It's finally here! I hope everyone is excited about tomorrow night, I know I am, and from all the promo it's going to be one fun season…not to mention full of Eric and Pam. I miss Pam, she hasn't been around in Dallas, but I know she'll be more in my story once we get back to Bon Temps and Shreveport.
Thank you for all your kind reviews for the last two chapters! I am really glad you enjoyed the glimpse into Godric's past.
Huge thanks goes out to AshleySue and ElenaM who are my lil'angels and helped me get this chapter up and ready for ya'll to read this weekend. You girls rock!
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this chapter…enjoy!
As Eric led me down the stairs I was still pouting. I should probably be thinking about Daniel and the fact that he tried to shoot me, but I was pouting. I couldn't help it. Eric might have made the excuse sound oh-so-reasonable but I couldn't help but feel like he was trying to buy me and I was letting him. He must have picked up on my mood because I felt his eyes on me as we navigated the stairs. There were plenty of people around, mostly humans but a few vampires too. The actual party wasn't starting for another half hour but the house was filling up pretty quick. The vampires have all gotten up since the sun had set and everyone was in a hurry to get dressed and ready for the party.
Eric was quiet as we reached the bottom and started walking through the hall to our left. I wondered where the entrance to the underground was, it wasn't part of Godric's tour last night. Suddenly I was being pulled through a door to my left and then my back was against the wall and Eric was kissing me. It took me a moment or two to realize what was going on, another moment to try and find something in me to protest. His mouth was on my neck kissing, licking, nipping, sucking; I moaned in pleasure. No matter how hard I tried to find the will to fight, it just wasn't there. When Eric kissed with that much passion, all a girl could do was hold on. My hands were in his hair and I was pulling him to me massaging his head in encouragement. I felt him chuckle into my neck and then he moved to kiss my lips. Ahh. He had a thousand years to perfect that kiss and I was lost in it for a long time. I felt the heat between my thighs start to build and wonderful pleasure curling up inside me. His hand slowly worked my dress up my legs and just like that I found myself in between a wall and Eric's hard chest for the second, with my legs wrapped around him and his large hands holding me up. He grinded into me and my head flew back in a gasp.
"Not fair." I managed to say, although it came out as more of a moan.
I felt him chuckle all the way inside me, the vibrations of his body next to mine did wonderful things to me, pleasurable things.
"Lover, you really do look delectable in that dress, I may have made a mistake in getting it for you. I seem to be unable to help myself." He whispered into my neck between light nips.
"Huh?" My brain was a little clouded to actually give him anything more coherent. I bent my head to kiss his neck, biting into it just enough to make him moan. He tasted wonderful and I licked his skin.
"Sookie, if you want to get to the party tonight, you shouldn't be doing that." He growled out, but I knew he enjoyed every nip. His hips were grinding harder and I was seriously considering that maybe skipping this party wouldn't be such a bad idea.
"Hmm. You started it." I whispered before sucking on his ear.
"And will you finish it for me?" His voice was husky and tense as he whispered back. I felt his breath caress my skin, it was cool and I shivered a little, it felt wonderful on my overheated skin. I felt like I would burst if we didn't finish this, my body was crying out for more.
"Eric." His name was all it took. He had me on the couch and my panties were off before I could say 'fuck-a-vampire'. He went on his knees in front of me and I watched, hypnotized, as he lowered his face down between my legs and when I felt his tongue on me, I screamed. The pleasure that has been building up the last few days burst through me and I was shuddered as wave after wave rolled through me. I felt him bite my inner thigh and then all I could see were stars for a while as another orgasm overtook me.
"Lover, please." I heard Eric's voice through the haze of pleasure. It was a husky sound and yet, I felt the desperation behind the words, the need. "Yes." I whispered, right now it was hard to deny him anything but especially this, the next instant he was kissing my mouth and I tasted my own blood on his tongue. I felt him at my entrance then and he slowly started pushing into me. I haven't had much experience, but I believe that if I wasn't already sated and relaxed from the pleasure of several orgasms, I probably would have found his size rather uncomfortable, but right then, the sensation of being stretched by him was magnificent. I whimpered when he pulled out a little, my inner muscles tightening around him, protesting against his exit. Eric stiffened against me, a growling moan escaped him and then he was in me, all of him, filling me to the point I have never felt before; it was sublime.
I may have screamed when he began to move in earnest, by that stage I'm not sure, I was too far gone in the sensations. My body singing to a tune that Eric played masterfully.
"Lover, look at me." I heard him say into my lips. My eyes were heavy from the pleasure but I managed to get them open. His face was inches away from mine as he moved inside me. His eyes pitch black, dilated in pleasure and bloodlust, not even a hint of the lovely blue was present in them at the moment. There was blood smeared on his chin and his fangs gleamed in the soft moonlight coming through the window. He looked amazing and as I tried to focus on his face, he shifted me slightly so that he was going in from a different angle, it was…ohh, he hit all the right spots and before I could breathe in again I was contracting in exquisite pleasure around him. "Sookie." He breathed as I felt his rhythm falter, and then he joined me with a harsh cry of his own.
