Quick A/N I would like to send my deepest thanks to my beta reader Kristen for spending countless hours proof reading and correcting my work. She rocks!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters they all belong to The Casts. I am just playing around with Erik's delicious mind.

I woke up Saturday morning refreshed and relieved. As I turned over to swat the annoying alarm clock, I slowly focused on the red indentions that covered my arms as my hand slowly moved away from the clock. Upon further inspection, I was surprised to see they were already on the mend. I glanced down at my bare legs that were stretched out in front of me. They, too, were healing quite nicely. Where there were once large gashes and cuts in my skin, there now resided only deep red lines. I knew being a fledgling caused me to heal faster than a human, but seeing it first hand was really amazing.

The salve Neferet gave me last night eased the throbbing burn of each laceration allowing me to get some much-needed rest last night. With a deep breath, I recapped last night's events and shuddered. I wouldn't admit this to anyone, not even my friends, new and old. I was scared. Not just for me, but for Zoey. If she wasn't there I wasn't sure I would have stuck around. But, I did stay. I protected Heath, just like Zoey asked. Just the petrified look on his face as the ghostly shadows started to attack, devouring his blood, made another cold shiver run down my spine. No matter how much I disliked the way he talked to her, the way he touched her, or even the way he looked at her, I would never wish last night's events on him - or anyone, for that matter. It was different for me. I knew about the supernatural side of life, the mysterious, magical, and power that was to be my future. I could only imagine how scared Heath was last night, not knowing what it was that was actually attacking him. Another shudder ran through my body. I closed my eyes and cleared my thoughts. Today was about my date with Zoey and nothing else. There would be no distractions!

I ran my fingers through my hair and made my first attempt to stand. Even though Neferet's medicine took away the stinging, burning sensation from my arms and legs, they still ached with my simple movement. I crumpled back onto my bed spewing a slew of mumbled profanity. I took another deep breath and made my second attempt. I was ready for the pain this time, as I stood at the edge of my bed. If felt like every cut was reopening as my muscles fought to keep me upright. But I was standing. Ah, sweet victory!

I hesitated to take the necessary steps towards the bathroom. With one step at a time, the burning subsided. I would have to go to the infirmary to get checked out. I couldn't let the pain distract me from my date with Zoey.

After about twenty minutes of fighting with my baggiest pair of sweat pants and a loose long sleeve shirt, I made my way down to the common room. The room was buzzing with sounds of laughter and conversation that echoed down the long hallway. As I entered the room, I noticed there were a few more fledglings crowded into the large room. Everyone turned around to stare at me. A voice rose broke the uncomfortable silence, "Way to go Erik, you're the man!" And then, the entire room erupted into cheers. I smiled at their warm, exuberant greeting. If they only knew, I thought. To the left, I saw my two friends as they carried on the loudest. To my right, I saw a beaming Damien clapping with a great deal of enthusiasm. I smiled back at my new friend. I could almost hear him squeal.

I didn't say much except for the usual 'thank you', and left the dorm in pain.

An hour later, I emerged from the infirmary pain-free. I couldn't help but glance down at my watch and noticed I only had a few hours to set up for our date. It wasn't going to be a grand evening; I wanted to keep it as simple as possible. I was planning on dinner and a movie. Well, dinner and a marathon of movies, if she didn't mind. Wow, I am such a dork. I smirked at the thought.

As I entered the common room for the second time today, I plastered a smile on my face, preparing for another mêlée of enthusiasm. I was pleasantly surprised to see the only people left in the common room were TJ, Cole and Damien. Damien was dominating the conversation as he talked with his hands very dramatically. His expression was that of a five year old who just found out he was going to Disneyland for the first time. I chuckled at the thought, which made them turn my way.

"Hey man, were did you go?" TJ asked with a little concern.

"To the infirmary," I paused, and saw them each give me a once-over, so I continued before they could ask more questions. "My injuries started to hurt again, so Neferet gave me some more medicine for the pain. She also wanted to examine the wounds again." That seemed to put them at ease. Guys don't usually need the thirty-minute version of events, generally, they like it short and sweet. All except for Damien, who looked like he wanted the one-hour version.

"How are your cuts," Damien asked warily. His voice cracked with the question and I could see he was remembering last night. Another involuntary shudder ran down my spine.

