CHAPTER FIFTY THREE

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         THERE WAS A CERTAIN TYPE OF GUILT WRITTEN ON HIS PALE FACE THAT DAKOTA HADN'T SEEN BEFORE. The viking and her had been sitting in the living opposite of each other on the couch, and neither of them had said anything. Dakota could feel his eyes burning holes into her skin as he looked at the side of her face.

Dakota was too angry with her cousin at the moment to even form any words. Of course, she had been wrong. Sookie didn't even know Eric and had always held such hatred for the vampire because whatever Bill thought, she thought. 

"Did I, uh, did I really do all those awful things that blonde said I did?" Eric broke the silence first as he fidgeted in his seat.

"No," she said, meeting his gaze. "you have never hurt me."

The woman blinked, thinking about the night Russell Edgington murdered her and Eric turned her into a vampire. Now, seeing him like this it was as if all her resentment had disappeared. He hadn't done it to hurt her and she understood why he did it, hell she would have done the same if the roles were reversed.

Eric had always protected her from the horrors of the outside world, in his own twisted ways. 

"Then why do you look upset?" he wondered, eyes lingering on every freckle of her face.

"I'm just tired." she muttered. 

Dakota hadn't made any progress with the witch that afternoon and after hearing her gran's warning, all she knew was that she had to get the hell out of that place. She had no idea how to get Eric back to his usual self and it made her angry. Eric didn't deserve any of this and she was hoping that Pam miraculously found another way to reserve the spell on him and on herself.

"Hey," he took her by the chin with his thumb and forefinger and made her look at him. "i'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to fight with your friends. Is there anything I can do to make it better?"

Dakota took hold of his wrist, keeping his hand exactly where he was holding her. "You didn't do anything wrong, Eric. This entire situation is just fucked up and I don't know how to fix it. How to fix what happened to you. It is making my head hurt."

"Maybe I should go." he furrowed his brows, despising himself for the way she was feeling. "Will it make your head stop hurting?"

"Stop," Dakota said firmly, shaking her head. "I don't want to you to leave."

"You don't?" a smile overtook his features.

"No, I don't." she muttered, squeezing his hand tightly. 

Eric brushed a strand of hair from her face, something he enjoyed very much and something he did a lot before he lost his memories. Dakota leaned into his touch and closed her eyes for a moment. God she had missed him and his touch and she hated for not having accepted anything from him the last year due to her own stubbornness.

"Can I please kiss you now, Dakota?"

"Yes," she breathed, nodding her head.

The viking had a small smile on his face as he leaned forward, fingers skimming through her hair as he took hold of the back of her head. He gently pulled her toward him and brushed his lips against her own in a featherlight touch. Dakota let out a soft whine and his lips turned upward as he pressed them more firmly against her own.

It had been a very long time since she felt the softness of his lips on her own and she felt stupid for denying him the past year but all that melted away when she felt the scrape of his fingernails against the back of her head.

"Come here," he murmured, both hands moved to the back of her thighs and he squeezed the flesh through her dress. He heaved her onto his lap and both her knees pressed into the pillows beside his hips, straddling him.

His lips moved down her jaw and he bit her softly, sending a jolt of pleasure through her. Dakota let out another whine and he only squeezed her skin harder. Dakota didn't even realise she had started to grind her hips down onto his until she felt Eric harden beneath the soft cotton of his shorts.  

"'This okay?" he mumbled, running his nose along the column of her throat before pressing a soft kiss there before slowly kissing his way back to her mouth.

"Eric," she gasped against his lips. The viking pulled away every so slightly, blue gaze meeting her dark one to see that her cheeks were tinted red and lips were swollen from his own. It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen and he wanted more of it. "I need you."

The vampire shut his eyes for a moment as he inhaled deeply through his nose, her scent all around him and infiltrating his senses. His hands moved from the back of her thighs and slid over her hips to her waist and he rubbed her skin through her dress, softly. 

"I'll give you whatever you want." he confessed as he pressed his lips to hers again. "You're the most beautiful thing i've ever seen."

"Only because you don't remember anything else." she muttered, pressing their chests together.

Dakota kissed him more fiercely, opening her mouth to let him in and he waisted no time in obliging her. Their kisses were messy, teeth clashing against each other as Dakota ground her hips further into his own. Eric hissed against her skin and pressed on hand against her back before twisting them around so that she was underneath him. 

Eric moved his mouth down Dakota's jaw once more and she pulled at the soft hair against the nape of his neck, moving her head back to give him more access. He hummed in approval as he licked his way down her throat and toward the valley of her breasts. He grabbed one of her breasts unapologetically and squeezed at her flesh, causing Dakota to arch her back into his front.

"More," she breathed, her free hand pulling at his shirt hurriedly and he took it off before throwing it somewhere in the room.

"As you wish, beautiful girl." 

