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For seven days, whenever the sun set, a cold stone of dread dropped deep in Sookie's gut as she peered to the front door, waiting for the inevitable knock. Each night Bill didn't show up, that stone got heavier and it hit harder. She hadn't forgotten her promise to Eric that she would stay away from him for a few days, but it was still weird that he hadn't even called. Sure, she'd kicked him out, but this was Bill. He always at least called.
Sookie sighed and fanned herself with the business section. The weather had been living up to all the meteorologists' predictions and somehow managed to get even hotter in the last few days. They were on the cusp of fall and right in the midst of Indian Summer, so it was impossible to go outside without panting and without instantly being coated in salty, sticky sweat. She sat on her porch feeling little trickles slide down the back of her arms and neck and distracted herself with thoughts of Eric draped all over her. As much as she hated to admit it, those memories had been the only thing getting her through this week from hell. A little more guilt seeped in every time they surfaced, but overall, it was still a relatively pleasant recollection. That would probably all change when she finally saw Bill.
She was going to tell him everything. She had to. There was never any question in her mind. Idly, her fingers tapped the wooden armrest of her old rocking chair as she wondered whether he already knew. Maybe that was why she'd seen neither hide nor hair of him all week.
But after seven nights of waiting, she'd decided that tonight was it. He had until an hour after sunset to show up. After that, she would go see him. Either way, this weight was coming off her chest tonight. It had been long enough.
The minutes ticked by slowly as a breeze started to pick up, siphoning the heat from the area like a drain in a bathtub. Though she couldn't see them in the growing darkness, she could hear the leaves rubbing against each other in the trees as the wind gathered strength. It grew steadily from an occasional gust to a steady wind strong enough to rock the empty chair next to her almost like she had a silent, invisible companion. She closed her eyes and leaned back to enjoy the break in the heat.
The wind had continued to increase right until she decided that Bill's deadline had passed and ran inside to collect a sweater—it already felt a little cooler—and made her way over to Bill's. Her feet had memorized the trip long ago and easily picked their way through the cemetery, taking care to avoid all the old, overgrown headstones.
Almost the instant Sookie stepped onto Bill's property, her heart began pounding like a jackrabbit. Maybe this wasn't the best idea; she'd barely thought it through. Maybe Eric's scent had washed off and she and Bill could go on as if nothing happened. Maybe telling him would only cause more problems than it would solve; really, wouldn't she be hurting him only so she could feel better? Bearing the guilt surely would be a greater punishment than anything Bill said to her.
"Oh, get off it, Sookie," she said under her breath. "You can't walk away from this."
Resolved, she climbed the stairs to Bill's porch and was about to knock when she saw his mailbox overflowing with what appeared to be a week's worth of mail.
"Weird."
After gathering the pile of bills and magazines and tucking it beneath her arm, she opened the storm door and knocked. A full thirty seconds went by and she had yet to hear movement within the house. She knocked again. The wind had strengthened even more and now was whipping her hair into her face like angry string.
When there was no response after she had knocked a second time, Sookie decided to just go inside. Reaching above the doorframe for Bill's spare key, her fingers tapped around the old wood for a while before coming up empty. Frustrated, she tried the doorknob anyway and was surprised to feel it twist easily in her hand. The door swung open with an eerie groan that was lost beneath the shuffling of the wind. She stepped inside cautiously, set the mail on the small table in the foyer, and looked around for a sign of her boyfriend.
"Bill?" she called and walked into the living room.
The sun had set a little more than an hour ago and it was unlikely that he'd had time to shower and dress before going anywhere. If he was awake, he was here somewhere. She sat on the old couch in his living room and waited.
After a few minutes, she started to pace.
A few more minutes, and she decided to go upstairs to look for him.
"Bill?"
His room was untouched, so she went over to his closet where his hideyhole was tucked away and got down on her knees. Figuring that it wouldn't do any harm since it had been dark for awhile, she opened it and peered inside. Empty.
Outside, the wind howled and the house moaned beneath its weight.
Where was he?
For the first time that night, a little glimmer of fear pricked her mind. Taking out her phone, she quickly dialed Bill's number while wracking her mind for possible explanations. Maybe he slept somewhere else . . . with someone else?
