When Erinna woke up next, she was on a bed in a house she didn't recognize, surrounded by her father, Melissa and Mara.

"Princess?" Melissa called her with a worried expression her face. Her eyes were misty and she looked just about to cry.

Erinna wanted to offer her an encouraging smile but another wave of pain hit her from the back. She arched up and cried as she rode the pain wave. This was different from anything she had ever experienced before.

At that stage in her life, Erinna was pretty much used to pain- sharp, dull and excruciating. There wasn't much about the concept of pain that still phased her; it came, it passed and she endured. This however was something else. There was nothing even slightly endurable about the pain in her back. It felt like someone was harrowing her bones, wrenching her soul, dissolving her flesh and splitting her back all at once.

Breathing was becoming difficult and she couldn't even scream anymore....only feel.

She gasped once, twice then turned and vomited all over the floor.

"Hold on honey, it'll be over soon," Mara encouraged her.

What would be over soon?

When she had finished retching all the meager contents of her lunch onto the wooden tiles, Erinna wiped her mouth, looked outside at the setting sun and locked her gaze with Mara, "Vlad," she whispered violently.

He was the only person who could help her through.

"He'll be here. It's almost sundown. Hang on," Mara patted her arm.

Erinna closed her eyes and tried to breathe, to just hold herself together until Vlad came and fixed everything.

*******

When Vlad arrived in Ellingsdale, his skin was singed and his clothes alit with tiny flames from having come out before the sun had completely gone down. Finding out the hard way that Eric had erected his barriers again did nothing to improve his mood.

He put his hands on his knees, took a deep breath and then attacked the first guard he saw. He closed his hand around the man's throat and lifted him off the ground in a chokehold he could not have escaped no matter how much he fought.

"I know the stories you have heard say otherwise but I am a very reasonable man. You answer my question and I'll make sure when I leave, your head will still be on your shoulders?"

"Y-yegh," the man gagged, the pressure Vlad had on his neck making it impossible for him to produce any coherent word.

"No, don't try to talk. Nod if we have an agreement."

The man nodded.

"Alright," Vlad released his grip on him and left him to drop to the ground, "Your king has erected the magical barriers on your castle so I can't get in and see my wife. Apart from him is there anyone else who can grant me entrance?"

"They are not in the castle. They took her to the forest," the elf said, pointing to the South of the castle.

Vlad nodded and dashed off at vampire speed. He had momentarily stopped feeling the pain when Erinna was unconscious but now she was awake and the pain she was subconsciously transmitting to him through the bond was paralyzing. Multiple times he had to stop and clench his fists to allow himself to channel it away from his body.

He wanted to stop and take the pain away but that would mean he would not be able to travel to where she was and he wanted to get there as soon as possible and deal with the problem hands on.

Erinna's scent became more pronounced as he got deeper into the forest. He followed a well-used path that cut through the thicket and led him to an abandoned looking cottage.

The energy waves he felt there let him know he had indeed reached the another one of the infamous Elven keeps that were completely inaccessible to vampires. It was not the same one Eric had stashed Erinna when she had run away from Transylvania in the first days of the relationship but they served the same purpose: to keep him out.

What games was Eric playing?

He went to the door and knocked even if the energy barrier set up there burned his knuckles and sent current through his body. He really hoped they wouldn't have to go through the games of last time but fortunately, his father-in-law had more sense this time and opened the door.

"Let me in," Vlad said, not wasting time with pleasantries.

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I know you're worried but this is Elven business."

"My wife is in pain and you dare stand there and preach to me about Elven business?"

Vlad could not believe the man's gall.

At Vlad's glare, Eric looked behind him, closed the door just as another scream came from the house and led Vlad a few feet from the door. Just then, Vlad felt sharp prodding pain in his shoulder blades. It wasn't his but rather Erinna's being transmitted to her through the bond.

"What is that?" He hissed, "Is she--" He broke off because he couldn't even bring himself to believe his suspicions were right.

It was crazy but not so unbelievable. If he looked back, the signs had always been there. Her ability to purify her aura so that it was not tainted by death or vampires, her willingness to forgive, her extensive healing abilities, her connection to animals and nature, her ability to activate dark werewolves, her ability to teleport, her ability to balance the powers that Diana had forced onto her without going over the edge or losing herself to darkness, her ability to sense the approach of supernatural beings, her empathetic nature, strong telepathic projection skills and of course, her birth given mission of undoing evil i.e. his existence.

"Yes she is and that's why you have to stay away, at least until her transformation. I think we can both agree that you are not exactly the type of person we want around during the rebirth of someone like Erinna."

Vlad glared at the man because he knew that for all intents and purposes, Eric was right. He had always known his whole life that Erinna was pure and untainted but never had he in his wildest dreams thought it was that kind of pure. If this was her awakening day, then his tainted presence would be the last thing she needed. But he couldn't just go without making sure she'd be fine first.

"Let me see her one time."

"You will but not now. As soon as she is comfortable with her new nature and her gifts, we will return her to Transylvania," Eric said.