It took us a while to get back to reality. Eric collapsed half on top of me and we were both breathing ragged for a few minutes, well, I was breathing, I think Eric was just recovering. I was pretty proud of the fact that Eric needed time to recover.
"I can smell the sun on your skin." He said quietly after a while.
"Mmm. I did sunbathe today." I answered back, even my voice was sated. He nuzzled my neck again, I could feel him inhaling me and it felt nice. It may have been a vampire thing, but I enjoyed the fact that he enjoyed me.
"We need to get going before someone comes to investigate the noise." I heard the reluctance in his voice and he didn't make a move to pull out of me. That's when I registered where we were, that's to say we were in the library, thankfully alone, in a house full of vampires and humans, with a party that was about to begin. "Shit! Get off me Eric." I squeaked and tried to push him off, unsuccessfully I might add. When he finally deigned to move enough so that he can see my face, still inside me, I saw a well satisfied smile on his face. Oh, for the love of God! "Eric, get off." I said firmly.
"I believe I just did." He waggled his eyebrows at me, but obeyed, pulling himself out of me, at which I moaned again, and then proceeded to put himself to rights. I vaguely noticed that his suit stayed on throughout our encounter. I scrambled up my eyes desperately searching out the panties that I was wearing earlier.
"Where are my panties?" I hissed out, the after glow of sex slipped away into nothingness as my situation crashed around my ears. My hands tugged the dress down and I felt the tell tale signs of a full body blush, peachy.
"Sookie, they are here, but I think they are a little worse for wear." He said, his voice trying for reasonable yet there was a hint of smugness in it. I scowled at him and even though his face was bordering on concern his eyes betrayed the amusement he was feeling.
"This isn't the least bit funny Eric!" I was fast filling up with righteous indignation, at myself or him I wasn't sure, but he was sure handy as a punching bag at the moment.
"Lover, it'll be fine until we get a chance to go grab you a new pair, although if you ask me, you are more delicious without them. I believe we have some other business to take care off?" His tone was reasonable enough, even if his expression wasn't.
A frustrated noise escaped me as I threw my hands up in the air in resignation, the Viking was just so..so…
"Fine. Let's go." I hissed out. I straightened out my dress again, just for good measure and started for the door until I heard Eric clear his throat. Spinning around on my heels and folding my arms in front of my chest, I glared at him. "What? Haven't you embarrassed me enough?"
He was in my face so fast I didn't register the movement but just like that I was staring into Eric's icy eyes. "Lover, sex between us is never an embarrassment nor do I think it as anything other than the greatest of pleasures. You are making this into something that it isn't. We enjoyed each other; we have been heading to this point for days. I refuse to feel anything but happiness over this. I have wanted you for a long time and now that you have finally yielded I cannot wait to have you again and again. I promise you that embarrassment will be the last thing on the list of feelings you will be experiencing each and every time. I know you enjoyed yourself, don't spoil it for either one of us."
I went to answer but came up with nothing, my mouth opened and closed silently a few times and I stared at him. Shocked that he would say that and taken aback that somehow I found it oddly comforting that he did.
"What about Godric?" I whispered as guilt swarmed up in me. How could I do this to him? So many questions bubbled up to the surface and I was unable to say a single one of them.
Eric searched my face, his serious for once.
"Godric was expecting it as well. Do you really think he has missed how I feel about you? We are bonded much closer than you think, he can feel all of my emotions, and I some of his." He told me solemnly.
"But…" I didn't know how to say this. We have been flirting and maybe even more than that, but I didn't actually think it through to the end result yet. I wasn't sure what I wanted. With my upbringing it seemed wrong to want both of them, yet it's been so nice the past few days. They were both so different, made me feel different things.
"There are not buts here, Lover, we both want you. It is a fact you must accept. It isn't wrong or right, just fact. Your beliefs have made you think it is wrong, but there is nothing wrong with what we've done or what you want to do with Godric. You shouldn't judge yourself by the same standards the narrow minded people of your small town have, the same standards that have labeled you a freak for most of your life. As you are not a freak, you are not wrong in this. Listen to your heart and stop trying to over think things. We both care for you, we both want you, we will both kill for you and protect you, isn't that enough?"
Breathing was getting more difficult as he kept talking, I concentrated on breathing first. In and out. In and out. Once my panic attack was under control I had a chance to think. They both cared for me? Eric just admitted that he cared for me. He admitted that Godric had feelings for me. I wondered if he was right about the fact that I was judging myself by the wrong standards. Would God see this any different? Could I?