"Better," I said quickly. I raised my sleeve to reveal the fading pink scars. They actually looked even better than they did this morning.

Damien's voice broke me from the distraction of my scars. "Well good! Because I think Zoey would be disappointed if you cancelled," he said perkily. I flashed him a warm smile. She was talking about me to Damien and possibly the twins. My smile grew even larger. I had an ally. It was like he was rooting for us to be together. I liked Damien even more.

"Well, I'm glad you said that, because I want to do something special for her tonight. I want it to be simple and fun, dinner and a movie," I spoke quickly, trying to hide my excitement. They weren't fooled. TJ and Cole just shook their heads at the mention of 'a movie', but Damien beamed with the idea of dinner. To tell the truth, I didn't care what I did, as long as I was doing it with Zoey.

"You are not going to make her watch Star Wars, are you?" Cole asked with a hint of a smirk that morphed into laughter.

"Yeah, we thought you were joking," TJ chimed in, laughing even harder than Cole.

I scowled at both of them and then said with a smile, "It's what got me the date, so I am going to follow through with my movie choice." Unless she wants to watch something different, I thought.

I looked over at a very puzzled Damien as he tried to understand the inside joke about Star Wars. I was glad that my new ally didn't know what a perpetual dork I was, because I was one hundred percent sure he would go and tell Zoey. I would rather she find out on her own. I suddenly remembered when I first tried to ask her out and she turned me down. I did tell her I was a dork and she laughed at me then, but she seemed not to care. I snorted. She thought it was a 'line' I used. Boy, was she wrong, I thought, it's the total opposite. I smiled at the memory when she finally said yes to me. Yes, I am a total dork.

"Alright, alright! Dinner and a movie dork-a-thon," TJ said in between his hysterical laughter. I fought the urge to smack him as he continued to laugh. I turned my attention to Damien and I tuned out my old friend's personal amusement.

"What are you doing for dinner?" Damien asked. His face lit up again at the notion of a romantic dinner.

With a shrug, I said, "I haven't the faintest idea. Do you have any suggestions?" I was now looking directly at Damien's excited grin. The grin grew larger, telling me he was the perfect person for the job.

We dove into dinner plans, locations, clothes (yeesh), and Damien's top ten dating rules and guidelines. I rolled my eyes at most of the rules and decided to omit most of them. I wasn't a complete idiot, y'know?

The movie location was being taken care of by Damien. He suggested the girl's common room, a comfort-zone for Zoey. I agreed immediately because I would do anything to make her comfortable. I wanted to prove to her I didn't think she was like Aphrodite. Dinner was to be served in the small private library in the girl's dorm as well. I thought it was odd place to have dinner but I agreed. Damien smiled and said he would take care of everything. I had faith in him.

"Oh, I didn't even tell her what time," I said looking down at my watch.

"I'll tell her to be ready in four hours. That should give her plenty of time to get ready," Damien said with a bright smile. He was truly a great person, a perfect ally, and a great friend. How did I not realize that and he lived just a few doors down? I flushed with guilt because I was so blinded by who I thought I was, and who I became, since my first days here at the House of Night. I made a mental note to make a conscious change.

He leaped up from the couch and danced away, literally danced away. I let out a soft chuckle and then turned my attention to my friends who were gaping at Damien's grand exit. I laughed even harder.

I thanked my friends for helping me plan my special date and headed upstairs. Four hours felt like a long time, but it would be worth it.

In the comfort of my room I peeled off my long sleeve shirt and examined all the pink scars that ran up each arm. Gently, I traced each line expecting to feel the stinging sensation, but instead I felt the smooth texture of new skin.

I proceeded to undress, examining all my other fading cuts and bruises. I suddenly had a thought that stopped me cold; what would've happened if Zoey hadn't cast that circle and commanded our ancestor's spirits back to where ever they belonged? Looking down at the fading scars again, I realized I would've died. I owed my life to Zoey. She had already captured my heart and my soul. My life is but a token for my High Priestess.

Four hours later I was standing outside the girl's dorm, nervous. How could I be so nervous to face just one audience, one pair of eyes, and one pair of lips? I sighed softly. Just the thought of her strawberry lips made my mouth curl up into a smile of anticipation.

