Eric's lips brushed my face as he spoke, he had leaned around me as he held me to him. There was literally no room for a fight, not that I had much strength left to begin one anyway. I let out a breath, pushing away my pride.. I knew that there had been truth in Eric's previous words, if I didn't take his blood, my recovery from nearly being drained would take much longer than I wanted it to. It was suddenly unbearably hot in Pam's bathroom, the steam from the hot bath had covered the room like a fog, or the mist left after a hard rain. Eric spun me around to face him when I didn't answer for so long, and I found it very difficult to breathe, much less speak.. and not only because of the steamy room. His hands were wrapped around my bare back now, pressing me tightly against him, and I felt raw and exposed under his gaze. I was in a sort of misty, drifting state, as he slowly picked up a towel from behind him and began to dry me inch by inch, taking his time as he covered my torso and my back. His eyes returned to mine, and I thought that I had never seen anything so blue before, eerie almost in their glassy perfection. I shut my own eyes and leaned against him, letting my body go limp. He chuckled and began to walk me back towards the bedroom. Wrapping me in the soft white towel, Eric picked me up and gently laid me against the pillows of the bed. I began to snuggle into them, and as I attempted to get under the covers, he lifted me up with vampire speed so that I was leaning against him instead.
"No fair.." I muttered.
"I know you're tired, Sookie.. but think of how much better you'll feel with a little of my blood in you." he whispered seductively.
I made a little 'hmph' noise, and he laughed at my refusal to acknowledge that his blood would only work wonders for me. I definitely wasn't going to say it out loud. His cool body felt wonderful against my own, which was absolutely burning up, and I was thankful for Eric's lack of body heat. His steady hands massaged my shoulders, relaxing me so that I was laying against his chest. He moved my hair out of the way, and brushed his fingers against the skin of my neck and shoulders, leaving trails of fire behind him. I must have moaned, because a growl rippled through his chest, and I moved against him in response. With a soft click, I heard him draw his fangs. I didn't shy away, or make any movement at all, like I normally might have. It was a strange feeling to be trusting Eric Northman, but I was doing it.. and it wasn't exactly a bad feeling. His hands had moved lower now, caressing my breasts, the sides of my waist. With a soft touch he turned my neck to look at him. Eric had a way of looking at me- into me- that completely ridded me of all coherency. I found it incredibly difficult to form a thought that made any sense. With deliberate slowness, he brought his wrist to his mouth and bit down, looking at me with intensity as he did so. When he removed his wrist there was blood on his fangs, and I shivered a little with anticipation. He wrapped his arm back around me, bringing his bloodied wrist to my mouth. I licked the bite, tasting the first few drops of his blood since I had sucked bullets from him in Dallas. When I first drew his blood into my mouth, he moaned unexpectedly, arching himself against me. I sucked at the wound harder, and with every drop that went down my throat I felt a little of my strength return. I let myself really taste his blood for the first time, swirling it with my tongue as I closed my lips to drink. Eric's reaction was much more than I had expected. He was enjoying this immensely, and I could feel his hardness against me. I would drink deeply from him, and then merely let my mouth wander against the wound for a moment, savoring the feeling of his cool skin against my lips.
"More.." he moaned, when I stopped drinking for a moment.
I debated refusing him, but my desires got the better of me, and I drank from him again. After a moment more, I knew I had taken enough. With two hands I brought his wrist away from my mouth, watching the little wound heal before my eyes. I felt entirely satiated, and no longer weak or feeble. I was once again amazed at the effects of vampire blood. Eric, on the other hand, was even more wound up than before. He had made noises of protest when I stopped drinking from him, and now his hands were at work to unwrap the towel from my body. I placed a hand over his, trying to halt his hurried movements, but he only moved on top of me and pinned my hands at my sides. "You can't sleep in a towel.." he whispered with a grin, standing up and pulling one end of the towel towards him in one swift motion. I rolled across the bed as my only cover was torn away from me, and I lay facing him, propped up on my elbows. He stared down at me, his eyes moving everywhere, and I felt the heat rushing towards my face. His fangs popped back out as I blushed. I turned to grab the corner of the duvet and wrap myself in it, and Eric gave me a mischievous grin.
"I'll find something for you to put on.. even though I don't agree with you wearing anything at all." In a blur, he was gone from the room and I was alone in the expansive lavender bed. I leaned my head back, letting my eyelids drop slowly, allowing my head to fall lazily to the side.. thinking that I would ask to borrow a t-shirt to sleep in when he got back..
The next thing I knew, I was awake. I was tucked in the soft, luxurious bed, lying on my back, my hair strewn across the pillows. Eric was gone, as I knew he would be, since I could see the daylight seeping in from the windows to the right of me. I wondered why Pam bothered with windows at all, because for some reason I just couldn't imagine her having them merely for the enjoyment of human guests. I was no longer naked as I had been when I fell asleep, and I contemplated that for a moment, hoping Eric had at least dressed me with some dignity. Looking down at myself, I blushed, realizing that was not the case. I was wearing a short, silky black slip dress, it had a lace border at the top and small thin straps.