"Eric…" I started and then stopped. What could I say in answer, thank you but I feel like I am being a loose woman by sleeping with both of you? Would he feel like I was throwing his declaration back in his face, I had serious doubts that Eric had been this open about feelings of any kind to many people in his long life. He didn't get this old by letting himself care for many, that's for sure. I needed to process things.
"Let's go and take care of business." I said, my voice was still shaky but I knew my expression didn't betray the confusion inside me. Not that it mattered, he could feel it anyway. Eric stood there for a moment, staring at me intently and then with a nod grabbed my arm, I must have looked as unsteady as I felt, and we went towards the door.
"Tell me what happened today. I want to know everything including what you read in his mind." Eric's voice switched to neutral again. I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized we were back to business, well normal business.
"I was having lunch with Michael when I felt the anger behind me, after what happened with Rene, I panicked and ducked. Thank God I grabbed Michael as well; otherwise he would have been seriously injured. Carl jumped on the guy before he could shoot again." I took a deep breath then; we were heading towards what I assumed to be the back area of the house, since there were more and more people in uniforms around us. "He was the one who shot at us the other night. I don't know how he found us but I do know why. His brother was with the Fellowship. The night of the attack at Godric's house his brother was killed, drained by a vampire. He didn't know by who, so he went after me as retribution. He's ex-military, used to be a sniper." My voice trailed off at the end.
"How did he track us here? How did he get in past security?" Eric asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine at this point. When I read his mind he wasn't exactly thinking about all the details of his master plan, just the end result and the reason behind it." I shivered remembering the hatred. It scared me that someone could hate me so much because of who I was associating with. It made me mad too.
Eric must have felt it because he stopped and grabbed me by the shoulders looking at me intently. "Lover, why are you scared? I will not let anything happen to you."
"You didn't feel it Eric. The hatred he felt for me…it was so strong." I breathed. "I'm not the one who killed his brother but he hated me so much. I just don't understand why. It scares me that someone could hate me so much because I choose to spend my time with vampires."
Eric pulled me into him then, hugging me close and I melted into him. I wrapped my arms around his waist pressing in closer. The indignation and embarrassment from earlier didn't matter at this point, instead I felt safe and content. I luxuriated in the feeling. I haven't felt this way since before Gran died, she too was killed because I was with a vampire but I couldn't put the blame at Eric's feet for that. It was me who made the choice and I knew she would have approved that I had found my chance at happiness, sure it was dangerous, but I was happy. The realization made me feel better about everything. It somehow made it all worth it.
I felt Eric kiss my hair before he pulled me away from him.
"I won't let them get you Sookie. You are too precious to me and to Godric." He told me and looking into his face, seeing the determination there, I believed him.
I nodded unable to get any words out because my throat was tight with all the feelings inside me.
"Why don't you go and take a minute to straighten your hair and I'll get you new panties." He said with a roughish smile and opened the door to a bathroom.
I made the most dignified exit I could muster under the circumstances.
Once inside I took a minute to look at myself in the mirror. My thoughts were swirling and between everything that has happened today it was hard to talk myself into being calm. Eventually my heart did slow a little. My cheeks were flushed and my eyes had the sparkle of someone who had just been thoroughly satisfied. It might have been a quickie, I cringed at the wording, but it certainly was more than enough to make my legs wobbly and my body singing in a happy satiated tune. Could I do what both Eric and Godric were suggesting, could I get past the ideas I was raised with and have a relationship with both of them, maybe, was it worth it for me, definitely. The idea of what the towns folks would think when I came back with not one but two boyfriends and different ones to the one I left with was something I wasn't particularly keen on. Yet, Eric had a point. I've always tried to do my best to fit in and everyone never let me. Sure I was tolerated but I was always different, always on the outside looking in. I thought it was worth the extra trouble to try and fit in, but now I wasn't so sure.
After taking care of my wardrobe malfunction, Eric really did get back in a jiffy, I discovered the 'guest quarters' under the house were just that, but with a few extra additions. The doors were reinforced steel and the room in which Daniel was kept had two Weres stationed in front of it. I didn't get to see all the rooms, I was pretty sure that some were definitely less than comfortable and I was glad I didn't get a tour. I followed Eric into the room. Daniel was sitting on the small bunk bed. There was an opening in the back wall that led into a simple bathroom. There wasn't much furniture in the room besides the bed, but I didn't see any torture devices, which made me feel better. As much as the guy deserved something for what he tried to do just the idea of him being tortured made me sick to my stomach.
Daniel looked up at our entrance and when he realized that Eric was a vampire and saw me his face transformed into an ugly mask of hatred. My shields were open, Eric asked me to read his mind, and as much as I didn't want to I did think it was a better solution to what I knew would be his fate if I didn't agree, the rage and hatred that I felt from him made me sway mid-step. I was suddenly glad that Eric was in front of me and didn't see me falter, I wasn't trying to be brave about this but I didn't want to look weak and scared.
