Chapter 7
I jumped out of Godric's embrace and off the couch. "Are you nuts?" I yelled, as I slowly backed away from him. "In case you forgot, the last time I was high on vampire blood, it got real messy real fast."
Godric rose slowly to his feet and narrowed his eyes to slits. "You think I would give you my blood just so you could get high?" he asked in a steely voice. Suddenly he was all vampire, and whatever shred of humanity he had left was gone.
I gulped.
"A vampire of my age never offers their blood lightly," he snarled, stalking towards me. I inhaled a shuddering breath and desperately tried to remember a spell - any spell - that could harm a vampire as powerful as Godric.
Godric sniffed the air, and something caught his attention. He closed his eyes and composed himself, his shoulders righting themselves from their previously hunched position.
My fear, I realized. He'd smelled my fear. I was standing pressed against the wall and must have looked like a petrified rabbit. It was a testament to Godric's control and his regard of me, that the scent of my fear had snapped him out of it, instead of provoking an attack.
"I am offering you my blood so a connection will form between us, so I may feel you and know if you should ever find yourself in danger," he said, his eyes still closed, his nostrils twitching.
"Oh." I had no clue what else to say. A connection? What connection? All I knew of vampire blood was that a human could get high from it, and that it held some healing properties; there were plenty of healing potions that required vampire blood as an ingredient, but for obvious reasons most witches never bothered with them. It was hard to come by vampire blood in any legal way, or in any way that didn't make vampires want to kill you on sight.
"What kind of connection?" I finally managed to ask. Godric opened his eyes, regarded me with a tilt of his head, and then stepped up to me and pulled me into his arms. And just like that, he was my Godric again, the vampire - the man - who'd stood by me in the last two days, who'd shared his troubles with me, who'd protected me from the federal government.
I returned the embrace, my legs wobbly from the tension that left my body in a rush.
"Come," Godric said, leading me back to the couch with a steady hand. "I will explain."
We sank down onto the couch, and Godric grabbed my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "When a vampire shares his blood directly with a human, a magical connection is formed. It allows the vampire to sense the human's emotions, and thus, if the human were ever in pain or distress, the vampire will know and can act accordingly."
"Ah," I said with a nod. "I didn't know that."
"It isn't something we want the world to know about," Godric said with a smile, and I returned it. "Such a connection would also allow me to find you."
"Like tracking me down?"
"Yes."
I thought about that for a while. Having a vampire protector who could sense your emotions might be a good thing. Then again, if things ever got ugly between us, having a vampire who could track you down might be a very bad thing.
"It has been many centuries since I have offered my blood to a human," Godric said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Which is why ..." he trailed off, as if unsure how to explain what had just happened.
"Yeah," I said. "We could have handled that better. Let's just chalk it up to a vampire-human miscommunication."
Godric chuckled. "Yes, something like that."
"Is it permanent?" I asked. "This connection?"
"Not at first. Though my blood is powerful, and thus the connection will last for a long time, it will not become permanent unless we exchange blood several times."
I studied his aura, and even though vampire auras are much harder to read than human ones, I couldn't see any indication that he was lying. "Any other side-effects?" I asked, knowing full well it was always something you wanted to know when meddling with unknown magic, especially something as potentially dangerous as magical vampire connections.
Godric grinned. "You might start to feel sexually attracted to me."
I snorted with laughter. "Yeah, that's gonna be a real problem."
"Please consider this," Godric asked, suddenly serious again. "Tonight's events have made me realize that if someone were to come for you during the day and take you, I would not be able to protect you, and I might not even be able to find you without my blood inside of you."
"I'm not exactly helpless, you know," I said, my pride a little hurt.
"I know," Godric said quickly. "You faced a demon and lived."
That sent a shiver down my spine and I pulled back from Godric. "I will think about it. Can I get you some blood? I got some more AB-negative blood for you."
"Yes, thank you," Godric said, apparently understanding I needed a moment to take all this new information in.
I gave his knee a soft squeeze and got up from the couch, heading towards the kitchen. I plopped a bottle of blood into the microwave, got myself a refill, and leaned against the counter, sipping sweet tea.
I tried to make sense of all the thoughts swirling through my head. Godric was a vampire, and my entire life I had been warned about vampires. I'd known about them long before they ever came out of the coffin; my Dad had given me a very thorough education on all manner of magical creatures. All I'd ever heard about vampires was that they were unnatural, that they were heartless predators who hunted humans, used and discarded them, and even killed them whenever the mood struck.
And then there was the Godric I knew. The Godric who'd listened patiently to my horrible memories, who'd shared his own insecurities with me, who'd defied the federal government for me, and who now offered me his protection.
I inhaled a deep breath. It wasn't until I met Godric that I realized how lonely I'd been, how having to keep such a dark secret had eaten away at me, had clouded my judgement and even had crumpled my soul. I know with certainty that I could never share my darkest secrets with other humans. Plain old humans wouldn't understand, and other witches would reject me, despise the demon powers inside me, and probably even see me destroyed for fear of what might happen if I ever decided to use those new powers.
