AN: This is for the Weekly One-Shot Challenge (See thread in Sookieverse forum)
Theme: Inside every small problem is a large problem struggling to get out." (Anonymous)
Thanks to Birdie for letting me use the name Havoc. :-)
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Bad Luck Knows No Bounds
You know the old saying, when one door closes, another one opens? Why is it, when that other door opens for me, it seems like something worse is waiting just behind it? Mind you, I'm not eliciting a pity party, but come on. Couldn't my life just have one good door in it? To put you in the right frame of mind as I say this, I'm currently lying in a hospital bed with IVs sticking out of me. How did I get here? Well, let me take you back to earlier this evening.
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I had just finished my shift at Merlotte's. I was working the afternoon to early evening shift, but stayed to help out since Holly was running late. I finally left at about six o'clock, and man, were my dogs barking.
I said goodbye to Sam and trudged into his office to grab my coat and purse. I had already broken two glasses and a bottle of beer today, and I can't tell you how many times I dropped my order pad. That should have clued me in on how the rest of my evening was going to go. I pushed open the employee door and slipped on the first step, twisting my left ankle. I went down like a bag of wet cement.
I made some kind of noise and grabbed hold of the railing to prevent myself from crashing down on the other steps and injuring myself further. Instead, I plopped down on my butt and winced, my face contorting from the pain.
It had rained during the day and the steps were very wet. It didn't even dawn on me that I should be careful; I just wanted to get to my car so bad. Thankfully, no one heard me, because I would have been completely embarrassed at my predicament.
The smart thing would have been to call out to someone or use my cell phone to call Sam in the bar to come help me. But no, that's not me. I was stubborn and willful and whatever else you want to call me.
I puffed my cheeks and blew a stream of air out slowly. Using the railing with my right hand, I managed to pull myself up and steady myself on my right foot. Once I got my bearings, I hobbled over the graveled parking lot to my car.
I was fiddling with my keys, trying to steady myself and open the door, when they fell out of my hand and landed just under the car. I sighed heavily. I was just not going to get out of here that easily. I held onto the handle of the car and bent down to fish for the keys.
"Ouch," I said to no one in particular. My hand had hit a sharp piece of gravel, but hey, at least I grasped my keys. Unfortunately, on the way back up I hit my head on the car door handle.
"Aww, come on!" Could this night get any worse?
I managed to get my clumsy self into the car and felt such relief to be sitting there, even if my body didn't feel relief. In just a matter of minutes, I had a twisted ankle, a cut on my hand, and a bump on my head, and all I could think of was when did my life take a horrible turn for the worse?
It had all started with a case of the dropsies earlier this week, and gotten progressively worse as the week went on. I had never felt so accident prone in my life. But this...this was the final straw…or so I thought.
At this point, all I wanted to do was go home and soak in a nice hot bath. Oh yeah, that sounded really good right about now.
I turned the key in the ignition and heard the wrrrrrr of the engine…but nothing happened. I tried again with the same effect.
I threw my hands up in the air in frustration and fought back the tears. I wasn't going to give anyone, let alone me, the satisfaction of breaking down.
I looked up to the sky and shouted, "Please!"
With one last try, I turned the key and the car engine sputtered and roared to life. Whew! I shifted into drive and got the hell out of there. I was on my way home, and my salvation was at hand in the form of a big tub of hot water. Silly me, what was I thinking.
I had just turned onto Hummingbird Road, and letting my mind wander to other more relaxing things, when a deer jumped out of nowhere. It managed to jump onto and over the hood of the car, which shook me from my reverie. I swerved on instinct and the front of my car introduced itself to a huge oak tree on the side of the road.
The airbag deployed, but not before both the windshield and some of the other windows shattered, leaving cuts and pieces of glass all over me. I sat back and laughed hysterically. I don't know why, it just seemed right at the time.
Something wet was sliding down the side of my face and I reached up to touch it. Pulling back my fingers, I had sticky red stuff on them, and I knew I had a big gash on my forehead. Once I calmed down, my right hand patted around for my purse and yanked out my cell phone, calling 9-1-1 for an ambulance. I must have passed out before they even got to me.
So that's where I am now. Lying here feeling rather stupid and clumsy. Then, as if my night couldn't get any worse, right on cue a tall figure strode into my hospital room, looked down at me, and just shook his head.
I lifted my head slightly. "Eric, what are you doing here?"
"I have a lot of people in my Area who owe me fealty. When your name popped up in the system, I was alerted." He scanned my body from head to toe and shook his head again. "Plus, I could feel your distress all the way in Shreveport."
