Erinna was sitting on the bed with her back against the headboard and a book in her hands when Vlad came into their bedroom. Before she could react, he flopped onto the bed, his head landing on her lap with practiced accuracy. He took her hand and put it in his hair in the wordless signal he usually used to indicate that he wanted a head massage. But no. That was not going to happen, not after what he had done.

"Vlad-" She began, trying to push his head away from her thighs.

"I apologized."

Erinna froze, something in his tone making her pause. There was some raw, undefined emotion in his voice and it sent chills down her back. A master at suppressing his true feelings, it was rare to see Vlad bared and vulnerable. Whatever their argument and his faults, the last thing he needed right then was for her to push him away.

Erinna set her book aside and put both hands in his hair, combing her fingers through the thick, glorious mane. His body relaxed, some of the tension leaving as he gave himself to the work of her hands on his scalp. Like his familiar, the man was a whore for head massages. But this was more than him wanting to have his hair touched.

"Vlad, are you okay?" She asked softly after working on his head for a while.

His heads which were wrapped around her waist, tightened their grip, tension coming back into his body. Had Alexander refused his apology? Despite claiming that he needed no friends, Vlad would be hurt if he pushed his friendship with Alexander over the edge into unsalvageable territory.

"Why don't you listen to me, Erinna?"

His words took her aback and her hands stilled in his hair.

"What do you mean?" She asked cautiously.

"Alexander is easy. If he disobeys me, I can punish him until he curses the day he ever met me. But you were not raised on punishment. You don't understand it and the last time I hurt you, it felt like my heart was being raked over hot coals. I would die before I hurt a hair on your head again. But h-how do I make you listen to me?"

Erinna's heart lurched when his voice broke, the pain in his voice rushing into her through the bond.

"I am listening. Talk to me."

"No, you're not listening. You never do. I tell you I don't want you to waste time on this curse but you go behind my back and do it anyway. I tell you not to be reckless but you go to a voodoo warlock and hand him your blood. Tell you to drop this but you go and see a dragon. I tell you I love you and-"

His voice broke and Erinna's heart with it. Her throat clogged with emotion and tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision. She had never wanted to cause Vlad this much pain, had promised herself that she would not be one of those who had hurt him. Tears fell down her face into his hair.

"I didn't do it to hurt you, Vlad, I swear. And I listen when you tell me that you love me, never doubt that please. I know you love me."

"No, I don't think you do. I try to tell you sometimes but even I can't find the words to encompass what I feel when it comes to you."

Damned this stupid curse, Vlad hated feeling this vulnerable. It brought home just how fleeting and ephemeral life was. He had thought his was eternal at some point and lived it recklessly, knowing each day would come with a new chance. There was no guarantee though that he would be there the next day and he would not be able to stand it if Erinna did not truly understand the murky depths she had raised him from.

"You don't need words, Vlad. You have shown me every day. You always put me first, you protect me, you open yourself up to me and show me the real you, you allow me to be myself, with you I can be weak and imperfect because I know you won't judge me for it, you're always there for me, you waited for me for four thousand years, you were patient with me and didn't let me turn my back on what we have between us, you have shown me joy and pleasure than I could have ever have imagined, with you I feel more alive, you are always there to fight my demons and all that haunts me. There is so much blood on your hands, blood that you spilled to keep me safe. How can I not know that you love me, Vlad?"

Her words brought him some peace. At least he had done one thing right in his life.

"I want to do more for you, give you more than I have. My life before you were born was hell and purgatory in itself. Looking back now, I don't even remember half of it. The darkness around me was so much that I didn't realize it when it ceased to surround me and became me. I couldn't stand it, I told you that and so many times I tried to end it but no matter what I did, there was no reprieve. The nights of chaos, loneliness and violence bled into years and the only single ray that kept me going was the hope that someday you would be born. I told myself I didn't believe Aurora's prophecy but deep down I always hoped, always prayed that the one who was meant to be mine would come. When Diana cursed me to die at your hand, it was one of the best bittersweet moments of my life because it at least confirmed that I indeed had a mate. Even though our days would be numbered, it didn't matter because for a few weeks, months or years, I would have someone who belonged to me. Someone I could belong to. Do you understand that, angel?"