How did I stay asleep through him putting this on me? Trying not to think about it, I got up, expecting the headache that had been greeting me lately as I rose, but instead I felt absolutely vivacious. My entire body felt stretched and strengthened, I could feel each muscle, every bone. Everything I touched felt tingly to my skin. I walked to the bathroom to examine myself in Pam's oversize mirror. Expecting the worse, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that my newly flawless skin also had a healthy glow about it, my eyes were bright, and my hair looked shinier than ever. It was in it's natural waves since I had fallen asleep with it wet, but I decided to leave it be for the day and explore Pam's house. Wishing I had a robe of some sort, I wandered out into the hallway and into Pam's living room. Her house was very much like her personal clothing style, which was the exact opposite of the leather and latex she wore proudly at Fangtasia. Everything was neat and elegant, with a Victorian feel about it, all the way from the color scheme to the pale pink love seat. There was an extravagant fireplace in one corner of the room, and a beautiful coffee table in the middle, surrounded by couches and tall, regal looking chairs. It was going to be strange seeing her in black leather after knowing about this room. Looking further down the hallway at the two closed doors, I assumed that was where Eric and Pam had gone to rest and turned back towards the living room, wandering through it until I found the front door. Trying the handle, I grimaced when I realized I was locked in. So much for going back home yet.
Turning to my left, I passed another bathroom (this one larger than my bedroom) and saw an open door that led to a sort of office, where I found Pam's computer sitting on a mahogany desk, a large TV, and a small bookshelf in the corner. I knew the books would occupy me until sunset, so I grabbed a title I recognized and went back to the sitting room.
About three hours later I was still reading on Pam's pink sofa, but I was tired of waiting without anything to do, so I finally lay down with my book on my chest, and let my thoughts wander. I successfully kept my mind from going in the direction of Bill for once, and towards any thoughts that were too terrible. I thought about Eric, and the entire ordeal with Russel. I realized there were still many things left to find out, such as why Eric was ever in Jackson at all. I had known something was awry when he sent Hadley with a message, but I still wanted to ask him.. I wondered if Eric only wanted to take care of me after what happened because he wanted to form a bond with me, to use me for work, like he did in Dallas. I then realized that Eric was not Bill, and shunned away the very thought. He might have locked me in his basement, but he didn't allow two drainers to beat me until I bled. Shaking that particular memory, I began to remember the events in Dallas. All of it seemed so long ago to me, everything was so different, so fresh and new. I often thought of the dreams I had while I was there, and how much the initial attraction I had towards Eric had strengthened after the bombing, after taking his blood. My feelings towards him changed entirely after seeing him on the roof with Godric the next night, and I remember wishing more than anything that I could comfort him, ease the pain somehow. I thought of walking down the dimly lit hotel hallway, towards the room across from mine, to the black door that was strangely open. I was kissing his bloodied cheeks, barely touching them with my lips, wishing I didn't have to stop touching him, wishing I could hold him. His strong hand on my arm, his lips against me, laying on the floor, his figure over mine, his shadow against the wall. I reached a hand out to touch his fangs that had revealed themselves to me, I heard a whispered "Please," escape my mouth, but as he bit my neck we were swallowed up in darkness. There was no longer a cold floor beneath my back, but instead sand, cool sand, infinitely stretching along the shore for miles. Lying next to me, his body illuminated by the nearby firelight, he looked at me, and in the depths of his blue eyes I saw the ocean. Waves crashing before us, lit by the night, lit by the moon and stars. A hand on mine, a hand against my face, "What are you waiting for?" he asked me, looking into my eyes. His lips touched mine, ever so gently, I yearned for him to come nearer to me, I only craved his touch, but he had already left, running down the beach, running towards the ocean. I heard him call my name, and I got up from the ground, running towards him, into his outstretched arms, the feel of the salt water on our legs.. "Sookie," he whispered to me, "What are you afraid of?"
"Sookie? Sookie..." a cool hand against my face..
I jumped in surprise, biting my lip to keep from yelling out as I sat up, making my book tumble to the floor as I did so. The cool hand on my face had been real. Eric was smirking down at me, his fangs entirely out as he leaned over the edge of the couch where I lay. I looked down to retrieve the fallen book, but only dropped it again when I saw Pam sitting casually in the chair across from me, watching me with interest.
"You make noises in your sleep, Sookie." she said nonchalantly.
That was enough to make me blush. Remembering what I was dreaming about, I hoped I hadn't said anything out loud.. I looked up at Eric, who was eyeing my red cheeks appreciatively. Suddenly he was kneeling at the other side of the couch, much closer to me than I expected. His gaze was intense, his expression impassive.
"You've bit your lip." he muttered, reaching a hand out to twirl a strand of my hair between his fingers. Pam got up from her chair, announced she was going to 'get ready' and left the living room. Eric inched closer to me, closing the space between us slowly. He leaned in towards me, and in an excruciating amount of time he brought his lips to mine, brushing them ever so slightly.. tasting the blood I had drawn on my bottom lip. He stayed there, still for a moment, his chest against my body, his arm around my neck. He wound his hand into my hair and brought me to him as he kissed me again, more forcefully this time. If I hadn't been sitting down, I would have gone weak at the knees. I felt his fangs pierce my lip as he kissed me deeply, and my blood rushed into his mouth as he growled. My hands moved to the back of his neck, holding on to his hair. I was on the edge of the couch now, my legs nearly around him, his hands all over me while his mouth devoured mine. Pam's voice came from the other room,
"Sookie, wait until you see what I have for you to wear to Fangtasia tonight!"
I felt Eric smile against my mouth.