The viking pulled at the top of her dress, freeing her bare chest to him and he shot her a quick grin before taking one of her nipples into his mouth. Despite losing his memories, Eric had not forgotten how to use his mouth and Dakota couldn't help but let out a pathetic whimper at his touch. 

Dakota hadn't had time to wrap her legs around his waist when her front door burst open, almost falling off its hinges. The woman screamed, adjusting herself as Eric's fangs slid from his gums in anger, standing over her protectively, shoulders squared. 

"Bill, what the fuck!" she screeched, eyes wide as she looked at the vampire in her living room.

Sookie rushed inside after him and grimaced at the both of them, seeing her cousin on the couch with Eric growling at them. Bill wasn't supposed to know he was there, hell, no one was supposed to know until she and Pam would know how to reverse the spell on him and deal with the Shreveport coven. Dakota just knew her cousin had rattled off to Bill and she was beyond livid.

Bill let out a snarl, directed at the viking and sped toward him with a murderous look on his face. The two of them were a blur as they fought around the living room. At one point Dakota caught a glimpse of flesh tearing but with another blink Eric had the vampire around his throat and threw Bill at the fireplace.

The younger of the two blondes was screaming at either of them to stop and before Eric could stab her boyfriend with the fireplace poke Dakota shot up and grabbed his arm, with more force than he thought she was capable off.

"Who the fuck is this vampire?" growled Eric, eyes solely on the man beneath him.

"He is your king!" seethed Sookie, eyes wide with fear.

Eric blinked, dropping the poke that fell to the hardwood floor and dented it. His fangs slid back into his gums and he carefully got to his knees with his head lowered. "My liege, forgive me."

"You have a lot of nerve." snarled Dakota, dark gaze focused on her cousin as she stood before the viking whom hadn't moved from his spot on the floor. "Get Bill out of here or I will never speak to you again."

Sookie furrowed her brows and kept her mouth shut.

"Eric is under arrest." stated Bill, getting back to his feet and adjusting his jacket neatly. 

The viking glanced up with wide eyes, slowly getting to his feet as well and tugging on the back of Dakota's dress. 

"What for?" glared Dakota, taking a step back so she was closer to Eric.

"For being a danger to the vampire community." Bill grimaced, as if he felt sorry for the two of them. "He's not like himself as Sookie said. He needs to be locked up before he does something that could get us killed."

"That's the dumbest thing i've ever heard." Dakota argued, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're not taking him. Get the fuck out of my house."

"You have no say in this, Dakota." Bill narrowed his eyes, and there was a soft noise behind him before two other vampires entered her home heavily armed. "The decision has been made. Now get out of the way, I don't want to hurt you."

"Bill?" Sookie frowned and caught her cousins livid stare. "Maybe we can talk about this?"

"It's okay." Eric muttered, stroking the skin of Dakota's arm lovingly and stepping around her to nod at the guards. "I'm ready."

"No!" Dakota tried. "This is insane."

The woman watched as Eric shot her a small smile before he was escorted from her home. Bill gave her another long stare before he walked out after them to follow to his home. Sookie was hot on his heels and all Dakota did was clench her jaw as she slammed her front door shut and caught up with them.

Bill told her to go home but she refused as she rushed after them, determined to get more answers out of the king. Oh, she was definitely going to kill her cousin for this and she was glad Sookie didn't dare to glance in her direction as they walked. 

"You have no right to do this." she argued, as they crossed the cemetery in the dark. 

"I have every right." he sneered, shooting her a warning stare. "I am his king."

"You aren't mine." she barked in anger and Bill rolled his eyes.

"Your majesty," began Eric, as they entered his mansion soon after they had crossed the cemetery. "whatever I am guilty of, Dakota had nothing to do with it. She's only protecting me. Please don't harm her in any way. I beg of you."

"How touching." mocked Bill with disgust. "Silver him."

"No! He isn't resisting, you don't have to hurt him." Dakota panicked when the guards put him in silver chains. Eric cried out in pain, eyes squeezed shut as the silver touched his alabaster skin. They began to guide him out of the foyer. "Where are you taking him?"

"Dakota, stop." Eric shook his head before he disappeared and into another room. "You don't have to do this. You have done too much for me already."

"Why would you do this?" Dakota turned to her cousin, tears brimming her eyes. "What have I ever done to you?"

"Eric is dangerous." she remarked, eyeing Bill.

"I took an oath to protect the vampires of Louisiana." Bill began, face void of emotion. "Eric is under the control of necromancers. He is a danger to everyone."

"You don't know what you're talking about it." she shot back, keeping her hardest from her fangs appearing. "He is scared and alone. His whole life has been ripped away. You don't even know him. You have always hated him."

"I want you to leave, Dakota." he hissed. "This is vampire business."

The woman knew she couldn't take on all the vampires in the home and she just had to figure something else out to get Eric free. "You have ruined everything." she said to the blonde and with a clenched jaw, another look around the room and a glare directed at her cousin, she stormed out of the house.