As he backed me down the hallway that led to his office, Eric picked me up, a first since the distinct change in our relationship and carried me to the couch. He flitted to the door and locked it for the illusion of privacy, and to all the humans, it was private. Eric sat next to me and looked me over, famished and dying for a second taste. Desire filled in his eyes while he traced patterns on my legs with his incredibly long fingers.
He moved his hands achingly slow up my thighs and to my waist. From my waist to the swell of my breasts, teasing a nipple to a semi-erect state. I let out a soft moan and Eric sucked in air unnecessarily. His hand moved up across my neck to cradle my jaw as he leaned over me and kissed me until I was breathless. His large form seemed too big for this small piece of furniture, but I enjoyed the closeness of our bodies and seeing him in such a state. I pulled him further on top of me and wrapped my arms around his neck, playing with his blond locks that fell in a curtain around us as he kissed me again.
My hips met his as he fell into the moment with me, his free hand searing a path across me that fed my own passion and desire. Parting my legs I slid further down on the couch until Eric hovered over me. One leg was between mine and the other was locked on the floor. Our kiss broke and he looked me over, seeing my heightened arousal and enjoying the view. He opened the connection between us that I had forgotten about, and it all hit me at once. He was turned on by the sight of me, he felt giddy as a teenager on a third date, and he wanted nothing more than to have me on the couch that second. Lucky for him I wanted the same thing.
Untwining my hands from his hair I pulled off my tank top from earlier, and undid the button on my jeans. I moved to the bottom hem of Eric's shirt and slid it over his broad shoulders. Eric's hands massaged my breasts over the lacy outline of my bra and my fingers fumbled over the waistband of his jeans, undoing the button and sliding the zipper down. Eric slid a hand down my bare stomach and unzipped my jeans helping me slide out of them as I removed his.
Our lips met again and our tongues danced between us as he held me to him and maneuvered himself beneath me, taking my bra off in the process. The royal blue boxers I had seen while divesting him of his clothes had disappeared into the pile on the floor next to us. The only barrier between us now was my clean, white underwear. Laying on Eric and feeling his member twitch with every moan and sigh spurred my hands to slid down and remove the underwear myself, but Eric beat me to it.
His long arms wrapped around me, one hand cupping my butt and intertwining with my panties. He grazed the back of my leg as he slid them down and off of me while keeping me hovered just above his deliciously throbbing member. The anticipation was building and made me dizzy with want. I pulled back from another intense kiss to look Eric in the eyes. They gleamed with desire and content, passion and anticipation. They mirrored mine, but I could feel the doubt within me, nibbling like a mouse at a hole in a wall.
I wasn't sure continuing was the best thing for either of us, despite being drawn together more permanently now. I ignored the doubt and instead embraced the actions a queen would take, and if Eric noticed my conflict, he didn't say a word. I kept his gaze as my fingers traced along the planes of his chest and stomach, strong flat surfaces that were beautiful and enticing to look at. I slowly lowered myself onto him and saw the moment he felt us connect, his eyes wide, pupils dilated in ecstasy.
I didn't remember him being this large, but shock can change anyone's perception. I was going to treat this like it was the consummation of our bond, instead of a second helping for the night. As I slid down him I could feel the space inside me stretch to accommodate, a feeling unique in itself, and intriguing to me. I had heard many girls and women talk about their lovers and the ups and downs of men heavily endowed, but I'm sure none of them had experienced Eric before.
At the bottom of his shaft, I paused to let my breathing and body catch up to the feeling emanating from within me. Eric wriggled under me, and it sent shivers throughout me as I was caught off guard. I let out a small noise that drove him mad, and he began to move me himself, hands firmly around my hips as he thrust upward into me again and again.
I may have climaxed multiple times, or the entire span of our lovemaking could have been one giant orgasm. I wasn't sure, didn't care, I just wanted to do it all over again. I brought myself to lie beside Eric tucked neatly beside him on the couch, and sighed. I was high on endorphins and the feelings he was sending me through our bond, I couldn't have found a better way to end the night. A soft knock on the door interrupted our moment, and Eric rose, kissing my neck softly before handing me an oversized shirt to slip over myself. I sat up on the couch, trying to become small and blend in, but with no luck. Instead, I pulled my knees to my chest underneath the shirt and wrapped my arms around myself.
