello there, I’m Lorena”, said the woman. Her lithe, pale form was dressed in red silk. I could not see her face, but I knew she was beautiful. Like all vampires were. 

Sookie glanced at me then gave the newcomer a polite smile, “Nice to meet you I’m Sookie, and this is Lenore”. 

Lorena did not spare me a look as she hummed to herself and said, “Yes. You’re what all the fuss is about”.

The vampires nearby had stopped what they were doing to observe the interaction. Before, we were just background dressing to be ignored. Now we were entertainment. Even Stan, who was still across the room, had stopped to watch, the glint in his eye the kind saved for a spectacle one knew would turn bloody. 

“Excuse me?”

I walked around Lorena to be by Sookie's side once again. Taking her elbow, “Sorry, but we were actually just about to grab something to eat”. 

“Something to eat”, Lorena repeated, grinning, “And what a little morsel you are”. Her eyes trailed up and down Sookie. On anyone else, it would have appeared sexual. 

Ignoring my pull on her arm, Sookie asked, “I’m sorry, who are you?”

“Well, we have a mutual friend”. 

“Bill?”

“That’s right. Funny that he never mentioned me, I practically made him what he is today”. 

There was something very predatory about Lorena and I could not understand how Sookie did not see it. The way she spoke, the way that she leaned in closer and closer into Sookie’s space. She was the kind of person you need to walk away from before things escalated. But escalate they did. 

“Lorena!” came the thick southern accent I immediately recognised as Bill’s.

For the first time since arriving, Lorena briefly took her eyes off of Sookie, “Oh hello, darling. I was just getting to know your play thing. You always did like to prey on the innocent”. 

“Hi Bill”, I stepped in again, “we were just about to go get something to eat so let’s catch up later, okay?”. This time I pulled even harder on Sookie's elbow. Enough to make it obvious that I was attempting to drag her away. 

“Yes, thank you Lenore”, Bill replied with gratitude, “Sookie has not had her evening meal yet. I believe there is a restaurant nearby that the two of you shall enjoy”.

But Sookie was having none of it, “Is this your maker?”

“Sookie please, you and Lenore must be hungry” he implored. 

“Is she?”

“She released me years ago. She no longer has any hold on me”. 

That was the second time I had heard something to that effect in as many nights. It was how I knew that Bill was oversimplifying something that was beyond the comprehension of those who had not experienced it themselves. 

Lorena must have agreed as she said, “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. Not after that marvellous night in your hotel room”. 

“What?!” Sookie shouted

Lorena continued to bait her as she disparaged the weight of a flatscreen television that had apparently made contact with her head thanks to the man stuck in between them. Lorena was a skilled fisher who had cast a juicy worm in front of Sookie. Instead of swimming away, she nibbled here, nibbled there, not once realising that she was being drawn further and further to the shore. Stan smiled at the impending catch. 

Then Sookie took one big bite, “Maybe you do love him, who am I to guess. But he doesn’t love you and that, you and I both know”. 

Lorena’s fangs dropped. 

“You take that back!” Lorena demanded, advancing on us, “Or they will be the last words you speak”. She was only stopped by Bill who stood in her path. I did, however, notice that he was being very careful not to actually touch her. 

“We’re leaving. Lenore please-”, Bill said. 

Sookie, who was apparently determined to be eaten alive in a hotel lounge, shouted, “Go find someone else you fucking bitch, you’ve lost this one!”

In a speed that was faster than I could track, Lorena flung Bill to the side with the same effort one would swat away a fly. He crashed into a table that buckled upon impact. I did not have time to help him. To move. To even consider it. She was just there, hands on my arms. Fingers digging. Giving me more bruises. She was that fast. Luckily for me, there was someone far faster. 

Godric's hand was wrapped around Lorena’s throat, tilting her face up in a punishing angle, “Release”. She immediately let me go. “Retract. Your. Fangs”. Godric squeezed. I heard the sound of her jaw pop, “Now”. 

Her fangs retracted and she was allowed to sag against the bar, almost knocking over my abandoned Sprite. But Godric did not let go. Bill extracted himself from the broken table and stood to hold Sookie. It had finally dawned on her how close she had just been to death. Again. 

“I neither know nor care who you are”, Godric went on, “But in this Area, I am the authority. Do you understand?”

The ensuing pause stretched far longer than I was comfortable with. The lounge had gotten so very quiet upon Godric’s appearance. The music, which I swear had just been playing softly, was now gone as everyone stood deathly still and watched. Waiting to see what would happen next

“Yes, Sheriff”, Lorena finally conceded. Godric let her go.

“You put your hands on my guest. In front of me”. 

Lorena popped her jaw back into place, “She was in my way. I just wanted to move her”. 

“Irrelevant”, Godric replied, leaning into Lorena now that she had dropped in height, “To harm my guest is to harm me. A guest who has proven herself to be a courageous and loyal friend to me and mine. To all of our kind”, he looks at me with affection mixed with regret, “And yet you treat her as a child would a dragonfly; pulling at its wings for sport. No wonder they hate us”.

He was thinking of the Fellowship. He was thinking of the members who visited us in the classroom. I knew because I was thinking of them too. 

“I was provoked”, Lenore implored. 

“And now you provoke me”. He moved in closer. 

The temperature in the lounge dropped a few degrees. I had seen Godric angry, and now I was seeing him ready to kill. How many people have seen that expression over the last two millennia? 

“I could snap you in two if I so wished. There would be nothing you could do to stop me. Yet I have not. Why?”

“It’s your choice”, Lorena answered.

“Indeed it is. Centuries, and you are still the same savage upon your making” Godric made eye contact with someone over my right shoulder. Turning slightly, I saw that at some point, Eric had moved up behind me, “I fear that may apply to all of our kind”.

I did not turn fully to see Eric’s reaction to this. Though I doubted he was happy. 

“Lenore”, Godric said, startling me, “Would you like her fangs?”

Gaping at him, I asked, “What?”

The vampires around us, who had become statues to quietly watch the proceedings, were now very much alive. 

“By right, I can take her fangs for insulting me in my own Area however, I have no need for them. Would you like them?”

The surrounding vampires were not only alive, they were creating a low chatter. Stan took a few steps closer, his shoulders up and nostrils flaring. Eric moved in as well so that I could almost feel him against my back. 

This was some kind of test. It had to be. Godric’s steady stare was weighed down by expectation. Expectation for what, I had no idea. 

So what was the right answer? Did Godric want me to say yes? Give him an excuse to enact punishment on a particularly unpleasant vampire. To show that he was still the most dominant force in the room despite everything that happened with the Fellowship?

But why were the vampires reacting like that? Were they mad that Godric asked my opinion, or were they mad at the thought of some human taking possession of a vampire’s fangs? Like some sort of kill trophy. One to be worn around the neck on some cheap cord.

As I opened my mouth to answer, one more question flashed through my mind; should any of this vampire politics bullshit even matter to me?

“No”, I said. Then tacked on, “Thank you”. 

Movement and chatter from the surrounding vampires stopped. But the tension was still very much there. 

Godric simply nodded then turned to Bill who had not stopped comforting Sookie, “You seem to know this Vampire. Escort her out of the Carmilla. Ensure she is out of my Area by sunrise”. 

Bill agreed but only after Sookie assured him that she would be fine without him. He stroked a calming hand down her arm then moved it to grip Lorena’s shoulder. With a flash, they were gone. All the surrounding vampires went back to what they were doing. The show was over. 

I wanted to take Lorena's slumping spot against the bar. 

“You alright, Lenore?” Sookie asked 

I attempted a reassuring closed-lip smile and nodded, “You?”

“Barely! I can’t believe she attacked me”. 

I couldn't believe Sookie got into a public fight with a vampire over a man who may very well have cheated on her. “Yeah, that was… intense”. 

I excused myself when I saw Sookie’s brother approach, perhaps a little too bluntly, and beelined towards the lounge’s exit. I figured almost being broken in half was a good enough reason to escape from this impromptu political party and hide out in my hotel room. And I definitely deserved a ridiculous amount of room service. Enough to throw me head first into a coma. With slices from at least three different cakes.

I made it less than half way before an oversized arm draped over my shoulder. 

“Now where might you be going?” Eric asked, leaning in close to my ear. 

“My room”. I picked up speed. 

Only to be steered away from the door, “It’s too early for that”. 

“Not to me”. I tried to pull away from him but his arm was a steel shackle. “I’m hungry”. 

Eric grinned down at me, “As am I”. 

I stopped myself from shifting uncomfortably “Well then I won’t hold you from your meal any longer. I hope you enjoy your breakfast”. I made another sad attempt to extract myself from him.

His chuckle reverberated inside my ear, “That is very considerate of you but I can wait”, I ignored the pointed glance at my throat, “As can you”. 

“If you say that you can’t hear my stomach rumbling right now, I’ll call you a liar”. 

“Then order something at the bar. No vampire will dare complain about your human food now”. 

I stopped walking and faced Eric fully. We were now near the wall that Stan was leaning against when I first started tracking him. Where the least amount of people were, likely because of the swinging kitchen doors. I could see the almost empty restaurant from here.  “Look, I came and played the part of quiet, brainless human for you and your friends. Without being asked I might add-”

“And you did so splendidly”. 

“But enough is enough. I’m tired, hungry and just received more bruises to add to my collection. None of this has anything to do with me. I’m just someone who was at the wrong place at the wrong time”. 

And it was about time I ended this charade. 

Eric advanced on me, using his taller, wider body to force me against the wall. My back pressed flush against its cool surface. The dark wine material of his shirt blocked my vision of the lounge. He arched over me like I had seen him do with Godric. More lowered his head than actually bent his back.

I raised my hands to stop him, “If this is your attempt to seduce me into compliance, you should have done it before I was hungry and cranky”, I said before the tension could build.

Eric chuckled again. Something about this laugh made me think that it was more genuine than the last one, “Trust me, human, when I set my mind to seducing you, you will reciprocate. Enthusiastically”. 

“For now”, Eric continued, “I simply wish to continue this conversation with a semblance of privacy”, he said into my ear, initiating a shiver. “And it is improper to eavesdrop on a hunting vampire”. 

“At least you don't have bad breath”, I muttered. 

“What do you think it means for a vampire like Godric to lose his title as Sheriff?”

I shrugged, not knowing the answer. I still did not understand what a vampire Sheriff actually was. So far it seemed to entail a lot of people bowing at you. 

“If Godric is lucky, he will just be forced back to the Old World”. 

I jerked my head back to look him in the eye “He’ll have to leave the country? Just for getting fired?”

“If he is lucky”, Eric clarified again. 

“And if he isn’t?” 

“Then he will be given the True Death sooner rather than later”. 

“What?” I asked, too loudly for how close we were standing, even to
 my ears. I took a steadying breath then more quietly asked, “Why?”