Erinna traced the line of his jaw with her thumb, profound sadness coming over her countenance.

"If I'd been born earlier, you'd never have had to be alone for so long."

"I can't be in the position to look a gift horse in the mouth. They gave you to me and for me that's more than I could ever say I deserve."

"You deserve all the good things in the world, Vlad. I'm not sure I'm one of them, but I want to deserve you."

When Erinna tipped her head up, Vlad met her lips with his own. He kissed her slowly, savoring her taste, made sweeter by her unreserved love. She was too good for him.

"Being here with you like this, looking into your eyes and seeing you look at me like I'm your world...it's more than I ever dared to hope for. And now you carry my mark and my child. Do you see why I can't be greedy now? Half of what I have been given, I don't even deserve. I can't afford to ask for more."

"Then let me ask because I don't just want you for tomorrow, Vlad. I want you forever."

Her tears broke him. Why wouldn't she listen to him?

"I've done terrible things, Erinna. Things that have hurt a lot of people. Those things don't just go away. If by some unheard of miracle you manage to break this curse, the universe will find some way to exert its punishment. I'd rather it be on me and not you or the baby."

"It will be on me, Vlad. It is by my hand that you will die." She wiped away her tears with the palm of her right hand.

Vlad lifted his head from her lap and sat cross-legged, facing her, an angry expression on his face.

"Whatever happens will not be your fault. You hear me?"

Erinna wiped her tears away then pushed him back on the bed and crawled over him to sit astride his hips. She wore a determined visage that he had come to love and hate as she looked at him. Vlad knew that whatever he had said had gone in one head and come out through the other. That was the way Erinna was with things she didn't like.

If it was another subject, he would have been flattered by the fact that she loved him enough to think that she could save him from the consequences of his own actions. He might have even cheered her for her gall but this was a dangerous path and he wished she could appreciate that. The search would consume her. Every dead end and shattered hope would dim that light he so loved in her that much more. The sinkhole of depression would drag her under and the easy joy and happiness she had now would become a thing of the past.

Given a choice between a possible way out of his curse and enjoying a limited number of months or years with Erinna, Vlad would always choose the latter. He would rather appreciate what he had than waste time on what might never be.

"I have listened to you and I've heard everything I've always known. You are strong and honorable. I love that you want to make up for what you have done in the past and that you want to save me the disappointment of failure. But that same honor and love you have for me, don't you think I have even a fraction of it for you too? If the roles were reversed, you would not give up on me Vlad. When I died, you dragged me back from the very depths of hell itself. Is it difficult to imagine I would do the same for you?"

Her words floored him, making Vlad cast his gaze down. Could it be that he was the one who had not been listening?

"I don't want to see you hurt."

She took his hand and kissed the knuckles.

"Your death would hurt me so much more. That's why I have been doing this, despite knowing how much it would upset you. I can live with you hating me for a little while because I know it won't be forever. Your heart is too big for that. What I can't live with is you dying or knowing that it will be by my hand. Don't make me go through that, Vlad, please. I just- I can't-"

Vlad pulled her down, wrapping his arms tightly around her. He nuzzled his face in her hair, allowing her what little comfort he could give as he thought of what to do next.

"Shh." He whispered, rubbing circles on her back as she cried.

He hated seeing her so upset. In refusing for her to pursue the curse, he had hoped to save her from the pain disappointment and that of the Curse of the Union but it seemed she was getting hurt anyway.

"Tell me what you have found out so far."

Erinna stilled against him. Then she was wiping her tears and nodding before she launched herself at him. She kissed him roughly and clumsily Their tongues and teeth clashed but it was the best kiss he had ever received. Not just because of his wife's adorable passion but because it communicated the bridging of this gap that had developed between them.