His words were not what Vlad wanted but there was little he could do. At least he would still be connected to her through the bond. All he would need to do was go to a serene place, sit down and concentrate.

"There is something else I'll need you to do," Eric said.

"What?" Vlad asked because where Erinna was concerned, he would do anything. Hell he would rip out his very innards if it would save her a fraction of the pain she was going through.

"Leave her alone. That mindlinking or bond of yours... I'm going to need you to relinquish it for a moment."

The statement left Vlad's teeth on edge. Eric's blatant disrespect of his bond with Erinna had always annoyed him but the old man was going over the line.

"We are already mated in case you haven't noticed, elf. Erinna is in me and I am in Erinna. There is no 'relinquishing'. I cannot and will not undo what has been established."

His eyes were cold and his voice low and clipped. Those familiar with him would have realized how close they were to losing their heads, but alas, Eldroy had been born a fool and would die a fool.

"I'm not asking you to. I just need you to block it for a while or erect a barrier of some sort."

Vlad's expression immediately turned suspicious. Just what did they intend to do with his wife that they felt they needed to block from him? Erinna needed him, there was no way he was going to sever one of the most important connections of their bond.

"Why?"

"Because you're taking away her pain."

"So? What business is that of yours? It's between me and Erinna."

"Part of taking on her new form is enduring the process. Her body has to show that it can withstand the pain and that it is strong enough to contain her new powers. You taking away the pain and doing her job for her defeats the purpose."

"If you're asking me to sit by and watch whilst she suffers--"

"I'm not asking you anything," Eldrich countered, "I'm hoping as someone who claims to love my daughter, what's best for her will come forefront in your mind."

That was a low blow and the bastard knew it. Vlad loved Erinna and what that directly translated to was that he couldn't stand seeing or feeling her in pain. It was one of the worst tortures anyone could ever force on him.

But what choice did he have when it came down to her discomfit or her life? He had no experience of with those like her because as a general rule, they stayed away from him and he avoided them at all costs but if what Eric told him was true, then Erinna transforming when her body was not ready could kill her.

"She has been through enough. She doesn't need to go through this as well."

At least not whilst he lived. Erinna's life was a living hell every day and mostly it was because of him from witches attacking her, her body turning against her to werewolves kidnapping her. Was it irrational that he wanted to at least take away some of that? What Eric was asking of him was more painful that sawing off a body limb.

"I agree but this is for the best."

"There is a difference between what's best for her and what you think is best for her. She has been through enough and does not deserve to have her insides turned out like this."

The Elven king gave him a deprecating gaze that would have had lesser men cowering in shame but the concept was foreign to the Count and therefore the action wasted on him.

"Erinna is a born leader. Give her some credit. You're worried and that's normal but you can't help her at this point. She has to do this on her own."

"Unfortunately I only have your word on that."

"It's a good thing then that between us, I'm the only one who has experience with Ainur," the elf idiot said with a complacent smile that grated on Vlad's nerves. He should have killed him at Silverdale and claimed an elf had done it. As it was, he was stuck with the fleabag for all of eternity.

"How do you even know she'll turn?"

She was powerful, he knew but the if factor was too big for him to even consider the whole thing.

"Many half-breeds have turned before," Eldrich responded.

"And how many have not?" Vlad fired back.

"That is not the issue."

"It might be something you are willing to risk but I'm not. This is my wife we are talking about here."

"And my daughter. Besides, the process has already begun. There's no way of stopping it now," Eric's eyes glinted with a fire that Vlad did not appreciate.

"You made the decision for her. That's why you didn't tell her all these years what her mother was. What she is."

"Like I said, she's my daughter. I will not have her potential damped down because you feel insecure."

That's what Eric thought this was about? That he was insecure or even scared of Erinna because she was more powerful than him?

"You ignorant fool. It was her choice to make. By not telling her, you forced a transformation on her without her consent," he glared at the man before him, wishing that impaling him on his sword was an option.

A scream ripped out from the shuttered windows of the cottage and Vlad doubled over from the pain. His poor wife.

"Go help her," Vlad told Eric.

"Not before you leave."

"I will stay away but I will not ignore her if she calls for me."

"You'll have to. Unless you want her to take on powers she cannot contain and later on be consumed by them? In any case, you wouldn't be able to help her even if you wanted."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're a demon. Erinna is an Ainu. Is that an oxymoron you want to test?"

No it wasn't but how could he entrust Erinna's safety to another?

"I'll talk to her before I go."

He wanted her to know all she had to do was call for him and he would come tearing through that door, magic barrier or no magic barrier.

"Doing that will risk splitting her energy. I want all of her here, in one place. If the process happens whilst her energy is spilt because she is trying to reach out to you, it will cause her irreparable damage."

He had his differences with his father-in-law but right then, Vlad could see the man's energy was focused on Erinna's wellbeing.

"When can I see her?"

"Not for three more weeks. She'll be unstable for the coming week and then in the following, I'll find someone to initiate her into her new duties. In the third week, we'll see how she's holding up. If she's fine, you can take her home then."

"If anything happens to her, I want you to know no amount of running or begging will save you from what I'll do to you."

