SPOV
I'm reading in the library as I hear the now familiar "pop" and look up to see Claude's smiling face. "Good morning, Cousin," he tells me cheerfully. "How is the shielding practice coming along?"
"Pretty well, I think," I answer. "Honestly, I'm not really sure without testing it out in a battle situation." He smirks at me.
"Good," he tells me as he takes my hand and helps me stand. "That's exactly what we'll be practicing today," he tells me as we make our way out of the palace together. Once we are standing in an open area, he turns to me. "I want you to shield against my attacks, but I won't be telling you where they are coming from or when. I want you to use your senses; you'll have to be keenly aware of all your surroundings if you are under attack," he explains as my anxiety starts to rise.
"But what about the girls?" I ask. Surely, it can't be good for them to be exposed to this kind of fae light. Claude gives me a wicked grin.
"Don't worry, I'll alter my light from kill to stun," he tells me with a chuckle and I have to smile at him. Of course he would never actually risk hurting me or the babies for real. "Ready?" he asks as he walks a distance away. I take a deep breath to center myself and nod.
He disappears with a "pop" and I'm using my Supernatural senses to locate him before I'm hit with a stinging pain. "Ow!" I call out, turning to see Claude standing behind me with a grin.
"Gotta be faster than that," he tells me. I nod and take another deep breath, concentrating on my surroundings as he "pops" away again. I look to my left and start to lift my shields as I'm hit again.
"Dammit!" I call as my anger rises. Thunder rumbles around us and Claude shakes his head.
"You have to keep calm, Cousin. Losing control of your emotions will hinder your ability to use your light," he tells me as I try to suppress my agitation. "Let's try this again, use all your senses," he tells me as he "pops" away yet again. This goes on for a while and my anger continues to build. Lightning is streaking the sky above me as the thunder begins crashing loudly around us and I just can't seem to keep control of my rising fury.
Claude hits me with his light yet again and a lightning bolt plummets to the ground next to us to send a large tree bursting into flames in the yard nearby. Claude rushes to me protectively, pulling me away from the building fire. Whoops! Claude sits us on the ground and gives me a worried look.
"Sookie, you have to learn to take control of your emotions," he tells me yet again and I lose it on him.
"I'm trying, dammit!" I yell angrily as the storm billows around us. "There's just so much shit happening right now! I have a crazy uncle who's trying to kill me and my unborn daughters, and some bitch vampire queen wants to steal my husband, and as if that isn't enough, I'm hormonal as hell!" I tell him as a small smirk crosses his face. "You aren't helping you know," I tell him as he starts chuckling. Somehow, his laughter is contagious though, because I soon find myself fighting back a smile and finally let out a loud sigh as the sky begins to clear above us.
"Better?" he asks and I nod with a giggle. "Good, now let's try this again," he tells me as he helps me to my feet. I clear my mind of everything, concentrating only on the here and now as Claude "pops" away once more. This time, I sense him and raise my shields instantly, his light is absorbed by my shield and I jump up and down enthusiastically.
"I did it!" I call out excitedly as he gives me a wide smile.
"I knew you could; you have to trust in your abilities, they are as much a part of you just as your Valkyrie traits are," he tells me with a soft smile. We work a bit longer on my shielding and I block more shots than I miss. Soon, I'm tired out and Claude takes my hand, leading me back inside the palace. We enter the library together and he calls the kitchen, ordering some food for us.
He sits across from me with a grin. "You did well today," he tells me and I giggle.
"You mean after I started the bonfire with my lightning?" I ask him playfully and he chuckles.
"Too bad you can't aim it better, you could just cook your enemies," he tells me as we laugh together. He sobers his features then. "But it's crucial for you to learn to school your emotions in battle, this could save your life." He explains as I nod in understanding. "Did you test the iron and lemons yet?" he inquires.
"Godric helped me last night, I wasn't affected by either," I tell him and his brows rise.
"Interesting," he says as another idea occurs to me.
"Are the fae somehow weakened by diamonds or gems?" I ask him as he gives me a quizzical look and shakes his head.
"No, why do you ask?"
"Well, this might sound weird, but the other night, my friend showed me her engagement ring and as I looked at it, it was like I was mesmerized somehow. I just couldn't look away. It was really weird," I explain as he appears thoughtful. I had forgotten all about the weird incident after the faerie attack in the parking lot, but after testing for fae weaknesses, I got to wondering what could have caused the odd reaction I had to Amelia's ring.
"This is something to ask your Valkyrie sisters about," he tells me and I nod. If it's not a fae weakness, it must be from my Valkyrie side. Our lunch arrives and we eat together as we discuss what my next training session will consist of along with how to better use my abilities. Soon, we finish eating and Claude stands, pulling me into a tight hug.
"Keep up with your practicing, for your next lesson you'll be learning to use your light as a weapon," he tells me with a grin.
"Thanks for today, Claude. You're a pretty good teacher, well, when you aren't pissing me off," I tell him as he chuckles and then "pops" abruptly away.
GPOV
After I rise for the evening, I make my way to my closet and dig through my collection of weapons, searching for one in particular. Finally, I find it and pull it out with a smile before I make my way to my wife. She's sitting in the throne room, dangling her feet in the pool with a thoughtful look on her face. I stop to admire her. She is so incredibly beautiful and I am grateful each day to be blessed by such an amazing mate.