I raised my fist to knock on the large wooden door. My wounds were a little lighter shade of pink and looked almost completely healed. I secretly wished I didn't let TJ, Cole, and especiallystyle-queen-Damien talk me out of a long sleeved shirt. They said it didn't matter, that chicks dig scars. I had a feeling Zoey wouldn't 'dig' my scars. Oh well. It was too late to change now; I was already here.

I heard voices coming closer to the door. A few giggles and snorts were apparent. I laughed at the obvious excitement coming from behind the door. It swung open and the blonde twin answered with a huge grin on her face. I smiled back, seriously wishing I knew which twin she was, Erin or Shaunee. God, I need to get those two straight. My wish was granted as someone yelled at the blonde, "Hey Erin, is that Erik?"

"Yeah, it is," she yelled back. She looked me over before she let me through the door. "Come on in. Zoey will be down very soon," she said with a giggle.

"Thanks Erin," I said grinning at her overly exaggerated smile. I made a mental note, Erin is the blond-hair-pale-skinned twin and Shaunee is the dark-hair-caramel-skinned twin. That was easy enough.

"Damn Erik, you look fine tonight," Shaunee said, as she, too, gave me the once-over. 'I'm not a piece of meat, ladies,' I thought to myself while rolling my eyes.

I looked around the all-too-familiar common room. It was empty? Not one female was in the large room, except for the twins. I took a deep breath and had to swallow back the lump in my throat. Now I was nervous. Leave it to Damien to make this as romantic as possible. He rocked.

I took a tentative step closer to the library doors. They were slightly open with the soft glow of candlelight dancing through, and soft music playing in the background. I winced a little at the sight; I wasn't expecting Damien's over romantic brain to create this. I was overwhelmed, but pleasantly surprised, by the simplicity of the location. Zoey deserved this type of date; she deserved someone who would take her out and show her how special she truly is. She wasn't like Aphrodite, not even close. The physical part of the relationship didn't matter. I would let her take the reigns on the physical side while I followed through with my new desire to just make her happy.

My thoughts were silenced when the twins' jumbled conversation came to a sudden halt. I slowly turned from the flickering flames and found what had quieted their banter. Zoey!

She was walking slowly towards me, hand fidgeting in front of her nervously. I could definitely relate. She looked amazing. Her rich brown hair was filled with large, shiny curls that fell down her back, leaving a few strands to frame her newly marked face. Her warm hazel eyes intensified as they burned into mine. I felt my heart leap when she curled her lips up into a bright smile. I returned the smile with a great deal of excitement. I held her gaze a little longer as she started to blush and look down at her intertwined fingers. I took that brief moment to finish my ogling. She was wearing a long sleeve deep purple v-neck sweater that fit her just right, slightly fitted and definitely not like Aphrodite. My eyes continued down to her still fidgeting hands, which naturally brought my full attention to the skirt she was wearing. It was just a simple black pleated skirt that hit just above the knee, showing off her amazing legs. My mind briefly flashed to the dream I had the other night. My breathing hitched at the thought of touching her legs. I quickly shook the thought out of my head. Not tonight.

I glanced further down to notice her ballet flats, which were so Zoey. I returned my eyes back to hers to see she was still blushing. She looked absolutely breathtaking.

When she was about halfway to me, I finally found the strength in my numb legs to meet her. Her eyes never left mine and neither did our silly grins. It makes me happy that she was just as nervous as I was (and just as excited as well). My smile grew as the gap between us closed. I inhaled a deep breath and her amazing scent assailed me. Ah, Lavender and Jasmine.

"You look beautiful," I said. 'Amazing…. hot…. sexy,' I continued in my head, wishing I could say them aloud; but knew they would only make her turn a lovelier shade of red. I opened my mouth and quickly closed it. Chicken.

"Thank you," she said timidly, pulling on the hem of her purple sweater. She was making me nervous with the fidgeting. Without thinking I plucked her hand from sweater, hoping this was acceptable first-date move. I didn't care; I just wanted and needed to hold her hand.

She smiled down at our hands and seemed to relax with my touch. I relaxed as well as I gave her hand a light squeeze.

"You ready for dinner?" I asked with a crooked smile. I was starving!