"Mr Armstrong I presume." Eric's voice was calm and low. I didn't need to see his face to know he was probably wearing his normal expression of boredom and superiority I had grown familiar with before this trip. "I want to have a little chat about your actions earlier today."
"Fuck you. I ain't telling you nothing you filthy bloodsucker." Daniel spat out. I saw fear intermingled with hatred in his mind. I knew that Eric could probably smell it on him.
"You will." Eric continued without missing a beat after the outburst. "Tell me how you tracked us down at the restaurant."
"Why the fuck should I?" Daniel hissed out.
"He put a tracker on the car. He followed us from the hotel after he saw us get in and waited for a perfect opportunity to shoot at me, since he knew a bullet wouldn't kill a vampire, I was the natural target." I whispered.
The color drained out of Daniel's face, he looked whiter than a vampire in that moment. I heard his shock in his head as well and when he looked at me I saw desperation fill his eyes.
"How the fuck did you know that? You fucking bitch, you read my mind didn't you." He lunged at me then but didn't get very far as Eric had him by the throat and against the wall before I finished staggering back.
"Don't ever threaten her again, bloodbag. The only reason you are still breathing is because of her." Eric said, his voice was lower still and I knew he looked scary as a bat out of hell. "How did you get into the house?"
There wasn't a question about how he knew we were here since the bug would have let him know our location easily enough. Daniel was looking bluer by the second, his mouth working silently and I knew he didn't have enough air to answer. He didn't need it. I could pick it out of his brain easily enough.
"He came in with the caterers, with all the confusion nobody checked who he was. Eric, let him go, he's going blue." I pleaded. I didn't want the guy dead, no matter that if he succeeded today I would have been.
"He almost killed you." Eric hissed out without turning around. I knew right then that Eric was bordering on bloodlust, the territorial thing vampires had about something they considered theirs was working him into a state. Shit. If I didn't stop him right now, Daniel would be dead in a few minutes, if he had that long. I quickly walked up to Eric, gently put a hand on the arm that was holding up Daniel. When I squeezed it lightly, he looked my way. Eric's eyes were dilated, his fangs were out all the way and the sneer on his face made him look plain scary, I tried not to get frightened but fear trickled into me none the less. Was this the same vampire I just recently had sex with, surely not, but I knew it was, he was going caveman because I had been endangered and I had to try to salvage the situation.
"Eric. Let him go, please." I whispered soothingly. He looked more animalistic than I have ever seen a vampire look. Part of me was scared shitless and yet another part knew that he would never hurt me, even when he was like this. I had never felt that way when I was with Bill, the realization made me wonder why. I let it go for now, there were bigger fish to fry, like trying to get the human out alive. He didn't deserve it, but I didn't want this blood on my hands. It would be no matter if I wasn't the one to kill him. It would still be because of me, and I didn't want that.
"Can't we hand him over to the authorities?" I asked as Eric eased up his grip.
He raised an eyebrow at me mockingly. "Would they actually do anything? Do you want this idiot trying a third time and maybe succeed?"
I chewed my lip. He was right. The police wouldn't do anything serious to him, I wasn't stupid enough not to realize that no matter that he tried to kill me, the prejudice against vampires ran too high and I was with them, therefore he would most likely be let off with a warning even for attempted murder. Crimes against vampire lovers just weren't taken seriously. I thought about it for a moment and then realized there was a simple solution to the whole mess, one that I had a feeling Eric wouldn't enjoy much though.
"Why don't you glamour him? Then he won't remember the whole thing and won't want to come after me." I said.
"It will not change the fact that his brother is dead because of a vampire. He will still go after someone, he is a trained killer, Sookie, and he will still want revenge, even if he doesn't remember this attempt."
"Fine. Glamour him into thinking he did kill me then. He'll have his revenge and let it all go. While you're there you can glamour him into not needing to kill anymore or something. That way he wouldn't want to go after anyone else anymore." I said, proud of the solution I found. Sure, it meant that someone would be walking around thinking Sookie Stackhouse was dead, a scary thought, but better than the alternative.
Eric stared at me for a moment and then he was laughing. Not just chuckling but a full body laugh, he was even shaking Daniel who wasn't at all happy about this discussion.
I crossed my arms in front of my chest, trying to figure out why he thought it was funny. I couldn't for the life of me see the humor in this situation.
"Lover, you never cease to surprise me." He finally said as his laughing fit finished. Sookie the comedian, that's me. "It is a less than thrilling but brilliant solution."
I growled, amazing even myself with the sound. "I am glad you find me amusing Eric. Now let's get this over with, I believe we are running late for a party."
He chuckled a little more but did glamour Daniel. I went out of the room for the procedure, frankly listening in on Eric describing my death while implanting false memories was just plain disturbing.
