Eric moved gracefully with skill I hadn't encountered before. It was obvious he had been a warrior whenever he was turned and having lived however long he had, his skills had only improved. It should have frightened me, instead, it spurred me on.
Even though he was faster than me, I matched him blow for blow, blocking each one and even getting a few small jabs in of my own. I knew it was surprising everyone but Derek, but he had trained me and knew what I was capable of. It should have surprised him, though because I almost never practiced since I started running, and I felt rusty and not up to par as I exerted myself for the first time in months.
My breathing became labored quickly as I kept Eric at bay. He took notice and used it against me, making me work harder to keep myself and Derek protected. Each hit I blocked was followed now by one or two that weren't. Derek was starting to get antsy and looked ready to step in but I didn't want him taking a beating for me.
"I see you're about done, witch," Eric quipped.
"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" I asked. "I'm not a witch."
Apparently, though, I was easy to fool. Trying to talk and fight at the same time was proving difficult and Eric caught me by the neck, dragging me down to the ground. Derek looked like he was going to pull Eric off but I met his gaze making it clear I didn't want the help. I might have needed it, but I didn't want it.
This time, I was ready for Eric to hold me down but I wasn't nearly as submissive and he struggled with me. If he could have broken a sweat, I think he might have but as it was, he was straining his muscles and clearly worked up about me holding my own. His physical struggle wasn't what made me slip up, it was what he said to me as he held me down.
"Seems like your pet listens well," Eric voiced, nodding in Derek's direction. I huffed in frustration, not acknowledging or denying his statement. When Eric spoke again it chilled even my blood, which is a feat in itself.
"Maybe I should teach him how to heel."
Eric slid over me again, trying to use his weight against me and pinning me to the ground. The only person who had ever insinuated that Derek needed to be trained like an animal was my brother, and the rage I felt building up inside of me was misdirected but would leave a lasting impression on Eric and Sookie.
I stopped struggling and let Eric think I was giving up and he had broken me. When he was about to pull me up to tie my arms to my sides I pulled him close, wrapping my legs around his waist and locking them in place. He was confused until I pulled away just enough to place my feet on his hips and flip him up, over my head and onto the ground above my head.
Derek was smirking at my use of technique and I smiled myself.
"No one talks about him like that. Not ever," I laid into Eric as I straddled his waist (safe zone, duh!) and crossed my arms over my chest. While I was lying prone on the ground I had a tree root that had decayed sticking into my back. I had grabbed it before rolling over and pinning Eric in the same position. I held the root over his heart, a glint in my eye that was murderous and reminded me too much of my brother.
Breathing deeply, I steadied my hand and pressed just enough to make Eric uncomfortable. Despite the lack of a sharp point in the root I knew how to make it work for me should I need it to. Derek came to stand beside me and rested a hand on my shoulder. I knew he was trying to diffuse the situation but I didn't want to let it go, because Derek was my everything, and no one was going to say any less of him in front of me and get away with it.
"Tryst, you don't have to do this. I know how you feel but this is not going to make things better," Derek spoke in my ear. I knew Eric had heard every word because he perked up when Derek began to speak. I pressed harder into Eric's chest reminding him who had the upper hand now.
"Tristan is it?" Eric asked while bringing one hand up around my own, and the root. I nodded because I didn't trust myself to not say something I would regret.
"For someone who didn't know much about vampires ten minutes ago, you seem to know quite a bit now," Eric mused. "The fatal error you made with the knowledge you possess is this piece of wood."
He ran a finger suggestively down to where the tip of the root met his chest separated by only the fabric of his shirt. I gave him a puzzled look for him to continue despite knowing where he would go with this.
"There is no pointed tip, and while you fight decently enough to have landed us here, the force needed to kill me is too great for you to exert. Not after what I've already put you through," he said, raising his eyebrows to imply more than just the fighting that had taken place. That got a rise out of me but I only knit my brows closer and glared at him. I was definitely going to enjoy this.
"I know I couldn't kill you like this, but I am able to kill you," I spoke boldly. There were already too many things I'd been hiding revealed for me to keep this hidden much longer.
"But," I started. "If I add to this root here," I pointed at the end digging into his chest. "I can get the wood in and pierce your heart. If I wanted to."
His eyes widened in mock surprise at my revelation. I didn't expect anything less from him at all. What made them stay that way was how I was able to do most of what I said. Killing him now would not be in my best interest.
Gathering up the energy I had left, I pushed outwards focusing on the end of the tree root. As Eric watched crystals began forming where the root touched his chest. I pulled up to allow them to come together and form a deadly point.