The phone didn't even have a chance to ring before the overly perky operator informed her that the number had been disconnected. Cold threads of panic tightened across her gut.
Could she have dialed wrong? She tried again, punctuating each number with a distinct pressure. Almost immediately, "We're sorry, but the number you're trying to reach has been disconnected."
"Well . . . fudge."
She sat back and tried to think about where Bill could be. Was he so upset about her throwing him out that he would just leave without telling her? Maybe he knew about what happened with her and Eric and had decided that he'd had enough. Thoughts of last week began to regurgitate themselves, and Eric's ominous warning to stay away from Bill almost imperceptibly came forth from the tangles, forcing all the pieces into place. She almost felt foolish for not thinking of it sooner.
This time when she dialed, it was a less familiar series of numbers.
"Fangtasia, bar with a bite," Pam answered on the third ring. Her drawl was deliberately more pronounced and sexy than usual. No doubt to enthrall the fangbangers.
She didn't bother with the normal pleasantries and got right to the point. "It's Sookie. I need to talk to Eric."
"He's busy."
"I don't have time for this bullshit, Pam. Just put him on the phone."
"My, aren't we feisty tonight," she said, sounding surprisingly interested. "I'll see if he's available."
Sookie rolled her eyes when Pam's voice was replaced by gothic elevator music no one but fangbangers and undertakers would find appealing. She endured the grating tones for several minutes before Eric finally picked up.
"Mm, Sookie, what can I do for you?"
A tingle swept up her spine when he said her name, but she ignored it. "What did you do with Bill?"
"I have done nothing with your Compton," he replied. "Why? Did you lose him?" Dozens of miles away from him, and there was no question that he was wearing that annoying smirk on his face. She wanted to slap it off.
"You know perfectly well he's missing. You've known for weeks, haven't you?"
"I might have had an . . . inkling."
"You better not have had anything to do with this, Eric, because if you did—"
"We're not going to have this conversation on the phone," he interrupted. "Come to Fangtasia, and I'll answer all your questions."
"Why can't you just—"
"I said not on the phone. I'll tell Pam to expect you." He hung up without saying goodbye.
Sookie sighed and folded the phone shut, running her fingers through her hair. After all that had happened, could she handle seeing Eric? It had been almost a week, and her thighs still clenched with aftershocks every time she thought about what took place between them. It would be all too easy for her to fall for his seduction again, especially now that she'd felt what he could do to her. But, she had no choice.
If she wanted to find out what happened to Bill, then she was going to have to suck it up and see Eric. She was a full-grown woman and more than capable of controlling herself. She'd just make sure to keep her distance from him.
Her decision made, Sookie picked herself off the floor, brushed her legs off, and made her way back across the cemetery.
While she was in Bill's house, it had started to rain—massive, freezing drops that splashed on the dusty ground before immediately being absorbed into the earth. It looked like the heat wave had finally broke and northern Louisiana was in for a doosey of a storm. Overhead, a distant drum of thunder rumbled its agreement.
Sookie jogged most of the way back to her house to keep from getting too soaked; she wanted to show up at Fangtasia with at least some dignity still intact, and looking like a drowned cat effectively would destroy any credibility she had.
Luckily, she only had to brush out her hair and change into a slightly nicer sweater and jeans, throw on some lip gloss, and hope that it didn't look like she was trying too hard. After all, she was only going there for Bill. Didn't want to give anyone the wrong idea.
Ready to go, Sookie grabbed her purse and keys and was on the road to Shreveport in less than fifteen minutes.
The usually zippy drive was obnoxiously slow. You'd think no one on the highway that night had ever had to drive through a little rain before. Not one car dared to go faster than ten miles below the normal speed limit. Sookie drummed her fingers along the steering wheel and fought the urge to lay on her horn until traffic moved at a more acceptable pace as she watched the drops bounce off the hood of her car. Most of her concentration was directed at staying focused on Bill as opposed to wondering what Eric would be wearing. It was proving more and more difficult to do so with each tick of the clock.
