CHAPTER FOURTY

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             ERIC NORTHMAN HAD BEEN SEARCHING FOR THE VAMPIRE THAT HAD ORDERED HIS FAMILY TO BE KILLED FOR OVER A THOUSAND YEARS. Now that he had found him to be Russell Edgington, he had to be smart about his approach.

The king had ordered him to come on a small trip to visit the queen of Louisiana. Eric had done so, reluctantly. The viking was under a lot of stress. His progeny had been captured by the magister and was being tortured at this moment. The queen had framed him for selling vampire blood, which had gotten him into this situation, and Russell was holding his human hostage. Eric had to be very smart about this indeed.

"Keep still." ordered Eric, as he led Hadley through the halls of queen Sophie-Anne's home. The king had commanded him to question the redheaded vampire, so that was what he was going to do to get what he wanted.

The small blond was shaking with fear as they entered the main room where the queen was kept in a cage, courtesy to Russell. The ceilings were high and there were plants everywhere, a swimming pool in the middle of the room. The redhead perked up when she saw the girl and concern took over her features.

"Hadley," she called, leaning forward as much as the silver bars would allow her.

"Your majesty." whispered Hadley as Eric stopped before the queen's cage with a sly grin on his face. Sophie-Anne glared at him through the bars, wishing her human could be left out of this mess.

"I wish you didn't have to see me like this." said the queen, legs crossed beneath her since there was no other way to seat in the small space she was confided in.

Eric chuckled lowly at the state of her. "The reason your human is trembling, is because I have already let her in on my plan."

"Which is?" Sophie-Anne sneered.

"Which is to sink my fangs into her and drink until you tell me what it is about Dakota Elkins and Sookie Stackhouse that has so obviously peaked your interest." He stared her down, challenging her to speak the truth.

"Dakota Elkins? Sookie Stackhouse? I have no interest in them."

Eric hummed, bringing his hand up to his ear to feel the blood flowing out of them. It was day and vampires really weren't supposed to be awake during the day. He glanced down at Hadley, stomach almost rumbling at the thought of feeding. "And if I drink too much, well, so be it."

"Fine," she shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away from them. "so be it."

"Really?" Eric dragged the word out as he brushed away a piece of hair from the blond's face. "You've kept this one around a long time. Must be some reason for that."

"Why do you care about those girls?" Sophie-Anne demanded, jaw clenched. The queen looked like a child, pouting as if she wasn't allowed to get something she wanted. Eric thought she looked quite comical.

"Because you do." he stated. "And because my king does."

"Your king?" she mocked, rolling her eyes. "Russell Edgington is the most duplicitous vampire in the Americas, maybe the world. You honestly think you can trust him?"

"Like I can trust you?" he shot back. "The only vampire a vampire can trust is the vampire he made." 

Eric bared his fangs and sunk his teeth deep within Hadley's neck, sucking the blood from her vein. Sophie-Anne gasped, but kept her mouth shut with a glare on her face as her human cried. "Mm, mm, mm." Eric hummed, pleased at the taste of her and blood dripped from his lips. "I give her, uh, three stars." He brought his mouth back down, taking more blood. "What do you know about Dakota Elkins?"

"Nothing." Sophie-Anne said, breathing quickly from anger.

The viking tutted at her and continued to drain the blond from her life force. The two of them sunk to their knees as Hadley grew weaker, unable to hold herself up anymore.

"Please, stop." whimpered the woman. "I'll tell you."

"Hadley!" the queen ordered. "Don't!"

Northman raised his brows, drops of blood splattering on his expensive jumper. "The queen's confided in you?"

"Some," nodded Hadley weakly, and Eric could feel her heart rate slowing down from the amount of blood he had taken. The queen was panicked, not wanting her to reveal the secret she had come to figure out over the last few weeks. "but also, Dakota ... Sookie ... they're my - cousins."

"Tell me," Eric urged, lowering his head to hear her small whispers. "Tell me, tell me."

Eric furrowed his brows before raising them once more as the blond whispered into his ear. Sophie-Anne was furious as she listened. The viking glanced up at the queen, surprised expression on his face.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that."

