Give Me Time to Heal You
Chapter 2
"Sweet Mother Fucker!"
Sookie was so angry she couldn't see straight. Hot tears of frustration and anger poured down her cheeks as she tried in vain to get out. She gave the firmly locked bathroom door one more shove before she finally gave up and sat down on the cool marble floor.
"You're a bastard Bill. Don't think I will ever forgive you for this," she screamed in a gravely voice.
Sookie wasn't sure if Bill couldn't hear her or didn't want to. Dawn was just minutes away and she knew Godric had wanted to meet the sun. Something inside cried to help him, to be with him at the end. Bill being his anal possessive self decided that she needed to stay here and not be on the roof. She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her face against her folded arms.
"I just don't think you should go up there Sookie. This isn't our problem and you don't even really know Godric. He's seen more and done more than any vampire in the United States. If he wants to meet the sun, he needs to do it without you."
Bills patronizing voice was grating on Sookie's nerves. She had talked till she was blue in the face and he still refused to let her out of the suite. Her anger was starting to over shadow her feelings for him.
"I don't see how this is any of your business what I do Bill. If I want to go up on the roof with Godric, that is my choice not yours. If you were in Godric's position wouldn't you want someone with you at the end?"
His face turned dark as she continued to argue. Finally after another five minutes of him ignoring her, he did something that Sookie thought he would never do; something he promised would never happen. Bill raised his hand and hit Sookie full across the face. Her body was propelled backwards into the wall and her world turned black.
She woke up locked in the bathroom of their suite. The solid oak door proved to be impossible to break down and unfortunately she couldn't find anything to pick the lock. A neat little trick Jason taught her as a teenager when Gran used to lock him out when he didn't come home on time.
The side of her face throbbed and she knew her nose was still bleeding. She couldn't stop the tears as she contemplated how she got into this mess in the first place. She trusted her instincts and let Bill into her life. She should have known better. She should have listened when Sam and almost everyone else in her life told her he was dangerous. If he was willing to abuse her over something as trivial as this, what would he be like in the future? How would he react when something more important happened and again she didn't agree with him? She was also afraid of what would happen when he finally let her out of here. What frame of mind would he be in when the sun went down?
Sookie's eyes were wandering around the room when the glint of a small metal object caught between the door frame and floor tiles caught her eye. Slowly she moved to her knees and gently prodded the object out of the crack.
"Oh thank heaven," she exclaimed as she plucked up the small hair pin as if it were indeed sent from heaven. Hesitantly she slid the hair pin into the lock and in only a few moments, the doors lock clicked open.
"Thank you Jason."
Putting her ear to the door, Sookie could hear nothing from the rooms beyond. Her greatest wish was that dawn had claimed Bill and she would have no worries about his reaction to her escape. Slowly she turned the handle on the door and pushed gently. The door opened quietly and Sookie slipped into the bedroom
Disappointment filled her as her eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness. The bed side clock flashed five thirty; dawn was close. She had been unconscious for a shorter period of time than she thought. Unfortunately this meant that Bill was still awake and she might have to flee for her life. Dread sat at the edge of her consciousness as she moved slowly and quietly searching for any signs of life. She signed in relief when she found neither Bill nor Jessica. Thank the Lord for small favors.
Acting on impulse, Sookie quickly went for the front door only to hear the familiar beep of a card key being swiped through the door lock. Terror and panic filled her as she subconsciously looked around the suite for a place to hide. Normally she would face trouble head on but the purple bruises that disfigured the side of her face told her to retreat and fight another day. Just as the suite door opened, Sookie made a dive for Jessica's open travel coffin and quickly closed the lid.
She could hear Bill's angry voice through the thick walls of the coffin. Curious as to who he was talking to, she gently lifted the lid only a crack and peered out.
Bill was talking animatedly into a cell phone as he stood before the opened door of the bathroom.
"I'm telling you my Queen. This human girl is going to be harder than we first anticipated. She has been a difficulty from the very beginning. Only an hour ago she tried to help a Sherriff of our kind to meet the sun."
Bill turned from the bathroom door and began pulling his clothes off. That was when she realized his shirt was covered in blood. Human blood she had no doubt. So much for his claim that he was "main streaming".
"I realize she must be brought under our control. Yes I know you want me to make a permanent blood bond with her. I am just asking you my Queen to give me a little more time. I realize it has been six months already since you sent me to acquire her but it hasn't been easy to get her to trust me. I promise she will be docile and ready to serve you in any capacity that you might require if I am given the proper amount of time with her."