**********

"Vlad," Erinna cried, her voice just above her whisper as she felt her mate's presence moving away.

Where was he going?

Hope for his arrival was what had kept her holding on to her conscious as pain attacked her from all directions. She would not be able to stand it if he left.

"Shhh. It's going to be fine honey," Mara tried to comfort her but even she, sounded unsure.

Pain shot up Erinna's spine like a veld fire and exploded in her head with a blinding whiteness. It consumed, obliterating all thoughts and all feelings except the fact that she was in hell.

"W-what is h-happening to me?" She asked between labored breaths.

It felt like someone was trying to repeatedly jam daggers through her shoulder blades. Mara looked at her sympathetically and wiped her brow with a cold cloth again.

"I can't say princess, but I don't think your father has been entirely truthful to us about your heritage."

"What?" She managed to ask through dry lips.

Confusion was swirling in her mind, making the whole world seem like it was spinning.

"What you're going through is not a natural sickness or ailment. It's a transformation."

The revelation hit Erinna with the force of a thousand bricks and sunk in her stomach like wet concrete. Her heart constricted as a new raw fear formed in her chest. She had always suspected there was something about her heritage that her father was keeping from her but a transformation?

"Into what?" She asked, gritting her teeth to stop them from chattering.

Both cold and fever took over her body, making her simultaneously sweat and shiver.

Mara's lips opened then closed. Her throat bobbed in hesitation as if the words she wanted to say had gotten clogged there. Erinna knew whatever she had to say was something she did not want to believe either.

"I need to know," Erinna demanded but immediately closed her eyes.

Her body arched up as another wave of pain hit her vertebra. Mara quickly stood to her feet but Erinna gestured for her to halt. She took a deep breath and after a minute, the agony had passed.

"I have told your mate to give us time," a voice said and Erinna realized her father had returned.

"Don't send him away," she said.

Vlad would worry himself to death and he would try to take her pain away. She didn't want him to do that, he had already suffered enough on her account for a lifetime. This was her cross to bear.

Being a vampire came with weaknesses and for a strong vampire like Vlad, those weakness could be great. Pain and pleasure were equally magnified. His endurance was higher than most but that did not mean he wouldn't feel each and every bit of the pain to its last degree.

Violent pain blasted through her with terrible intensity then rippled across her back from its focal point at her shoulder blades then dulled until it was a mere throb. She had never been one to be dramatic but it felt like a little she-demon had burrowed under her skin and was viciously ripping away at her flesh, one tendon at a time. It left her nauseous again and she felt like any moment she was going to vomit again.

What form of hell was this?

*****

Vlad was met by Alexander and the guards he had sent to see to Erinna's safety as he left the Elven keep.

"I'm sorry, we went to the castle straight after sundown but she was gone. We just managed to get the location out of the guard right now," Alexander explained.

"It's alright, go home," Vlad instructed.

"But-"

"She's fine."

Alexander looked at him suspiciously but nodded.

"Are you staying behind?" He asked unsurely because he knew his maker did not make a habit of sleeping in foreign territory.

"Yes."

"Then I'll stay with you," Alexander said.

"Alexander," the Count began exasperatedly.

"Please. It's for my peace of mind."

*****

By the time the new moon had ascended into the clear sky, Vlad could not stand it anymore. He had tried every distraction but nothing could numb him against hearing Erinna scream her life out whilst there was nothing he could do. Alexander was not faring any better. His eyes were red and he had already thrown up twice.

"I know you're trying to help but she can feel you as long as you're in the kingdom," Mara came to where he was pacing a few meters away from the keep.

"How much time left?" He asked.

"She has until midnight. If she hasn't transformed by then, it'll be over."

"So if I leave Ellingsdale, she will transform?"

"It'll be easier for her. Right now she keeps counting on you to come in and save her. She has to know that she's on her own and that the only way to end the pain is to go through with the transformation."

Vlad put his fist on his forehead as he willed his thoughts to stop racing. Every cell in his body rebelled against the thought of leaving her on her own at a time like this but he would have to do it if it would make the change easier for Erinna. Already he could feel her reach out for him. Unless she centered her energy and focused on the change instead of calling for him, her pain would not end.

"Alright, I will come when it is done."

******

"Please, please father. Let me talk to him, just once," Erinna begged, tears falling down her eyes.

It was three hours ever since she had felt Vlad arrive and leave without saying a word to her. He had retreated from her mind and she could not feel his presence. She had not thought the desolation from the lack of contact with him would hit her that hard but it amplified the physical pain that was making her body convulse every other minute.

Bribing Melissa had not worked, threating Mara had not achieved anything either and her father certainly was not responding to her pleas. No one would tell her what was going on. The only thing they offered her were pitying looks and she was tired of it. She needed Vlad; he was the only one who would tell her the truth.

"You will Princess, but first you have to get through this. There are only two hours left."

"Two hours to what?" She asked but no one answered.

The pain continued to escalate until the felt her torso was going to snap into two. She cried out until her throat was raw and her voice hoarse. It felt like something was trying to burst out of her but no matter how she tried to force it out, she could not. Eventually she passed out from the pain.