I let the root and crystals dig in for a while longer, then met Eric's eyes. The same fear I had seen before was hidden behind a growing interest and understanding. If he thought he had me figured out he was dead wrong. And if I thought I could skip town anytime soon, I was wrong, too. It didn't matter, though because I wouldn't go anywhere without Derek by my side now.
I began to let up on the pressure and release the magic I was holding onto. In the process, I noticed I had done more than ruin Eric's shirt, I had made first blood. I couldn't hope that he wouldn't notice because he seemed to notice everything, no matter how insignificant, so I offered to help.
"Here let me fix this," I told Eric while I worked his shirt up above the small wound. I didn't notice it was healing on its own so I began to gather my magic to me in order to repair the damage I had done, all the while, Eric lay prone and silent as he watched me repair his broken skin.
I rubbed my hands together above the wound and focused on the result I wanted. With one hand I made contact with his icy skin and let the magic pulse around it until the pieces were united and whole. As the last pieces came together I started to move my hand away but received a shock, as though electricity were running through his veins and not just magic. I gasped and Eric made some other noise that sounded like grunting before I realized the implications of the shock. I was quickly overcome by emotions I knew were not my own.
Shock, fear, loathing, distrust, heated passion, confusion, bitterness, and even something that seemed like love hit me with the force of a tidal wave. What surprised me more was that everything positive, and only some of the negative emotions were directed at Sookie. With that thought, I understood exactly what I had done and from the looks of it, there was no way to reverse it. I quickly clamped down on my emotions to see if Eric noticed anything different but for now, Sookie seemed to be quite an emotional rollercoaster for him and I went unnoticed.
The last thing that I caught was a feeling I was familiar with, but coming from Eric, frightened me more than knowing I could pick up on his emotions did. It was a possessiveness that only one other person had shown and it was directed at me the first time I'd felt it. Kayden was the one who had ruined my childhood, had torn apart my dreams and innocence like paper for fodder to an inferno. HE had been the one to break me and try to keep my soul locked up in a cage for his infernal pleasure and desire, my own brother. Nothing can prepare you for that most intimate form of betrayal, not even a lover's kiss with someone who isn't you.
As soon as I had control over my emotions I jumped up, releasing Eric from his position on the ground and ran into Derek as I was backpedaling to get away from the vampire I had just created some kind of connection with and the human who was his, for all intents and purposes. My desire to get away, in any direction and capacity didn't go unnoticed, but Derek only grasped my arms gently and folded me into a backward hug, letting me know he had my back and would stay with me. Eric's face was a mask again and Sookie stood, trembling on her front porch. She hadn't moved to stop any of us and she hadn't said anything but perhaps she didn't need to say a word. I readied myself and began to explore the feelings around me until I found the signature that had tied me to Eric's emotions. As I was exploring, Eric had turned his back and begun to stride back to Sookie, but when I found a signature mixing with his own, I dug a little deeper. There was a special feeling about it and this was what I had mistaken for love, but it was just as intense. The only thing I could make of it was that it was pure, deep, and unadulterated. The word that flashed in my mind when I concentrated confused me until I spoke it aloud, testing to see if I could make sense of it.
"Bonded," I whispered quietly to myself. The feel of the word rolling off my lips was enough for me to believe. However Sookie felt or didn't feel about Eric was irrelevant because they were bonded to each other, whatever that meant.
"Mmm?" Derek questioned me lazily, wrapping his arms tighter around me and making me warm.
At the same time, Eric whipped around in our direction again fast as lightning. He unbound Derek's arms from around me and vaulted me up with his hand around my throat. I didn't need confirmation of how small I was in comparison to Eric, but the fact his entire hand could close around my neck with little effort was disconcerting, to say the least. When I thought he was done making his point he proceeded to lift me up into the air along with himself. This was new.
I hadn't even realized how quickly he had come back to grab me, I was still focusing on the fact we were flying. Not levitating, or hovering, definitely flying. I could see Derek fuming on the ground trying to find a way to get up in the air to me and Sookie running off her porch to keep her eyes on us. The unexpected turn in my evening didn't seem to want to end, even when given plenty of opportunities, in my opinion. Evidenced by my growing inability to breathe while being held twenty feet up in the air.
"How do you know about the bond?" Eric growled at me. Manners were not in his forte.
"What bond?" I asked stupidly, gasping for breath while I spoke.