As he reacquainted himself with her, both physically and emotionally, getting to know what was his again, Erinna passed her memories of the last days to him. When she was done, Vlad didn't stop kissing her. His hands moved to her soft thighs, sneaking under her dress to touch and knead the lush flesh there. He was ravenous for her.

"Let's not fight again." He said, untying the loose strings of her dress.

Erinna nodded continuously, pulling the dress of her head. She immediately went back to kiss him but suddenly winced.

"What is it?" Vlad immediately sat up to see if she was fine.

She sat with him, her hand going to her stomach, an uncomfortable expression on her face. Was the baby coming? Vlad fought down his panic.

"I don't know. Just some pain. I think I got kicked in my liver or something." She chuckled.

"Are you sure? We could call the midwife."

The woman had been moved into the castle and came every five days to check up on her.

"I saw her yesterday. Everything is fine."

She went back to kissing him and Vlad forgot everything. The only thing that existed was him, his wife and this incredible love that they had been between them. The rest of the world didn't matter.

The sun came up and went down but they didn't leave the bed. Leila brought meals for Erinna, giving Vlad disapproving glances each time but he didn't care. There was no way he was letting her go.

He spent the evening his wife, taking pleasure in each other's bodies until whatever distance had developed between them was gone. When they finally passed out, she was saturated in his scent, her skin marked by his bites and touch and other, more undisclosed parts of her remembering exactly who owned her.

"It's not just me getting disappointed that you fear, is it? There is something else that worries you," Erinna said as they were going to sleep, tracing his lip with her finger.

Vlad looked aside, not wanting his eyes to betray his fear.

"Please tell me, Vlad."

If he wanted honesty, he might as well lead with it.

"If you break the curse then I will live long enough to hurt you."

"I don't understand." Erinna's brow bunched up in confusion.

"You said it yourself, Damien and Illindra-"

"We are not them," Erinna interrupted him. "There is not saying that this would affect us the same way."

"There's no saying it won't."

No there wasn't. The way they argued was especially worrying.

"Let's take one day at a time. Last year we never thought we would ever be free from Diana but look where we are now. We are so close. We will deal with my ancestors when and if the time comes. One step at a time okay?"

"Okay." Vlad kissed her, sealing their new agreement with passion.

They slept throughout the day with Vlad intermittently waking his wife to bury himself inside her lush body and veins. At sundown, he woke her up again with kisses that quickly led to a lovely evening.

He collapsed beside her, as exhausted as a vampire could be but strangely refreshed too. He had never felt more alive. His veins coursed with new power and the inert energy from Erinna's blood.

"Let's get you showered and in the kitchen for breakfast. I think if Leila comes back in here, it would be with a club to beat me to death," he said.

"I don't want to go out of this room ever again," she said, nestling closer to him.

"Tempting. But as a certain elf told me, we have a curse to break." Vlad said, smacking his wife's delicious rump.

******************

After spending two days cooped up with Vlad in their own blissful bubble, Erinna was reluctant to return to the world, but Vlad was right, they had no time to waste. Part of her still could not believe that they were finally on the same page.

The changes in Vlad were visible, even though he might not be aware of it. His eyes never lied to her and in them, she could see hope there. Hope that she prayed that she never shattered. She was going to do whatever was in her power to preserve that precious gift that he had given her.

Vlad was obviously still feeling touchy-feely after their two day marathon of exploring each other's body because their shower took one hour instead of two. Leila was happy when they finally made it to the kitchen but after ten minutes, she left because it became clear that Vlad was not done with reassuring himself that things were fine between them again. Not that Erinna was complaining.

She chuckled as he swiped the dishes to the side and placed her on the kitchen counter. She opened her legs and arms and he stepped between, kissing her slowly and lovingly. There was no hurry or urgent need, just sweet appreciation. Erinna kissed him back, luxuriating in the feel of his mouth and hands on her. Her hands went in his hair as he kissed down her body but stopped him when he began lifting her dress.

