After saying the Elvish funeral rights, Erinna turned to Vlad, wanting him to take away the pain and sorrow. They were supposed to be fighting after their argument that evening but right then she just needed him and thank heavens he didn't question her.

He took her in his arms and kissed her as she had wished he would from the last time they had separated. He gave her everything, his love, his pain and gratitude. Neither of them was strong at that moment but in each other's arms they found comfort.

"I don't know what I'm going to do without her," he admittet to her.

Words of comfort sprang to her lips but Erinna swallowed them. Vlad deserved to grieve his mother without any false platitudes from her. It was for that same reason that she swallowed her own guilt and made sure Vlad did not feel it. It hurt her that Miya was in this position because of her but that guilt was going to be hers to keep. She had to be strong for Vlad.

"Is there anything you need, Vlad? What can I do to make this better for you, angel?" She asked him as they stood there.

Vlad shook his head at her offer and the gesture only broke her heart more. How was she going to help him when he was trying to be so strong?

"I never told her I cared for her."

"She knew, Vlad." Erinna told him, taking his hand in hers.

"How? I never said anything."

"It's like you and Shadow. He pretends to hate everyone but you know he loves you."

Maybe it was not the best analogy but it was the best she could come up with on the spot. Unfortunately Vlad did not agree.

"It's not pretending, trust me," he scoffed, "Shadow does hate everyone."

"Okay, bad example. How about Alex, do you believe he loves you?"

"Yes."

"Has he ever told you?"

"No but it's not the same. Alex can't talk."

"Alright, Alexander then."

"Alexander loves everybody."

"That's not true. He admires you and you know it. Just like Miya knew you loved her. You have nothing to feel guilty for, Vlad."

He was silent for a while, digesting her words. After a few minutes, he dropped his head, joining their foreheads as his hands on her hips pulled them closer together.

"I made you cry this evening."

Erinna shook her head, how could she be angry when he was dealing with something this big?

"I cry all the time, remember?" She laughed wanting to cheer him up but even she could not classify the broken sound that left her lips as anything cheerful.

"Not like that. I know it feels like I'm shutting you out right now, but a lot of things happened when you were with your people and I was trying to work through them before I came to you."

She raised her hands to his cheeks.

"Vlad I did not sign up for happy times only when I agreed to marry you. Those dark times? These are them and I want to be there for you. God knows you have done it for me a thousand times."

He shook his head.

"I don't want to bring my messes into our marriage."

"I understand if you need space here and then but you can't ice me out and you can't block our bond."

He nodded his head continuously as she talked, "I'm sorry."

"Me too."

"Not just for keeping you out this morning but for what I said earlier."

"Me too."

"You didn't say anything."

"I called you a bastard," Erinna reminded him.

"You and half of the people who know me," he smiled ruefully.

"They don't know you, though. I had no excuse. I should have found a better way to vent my anger."

"Something tells me we both need to work on that."

"We do, don't we? Are you still angry at me about Miya?" She asked tentatively.

Vlad cocked his head back, "Why would I be angry at you about Miya?"

"Because I'm the one who caused her death and I didn't even tell you she was living her last days. Lisa told me and I shouldn't have kept it from you but...I'm sorry Vlad," she trailed off helplessly.

Miya had asked her to keep the secret but she should have forced her to tell Vlad the truth.

"You were completely justified in not coming back to Ellingsdale after my Awakening."

"Wait...what? You think I didn't come for you because you didn't tell me Miya was going to die? And what's that nonsense about you causing Miya's death? You gave her more time and I know she was happy about that."

"So you were not angry? Why didn't you come back then? And why did you shut our bond?" Erinna frowned in confusion.

Vlad lifted his hand and traced her bottom lip with her thumb. His eyes were sparkling with banked energy and the intensity she had come to miss as he looked at her.

