Chapter 6

The plane ride was as comfortable as it could be with Eric, Pam, Bill, Felipe, Victor and me. Evidently the King had agreed to let Pam and Bill accompany us (duh, or else they would be piles of ash instead of chatting on his plane) without complaint, stating that of course some guards from Eric's retinue should join him and I. I didn't buy his shtick one bit.

If there ever was a lesson to be learned about vampires, it was that they were consummate survivors. They will do or say anything to preserve their undead existences… and this fact seemed to be concentrated in Felipe de Castro and Victor Madden. My bullshit-meter was racing off the scale as the King and his second spouted plesantries. But, my mind was so muddled that I let it go without comment.

My eyes were heavy and I leaned against Eric. Something was up, but I couldn't fight the pull of sleep…

"Lover, wake up." I felt Eric tug me from a limo-seat into his arms. My mind could barely register the hotel's neon façade before I was swept through the entryway. The hotel looked opulent. I noticed flashed of gold and immense statues in the lobby, but Eric's arms were too comforting and I didn't notice anything further.

Mercifully, Felipe informed Eric that he and I were booked in the same hotel room (hallelujah). Our floor was outfitted with opaque light-tight glass and Bill and Pam's rooms were on either side of ours, accessible through adjoining doors. I wouldn't have to be separated from my vampires, day or night.

The arrangement made me think of sentries placed around the valuable element, but something nagged at me about it. If Felipe was after me, wouldn't he want me less protected, instead of more? Maybe this only gave the illusion of safety… Hm. I filed that thought away for later. Dawn was approaching swiftly, and I was longing to get the travel smell and the lingering bar grime off of me.

Where had I put on this dress? Shreveport? And now I was in Las Vegas without any underwear.

Super.

Eric was talking away in Pam's suite, so I went to the bathroom alone and peeled off the red silk dress from my body. Gosh, I hoped there really were clothes for me here, because I couldn't bear to put that darn dress back on.

The bathroom was opulent. Fluffy white rugs covered travertine tiles, and a huge circular tub dominated the center of the room. From the lack of fixtures, and an odd hole in the ceiling above, I imagined that the tub was filled from there. Fancy.

The shower was enormous and beautifully decorated with blue, teal and white glass tiles. Recessed showerheads lined the walls, and looked as though they shot from every direction. I could simply not wait to get into that heavenly-looking shower! I spun to grab a snowy white towel from a rack when I heard a quiet gasp behind me.

I quickly discovered that, 1.) I had not shut the bathroom door; 2.) I was naked as a jaybird; and 3.) Bill Compton was gaping at me open-mouthed from the doorway.

"Shit, Bill!" I yelled in surprise, and my hand flew to my throat. "You scared the bejessus out of me!" I spun back towards the towels and flung one over myself, not because Bill hadn't seen every inch of Sookie Stackhouse, but because he wasn't supposed to nowadays.

He was still staring, but seemed to come back to himself a bit. "I'm so sorry, Sookie! I didn't mean to frighten you." Bill sounded sincere. I let out a gust of a breath.

"It's alright, Bill. Did you need something?" His brown eyes flashed with hunger, and I knew I had phrased that particular question wrong.

"I was just looking for you", he said (his eyes were still glazed; he'd looked enough). "Eric and Pam are still discussing some matters and I wanted to talk to you", and fuck you, his eyes practically screamed.

I sighed. I just wasn't up for this shit right then. "Look, Bill, I was really just looking forward to gettin' into the shower and goin' to bed. I feel like I smell something awful and I just want to relax for a bit. Could we talk later?"

"Of course, Sookie. Unless you are tired enough to require help?" He sounded innocent enough, but I knew Bill, and I knew darn good-and-well that he had just been staring at me in my birthday suit.

I shook my head no just as Eric's voice issued from behind Bill: "If my Bonded requires help, it will not be from you Compton. Go, before I decide to get really pissed about you spying on her naked."

The younger vampire wisely left our suite quick and in a hurry.

