|| 10. I Need Direction ||
"I hate you."
I squirmed in Eric's grasp. It was a rainy day, the dark clouds shielding Shreveport from any trace of the sun. The weatherman on the television that was on behind the bar said that it would be raining all day and not to expect the sun anytime soon. Thunder was rolling in, too, accompanied by some lightening. It was as though it was still nighttime, and Eric seemed annoyingly joyous about that, that he didn't need to hide from the sun. Sookie had dropped me off at Fangtasia earlier, so I couldn't drive my car there so I couldn't escape. I was trapped at Fangtasia, with Eric Northman, the vicious Viking sheriff on Area 5. That's not exactly how I wanted to spend my rainy day.
I'd rather be snuggled up on the couch reading Romeo and Juliet, but no.
I had to stay locked up at a vampire bar in Lousianna during a thunder and lightening storm. How weird does that sound? Meanwhile, Eric was practically holding me prisoner in his arms, tightly and sternly holding me, his arms linking over each other. I was squirming like a five year old, ranting and saying a string of profanities in protest to Eric to let me go. He just rolled his eyes like an annoyed parent and made his grip tighter. So far, I'd sprinted around the entire bar, running around and through the tables and chairs, screaming "let me out! let me out!" at the top of my lungs. After that, Eric had to chase me around one of the stripper poles in circles for approximately two minutes, then I ran out and through the halls of Fangtasia, then back to the main bar.
After that, I'd frisked Eric's car keys to his red Corvette and sprinted out into Fangtasia's parking lot, but he'd caught me out in the rainstorm and he looked ready to murder me, with his arms crossed across his broad, muscular chest. I yelped as he sprinted after me and ran back inside, soaking wet from the rain. Eric slid back inside, tackled me like a football player and sat me on the couch, where Eric had caught me, now imprisoning me so I couldn't run away from him again. He was behind me and he was so much taller and muscular than me, his arms snaking around my torso and chest, so I was chained by his arms against his chest. I squirmed uncontrollably, "I hate you! I hate this!"
"If you repeat that one more time," Eric muttered after blowing a strand of blond hair out of his eyes in frustration, "I'm going to force you shut up, Evie. You understand, young lady?"
The last sentance was so bantering I squirmed harder than ever before and shouted, "I'm not a kid!" He chuckled at me. "Ah," