"For fuck's sake, Stackhouse!" Newlin yelled, clutching his hand where a paintball had struck him. What a baby.

His "followers" scattered in shock as a second paintball hit Newlin square in the forehead. Jason Stackhouse deserved a gold star for his aim; growing up in the rural South had clearly honed his shooting skills. I certainly couldn't have hit that mark.

Not that I had the luxury of aiming right now. Unlike the "mighty warriors of God" who had abandoned Sookie at the first sign of danger, my bodyguard was apparently one of the few with actual conviction. That meant he had my arm twisted painfully behind my back, and his other hand was uncomfortably tight around my throat. I tried not to choke, but some help would've been appreciated.

Sookie, now free thanks to Jason's distraction, ran—rather theatrically—into Bill's arms instead of helping me. Just like that silly Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind.

By this point, I couldn't help but wheeze—a sound that seemed to amuse my captor. His sickening grin widened as he twisted my arm further, making me gasp in pain.

"Fuck you!" I spat, struggling against his hold, but he had me locked down with practiced ease.

Dumbass Sookie pulled away from Bill and raced toward the stage to free Eric from the silver chains that had subdued him, while the creep at my back chuckled and whispered in my ear.

"Or maybe I'll fuck you, whore." He made the mistake of licking my neck, then whispered, "Just like the vampires did. How many humans did you betray by siding with them? How many loved ones did you lose to them because of your treachery?"

That did it. He hit a nerve I didn't even know was there. Enough was enough.

With a move that dislocated my trapped shoulder, I threw the 6'3" man over my shoulder onto the floor, then kicked him so hard in the ribs that I heard a satisfying crack. He screamed and gasped for breath, just like I had been, but now the room was eerily quiet.

"Say that again, you bastard!" I shouted at the man writhing on the ground, wiping my neck with my one good hand where he'd licked me. I resisted the urge to spit on him. As a sharp pain reminded me of my dislocated shoulder, I tore a strip from my already ruined Merlotte's shirt, using my teeth and good arm to fashion a makeshift sling. Only then did I look around, freezing mid-movement. Everyone was staring at me like I'd grown two horns.

The whole group of churchgoers, the Stackhouse siblings, and two vampires. All of them wide-eyed, caught in their tracks. Well, except for one vampire. Bill looked like he'd just seen a flying pig, while Eric barely moved a muscle, perhaps showing the slightest hint of a smirk as he watched me with his arms crossed over his broad chest, his tank top far too revealing eyebrow raised in true Eric fashion. I swallowed hard.

Fuck. Maybe I'd gone too far for a plain waitress from Bon Temps I had tried to cultivate. I scrambled to think of something to diffuse the tension, but Eric's gaze had already shifted away. Before I could react, he had Newlin in a chokehold, throwing him to the ground and standing over him with a snarl and bared fangs. That quickly shifted everyone's attention back to him. Perhaps having a murderous vampire on your side wasn't so bad after all.

"No, Eric, don't!" Sookie cried out in panic, while Jason shouted the opposite from the balcony. I just rolled my eyes. I didn't care what happened to Reverend Newlin. I was more surprised Eric hadn't ripped his throat out already, especially considering the restraint he'd shown all evening. Instead, he continued to snarl over the pitiful preacher, who was babbling dramatically.

The doors burst open, and an army of vampires—no better word for it—flooded into the church. The temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, and I shivered. A particularly arrogant, distinctly Texan vampire stepped forward to speak.

"Steve Newlin. You've gone too far. Do you really think we'd sit idly by, waiting for your little army to come and kill us? We kill you first. Just like we did with your father," he said, pausing dramatically as the other vampires around him took formation.

They must've had boy band training or something.

I pressed my lips together to stifle a laugh at my own joke. Now wasn't the time. I should've been terrified, right? Adrenaline—it always made me giddy and irrational. But I couldn't deny it—I felt powerful, elated... and curious.

Especially when the sheriff yelled, "Take them! All of them!"