Pam walked in and gave a small sniff in my direction. Her eyebrows rose and a smirk crept onto her face that was gone just as quickly and she launched into telling Eric about how the club had done tonight. All the other employees had gone home already and Pam would be leaving too. As she left, Eric sauntered back to me, hips swaying and his already hardening shaft greeting me. I giggled and took him into my mouth as we started another round before the sun claimed him from me.
The day at Fangtasia was incredibly boring, waiting for Eric to rise, so I cleaned a little and re-stacked some papers in his office from the night before. When he woke we would be leaving for New Orleans and our flight to Sweden. I was excited and nervous about leaving the country. I would get to see a different part of the world than the corner I'd resigned myself to, and we may get time to know each other better. I was still worried about what had happened the night before at Eric's home.
Knowing that someone was looking into it, and doing it myself were two very different things, and to run from my brother again was deflating. I wanted to stop and face him, but my position and title were precarious at best. There was no reason for me to endanger myself, or my consort-king to prove I could defeat my brother. I had to be patient. I had to make the best move possible. It was killing me to be doing nothing but waiting and running.
Earlier than I expected, Eric was up and had his day man shopping for appropriate international travel attire. By six p.m. There was someone walking through the back doors of the club burdened by shopping bags full of clothes and other accessories. The styles varied from casual and athletic to cocktail and formal wear. I wasn't sure how long we would be abroad, but I wasn't planning on attending any parties if I could help it. The man who had walked in separated the bundles into clothing for me and clothing for Eric then followed him into his office.
I watched Eric's form walk down the hallway until I couldn't see anymore, admiring the sweatpants that clung to his body and the tight tank top stretching over the muscles I was still learning. I turned back to the clothes spread out across the bar and chose a few items. He had to guess my bra size and surprisingly, the one I put on fit well. I added a camisole and tank top together over tight blue jeans and ankle boots with a thin sweater and leather jacket. The rest of the clothes I packed into the luggage that had been brought in as well, and pulled myself onto a bar stool.
I fiddled with a small bag I had kept out and heard footsteps from the hallway. Eric was walking across the floor toward me with a look of mild annoyance on his face, but nothing that would have me too alarmed. A glance up and down my body and the look of approval on his face had me beaming. I should have been more concerned about our travel plans, what would happen here, and how to handle things if we were followed, but at that moment, I was unencumbered by terrible thoughts or fears. I was happy and exploring a new part of myself instead of hiding from it. I was hoping this would last.
Even with the added height of the bar stool, Eric still towered over me and my small form. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, pulling me to his chest and breathing in the scent of my hair. I wrapped my hands around his back interlacing my fingers together and stared up at him. I was waiting for his opinion, for him to run the show, instead of making choices for myself. It was a habit I couldn't afford, but one I would indulge anyway. I had shied away from power as long as I could remember, and having it thrust onto me as my responsibility wasn't going to make me any more eager to use it, or even become familiar with it.
It could have been the look in my eyes, or the feelings passing between us that I had difficulty keeping track of, but I could feel the change between Eric taking charge, and leaving decisions up to me. He asked if we should leave as soon as it was full dark, or if we should try for earlier just after sunset, with the twilight still lighting the way. He listed the benefits of each and the difficulties we could have with either. I knew he wasn't convinced that my brother was behind the firebomb through his window, but he wanted to distract me and get me away so I could re-center or focus, or whatever.
I decided we should leave in between sunset and first dark, where there was less of a chance the sun would still catch Eric and still enough time to get us to the airport early. We drove with music on in the background until New Orleans and the way Eric drove, I was surprised we didn't get multiple tickets for speeding and reckless driving. I was working up the courage to talk about our relationship and how it had changed but I also wanted to enjoy the silence and solitude he was providing for me. The change in our relationship was rather instantaneous and there would be plenty for us to disagree on, but for now, it was a relief from the normal chaos that consumed our lives before.
Walking through the terminal and onto the plane after security clearance and checking our passports was a new experience for me. I hadn't stepped foot on a plane before, and being on one now was surreal and exciting. Eric had provided me with a fake passport and identity because it was something I had never needed. The Canadian border was easy to cross and had minimal security, so I hadn't worried about being caught and deported on my way through the Great White North.
As we took our seats I told him about the travels I had made across the country. Starting with most of California, and where my family was from, up the coast through Oregon and Washington and up to Alaska for a short time. I told him how I had explored all the things I could do with terms as generic as possible in case there were prying ears, but most of the first class was asleep so I got to elaborate some.