Almost an hour later, she pulled into the Fangtasia parking lot and had to park toward the back. She ran inside as quickly as she could while holding her purse overhead as if it could keep her dry. The bottoms of her jeans were instantly soaked to halfway up her calf and her hair had become matted and frizzy from the moisture. Perfect.
The moment she burst into the entrance, a dagger of light streaked across the sky, followed a few seconds later by angry thunder. Sookie noted the little bit of time between the two. If that old wives tale were true about counting the seconds between the thunder and the lightening, then the storm was still a few miles off.
"Sookie," Pam greeted when she made her way over to the hostess stand. "Don't you look . . . wet."
Ignoring her, she said. "Where is he?"
"In his office. You can go back. He's been waiting for you."
Sookie nodded, tried to shove aside her giddiness at seeing Eric again, and made her way toward the back of the bar. The fangbangers were out in droves tonight, and they were more than a little tickled by the foul weather. Each time a bolt of lightning lit the bar up, they cheered--pathetic. Distracted by the atmosphere—both inside and outside the bar—no one paid her any attention as she squeezed through the crowd toward Eric's office.
Less than a minute later, she found herself standing outside his door, wondering whether she should knock. She was just about to raise her fist when Eric called to her from behind the door, telling her to come in.
Bracing herself, she swung the door open and went inside, hoping that she wasn't making a huge mistake coming here. The minute their eyes met, her heart sank. Usually his gaze was impossible to decipher, but now, she could make out every emotion. Almost like she could read his mind. Confidence, dominance, amusement, and lust—a whole heap of lust; there was no way she was going to leave that room tonight without getting herself in even deeper with the stupid Viking. Damn it.
He was sitting at his desk and smiled broadly when she stepped inside. "Ah, Sookie, you look simply divine tonight." Apparently he enjoyed the wet, grungy, gross look. "I trust you are doing well since I last saw you?"
"Cut the crap, Eric. I'm here for Bill. That's it."
"I see." He brought his folded his hands together and pressed them against his mouth as he watched her with those telling eyes.
"So what do you know?" Sookie asked when it was clear he wasn't going to offer up any information.
Eric stood from his chair behind the desk and came around to the front, where he crossed his arms and perched on the corner. Sookie tried not to notice how his arms bulged beneath the taught sleeves of his dark blue t-shirt.
"You may want to have a seat." He gestured to the leather couch.
Sookie glanced in that direction then quickly shook her head. "That's okay," she said. "I don't plan on staying long."
Eric's brow furrowed as he peered at her from across the room. She was still hovering near the door, too hesitant to come any closer.
"Bill has been taken," he said after a few awkward minutes.
Sookie's mind instantly went blank. Of all the scenarios that had passed through her head, none of them included that.
"What? By who?" she asked once the information had sunk in a little.
"You know who it was."
A flash of lightning lit up the room, surrounding Eric with an eerie, delicate light for less than a moment. His face was grim.
"Lorena."
Eric nodded once as a deafening clash of thunder rattled down to her bones. The storm was closer now. Suddenly she was freezing. Her mind was frantic as millions of questions came at her at once: how could Lorena simply take Bill like that? Why wasn't Eric more concerned? How was she going to fix this?
"Well, what are you doing to get him back?"
"There is little I can do," Eric shrugged. "I warned him of her intentions a few weeks ago after I discovered them. Then again last week when she checked into my area. That alone was overstepping my authority."
"We have to do something!" she cried. "Can't we go after them?"
"Lorena hates you, Sookie." Lightning illuminated the room once again, filling it with untapped electrical power. "Bill is trying to protect you by taking her out of town and far away from you."
At that moment, a monstrous wave of thunder hit the building and Sookie's knees gave out. Before she could hit the ground, Eric had crossed the room and scooped her up like a china doll. Almost the instant his arms came around her, she felt better as a little of the stress drained from her body. But that ended the second he placed her gently on the couch.
"You're overwhelmed," he said, returning to his spot on the desk. It wasn't a question.
Sookie sat up and firmly planted her face into her palms. "I don't understand . . . how?"
"He didn't want you to know." Eric buried his hands into his pockets. "He knew you would come after him if you discovered the truth."
"Was that the real reason he didn't want me to see you? Because he didn't want you to tell me?"