Eric rested his forearm against the wall next to my head. Anyone looking at us must have thought we were doing anything but talking. “Because Godric is one of the oldest, strongest beings in America. The King of Texas will not allow someone such as Godric to stay within the state if he is no longer beholden to him”. 

The king of what?

“As monarchs go Omar is one of the most forgiving, but that does not mean he takes his position for granted”, Eric continued. 

“Godric would be a threat to him because he’s a super vampire without a boss?”

“Godric is a threat to most vampires in America”, 

“So they’ll all want to kick him out or kill him just in case he does the same thing to them. Okay, I get that. What I don’t understand is what any of this has to do with me”. 

“Because right now, what I need is time. Time to decide what to do next and the only way to achieve that is for Godric to play his role as usual. Luckily for you”, he noted as he took hold of my chin and tilted my face to his, “he is content to do so as long as that means he can keep an eye on you”. 

My ‘luck’ was debatable, “Are you sure this is your decision to make?”. 

He went still, his thumb pressing into my chin, “For now it is”. 

“So basically”, I whispered, “You want me here to distract Godric so you can lead him around by the nose”. 

“That sounds like one of those cute human sayings I never bothered to learn the meaning for. But yes, your job is to help to buy him time. Buying him time can save his life”. 

And I did want to help save his life. At least at that moment. Maybe the night after I’ll go back to thinking his death would be a mercy. At the very least, I never wanted to be the reason he died, to take that one meaningful choice away from him.

I released a long, weary sigh, uncaring that it wafted across his face, “If you can promise to get me dinner within 30 minutes, I’ll stay. But not all night. I need to sleep at some point”. 

Eric's smile was almost as slow as the swipe his thumb made across my lower lip, “I only need 20”. 

Eric was not exaggerating. Within 20 minutes, I was sitting at the bar eating a large bowl of delicious pasta with a decadent piece of red velvet cake ready and waiting at the side. Sookie and her brother, Jason eventually joined me and made their own orders. Sookie copied mine since she could not think of what else to get that was not a burger. Jason just got a burger. They spent most of the time talking about their hometown and the eclectic people that lived there. I was content to listen and they were happy to have someone that would. I got the impression that Sookie was not well liked where she was from though why that was the case, I had no idea. A beautiful blonde southern belle unpopular in a small Louisiana town? Since when? 

Jason was even easier to get along with. He was a shameless flirt which aggravated Sookie to no end, but it was more or less harmless. I don't think he knew how else to talk to women he wasn’t related to. Eric continued to work the room while looking like he was just mingling at a party. Godric went back to waiting for the bus on the black leather couch. The other vampires continued to ignore me, but with a touch of awareness this time. They were actively overlooking me instead of just incidentally. And I made sure to be within Eric and Godric’s sight throughout it all. 

It was why I was still in the lounge when I felt it again. The Dread. 

I gripped her forearm. The thick material of her sleeve was hard to wrap my hand around. “Allicia?”

Chapter 7: Spilled Blood of a Different Kind

Summary:

The party has to end some time.

Notes:

Chapter edited: 28/07/25

She couldn’t place me at first. Or at second. But then recognition took over and brought a grimace with it, “You’re that Fangbanger”. 

I might have felt insulted if her grimace was not born more from anxiety than disgust. Her eyes flitted behind me as I asked, “What are you doing here?”. 

We were standing at the open entrance of the lounge, blocking anyone who might try to enter or leave. We should have moved somewhere more appropriate but I didn't want to. Didn’t want her going any further into the room. Not under any circumstances. 

“Let go of me”, she demanded as she tried to pull from me. But there was no strength in her arm, only a break in her voice. 

The room around us became hazy as a fog descended. It muffled all the noise until I could no longer hear the other occupants. I felt like I should honour that silence but I had to say, “You shouldn’t be here”. 

The coarse material of her sleeve scraped against the palm of my hand. It belonged to a thick coat. The kind that had no business being out and about in a Texan summer. Or on a woman who was at least two sizes too small. 

She knew she shouldn't have come here. A lot had happened over the past year that she knew she shouldn’t have done. Like joining the Fellowship. She had been so relieved to have finally found like-minded people. Or at least people who did not judge her for what happened. Who believed it had happened to her. Sympathised.  Who made promises that one day she would be able to get back at the monsters who had destroyed her life. Tore it apart with their teeth. 

My hold on Allicia’s arm tightened. Enough that I knew I was hurting her like Lorena had me. 

A part of her had always baulked at fully joining the church. She could admit that to herself at least. It’s why she didn’t attend all the meetings despite the nagging she received. She knew that they would drag her further and further into a pit that would bury her. Remove her completely from the life she once had. 

But then she witnessed the Fellowship become overrun by these monsters. They were supposed to be the one group that could fight against vampires and yet they could do nothing as vampires entered the church and prepared to bleed them dry. Steve Newlin himself was brought to his knees at their feet. 

God, she needed to have her babies back.

“You don’t have to do this”, I whispered, the fog clogging my throat. 

She did. It was too late for her now. There was nothing left. 

“What is wrong? Your heartbeat has slowed.”

Godric’s voice cut right through the fog, dissipating it slightly. I took in labouring breaths that I had not realised I needed. 

I did not look away from Allicia’s wane face as my mouth said, “She has a bomb strapped to her chest”. 

“What? No I don’t! Let go, let me go now!” this time she was far more forceful as she tried to move away. 

But my hand wouldn’t let her. 

I could see Eric appear next to Allicia in my peripheral. He did his sniffing thing “She smells of chemicals, the corrosive kind”. 

Oh God, she really did have a bomb.

Without letting her go, I moved my hands down to grasp both of hers. Allicia didn’t notice, too distracted by the multiple ‘shtick’ sounds going off behind me. Her light brown eyes flitted back and forth to the sources of the sound. 

“Godric- Godric, tell them not to come any closer. Tell them to stop”, I said in a rush. 

“Do as she says”. It was the loudest I had heard Godric speak. Its base reverberated right through me and rattled the ribs encasing my heart. 

They must have listened because Allicia eventually glanced at me again. 

Eric said something to Godric in their language who gave a clipped, disagreeing response. 

Just as Allicia was about to look at Eric, I quickly pulled her attention back to me, “You don’t want to be here”. 

“How the fuck do you know what I want, you don’t know a thing about me!”. 

Of course I didn’t. I didn’t even know why I was still holding onto yet another suicidal person but my hand wouldn't let her go.

“But you don’t. You wanna go home, right? You just wanna be with your kids again”

“How do you-”

“You told us about them, remember? You told us how much you loved them, how much of a great mom you are”. She hadn’t but it didn’t make what I said any less true. “That you’d do anything to be with them again, to look after them”. 

“But-”

“What are their names?” I asked before she could go back down that hopeless path again. 

“Godric”, Eric said from beside me. He had taken a stop closer. 

“No”, Godric responded. 

“What are their names, Allicia?”, I asked again, moving closer so she could only see me as she was all that I could see. Taking a hold of her other hand so that we were both equally immobile. “What are their names?”

With tears in her eyes, she breathed, “Becky and Amanda”. 

The fog scratched at my throat “What beautiful names”, I forced out, “Were you the one that picked them?”

Even though they were no longer approaching us, I could hear some people leave through the swinging doors of the kitchen, taking advantage of the distraction I was causing. Behind Allicia, others were running in the lobby towards the front entrance. Most were too fast for me to actually see. 

“I chose Amanda, after my grandma”. 

“You must have really loved her. I bet she spoiled you just as much as you spoiled your girls. I bet you were-”

Allicia’s eyes moved to something over my left shoulder. Locked onto it without any of the anxious wavering she had exhibited before. I didn’t need to turn to know who she was looking at. I could practically see his reflection in her pupils. Him and that stupid fucking hat. 

“You”, Allicia muttered, “You’re really here”. Allicia tried to pull away from me again, but this time in earnest, her entire body jerking back. To get to him. I held on but the sweat of my palms was causing her hand to slip from mine. With one good shove, she would be able to detach herself from me. Allicia raised her leg.

In the same, deep commanding voice, Godric said, “Stan”. 

From somewhere behind me, Stan said, “Sheriff, I was just-”. 

Godric interrupted him with a softer, but no less commanding, “Eric”.

Within a blink, Stan was next to us, kneeling on the floor with Eric’s hand in his hair, keeping him in place. Stan bared his fangs at us but Eric revealed his longer ones in response. 

Allicia stopped trying to pull away. She stopped moving entirely. She simply stared wide eyed at Stan, her mouth slightly agape. 

“He is the one, is he not?” Godric asked, “The one who brought harm upon you”. 

Allicia nodded, her mouth still parted. 

“Release her, Lenore”, Godric said.

“But-” I began. 

“All will be well”. 

I didn’t understand how he could possibly say that. We were talking about a vampire hating, traumatised woman who willingly strapped a bomb to her chest. But I wanted to believe in the confidence he portrayed. I probably shouldn’t have since Godric showed confidence in just about everything I had seen him do. Including the climb to the roof. Still, I slowly, so very slowly, let her go.

This time I was sure that my pulse had skyrocketed. I could feel it hammering at my neck. 

The moment I released her, the fog lifted. I took a couple of steps back and enjoyed the clear air that I could inhale once again. 

“Are you sure he is the one?” Godric asked Allicia. 

She swallowed and said in a soft mutter, “The things he did to me… How could I ever forget that face?”.

Godric studied Allicia for a moment before seeming satisfied by whatever it was he saw. Turning to Stan, he asked, “Do you know of what she speaks?”

“Sheriff, I have no idea what she’s talking about. I’ve never met this human before”. 

Godric took a step closer to Stan, “You seem to have forgotten that I can tell when you are lying, underling. I shall give you another chance to confess”. 

Stan took a moment to consider his options during which Eric yanked his head back again. “She was just some human I fucked before the Revelation. I’d forgotten all about her”. 

That sparked some life back into Allicia, “But I didn’t forget about you. You wouldn’t let me, would you? You made sure that I would always remember you!”

“Did you seek her out again after The Great Revelation?” Godric asked. 

“I might’a done”, was Stan’s answer. 

“For what purpose?”

“For a Feed N’ Fuck a’course. What other purpose does a human have?”

Godric visibly frowned at this, “Did you glamour her to lay with you?”

“You really think I’d need to glamour a human to let me fuck them?”

Eric pulled Stan’s head back even further, while keeping one arm on his upper back to keep it straight. The veins and tendons in Stan’s neck protruded uncomfortably from the strain, looking like they would snap at any second. Eric leaned down, his fangs awfully close to Stan’s jugular, “Yes, we do. Now answer the question”. 

“Who cares if I glamoured some human? It ain’t like she didn’t enjoy herself!”