But Godric didn't care. It didn't repulse him, that I'd been tainted by a demon.
He accepted me for who and what I was. And now he offered his blood to me, offered to form a magical connection with little old me. I would no longer be alone. I would have someone to watch my back, to support me if I needed it, to protect me if someone ever tried to harm me.
He was offering me more than anyone had ever offered me.
The microwave beeped, and I collected the bottled blood and made my way back to the living room.
"Thank you," Godric said, accepting the bottle as I sat down beside him. He took a long swallow, and then he looked me over, head to toes. "Are you wearing a new dress?"
I nodded, sniggering. I'd completely forgotten I'd dressed up for him.
"It complements your natural beauty perfectly," Godric said with a smile that held a promise of pleasure.
Oooh. Suave. I gave him my best seductive look, narrowing my eyes as I licked my bottom lip. "Just wait until you see what's underneath it."
Godric's pupils dilated. Gotcha!
"Will you show me?" he breathed, his eyes scanning over my body again.
"If you're good," I said, striking a coy pose as I sipped my drink.
Godric shifted closer so he could brush his lips across my ear. "I can be very good," he breathed. He licked my earlobe, and when I heard the click of his fangs popping down I shuddered, but not in a bad way.
Heat throbbed in my lower body, and I quickly put my glass down and turned to face Godric, but I didn't get very far, because Godric crushed his lips against mine and pushed me back against the couch.
Our kiss was rushed, and at some point I sliced my tongue on his fangs, but it didn't hurt much. It did make Godric more frantic, and he reached behind my back and pulled the zipper of my dress down. He wasted no time and I wriggled my arms free as he lowered the top of my dress so my bra was exposed.
The look on his face as he took in my breasts covered in black lace made me rub my hips against his. It was amazing that now that I knew the touch of his body I needed him even more.
Godric mouthed at my breasts through the lace, and I threw my head back, releasing a tight groan.
"Please," I moaned. I'd never needed anything as bad as I needed this, I was sure of it. "Please, now."
Godric pushed up the skirt of my dress, so it was bunched around my waist, and yanked my panties off. At some point he'd lowered his pants far enough, and as he gripped my hips he entered me in one thrust.
I was ready for him, wetter than I'd ever been, and I met his thrust and pulled him down on top of me, his weight nearly crushing me. He drove into me again and again, and I made a keening noise and only wanted him to move harder and harder.
"The things you do to me, little witch," Godric growled into my ear, his fangs nicking the skin just below. "Have you put a spell on me? Is that why I crave your body and your blood the way I do?"
His words had me reeling, and I could only groan in response. His thrusts picked up speed, if that was even possible, and the couch creaked beneath us in protest, but I didn't care. The whole Federal Bureau of Investigation could have come crashing through the door, and I wouldn't have cared.
I'd heard sex with a vampire could be amazing, but this was far beyond what I'd ever imagined it would be. My body was no longer my own, I was completely at his mercy, and it made me feel strong and powerful and free in a way I'd never felt before.
Godric lowered his head and sank his fangs into my breast right through the black lace. He sucked a mouthful of blood, and I grabbed the back of his head and pressed his mouth to my breast. I wanted him to drink me, to take me, to do whatever he had to do to make me his.
He drank more blood, his hips slamming against my own, and then he pulled back and stared down at me with blazing eyes, his lips smeared with my blood.
"Bite me." It almost sounded like a snarl. "You are mine. Bite me!"
And the moment he lowered his face close to mine and I bit down on his neck as hard as I could, and sweet, sweet blood flooded my tongue, and I swallowed as much as Godric let me.
I exploded into the strongest waves of pleasure I'd ever felt as Godric wrapped his arm around me and crushed me to his chest, his body pumping once, twice, and then...darkness.
When I woke up I was lying naked in my bed under the soft sheets, a hard body wrapped around my own. It took me a minute to blink my eyes open, and the room swam before me in swirling and bright colours.
Cool lips pressed a kiss against my mouth, and then another. I managed to focus my eyes a bit better, and I saw Godric staring down at me with a most satisfied smile on his face.
"How are you feeling?" he asked softly.
I licked my dry lips, and swallowed. I tasted blood.
"Here," Godric said, leaning over to the night stand to pick up my glass of sweet tea. He helped me sit up a bit and brought it to my lips. I took a few large gulps before he replaced the glass on the nightstand.
"You are mine now," he said, and pressed another kiss to my lips.
"Huh?"
"You belong to me now. No one will ever be able to take you away from me."
My mind reeled at that thought. Part of me was thrilled that Godric was so possessive of me, sure, but some of my human sensibilities balked at his statement of possession.
I cleared my throat. "Maybe you missed the memo, but slavery was abolished a while ago in this country."
Godric looked as if he wasn't sure whether to laugh or snarl. "You are no slave, Turid."
"Good. Just checking."
Sighing, Godric rolled onto his back and pulled me with him. I positioned myself against his hard chest and stared up at him. "What I mean when I say you are mine is, that no other vampire can have you."
"Ah."
"If another vampire tried to feed from you, or tried to glamour you, they would be punished."
