I knew that Eric wanted to kill Bill. We argued about it all the time. Honestly, I was starting to hate Bill myself. He had certainly put me in danger by delivering me to the queen. And don't get me started about the whole deception/seduction crap. Okay, so he's a big fat jerk. But still, I didn't want him dead. I couldn't imagine being able to live with myself if I allowed Eric to kill him. I'm just not that kind of person. Maybe that makes me a crappy vampire, I don't know. Maybe I'm supposed to be all okay with killing now, but I'm just not.

In a way, it was kind of good that I was so mad at Eric about it because that's what we used in training. Eric was trying to get me to learn to control my stunning. Most of the time, I found that I couldn't stop it, but then one time I actually did. Just as my vision began to cloud, I tried raising my telepathy shields, and suddenly my vision was restored and the stun was stopped. I was so proud of myself, but then the next time I tried it, Eric was out like a light and I was a failure again. We continued my training and the second time I was able to stop the stun, Eric praised me. But then again, the following training sessions ended in his keeling right over and I was frustrated all over again. Epic kept encouraging me, but I wondered whether or not I'd ever be able to consistently control my new little gift.

The night I woke alone, I just knew that Eric was with Bill. He had been unusually quiet on the topic the night before and that made me suspicious. So when I called Pam and she told me that he wasn't at the bar, I knew where to look next. I drove like a…well, like Eric all the way to Bon Temps and when I got to Bill's I both heard and felt the battle behind his house. I ran through the forest and came upon the two of them just as Eric was advancing on Bill. They were both covered in blood and I felt Eric's bloodlust rise to a fevered pitch as he raised his sword for the final blow. I had a flash of thought that Eric had promised not to do this and I saw red. I tried to stop it, but I failed and in the seconds I was still blinded I heard Eric's body hit the ground with a thud. A wave of dread hit me when I realized what I had done.

When I regained my sight, Bill was standing over Eric's body just looking down at him. I trusted that Bill would never take advantage of the situation and actually kill Eric until he looked back at me and I saw the evil smile behind his eyes. My temper flared again when I realized that Bill would kill Eric as he lay helpless on the ground. My vision began to change and I concentrated with all my might to try and raise my shields. The red receded and I could see clearly again. Bill realized that I had not stunned him, of course, but I'm not sure if he knew that I had stopped it on purpose. He looked pleased with me and himself as he spoke. "That's my girl." He turned back to Eric and raised his sword, lining it up over Eric's neck.

With vampire speed, I scanned the forest floor at my feet, picked up a fallen branch and snapped it to make a pointed end. The sound distracted Bill for an instant and he looked at me just as I stepped up and sunk it into his heart. There was no shock in his eyes. They immediately went flat and the blood poured from his mouth, spewing all over my hand and arm and Eric's body on the ground. Bill's body collapsed and turned to black goo before vanishing into a wisp of smoke. I was left looking down at a blackened patch of leaves beside his bloodied sword. I spoke to the ground. "I'm not your girl."

I sat down and watched Eric lying still. Tiny criss-cross burns on his face were healing and a gash on his chest was closing as I watched. I was overwhelmed with mixed emotions—guilt for stunning Eric, fear for his life, gratitude that he was still okay. Surprisingly, I felt nothing for Bill but relief that he was gone. I could have stunned Bill and prevented further bloodshed, but when I saw in his eyes his intent to kill a defenseless Eric, I knew that I wanted to stop the stun. I wanted to kill him myself and watch the life go from his eyes as he knew that I was the one who ended him.

I had argued to Eric many times that of all the things that Bill had done to me, none warranted his death. But when I saw that Bill was capable and willing to kill Eric, I wanted nothing more than to see him die. Maybe that was my new vampire bloodlust. Or maybe it was just a woman defending the life of the man she loves. I don't know.

Eric stirred and stood quickly with his sword raised. He looked down at Bill's sword by the black patch of leaves and then to me. I couldn't read his face or his emotions. I bowed my head and said, "Forgive me, Master." I saw his sword fall by his feet and he reached down and picked me up and stood me before him. His placed his finger under my chin and lifted my face until my eyes met his.

"There is nothing to forgive, my love." His lips gently pressed into mine and he pulled back to look into my eyes. His glowed with intense pride as he declared, "You are mine." And indeed, I am.

XXX

A/N: Please enjoy the next story in this series, The Rhodes Less Traveled.