"Don't play games with me," Eric struggled to speak without grinding the words out and an unfamiliar accent laced the words he managed to say. "The bond between Sookie and me, it's something not everybody would know about unless they were there or part of our politics."
I was trying to put together what Eric meant by that when it hit me. The unusually strong feelings I could pick from him, all directed at Sookie, and the other signature mingling with his were all related to this bond thing. What is the bond thing anyway, and why is it so damn important?
"We can answer that for you," Sookie said coming up underneath us while keeping her distance from Derek. I don't blame her, six plus feet of dark hair and brooding usually has that effect on people, but she would know just as much about that considering Eric was a similar height and build to Derek. Change the hair color, and the eyes, and some personality traits and they could be related, maybe. Or maybe not.
Eric gripped my throat tighter and growled at Sookie, clearly unhappy that she had wandered off her porch and into the yard, away from a quick escape. Maybe we were more alike than either of us had realized because I would have done the same thing. Derek would have had the same reaction Eric was having right now with less growling and glowering. If nothing else was the same about any of this, it was the reaction our significant others had toward and for us.
"Eric!" Sookie cried. "She doesn't know anything. Now put her down this instant so we can all work this out and Bill doesn't come scurryin' over here!" She could be so demanding when she wanted something to be done and it wasn't happening fast enough.
Eric reluctantly began to lower us then thought better of it. He turned his head so I only saw the profile and let his fangs slip out menacingly. His eyes glinting in the small amount of moonlight did nothing to calm me. Instead, my fear increased as though I was about to die, and maybe I was. I thought my feelings were intense now, but just as Eric was about to release me and let me fall he hesitated. His eyes fixed on me and widened, a look of shock on his face as realization sunk in for both of us.
"What the fuck did you do?"
I didn't answer, instead, I swung my body back and forth, gathering momentum. Eric held steady and made it more difficult for me to move around. Even though he had loosened his grip around my throat, it was still tight enough that I couldn't get my fingers to pry his hand off of me. I began to take in deep breaths and let them out slowly preparing myself for probably the most foolish thing I had done all evening, aside from trying to tell two complete strangers about my crazy, weird life.
"I'm sorry," I said to Eric while we were struggling in the air. He looked confused but not ready to ask for what and I was grateful. "I really don't want anyone to hate me, but tonight hasn't been the best night for me." I finished as I sucked in a large breath and released it in Eric's direction. The look of confusion from before was still plastered on his face and remained there as his face became surrounded by ice crystals. It was almost comical save for the fact he let me go before I had been ready and I had to quickly create a cushion for me to land on if I didn't want to die.
Derek's green eyes glittered in the dark, hair falling around his face and hiding the emotions I knew were written clearly there. He would be furious with me for pulling that stunt with no practice and in front of what could potentially have been a crowd. He ran over to me and kicked the powdered snow out of his way as he got closer. Sookie was awestruck and couldn't decide where to stare, at me surrounded by snow in the middle of July in Louisiana, or Eric hovering above the ground with ice over his face, trapping him with a single look of confusion and dread.
"That was completely unnecessary, Tristan," Derek spat at me.
I nodded and slowly made my way into a standing position to remind him that even though he was mad, I still outranked him. He was visibly shaking, his black hair trembling like the rest of his body when he finally reached me. At the same time, Eric landed somewhere behind Sookie and she made her way over to him, unsure of how to help. I took a step closer to Derek and started pulling at the energy around me to solidify the powder at our feet into a dome around us. At this point, I figured most of my tricks were out of the bag and there was no amount of talking that could get me out of the trouble I was in. May as well keep Eric away for as long as possible before we have to actually talk again.
"Derek, listen, I-" He put a single finger on my lips to silence me, still fuming and trying not to take it out on me. I understood where he was coming from and I also knew how much self-control it took for him to be able to speak when he was angry so I took the hint. When he was ready he took a few steadying breaths to bring him back to where we were and began to speak.
"I don't care what excuse you have for it this time, but we cannot keep covering this up," he told me, irritated he had to repeat himself from a previous experience.
"I know, Derek, trust me I do, but these are very different circumstances," I replied half-heartedly.
"What was all of that about?" He asked, ignoring my statement and going straight for the question I couldn't even answer.
"I don't know," I said.
"Well, you must know something."
"You got me," I laughed bitterly. "I know the secrets of the universe."
He smiled a little at that then encompassed me in a tight hug that was inescapable and safe and warm. Everything I loved about him was all in that gesture. His ability to forgive me, even when I had made horrendously stupid mistakes and to take me for who I was instead of who he wanted me to be. Despite all our differences we were two halves of a whole. I was convinced of that and there was nothing and no one that could make me believe otherwise.