“I see”, Goric said as he turned away from Stan. With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked to the rest of the people in the lounge. It was then that I noticed how empty it was. Sookie and Jason, as well as all of the hotel staff were gone. Clearly they did the smart thing and ran for it when they realised that there was a bomb in the building. A lot of the vampires were gone too, the only ones left had either chosen to stay or just hadn’t had a chance to run yet. 

Godric addressed who was left, “I see that I have underestimated our depravity. I had thought that the brunt of it existed in the ancient of our kind, that our Old Ways had infected the new. Yet in one night, a young vampire brought harm to my guest while another admits to misusing the gift of Glamour. Perhaps, it truly is in all of us. Perhaps…”, Godric turned to look at Allicia, then to me, “those who lived the Old Ways are responsible for amending the new”. 

Godric walked back so he was standing in front of Stan again, “Do you wish to amend your ways, underling?”

“Yes, Sheriff, I sure do”. 

Godric closed his eyes briefly, “Once again you have forgotten that I know when you lie”, he opened his eyes, “No matter. You shall help me teach the rest”. This time he addressed Allicia, giving Stan his back, “You wish for his True Death, correct?”

“Wha-What?” she asked. 

“You came here to grant him the True Death, did you not?”

“Well, yes. I mean, I don’t know. I just wanted it all to end”. 

“Would Stan’s True Death be enough to do so?”

“Sheriff!” Stan exclaimed, trying and failing to stand up, “You can’t be serious! She’s a human”. 

His words fell on deaf ears. Godric was past caring about what Stan had to say. Only Allicia

Shoulders slumped, she looked around the room, searching for her answer. For some reason, she ended the search with me. Perhaps because I was the only human left or because we had met before this dark night. Both reasons probably. I didn’t know what answer to give her. Which one would stop her from setting off the bomb on her chest. So I gave her an encouraging smile to let her know she wasn’t alone in this. 

“Yes”, she whispered, “It’s enough”. 

“So  be it”. 

“Godric”, Eric interrupted, “You cannot do this. You cannot kill a vampire over a human, the Magister-”

In a flash, Godric was standing in front of Stan. With his hands on Stan’s head and neck, he moved Eric to the side. 

“Master!”

I closed my eyes and turned away. I couldn’t bear to see it happen. Not again. But I still heard it. Heard the tearing of flesh. Heard Stan’s scream. Heard it end. 

My eyes opened at the sound of a loud burst, like a giant balloon full of gallons of water popping. In front of Godric was an explosion of blood, originating from the spot Stan was kneeling not a moment before. Viscera and tissue lay spread out across the sparkling lounge floor. 

I wondered at the lack of bones. 

Cupping my mouth, my nausea almost developed into full blown heaving. 

Allicia fell to the floor, her limp form barely sitting up right. Her blood splattered face downcast as she stared at what was left of Stan. Her tears made quick work washing away some of the red. 

Eric spoke rapidly in their language. I recognised the word Magister being repeated over and over.

“I carried out my verdict”, Godric replied in English, “I shall take responsibility”. 

“No, we will take responsibility. Deny it all you want, but you know you will not be the only one who will face the repercussions of this night”.

“It is done, Eric”. 

It was at this point that I realised that Allicia was muttering to herself, “He’s dead. He’s really dead. It’s finally over”

Godric kneeled in front of Allicia, “I wish to remove this contraption from your person if I may”. Allicia didn’t respond, only continued with her mutterings. Godric must have taken that as acquiesce since he slowly removed her oversized jacket, giving her plenty of time to stop him. She didn’t. Didn’t even look at him. 

Unlike the movies, there was no giant clock counting down the time until detonation. There weren’t even a plethora of coloured wires for Godric to cut. But It was no less a bomb. One attached to a vest and took up all of Allicia’s chest and back. If Allicia had pressed the trigger that I could now see peeking out of the pocket of the discarded coat, there was no doubt in my mind that the explosive radius would have encompassed the entire lounge, if not more. 

I shuddered as my nausea increased. 

Then I held my breath as I watched Godric touch the bomb, feel around the vest until he found what he needed at Allcia’s sides, below her arms. With a loud click, the vest detached from her body. And the bomb with it. 

Godric held the offensive thing up. Isabel, who had not left the lounge, flashed to his side, took the bomb/vest with a bow, then flashed out of the room. Crisis averted. 

It was rather anti-climatic. 

I picked up the coat, not liking that the detonator was still within reach of Allicia. I couldn't trust that the bomb was completely out of its range. Rifling through the coat’s pockets, I caught a whiff of something familiar. Cheap deodorant for men.

“Allicia, how did you get here?” I asked. 

She didn’t answer. Didn’t stop muttering. 

“Was it someone who works at the Fellowship?” I pressed, trying to remember Bodyspray’s actual name. 

Still no answer. 

I looked at Godric and Eric who had suffered the most from the explosion of blood, “I think someone from the Fellowship brought her here”. 

Eric took the coat from me, gave it a quick sniff then left the room. He moved quickly enough to make my hair flutter around me. 

“Lenore. Rest” Godric said. 

I slumped into a nearby chair. A glass of something red sat half full on the table next to me. I stared at it as Godric’s words to Allicia washed over me. I was glad that he was speaking to her. Even more so that she was seemingly listening. It was progress that I don’t believe anyone there would have thought possible. But that was all I was glad of.

I cupped the glass and swirled the thick liquid inside. Spilled blood of a different kind. Spilled blood all the same. 

It was time to go home. 

 

2.

Despite escaping the Fellowship, I could not shake the persistent feeling of being a prisoner. That someone would jump out of nowhere to stop me leaving. Neither Gordic nor Eric had given me any indication that they would prevent my departure, but that did not stop me from waiting until morning to leave just in case. 

It was one of the hotel’s drivers that took me home in a car with the Carmilla’s name plastered gratuitously across it. They did not ask for payment when I brought it up at the reception desk, only stated that everything was under Eric’s name. So I left them my contact details with the request that he get in touch so that I could pay him back. I tried not to think about how much that would cost. 

Getting into my apartment was a little more difficult as I had to wake up my landlady who lived in the top floor. I doubt she would have helped if I wasn’t one of the few tenants that could stand listening to incessant chatter. Eunice was at least 60 and loved to catch people on the stairwell to complain about one thing or another. Once she had me standing right outside my front door with two big bags of groceries for over twenty minutes to tell me about how noisy the couple across the hall from me was.

As Eunice unlocked my door for me, I expected to have to stand there and listen to one of her lengthy tirades. But instead, she turned and studied the bruising on my face, patted my arm lightly and said, “You just get some rest now, dear”.

I could have cried. 

I didn’t turn the lights on. Didn’t do much apart from strip my clothes -I was rewearing the first outfit Eric gave me- and put on my comfiest, baggiest shirt before crawling into my old bed. One of the springs of the mattress popped against my back as I settled in. I quickly fell asleep.

It felt good being back in the familiar. So good in fact, that I stayed in it when I woke the following day. I had a whole list of things I needed to do that all involved going to the shelter, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave my apartment. Not even to replace the food that had gone rotten in my fridge during my absence. So I stayed home that day. And the day after. Eating what little I had left and talking to no one. 

At least I took out the trash the second day. That was something to be proud of. Especially considering what happened the last time I did that. The stench of decay was one hell of an incentive. 

The news reported on the events of the Fellowship. A sanitised version of it at least. Nan was in her element as she spun the tale of Godric, a “young” vampire who had approached the Fellowship in the hopes of finding common ground that would lead to a peaceful coexistence between humans and vampires. Only for the mad Steve Newlin to attempt a public execution “right in front of children”. She even managed to broadcast a couple of testimonies from members of the Fellowship to back up her claims. It seemed to be going in her favour.

Steve himself did not make an appearance to defend himself, only a representative who refuted Nan’s claims and stated that Steve was taking a break from public appearances to “spend more time with his family”.

There was no mention of me. Or Gabe.

There was also no report of Allicia’s bomb threat in the Carmilla so I had no idea what had happened to her. What I had left her to.

I dreamt of Gabe that second night. At least I think it was Gabe. He had no head so I couldn’t be sure. I was in his arms as he carried me up the stairs of the hotel. He had no head but he spoke. Told me that this was what I wanted. What I wanted. Someone had finally opened the door to the roof. There was nothing to stop us from going through this time. He carried me higher.

For some reason, Gabe was holding onto my right ankle. Rubbing his thumb against the protruding joint with a touch too much pressure. I had no problem with him carrying me to the roof but the rubbing was too much.

I woke to my dark room, glad to be free of that unsettling dream. 

Gabe was still rubbing my ankle. 

I shot up in my bed and tried to pull my foot from whatever was holding it. Only it wouldn’t let go. 

“Finally she wakes. Has anyone ever told you that you sleep like the dead?” said a deep voice. 

I recognised his smile first. The street light outside my window highlighted the creases of his smirk.

“Eric?!” I asked, my voice going into a high pitched screech in the second half of his name. 

“Ms Phillips”, he replied with much more calm. 

“What- What the hell are you doing? How did you get in here? Why are you here?”. 

“Which question would you like me to answer first?”. 

“Eric”, I repeated, trying to get my foot back again only to fail for a second time. “How the hell did you get in here? I thought vampires couldn’t enter a home they weren’t invited into”. 

It was literally the only advantage humans had over vampires apart from the sun. 

Eric pressed his thumb into a particular spot in my ankle that made my entire body jerk.

“We can’t. Fortunately the homeowner let me in”. 

It took me a second to understand who meant, “Mrs Whittiker?”

“If that is the little woman who speaks too much, then yes, Mrs Whittiker.”. 

He pressed his thumb into my ankle again, even deeper this time. “Stop that! What are you even doing?”

“You hurt your ankle. I assume it is the work of Ms Stackhouse’s ‘really large rapist’?” 

“How do you know that?”

“I’ve learned much about you these past days Ms Phillips.”

I forgot about his rubbing. There was something about the way he said that that told me I would not like the answer to my question, “What are you talking about?”

“You were born Born 33 years ago on a bright summer day in a quaint Scottish town but spent most of your years in Auburn, Maine”. 

I went still, “How do you know that?” I asked again. 

“After college”, Eric went on, not losing steam, speaking with the confidence of someone who had it all memorised, “You’ve been moving from State to State, not living in one for more than three years-”. 

“Stop”. 

“You have living blood relations but there are no records of you contacting them or vice versa”. 

“Stop!”

“Your mother ran away from home some time before your tenth year, but since no divorce was ever filed we aren’t sure when exactly that happened. The date of your father’s death on the other hand-”. 

“I said stop!” I shouted as I grabbed the hand that was holding my ankle, “How the hell do you know all this?”

“You did not think that I would allow some human to spend time with Master without finding out all their dirty secrets, did you?” He was smug with his smile. Not an ounce of shame weighed it down. 

I wanted to spit on his face.