"I did feel betrayed for a moment but, angel nothing would ever keep me away from you, certainly not that. When I had calmed down, I knew you had done it for a reason. That's why you were so adamant about going to Ellingsdale, wasn't it? You wanted me to spend more time with Miya."

"Yes, but I don't understand, Vlad. If you were not angry with me, then why..."

Vlad closed his eyes and looked away from her. The pain she had seen in the dark depths of the black eyes that she loved so much, momentarily floored Erinna and she almost rocked back on her feet. The bond finally wide open and all his feelings jabbed into her. Erinna closed her own eyes and cupped his jaw, needing something to ground her as she allowed his pain to become her own.

"I didn't want to tell you this when we woke up and I still don't. You have already lost too much because of me and should be allowed to keep at least one thing."

"Shh," Erinna immediately put her finger on his lips to shut him up.

She bit her lip for a long time as she tried to control herself because whoever had done this to Vlad was going to die. But she needed their name first so she fought with everything in her not to morph into the fiery mindless form that she detested but needed then.

"Who?" She finally asked when she was sure she would not spontaneously burst into a fireball.

"When I came to Ellingsdale, your father convinced me to mute our bond because it was hindering your transformation. I didn't like it but I didn't want to take the risk and I knew whatever his issues with me, he would always protect you."

"My father?"

The man that she shared blood with, the man who had sired her, that was the man who had hurt Vlad?

Erinna took a step back but Vlad continued as if she had not spoken.

"I came home because it was sending me out of my mind to hear you scream and not being able to do anything about it. When I arrived in Transylvania, it got worse. Miya was dead and you were not here—it just felt like everything was falling apart. I tried to keep myself together so that you would at least finish the transformation but I couldn't. I kept thinking something would happen and Eric would continue trying to force you to morph and I wouldn't be there to do stop it."

He speared his hand through his hear, tugging the roots savagely as he relived the pain he had suffered through her transformation.

"So you came back," Erinna whispered quietly.

"Transformations are painful I know but not like that. Maybe I am the reason you didn't turn after all and you can hate me for that but I would rather you not have wings than for you to be dead."

His love for her staggered her. She knew Vlad would never have been able to see her in pain and his protectiveness over her made all her love for him bubble up from all the fountains inside her. How could everyone be so wrong about this man? Her father had not cared about anything except making her turn. Only Vlad had thought of how much of a toll it had been taking her. Only he had noticed that something was wrong with the transformation and only he had cared enough to save her.

"I think this was so important to my father because it's his last link to my mother. It's the only thing he has left of her."

"Not worth your life," Vlad shook his head.

"I'm not defending him. Thank you for coming back for me. What happened when you arrived? Did you try to take the pain away? Is that how you got hurt? Did he send you away?"

Vlad laughed, the sound coming out dry and sarcastic. It sent chills of dread down Erinna's spine.

"I never got that far. When I arrived at the border and tried to cross into Ellingsdale, I was hit by an energy blast more powerful than anything I have ever felt."

"He put a barrier for you?"

"Yes, but it was nothing like the usual barriers he puts to toy with me. This was a killing blow. He intended to end me and would probably have succeeded if not for the pesky immortality thing Enai saddled me with."

Vlad was still talking but Erinna was no longer hearing anything. She was not even aware she had started walking until she was hauled into a rock hard chest. She struggled, anger burning in her veins. She had forgiven her father for his suspicions on her unborn child but there was no justifying this.

What he had done was unforgivable. It was pure evil and not the way of the elves at all. How could someone related to her be capable of such hatred? And this had not been a crime towards a random person, he had known what Vlad meant to her, how much she loved him, yet he had still gone on and tried to kill him.

"Vlad, let me go!" She fought him, kicking her legs but he did not loosen his grip.

"So you can do what? Shout at your father and regret it for the rest of your life?"

"Shout at him? Vlad, I'm going to kill him! That evil, cruel, selfish, unfeeling, self-serving, uncaring, cold-hearted-"

"And that's exactly why you're going nowhere. Calm down before you set this whole forest on fire," he said into her ear, his breath tickling her.