She didn't say anything but nodded a 'yes'. As I gently pulled her hand into the romantic, Damien-approved library, she lit up with surprise as she took in the changed room. Apparently, she wasn't allowed to see Damien's creation earlier. I laughed at her expression because it mirrored mine just a few minutes ago.

Her head snapped in my direction giving me a confused look. Did she think I did all this?

"Is something wrong?" I asked trying to contain my laughter.

"I just… didn't expect this," she said a little softer. Her eyes bored into mine.

I gave her a small reassuring smile and said, "Well, as much as I would love to take some credit for all of this; everything was masterminded by Damien." My eyes surveyed the room, the candles, music, and the quiet privacy. I met her eyes again and I continued, "He even told me what to wear." I waved at my Damien-approved outfit. Yes, my shoes even matched. She let out the cutest little laugh. I rolled my eyes, thinking, 'if she only knew what he wanted to do to my hair.' But I had to draw the line somewhere.

"Me too! He and the twins picked out this outfit. The only decision I got to make was regarding my shoes, thank god." She laughed again. "It was a choice between these and three-inch, peek-a-boo stilettos courtesy of Erin." Zoey in heels, now that would of done me in. I smiled and shook my head again; I certainly owed Damien and the twins for tonight.

I walked her to her seat and pulled out the chair. She sat down quickly and started to fidget again. I could feel her watching me as I walked to the other side of the small table.

"So, what are we having for dinner?" she asked with another smile.

I had a sudden brain fart; I forgot what we (by we, I mean Damien) planned for dinner. I shrugged my shoulders as I sat down and admitted, "I don't know." As if someone was listening, the doors cautiously opened. It was Damien (big surprise) and he was pulling a silver cart behind him. His eyes grew wide with excitement at the sight of Zoey and me sitting in his idea of The Perfect Romantic Dinner.

I couldn't help but thank him silently with a smile and a wink. I swear if he could have done a back flip he would have. With a giddy giggle, he said in his most snooty butler voice, "Dinner is served."

He placed a covered dish in front of Zoey first, and then in front of me. Then, in a grand gesture he lifted both lids at the same time as if to reveal a magic trick. 'Ta-da!'popped into my head. I let out a small chuckle and looked at Zoey just in time to see that she was laughing too.

Damien was reveling in the glory of the perfect dinner choice, Chicken Alfredo, my personal favorite. He placed two drinks on the table, iced tea for me, and brown pop for Zoey. Brown pop? Zoey's eyes darted to the can of soda. She immediately snatched it up and took a rather large gulp. The girl likes brown pop, apparently. I laughed softly at the sight of her downing the drink. I could almost see her crushing it on the top of her head as if she just won a beer-drinking contest. I've tried the can-crushing thing; it hurts. A rather loud laugh busted from my mouth; which immediately caught her attention. She sheepishly lowered the can of pop and proceeded to turn as red as the can. I couldn't help laughing at her; she made it too easy for me.

"Enjoy," Damien's snooty butler voice announced as he literally backed away from the table with a towel wrapped around his forearm. With an appreciative glance around, he took a last look at his masterpiece and closed the door, giving us total privacy. We exchanged looks and broke out in a fit of laughter.

When the laughter subsided, I relished the fact that we were alone at last. The soft violin music played in the background while the candles gave off a warm glow. I reached my hand across the table and grazed the top of her hand, itching to just touch her. Her skin was silky soft and warm under my fingers tips. It only made me want to touch her more. I pulled back and picked up my fork, hating my stomach for growling in hungry protest at the delay in food intake.

I inhaled deeply, taking in the delicious scents of Chicken Alfredo. I could feel her watching me as I forked the noodles into my mouth. I glanced up to see that she was watching me eat. As soon as I met her gaze she quickly mimicked my actions and started eating. I flashed a smile and shoved another forkful of noodles in my mouth.