I yanked my foot from his grasp and climbed out of the bed wrapped in my comforter; I only slept in a shirt and panties and I sure as hell wasn’t going to put a show on for him. “I think that you should have respected my privacy. I think that you have no right to run background checks on me. And I think that you should get the fuck out of my house. Now”. I stood over him, taking advantage of his seated position to be taller than him for once. Not that it accomplished much. 

He looked at my covered form with the same amused gleam he had in my hotel room when I tightened my bathrobe. Like my modesty was something to laugh at. “My Master’s safety is more important than your human sensibilities”. I felt anger heat my cheeks

“Nothing- nothing you said has anything to do with Godric, so don’t give me that bull that you were doing this for him. Now get out. Out!”

Eric rose himself, with far more grace than I did. Any height advantage I might have had was gone, “I understand that it is difficult for humans to control their emotions, but I suggest you do so now. We have much to discuss”. 

He was uncomfortably close again but I refused to take a step back, to give him more ground than he already had, “There is nothing for us to talk about”. 

“There-”

“I’ll call the police”. 

“That is kind of you to offer, but I already ate”. 

I wanted to scream into his face. To stomp my bare foot and demand that he leave at once. But the most that would accomplish would be another one of those insufferable smirks. Perhaps even a laugh at my expense. 

“Do you not wish to know what happened to that friend of yours?”, at my confused expression he clarified, “The one who likes to accessorise with explosives”. 

“Don’t use her to distract me. You don’t get to act like a stalker then expect me to sit down for a chat”. 

He didn’t reply to that because he didn't need to. I did want to know. I felt bad for leaving without checking on her first. But I wasn’t going to have this forced upon conversation with him in my bedroom. I felt vulnerable enough as it was. So I shoved my feet into some nearby slippers and marched to the sitting room, dragging the excess of my comforter on the floor behind me. My living room was a small one that led directly to the front door if I needed to make a run for it. The armchair that I plopped onto was just as small. It left no room for tall overbearing men. 

Eric followed at a more languid pace and leaned against the nearby couch rather than sit properly on it. I waited for him to speak. 

“She is not dead, so you need not worry in that regard. Godric escorted her to her place of residence and had one of his Day-men watch over her. I hear she has not spoken since that night”

“Will anything happen to her?”

“By rights, she should be dead but Godric will not allow it and no one cares enough to enforce the kill. It is not uncommon for humans to make pathetic attempts on our lives”. He was so blase as he spoke of death that I needed a moment before continuing the conversation. 

“You didn’t come here to tell me about Allicia’s wellbeing”. 

“I did not”, Eric agreed, “I came to tell you what you must now do”. 

“What I must do?”

“Yes. You will be moving to Louisiana with Godric and I”. 

My jaw dropped. Literally dropped. Suspended in disbelief as I blinked rapidly, waiting for him to explain the punchline of his bizarre joke. When he didn’t, I snapped my mouth closed and rubbed at the stress building at my temples, “Can you please stop talking like a crazy person? I can’t believe you woke me up for this”

“You do not need to worry about the travel and board expenses, I will take care of all that.”

I jerked my head up to look at him, “Do you really think that’s the issue here?”

“What else is there?”

“I can’t just move to Louisiana with two men I just met. Especially when one of them has just broken into my apartment”. And the other had murdered two people in front of me.

I could feel his desire to roll his eyes, “I told you, your landlady invited me in. You should feel honoured that after learning everything about you, I still  think you worthy enough to accompany Godric”. 

I closed my eyes momentarily as I willed myself not to shout at him. Instead I spoke lowly, “You did not learn everything about me. My age and where I’ve lived are just facts, you don’t know me. If you did, you’d know that I’d never agree to this”. 

Eric stood so he was towering over me, something that he enjoyed doing. “‘Never’ is a word for the naive. You will come with us, that much I know”. 

“Really? How’s that then?”

He rested one hand on the back of the armchair next to my head and leaned in, covering me with his shadow, “Because you care for Godric’s wellbeing”. 

“Not that much”. 

“Yes that much. Godric publicly executed a vampire for the sake of a human”. 

I couldn’t stop the shiver, “Thank you, Eric, but I was there. I remember”. 

“Do you know what happens to a vampire for committing such a crime?” 

I shifted my eyes away. Honestly, it had not occurred to me that what Godric did would be considered a crime in their laws. Executions seemed like such a vamperic thing to do. 

Eric did not wait for my answer like Godric would have, “Bill did the same a few weeks back; killed a vampire who attempted to kill his human”. 

“You mean Sookie?”

“Longshadow’s attack on another vampire’s pet warranted punishment, but not the True Death. For the breach of our laws, the Magister forced Bill to replace the lost vampire with a new one”

I ignored the urge to ask what a magister was, “Did the new vampire want to become one?”

Eric laughed, “Of course not. What kind of punishment would that be?”

“From the sounds of it, the kind that was put on someone who didn’t have anything to do with it in the first place”. 

“However you see it, that was the Magister in one of his better moods. Usually he just silvers vampires and buries them for a few hundred years”. 

“You think he’ll do that to Godric?” I asked, appalled. 

Eric straightened up and gave a very human looking shrug, “Perhaps. He has been quite imaginative as of late. But no, it is likely that after the Fellowship, they will simply give him the True Death. The Magister will not even need to get clearance for it despite Godric’s age”, vitriol seeped out of every word. 

Clearance from who?

Fed up of looking up at him, I stood up myself and shuffled around the armchair, giving myself some room to breathe, “Wait, what does any of this have to do with Louisiana? Does this magister not have… jurisdiction there?”

“The Magister has ‘jurisdiction’ in the entirety of the New World. We are not going there to hide”. 

I hated that I could tell that I was part of the ‘we’, “Then why do you want to take Godric there?”.

“Because of the Queen of Louisiana”. 

First there was a King of Texas, now there’s a Queen of Louisiana. I wondered what Maine got, a princess maybe? “Why? Will she help you? Is she as old as you and Godric?”. 

This time Eric’s laugh was more like a bark, loud enough to make the surrounding picture frames vibrate against the walls. “That child is lucky to have reached half my age. I told you that King Omar is a merciful monarch but he is also loyal to the Authority”. 

Assuming the ‘authority’ was the same as the ‘magister’ I said, “So you think he’ll give Godric up to this magister person”. 

“Sophie-Anne is a lot of things but a fan of the Authority is not one of them”. 

I tightened my comforter around me as I considered this “She’ll protect Godric then?”

“If she has something to gain from it, she will accept him into her court and out of the Magister’s. Being so close to a monarch comes with certain protections. He will still face judgement, but the sentence will be lighter”.

“And let me guess, you want me to tag along to keep Godric entertained so he will keep doing whatever you want. Tell me, is it normal for vampires to treat their makers like children?”

Eric blurred in front of me. Teeth bared so I could see up close and personal just how long and sharp his fangs were, “You would do well not to ridicule something which you do not understand, human”. 

If he had done this a week ago, I would have yelped and fallen backwards onto my ass to get away from him. Today however, “Step back”, I muttered. When he didn’t move, I said more loudly, “Step back or this conversation is over”. 

Eric ducked his head so he was closer to my eye level, “If it was not for your annoying ability to resist being glamoured, I would not have wasted my time explaining all this to you. But there are other ways to make you do what I want, most of which will be far more pleasant for me than you”. He ghosted the back of his knuckles along the side of my neck. He did not touch me but I could still feel the cool swipe of his fingers. 

“No I don’t think that’ll happen”. 

“No?”, he asked with a smile I hated to see, “How can you be so sure?”

This time his fingers made contact. They were far heavier than they had any right to be. “Because you need me. Because Godric won’t let you”. 

“You overestimate your worth”. 

“Is that right? Then go ahead. I’d hate to waste any more of your time”, I lifted up my chin. 

Eric went very still, his face slack, giving me no indication of his thoughts. Then his eyes flicked down to my throat and there was no doubt of what he was thinking.

His hand delved into my hair at the back of my head, gripping it enough to send pinpricks of pain throughout my skull. I let out a pained sound as he pulled until my head fell back, baring my neck in its entirety to him. The image of Stan going through the same thing flashed through my mind. I ground my teeth together to prevent any sound of pain. Any quiver of fear. 

 “Unless you are offering it, do not flaunt this pretty neck of yours to a vampire again. That should be the first lesson you commit to memory if you wish to survive”. 

He held onto my hair a moment longer, then released it and stepped away to drape himself over the armchair I had vacated. Despite his kingly appearance and the dull ache of my skull, I got the impression  that I had won whatever battle we had just waged. “I can pay you”. 

I blinked. “Pay me?”

“I reward those in my service. I will reward you”. 

I walked across my small living room so I was further away from him. It was a blatant retreat that I didn’t care if he noticed. “What services would that be exactly? I don’t suppose you have any pet dogs that need looking after?”

Eric wrinkled his nose at this, “To be at Godric’s convenience”. 

“You want to pay me to hang out with him? Like an escort?”

“Some of my favourite people have dabbled in that occupation and considering you have none, I do not think you have any right to sneer at the offer”. 

“How do you know that?”, I hadn’t even had the chance to confirm that I’d really lost my job yet, “How were you able to find out all that stuff about me?”

Eric tilted his head towards the small stand next to my front door. On it was my purse and a few other odds and ends that I kept in the locker at the shelter. “You went to my job?”

“It is not your job, not any more. I believe you were already informed”. 

I shifted my eyes away from him, “I’m sure after I explain everything-”

“Are you aware that they barely remember you working there?” Eric interrupted, leaning his chin on his hand as he studied me.  

“What-?”

“Your employer had to look for your file to tell me your last name. He did not even know how long you have been under his employ”

 I focused on keeping my expression neutral.  Aloof. “So what?”

“So, you want to work for such people?”

“Why? Are you saying that you’ll miss me when I’m gone?”

Eric chuckled again. The notion too ridiculous to be anything but a hilarious joke. 

“I’m not going to give up on my job just because of that”, I said as calmly as I could. 

He stopped laughing but the amusement was still there,“Even after I tell you that I did not need to glamour them to get your address? Your employer freely gave it to me, glad that someone would help him get rid of your belongings”. 

I didn't let that register. I could think about that later after he was gone. “What then?” I asked. 

“I will allow you to set the terms of our contract”, he raised a finger, “Within reason. You will live in a home that you can actually fit in”, Eric indicated to my very small apartment, “and you will be paid so well that you will no longer care about such insignificant humans”. 

I moved closer to him and perched on the edge of my coffee table. It couldn’t really hold my weight but I wasn’t ready to sit next to him yet. 

Not caring was tempting. Incredibly tempting. And I had to admit that there was something flattering about someone trying so hard to hire me. Usually it was the other way round. When I applied for the job at the shelter, I was initially rejected only to receive a phone call a week later asking me back because the guy they really wanted backed out at the last minute. Maybe that was why I accepted all the graveyard shifts for so long. I didn’t want them to regret hiring me even if it was out of desperation. 