"So you can actually pull water from the molecular structure of anything it is contained in," Eric questioned me for what seemed the hundredth time.
"Yes, that was what I did the first night you and Sookie discovered who and what I was," I told him calmly.
"That was rather fun, you straddling me and pinning me down. Aside from you trying to dismember me molecule by molecule," Eric said jokingly as he turned to look at me better in the seat beside mine. My cheeks flushed and he pulled me to him and pressed his lips on mine gently. It wasn't passionate or forceful, just an affirmation that he enjoyed my company now, and that he wanted to get to know the person I was beginning to show him.
As he released me I smiled and said, "We'll have plenty of time for fun, once we get where we're going." I winked and continued to tell him about different parts of the country I'd been to and places I had wanted to go before discovering my hidden identity. The dreams of a normal teenage girl seemed so inconsequential compared to the problems I would now face, as a new queen and ruler of a planet. One that was so far removed from the one I had called home for the last seventeen years, it almost existed in its own universe instead of the one we knew about.
We transferred flights around two in the morning and flew directly to Stockholm on Anubis Air to ensure there were no mishaps during landing should the sun rise as we disembarked. I had to sit alone this time because Eric was put into a metal coffin for travel instead of staying seated with me. As much as I wanted him with me, I knew he couldn't be in the sun so I relented and finally found a magazine and a movie to entertain me while we were in motion.
The flight wasn't that long, but I was still able to read the magazine cover to cover and watch an entire movie. I contemplated starting another movie or picking up a new magazine but I decided to rest while I still could. I didn't know what landing in Sweden would mean, if transport would be arranged for us or if I would be responsible for the two of us in a foreign country with a language barrier. My sleep was fitful and I was more tired upon waking than I had been when I fell asleep.
Eric had the foresight I could only hope to emulate, and had arranged for transportation for both of us to a less popular but still reputable vampire hotel. The car was there to pick us up at the tarmac. I shouldn't have been that surprised, but I supposed money talked. As we were ferried to an area that had class and style but wasn't surrounded by other popular tourist traps, I watched behind the darkly tinted glass as people stared. They couldn't see me, but I could see them, and the anonymity was pleasant but it also made me realize how alone we were now. The only safety net that I possessed was lying in a coffin beside me, inert and unable to defend either of us during the daylight hours. I resolved myself to train each day with a new purpose, to protect myself, and my newfound king and bedmate from any threat.
Pulling up to the valet door to the lobby I could see a posh and sophisticated interior with dark, rich colors. It wasn't inherently inviting, but it didn't make me feel unwelcome either. As I approached the counter and retrieved the paperwork Eric had given me before boarding I noticed there were fewer people working during daylight hours than I had expected.
Most of them were security of some sort, while others were cleaners for the human areas of the hotel. I checked us in, made sure the room was safe and sent the bell hops on their way with a nice tip. Eric's coffin was beside the bed and our luggage had been moved into the small foyer of our suite. Room did no justice to describe the opulence afforded us with Eric's money. There was a spacious bathroom with a shower and separate Jacuzzi tub, a full kitchen for me and a mini bar stocked with alcohol and bottled blood, an entertainment room, and the bedroom with a king sized bed.
As impressive as this was, I would have to entertain myself for the rest of the day, since it was only mid-morning and Eric would be out for quite a while. I decided to start by going over some of the paperwork that had stayed with me throughout the trip. I read and reread over the laws regarding how power passed from generation to generation but I was still at a loss for my specific situation. In the long reign, my father's family had there had never been an instance where there was not a chosen recipient and arranged marriage to solidify the legitimacy of the claim to rule. Although I had a legitimate marriage and claim, I was still worried that it would be seen as the antics of a spoiled child seeking any means to justify their decision instead of a claim to my birthright.
I also worried that I wouldn't be able to get out of this marriage should the time or opportunity arise because I would in turn forfeit my right to rule. I intended to change that, because as willing as Eric was appearing, I could tell that it would take more of a toll on him than he let on. He belonged with the people he had carefully selected over his long life, not thrust into someone else's political and personal nightmares as a means to an end. I wanted to gain any bit of knowledge I could from him while we were together, but I didn't want to pressure him into helping me and I couldn't decide which instinct I would give in to.
After hours of pouring over the documents I held, I called for room service and ate a light meal before taking a nap. I hadn't managed to get much rest while we drove or on the planes and had finally exhausted myself. I let sleep claim me after I laid out clothes for myself and Eric on the couch in the entertainment area.