By the time we made it back upstairs the party was in full swing. It was held in the large formal living room at the back of the building. The room interconnected with the bar and another smaller sitting room on either side of it and all three were full of vampires and humans mingling. The patio doors were opened and the crowd spilled out onto the covered area just outside the rooms. There were torches lit outside and the chandeliers inside were dim enough to imitate candle light. The effect of the soft lighting was an air of intimacy and mystery that was appealing and if it wasn't for the fact that most of the guests were vampires I would have been slightly less nervous and probably more appreciative of the atmosphere.
Naturally when we walked in Eric paused, if it was to assess the guests or let them appreciate him I wasn't entirely certain but I had to pause with him since he was holding my hand tightly with one hand on top of his other arm. I tried to spot Godric in the sea of faces but not having the advantages of Eric's height gave me little chance to see past the first couple of rows, wherever he was it wasn't in the immediate vicinity of the entrance.
"Shall we, Lover?" If it was a question, it must have been rhetorical because Eric certainly didn't wait for an answer as he began to guide me into the awaiting throng of bodies. For a moment there I thought I heard a note of resignation in his voice, then convinced myself it was just my imagination. This was a chance for Eric to be on display in a much more civilized way to Fangtasia, but not any less attention grabbing, and Eric in his midnight blue suite and silk silver shirt looked more spectacular than I have ever seen him. As we mingled with the guests he introduced me to most of them without the additional information of my telepathy. I was pretty sure he was trying hard to advertise me as just his human companion for the night and it made me feel better. I had enough of being different back home, I didn't need the extra attention here too, but I did wonder about it. Eric was pretty upfront that I was a useful asset and as much as I hated the description, I wondered why he would pass up the opportunity to flaunt me as such. I was also pretty sure he felt my curiosity, but it was neither the place nor the time to ask him so I made sure my 'Crazy Sookie' smile was in place and played up my Southern Belle manners. It seemed to work because not many of the vampires even gave me a second glance.
I met the Sheriff of Area Two, Diana; she was a tall vampire with dark brown hair and a slight eastern European accent to her speech. I thought she was rather nice until I noticed her covert glances my way, I knew my smile got a little wider from then on. She chatted to Eric for a while with a slightly flirtatious attitude to her and I felt jealousy bubble up in me. Eric's fingers started drawing circles on my hand and with a side glance I noticed amusement sparkling in his eyes. I knew it had nothing to do with Diana and everything to do with my being jealous of her. As a matter of fact if she wasn't there I was sure he'd be preening like a peacock.
That's when I spotted him. The crowd parted and I saw Godric across the room. He was talking to another male vampire next to the fireplace. He looked amazing in his beige suit and black shirt. The suit was obviously tailored for him and fit perfectly. I stood there admiring the wonderful picture he made. His face was intent on the conversation with the other vampire but I could tell he was also a little bored. It struck me as funny that I could read Eric and Godric so easily now.
He must have felt my eyes on him because the next instance his eyes were on me. It felt like his gaze set every inch of me on fire as his eyes moved down and then up slowly over me, taking in every little detail of my outfit. I saw his fangs run down, all the way down, and when his eyes came back to rest on mine my heart skipped a bit or two. His gaze burned into mine with such intensity that the message behind it was difficult to mistake, want burned in his dark blue eyes. He wanted me and in that instant I realized I wanted him just as badly. My earlier conversation with Eric floated up in my brain and I knew that he was right. No matter for the small beliefs of my neighbors, right this minute I knew I had a thing for both of them just as surely as I knew that they both had a thing for me. I didn't really care what exactly either of them wanted, but I knew it had to do with more than just my telepathy, more than just my blood, they wanted me and it was a good feeling to be wanted. I'll deal with the repercussions of having two lovers another time but now, here, I let my face show how I felt and watched as Godric made a small move towards me, then stopped, obviously remembering that he was in the middle of a conversation.
"I see you've found him already." Eric's amused voice whispered near my ear. "Let us go and save my maker from insulting the King and coming here to claim you."
Surprise washed through me as we walked towards them, the vampire who Godric almost walked away from was the King of Texas, I didn't know the vampire etiquette that well but something about that struck me as a thing you shouldn't do. Thank goodness Godric didn't, he stayed in place, but his eyes never left me and as we approached I felt like a rabbit walking towards the predator that was about to devour it. My heart was hammering in my chest, but in a good nervous and excited kind of way. It was hard not to react to Godric's intensity and I just knew from the covert glances around me that my current problem was not too private.