But this time I was the one who was wanted. I was the one who was needed and they were the ones who had to prove they were worth being around. 

Not to mention that it would solve all my problems. Aside from being unemployed, it occurred to me the night before as I watched the news that it may no longer be safe for me in Dallas. The Fellowship may have been on the outs with the public, but that did not mean anything to their most devout members. Two of which tried to blow up the most powerful beings in the city. It would be nothing to them to kill a nobody like me. 

But that didn't mean I was just going to move States with two very suspicious men I barely knew. 

“You’re insane if you think I’m going to upend my life for you. But-” I began before he could protest, “Since I apparently have a lot of time on my hands now, I wouldn’t mind going on a vacation for a couple of weeks. There’s no reason why it shouldn't be in Louisiana”. 

“A month”.

“Two weeks. And you’re in charge of all the expenses”. 

Eric looked like somewhere between annoyed and impressed, “Two weeks for now. By that point you will be the one asking to stay”. 

Unlikely, but, “If you say so. Where in Louisiana are we going? Shreveport?”.

“Eventually. But we will stop by New Orleans first. I believe you said you wanted to visit”. 

“Yeah, to Sookie. Were you eavesdropping on us?”

He raised his eyebrow. Of course he was.

“And Allicia”.

“What about her?” he asked.

 “I want you to help her with her family”. 

“By doing what?”

“I don’t know, maybe by explaining the whole glamouring thing? That she wasn’t willingly having an affair with Stan”. 

“It would be better to simply glamour them all into forgetting it”. 

That wasn’t such a terrible idea. I certainly had memories that I wished someone would take away. Make it like they had never happened. But something about that seemed wrong. Like cheating. Besides, “That’s a lot of people with a lot of memories that you’d have to glamour away. Are you sure that wouldn’t cause brain damage or something?” 

He looked at me like he didn’t understand why that should matter. 

“I’d rather you just explain that she was telling the truth. Maybe get her some help to get back on her feet. If you do, I’ll believe you were telling the truth when you said that you reward people who work for you”. 

Eric stood abruptly and made his way to the door. “Then you best start packing. You fly out tomorrow evening”. 

I jumped up myself, “Tomorrow?! That’s too soon!”

“I will text you the details, Ms Phillips. Do not be late”. He closed the door behind him with a loud thud. 

I let my comforter drop to the floor in a ring around my cold feet as I stared at the closed door. The closing of which echoed in my now empty apartment.

I looked down to my right ankle. And marvelled at how much better it felt.

 

Notes:

Thank you all again for all the lovely reviews and kudos! You have no idea how much joy each one gives me.

Sorry this one took so long. It's more dialogue heavy and I can be pretty anal with that part of writing. I'm still not 100% on it but I just had to get this chapter out.

That's us hit the 50,000 word mark. This story has become one hell of a beast to write.

Anyway, we are finally off to Louisiana!

Chapter 8: Air just a Little Easier to Breathe

Summary:

Can the grass be greener on the other side?

Notes:

Hello all my beautiful readers!

Sorry it's been so long! T_T I was going through a bit of a writers block so I decided to just go back to the beginning and edited all the previous chapters. Fixed the pacing, filled up some plot holes and got really embarassed over some of my awful writing. The story is essentially the same but it might be worth another read over just in case.

It really helped me get back in the flow of things so I will probably edit it all again at some point in the future.

I kind of see this chapter as the 2nd part of the story so expect an entirely new setting with lots of new and familiar characters.

Thank you so much for still reading and I would love to hear your feedback!

x

I got a call from an unknown number. 

I answered the third time it rang, “Hello?”

“Is this-”, the soft voice on the other side of the line started, “I’m looking for Lenore Phillips?” the voice questioned as if they were not too sure themselves. 

“Speaking”, I replied as I settled onto my sofa with my cooling cup of coffee. I had been in the middle of packing and getting my apartment prepared for my second bout of absence. 

“This is Allicia. I was the one… We met at the Fellowship?”

This time my response was just as hesitant as hers, “Allicia? Are you alright?”

“I’m okay. I can’t believe that I’m saying it, but, yeah, I’m okay. Sorry for calling out of the blue but that vampire said I had to. The tall one”.  

“Eric?”

“Yeah, him. He said I had to tell you everything that happened last night”. 

I almost tipped over my mug as I put it on the coffee table, “Okay?”

It was difficult to keep track of Allicia’s account since she refused to use Godric and Eric’s names. From what I could understand, “the boy” wouldn't let her leave the hotel after that night. Not that she had put up much of a fight either way. Allicia had made peace with the fact that he would kill her, “but all those vampires did was argue in some foreign language then hole me up in a hotel room”. 

That sounded familiar. 

“Then the tall one woke me up in the middle of the night and threw me into the back of a car. I figured that he was taking me to his vampire lair to eat me”. 

But instead he took her home, her true home, and did exactly what I had asked him to do the night before. He had walked up, knocked on the door and told Allicia’s husband everything Stan had done to her. Everything from the Glamouring to the sexual assault. He went so far as to force her husband to hold a kitchen knife up to his own throat in case he needed a demonstration of the power of glamour. To show that consent had not lived between Stan and Allicia. 

“I’ve never seen Larry so pale before. I kinda felt sorry for him. Despite it all”. 

“Then what happened?” I had asked

“Then he just left after making me swear that I’d call to tell you all about it. Said you needed to know just what kinda boss you’re gettin’”. 

I picked my mug back up and leaned into my sofa, relaxing into it, “So things are okay now? Between you and your husband?”. 

“Not really, I don’t think they will be for a while. We didn’t really talk much after the vampire left but Larry let me stay in the spare room while he processed everything. Got to see my babies too even if they were already asleep. I’m waitin’ for them to wake up now. I just hope- I just hope they remember me, ya know?”. 

I wanted to ask her if that meant she no longer wanted to die but the question felt just as deadly as the thoughts left unspoken. Instead I said, “Yeah. Yeah I hope so too”. 

She told me about how much her daughters had grown and I was happy to act as the pleased aunt as I sipped my coffee. It was the lightest she had sounded since I met her. The call ended with with the question, “You really gonna work for that fanger?”

“I guess I am”. 

The architecture alone made the decision worth it. The lights and colours were so different from anything I was used to in Dallas. There was something to be said about being somewhere completely new that made the air just a little easier to breathe.

The cafe I was sitting in was pretty quiet considering it was not too far from the French Quarter, with only a couple other people who looked as out of place as I did. I had been in New Orleans for almost a week by this point and despite the unusual circumstances that initiated my trip, it felt like any other holiday that I’ve been on. I ate the local food to the point of feeling ill, been on some ghost tours –none appeared– and even took a quick cruise on the Mississippi river. All the tourist cliches that made me almost forget that a very wealthy and influential cult might have it out for me. 

It helped that I barely saw Godric and even less of Eric. I was staying in another vampire friendly hotel, The Pale Lady, but from what I could tell they had made sleeping arrangements elsewhere. Some nights Godric would visit me after I returned from dinner to hear about my day. We took walks in the least populated parts of the city to avoid the dense crowds he disliked. Godric still hadn’t gotten used to the explosive increase of population humans experienced in the late 20th century and it did not look like he would any time soon. He asked me things like why humans consumed food that they knew would slowly kill them and told me things about vampires that I wasn’t sure he was supposed to. Such as the fact that an invitation can be rescinded by the homeowner at any time, even if the vampire wasn't there.

He did not tell me about his nights or anything particularly important at all. We did not so much as mention Dallas since the plane ride over to New Orleans.

The one with the private jet designed just for vampires. “Do you like flying?” I had asked as a way to begin a conversation during boarding. 

It had only been Godric and I on the flight with Eric finding some other way to travel. There was an awkward air between Godric and I. It made me nervous that I couldn’t tell what his thoughts were on my being there. If he was glad or resentful.  

“Not like this”, was all he had said. 

I nodded as if I knew what he meant, letting us fall back into silence again. 

I had not made another attempt until we were up in the air, “What will we do once we get to New Orleans?”

He was in another outfit of cream tunic and pants which still looked better than my dark sweats, “Eric and I must meet with the Queen. You are to do as you wish”. 

I leaned on my hand and looked out of the window to avoid his gaze, “You don’t need help with that?”. 

Godric blinked at me, “In what way could you help?” 

Even though I knew he was only asking for clarification, I could not help but shrink a little at the question, “I just want to be useful to you guys since you’re bringing me along”. 

“You need not worry. I am aware that my progeny coerced you into joining us”. 

I looked at him then, “Would you rather I didn’t?”

He actually took a moment to answer, as if he did not know how to, “I find that I prefer it. However, it is not safe for you to continue associating with vampires”. 

That was something at least, “But what better way to find out how vampires and humans can coexist than to actually do it? Then you can teach it to the younger vampires like you said”.

Godric did not answer, so I brought up what I really wanted to talk about, “Eric told me something strange”. 

He stayed silent and waited for me to elaborate.

“He said that I don’t have a smell”. 

“Indeed you do not”. 

His immediate affirmative had caught  me off guard. A part of me had expected him to deny it even if it were true. “What does that mean?”

Godric tilted his head slightly, “Why should it mean anything?”

I shrugged to feign nonchalance, “Well doesn’t everyone have a smell?”.

“Most do. Just as most have two eyes and ten fingers. But not all”.

I looked down at the table between us as I tried to make sense of his odd way of speaking. It sounded like he was saying that I had some kind of disability. 

“I have come across humans whose blood holds no taste. I suspect you are the same”, he continued, unprompted. 

The response was rather anticlimactic after Eric’s buildup. I had considered that Godric was lying but what purpose would that have served? So I dropped the issue. Mostly because it was beyond embarrassing trying to maintain a discussion about my smell, or lack thereof. 

“It would be safer for you, if your blood held no taste”. 

My hand rubbed at my neck. I couldn’t deny that. 

I know I should have been grateful that Eric and Godric had so little use of me. It wasn’t as if it had not crossed my mind that I was only invited to act as their own personal bloodbag. A snack for the road with my own personal wooden box. But I still hoped I would have a little more time before they grew tired of me. Before they cast me adrift just as everyone had before them. 

Listening to Nina Simone croon Sinnerman, I used the cafe’s wifi to look up rental listings in Louisiana. It occurred to me during all my sightseeing that my time in Texas might have come to an end. My original plan was to work a couple more years at the shelter then move back up to one of the northern States but I had become enamoured with the outgoing people of New Orleans, always ready for a lengthy conversation at any given point. Apartments in the city itself were well above my price range, however a place outside its limits might be worth looking into. There were a few available to view according to the app I was flicking through on my phone. 

That’s why I saw the text straight away. 

“Where are you?” asked the unknown number. 

“Who is this?” was my answer. 

“Bobby Burnham.”, was the reply, full stop and all. 