It was then Erinna realized that her skin was on flames. She didn't care about the damn forest but she cared about Vlad and didn't want him burned so she tried to control herself. But all she saw and felt was the pain that Vlad had gone through at the hands of her father. A loud, tortured scream left her lungs and she finally managed to tear away from Vlad with a strength that surprised her.

"Erinna!"

She heard him but she couldn't heed his call.

I'm sorry.

She ran as fast as she could. She was unaware of her surroundings, unaware of where she was going. All she knew was that she wanted to get her hands on Eric and make him suffer as he had made Vlad suffer.

"Oomp."

Vlad had done his teleporting thing and Erinna in her haste to get to Eric had ran straight into his chest. She stumbled and would have fallen down but his hand wrapped around her waist and steadied her.

She raised her eyes to his and was surprised to see he was not angry. There was only worry in his eyes.

"You'll regret this when you're calm, don't do it, angel."

Instead of answering, Erinna lifted her lips to his and kissed him. He froze for a few seconds and then he was kissing her back. She kept the kiss at a dizzying, intoxicatingly slow pace that strained both their patience.

As she kissed him, she felt Vlad lower down his guard and she took advantage of the moment. She mentally reached into his head and stimulated the sleep centers in his brain, allowing the hormones that would send him straight to slumber to flow more rapidly.

He broke the kiss and stumbled back, a look of confusion on his face.

"I feel..."

He gripped his head as his eyes fought the oncoming lethargy. Erinna knew he wouldn't win and she stepped back when the confusion in his eyes turned to suspicion.

"What did you do to me?" His voice had none of the venom it would have had had he been in control of all his senses.

His eyes became unfocused and he stumbled. Erinna moved behind him and lowered him to the ground when his legs gave way. Vlad was no lightweight and the exercise left her decidedly winded.

The only thing left was deciding what to do with his body. He was not someone to leave out in the open when he was vulnerable. He had too many enemies, none who would hesitate to exact a little revenge if they found him incapacitated. And after what had happened to him at the hands of her father, she was not going to risk him anymore.

'Alexander,' she called her friend telepathically.

Vlad had forbidden their telepathic communication but this was going to have to be an exception.

'I hate you I swear, I already have 620 pending lashes.'

'I'll have 300 removed for you,' she said hoping it would not be a lie.

Vlad was hard to talk or guilt out of anything but then again, he rarely said no to her and if he did, she now knew which bribes worked best with him.

'Okay talk. I'm listening.'

'Vlad fell asleep in the forest, I need you to come and get him. Are you free?'

'Why can't you just wake him up yourself? It's not like he's a heavy sleeper.'

'Just come get him, Alexander.'

She sent him the location then ended the conversation before he could ask her more incriminating questions.

Guilt at her deception wrought her as she concealed Vlad's body in a bush but she told herself it was for the greater good.

With that task done, she telerported to the border, then to the valley. Without a horse, it would take her ages to cross the valley. If only she could teleport out of the valley but being the place that Vlad had killed Enai, it was magically neutral. The only solution was walking.

Or running.

She did not have much time since she could not count on Vlad sleeping for hours so to make the best out of it, she lifted her skirts and ran across the rough terrain. Remnants from their wedding night still remained: decorations, liquor bottles and other evidence of the excesses people had partaken in.

After hours, she was finally out of the valley and headed towards the Elvish boarder. Excitement made her quicken her step but she stopped short when she got to the boarder. There was a lone figure waiting for her and she did not need to get closer to the person to know who it was.

Vlad.

How- what- when all flitted through her mind but because she could not focus on one question, she just ended up gaping at him like a fish, feeling like the rug had just been pulled from right underneath her feet.

"Good journey?" He asked.

His eyes were so cold and the emotionless voice he used on her momentarily quelled the fire of revenge burning in her chest.