Ah yes, the stupid blood bond. I didn't like the fact that he could feel me that intensely, just as he was staring at me intensely right now. Why did he come here? I can't imagine that it was to check up on me. He could have called or sent one of his minions to check up on me. As if he sensed what I was thinking, he quickly responded.
"I am here to check on you. As an asset to my Area and de Castro's kingdom, if anything were to happen to you, it would be a tragic loss." He looked at me stone-faced and spoke in such a monotone voice; as if he was rehearsing what to say.
Oh no he didn't. He did not just call me an asset. I could have responded politely, or not at all, but the sarcastic me just had to go and open my mouth. "Ha, why don't you say how you really feel?" I clamped my hand over my mouth right after it came rolling off of my tongue.
His eyebrows arched high and there was a very pregnant pause before he spoke again. "There is much I would like to say to you. Perhaps, now that you cannot run away from me, it is time we had our talk." He grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the side of the bed.
"Eric, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I'm tired and banged up and hurting right now. The last thing I want is to have a major talk."
He covered my hand between his and lifted it to his lips. They were cool against my heated skin, and the feel of his kiss made my body tremble. Why did he have such an effect on me?
"Let me heal you, then. You do not need to be in here." He was dead serious about that, no pun intended.
"No," I said, without realizing how harsh that came out and his hands pressed mine rather firmly. "No thank you. I've had enough of your blood."
He looked away and I could tell he was insulted by my refusal. I had barely stopped glowing from the last infusion of his blood. I didn't want to be anyone's nightlight any longer. I just wanted to be normal banged up Sookie for once.
"It will take longer for you to heal." He was looking out the window and not at me.
"I'm okay with that. It makes me feel more human to know that I will heal at a normal rate."
He finally turned towards me, his blue-grey eyes dark and focused. "Unfortunately, we do not have time to wait that long."
Without even asking or explaining, he bit into his own wrist and pressed it against my lips. At first I refused to open my mouth and the blood trickled down my chin. With his free hand, he cupped my closest breast through the cotton fabric of the hospital gown and began stroking my nipple.
That elicited a deep moan from me and my lips parted involuntarily. It was enough to let the flow enter my mouth, and I resigned myself to it and latched on. With each swallow, I was feeling better and healthier. I could feel my cuts healing and my ankle was no longer in pain. Thank goodness I hadn't suffered any broken bones.
When the cut began to heal over, he pulled his wrist away and leaned forward, licking the blood off my chin and the gash on my forehead. He pressed his lips to mine, and as his tongue swept through my mouth, while his hands fumbled with the IVs and removed them from my arm.
He leaned back with a chuckle. "You don't need these anymore."
It took me a moment to play back in my mind what he had said to me before he healed me. "What did you mean we don't have time? Explain."
"Not here." He scooped me up; making sure my backside was covered by the gown, and simply walked out of the hospital with me in his arms. I was surprised no one said a thing.
"Where are you taking me?" I was getting upset and he knew it. First he heals me when I politely declined. Then he tells me we don't have time. Now he's taking me somewhere and I'm not exactly dressed for a night on the town.
Eric slid me into the passenger seat of his corvette and the cold leather pressed against my naked back. We sped down the long deserted highway out of town.
"Will you please tell me where you are taking me?" I made no attempts to hide my anger, but he still would not answer me.
We slowed down and I recognized that we were somewhere outside of Monroe. I didn't know the name of this area exactly, but I could tell where we were. We drove through a little dirt poor community and turned onto a long winding road.
I sat with my arms across my chest, mostly to cover the fact that I didn't have a bra on, and my nipples were showing through the thin fabric of the gown. Eric gave me a sideways glance. After a few minutes, we pulled up to a hidden estate. It looked like a dilapidated antebellum plantation. The white paint was peeling all over the outside and weeds had grown up the sides of the mansion. I must have been something in its heyday, but now it looked like any other rundown home.
Eric stopped the car at the front steps. "What are we doing here? Why did you bring me here?"
He got out without a word and came over to my door. He was not being very talkative tonight. He opened it and helped me out. I wobbled a bit at first, but pressed my hand against the car to steady myself.
He took me by the hand and led me up the steps to the big wooden double doors. They were splintered and cracked, and the shiny brass doorknobs had darkened from age. I vaguely remembered that I was standing there in a hospital gown, when a gentle breeze blew it open in the back.
I snatched it shut immediately, since all I had on underneath were my panties. As Eric knocked, something inside me told me I didn't want to be here. Impatiently, Eric knocked again and I heard heavy footsteps approach the door.
The squeak of the hinges made me take a few steps back, and I was fully prepared to make a run for it. The only problem with that possibility was that I was standing next to a very tall, very fast vampire, who grabbed my hand, sensing my need for flight.