“Ok? Who is Bobby Burnham and how did he get my number?”

My phone started to ring. Before I could get out my ‘hello?’ a male voice said, “Texting was taking too long, I thought it would be better to just call you. I am Bobby Burnham, Mr Northman’s day-man”. 

From what I understood, these were people who were employed to run errands for vampires during the day. A glorified personal assistant that didn’t need super sunblock, “I take it Eric gave you my number?”

“He did”, was all he said. 

“Can’t he ever just call me himself?” I asked to a chasm of silence. I had never had such an aggravating conversation before in my life, “Right. And how can I help you?”

“I’m texting you an address. Make sure to be there an hour before sunset in the clothes I’ve sent to your hotel room”. 

“Why would I do that?”

“Because that is what Mr Northman wants.” As if that was all the reason I needed. “Do not be late”, he said before hanging up. 

I put my phone down and sighed, too weary to call back and argue with the obstinate man. He clearly did not feel the need to explain himself. And it wasn’t like I could call up Eric in the middle of the day to confirm what he said. Perhaps I was finally getting called up to do some work. Whatever that might be.

Leaving a tip on the table, I packed my things and went back to the hotel to see what was waiting for me.  

‘Clothes’ was a bit of an understatement. It was not only a gown –a gown– that had been laid out on the hotel bed, but also a pair of shoes, makeup, accessories and appliances to style my hair. Sitting on top of the dress was a thick piece of card with the words, 'I trust you can do this much by yourself', written on it. The calligraphy was beautiful. Even the 'E.' that it was signed with was adorned with pleasing curls and swoops. 

I crumpled up the card and tossed it behind me. 

 

2.

The gown was a shade darker than emerald green.

A cool wisp of silk against my skin, its halter neckline allowed for the back to plunge all the way down to just above my rear. What it did not allow, was a bra. Luckily for me, the fine pervert that was Eric had thought to provide body tape for my breasts. At least it was floor length. The hem swished around my modest heels as I walked. 

Everything else was gold. The shoes, the jewellery, the makeup, the purse. It was all beautiful but I couldn’t say it was beautiful on me. I certainly didn’t feel it as I stood in front of the floor length mirror. I just felt like a pretender playing dress up. 

Partway through the tiresome makeover, the reception desk called to inform me that my transportation had already been arranged at the request of my new friend Bobby.  What they did not tell me was that the car I was taking was actually a limo. A small one, but still a limo. One with a cabinet full of drinks that I did not touch and a television that extended down from the ceiling. 

I sat awkwardly in the back of the limo gripping my knees, trying to touch as little of the space as I could. I didn’t know what I was more worried about, dirtying the car or the dress. The driver who opened the door and greeted me with a ‘ma’am’ took the scenic route through New Oreans so I could only complain about the leather of the seat sticking to my bare back. I probably saw more in that one car ride than I would in any of those bus tours that I had seen go by. 

He took me to a palace. I didn’t know what else to call it. 

The hard gravel crunched against the limo’s wheels as we drove up the long driveway, past lines of finely trimmed hedges surrounding a fountain depicting a nude venus emerging from a large clam. Unlike Botticelli’s work, this Venus was not too shy to reveal herself to all who wanted to look. In fact, she seemed to revel in the gaze. 

The building itself looked like Versailles’ little sister. The dark blue roofing, rows upon rows of large windows and golden accents would make any French architect proud. This could not have possibly been  where Godric had been staying this entire time. Eric, yes, but not Godric. 

The driver did not stop at the large entrance of Mini Versailles but instead circled round the large building to the much smaller back entrance. After parking, he opened the door with another “ma’am”. 

I barely managed to crawl my way out of the limo without tripping over my dress before the driver closed the door behind me and drove off. 

There was a giant waiting for me at the rear entrance. 

At least I think he was waiting for me. He was tapping something onto a tablet while taking deep chugs from a thermos. The breeze blew some strands of my hair onto my glossed lips as I watched him ignore me. 

Moving closer, I said, “Excuse me, I’m not sure if I’m at the right place”. 

The giant looked up, seemingly startled. Not at my presence but that I had spoken to him, “Who you here for?”

We were the only two people in the large expanse of gravel but the many windows of the looming palace made me feel like we were being watched. I crossed my arms and hugged myself, “Eric Northman?”, I replied more as a question than an answer. 

The giant was sculpted in hard edges almost everywhere; the muscles of his arms and chest, the slope of his nose, even his newly shaved head. The only thing I could call ‘soft’ would have been his eyes. The purple of them was contrastingly feminine. 

He tapped on his tablet, “Name?”

“Lenore. Lenore Phillips”. 

More tapping, “Mind if I look in your bag?”

The sheer gold clutch I was gripping onto wasn’t big enough to hold anything dangerous but I still said, “Yes of course, as I quickly handed it to him”. 

He took the clutch but regarded me instead. Studied my entire form like Eric had at the Carmilla when he worried that I was still in shock. “You’ve never been to one of these things before, have you?”

I blinked, “I don’t even know what you mean by ‘these things’?”. 

His barely-there brows furrowed, “What did Northman tell you?”

“To wear this and be here”. 

“That’s it?”

“That’s it”, I confirmed as I shifted my feet so my heels wouldn’t sink further into the gravel. 

He gave a world weary sigh as he rubbed his shaved head. Atlas given another load to bear on his already aching shoulders, “Northman sure is a piece of work”. 

Before I could respond, he continued, “Listen up cause I’m only going to say this once. I’m gonna take you straight to his room, do not speak to anyone along the way. Better yet, don’t even look at them-”

“Why-”

“Once you’re there”, he barrelled through, “Do not leave the room. You wait for him until he comes to collect you. Understand?”

“Not really”. 

He stepped closer and I got to experience what it must be like for shorter women to look up at taller men, “I’m serious, don’t go wandering off or else you’ll end up being part of the main show”. 

The shadow of the palace sucked out all the heat from the setting sun, “I don’t suppose I could just call it quits and head home?”

“It’s a lil’ too late for that, doll”. 

He introduced himself as Quinn. Although he was taking the role of guide, he was actually the head of security, so we had to wait for whoever he called on his earpiece to come and cover the door for him. We stood awkwardly in silence in the minutes it took them to come down with Quinn back to tapping at his tablet and me trying to brace against the chill. I had about ten things I wanted to ask him but didn’t want to let on just how naive I really was. 

When the cover eventually did come, Quinn led me through the backdoor and up a connected stone staircase. It was so narrow and winding that it must have been built to torture any poor peasant that used it. The first room he took me to was a long open cloakroom with wall to wall lockers. Benches and vanities were covered in makeup and hair styling equipment. It looked like the dressing room of a grand theatre production. 

It was at this point that Quinn finally looked through the purse that he was still carrying, “You can keep the purse, lipstick and keycard but the phone will have to be locked up”. 

I hesitated, not liking the sense of deja vu that washed over me. 

“It’s safer for you this way. You don’t want them catching you with any kind of recording device”, he gave me a steady stare with a raised brow. 

I bit my lip and nodded. It was difficult not to snatch my phone back while I watched him lock it away. 

“Don’t worry, you’ll get it back when you leave”, Quinn picked up a handheld metal detector from a nearby table, “Do you mind?” When I shook my head he waved the wand up and down my body, “Alright, you’re good to go. Keep close behind me and don’t forget to keep your head down”. 

The hall on the other side of the locker room was the complete opposite of the one that preceded it. It was wide and slathered in white marble that made the sound of our footsteps a little too obnoxious. None of the lights were on because not a single one of the many windows we passed had any kind of curtain. Sunlight flooded every inch of the space, almost feeling oppressive. This must have been the human wing of the Mini Versailles. 

My assumption was proven right when we passed the first couple of people. I kept my head down but from my peripherals I could see them as they passed by in their expensive dresses and ridiculously high heels. They did not greet Quinn nor he them. 

My assumption was proven wrong when we were stopped by the third person we came across. 

“You are not at your post. Why?” came a voice from further up. It sounded too young to be so commanding. 

“Just taking this one to where she needs to be. Don’t worry, the door’s covered”, Quinn replied with an edge sharpened by tension. 

The owner of the voice moved closer to us. Even though he stood directly in the last rays of the day, I knew he was a vampire. I bent my head down further so all I could see were his expensive leather shoes. “Whose pet is she?” he asked. 

“Northman’s”, Quinn replied. 

The voice stepped closer, breaching my personal space. I could now see up to his chest though my eyes stayed fixed onto the floor, “When I heard that Sheriffe of Area 5 was bringing a pet, I had expected something more interesting”. 

A hand, so sickly pale it was almost blue, raised up and traced down from my cheek bone to my neck. The cold of death that could surely feel the rapid beat of my heart despite how very still I was trying to be. “At least he has broken her in well”, the voice continued as it finally detached itself from me. 

I suppose I should have been grateful that the shame had managed to heat up my neck.

“Be sure to return to your post once you are done with the Sheriffe’s pet. The Queen wishes to begin the festivities sooner than planned”. 

I did not begin to breathe again until I could no longer hear his receding steps. 

Quinn must have felt sorry for me because he said, “You did good there. Maybe you actually got a chance”, before continuing on. 

The room he took me to had a four poster bed. It was the first thing I saw upon entering since it could fit –at minimum– five people comfortably.  Covered in plush white bedding, it was high enough that anyone shorter than me would probably need a stepstool to get in. 

“Remember, do not leave until Northman gets here”, Quinn said from the door he did not walk through. 

As I looked over the sky blue walls and pastel furnishings, I asked, “How long will-” before hearing the click of the door. 

I stood in the middle of the large bedroom (boudoir would have been a better word) for a while as I waited. Too nervous to move or speak lest I bring forth anyone that was not Eric. Then when my heeled feet began to hurt too much, I perched on the upholstered chair in front of the ornate vanity. I caught the sheen of sweat on my forehead in my reflection and used the back of my hand to wipe it away. 

And I continued to wait. 

It was during the final dip of the sun in its orange glow that I heard the knock. I stood up, thinking Eric had finally arrived and took a couple of steps forward. Then it occurred to me how strange it was that Eric would knock when he had shown me had no trouble entering places as he pleased. 

Another knock. 

I cleared my throat, “Who is it?” I asked. 

A muffled voice on the other side of the door, “Good evening, Miss Phillips, I’ve been sent to retrieve you”. It was pleasant in a butler kind of way.  

I stared at the large white door with the gold handle, making sure it did not move, "I'm sorry, who sent you?”

“Mr Northman”, was the simple reply from what I thought was a young male. 

I took a step forward, “Eric sent you?”

“Yes, Miss Phillips”. 

I moved a little closer, now wondering why they weren’t just opening the door and coming in, "Isn't he supposed to come here himself?”.

A pause then, “I don’t know, Miss Phillips. I was just sent to retrieve you. Can you please open the door?”

