Thanks for the fun PM's and reviews! And I appreciate all of the author and story alerts.
And no, I cannot give out directions to my house for you to see Eric. But... if you have any burning questions you would like for me to ask him while he's chilling in the Garden State, I'll do my best to see if he can answer some in future chapters. He's been very chatty lately...
I do not own the rights to Charlaine Harris' stories or characters, by the way.
Chapter 3
When I returned downstairs, I was hoping the whole 'rape' topic would be yesterday's news. I found the books still piled on the cocktail table, Club Dead on top. Eric was standing by my family room windows, staring into my backyard. It was my first view of him from behind and… WOW. Sookie had been so accurate in her assessment of his butt. First prize material.
I tried to get back to making polite conversation with my guest. "I know it's not much," I said, referring to the landscape. "But the newer houses down the block have even smaller lots. I'm just happy the swing set fits."
"I was admiring the sunlight," he said, without turning back. "It has been over a thousand years since I roamed free in the daylight."
"Well, you're welcome to go outside, you know. Just watch where you walk in the yard. There's dog poop everywhere." It might not have been the most exciting discussion to be having with Eric, but I thought he would appreciate the honesty.
"The magic that has brought me here is hard to understand. I am uncertain of all of its effects." He paused for a moment, as if trying to decide what to do next.
"I will slowly expose myself to the light outside to see what happens," he said. I certainly wouldn't have minded if he slowly exposed himself indoors, either.
He walked to the patio door, opened it, but stood rooted at the entrance.
"I cannot pass through this door to the outside."
Was he scared? "Just take a little step and if you feel any burning you can quickly step back inside," I suggested.
"No, I mean I am physically unable to move past this boundary. I am trying to step forward but there is an invisible force restraining me."
"Maybe it's just at this door. We could try the front door, right?" So we tried that but we both knew in our hearts that it wasn't going to work.
Well this was a real complication. Eric would have to remain a prisoner in my house until he could return to his world (if ever!). At least Charlaine Harris was safe now from Eric's 'persuasive methods.'
He started pacing through the house, obviously unhappy about this latest development. I settled myself back on the couch, trying to think about what to do next. Angela would be here shortly so maybe she would have a good suggestion or two.
When he returned to the family room, I asked him about other side effects of the magic.
"Do you have urges? I mean, are you hungry?" I was in BIG trouble if he actually needed blood. True Blood, the synthetic vampire drink in the series, hadn't been invented in my world. I would have to rob a blood bank or something. Or maybe he would want fresh… uh oh.
"No. Right now I don't feel the need for blood… or sex, which is unusual for me," he added, giving me a sly smile. "The bond with Sookie is gone as well," he said more seriously.
"I'm sure the bond will return as soon as you go back. Any other things you noticed?"
"Since daylight does not bother me, I wonder if silver will have any effect either."
"There are some silver pieces in my dining room breakfront if you want to see what happens," I said.
"Yes, that's a very good idea, Jennifer." Mmm. He had finally said my name and hearing it roll off his tongue was almost orgasmic.
I accompanied him to the dining room and found a silver cake server in one of the drawers. He took the tarnished serving piece and gently placed it against his forearm but nothing happened. No sizzle, no marks, nothing. Then he surprised me by taking the cake server's edge and pressing down hard enough to slice his skin open. I could see a small amount of his blood sluggishly ooze out, which he licked, and then the cut began to heal itself right in front of my eyes.
It's one thing to read about it and another to actually watch it happen. I was astonished, to say the least.
The doorbell rang at that moment. It had to be Angela.
"I hope you don't mind that I invited my friend. She knows even more than I do about the books and I thought she could be helpful. Although I doubt she'll believe any of this, of course," I said.
"I'm sure she'll believe me," he replied smoothly as he gestured towards the front door.
"No glamour, okay? And I think it's best if you wait back in the family room, Eric. She might need to get used to the idea first." I wondered how I was ever going to convince Angela without Eric's influence.
"Just a warning, though," I added. "She's a bit of a character." I chuckled because it was funny to be telling a fictional character that a real person was… well, you get the irony, I suppose.