The door swung open and a young woman stood there staring at me. I didn't recognize her, but it was apparent that Eric did.
"Is everything ready?" Eric glowered at her, but she glowered right back at him.
"Yes, bring her in." The young woman was wearing a long cinnamon colored dress with a silver diamond appliqué right below her bosom. Her long chestnut hair curled around her shoulders and her brown eyes were blazing with flecks of gold.
"Eric," I whispered in a low, shaky voice, "I don't know what's going on, but I don't want to be here."
He pressed his lips to my ear. "Everything will be fine in a few minutes. You just have to trust me."
That was easier said than done, considering he hadn't explained anything about what we were doing. We entered the house and the woman shut the door behind us. "Go to the parlor on the right."
The place was almost completely dark, except for candles and some low lights strategically placed. An eerie glow was coming from the doorframe where we were headed. I did not like this one bit and I stood still, while Eric continued forward. When he felt the tug of my arm, he turned around. I was standing my ground, and I wasn't going to move until he told me what was happening.
Expressionless, he stood in front of me, sighed, and blew a heavy stream of air out from between his lips.
He moved his face to within inches of mine. "Sookie, you have had a curse placed on you. Why do you think you've been having all these accidents lately? I brought you here to have it removed."
"I've been cursed? That makes no sense. I just thought I was being clumsy ol' me. Why would anyone put a curse on me? Who would do something like that?"
"You will see." His lips brushed mine gently and we walked into the parlor together.
My eyes adjusted to the dim lighting and I saw a table in the middle of the room acting as an altar. It had a purple velvet drape over it with a golden pentacle in the center. On one side was the young woman who let us in. On the other side, two plain looking women stood by another table with what looked like ritualistic paraphernalia on it. These three women must be witches. It was the only way a curse could be lifted.
Eric nudged me forward and stood behind me. One of the two women took me by the wrists harshly and pulled me to stand next to the altar. Eric hissed with disapproval at the rough treatment, but she ignored his presence.
It was then that I saw a fourth person. She was sitting in a chair near an unused fireplace. Her hands were tied behind her back and she looked a little beaten up. There was tape across her mouth to keep her from screaming and her hair was disheveled, along with her clothes. She had put up a good fight against whoever her captors were.
Yet, she looked oddly familiar. My eyes narrowed as hers blazed up at me in an attempt to bore lasers right through my skin. Oh my God! It was Hallow! But no, it couldn't be. Hallow was dead.
The young woman who I first saw came around to me. "This is Hallow's sister, Margaret, also known as Havoc. She's the one who placed the curse on you. She has been cursing any human or Wicca involved with her sister's and brother's death."
That was frustrating to hear. "But it's been so long since the Witch War. Why pick on me?"
"Because you are tied to the Viking. Did you not notice that you have been getting more and more accident prone lately? Then tonight, you wrecked your car. It is only going to get worse from here, unless the curse is removed."
I started shaking all over. I was sick of all this stuff happening to me, and it all started with vampires. I looked over at Eric, who was standing there with – Jesus Shepherd of Judea – was that pity on his face?
"When this is over, don't call me. Don't come over, and don't send anyone to get me. I don't work for you, and I don't want to see you again." I turned to the witches. "What do I have to do?"
"Just lay down on the altar." The moment my almost bare bottom touched the table, I shivered from the cold sensation.
To make matters worse, one of the other witches walked up to me and quickly divested me of the cotton rag that had been my only protection between me and exposing my naked self to the world. I hastily threw my arms across my chest to cover myself, but not before I saw Eric ogling me and licking his partially extended fangs.
They positioned me on the table and spread my legs apart so they were almost hanging off. They did the same with my hands. A tall thick white candle was placed at the top of the table, and one at the bottom. More were placed on either side of me, casting a light onto my bare breasts.
Then one was placed between my legs, almost against my center. I glanced up at Eric whose face had gone from ogling to sheer unadulterated bloodlust. Unfortunately, that lust was hitting me like waves crashing onto the shore.
It didn't help that the candlelight between my legs flickered against my center, illuminating the moisture pooling there against my panties. I was utterly embarrassed, but thankfully, the heat from the candles had already stained my cheeks pink, so it wasn't noticeable – at least on my face. The heat between my legs, however, was a different matter.
The three witches began chanting and humming, and the air around me was charged with electricity. This must be what magic feels like when it's being performed on you. One of them picked up two silver daggers from the table and Eric took a few steps back. Silver was not a vampire's friend, and he didn't want to get in the way.