Eric closed and locked both adjoining doors to Pam and Bill's suites (instructing them to keep their sides unlocked in case of emergency) then slipped back into the bathroom with me, shutting that door too.

He smiled down at me in my towel and grabbed me into a tight hug. I sighed with happiness; it felt so wonderful to be in his arms. "Oh, my Lover", he whispered into my hair, "I can't leave you alone for even a moment."

I chuckled and let the towel around me fall to the floor. Before I knew it, the shower was on, he was naked and I was being carried into the hot water. I doused my hair and body under the nearest jet (probably one that would only wash his pecks) and grabbed some herbal-smelling shampoo. Eric took it from me and nudged me around. "Allow me, my Dear One."

He gently yet thoroughly washed and rinsed my hair, then smoothed conditioner over it before washing his own. Washing Eric's hair wasn't an option for me, unless I had a ladder handy. After we'd both rinsed off (amusingly, he used as much conditioner as I did), we set to the task of soaping each other up. I trailed my lathered fingers down his perfect chest, down his – what was it? A 12 pack? – abs, toward that sexiest of man-muscles: the yummy defined V that separates his torso from his hips. Wow-wie.

My mind drifted back to our almost-sex earlier and my libido started jumping up and down between my legs. He turned his back to the shower head and ran his hands through his hair, letting the hot water rinse the suds from his glorious body. They trailed deliciously down his mouth-watering muscles, and I seriously considered the advantages of being reincarnated as a bar of Irish Spring. I was sure he could feel my lust through the bond as he leaned further back into the water. He pulled his dripping face forward and gave me a sly wink.

Well! I can play that game too, mister!

I rubbed some extra bubbles on my body, lingering on my lady-parts, and stepped back into the stream of my own showerhead. I raised my arms and thrust out my breasts and sighed deeply as rivulets of steamy water snaked down my smooth body. Before I could add my own little wink I was pressed up against the shower wall, cool lips crushing down onto mine. His big hands teased and pinched my nipples to painful hardness and hitched one of my legs onto his hip. I wanted Eric inside of me so badly that I moaned and arched against the tiles, straining to bring him closer. His lips broke from mine and trailed urgently down my neck and breasts. Steam and water poured over our bodies as Eric kissed down to my hips. And then lower. I almost collapsed when his tongue found my center. I was only kept upright by the Eric's hands gripping my waist. I was very grateful that he didn't have to breathe – and then he licked me deeply and I ceased to think at all.

White light exploded in front of my eyes, my hips bucked into his mouth and I gripped his shoulders for dear life. Before I had even finished coming my feet were off the floor and my Lover was inside of me. His size wasn't such a shock for me this time as he pounded me against the shower wall. This was perfect, this was right.

"Oh, shiiiiit Sookie!" he cried, plunging into my depths. "Ugh! No one can take you from me! FUCK! Uhhh! Min alskarinna!" His hips pounded into me with a force that I was sure would break me apart.

"Errrriiiiic! Ohgodyesyesyes ERIC! Ungh! OH... ERIC... I... LOVE... YOU!!!" I screamed.

We both came explosively, spasming and screaming and dripping wet. He held me tightly as we rode out the aftershocks, and kissed the hollow beneath my ear tenderly.

"Oh, my Love", he said, "It's about time."

I smiled against his shoulder.

I was so tired and dawn was minutes away. We quickly dried ourselves off and my vampire carried me to bed. I snuggled my head against his chest and he held me tightly in his arms. I had accepted this, admitted this, and I felt whole.

I lifted my face from his sculpted chest and gazed into his deep blue eyes, willing myself to say the words that lived in my heart. Pride warred against love – my heart was a battlefield (a la' ____________) But Stackhouses were'nt cowards… and we weren't liars either…

"I love you, Eric", I whispered.

I felt a tentative tug through the Bond. I could feel him testing me for sincerity, because feelings, especially love, were not something vamps trusted. "As I love you, my dearest Sookie."

Drifting off, I thought I heard a faint stray thought: "Aw, how sweet", it sneered. And then I fell into a dreamless sleep.