"Vlad-"

"If you ever pull something like that again, I'll beat you black and blue, I don't care what I promised at our wedding."

He wouldn't, she knew but with the cold look he had in his eyes, she wouldn't put anything past him at that moment.

How had he even gotten there before her? She had left him sleeping. He should not have woken up until she was at least on her way back. Alexander. It had to be him, the slimy little traitor.

But she was not going to back down, this was her fight. She had failed to protect Vlad the first time, she was not going to do it a second time. So she straightened her spine and lifted her chin, her own eyes chilled as they met his.

"Go home, Vlad."

Her calmness destroyed his cool facade and rage pooled into his eyes, making them bleed over.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You can't do this! You were barely coherent after Silvercrest. Is that what you want again?"

Erinna shut her ears to his words and looked past him. Since she was outside the valley, all she had to do was walk one thousand meters and she would be inside Ellingsdale and once she was in Ellingsdale she would be able to teleport to the castle.

But there was no getting past the vampire before her so she teleported to the very edge of Ellingsdale. Something stopped her before she walked right in. There was a force field of energy, more like remnants however. It had already been shattered and only the shadow of the malevolent energy remained.

How had she not noticed this before?

This must have been what had hurt Vlad. But it did not make sense. Her father as the king, had the power to set up energy barriers around the territory to protect them but this was nothing like her father's energy.

The work was familiar but also new. She could have almost sworn it was Angelica or Edward's work but it couldn't be. Keepers could only use their power to protect the one they were born to protect. Unless they had thought in killing Vlad they would be protecting her?

Or maybe her father had told them to do it? But this was different energy than the one she was used to receiving from them. They had put wards around both the keeps Erinna had stayed in in Ellingsdale, the first one on the night Vlad had come to take her back after her escape and the second one during the night of her transformation. They had also warded the tower she had grown up in but she had never sensed this evil in all their work.

This was darker and much much more intricate. It was the energy of an expert. Obviously Angelica and Edward were more powerful than they had let on. And to think she had let them under the same roof as Vlad.

Had all this been part of their plan and if it had, did it mean Deacon had also been part of it? It made her feel foolish for falling for his friendly mask but above all, it made her angry. Someone had taken great care in laying a trap for her mate and they were going to pay.

Eyes burning with rage and body trembling with a visceral need for violence, she took a step towards the boarder but was suddenly picked up and thrown over a powerful shoulder.

"Vlad what are you doing?" She screamed, her vision suddenly upside down.

"You've had your fun. It's close to dawn and I want to go to sleep."

"Let me down, damn you!"

She screamed and kicked at him but Vlad kept walking, dragging her back to the valley against her will. She had to do something before he had her where she would be completely at his mercy. In the valley without her powers, Vlad would have the advantage of size.

Erinna tried to teleport but the atoms of her body remained stuck in place, the air around her in a magic bubble that would not let her leave.

"Vlad, damn you! I need to do this!"

She yelled and threatened him and when it did not work, she begged and tried to bribe him but of course that also failed to work. He carried her struggling body out of the valley and teleported them to the boat.

The moment he set her on her feet, Erinna opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind but he threw her right over the deck into the cold slicing waters of the ocean. Erinna tried to scream at him but water filled her mouth. Her anger was forgotten as she fought to stay afloat.

The water felt like sharp teethed creatures stripping her of her flesh. She was so cold and when she resurfaced, she was spluttering, her hair in her face.

"Are you calm now?" He asked, looking down at her from the boat.

If looks could kill, Vlad would be ash right then.

"You think this will stop me?" She scoffed.

"As hot as it is to see you avenging me, angel and as much as I want to kill that bastard, he's still your father and you're going to regret this when you're calm."

"He's no relation of mine."

Whatever kinship they had shared, it had ended the moment Eric had deigned to lay hands on Vlad.

"Be that as it may, I made you a promise in Silvercrest."