Her mind tuned out as soon as she heard serve you. What? What did he just say? She was in total shock. Hurt, anger and betrayal fought for dominance in her frazzled brain. No. He couldn't have said what she thought he did. He did not say he had been sent to retrieve her for someone named Queen? She did not hear that their relationship was nothing but a lie. That would mean that everything everyone said about him was right and she was wrong. Once again tears cascaded down her cheeks and stung the cut on her upper lip; just another lovely parting gift from Bill's fist.
Once again his voice broke through her thoughts. "No I don't think she is a lesbian Sophie-Anne. I know for a fact she enjoys men. No I am not being cocky. She has enjoyed every fuck and feed that we have had."
Fuck and feed? Was that all that she was to him; just another source for sex and dinner?
"I must go Sophie-Anne. I have to go and find our little telepath and unruffle a few of her feathers before dawn. Yes, yes I will contact you when the blood bond is complete. I anticipate after tonight she will be at your palace within the week. Goodbye my Queen, pleasant days rest."
The phone call ended and Bill hurriedly finished changing his clothes. He slipped on his black leather coat and sailed out the front door. She knew he would be out searching for her, acting like the caring boyfriend trying to locate his lost love. It mad her physically ill.
As she lay quietly contemplating her next step, feelings of hopelessness and despair filled her mind. She knew these emotions couldn't be coming from Bill, so that left only one other vampire; Eric
A varied array of intense emotions flowed through her mind as she tried to concentrate on the bond she supposedly had with Eric. Godric must have told Eric his plan to meet the sun. She felt the bone numbing sorrow that Eric couldn't contain as she pulled her stiff body out of the coffin and headed out the door. She wasn't going to sit and wait around for Bill to come back. Her best bet was to find Jason and get the two of them home. The rest of this could be sorted out later. She definitely wanted nothing to do with Bill ever again.
Just as she turned a corner intent on finding the staircase, Eric's tall form came into view. He was standing completely immobile right in the middle of the hallway. His blond head was bent forward and his arms were folded across his chest. It was almost like he was waiting for something.
Oh right, Godric.
She wasn't sure if Eric knew she was there so she slowly began to retrace her steps but his deep voice stopped her.
"I know you are there Sookie. There is no need to run from me. I would never harm you." His normally sarcastic, slightly teasing voice sounded dull, defeated.
"That's what Bill said and look where that got me," she replied without thinking.
His blond head popped up and in an instant he was at her side facing her. She gasped in surprise when she saw the blood red tears that marred his handsome face. Gingerly she reached up with both hands and gently brushed the blood red tears from his cheeks. His eyes closed at her touch and he turned his head nuzzling into one of her open palms.
"Is Godric gone?"
He ignored her question and slowly opened his eyes. Embarrassment at her bold touch caused her to pull her hands away and hid them behind her back as a blush crawled across her cheeks, accentuating the bruise and blood marring her suntan skin.
"Who dare touch you like this? Who hurt you Sookie?"
Anger made his voice gruff as he brought his hand up gently touched the bruises. He knew it for what it was and who had inflicted it. Bill Compton had much to answer for this night.
Eric had been able to sense her terror and fear a few minutes ago as he descended the stairs from the roof, thus the reason he was only a few doors away from her hotel suite. He may not like Compton and knew the southern vampire had an agenda when it came to Sookie but he couldn't in good conscience let her suffer.
His feelings and emotions were amplified after learning of Godric's intentions to meet the sun. To see her like this, bruised and bleeding send anger flooding through his system. Their eyes connected briefly and he could see the pain and anger that dwelled hidden in her hazel eyes.
With gentle fingers, Eric traced the outline of her bruised face swiftly making sure there was no serious damage done. His other hand came to rest on her shoulder keeping her still as his fangs descended and her eyes widened.
"I mean only to heal you love."
There was something about his gently voice that calmed and soothed her raw nerves. A little voice in the back of her mind whispered that he could be trusted, to let him make it all better for her. These types of thoughts had never entered her life. She always took care of herself. She never let anyone do things for her that she could do herself. This was a totally new and freeing experience.
She watched as he bit the tip of his index and middle fingers and slowly, gently smoothed the dark red blood across her throbbing cheek. She had been healed with vampire blood before but the feel of Eric's blood as it touched her skin was totally different, pleasant even. Within seconds the pain and swelling disappeared. The cuts that dotted her nose and lips knit together instantly and soon one would never know she had even but abused.