She nodded to the other witches, who began tying my wrists and ankles down with what looked like silk scarves or ties. I felt paralyzed and could not resist or fight against them as they bound me to the table. The chanting witch with the daggers walked over to Havoc and made a cut on her arm with one of them.
She walked over to me and made a small cut on my arm with the other dagger. She then held both of them high above her and her chanting grew louder. The air around us grew hazy and cloudy, like at any moment it was going to rain down on us.
She held the daggers over each of the flames and dripped blood onto the pooling wax, allowing it to mingle with the liquid. Terrified couldn't even begin to describe what I was feeling inside. I wanted to shout for everyone to stop. I wanted to yell at Eric to untie me and get me out of here. I opened it to scream, but nothing came out; not even one little peep.
I saw Eric close his eyes for a moment and then reopen them. His eyes had that dark intense look to them when he was – oh Lord, was this making him horny? Watching me bound and helpless? I didn't have to search for my answer. The straining bulge against his jeans was obvious, and his fangs had fully descended. I was done for.
Another witch picked up a hot bowl and tipped the mixed blood and wax into it. I knew it was hot because she used pot holders, and it has been resting on a hotplate. Once all the candles had been drained, she held it over my stomach. I so did not like where this was heading.
I closed my eyes and braced myself. A drop of something hit right above my bellybutton and a searing pain stretched out from the spot. Since I couldn't scream, I winced as it hardened. Another drip soon came after that, then another and another. It wasn't random either. She was dripping the liquid in some kind of pattern.
I was once again embarrassed that after the first few drips of wax, the pain and wincing I was doing, was stirring my libido, and I felt more wetness gathering at my center. There was no way I could be turned on by this. I just wasn't that kind of girl. But my body was betraying me at the pleasure it was getting from all of this, and I had to force my hips to stay still as the ritual continued.
Thank goodness the dripping came to an end, and I opened my eyes. I blinked a few times to adjust to the low lighting again and glanced down at my stomach. The pattern she had formed was in the shape of a pentacle. The haze and cloudy air had cleared and the candles surrounding me had been blown out.
One of the witches turned to Eric and said, "She has been cleansed. I assume this squares our debt to you."
He nodded and handed them an envelope and they left. I didn't ask what was in it. I also didn't ask what they were going to do with Havoc, because as I looked over to the chair she had been tied to, she was gone. Not gone as in dead, but she had vanished. I didn't ask about that either. I just wanted to be untied and taken home.
Eric walked over to me, and it only took me a second to realize I was still tied to the altar. Eric's eyes were still dilated and his fangs were still out. "Eric, just untie me and take me home."
He pressed the palm of his hand into the pentacle on my stomach and little by little he flicked the dried wax off my skin. Even though the wax was gone, it still left a reddened design on my stomach and I wondered how long it would stay there. I couldn't very well walk around with that on me, and it would definitely interfere with tanning.
His fingers traced the pattern delicately, and my stomach rolled in waves under his touch. "Eric…" I whispered hoarsely.
His fingers circled my bellybutton and followed down to the crevice between my pelvis and thigh until it reached the center. He rubbed against my folds through the lace and a moan escaped my lips.
Moving the candle out of the way, he reached down and untied my feet. "As much as I want you to yield to me right now, I will not force you this way."
With his face close to mine, he reached over to untie my wrists. "No. Leave it."
Did I just tell Eric to leave me tied up? Was I insane? No, definitely not. But this was beyond just lusty feelings. So much for not wanting to ever see him or talk to him again. I guess I should have added never having sex with him again too. Silly of me to leave such loose ends like that.
His tongue ran over my lips and I parted them, inviting him in. Our lips were barely touching, and I ached to feel the real pressure of his mouth on mine. Instinctively I tried to reach up to wrap my arms around him, but I was met with resistance.
He tilted my head to one side and ran his tongue from the base of my neck up hard and fast and nipped at my earlobe. I moaned his name and pulled against the restraints again.
I lifted my hips off the table to show him I wanted more, but he gently pushed them back down and brought his face in front of mine again.
"Do you yield to me, lover? Look at me when you tell me."
My brain shouted nononono, but my body had other ideas and I heard words escape my lips that sounded something like "Yes, oh God, yes!"
His mouth was suddenly on me, kissing me with all he was worth. His hands were everywhere at once. If I didn't know any better, I would swear he had six of them.
"Eric…"
He took one nipple into his mouth and sucked on it, gently at first, rolling it around with his tongue. It hardened immediately. His other hand reached over and repeated with his fingers what his mouth was doing. I groaned from low in my throat and my hips began to undulate.
Why, oh why did I tell him to leave me tied up? I craved to touch his skin, to hold him close to me. I knew he could sense my frustrations, but he looked up at me and chuckled.