Another flash of lighting filled the room long enough for Sookie to catch a glimpse of the smirk on Eric's face, which was all it took to ignite the fire of her anger. There was absolutely nothing amusing about this situation.
"Among other things," he replied.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she pressed, gearing for a fight. The roll of thunder punctuated her accusation and she couldn't help but appreciate the dramatic flair it added.
Eric looked down at her with mock innocence and placed his right hand over his unbeating heart. "I simply told him that he didn't have to worry about you. While he was gone, I would be sure to . . . take care of you."
Another streak of lightning, and she was on her feet, beating Eric's chest with balled fists. Of course, he'd known everything when he came to her house last week, and of course he used it to his advantage so he could finally take his conquest. The knowledge stung her like a skewer through the heart as she continued her assault. He simply smirked and didn't move.
"How could you take advantage of me like that? I hate you!" She slapped him across the face.
He said nothing to indicate that her words had any effect and simply endured her beating as if it were nothing but a pleasant massage.
Outside, the storm was raging. Rain whipped the windows like bullets while the wind swirled all the pooling moisture in the parking lot into mini waterspouts. Lightning lit up the sky almost constantly and was accompanied by the ever-present roar of thunder. It had barely gotten underway, and it was already the most powerful storm Shreveport had seen in years.
Inside, Sookie relentlessly pounded against the vastness of Eric's chest, determined to make him feel only a fraction of the pain and guilt that had already begun to tear her apart.
How could she betray Bill like that? Here he was, giving up his freedom to keep her safe, and she had simply thrown him out of her home then proceeded to play right into the hands of the one person in the world she knew he truly hated. She loathed herself.
"Are you finished?" Eric asked when her punches had reduced themselves to the occasional light smack between sobs. His hands came to rest on her shoulders, but she shrugged him off.
Without a word, she picked up her purse and walked to the door. "I don't ever want to see you again."
No sooner had the words left her mouth did another ridiculous bolt of lightning strike somewhere nearby, which was immediately followed by a tremendous roar of thunder. Sookie cringed beneath the blanket of sound, and the dim lights in Eric's office flickered once before going completely dead, leaving them both in total darkness.
Sookie froze, her hand clutching the doorknob, and turned to look over her shoulder. The only thing she could make out in the blackness was Eric's eyes—glowing and focused directly on her. Slowly, they began to move toward her.
Adrenaline dumped into her system as she scrambled to escape before he could reach her. Even in the darkness, she could see all too well exactly what it was he wanted. He was hunting—stalking her like the predator he was. She didn't dare look back as she struggled with the door, lest he be right behind her.
Her nerves were so taught with anxiety that the next flash of lightning tore a scream out of her. She could feel his closeness; he couldn't have been more than a few eyelashes away. Instinctively, she whirled away from the door, expecting to find Eric's face inches from her own, but instead saw nothing.
Another flash of lightning lit the room up again, and it was clear that she was definitely, and unexpectedly, alone. A chill ran through her.
"Eric?" she called, her voice shaking.
When there was no response, she decided to chance it and get out while she could. She spun on her heel back toward the door, her hands shaking too much to cooperate. Almost instantly, a pair of strong, icy arms wrapped around her middle, tearing her away from the only exit.
All she could see was darkness as he hauled her back into the room, completely ignoring her many protests to let her go. Her feet lashed out against his hold and swung like pendulums, managing to knock most of the contents lying on top of his desk to the floor. He said nothing about the mess, but all too quickly, she found her feet back on the ground and her upper body bent over the end of the desk she had just cleared. Eric pressed his own torso over her and effortlessly pinned her arms to her sides. She was trapped.
"You can't leave yet. We still have much to . . . discuss." His voice was sinfully sensual.
"Eric, please—" her words were cut off with a moan when he pulled her back against his already straining pants. "We can't . . ." she gasped.
"Why not?" he leaned further across her back and slid his hands beneath her damp sweater, lightly stroking her sides.
"I won't do that to Bill again." She was panting now.
"He's not coming back, Sookie." He brushed her hair over to one side of her neck and pressed his lips to her neck before whispering in her ear. "If he does, it will only be because Lorena has decided to kill you after all." She shuddered. "I'm the only protection you have."
