CHAPTER SIXTY TWO

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          DAKOTA WAS UTTERLY SPEECHLESS WHEN SHE ENTERED BILL COMPTON'S HOME A FEW HOURS LATER. The woman had slid from her bed the moment Lafayette had fallen asleep to check up on Eric Northman, but she hadn't expected to see the king's office covered in guts and limbs littered around the room.

"What the fuck happened?"

"Eh," shrugged Eric, giving her a grin that did not reach his eyes. He was covered in blood himself, as was Bill who stood silently behind his desk. "Nan Flanagan is no longer."

"You killed someone from the authority?" she demanded, knowing how royally fucked they were going to be if someone found out. "Eric you have to go into hiding. They'll kill you for this."

"They're going to kill us anyway." he sighed as he clenched his jaw. "We have to clean this up and then we'll get Pam and i'm taking us far, far away from this shit hole where no one will find us."

Bill didn't interject, seemingly thinking the same thing as the viking as he pulled out his phone. Dakota followed Eric with her eyes as he walked towards her, slowly. Dakota craned her neck to look up at him and he weaved his fingers through her sun lightened locks of hair, scratching the back of her scalp before leaning down to press his lips against her forehead.

"I'm sorry." he uttered, genuinely. "I thought we had more time before they'd come knocking."

"Fuck," Dakota closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest. 

It was impossible. One problem after the other and they just kept coming and coming. They never had any time to breathe and even if leaving had been exactly what she needed and wanted, the thought of leaving Lafayette like this hurt her a lot. Dakota was a horrible friend, but he'd live and Eric wouldn't if they didn't get the hell out of there.

"Okay," she heaved a sigh as she looked back up at the viking. "let's clean this up before the sun comes up."

Eric and Dakota vampire sped through the room, wiping down blood and guts as quickly as they could, whereas Bill had dialed his progeny. "Jessica, it's Bill. Listen, i've been called away on business for a while. Nothing to worry about." Dakota shot the king a glare as she passed him with a new bucket of water. "And hopefully it won't take more than a week or two." Eric wiped his forehead as he too, shot the man a glare at the lack of help. "Needless to say, whilst i'm gone, my palace is your palace. Within reason, of course."

"How about wrapping it up?" said Eric, as he started on the walls. "We could use a little help here."

Bill rolled his eyes and slid his mobile phone into his pockets, and joined them into speeding around the room with a bucket of soap. Dakota grimaced as she put the limbs of the dead humans that had accompanied Nan into a trash bag and pushed it against the wall. 

"We have to hurry," said Eric urgently as he took the bags from her and disappeared from sight only to reappear a second later with his hands empty. "if we're not gone by sunrise it will be our last."

"Sookie!" Bill looked up suddenly, eyes wide and he sped from the room. Eric was by Dakota's side not a second later, holding onto her arm tightly as the king screamed out in agony outside.

"They're already here." he panicked, ears straining for any sign of danger. "I'm getting you out of here, right now."

Dakota gasped as he pulled her through the open front door as fast as he could, but the woman was ripped away from him the moment they stepped foot outside. They didn't stand a chance. "Authority! Freeze!"

Eric cried out as a blanket of silver covered him from head to toe. Dakota's name escaped him like a snarl as he tried to reach for her, but two other guards had already seized her. The woman blasted one away with her hand as the other tried to silver her, but when that did nothing to her his eyes widened. Her fangs were already out and she was about to blast the other one when there was a sharp sting in her neck, the scenery before her turned blurry.

Dakota stumbled when she felt someone take hold of her shoulders and push her toward the floor. The concrete bit into her cheek harshly and she grunted, trying to fight back but slowly her vision began to fade and the cries of Eric and Bill were the last sound she heard before she went numb. 

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HER HEAD WAS THROBBING AND SHE COULD HEAR SOFT MURMURS BESIDE HER BUT NONE SEEMED TO REGISTER. They were driving and she felt nauseous from the movements of the car as it turned somewhere down an unfamiliar street. Something hard was pressed against her cheek, leather digging into her skin. 

"You're awake." It was Eric, trying to catch her gaze as she blinked her eyes open. "Now can you please get this silver off of us."

Dakota blinked at him, confused as she took in his face. The silver blanket had left marks on his skin, harsh red rashes from where it had touched him and as she looked past him she saw that Bill had suffered the same fate. The blonde was about to reach for her maker but she found that she couldn't, tied to a metal pole within the truck of the vehicle. Dakota didn't know what they had injected her with but she still felt quite hazy.

"I can't." she rasped, throat dry and hurting. "Where are we going?"

"Think they might just be bringing us in for questioning." said Bill, trying to be optimistic. "I mean wouldn't we be dead already?"

Eric scoffed as he tore his gaze away from his youngest progeny. "You ever heard of a vampire being hauled in by the Authority and then live to talk about it? Neither have I."

Bill clenched his jaw together in response as he looked through the trunk of the car. His eyes fell onto an umbrella on Dakota's other side and he tried to catch her gaze. "Can you reach that?"

The woman turned her head and barely gazed at the umbrella as it was behind her and near her feet. Dakota pulled at her restraints but they wouldn't budge so she opted for something else. Kicking out her right leg, her knee bumped Eric's but she managed to get her toes through the handle. Slowly, Dakota pulled up her leg and with a grunt, Eric managed to get a hold of it.

"Okay, good." said Bill, taking it from the viking. 

"What are you going to do with an umbrella?" 

"See that tank? I'm going to break it, then I just need some fire." asked Bill, eyes moving toward the gas tank at their feet. He pierced it with the strenght he had left and gasoline spilled over the bed of the trunk.

"You're going to blow us up?" Dakota's eyes were wide as she stared up at her maker. "We'll never survive that."

Eric furrowed his brows as he looked down at her, cheek still pressed against his shoulder. On his other side, Bill was trying to get to the lighter in his pocket. "It's going to hurt. A lot. But I promise you that we'll be fine. D'you hear me?"

As Dakota opened her mouth to get out a response, insane heat flushed over them and Eric was ripped away from her in a quick blast. Searing pain shot through her shoulder and back as she was suddenly rolling across the concrete of the street outside. Piles of debris fell around her and her hair got caught underneath one of the car doors, ripping a small piece from her skull. Then, silence.

Her eyes were wide open as she laid on her stomach, feeling blood gush down her shoulder and onto the pavement. Dust floated around her and she saw what was left of the burning vehicle to her right.

"Dakota? Dakota!" Eric was at her side in an instance, rolling her onto her back and grimacing at the piece of metal sticking from her shoulder. He didn't hesitate and pulled it out in a quick motion, grabbing her underneath her arms to sit her up as she cried out at the sudden pain. "We gotta go, come on, we gotta go."

"Fuck," she cursed, already feeling her skin start to heal as he helped her to her feet. "that fucking hurt."

"Let's go." urged Bill as he too pulled a piece of metal from his body.

Through the dust, a figure approached, holding a gun in his hands as he pointed it at the three of them. "Who wants to die first?"

Eric took a cautious step in front of his progeny but then the vampire exploded into a bloody mist and a female stood behind him, holding the broken umbrella in her hand with pieces of his heart dangling from the tip. "You, Hayes. You die first."

"Nora?" breathed Eric.

Dakota watched bewildered as the brunette vampire launched herself at Eric and attached her lips to his own in a searing kiss.

Hello loves, it's been a long while but here i am starting on season five!! Thank you for the continued support on this story it means the world to me!  This is a bit on the shorter side but the next chapters will be longer like the rest of them. love you all <3