"You were the one who told me to leave you tied up. Do you now change your mind?" I emphatically shook my head no.
He moved from the side of the altar to the bottom and between my feet. He was so tall that he didn't even need to crawl up to reach me. He just bent over at the waist and his mouth was hovering over my center.
Again, he laid his hand on the fabric covering my center and grabbed the fabric between his thumb and index finger. With one yank, he shredded them, watching the pieces fall to the ground.
He pressed his nose against my folds and inhaled deeply, touching them with just the very tip of his tongue. "Ohhh, yessss!"
I felt his tongue part the folds and give an excruciatingly slow erotic lick from my core to my clit. Without warning, he plunged two fingers into my core and my hips bucked up to meet his thrusting fingers.
I tried to match his thrusts with mine as his lips and tongue made work of my clit. At least I could wrap my legs around his waist and press myself into him so his fingers would go deeper.
That made him groan and suck hard on my clit, which pushed my climax higher and forced another groan out of me. My wrists were pulling harder against the bonds and the frustration was building along with my climax.
Eric gave my clit one last lick and changed places with his fingers. He rolled my clit between his fingers as he plunged his tongue into my core searching for that one spot that would send me over.
I was writhing and moaning beneath his touch and I wanted release so bad. My muscles were contracting around his tongue to show him I was on the edge and he dragged his tongue through my wetness a couple more times before pulling away.
"Lover, watch me. Don't take your eyes off me." I looked down at his face and he gave my inner thigh a lick before sinking his fangs into it.
There was a momentary sense of pain followed by an extreme amount of pleasure and my orgasm ripped through me as I cried out his name over and over.
He licked the little wounds and didn't even wait for me to catch my breath before he really did crawl up on top of me. He positioned his length at my entrance and thrust into me as hard as he could, taking my legs and hips up with him.
"Uhhh, uhhh, uhhh…Eric." My arms tried to reach him, but again to no avail. Damn.
It wasn't even like I was thinking about it, it was just pure instinct to want to grab him. It's amazing how taking away a small ability, like moving your arms, can have such a profound affect on you.
His face was over mine and he was supporting himself on either side of me by his arms and hands. His face had such a look of intensity and I could tell that he was concentrating on every sensation he was feeling with every thrust.
Grunts and groans escaped his lips with each drive and he was close to climaxing. My hips tried matching him drive for drive and another orgasm was just out of reach.
His lips crushed down on mine before I cocked my head to one side and his fangs slid into my neck. All the pent up frustration of not feeling him against me and inside of me burst forth into an even more powerful orgasm and my inner muscles contracted around him, squeezing his pulsing length.
He gave one last deep growl and threw his head back as he spilled himself into me. The shock of feeling his cool seed entering my heat fueled my orgasm and another one ripped through me almost immediately.
My wrists practically broke the silk ties holding them in place. Eric collapsed over me and for once I didn't mind the weight of him on me. He stayed inside me until he recovered enough to pull out and move off of me.
Eric finally untied my wrists and I laid there in a big puddle of contentment. He inspected each wrist and saw that there was some slight bruising from me pulling so hard.
"Tsk tsk, lover. Next time we'll have to use more flexible restraints." He licked each of my wrists, which made my libido quiver.
I gasped. "And what makes you think there's going to be a next time, let along a next time with restraints?"
He brought his lips to mine. "You don't really want me to answer that do you?"
He kissed me quickly and went into another room and came back with a pile of clothes in his hands. They didn't look like anything I owned, but they were my size, so I lazily slipped into them.
I looked down at the tattered remains of my previous panties and saw Eric scoop up a piece. He held it to his nose and inhaled deeply before shoving it into his pocket.
"So, can we go home now?" I was standing up, finally, and had my hands on my hips.
"Yes, my lover, we can go home now."
Eric and I walked to his car and started the long journey home. The exit for Bon Temps was approaching and as usual, Eric was driving at Eric speed, which meant twice as fast as allowed. We flew by the exit and my jaw dropped.
"Um, Eric, we just passed my exit. I thought you were taking me home." I looked at him puzzled and clinging to what my brother affectionately refers to as the 'Oh Shit' handles.
"I am. Though, you did not specify which home to take you to." He grinned at me and a wave of contentment brushed over me.
He reached over and picked up my free hand, and I knew we were headed to Shreveport. We were headed to his house, and my suspicions were confirmed after about thirty minutes when we pulled into the driveway of a large three-story brick house with white columns in front.
I sighed as I got out of the car on my own two feet and walked up to the front door. "So," I mumbled to myself, "this is home."
I smiled as I felt a hand reach for mine and pull me inside.