The one-sided conversation came to a halt as the king realized he was obviously being ignored and he turned towards us as well. He was taller than Godric but still shorter than Eric, everyone was shorter than Eric. He was the first vampire I met that looked like a vampire. I mean the cliché look you expect from a vampire. His hair was shoulder length, black and curly; it fell in loose curls around his face which was beautiful and angular in a handsome and almost non-human kind of way. His skin was alabaster white and made the dark brown eyes and naturally red lips stand out even more than usual. He wore a black suit with a black shirt under it, like that of my vampires his suit was tailored as well, fitting his lean but muscled frame in a well crafted perfection. You could feel confidence, charm and power radiating off of him. He was undeniably handsome but something about him screamed at me to run in the other direction. Maybe my common sense finally clued in on vampires being dangerous but I doubted that, seeing as I was still holding onto the arm of one.
"Your majesty, you remember my child, Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area 5 in Louisiana I am sure." Godric said in his smooth soft voice, it sent shivers down my back since his eyes never actually left me while he introduced Eric. "And this is Sookie Stackhouse, the telepath I have been telling you about. Sookie, may I present Raphael Mancini, King of Texas."
Eric inclined his head next to me in a deep nod and I followed suit. It went against all my belief to bow to someone but out of respect for Eric and Godric I made the awkward nod. The king smiled at me and took my free hand into his, bringing it up to his face as he kissed it in greeting.
"A pleasure to finally meet you Miss Stackhouse, Godric has been telling me many good things about you." He said, I heard a trace of accent in his voice but couldn't quite place it. I wasn't exactly that knowledgeable about accents so I didn't bother thinking about it too much. The name may have given it away though since I was pretty sure it sounded Italian.
"Thank you your Highness. The pleasure is all mine, I assure you." I smiled sweetly, I had no doubt it was closer to the 'Crazy Sookie' smile than I would have liked, but I was nervous enough not to care too much. Godric moved close to me after the introduction and stood on the other side of me from Eric. The movement didn't escape the King's notice and his eyebrows went up a little.
"So it is true, she is yours to share. Frankly I had my doubts either one of you would actually share the prize Godric had described." His eyes slid back to me. "I know I would keep such a treasure very close to me if I owned it."
I felt a shiver at the last words and it wasn't a nice one. Godric stiffened next to me and I felt Eric tense as well. There must have been something that I had missed in those words, well, something other than the blatant way he said he wanted me for himself and the way he tried to get a rise out of all of us. I swallowed the biting reply that was on the tip of my tongue and let my smile widen instead.
"Thank you for the compliment your majesty. I can assure you that they take very good care of me." My voice came out steadier than I felt and after I finished speaking both of my vampires relaxed slightly, having, no doubt, figured out that they postured in the middle of a heavy political conversation.
"Yes, I've no doubt about that." He said with a mischievous smile. The devil knew he was pressing their buttons!
"I've no doubt taken up too much of your time your majesty; please enjoy the rest of your evening here." Godric said formally, inclining his head slightly.
"Of course, I look forward to having the pleasure of your company again Miss Stackhouse." Rafael said and turned to another vampire that was patiently waiting for his turn to have the King's attention.
As we started to walk away Godric grabbed my free hand, giving it a light kiss before mirroring Eric's hold on me. I felt very cherished and special in that instance because two of the most attractive men in the room were escorting me about and from the glares I got the other females knew how special this was too.
"There you are Sookie, I am glad I caught you before these two have whisked you away." Isabel said as she appeared out of the crowd in front of us. I saw a glint in her eyes that made me feel that the joke was more on the vampire than me and smiled back. It's a girl thing I guess.
"I just got here a little while ago and haven't even had a chance to get a drink, I wouldn't dream on skipping out on such an elegant party so quickly." I said, keeping my face as honest and empty of humor as possible. I didn't last past the heavy sigh from Eric and a full on smile broke out, the first genuine smile for the evening. I actually like Isabel.
"Yes. I see having two men at your disposal doesn't increase your chances of being satisfied." She said commiseratively. I snickered, sure I'll probably pay for this later, but after all the tension of today having a little fun was worth anything these two could come up with. Eric did take the hint, surprising me by letting my arm go and starting in the direction of the bar. "Eric, dear, I'll have an O negative since your going."
From the low growl I heard in his general direction and the now chuckling Isabel I had a feeling he heard her and wasn't happy.
"Isabel, it really isn't wise to tease Eric like that." Godric said. I looked at him sideways to see if he really did mean that, his face was sober but I noticed his eyes were smiling.
Isabel ignored him looking at him assessing the situation. "Is there any way I could possibly persuade you to let go of our dear Miss Stackhouse for a little while?" She watched the reaction in him.
"No." He said in a flat tone, his eyes losing all the humor from a second ago.
She rolled her eyes at him in exasperation but smiled.
"I hope he will be a little less possessive next time you visit." She said to me. "I wanted to thank you for the work you've done in the last couple of days. I haven't had a chance to look through the paperwork from today but yesterday's notes have proved to be rather…enlightening. It will save me a lot of time and money in the long run and make this transition much smoother."
