CHAPTER NINETEEN

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          SLEEPING THROUGH THE DAY WASN'T SOMETHING DAKOTA NORMALLY DID, BUT LATELY SHE WAS BEGINNING TO ROYALLY SCREW UP HER SLEEP SCHEDULE BECAUSE OF ERIC NORTHMAN. Knocking on her suite door had woken her up an hour prior and she found the vampire already waltzing into her room before she even had the chance to get up from her bed and open it herself.

"Get ready," he had said, glancing around her room with interest. "we leave in fifteen minutes."

"Good morning," she muttered to which he send her a sly grin. "or evening."

"Did you want me to bring you breakfast in bed?"

"Get out of my room."

And now, sixty minutes later she stood beside the tall viking in a beautiful home on the outskirts of Dallas, soft white light looming over their figures from the chandelier above. The two vampires that resided there were called Isabel and Stan, the latter not being very kind to either of them as he scoffed. 

"You should have told me Eric hired a fucking human, Isabel." he accused, turning toward the woman with a look of disdain. He wore a cowboy hat, put had taken it off when he stepped in the room, eyes moving over their two guests. "I could smell her the moment she got out of the car."

"Excuse me," Dakota grumbled, feeling uncomfortable as he looked her up and down.

"You've been on your own for days, Stan." Isabel turned to him, arms crossed as she shook her head. Her was coming free from her bun, but she didn't seem to notice it. "That's why I couldn't tell you."

Eric let out a huff as he paced around the grand room, disappearing from Dakota's side. "Are you sure Godric was abducted by The Fellowship of the Sun?"

"Yes." "No."

Isabel rolled her eyes at the taller vampire beside her as he said, "They're the only ones with the organisation and manpower. It's them."

"But they're amateurs." Isabel said gruffly, disagreeing with Stan aloud. "It doesn't make any sense. This is Godric we're talking about, two-thousand years old."

Dakota quirked a brow at this, thinking Eric had been old.

Isabel had been kind when she had introduced herself about twenty minutes ago, Stan had not when he sauntered into the room moments ago. Eric never liked him and was ready to tear his throat out, but decided against it for everyone's sake.

"Old don't make you smart." Stan barked, turning away from the three of them with a shake of his head.

"If they got him, i'll hear it." Dakota informed, trying to ease the tension in the room.

"Can you read my mind?" Isabel wondered, turning to face the blond with curiosity. "Or hear it? Whatever it is you do."

"No," Dakota confessed. "it doesn't work on vampires."

"Fairytales," Stan huffed, turning back to face them with determination. "We need to go all out. Full-out attack. Exterminate them like the vermin they are, leave no trace."

"Hm," Isabel hummed before narrowing her eyes at him. "vampire-hating church annihilated. Wonder who did it. Fucking brilliant."

"So what," Stan scoffed. "The great revelation is the biggest mistake we ever made."

"Don't use Godric to make your own little power play." Isabel snapped.

Dakota flinched when a vase flew passed her frame and hit the other side of the white walls, glass shattering on the floor below. Water dripped down the cement as Eric fumed, "You're completely incompetent! What happened to Godric that he surrounds himself with clowns?"

"We invited you as a courtesy." Isabel turned her anger to him. "This is not your territory. You have no voice here, Northman."

"Yeah, Sheriff." mocked Stan, gauging to get a reaction out of him. "Why don't you run back down to Louisana. We don't need you or your human."

Eric narrowed his eyes, standing up straight as he said, "Oh, i'm not going anywhere."

"What we need is a plan." Dakota interjected, knowing that if they'd continue down this road someone was going to get hurt, and that is not what she wanted.

"I have a plan." Stan said.

"It's not a plan it's a movie." Isabel commented.

"It's not a movie," Stan drawled. "it's a war."

Dakota's eyes moved to her right when Eric shook his head and stalked out of the room, muttering them to be idiots, leaving her with the two unknown vampires. He was really angry, and Dakota hadn't seen him like that before.

"Yeah, leave, Northman." Stan huffed out a humourless laugh. "We take them all out at once. Pre-emptive strike."

"Of course," Isabel said, continuing their argument as Dakota stood there awkwardly not knowing if she should follow after the viking or stand her ground. "so the federal government can bomb us back into the middle ages."

"Things were better then."

"Then go to Romania and live in a cave, you ranchero poser."

"Jesus Christ!" Eric raged as he sauntered back into the room. "Godric has protected you, made you rich and you stand here spitting and scratching like infants."

"Don't any of you care there's a traitor in your midst?" asked Dakota, leaning against the back of the couch.

"No," "Impossible."

"Someone tried to kidnap me from the airport." Dakota confessed. "Eric said you're the only ones who knew I was coming."

"She's right." Eric said, blue eyes moving toward her face for a moment before back to the two vampires. "Explain."

"Unless it was you." both Isabel and Stan said at the same time.

"Look, if you'll keep arguing i'll fall asleep or start screaming," Dakota snapped, not being able to hear their voices for much longer. "so this is what we're gonna do. I'll infiltrate The Fellowship of the Sun."

"What?" Eric turned to her, brow raised.

"You glamoured the kidnapper," she said, moving her body so she could look at him better. "no one there knows who I am. I'll pretend I want to join the church, and check out all their thoughts. It's easy."

Eric's first instinct was to say no when Dakota told them of her plan. It was a bad idea. He wasn't able to protect her during the day, she'd be completely defenceless and that bothered him, more than he'd like to admit. But the thought of Godric being there and wanting to save his maker was stronger so he kept his mouth shut.

"Waste of time," Stan sighed, pulling a cowboy hat over his face as he stalked off. "when we could drink them all. I want no part in this."

"There's no easier way to find out if they're involved?" Isabel wondered.

"If it leads us to Godric, we'll do it." Eric said this while looking at the blonde beside him. "The decision is made."

"You won't be alone." Isabel said as she gave Dakota a kind smile. "My human, Hugo. He'll go with you. It'll be safer that way."

hi everyone, i want to thank everyone for the comments and votes on this story so far, it means a lot to me and i am so excited to continue and write more chapters for you. this one felt a bit rushed but i currently have covid and i have massive brain fog and it is difficult for me to think straight but i wanted to write a chapter for you so here it is. had to get the dialogue out of the way anyways, so excited for next chapters at the church!! xx lottie