He bit his wrist and offered it to Hadley to heal her as the queen sat in her cage, defeated.

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THERE WAS NO CLOCK TO TELL THE TIME AND SINCE DAKOTA HAD FALLEN ASLEEP SOMEWHERE DURING THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING, TOO EXHAUSTED TO KEEP HER EYES OPEN, THERE WAS NO WAY TO TELL WHAT TIME IT WAS. The house was silent, not a single creak or shuffle to be heard.

There was a tray of bread and a glass of water on her bedside table when she had woken up but she refused to touch it. If Dakota had to guess, it was late in the afternoon but she couldn't be sure from the lack of windows in the room.

Even though Eric had told her to do as they said, for her sake, she desperately wanted to get out of that room. There was no way to tell when or how he'd get her out and she wasn't sure she was willing to wait for him. 

Russell or any other vampire could stride in whenever they wanted and drain her dry, there would be nothing Eric could do to safe her in time. 

Dakota got up from the bed, making her way to the locked doors. She had listened, but not really and the walls within her mind crumbled as she focused on the outside. There was someone stationed outside and his thoughts hit her like a slap in the face. The werewolf was anything but happy with his given job.

For fucks sake, how long do I have to keep standing here? I am starving and these fangers have nothing but green leaves or blood in their fridge.

"Excuse me!" called Dakota, knocking on the door to gain his attention. The blond spotted an ash poker beside the fireplace and gripped it tightly in her hands. "I have to use the bathroom."

There was a pause before he drawled. "I'm sure you can find a bucket."

"Please," she tried, knocking again. "I can't hold it much longer. I will do anything."

"Anything?" she could hear the sly grin on his face and she grimaced. Men were so easy.

"Yes," she agreed. "anything. Please, I really need to go."

Dakota stood to the side, ready to hit him over the head when he would open the door. The ash poker was slippery from the sweat building on the palms of her hands. The lock clicked open and she watched as the door handle shook before it opened. Dakota didn't hesitate to bring the poke down on his head once he stepped foot into the room. 

The metal stuck itself into his head, blood splattered over her face and she closed her eyes to get it out of her eyes. The wet crunch almost made her gag and she let go of the poke when the werewolf fell to the carpeted floor with a thud, blood oozing from his wound.

Dakota's hands were shaking as she fled from the room and into the hallway. It was empty and she prayed to god no one had heard the commotion. This place was a maze and she had no sense of direction. 

The blond reached the end of the hallway and sighed in relief when the last rays of sun shone through the window. It would be dark soon, and she had to be out of the house before that.

"Get back here!"

Dakota let out a shriek when someone went to grab her and she ducked out of the way, running down another corridor and down the stairs toward the foyer. His footsteps were heavy as he followed behind her.

"You can't escape!" he called, amused. "The grounds are crawling with wolves. There's no way out of here."

The blond threw herself at the front doors, but they wouldn't budge. Locked. Dakota pushed herself off and made a bee line for the other room to try the windows. The breath was knocked out of her when she found herself on the marble floor, face down as someone pressed their knee into her back. Her cheek was squashed against the tiles and she felt the cut on her chin split back open.

"Bad human." hissed the vampire. 

There were now two wolves prowling at them, eyes blown wide with anger. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea and she was coming to regret it now. The vampire on top of her, unfamiliar, brushed her hair to the side and grazed his fingers over her neck.

"Don't." said one of the wolves. "Russell will have your head."

The vampire waved him off, eyes trained on the vein beneath her skin. "But she smells so good." he hummed, fangs dropping from his gums. Dakota struggled beneath his grip, but he wouldn't budge. Her hands were stuck to her sides and she couldn't move. 

"Get your filthy hands off me." she managed to get out.

"What are you going to do, huh?" he taunted, leaning in to take a whiff of her scent. "Just one taste."

Dakota cried out in pain when his fangs pierced the skin on her neck, blood dripping onto the marble floor. He gripped her arms tightly and her gaze got blurry from the tears filling her eyes. He wouldn't stop, he couldn't stop and Dakota felt dizzy, limbs going numb as he sucked her life force from her veins.

"Please ..." she breathed, eyes half lidded.