One step back, “I think I’ll just wait for him to come get me. Thanks”, another step back. 

“Ms Phillips, please open the door. We shouldn’t keep the Masters waiting”, the voice was more insistent now. 

The word ‘Master’ made the hair on my neck rise. Brought the hand of death I had met earlier come to mind. I manoeuvred myself so that the large bed was between me and the door, “No, it’s okay. I’m sure Eric would prefer it if I just wait for him”. I made sure to keep my voice light and placating, oozing ignorance rather than the caution I was feeling. 

Another, longer pause. “Miss Phillips-”

The loud thunk against the door caused it to shake. Startled, I squatted down behind the bed and gripped onto the plush fabric as I stared the door down. There was what sounded like a deeper male’s voice speaking, but it was too quiet to be sure. I leaned in closer and angled my head to hear better but all I caught was the first voice saying something like ‘I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to’. 

Then the door pushed open and Eric’s large form was taking up the doorway. 

“Ah, Ms Phillips” he smirked as he eyed me clinging to the side of the bed, “I am so glad to see you already getting yourself comfortable”. 

Chapter 9: Stop us Both from Falling into a Frenzy

Summary:

Lenore lears more about her peculiar invitation

Notes:

Hello lovelies!

Thank you so much for all your feedback! You don't know how much I appreciate each and every one.

I tried to not to take too long with this chapter so that the wait wouldn't be too bad for you guys. I hope you enjoy it and as usual, all comments, questions and criticisms are welcome! :D

"Do you plan to stay there all night?" he asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the door jam. He was wearing a cream coloured dress shirt made out of a material belonging to an older decade. Especially coupled with the chocolate brown pressed pants that were sporting an oversized golden belt buckle. The unusual attire almost distracted me from the other figure now visible. 

I stretched over the bed to have a better look, "Who's that?" I asked, indicating to the pair of feet I could see lying on the floor next to Eric. Like someone was slumped against the other side of the wall. 

Eric stepped into the room, letting the door swing shut behind him, "Who cares?"

I stood and moved away from the bed. "He was trying to get me to go somewhere with him. Said that you sent him". 

"I did not", was his simple reply as he un-buttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves. 

"Then what did he want?"

Eric regarded me, deciding if he wanted to answer, "He looks like one of Andre's; The Queen's progeney. How he already knows you are here, I would very much like to know". 

He went to the wall next to the settee area and pressed his hand against it, causing the panel to pop open. Behind it was a mini-fridge, a piece of the 21st century hidden amongst the 17th. 

"I did run into someone strange on my way here. Mentioned you by name. Didn't seem a fan of you, or personal space for that matter". 

Eric handed me a bottle of chilled water, "He approached you despite knowing you are mine? It must have been Andre" he confirmed to himself. 

I brushed off the odd 'mine' phrasing and asked "So he's a vampire? I thought so but he was standing in front of a window when the sun was still out”. 

Eric smirked, "The wonders of modern technology. Every window here is fitted with the strongest UV-Filtered glass you can buy. Humans do have their uses. Occasionally". 

"Sounds expensive", I commented.

His smirk dropped, "It is". 

"Why would this Andre guy send someone pretending that it's for you?" I asked, bringing the conversation back on course. 

Eric studied me again and it was at this point that I found his repeated scrutiny annoying, "Drink. I do not want you to go into another of your human shocks". 

Very annoying, "Yeah, that's not how that works. Can you just answer please?" 

But he only raised his brow expectingly. I sighed and acquiesced, making a big show of the small sip I took, secretly enjoying the cool feel of it traveling down my throat. Vampire palaces, as it turns out, were not equipped with air conditioning. 

"Andre and I are not on good terms", Eric began. 

"You don't say". 

"He has been trying to have me ousted from court for years".

"Why?"

Eric, palms up, gestured to his own tall form, "Isn't it obvious?" I ignored the question and waited for him to continue, "Willingly leaving with Andre's pet would have been the same as offering yourself to him". 

"But he said he was here for you". 

"Does not matter". 

I crossed my arms, gripping onto my elbows, "Why? He didn't seem particularly impressed when we met". 

"It is not about obtaining you. It is about weakening me. A vampire's pet being lured away by one centuries younger is a cause for great embarrassment amongst my kind". 

I suppose I should have known that it was never about me, "What would he have done with me?". 

Eric flicked his wrist at the irrelevant question, "Whatever his unimaginative little brain could conjure". 

I took another, longer sip as an excuse to pause the conversation. When I was ready, I asked, "Just to make you look bad?"

"Whatever needs must", was all he said. "You did not leave with him, why?"

"Quinn told me I had to stay in here until you arrived", I mumbled around the lip of the water bottle, keeping it there to hide my expression. 

"Quinn? John Quinn? How did you come across him?"

"I met him on my way in. He thought I should know where I was going so he became my escort". 

Eric sneered, causing his small nose to crinkle upwards,"He always did have a weakness for damsels in distress".

I lowered the water bottle so he could see my frown, "Wait. Did you refer to me as your pet?"

"Yes. I registered you as one so that you may enter. The court does not allow any human to stroll in at their pleasure. Speaking of which, are you now ready to find out why I beaconed you here?"

No. I had been avoiding the subject despite how curious I was. Everything told me that I was about to be swept up into another tornado hell bent on destroying my life. This one even bigger than the last. 

My cowardice clogged my throat so all I could do was nod. 

"Sit" Eric said, nodding to the vanity stool behind me. "Sophie-Anne learned of your coming to New Orleans with us". 

"Okay?” I asked as I sat, “That's your queen right?" 

"She is", Eric confirmed. He was leaning against the wall rather than draped across the settee or bed like he usually would. It was the furthest he could get from me without straight up leaving the room. There was a strained edge to the curve of his spine too. One that betrayed that he was not as at ease as he wished to appear. 

"You're worried", I mused out loud. 

"I am not", he retorted just a tad too quickly, "I simply dislike how long the Queen is taking to accept Godric. She has been making excuses". 

"Such as what happened with the Fellowship?"

"Monarchs require absolute control". 

And Godric has shown that he lived outside of it. I crossed my legs so that I could lean my elbow onto my knee "Are you really sure that she will accept him?" Doubt seeped into my voice. 

He immediately replied, "She will". Not with certainty in his queen or even in Godric, but in himself. 

"Alright. So what am I here for? To testify about what happened? I don't know how much help that’ll be". 

"No, the Queen already knows all that occurred in Dallas. What she does not know is why you are here. It is rare for Godric and I to keep humans in our company. Master has not kept one in centuries so the ignorant have come to the conclusion that he detests your kind". 

"And now your queen wants to know what makes me so special that Godric would wanna hang out with me". That explains Andre's reaction in the hallway. Sophie-Anne would likely be even more disappointed than her progeny was. 

"Yes. I did try to talk Master out of joining you on your little walks around the city however he does not like the idea of you being alone for too long on foreign ground". 

It warmed me to hear that Godric worried about me enough to go against Eric's advice. Though I could see how his actions had been reckless. I had noticed the odd vampire or two on our walks, but Godric did not acknowledge them any more than he had the humans we passed. It did not occur to me that they could be reporting to the queen about us. That my being in New Orleans might actually hurt more than helped him. "Did I do something to jeopardise Godric's chance at being accepted here?”

Eric barked out a laugh. I could only blink at him in surprise. "No Ms Phillips, you did not", when his mirth died down he continued with ,"I brought you here for your benefit. Sophie-Anne is a collector; she cannot help but attain anything even remotely interesting. She will assuredly want to know what about your blood appeals to Godric so. Usually it makes her easier to manipulate, however this time I would rather not use this weakness against her". 

He allowed me a moment to digest what he was saying. That he was going through all this trouble because he did not want to dangle me in front of the queen as a tasty bribe to get his way. I could not tell if it was because Godric would be mad or if he really did not want to jeopardise my safety. In any case, I said, "Thanks, I guess". 

"You are most welcome Ms Phillips. Now all we need do is show the Queen how perfectly average you are  then you can scurry on back to your all expenses paid vacation". 

I could definitely do that. If there was one thing I was good at, it was being mundane to the point of forgettable. The moment the queen lays eyes on me, the most she would feel is vague confusion as to what I was doing there. "Sounds good to me. In fact, I'm ready to go see her now. The sooner we get this done, the better". 

"Not so fast", Eric said as he pushed off the wall and moved closer. My agreeing must have eased some of his worry, "There is that small issue of your lack of scent". 

I shifted uncomfortably on the stool, the coarse fabric of which was arguing with the silk of my dress, "Godric said that some people just don't have one sometimes". I studied Eric to see if it was true but he gave nothing away. Instead, he was studying me himself. 

"Regardless, Sophie-Anne will want to test that theory for herself and it would upset me greatly if she was able to taste you before me". 

I almost gasped like an appalled Lady, "Before you-"

"So we will need to give you a scent".

I closed my eyes and focused on breathing so that I would not start shouting at the audacity of the man, "Well I can't just start making one now, can I?" I pushed through my teeth. Why he took every opportunity to rile me up, I did not know.

"Fortunately for you, I can give you one. Mine". 

My eyes popped open to see that he was standing closer to me now, smirk and all. "What do you mean?"

"I mentioned that I had registered you as my pet, did I not?" Eric asked, taking another step . It was not a large one by any means. He was not that much closer, not really. But I still took note of it just like he wanted me to. 

I nodded. 

Eric smoothened his voice, "Do you know what being a vampire's pet entails, Ms Phillips?" Another step. 

He was back to his old tricks again. "I'm getting the distinct feeling that I don't". 

Instead of leaning into my space as I expected, Eric half sat on the vanity behind me, making me twist around to keep my eyes on him. The cautious air around him only made me more nervous. "A pet is a human under a vampire's protection whom we claim ownership of. It affords us certain liberties over them". 

For a Feed N’ Fuck a’course. What other purpose does a human have?

"I gotta say Eric, I don't really see what any of this has to do with my scent malfunction", I said even though I kind of did. 

"What do you think a pet smells like to other vampires?"I wanted to say something sarcastic back but he would have just ignored me anyway, "They will expect you to smell of me". 

I made a sound to show that I heard but I was not going to agree or show my support. 

"Ms Pillips, do you understand what I am saying?"

Another nod. 

Eric hummed almost retrospectively, "Apologies, I forget sometimes how shamed humans can be when it comes to fucking. My people fortunately pre-dated Monotheism". He did not sound even slightly sorry. 

That's me, the big ol' prude of a human going and ruining his very logical plan. While I might not have been a virgin, it did not mean that I was particularly interested in sleeping with someone like Eric for such mercenary reasons. "Luckily for the both of us, I bet there's other ways I can smell like you. Wear your clothes for example". 