"Impressive, considering the lack of practice," Derek told me before letting me go. I scoffed at him and made a face.
"How did you know?"
"The style you used earlier," he answered. "It's what I taught you to use when you had exhausted yourself in battle already."
We stepped apart from each other, still holding our hands when a loud crashing sound made me jump. Eric had apparently removed the ice from his face and was attempting to break through the barrier of ice that separated us. Even though it was at least three inches thick, he was making progress and with the way his face was repairing itself from the damage he'd inflicted from removing the ice, my concentration slipped. I was mesmerized and confused by what I was witnessing and didn't keep my hold on the particular trick I was using and the ice melted into water that soaked the ground around Derek and me, and Eric's left arm.
Sookie gasped and took a step back, having never witnessed anything like it before as far as I knew. Eric paused because he could no longer assault the barricade that had been before him. In no act of self-preservation, I stepped forward toward the raging, homicidal vampire to stare at his face reconstructing itself and knitting the final layers of skin together, revealing the face I was beginning to be uncomfortably familiar with.
Derek quickly ran in front of me, guarding me against the imposing vampire while putting himself in harm's way. If anyone was going to be doing the stupid today/tonight, it was going to be me. I tugged on Derek's shirt trying to move him back but he planted himself firmly in front of me. If he was going to be stubborn then I would offer a distraction so that hopefully the anger Eric was feeling didn't get directed at Derek. I didn't think he could be anything like Kayden, but I didn't want to test my luck any more than I already had.
"How did you do that?" I asked sincerely and rather dumbfounded. It really was very similar to what I could do, but I had never applied the technique to myself, and I think that it worked differently for me, anyway.
The distraction did little to stop Eric's forward movement but it did give him pause. As he strode forward and stopped in front of Derek an arms-length away, he answered my question.
"That," he said while gesturing to his face, "is part of what I can do, being a vampire."
He gave me a look after that insinuated a "wouldn't you like to know" and "I can show you later" attitude. I continued to stare but kept glancing between the two men in front of me, unsure of what the next move would be, and from whom. I should have known it would be from Eric because I knew Derek was trying to assess the damage I had done and get me out quickly and quietly before anyone else became involved. Most things never happen that way, though, they have a tendency to go the opposite way of what we would like.
Quicker than I could see again, Eric took off into the sky, this time with Derek in tow. He was powerless to help himself because he had nothing up his sleeve like I did, and as Sookie had mentioned before, if we continued this outside in the open, anyone could come along and see the spectacle unfolding in the bitter reaches of the night. I didn't have many options left myself, and seeing as I was going for the home run in stupidville awards, I may as well make it memorable.
"Hey," I shouted up at Eric. "You bring him back down this instant!"
Eric chuckled and looked disdainfully down at me inching higher just to push my buttons.
"And who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?" he asked me, still holding Derek's arms tightly to his sides.
"That's none of your business," I grumbled to myself as I raced through my head for what I could do that would get both of them down here without doing too much harm to Derek. Finally hitting on the worst idea yet, I changed my position on the ground beneath them slightly and yelled up at Eric, "Bring him down unharmed, and I won't do anything to Sookie."
Eric scoffed at me but began to look more seriously at the situation. If he wanted to threaten what I cared about, I could do the same thing. Following through on those actions would be an entirely different line for me because I try not to make threats I can't enforce. I was nothing like my brother that way. Although he never made idle threats either, I almost wished he would so that he wouldn't enforce them and wreak havoc on me and the people I cared about.
"Excuse me?" Sookie chimed in. She had been silent through most of this and it had made it easy to forget she was involved at all sometimes. Maybe that was her superpower? It seemed highly unlikely given the amount of trouble I had heard she'd been in before I had even arrived.
"You'll do what to me exactly?" Sookie asked me, looking between the two large men in the sky, her front porch, and me in turn.
I sighed and thought bitterly to myself, 'something stupid you probably won't even want to do' then I looked up at her and said, "You don't want to find out, sweetheart."
Sookie smiled, a crazy grin she reserved for customers that either were too hands on or irritated her for some reason. "We'll see about that," she told me calmly while she planted her feet and stood her ground. I was beginning to think that she really was crazy but the understanding I gathered from talking with her was that she was gifted somehow and that was what made her so different to everyone else. I couldn't figure out what her gift was, but it didn't matter right now if I could get Derek out safe and we could move on.