And then came Oz...

After I was rescued by Memphis and Murphy, I was on edge. Scared of my shadow and constantly flinching when something startled me. I kept my house and shop under spell lockdown and compulsively looked behind me. I didn't sleep, and I didn't eat, and all the while I didn't hear from Severus. Not for the days of my imprisonment, and not for a week after.

So when I arrived home one night, and found a man in my living room... I panicked. Instead of handling it, I froze. He was a short man, pudgy all over, but with kind eyes. Though I didn't trust him, I let him speak. He told me he was a gift to me, from Minias. One who was a pet for me to test my magic on. The idea was appalling. How could Minias own living beings? The man, who was named Oswald, said Minias owned his entire family, for generations, because of a deal his ancestor had made. It disturbed me on many levels. Oswald was a shifter, but cursed to only shift into small animals. Rodents. And his previous owner had been a chef. An awful chef, who forced Oswald to create recipes for him, making him rich beyond his greatest desires. I took pity on Oswald, whom I called Ozzy, or Oz, and let him have one of the apartments above the charm shop, furnishing it and paying him for and work he did for me.

Minias sending me Oz was the greatest gift anyone could have given me. He became my best friend, second only to Memphis, with his easy going manner, witty humor, and inappropriate yet funny jokes. I started to depend on him, especially after Severus disappeared. The day Oz came into my life was the day Severus checked out of it, and with the hole Sev gave me, Ozzy filled.

On the night I finally let Severus go, Oz and I went to Vegas, and the poor guy sang karaoke with me. Together, we belted out some hardcore angry or sad songs. Afterward we drank the night away and got a room at Treasure Island, though, of course, nothing happened. But the next morning, Oz had changed. Physically he looked younger, thinner and... hot. After reconstructing the events, I found Minias was behind Oz's transformation, so him and I planned a trip into the Ever After...

Worthless...

It wasn't long after my trip from the Ever After that I was contacted by the Magister in Greece by way of letter. She informed me that Emanuel had died and I was to return to Greece and resume my place at the throne! Whirlwind of emotions went through me. I was angry that Emanuel had never made our divorce final, and upset that he'd met his final death. Though I felt no love for him any longer, I didn't wish him dead. But the most prevalent emotion I felt was disbelief that I was still considered the vampire Queen of Greece, when I no longer was a vampire.

I had planned on telling Severus about the letter on the day it came, but after he planned a romantic dinner on the roof, I chickened out. The evening was too perfect, and the setting too beautiful to waste on just disappointing news. So I kept it in. Then, when I went home the next day, I was attacked, kidnapped, knocked out and dragged off to a warehouse in Greece. I was awoken by a hideous vampire named Aniketos, and his magister, Malina. Bound by chains and sunk in a tank of water with only my head above it, I was helpless. Without a connection to the earth, I could not tap into a ley line. For three days...three long horrible days, Aniketos and Malina did unspeakable things to me. Tortured me, drank from me, beat me within an inch of my life, then forced me to drink Aniketos blood to heal, and bond me to him. Their plan was to force me to marry him, turn me back into a vampire, and then give him the title of King of Greece. I thought I would die. I begged to die. I wanted nothing more than each blow to the head, each bite to the neck, each broken bone, to just kill me. I cried for Memphis, and I cried for Severus... Three days I was tortured. On the night of the third day, Malina brought to me my sister, Kristin. Finally, I was broken. I bowed to them, letting them do what they wanted without fight. Malina performed the marriage ceremony in front of the vampires of Greece in the caste, and I was dragged away into my old bedroom I shared with Emanuel, prepared to be turned into a vampire, again.

And then it was as if my prayers had been answered. Memphis and Murphy teleported in, freeing me of my chains. Together, we staked Aniketos and Malina, and I pronounced Murphy King of Greece. He had saved my life, and Greece needed a ruler, so I saw him fit for the job. Memphis and I returned home, leaving Murphy in the castle.

His reign was short-lived however because no more than a day later, Emanuel returned to Greece, from an extended vacation. It seemed Aniketos and Malina were not prepared for this. Emanuel usurped Murphy, throwing him out of the castle. My torture, my pain, was for nothing...

Hate me...

I have to block out thoughts of you so I don't lose my head
They crawl in like a cockroach leaving babies in my bed
Dropping little reels of tape to remind me that I'm alone
Playing movies in my head that make a porno feel like home
There's a burning in my pride, a nervous bleeding in my brain
An ounce of peace is all I want for you. Will you never call again?
And will you never say that you love me just to put it in my face?
And will you never try to reach me? It is I that wanted space

Hate me today
Hate me tomorrow
Hate me so you can finally see what's good for you

I'm sober now for 3 whole months it's one accomplishment that you helped me with
The one thing that always tore us apart is the one thing I won't touch again
In a sick way I want to thank you for holding my head up late at night
While I was busy waging wars on myself, you were trying to stop the fight
You never doubted my warped opinions on things like suicidal hate
You made me compliment myself when it was way too hard to take
So I'll drive so fucking far away that I never cross your mind
And do whatever it takes in your heart to leave me behind

Hate me today
Hate me tomorrow
Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you

Hate me in ways
Yeah ways hard to swallow
Hate me so you can finally see what's good for you

And with a sad heart I say bye to you and wave
Kicking shadows on the street for every mistake that I had made
And like a baby boy I never was a man
Until I saw your blue eyes crying and I held your face in my hand
And then I fell down yelling "make it go away!"
Just make a smile come back and shine just like it used to be
And then she whispered "How can you do this to me?"

Hate me today
Hate me tomorrow
Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you

Hate me in ways
Yeah ways hard to swallow
Hate me so you can finally see what's good for you