It's okay. You can come home. You'll be safe here.

The blond managed to furrow her brows at the voice and she barely registered when the vampire was knocked off of her. There was shouting behind her and crashes so loud as if the house was falling apart. Blood splattered the walls as if a new coat of paint but all she could do was close her eyes as she felt herself slip away.

"Come on, little one."

Dakota was carefully placed onto her back, head resting on a cold lap, lolling to the side. He pressed his bleeding wrist to her mouth and drops of metallic liquid fell onto her tongue, but she was tired and couldn't swallow. He tilted her head back, forcefully feeding her his blood.

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HER EYES OPENED AND SHE BLINKED AWAY THE BRIGHT RAYS OF SUN THAT SHONE INTO THE ROOM FROM THE OPEN WINDOW. The curtains swayed in the wind and a comfortable blanket of warmth set itself over her body. 

Dakota sat up quickly, hand reaching up toward her neck, feeling nothing but smooth skin. Her body was covered in pieces of lace and silk and as her bare feet touched the ground, so did the gown. It was a small room, barely decorated. It was an unfamiliar place and it was all wrong.

"I am going insane." she muttered, feeling as if she was in another dimension.

Children's laughter came from the hallway and she opened the door, peeking out of it. There were rose petals on the floor, as if guiding her to wherever she needed to go. At the end of the hall was a door and soft music came from the other side of it.

Dakota walked toward it, cautiously and went to open it, but it opened itself before she could grab the handle. There were flowers everywhere, a clearing in the middle of the forest as she stepped onto the grass barefoot. Her eyes fell onto the pond about twenty feet to her right and watched the people dance around it.

"Where am I?"

"Dakota?" The blond turned around as a young man made his way toward her, kind smile on his face. He wore white linen pants and a blouse and he too, was barefoot. "You can't stay out of trouble, can you?"

"I'm sorry," she frowned, confused. "do you know me? Who are you?"

"Come," he smiled and Dakota felt a strange sense of comfort wash over her. "I am Claude."

Dakota let herself be guided by him as he held her waist casually. It was as if she had stepped into a fairytale. There was nothing but bright smiles all around, and it was just all so beautiful. Claude handed her a glass and filled it with liquid as bright as gold.

"Drink," he instructed, and she did, trusting him fully.

"It is the most amazing thing I have ever tasted." confessed Dakota, in awe.

Claude smiled knowingly and drank from his own cup as he led her to a vine covered bench beside the pond. A girl reached the surface and when she stepped out, her dress had completely dried down.

"Okay, where did she come from?"

"Oh, don't be fooled." said Claude. "That pond is way deeper and bigger than you think."

"Can we dance?" she wondered, suddenly, enchanted by the soft music playing in the background.

"We can always dance." nodded Claude.

Dakota turned to him, smiling brightly as she said, "I knew you were going to say that."

"And I knew you were going to say that."

Claude took her hand and spun her around in a circle. Dakota laughed her heart out, twirling around on the grass. This was the most wonderful place she had ever been to. It was as if she belonged there and all thoughts of Bon Temps and vampires slipped her mind.

"You can stay here." said Claude, spinning her around the pond. "Our home is more beautiful than this, I could take you there."

"I can?" she asked, eyes wide with wonder. "How do we get there?"

"We swim, of course."

Hate deep water, mommy and daddy were killed by water. I can't.

Do not fear the water. It wasn't the water that killed them.

"What?" she frowned, halting her movements. "If it wasn't the water then what killed them?"

"It's okay, Dakota." he said, soft smile on his face. "Nothing can hurt you here. You're safe."

Dakota took a step back, confused and it suddenly felt wrong to be here. To be with these strangers. Wrong not to be at home where gran raised her and Sookie. Wrong to be in a place as unfamiliar as this and it wasn't what she wanted.

"You can go back." Claude reassured her, knowing she wasn't ready to join them yet. "You can do whatever you want, Dakota. Just know that this is a safe place and you can come back whenever you wish. You just need to ask."

"Claude," she said. "where am I? I want to go home."

a/n: i am not fond of this chapter. i have re written it three times and it just won't come out the way i want it too. excited to write the next chapters though!