And just when I thought my life couldn't get any weirder, I now belonged to a vampire, apparently. "I can resist vampire glamour," I said, a little defensively.
"I know. You even resisted mine the first night we met," Godric said with an amused smile. "This is good. It will make it impossible for another vampire to try to steal you away from me."
Absently I thought that perhaps this was one of the most surreal conversations I'd ever had in my life.
"Have you always been able to resist vampire glamour?"
I shrugged. It was an awkward gesture, seeing I was lying down against his chest. "Any witch worth their salt learns how to resist vampire glamour," I mumbled, brushing my lips against Godric's smooth skin.
"So you learned?"
"Yep. My Dad made sure I didn't fail that lesson."
"Your father was a smart man," Godric said. "With the amount of power you have, it was only a matter of time before a vampire took interest in you."
A cold shiver ran down my back. "Is that why you're interested in me?" I asked warily. "For my power?"
Godric pulled me up a few inches so he could look me in the eye. "Turid, I am with you because you performed a miracle. For many years now, I have been contemplating meeting the sun. And yet, after spending just a few days in your company, I find that I want to live. At least for a while longer."
I slid up Godric's body and pressed a hard kiss against his lips. "Ditto," I said with a watery smile.
"You no longer seek the end?" Godric asked me, caressing a finger down my cheek.
"No," I said, and I knew it to be true. Now that I had Godric, my life suddenly seemed worth something again.
"Good," Godric said, and kissed me, first on my mouth, and then my cheek. "Very good."
I relaxed against his body, my head resting on his shoulder and my lips pressed against his neck. I was sated and happy, and finally able to forget about the stresses of that night.
"How are you feeling," Godric asked, and I knew he meant my reaction to ingesting his blood.
"Everything seems brighter. Sharper, somehow," I replied as I glanced around the room, taking in all the pulsing colours and shapes. "And I'm not sore, after... you know."
Godric laughed. "You would have been sore otherwise, I assure you. Also, I believe your couch may need replacing."
I snorted with laughter and buried my face against Godric's shoulder. "That was the best sex I've ever had. Seriously."
"Yes," Godric sighed, hugging me a little closer. "That was something else."
I blushed at his words. For a guy as old as Godric to say that. He must have been with thousands of women - no, best not to think about that. I had a jealous streak, and it would do me no good to linger on things that happened in his past.
"So can you feel me now?" I asked, curious about this new connection between us.
"Yes." Godric gave me a pointed look. "There is no need to feel jealous."
Damn. Busted.
"I cannot change my past, my little witch, but know that now there is only you."
I relaxed at his words of reassurance. "So does this mean that we're having the relationship talk?"
"The what?" Godric replied with a frown.
Poor guy, I thought with a snicker. So old, and yet so clueless about certain things. "You know, after people have dated for awhile, they talk about commitment and stuff."
"Ah." Godric pondered on that for a minute. "If that is what it is, then we are having the relationship talk. You are the only one for me. Am I the only one for you?"
"Yes," I said without hesitation, pleased as punch Godric was willing to make that commitment. It warmed my insides, and I melted into his embrace.
"Turid?" Godric asked, a little cautiously. I looked up at him with a frown. "Will you come with me tomorrow evening? To my nest?"
"Your nest?"
"My home," Godric clarified with a grin. "I want you to meet the vampires who owe me fealty, so I can introduce you properly as my human."
I sat up a little, confused and a bit worried. "Vampires who owe you fealty? What the heck does that mean?"
"I'm the sheriff," Godric said.
"What? You're the local vampire boss?" I asked, astonished. I didn't know a whole lot about vampire politics, but I knew what a sheriff was.
"Yes," Godric said simply. "I thought you knew. Is this a problem?"
"No, no, not a problem. I'm just surprised." And secretly very pleased. I was dating the local vampire boss. How cool was that?
"So you will come?"
"Yes." I had to admit, I was curious about what kind of vampires owed fealty to Godric.
"Good. I will collect you an hour after sunset." And with that Godric kissed me. Not a brief kiss, this time, but one that involved his tongue, and a little later, his fangs, and that left no question about what Godric wanted of me.
We made love, slow and almost lazy, but no less intense, and when I finally fell asleep in his arms, I was feeling happier than I'd ever felt before.
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A/N: I want to thank everyone for reading, reviewing and adding my story to their favourite lists and story alerts. This is not my first fanfic, but it is my first story set in the True Blood/Southern Vampire universe, and I'm having a blast writing it.
To answer a few questions: this is going to be a long story. I have the general outline planned out. We'll be seeing Eric soon, within a few more chapters. I won't say much more on that, because that would be spoiling the story, so you'll just have to be patient. Know that I will follow the general storyline of the TV show, and the books to a lesser extent, with a few changes here and there to fit the story, of course.
As for the timeline, the story is currently set in late spring, right before the TV show starts (which takes place in the early summer). My story and the storyline from the TV show will merge at some point, but I'm not saying when, because again, that would be spoiling it.
Updates should happen frequently, since I have enough time to write right now. And remember, reviews make a writer work faster. Thanks!
