Chapter 16

We stayed until the bar was closed and stayed sitting in the booth talking. I was so happy this is as close to normal as I have ever felt. The man I love sitting next to me, ok so technically he is dead, but he is mine. For the sake of this conversation his oldest friend and my brother and my two oldest friends sitting in a bar having a conversation and sharing our life stories. I didn't think I would ever have anything like this. I was so happy and I know Eric was feeling my contentment as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me in for a little hug. My brother just looked at me and smiled. I don't think that I had ever heard Eric or Pam sound so normal. Eric has told me numerous times this week how he would do anything to make me happy and he was certainly doing a good job at it right now. The last of the staff was ready to go and Eric and I said our good-bye's to everyone and climbed into the Corvette. I was on cloud nine; I couldn't have been any more happy! I must have really been projecting this because as I looked over at Eric in the glow of the dash lights he was actually smiling. I just stared at him in disbelief. He realized I was staring at him and caught himself smiling and if I didn't know better I think he may have blushed a little. "Sookie, I don't know if I have ever felt this much, ah, hmmm," "Joy, happiness, contentment," I butted in. "Yes, Lover, I don't know if I ever felt like this in my human life. I know what I am feeling is coming from our bond but I don't ever want you to loose this feeling. I don't want to loose this feeling. Sookie, my life as a Viking Warrior was filled with anger, rage, and many other things I won't go into, the feeling I am feeling now, I never felt this alive before my life was taken. I just stared at him. I didn't know what to say. We had had a great night and now he was sharing something so intimate – the was more intimate then anything we could have shared. I just looked at him with an endearing smile and tears rolling down my face. Was this too good to be true.

Eric and I lived the next few days as normal as I can assume a vampire can live. We made love in every part of the house, we made love in the whirlpool attached to the pool in the backyard, we made love at Fangtasia we were like newly weds. Eric fed from me but was careful not to overfeed. He sat with me when I ate. Bill never liked the fact that I had the basic human needs such as food and the need to use facilities. My basic human needs I did on my own time most of the time when we were together. But here I was with Eric and he wanted to be with me and the fact that I was human gave us little problem. For now. I knew it would eventually interfere with our relationship, but I kept that at the back of my mind.

It was the night before our trip to Florida. I was both excited and terrified. Eric decided we would not work that night we needed to get prepared for our trip. I awoke a little after noon. I found myself sleeping later and later into the day, sometimes until early afternoon. But I was living a different lifestyle now. Most nights I would fall asleep before Eric. He would spend the time without me doing, I am not sure what, but he deserved his alone time too. I spent my time alone much as I had done before moving here, watching movies, reading and now I had started working out in the home gym Eric had set up in one of the upstairs bedrooms. I have always been in good shape but I could really feel my workouts starting to pay off even in just a week. Between the workouts in the gym and the workouts Eric gave me I was really toning my body mass. I went downstairs to get a cup of coffee and found a note on the door of the fridge. Lover, I want our last night before our trip to be special, you are always beautiful, but dress special. I want to take you out tonight. Love E. Oh, I was so excited. An actual date where my vampire and I could go out and show each other off. The last week has been so perfect I hadn't really stopped to think that I hadn't done much but go from here to Fangtasia and back. I had talked to both Amelia and Tara on the phone. It was still early so I grabbed my romance novel, I mean this literally, I was on the front. I hadn't had a chance to read it when I checked it out at the library so I bought a copy of it off the Internet and had it shipped to me. I enjoyed the sunshine of the early spring out by the pool reading part of the day. Then I went in to make a snack and the doorbell rang. I hadn't had that happen since I had moved here. I was a little apprehensive. I couldn't see out the peep hole it was way too high, Eric and I would need to discuss this, I opened the door hesitantly and then flung it open. I threw my arms around Claudine I hadn't seen her in a while. She hugged me back. "Sookie, I had to ask Amelia where you were. Why didn't you tell me what was going on?" "Claudine, I am so sorry! I have been so wrapped up in my own life I just didn't think to call you or grandfather to let you know I had moved." Claudine was my cousin even though she is a fairy and Niall is our grandfather, a fairy prince. Eric had helped me learn this about myself. Niall had sent Claudine to watch over me and be my for real fairy godmother when he was finally able to reach out to me.
"So its true? You are with the Viking? You are working at a fang banger bar?" She was not being judgmental just inquisitive.
"Yes, Yes and not yet" I smiled.
"Amelia told me you are about to take a trip. Sookie, when are you going to learn to stay away from the vampire dealings?" now she had concern on her face.
"I will be fine. Eric will be with me."
"Hasn't he always been with you? You still seem to end up in grave danger that I can't get you out of without getting myself killed."
"Well, yes, he has, but it's different this time. I will be fine!" She changed the subject and we had a nice visit and a glass of iced tea and some popcorn and she left after a couple of hours. She filled me in on her twin brother Claude, the one I posed with on the front of the romance novel. She said she would let grandfather know what was going on although she didn't think he would be happy about it. We said our good-byes and big hugs I promised to call her when I got back from Florida.