Disclaimer:  Down own any of it.  My world, their characters.  Capiche?

Chapters 1-7 were torn apart, then reordered.  This makes it a little hard to tell original words and what songs were used.  I am keeping the names and the songs they are from. 

Pre-Edit Count: N/A

Song: Who We Are by Imagine Dragons

It is a night that will change futures, destinies even.  However, for all of that potential, it will not prevent tragedy.  No, it will be too late for that when all is said and done, for tragedy happens no matter what.  But what love story has ever been without the trials and tribulations that the couple goes through?

This story is no different.  For the two that are destined to become everything to each other, they have no idea that it will be a night that will change their very destinies.

A tall blond man with crystal blue eyes is on his way to a meeting.  He is aggravated, not that anyone can see it by looking at him, because traffic is so bad that he decides to get out and walk to his destination.  It is times like these that he cannot wait until the Great Revelation so that he is no longer hindered by such mundane means of travel.  Or at least, not worry if his limo is stuck in the middle of a bunch of taxis.

The man, who is straightening the cufflinks on his shirt then fixes the sleeves on his jacket as he walks, has no idea that the decision to get out of the Limo is the one that changed his destiny and those that he counts as family.

Instead, completely unaware of the world-shattering change he made, he is standing at a corner watching the crosswalk sign.  He ignores the admiring glances from the females and some males in the crowd.  He is used to it being as old as he is.  One thing about this town, a man standing in a suit costing more than most people make in the crowd is not what is making people stare at him;  instead it is being his height and the sheer masculinity of his bearing.

Done with straightening his appearance to his standards, he is now looking around the dry town he finds himself in.  Not one of his favorite places to visit, but when you are sent by your Queen, you do as she wishes.  As it is, the King of Nevada, Felipe de Castro, is a slippery bastard and he, as the Queen’s representative, will have to be on top of his game when it comes to dealing with him.

Soon the walk sign flashes, and Eric Northman, known the world over as Eric the Norseman, The Viking, and The Child of Death, takes a step of the street. He catches a whiff of a scent that makes his head snap up to find it, but before he can detect it, a tiny brunette woman knocks into him.  Eric reflexively catches her, and looks down into her rich brown eyes.   That is all it takes, just a glance.  Eric is shocked as he realizes that the tales are true; that here in front of him is his mate.

That same brunette, only seconds before, was paying attention to her feet as normal.  Her natural clumsiness seems to be worse on this trip. She turned her head when Angela had said her name.  As is the norm when she is not watching her feet, she falls. Instead of hurting herself,  she is caught by some arms and brought towards a hard body.  She looks up into the man’s eyes and she feels like there is a click inside of her; that everything will finally make sense in her life, a life that took a turn for the extraordinary a few short years ago.

Thinking fast through all the options available to him, the tall Viking quickly decides on a course of action to make it possible for him to find this important being again.  Before anyone can react, Eric leans down and captures her lips.  With his action, he uses his fangs to slice her lips, barely managing not to moan at the heavenly taste of her, as he hastily slices his own tongue to make their first bond.  He will apologize later, but with all the risks that surround them, he does what little he can to make sure he will know if she is at least safe. His mate, his!

The brunette, Isabella Swan, known as Bella to everyone, can’t help but kiss back the beautiful stranger that had her in his arms, holding her against his hard body but it is softer than the formerly thought of Adonis body of Edward.  At that moment in time, with everything feeling so right in the world, she doesn’t even register the cut to her lips or the taste of the blood from either of them.  To be frank, she is too drunk on his kiss alone is enough to make her unable to think clearly.  When he releases her, capturing her eyes with his own startling blue ones, she does nothing but stupidly stare into them. With her mind making correlations about the unusual colors of his eyes, Bella barely registers the words spoken ever so softly to her.

“Meet me at the Wynn in 2 hours.  Use the password Godric, and go to the penthouse.  Wait for me there, min älskare.” With that, Eric caresses her face, giving into the need for physical touch.

Before he can leave, a tiny sprite of endless energy named Alice comes out of nowhere.  Grabbing Bella, she pulls her behind her as she asks, “What the hell are you doing kissing a stranger in the crosswalk?  What the hell would Edward think if he finds out-”  Alice’s words trail off, as she drags Bella along behind her, Bella touching her lips as she stares back at Eric.