Before I knew what was happening, the vampire army had spread throughout the church, and once again, a man's mouth was at my throat. What was it with men and my neck today?

Sookie screamed for Eric to stop them.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Eric standing calmly in the center of the room, watching the chaos around him. Watching me. He saw that I was in danger, but he didn't seem to care. Instead, he... Was he challenging me now?

I felt the vampire's teeth at my neck, just about to pierce the thin skin. I tried to elbow him in the stomach—a move that would've been more effective on a human attacker—only to remember, painfully, that my shoulder was dislocated.

So I crumpled in pain as his fangs sank into me. I screamed, more out of anger at the disrespect than the pain, and looked helplessly at Eric, who just stood there, arms crossed, grinning smugly. Payback for my own hesitation earlier it seemed. 

Bastard.

Then a loud, almost youthful voice cut through the tension with an authority that made even me stand straight, teeth in my artery or not.

"Enough!"

A boy—or was he a man?—in a white, tunic-like outfit had positioned himself in the church's window, commanding attention. The vampire's fangs withdrew from my neck immediately, where a warm liquid now trickled from the puncture wounds. But I was too mesmerized to press a hand or cloth to the wound.

"Subordinate!" he addressed the Texan vampire, who grumbled and reluctantly replied, "Yes, Sheriff."

"These humans have done nothing to me," his voice echoed through the church, thanks to the acoustics. "As you can see, we can coexist. Mr. Newlin," he paused as Eric released the pathetic worm of a man and stepped back.

"Will you help me set an example? I wish to avoid a bloodbath."

Despite myself, I was impressed. I felt like I was witnessing a historic moment, captivated by the presence of this... boy?

"I will not negotiate with subhumans," Newlin retorted, breaking the spell. And just like that, the mystique was shattered. Was it really surprising that people would choose the dumb path out of sheer pride? God, Eric should have killed him when he had the chance.

"Kill me, go on!" Newlin challenged Eric, and I found myself gritting my teeth in grim agreement. Well, that was his funeral if that's what he wanted. But Eric... hesitated. What?

Newlin tilted his head toward Eric, glaring defiantly at the boy in the window. "Jesus will protect me," he declared, trying to be brave.

"I am, indeed, older than your Jesus."

Holy. Fuck.

If the church had been silent before, you could now hear a pin drop.

"I wish I had known him. But I missed it."

A thousand questions swirled in my mind as the boy moved faster than I could see, suddenly behind Newlin, lifting him by the neck like a kitten. He positioned himself behind him, addressing the "Fellowship of the Sun" members directly and respectfully.

"Good people. Which of you is willing to die for this man's madness?" There was awkward shuffling, silence. Admission of defeat.

"That's what I thought. Stand down, all of you." He didn't raise his voice, but his posture and presence made it clear it was an order. Why did this all feel so familiar to me? Reluctantly, the vampires released the humans and stepped back.

"Go home. The fight is over!"

My jaw dropped as almost everyone, humans and vampires alike, began leaving the room and laying down their weapons. Jason ran to Sookie beside Bill, who was whispering, "It's okay, you're safe now," in her ear. 

No shit, Sherlock. But not thanks to you.

Eric stood tall next to them, fully aware—and as I grudgingly had to admit, rightfully so—that he had ensured Sookie's safety. Not mine, my throbbing shoulder reminded me. 

And I wasn't jealous. Not at all. I hadn't relied on Eric, so I couldn't be mad at him. Or angry that he was now asking Sookie if she was okay when she didn't have a scratch on her, while I stood there with a dislocated shoulder and bite marks, feeling completely overlooked. The tears welling up in my eyes were from exhaustion, hunger, and pain—not jealousy or anger. Nope, not at all.

I was almost grateful when Jason's arrival broke the tension among the three of them. It seemed they had a lot to discuss. Eric stepped back and focused on... the young-looking man. Huh. I stood there among the people leaving the room, alone and feeling... out of place. Hm. Yeah. Now what? Should I join them? Or just... go home?