"I can handle her," he said confidently as he headed towards the back of the house.
The doorbell rang again and I walked over to the front door and opened it wide. There stood my best friend in an outfit that practically screamed 'Jersey slut'—short, black leather skirt; a tight leopard-spotted halter top with way too much breast hanging out; and black high-heeled boots with rhinestones on the side. She was heavily made-up and her frizzy black hair was pulled back in a big banana clip. She was chomping on some bubble gum and, of course, her long acrylic nails were still in need of a fill-in.
"Here I am," she announced, popping her gum. "So where's the friggin' fire? God, you look like shit, Jennifer."
Angela is a blunt, no-nonsense Jersey girl who frequently curses like a sailor. But she's a great friend.
"I know, I know. I haven't showered yet this morning. I've been kind of busy. Come in," I said, and she followed me into the foyer.
"Before I introduce you to Eric, I want you to know that this is not a joke. He just 'poofed' into my bedroom this morning and I don't know how to get him back to the Sookieverse. And he told me that Sookie is in some real trouble with fairies this time, or I guess she will be in real trouble, since the next book isn't out yet."
Angela just looked at me like I had lost my mind.
"So, are you ready to meet him?" There was no point in delaying this since the only thing I had convinced Angela of was my madness. She followed me into the family room, shaking her head in disbelief at her crazy best friend.
Angela's jaw dropped to the floor when she saw beautiful Eric standing there, waiting for us. I was certain she still didn't believe it was really the Eric, but who could blame her? It was hard to believe.
"Hel-lo there!" she purred, in her most sex-kitteny way. She sauntered over to Eric, clicking her boot heels on my hardwoods. "Angela DelVecchio, at your service," she giggled as she extended her hand in greeting.
Ever the gentleman, Eric reached out for her hand, then caressed and gently kissed it. As he raised his head to meet her eyes, he gave his trademark grin, complete with fangs. The look on her face was priceless as she gasped and pulled her hand back.
"Eric Northman, at your service," he purred back. I think Angela swallowed her gum.
"I... I… don't believe it," she stammered and I wished I had remembered to get Angela's camera for this Kodak moment.
"Who... who… are you really?" She looked from me to him, taking in his features from top to bottom. Her eyes widened, and she started hyperventilating.
"Calm down, Angela, or you're going to faint! Here, sit down" I said, as I guided her to the couch. "Do you need a paper bag?" I asked, and she shook her head no.
"Drink," she gasped.
"Do you want me to glamour her? That would be easiest," Eric suggested.
"No! Just let me handle this, okay? Did you have to start out with the fangs? Huh? I told you this would be a little overwhelming for her. She's probably your biggest fan in the tri-state area, if not the entire Northeast region, and this is more than she can manage."
I stomped off to get a glass of water and when I returned, Eric was sitting next to Angela on the couch, holding her hand and calming her down. I handed her the water and she took the glass with one shaky hand. Understandably, she didn't want to release her other hand from Eric's grip.
After a few sips she seemed to relax a little.
"Are you alright, now?" I asked.
"Yeah, I just can't friggin' believe that I'm sitting next to Eric Northman! Man, you are so fucking hot!"
Eric just smiled like he was used to this kind of reaction.
"So how the hell did you end up in Jersey? And why Jennifer's house?"
…And not mine? was the unspoken ending to that sentence. Angela seemed confused as to why Eric would bypass his most devoted groupie to poof into my boring life instead. As if he had a choice.
"Yes, that is a very pertinent question, Angela," Eric said. I could see her having the same semi-orgasmic reaction as I did earlier when hearing her name cross his lips.
He continued unfazed. "It appears that some type of magic from your world has brought me here. Something that must have originated with Jennifer, since this is where I have 'landed,' so to speak."
Me? What kind of magic could I have done? The last 'magical' thing I accomplished was making it to both my son's baseball game and daughter's ballet recital on the same evening. Despite a flat tire. And major cramping. When my husband was out of town on business.
Truly magical, right?