He follows his mate, his Bella, with his eyes, narrowing them as the scent of the hyper bitch who took his mate away registers as too sweet, almost painful.  But then he is reminded of the meeting as his eyes meet the building in front of him, the current location of the King’s headquarters.  His face is soon schooled in his normal façade, hiding the scheming mind that is boiling as it comes up with plans and counter plans.  As he walks to the meeting, he casually slips his hand in his pocket, and sends off multiple texts to others, setting up plans and to let his maker know he had found The One.  Never has he been more appreciative for the invention of text messages and the ability to remember the letters assigned to each number.  It is nothing for him to use his memory to be able to hit the keys with perfect precision to send off messages without anyone knowing what he is doing in his pockets.

All too soon, he is brought to a room overlooking the strip, but thankfully, one that did not see the crosswalk he had been in.  It makes him calmer, but no less suspicious of the King of Nevada.  Felipe is ruthless, and would love to be able to hold something over Eric, especially his Mate.

Eric’s mind is turning over the facts, and is planning on how to get his mate away from what he knows are Cold Ones thanks to the tales from his Maker Godric.

Felipe watches the Northman closely, and can see that he is distracted.  Deciding to see if he can find what can distract the normally unflappable Northman so easily, he decides to make small talk.

“I am hoping that we can take care of these talks about your Queen quickly.  You are planning to open something for the Great Revelation are you not?”

Turning just the required distance, Eric’s eyes flicker to his, all thoughts hidden as he readies himself to play the game. “Yes.  I plan to take advantage of vampires being introduced to the humans by opening a club that will have vampires in it.  For a small fee, humans can come inside and play on the wild side as they call it.”

Felipe nods and watches the Viking.  It does little to surprise him that the Norseman has only moved just enough that he could not claim a breach of etiquette.  The vampire in front of Felipe has been around longer than he and his Maker.  He has no ambition, much like his Maker, and this makes the Viking not a being to be feared.  A cockroach can survive as long as he has, Felipe thinks with disgust.  No, it takes something special to be royalty.

Felipe’s critical eyes notice that although Eric moved ever so slightly to speak with him, he is still able to look out the window from the angle he is at. Felipe smiles sinisterly, ‘Something must interest him…but what?’

 “It will be interesting when the Great Revelation happens.  I hear that Sophie Ann is making her sheriffs be out in the open.  I am not sure if this is a good move.”

Eric’s mind searches for his blood.  Once he finds it, he makes sure part of him can keep track of it. He needs to remember to mention to Godric how hard it is for him to make that connection.  He wonders if the Cold Ones have something to do with it.

The other half of his mind, more than up to the task of dealing with the flamboyant and conceited king, answers.   “I  understand the thought behind it, but I wish she would allow us to pick someone to be in the public eye.  While I myself have no issue showing myself to the public, there are some vampires that are better… hidden, shall we say?”

Felipe laughs.  He nods. “Like the Berts?”

Eric chuckles with the king.  “I am not at liberty to agree or disagree, Your Majesty.”  Eric bows a little to him.

Laughing harder, Felipe nods to the older vampire.  He sighs, “It will be interesting, the Great Revelation.  I am not looking forward to giving up my harem, but… I have plans to keep some blood bags around if you know what I mean.” He grins at the man before him, thinking that he will understand.  After all, the man has been known to be what they call a man whore.

Eric nods affably, but inside is seething.  He has always hated the thought of harems, or a blood court as some call it; it is nothing less than slavery.  While he had thralls as a human, he never abused them as he hears Felipe does his harem.

Felipe walks to stand by him and gazes at the blood bags below him, each one there for him to decide their fate with a flick of his fingers. “Look at them.  They are as ants, and we are the masters.  All I have to do is indicate who I wish to have, and they will be brought to us.”

Right then is a disturbance outside, and it catches their eyes.  Felipe laughs, “Like that luscious brunette; clumsy as hell, but easily plucked from the streets.  In fact…”  He cocks his head as he looks at the brunette as she tries to stand. He licks his lips as he takes in the beauty before him and imagines himself taking her many times before draining her blood.

Before he can react anymore, he feels a blinding pain in his chest and he looks at the Northman in shock.  Eric’s fangs are dropped, his eyes dark with rage.  He snarls out, “Mine!”

Felipe tries to say something, anything, but before he can, Eric pulls the heart out of his chest. He explodes as Eric crushes the useless organ in his hand.

Eric snarls at the ex king, his eyes flashing.  The bastard had done the wrong thing by pointing out none other than his mate.  Threatened to take the one being that matters more than any other, his newly found mate, and to use her in his blood court.

Unacceptable.

He pulls his phone out of his pocket and hits speed dial.  Without waiting for the person on the other end to speak, Eric commands, “I need you here.  Nevada is mine.” Eric ends the call and then goes to hunt down any who would challenge him. No one will threaten his and live to tell it.

Final count, 2,095 words.

Fairfarren~