Shocked I mumbled a feeble response the fact that Isabel was being so nice was weird. I mean, sure, after the Hugo incident I knew she wasn't as uppity as some vampires seemed to be about humans but this much genuine…friendliness was rather startling. Eric came back with our drinks, he had a gin and tonic for me and I took it gladly, sipping it leisurely as we chatted more about general topics. Our group was soon joined by other vampires and I was starting to feel like a pretty ornament again.
"Did you get a chance to see the outside gardens today?" Godric asked me.
"No. With everything that happened…I saw them from upstairs but never did get a closer look." I said to him in a low voice, not that the rest of the group couldn't hear me but it made me feel better.
"Would you care for a tour now?" He said with a small smile.
I nodded, excited by the prospect of spending some private time with him. I was really over this party. I didn't know anyone anyway and didn't really want to come to think of it.
Godric made our excuses and we went off towards the patio but not before Eric gave me a pointed look. I took it to mean that I shouldn't give Godric a hard time because of what happened and I gave him a look of my own as we walked away. I wasn't sure what he read in mine but it was more of 'mind your own business' and I didn't think Eric would accept that even if his life depended on it, but I had to try.
Godric led me down the stairs past the pool and I shuddered remembering what happened here earlier today.
"I heard about the attack and I am sorry the security didn't get to you before you had to take action." He said with an edge of anger.
I looked at him startled by his vehemence. "Godric, they couldn't have known."
"It is their job to know these things." He stated empathically.
I rolled my eyes at his stubbornness. "I hope you aren't thinking of punishing them. It really wasn't their fault and it turned out just fine. I mean, they did their job and all. Please, don't do anything to them." I was pleading sure, but from the expression on his handsome face I didn't think he was having very friendly thoughts towards my two bodyguards.
"Ma petite, I do not understand how you could defend them, even they are aware that they have made a big mistake today." He said, I heard a slight accent coming through in his words but I was too worried about what we were discussing to appreciate how beautiful it sounded.
"Godric, please, tell me they aren't going to be harmed. Give them another chance. They're good men." I begged.
He stopped, turning around to look at me straight in the face and again I felt the intensity of his gaze heat me from the inside out. My heart sped up and my breath shortened.
"If you think they deserve another chance, I shall give it to them." He said slowly, almost as though he was dragging each word out by force. "They will not be guarding you again. I cannot take the risk of such foolishness when it comes to your safety."
"I am a grown woman and I can take care of myself Godric. Just because you have been alive for longer doesn't make me a child." The words came out with all the indignation I felt at his obvious assessment of my incompetence.
"Ma petite, I don't disagree with your obvious survival skills but I would rest easier knowing that there are others watching out for you just in case. Please, don't argue with me on this, it is hard for me to think that you are alone during the day without having the additional worry of knowing that you will not allow me to at least give you some measure of a safety net." I wanted to argue and defend myself again but the expression on his face stopped me. I remembered the haunted look he had when he first turned around to look at me up on the rooftop that same haunted expression was on his face now. There was so much pain in his eyes, pain at the thought that I would not let him protect me or maybe pain at the thought of someone actually getting close enough to hurt me, no matter, I couldn't bring myself to refuse. The memory of his almost death was still too fresh for me, his being with me too fragile.
I caved. "Fine. I'm not happy about it, but while I'm here I won't protest about the security again." I saw his jaw set and he opened his mouth to argue but I continued over him. "When I get back home, if you will be there too, we can continue this discussion. Now, I think it's time you showed me this magical garden of yours."
We walked on in silence after that. I was irritated at his wanting to run my life and he…well I wasn't sure exactly what he was but one thing was for sure he was silent until we reached the garden hedge. The hedge was high enough that I couldn't see past it. I knew what the gardens looked like from the top but it was completely different feeling seeing them at eye level, yet before I could peer around the corner Godric stopped me.
I looked at him in confusion waiting for an explanation; didn't we walk all this way just so he could show me the pretty flowers behind the corner?
"Ma petite, can you trust me enough to close your eyes and let me guide you in?" His voice was back to its usual soft tones, the frustration from earlier had gone but the expression stayed serious.
"Yes, of course." I answered honestly, it surprised me that he'd had to ask, after all he trusted me enough to let me sleep in the room next to him during daylight.
He gave me a crooked smile. "I am glad. Close your eyes then."
I did as he asked and felt the wind on my skin as he moved, no doubt at vampire speed, away and then he was back almost in the same instance. He grabbed my hands in his, giving me a gentle kiss on the lips and started to pull me forward. When I tensed, a little uncomfortable with walking in high heels blind he squeezed my hands. "Trust me, I won't let you fall." He said, and I took the first step.