We talked about everything. And when I mean everything, I mean everything. Her favorite subject was always her grandmother. She told me she owns and works on a Lavender farm, which explains why Zoey always smells like Lavender. She mentioned that she was part Cherokee and that her grandmother's tribe lived here in Tulsa. She spoke about her with great pride and love. She also told me about her parents and how they reacted to her being marked. Her whole demeanor was different as she spoke about her parents; she was very precise as she mentioned that her mom was remarried to some religious nut job. I wanted to change the subject; I hated to see her upset, so we discussed lighter topics. I asked her about her hobbies, likes, dislikes, her favorite color, her favorite class in school, her least favorite class, favorite food, and once I touched on her boyfriends. I regretted asking when she told me her and Heath had a history that went back to elementary school. Unlike my track history that I kept mostly to myself, Aphrodite was the longest relationship that I had, and that wasn't saying much for my character.

The subject then turned to me. I was put in the hot seat as she asked question after question. We dove into my likes, dislikes, my acting career, school, my family, and my ex-girlfriends. I knew I would regret asking her about Heath! I gave her a shorter list than the one in my head. I didn't want her to think I was a complete man-whore.

As I all but licked my plate clean, I knew it was now time for the movie. Damien, TJ, and Cole all collaborated in setting up the library with a TV and DVD player in the far corner of the room with a small love seat just in front of it. They were allowing us to have complete privacy for our movie. Again, I owed my friends big time for tonight. I was thinking about watching the movie in the common room, but was reminded that we would have no privacy when all the girls came back in after dinner. I smiled at the thought; I would have Zoey all to myself.

She looked up at me and noticed me grinning.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing…."

"So…what's next on the agenda?" she asked with a smile. As if she didn't know.

"A movie."

She lowered her head in thought while she daintily chewed her bottom lip; no doubt she was thumbing through move titles wondering which one we were about to watch. Something flashed in her eyes that changed her expression. Her face broke into a huge smile as she met my eyes.

"Star Wars," she said, smiling bigger.

"You guessed it."

Without another word I stood up and glided over to her side. I offered her my hand and assisted her to her feet. She smiled at my gentlemanly gesture. I pulled her a little closer to me breathing in her heavenly scent. I so wanted to kiss her at that moment but decided now was not the time. While I could resist the desire to kiss her, touching was another subject. I leaned into her shiny curls and whispered in her ear, "I told you I was a dork." I felt, rather than heard, her giggle as she pressed closer to me. I led her over to the couch to start my favorite part of the date.

We sat down and got comfortable for the movie. At first she was on the far end of the couch and I was at the other end. 'That won't do,' I thought. I wanted her next to me, at the very least. If I couldn't kiss her, yet, I wanted to wrap my arm around her.

As the movie started with its signature opening credits, I took the opportunity to scoot closer to her side. With the crooked smile I knew she liked, I leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Come over here," I said pulling her the rest of the way towards me. I quickly and smoothly wrapped my arm around her body so that her head rested on my shoulder. We both shifted into the new, quite comfortable, position and let out a sigh as we both started to relax.

I could feel her take a deep breath as she completely relaxed into my side. I mimicked her by nuzzling my nose into her shiny curls and breathed in her amazing scent once more, loving how it relaxed me. Unconsciously, I kissed her lightly on the top of her head. It was enough to cause her to stiffen for just a moment and then relaxed with another deep breath. I couldn't help it. I kissed her again.

My thumb started to caress her arm gently as I considered apologizing to her. Then, as I thought about it, I figured she would tell me I crossed some 'Aphrodite' line or something like that.

My other arm was comfortably resting in my lap when I felt a light tug. I looked down to see Zoey was gently pulling my arm in between our laps. It confused me as to why she wanted to hold that hand but I didn't question it. I felt her fingers lightly skim over my newly faded scars. It was an amazing sensation. Her fingers were leaving a hot trail as they traced each scar. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling as she grazed each line.

I felt her breathing change. It became slow, almost sad. I opened my eyes. I lifted my hand from hers to pull up her chin to me. I had to see her face, mostly her eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked bringing my eyebrows together with concern.

She stared into my eyes for a moment and then spoke.

"I am so sorry, Erik. I caused these," she said sadly taking my hand back into hers.

I couldn't believe she was blaming herself for what Aphrodite did by brining the spirits to an unprotected circle.

"Don't be sorry, it wasn't your fault. You did nothing wrong. Just like Neferet said, it was Aphrodite's fault, not yours."

She looked down once more and traced each scar and started to shake her head. She never lifted her fingers as she spoke softly, "I know that it wasn't my fault for the ghosts, but it was my fault for Heath being there. If I didn't taste his blood and start to imprint with him he wouldn't have come looking for me and you wouldn't be hurt." She finished with a sad sigh but continued to trace each line.