Throughout the encounter, lightning lit the room up periodically like flashbulbs of multiple cameras going off at once—like they were the center of some serious paparazzi scrutiny. Electricity crackled in the air as her resolve continued to wane.
His fingernails gently scraped the soft skin of her back, leaving red trails of encouragement in their wake. Every nerve in her body was tingling with anticipation and with the feel of him so close to her. Above her, Eric smiled and inhaled the luscious scent of her arousal. She wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. Not with the amount of lust he could feel emanating through her pores.
The storm had risen to a new frenzy, beating against the building like an army demanding sanctuary. They were engulfed by an angry ocean of wind that was slamming down on the ceiling hard enough to shake the windows violently in their frames. A few more minutes and the glass would have no choice but to bend to the unrelenting wind.
Inside Eric's office, he had managed to weaken her tenacity to one last, very strained, string of determination. He toyed with her body, expertly extracting all the sensations she was so desperate not to feel. The weight of his upper body pressed down on her, encompassing her much smaller form on top of the desk as she frantically tried to hold onto her guilt and pain—the only things keeping her from giving in completely.
Sookie closed her eyes and gathered every last ounce of stubbornness she had left; it was enough to squirm out from beneath Eric's massive form. A small part of her frazzled brain called out that he was only playing with her. Physically, she could never defeat a vampire. Especially Eric. They both knew it. But there was nothing else she could do; this was the only way she could fight. So she ignored the voice and continued to fight for control.
The small office seemed to diminish even further in size as Sookie struggled against a magnetic pull toward Eric. Setting her sweater to rights and readjusting her hair, she said, "I'm leaving now, Eric. I meant what I said about not wanting to see you again."
He said nothing, and for the second time, Sookie retrieved her purse, which luckily was lying at her feet and, as calmly as possible, walked to the door.
Driving her little car all the way back to Bon Temps in the ugly weather may not have been the smartest idea, but she had to get out of there. She was at the very end of her self-control. One more caress was all it would take to send her will power crumbling to the ground.
Another flash of lightning lasted long enough for her to make out Eric still standing next to his desk, still watching her. When it was dark again a second later, his eyes continued to glow their peculiar blue light, but they weren't advancing toward her.
Because there was nothing left to say and because she couldn't be in that room with him one more second without doing something she would regret forever, she turned away and opened the door to leave, but before she could step one foot into the hallway, the door was slammed shut, and Eric was suddenly right behind her. The little space left between their bodies tingled. He quickly spun her around and pinned her to the door, his grip on her shoulders tight enough to leave bruises.
She didn't even have a chance to protest before he slammed his mouth onto hers, completely eviscerating every doubt and excuse flashing in her brain and telling her that being with him wasn't a good idea. Instantly, her body wrapped around his as the last of her control was washed away by his perfect lips.
In the main room, the windows lining the front of the bar finally gave into the pressure and shattered inward, actually cutting a few people. Those fangbangers lucky enough to bleed were all too happy to allow themselves to be cleaned up by some of the vampires in attendance. The excitement over the storm that had filled the room earlier slowly morphed into something darker and more dangerous as the vampires started to drink their fill. A feeding orgy had begun.
At the end of the back hallway, inside Eric's office, he had returned Sookie to her earlier position bent over his desk and deftly undid the button of her jeans, pulling them down, along with her underwear, just enough to expose her naked flesh. His eyes glowed brighter as they took in the expanse of her perfect skin bathed in the electric flashes of illumination. He had been craving this constantly for the past seven days.
Sookie moaned when two long fingers slid into her and weakly tried to shimmy the rest of the way out of her jeans. He made no move to help and focused instead on exploring her warmth, his thumb twisting to stroke the tight bud of nerves above her entrance. She cried out and bucked against his hand at the new contact while her jeans slowly worked their way down her legs. Eventually, she was able to step on the ends and pull them completely off. All with Eric still bent over her, preparing her.
The moment her legs were free, Eric released his throbbing length from his pants and buried it deep within her. Sookie yelped at the unexpected intrusion, but it quickly became a moan as he started gliding in and out of her, setting a hard, fast rhythm.