Oh God, home! For a moment, I had completely forgotten that I was currently in Dallas, having been more or less kidnapped by Tom's psychopathic brother. Fuck, I needed to deal with that too. I let out a heavy, exhausted sigh as the pain suddenly flared in my shoulder again. And, of course, there was that as well. The adrenaline, that lovely drug, was draining from my veins, and with every passing second, the pain came back stronger. Groaning, I held my arm with my uninjured hand and turned to head for the door when, out of nowhere, Godric appeared in front of me. I flinched.

"Oh, did I startle you? That wasn't my intention..." he informed me politely, and I hesitated. I felt oddly nervous as he spoke to me, like I was in the presence of a celebrity. I mentally scolded myself before responding, perplexed.

"It's fine."

I instinctively wanted to shrug it off, which was a stupid idea. Cursing under my breath, I clenched my teeth in pain.

"Eric."

Godric called to Eric in a soft yet commanding voice before I could stop him. Almost humbly, Eric came rushing over immediately.

"Godric?"

His voice was respectful and reverent. Was he actually bowing his head? I didn't even know he was capable of that. Despite still towering over everyone by at least a head, he somehow seemed smaller next to Godric.

I watched them with fascination as they conversed in a mix of English and, what I guessed, was Swedish. I didn't understand much, but from their body language, it was clear that Eric was subordinate to Godric. Slowly, I started to piece together what they were discussing.

Me.

More specifically, they were arguing.

Eric was being told to do something that clearly displeased him. Godric sighed, then turned back to me. "Apologies, we're being rude."

He cautiously extended his hands toward me while Eric stood behind him, practically sulking, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.

"May I?" Godric asked, his hands hovering over my arm. I nodded, still in shock. This was getting stranger by the minute. A vampire not only being polite but asking permission before touching me? That was more than I could say for most men.

Godric smiled kindly as he examined my injuries. "And how did you get caught up in all of this?" he asked in a friendly, conversational tone as he continued his assessment. It was obvious he was trying to distract me from what he was doing (and the pain), but I still gasped when he lifted my arm.

"Double kidnapping," I replied dryly, which made Godric's lips curl into a gentle smile as I shot Eric a withering look. Or at least, I tried to. Everything hurt too much, and I was too tired. I didn't even have the energy to be angry or disappointed or... anything.

Godric gave Eric a reproachful look before turning back to me.

"I must apologize for my child; he can be a bit... emotionally exuberant at times."

Eric snorted in disapproval while my brain took an extra second to process what I'd just heard. When it finally clicked, I was sure I'd misheard. "Excuse me, what?"

Eric shot me a deadly glare meant to silence me. It was convincing enough that I swallowed any further questions or comments. I had enough injuries for now, thank you very much.

"Your shoulder is dislocated. I'm going to pop it back in, in five, four—"

Crack.

I groaned again, taking a few shallow breaths before glaring at Godric. "I thought we were counting down to one."

He shrugged.

"And I thought it would hurt less this way."

He looked at me sympathetically while Eric grinned self-righteously. If I were in better shape, I might've given in to the urge to lunge at him and scratch his eyes out.

I took another deep breath and forced a smile. Godric had helped me when everyone else hadn't even noticed I was there. He'd realigned my shoulder with sympathy and kindness without asking for anything in return. It had to be done, whether at a doctor's office or here, and it would've hurt either way, but this way, I saved on hospital bill and a few more hours of excruciating shoulder pain. In short: I owed him.

"Thank you!"

He busied himself tying the torn piece of fabric, which I had completely forgotten about, around my neck, covering the ugly bite wound that, after a quick glance, he noted was almost healed.

"You're welcome," he replied, sounding sincere. "I have some matters to attend to, but I would be honored to have you as my guest tonight at my home," he informed me, bowing slightly before disappearing without waiting for a response. As he left, he called, "Eric will take care of your blood needs and then bring you to my home."

And with that, he was gone through the door.