Wherever it was that Godric was taking me it wasn't close by, at least it felt like forever before he told me to stop and wait. It was dark behind my eyelids and I waited listening for the sound of him coming back. Vampires in general don't really make much sound so I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he was already pretty close and I, with my human senses, had absolutely no idea. Suddenly my eyelids went pink, someone turned the lights on, they weren't bright but they were brighter than the moon.
"You can open your eyes now, ma petite." I heard Godric's voice but it didn't sound like he was next to me.
I opened my eyes slowly and gasped in wonder. Everything was lit and looked magical. The flowers beds had lights in them and the flowers were lit from underneath making them almost glow. The trees were artfully wrapped in hundreds of fairy lights. I turned to the left and there was a small pond again lit from underneath with a weeping willow on the other side whose leaves were almost translucent thanks to the lights on it. It was all beautiful and I looked back around towards where I heard Godric's voice. He was leaning back against the trunk of a particularly tall tree, with his hands folded across his chest and a relaxed smile on his face as he took in my obvious delight at his surprise.
"It's beautiful." I whispered knowing he would hear but I didn't want to ruin the magic of the moment by speaking too loud. It almost felt like there were pixies hiding somewhere among the flowers and if I raised my voice I would scare them away. I held my hand out to him and he was holding it before I knew it.
"I am very glad you like it, ma petite." His voice came out as a purr, sliding down my skin and giving me the most delicious goose bumps. "But you are wrong about one thing…this place is pretty, you are beautiful, breathtaking and exquisite tonight." He tugged me closer to him with every word by the time he finished I was flushed against him.
"Just tonight?" I whispered back with a sultry smile.
"Always." And then he was kissing me. His arms wound around me and mine went up to his neck and I felt lost again in the sensations. His kiss was gentle yet demanding at once and I let him lead the dance of our tongues. I felt like I was floating, lost in the pleasure of our kiss and when he pulled away my feet touched the ground gently.
"How?" I gasped looking around, we were up to the terrace outside his bedroom, the door was open and the fire was burning in the fireplace.
He smiled at me, his eyes on the same level as mine due to my current footwear. "One of my vampire gifts." He said softly.
I smiled back at him; this was so perfect. He led me inside and when we reached the bed he kissed me again. I knew right then that I couldn't possibly turn around and walk away from him.
"Ma petite?" His nickname for me came out as a question or more questions there was so much meaning behind it. I knew what he was asking. I was more than ready and I tugged at his suit in answer, it slid off him as I brushed my hands down his arms. I felt the muscles shift under my fingers but he remained still watching my face the whole time. His fangs slid out as I started tugging on the shirt buttons and he raised his hands to help, I batted them away, enjoying the feeling of power I had in that moment. As I undid each button revealing the smooth white skin under it, I gave myself a chance to trace the tattoo on his chest. It was beautiful in the candle light. His skin glowed golden more than white under this light and he looked beautiful. I stepped back a little as I tugged the shirt from his pants, admiring the view. The look in his eyes said everything I wanted it to, it was the look of a man that sees something he craves. I felt the fluttering excitement in my stomach and the undeniably pleasant heat pool in lower.
"You look like a piece of sunshine tonight, ma petite." He said as his hands traced up my arms and he pushed me back to him. I felt him unzip the dress and shivered as it came off and the cool air hit my naked skin. The panties Eric brought as a replacement for the ones he damaged were light pink and lacy, they looked wonderful against my tanned skin. "Beautiful." I heard Godric whisper as he lowered me onto the bed and then he was kissing me again, his hand exploring my naked body, leaving trails of fire everywhere they touched. I gasped as his mouth found my breasts, he nipped at them gently, never breaking the skin. My own hands did some exploring as I tugged the shirt off him. I wanted to get a closer look at his tattoos but in that moment they were the last thing on my mind.
We kissed and licked each other's bodies and soon I heard the tell tale sound of my panties being ripped off of me. I breathed a moan as his fingers searched out the liquid wetness between my thighs and groaned when he found it, shuddering under him. I felt the pain of his bite on my breast as his fingers entered me and then the pleasure burst through me like a million fireworks. He worked me up and up never letting me get off the high, kissing, biting and licking me while his fingers did magical things to me and when I could take no more he kissed me on the mouth for a long time.
"Godric, please." I begged him sobbing. "Now."
He was off me and I sobbed at the loss. My eyes focused on him standing at the end of the bed, he must have finally taken off his trousers while I was trying to focus. He was stunning, not handsome, he was turned too young to be handsome but simply beautiful. It was more than just his looks or his body or the tribal tattoos on his chest and arms; it was all those things and more. The expression of pure lust and longing on his face made me catch my breath. He crawled back onto the bed slowly, caressing my body as he went and kissing me again as he positioned himself above me. "Ma petite." I heard through the fog of arousal and then he was in me, filling me, moving and grinding. Bliss.