Overhead, the storm unleashed its true fury, slamming against the bar with everything it had. The room was bathed in almost constant flashes of light, while the thunder crashed loud enough to shake the walls, but it was the incredible wind that had encompassed everything, channeling the forces of the storm to blast away anything that wasn't secure as if it were nothing but dust.
Eric was still fully clothed as he repeatedly impaled her with his cock. Each time he pressed inward, completely immersing himself in her glorious heat, she let out a loud cry that disappeared beneath the sounds of the raging weather. She was utterly lost to the energy coursing through body as Eric continued to pound into her. When he felt her temperature rise around him, he groaned and picked up the pace of his thrusts, pushing her toward climax.
At the first sign of her impending orgasm, Sookie's fingers dug into the wood on top of the desk as the wave began to take her. It shot up from her center all the way to the top of her head and down her arms and legs. Her entire body clenched and released as if she were being electrocuted while pleasure coursed through her veins like fire. She howled and thrashed around his cock, completely losing control of her body. For his part, Eric struggled to maintain his pace while she was so wild, but he grit his teeth and managed to drag her climax out for as long as possible, enjoying the sight of her writhing beneath him.
When it was over, her body lay limp on the desk, still miles and miles away. Far from fininished, Eric flipped her over and positioned her legs so that her heels were resting on the ends of the desk and so her knees fell open to him. He quickly ripped off both their shirts and pulled her to him, loving the feel of her soft, warm breasts rubbing against his naked chest while he continued to slam into her.
"Eric," she moaned as her body began to recharge. An entirely new series of sensations was starting to take over.
He said nothing but captured her mouth in his own, pouring the extent of his insurmountable lust into the kiss. All Sookie could do was hold on.
Eric could feel that he was getting close to the edge and broke the kiss, allowing his fangs to scrape gently down the side of her face. Instinctively, she turned her head to give him access to her throat, her eyes never leaving his. His hand abandoned the swell of her hip to grip her tiny neck gently, feeling her pulse slam into his palm. Studying her gaze, he felt her desire to be bitten and couldn't hold back any longer.
Not a second later, he removed his hand and sank his fangs into the creamy, soft skin of her neck while she arched into him and threw her arms around his own. His body instantly flooded with her warmth and life, and it only took a few swallows to fill him completely. But he continued to drink, still unsatisfied, and only broke away to tear into his own wrist and hold it to her mouth,
"Drink," he said before returning to her scarlet nectar.
She didn't even think before latching on and taking his blood into her. He tasted cool and sweet and delicious.
The instant Sookie's soft, succulent lips sealed over the wound on his wrist, he fell over the edge. A bright flash of light blinded his vision and he slammed into her ruthlessly. Sookie never let go of his wrist as her body easily absorbed his heavy pounding.
Just as Eric started to shoot into her, Fangtasia was struck by a powerful bolt of lighting, and they could distantly pick up the sounds of a wall crumbling away somewhere and the storm rushing inside. Neither moved. They had fallen into a cone of silence where everything outside the small space they shared fell away. Together, they collapsed on the desk.
Unconcerned by the damage to his bar, Eric turned his head and gently pressed his lips to Sookie's, making sure to clean the blood coating her mouth and all around her chin. She lazily returned the kiss, all guilt temporarily held at bay. The minute she left the room, she would hate herself for being so weak. But right now, it was just them, and it felt okay.
Outside, lightning struck repeatedly, and each time, the thunder took a little longer to arrive as the storm moved away. The wind slowly died down and the rain started to cease. The storm had lasted only a few minutes, but it was enough to cause serious damage to the area and to its residents. Inside the club, the fangbangers saw that it was over and began dragging themselves home, considerably paler than when they had arrived while Eric and Sookie lay entwined together in his office, thinking of nothing else.
Once the storm had moved on, the power groaned and the lights flickered several times before growing steady as if they were waiting for their cue. The instant the yellow light filled Eric's office, realization crashed down on them like a boulder. Sookie quickly ripped herself out of Eric's arms, hating how it hurt her to do so, and pulled on her clothes. Neither spoke as she dressed and tore out of the room, out of the club, and into her car where she burst into tears.
Next up: Frost/snow.