"Are there any more? Do you hurt anywhere else?" He asked anxiously, looking her up and down. The pink gingham dress she wore was ripped at the bodice and blood stained. She also was not wearing any shoes.
"I think I might have hit my head a little hard on the floor when I fell but that is all," she said simply as she felt his hands roam her body, sending a lust filled shiver down her spine.
"Would you consent to taking my blood? I know you aren't comfortable with things like that, but it will help to heal you."
"Eric, I…………."
He cut her off. "I mean you no harm in the offer. I just want to make sure you are healed."
Sookie was surprised at the care and consideration he was giving her. The Eric she knew would want something in return, some tangible good to make his sacrifice worth while. But this Eric was a totally foreign creature.
She wasn't sure what to say but knew she would feel the pain of her other bruises for days even weeks to come. She had hit that floor hard and if she didn't already have bruises on her back and backside, she soon would. Slowly she nodded her head in agreement.
An amused smile crossed Eric's face as he lifted her into his arms and the two were soon at the door to Eric's suite. In seconds the door was open and they were safely inside. The interior of Eric's suite was much nicer and more opulent than the one she shared with Bill. Never taking his eyes off her, Eric walked slowly into the suites bedroom and gently deposited her onto the silky soft bed covers.
She winced in pain as soon as her sore backside touched the soft bedding. "I guess I must have bruised a little more than I thought."
Eric gave a chuckle as he pulled his black t-shirt over his head and offered it to her. "You might want to change out of that dress; looks like it has seen better days."
She looked like she wanted to protest but she said nothing as she gingerly got to her feet on the side of the bed and turned her back to him. "You will have to unzip this for me."
Lust hot and strong zipped through his veins and went straight to his cock. His fangs descended as he advanced to the bed. Gently he unzipped her dress and helped her ease it down her body. He stopped himself from gasping in shock as the extent of her injuries became clear. She had bruises trailing from the middle of her back down to the bottom of her well curved ass.
Anger at Bill Compton once again filled his vision. He would make him pay for hurting something as sweet and innocent as Sookie Stackhouse. Eric shook his head to clear it and picked up his t-shirt off the bed. He carefully lowered it over her head and pulled it down her body. He could feel the relief and fatigue that she was projecting and knew he only had a short while before her body went into shock and she would be dead to the world. (haha..dead to the world.)
Eric reached behind her and pulled back the sheets on the bed. Gently as not to hurt her further, he helped her settle among the sweet smelling sheets. He wanted her as comfortable as possible for the blood exchange. She had no idea of what he was about to do. He himself did not know why he was doing it but he knew it was the only way to protect her from Bill Compton.
Sookie watched as Eric swiftly turned out the lights. She could hear him taking off his shoes and knew his jeans would soon follow. More anxiety flowed through their bond.
His reassuring voice came out of the darkness as the bed dipped on her right side. "I have no intention of hurting you Sookie. I am capable of keeping my hands to myself. You are too injured to be able to participate fully in any satisfying sex between us tonight."
She was shocked. She thought Eric lived and breathed sex. He was one huge walking sex machine. The last few minutes had given her the in site to realize that there was way more to Eric Northman than meets the eye. He could have taken advantage of this situation and things could have gone a totally different way than they were now.
"I don't know why and I am not sure if I want to but I want to trust you Eric. Tonight with Bill showed me that you can't judge a book by its cover and I suspect there is more to you than meets the eye."
She felt him chuckle close to her right ear and a shiver went down her spine. "I can assure you love, I am nothing like Bill Compton in any respect."
His arms went around her waist and she gave a startled gasp as he pulled her to lie against his hard muscular body. Her breasts flattened against his chest as he intertwined their legs. He was insuring that she did not get away.
She could feel the stiff fabric of his jeans against her bare legs. A relieved smile formed on her lips. He was being considerate of her fears and had kept his jeans on.
"It is easier to be close during the exchange," he whispered into her ear. Slowly his lips brushed the soft lines of her jaw and continued down to softly kiss her neck. The skin on skin contact between them caused little jolts of electricity to flow between them.
"I thought you said you were going to give me blood. Not that I was going to give to you." She was confused and with all the shocking and heartbreaking information revealed tonight, she just couldn't think straight.
"It is close to dawn love and I have not fed tonight. I thought we could partake of each other. I promise not to hurt you."
She knew this was wrong on so many levels but couldn't stop herself from nodding her head yes. "Please don't take too much, my head is already spinning. And don't bite me on the neck. I hate being marked."