I sit next to her and give her a kiss. "How was your day, My Love?" She grins.
"I met with Claude for shielding practice," she tells me, then giggles. "I had a bit of a rough start, but I improved by the end of our session," she tells me as she points out the tinted window before us. I look out to see where she is pointing to see a blackened tree out in the yard.
"You did that with your faerie light?" I ask her in shock and she shakes her head.
"Nope, it was my Valkyrie lightning," she tells me and I nod in understanding as I chuckle lightly. My wife is not someone you would want to anger. I pull the dagger from behind my back and hand it to her.
"What's this?" she asks as she admires the intricately designed dagger.
"It's made of iron, My Love. It was handed down to me after the vampire- fea wars," I explain as she nods and turns the dagger in her small hands. "I want you to keep this with you for extra protection," I explain to her. She hugs me tightly and kisses me softly.
"Thank you," she tells me and I nod as Eric enters the room.
"Good evening," he calls as he leans down to kiss each of us. Sookie tells him about her training and shows him the dagger I gave to her. He chuckles as she points out the burnt tree. "Remind me not to piss you off, Lover," he tells her with a smirk, making her giggle.
Dr. Ludwig enters the room then and we stand to greet her. "Good evening, Dr. Ludwig," Sookie calls cheerfully as the doctor lets out a small grunt.
"Well, are we doing this here?" she asks us abruptly. The goblin doctor is talented, but her bedside manner is simply appalling.
"Let us return to our bedchambers for the examination," I tell her as Eric and I proceed to guide our wife to our room with the doctor shuffling grumpily behind us. We lay Sookie upon the bed once we enter the room and I pull over the monitor we have been keeping in the room for Sookie's checkups.
The doctor raises Sookie's dress and applies a gel to her stomach as Eric helps her turn on all the equipment. I have come to enjoy these doctor visits. It is a chance for me to view my daughters and to be reassured of both their continued growth along with their health.
A fuzzy picture appears on the small screen before us and the doctor points out the different parts to us as we look on in awe. "Everything seems to be progressing normally," Dr. Ludwig tells us as she prints out a photo from the machine for us. "Have you been noticing any changes in your body?" she asks Sookie.
"I'm a bit more tired than normal and seem to be eating more, but nothing else," she says and the doctor nods.
"This is normal, just be sure to get plenty of rest and make sure you are eating healthy," she tells our wife as she unplugs the equipment and rolls the machinery back against the wall.
Dr. Ludwig pulls a syringe from her bag and prepares Sookie's arm to take a blood sample. Eric's fangs descend and he begins hissing beside us. "Put 'em away, Fanger," the doctor snaps at my child, making him instantly retract his fangs as he looks down at our mate in concern. We watch as her blood is drawn from her arm and once the doctor has her sample, she shuffles to the door calling back, "The bill's in the mail," as she leaves. Sookie giggles.
"I think her bedside manner is actually improving," she says as we study the pictures of the ultrasound. I'm still amazed by the knowledge that I am to be a father and I wrap Sookie in my arms in my joy.
"Our girls will surely be as beautiful as their mother," I tell her as I kiss her forehead.
"Of course they will," Eric tells her as he kisses her cheek. "We will have our work cut out for us once they start attracting male attention," he adds as Sookie laughs lightly.
"Our poor girls, two overprotective daddies, plus Auntie Pam; the boys won't stand a chance," she says with a giggle and Eric and I join her in laughter. "You'll both be wonderful fathers," she tells us with a warm smile. Eric kisses her gently and that's all it takes to make her lust spike through the bond, igniting my own lust for my mates. These pregnancy hormones can be a thing of wonder.
Eric picks up our golden mate, laying her out over the bed and we stand before her, removing our clothing as she eyes us hungrily. We crawl to either side of her and I bring my mouth to hers, running my tongue across her silken lips. She opens her mouth and runs her sweet tongue over mine to make me purr in contentment.
I raise her leg, hooking it over my hip as I enter her warm center. "Sookie," I whisper at the exquisite feel of her silken walls gripping me tightly. Eric kisses along her neck as he enters her back entrance, making Sookie let out a sweet moan.
"Please," she whispers before Eric and I begin to rock against her together. She rolls her delicious hips between us, making us both groan in pleasure. Sookie places wet kisses along my jaw, nipping lightly with her tiny fangs and I run my hands through her hair, delighting in the feel of her sweet mouth upon me. Sookie begins pumping us faster and her cries are becoming louder once her climax approaches.
Eric and I meet eyes and I nod just before we strike at her throat together, sending the three of us over that sweet edge together. I swallow the sweet blood of my mate as I feel her tiny fangs strike my shoulder and grunt in pleasure. I love the delicious feel of her delicate fangs breaking my skin. Eric and I withdraw our fangs from Sookie's neck and proceed to lick up every drop of the sweet ambrosia from her golden skin as she shudders and gasps between us.
I kiss her forehead tenderly. "I love you, Sookie," I tell her as she lets out a contented sigh.
"I love you, Godric," she says as her eyelids are fluttering. "I love you, Eric," she whispers before her eyes close and sleep takes her. Eric lays a kiss to her head with a small smile.
"We should let her sleep, we have final preparations to finish for the coronation tomorrow night," Eric tells me as we rise from the bed and cover our wife together. I pick up the ultrasound picture once more with a warm smile. No one can take my family from me; I won't allow that to happen.