"The guards-" She began.

She would die if one of them walked in and saw her in such a position.

"They won't come in."

He was right, so Erinna nodded her head for him to continue. With the exception of Leila, no one had ever really walked in on them before. The vampires knew not to come close when they heard suspicious sounds and humans were mostly asleep when Vlad and Erinna were awake.

Erinna laid her head back on the table and gave herself to the maelstrom of emotion and delicious sensations that Vlad was working out of her body. She lost herself, enjoying every touch and bite until-

"What are you doing?"

Lierian's tone suggested that she had been standing at the door for a long time watching Erinna laid out open on the kitchen table whilst Vlad did unmentionable things to her. Erinna squeaked and tied to push Vlad away. He didn't move so much as an inch but allowed her to close her thighs and push down her dress.

"Your presence is becoming more of a nuisance in this castle." Vlad said in a clipped tone.

"You knew I was there. And if you didn't want to be seen, why are you doing it in the kitchen?"

"Perhaps because everyone in this castle knows to mind their own business." Vlad said, his brow knitted.

A fact that had made them both relax too much.

But Lierian was right, there was no way Vlad could not have heard her coming in. Even with the distraction, his hearing was unparalleled, meaning that this was just another one of his posturing tactics with Lierian. Not that there was any need to prove to Lierian that Erinna belonged to him. The girl had eyes for Chase but Vlad still had not forgiven her for kissing Erinna and their unnecessary rivalry would be funny if not exasperating.

"Was that more kissing? I thought it was only for the mouth?" Lierian asked Erinna who was doing her best to hide behind Vlad and wishing she would just die to escape this level of humiliation.

"You don't know what kissing is?" Vlad cocked his head back in surprise.

"Of course I do." Lierian scoffed, lifting her head superiorly. "I did it to Chase but he didn't seem to like it very much. He bit me." She scowled as if she could not understand why Chase would bite her for kissing him. Erinna covered her lips with her hand to hold back her giggles.

"And that reaction puzzles you?" Vlad lifted an eyebrow, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Lierian unfortunately fell into the trap, not seeing his mockery for what it was.

"Of course. I did it like you did with the princess. She seemed to like it. Why doesn't Chase like it?"

Erinna forced her laughter away, then forced a serious expression on her face before she peeked at Lierian from behind Vlad.

"Maybe slow down a bit?" She suggested to her over amorous kinswoman. "Everything is still new to him and he needs time to get to know you."

"There is your advice. Now leave, not all of us have dysfunctional relationships." Vlad said and turned back to Erinna.

Erinna opened her mouth to protest when he brought his mouth to hers but he used the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. Only when Lierian's footsteps had faded did he let her go. Erinna could not believe it.

"Are you jealous of Lierian?" She asked.

It was the only explanation for that little display. A four year old would have shown more maturity.

"Does it look like I want to sleep with Chase?" Vlad scowled, pretending to misunderstand her.

"You knew when she came in but you still continued."

Why?

"It's my castle. I wasn't aware I needed to hide from anyone."

Erinna sighed and put her arms around his waist, pulling him between her legs again.

"You don't need to prove anything. The kiss was a mistake; she doesn't like me like that."

"Which is why she's still alive." He leaned down and bit her jaw gently.

"You are jealous."

"No, I'm not."

"Because it's for the weak?" She laughed, quoting one of his statements for him.

"And insecure."

"Right." She laughed.

He withdrew and moved his thumb to trace her lips.

"These are mine and it infuriates me when everyone thinks they can just touch you, especially with my mark on your neck."

"She didn't know."

"Damon knew."

Ah. Erinna should have filtered her memories before she sent them to him. Her conversations with Deacon were guaranteed to add fire to Vlad's loathing for the elf.

"He apologized."

"Words. He will pay in blood."

Erinna sighed, getting down from the table. She did not want to see who else could walk in on them.

"Where are you going? We aren't done."