"At my age I only need very little blood to sustain me and there will be no marks love. You will take my blood then I will take yours. I will take care that there will be no marks that will show. Trust me this once love, please."
He knew his voice had that annoying pleading quality to it but he couldn't help it. He wanted her to be his so badly he would be willing to pay anything for this privilege. Sookie was a rare gem and he was going to make damn sure no one hurt her. And if his suspicions were correct, if Sookie stayed with Bill any longer, she would end up the play toy of a very powerful Queen. This was the only way to save her, even if she didn't know it or want it.
Her voice came out as a whisper but Eric heard it all the same. "I trust you Eric."
Relief flowed through him. She was consenting. Thank the gods above. An official blood blond could only be completed if the exchange was consensual.
A smile graced his lips he gently kissed down her neck until he could feel her life's blood flowing beneath the skin. He was an old vampire and required very little blood to sustain him on a daily basis. Only a few mouthfuls of her blood could sustain him comfortably for up to a week.
That kind of information wasn't common knowledge among humans. A younger vampire would require large amounts of blood daily unit they learned to control their cravings. He was relatively sure that Bill had been using her on a daily basis and left her marked. Most vampires that cared about their human donors used their own blood to heal the marks left from feeding. From Sookie's comments earlier, it became apparent to Eric that Bill did not care for her as she cared for him. By taking too much blood continually and leaving her sporting puncture marks for all to see, he was proclaiming that she was little more than a blood bag to be used. That bastard, he would pay.
He lifted his head as he brought a sharpened nail to his throat and made a small slash across the artery. He pressed her face against the wound knowing she would get the gist. He was shocked when a jolt of intense pleasure rocked him as her mouth latched onto the open wound. Not once in his long existence had he ever been this close to orgasm just from a simple feeding. Only a handful of times had he shared his blood willingly with a human. It was common to exchange blood between vampires; it was used as a way of obedience or as a show of loyalty.
The exchange didn't require a large amount of blood but she would need it to fully heal her bruises. A low moan escaped him as her lips drew more and more of his blood into her body. An orgasm began to build inside him and he slowly pulled her away from his neck. Her eyes went wide as his lips descended on hers. The lust and passion flowing through him was an almost unstoppable force. He wanted her like he wanted no other. She was his, body and soul and nothing could stop it, certainly not Bill Compton.
His tongue roughly massaged hers as he frantically tried to get his riotous emotions under control. He knew he was frightening her and the knowledge cooled his libido. With great effort Eric pulled his lips from hers and smiled gently down into her shell shocked face.
"You did wonderfully love," he crooned as he caressed her face. Just the site of his blood on her lips threatened to send him over the edge but he kept a tight reign on his passion.
Eric's left hand gently caressed her forehead as his right hand left her face to grasp firmly at her hip. He knew she was expecting pain from his bite as her body tensed and her eyes slammed tightly shut. Anger at Bill Compton once again flared in his eyes but he pushed it away storing it for another time and soothingly kissed her neck. As painlessly as he could, his fangs slid into her neck and tapped her artery. Her sweet blood flowed into his mouth as a moan escaped her pink lips.
Pleasure pooled at her core. Delicious shivers made her toes curl and almost instinctively she shifted closer into Eric's body and turned her head away from him, giving him better access to her neck. The pressure inside her built as he lapped at the precious ruby red fluid. She started writhing in bliss as his hand left her hip and slid passed the waistband of her panties and into her triangle of closely cropped curls.
"Oh Eric," she moaned as his fingers found her clit and began rubbing her with a gentle touch.
The moment his name left her lips, his cock hardened to steel and dug uncomfortably into the zipper of his jeans. It was almost killing him not to turn her and slide inside her wet pussy but her trust in him stopped him cold. She definitely was not in her right mind tonight and would not thank him for it later. He wanted her desperately but not at the expense of a possible future together. He would have to be content to watch her orgasm but he promised himself, that sometime in the not so distant future, they would again be in this same exact position. Only next time he would be inside her when he drank from her and her from him.
Sookie couldn't believe the amount of pleasure she received from Eric just taking her blood. It was never life this with Bill at any time. It always hurt more than she let on with her former lover and she secretly hated the way it felt when his lips sucked furiously at her neck or breast. But with Eric it felt totally different. She couldn't stop her hips from jerking into his hand or the low moans that escaped her lips. Finally the pressure became almost painful and her world exploded with incredible multi colored stars; and again for the second time that night darkness claimed her. Only this time she was sure that she was safe with Eric at her side.