I hated that she was beating herself up over this. After all, she was the one who saved me. I owed her my life. It was she who cast the circle that sent them away, it was she who showed immense strength against such evil, and it was her friends who stood beside Zoey as they supported her.

"Z, I could have died if you didn't cast that circle. Heath and I would have both died. I owe you my life. These scars will heal." I took my hand out of hers again and brought it to her chin, once again raising her head so that I could look into her eyes. I saw sadness and regret. I wasn't going to have that.

"No more sadness. I'm a fast healer." I removed my hand from her chin and caressed her cheek, brushing it gently. I slowly bent down closer to her face. I lightly grazed her lips with mine, tasting her delicious strawberry lip-gloss. She tasted so good. I leaned in and kissed her again, this time a little stronger. She moved with my lips as I took her top lip into my mouth and gently sucked on it. I could feel her doing the same thing to my bottom lip. It felt remarkable. I suddenly wanted her bottom lip. I released her top lip and moved down to suck on the bottom, which was definitely my favorite.

Her hand rested on my chest. I pulled away slightly opening my mouth and grazing her bottom lip with my tongue. I let out a soft moan at the explosion of strawberries. I moved the hand that rested on her cheek and slid it behind her neck. I pulled her gently back to my lips, kissing her softy once again. I parted my lips begging her to do the same. She answered my prayers and opened her mouth and touched my tongue with her own. A warm sensation ran through my body begging for more. I brought her tongue into my mouth massaging it gently. I leaned in further, deepening the kiss, pushing my tongue deeper into her mouth. She let out a soft moan as I dominated the kiss. She reached up, up to my neck, and buried her hands in my hair, pulling me closer.

I responded by pulling her even closer. She turned to face me, causing my hand to fall from her shoulder down her back. Her body was crushed against mine. We were both gasping for air. She pulled away from me, clearly out of breath, while I continued to trace kisses on her delicate face. My lips grazed her crescent moon tattoo, gliding along her temple; tracing the intricate design to her beautiful cheekbones with my warm lips.

I could feel her hot breath as she panted against my neck. I returned to her mouth and kissed her fervently. This time, she dominated the kiss, causing me to moan.

My hands inched lower down her back and pressed her into my body. Could she sense what she was doing to me? I know I could and it was growing with each passionate kiss.

I broke away from the kiss so I could finally catch my breath. I rested my forehead on hers as I panted against her lips, while the scent of strawberries filled the warm air around us. She tugged on my hair and pulled my head back.

To my surprise, she gently placed her warm lips against my neck. Her lips lingered at the base of my neck before slowly drawing further up my neck, planting gentle kisses. Each time she moved, I leaned my head back further, giving her better access. I was savoring the effect she was having on me.

She was just below my earlobe, my most sensitive spot, giving it a gentle kiss. I could feel her hot breath as she opened her mouth and grazed that vulnerable spot with her tongue. I groaned so fucking loud. My breath hitched as she did it again. I groaned louder. Was she torturing me on purpose? I felt her smile against my skin. She was fucking smiling, as her teeth grazed my skin. She actually bit me. I groaned again. I was done. I was so hard that if she didn't stop soon I was going to explode.

I pressed her into me and moved against her hips to show her of exactly what she was doing to me. It was my way of telling her she was stepping over her own 'Aphrodite' line.

She pulled back immediately and gazed in my eyes. I brought my hand up to caress her cheek. She no longer looked sad, just the opposite, she looked elated.

"Are you ready to watch the movie now?" I asked gazing into her eyes.

She was silent for a moment before she spoke. "Yes, I'm ready." She gave me a warm smile.

She nestled back into my shoulder and we resumed our comfortable positions. I felt her sigh into my chest. I gave her a gentle squeeze and kissed the top of her head.

It was a night to remember.

__________________________________________________________________________

Thanks to everyone for reading my story and reviewing..... reviews make me happy.

__________________________________________________________________________

Another A/N: I am posting the next story... Erik's PoV in Betrayed.. If you haven't added me to your author alert.. Please do. I don't want you to miss out on the next story. Or you can go to my profile for the next story there.