"Luckily for the both of us?" Eric parroted with a quirk of his brow as if he could not believe I had just said that. "Clothes would not be enough. You will need to smell strongly of me so that any vampire will assume that mine is overpowering yours". 

"Do you have any other suggestions?"

"You will need to consume my Blood". 

I perked up at this, "Drink your blood, why didn't you say so? I've already had some of Godric's", 

"Yes. He told me", Eric said in a way that implied I should grasp a deeper meaning. When I clearly hadn't, he continued with, "Godric should not have needed to".

"Because you should have been able to smell his blood in me, right? " I asked with a sigh that needed no answer, "Do you think my body just... canceled it out?"

"Perhaps. I can find out but I doubt you would like the method in which I would do so". 

"So that's out too then", I surmised, not understanding why he would bring it up in the first place. 

"You only consumed a drop", he pointed out.

I nodded, "Why? Do you think it would help if I had more?"

"It is worth testing the theory", he smirked with his teeth, "Fortunately for you, I made sure to eat well before coming here". 

Now that he mentioned it, there was a rosey tint to his cheeks that I had not seen on him before. A blush that made him look younger. "Because you just assumed that I would jump at the chance to down your blood? No offence, but that doesn't sound all that appealing". 

His smirk did not falter. 

"I'd rather have Godric's". I flew to New Orleans so I did not think it was unreasonable to smell like him. Especially since I trusted him far more than I did Eric. 

"Ms Phillips, you wound me", when I did not bite his bait, he followed with, "Your little body would not be able to take the large amount of Master's Blood that you will need to retain his scent. It is far too powerful for you". 

It sounded like an excuse but I could not argue against it. That one drop Godric had given me sent me for a loop that had lasted for hours after all. I huffed, "You know you're the first person to ever call me little". He did not react to my admittedly out of pocket comment, "How much of your blood will I need?"

"A lot. We do not know how long it will take your body to break it down and I would rather my scent not disappear whilst you are surrounded by other vampires". 

Sounded fair, "That won't do anything to me, will it?"

"It will do something to your libido", Eric immediately said with glee, "You must promise not to defile me too much. I have a reputation to uphold afterall". 

I gave him the amused curve of my lip that he was fishing for. "Is that it?" The 'libido' thing did not worry me since it was only Eric and I have always found arrogance in men to be highly unappealing. 

Eric turned himself to face me more, "I must admit, I am surprised. I thought it would bother you. The dreams can be quite intense I hear". 

I was not worried about that either. I don't remember having any dreams after taking Godric's blood so I suspected the most would happen after drinking Eric's would be passing out into a blissful sleep. 

I stood up, ignoring his perplexed expression, "How do you want to do this? You gonna bleed into a golden chalice for me?"

He did not answer at first and it pleased me to think that I had thrown him off. "Blood given must come directly from the vein otherwise we will be treading too close to V territory. Sit on the bed, it will be more comfortable-"

"How about this settee right here?" I asked, walking to the long flat chair in question and giving it a firm pat, "Looks pretty comfortable to me". 

For some reason, that brought another grin to his face, "I believe in the colloquial tongue it is called a ‘fainting couch’". 

It was ugly whatever it was. Another pastel monstrosity, it might have matched the room's colour scheme but the embroidered pattern was a chaotic mess. "Well I promise not to faint on it if you won't". 

I kicked off my shoes and adjusted my dress so that I could sit on my knees on the end of the fainting couch that did not have the curved backing. It's stitching made me itch. Shifting would have helped but I did not want to let on that my choice of seat was not in fact, comfortable. 

The fainting couch groaned as Eric rested his weight onto it. He was holding a dagger. 

It had a slim double-edged blade about as long as my forearm; a bit too big to have been in his pocket this entire time. The leather wrapping on the hilt looked old enough to be my Great-Grandfather. 

After opening the collar of his shirt, Eric held it up to his neck. 

I quickly stopped him, "What're you doing? Can't you just cut your hand or something?"

He gave me the exasperated look of a father having to explain something simple to their child, "I have already informed you that you will need a lot of Blood"

"Surely I don't need that much". 

"Surely you do", then he thought of something that delighted him and said, "Though if that particular artery does not interest you, I know of another that will". The dagger moved from his neck and instead traced the seam of his inner thigh. 

"The neck's fine". Then because I was still worried, "If you're sure it's safe". 

With a laugh, Eric leaned against the oddly shaped backing and said, "Ms. Phillips, I have survived a millenia of Blood sharing with those in my line who are much more adept at it than you. I think I will survive”.

I took a moment to marvel at the fact that I was sitting on an outdated chair with a man who had lived for a thousand years. It hit me harder than Godric's age had, likely because I could not picture what his world had been like when he was still human. Eric's age was easier for my very mortal mind to grasp onto and I started to wonder if I had seen anything of Eric's in the many museums I had visited. I was completely out of my depth. 

"It will be easier for you up here", Eric said, patting his lap. 

"No thank you", was my blunt reply. 

Eric smirked and I had to admit that I liked this relaxed version of him far more than when he was pretending not to worry. 

The dagger looked blunt but when Eric pressed it against his pale skin, stark red began to well. It was a darker shade than any blood I had ever shed. Like there was something more coursing through his veins than that of a human. 

"Do vampires need to shave?" I asked. 

His Adam's apple bobbed as he replied, "Not as frequently as a human male. Our hair grows more slowly than yours". 

Eric pressed the blade deeper. A bead of blood strolled down the curve of his throat. 

"Less of a chance to cut yourself shaving I bet". 

His stare was deep and gripping and for a second I thought he was going to try and glamour me again."Where did that earlier bravado go, Ms Phillips?" 

Where indeed?

I leaned in, making sure not to touch him. When my breath fluttered against the hair at his nape, I stopped. Was I supposed to just lick around the dagger?

"The wound will heal quickly after I remove the blade. You may need to bite to keep it open". I might have been imagining it, but he sounded almost excited. I refused to look at his face to be sure. 

I don't recall Godric's blood having a taste. Perhaps because I had consumed too little or because the symptoms afterwards were too distracting. Eric's blood was not something I could necessarily describe either. Though not in the same way that I could not describe the taste of water because it was so much more than taste. 

My lips latched onto the side of his throat the second his blood touched my tongue. It was a cool touch. Then it was a thick heat that reached down my own throat, into my chest and my stomach. It radiated out until I could feel it in the very tips of my fingers. Made them tingle. It was a heat that brought forth all the empty spaces I had locked away inside me before filling them with something I was too hesitant to name. 

My fingernails scratched at the stubble on the other side of his neck. His trailed up the back of my calf. Cupped the inner bend of my knees that were now straddling his thighs. Kept them in place as if they had any intention of moving. 

After the third long pull my source started to close up. Stem the flow that I needed so much more of. It angered me. Gripping his neck and shoulder, I bared my teeth and bit. Harder than I should have. Softer than I wanted to. 

A strong arm wrapped around my back and yanked me flush against a firm chest. Pulled until there was barely enough room to breathe. Not that I was interested in anything more than what was in my mouth. Or between my legs. A hand gripped my rear to stop the grinding of my hips. 

It was Eric. Eric who was moaning into my ear. Who was trying to stop us both from falling into a frenzy of biting and fucking. Despite how much he wanted to dive right into that tempting deep end. To drown in me and I in him. 

He liked the way the silk of my dress felt against my skin. Liked how it moved effortlessly against the smooth surface of his searching hands. Liked how I looked in it even more and was proud of himself for picking it. My bare back was almost bewitching and he could not wait to see me in other states of dress. All of which he would make sure incorporated gold. Not the overly shined metal of today but real gold that he used to drape himself in after a good pillaging.

That was not to say he wasn’t desperate to just tear the whole thing off. To feel the rest of my naked skin against his hands. His chest. His painful erection. 

I bit harder. I think he moaned my name. 

Lenore

I was taking to this so well. My teeth were sharper than the scarce few other humans he allowed the honour of biting him. How perfect would it be if he bit me too? If he was inside me. But he knew I was not ready for that yet and he did not want to rush me. To taint the coupling that would inevitably come. 

My moan harmonised with his. 

That's what his blood tasted like. Power. 

By the nape of my neck, Eric yanked me off of his throat. If his grip had not been so firm, I would have fought against him. I was barely able to stop the hiss of rage at him for stopping my feeding. Face to face, I could see the tips of his long fangs peaking out of his mouth. His dilated eyes were lidded and fixed onto my blood covered mouth. It was the only warning I got. 

He pulled me back into him. Lips first, we connected into something that resembled a kiss but there was too much teeth and tongue to really call it that. He licked every part of my mouth, inside and out. Even the roof of my mouth got a shiver inducing swipe. It added a dizziness to my already clouded mind. Much too quickly, he ended it with a sweep of my chin, capturing the blood that had thought to escape. 

I wilted. Too exhausted to move or even think. The complete opposite of how I felt when I had Godric's blood. Eric manoeuvred my head so that it rested in the clean crook of his neck. I panted into his hair as he stroked mine. 

I slowly came back to myself as my heart rate decreased. I could still feel his erection pressing against me. As well as the chilling air against my now bare legs as my dress had bunched around my hips. I should have gotten off of him and acknowledged the situation like an adult. Moved on so that the rest of the night could unfold into whatever scheme he had planned next. But his fingers in my hair were too soothing. It was something I had never experienced before and knew I would not experience again. So I simply melted into him even more. 

It was while my weighted eyes began to close that Eric spoke. I felt his voice more than heard it, "How beautifully you fed". He tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear. 

I did not respond. I was too embarrassed to even look at him after climbing on top of him so wantonly. But what reddened my cheeks was the pleasure I felt at his praise. 

"How do you feel? I cannot tell". He sounded confused. 

One of my shoulders was kind enough to shrug for me. 

Eric pulled me back to look at my face. I let him since I was too busy acting like a ragdoll in his arms. The blush of his cheeks was gone now, making him look sickly pale. I was concerned that I had over done it but he seemed more concerned with something else, "I cannot sense your emotions, only your presence". 

Aside from embarrassment and exhaustion, I did not think I was feeling much of anything, "Should you?" I managed to mutter. 

"With how much you have consumed, your emotions should be screaming at me right now. It is why I refrain from Blood sharing with humans, the emotional creatures that you are". 

I could have retorted that I had already witnessed an entire range of explosive emotions from vampires but all I managed to do was yawn at him. 

"Your lethargy is also surprising and ill timed. We are expected at court". 

"Now?" I asked. It felt like I was speaking through cotton. He must have wrapped reams of it around my mouth when I wasn’t looking. 

"In 13 minutes". 

"Can I shower then?" I needed to drench myself in cold water if I was going to stop myself from falling asleep. It would also help with the heat that had pooled below my belly. Content to remind me of what just occured for hours to come. 

"No. You smell like you have just been ravaged by me and I want to keep it that way". At my widened eyes, he smiled and said, "All for your protection of course".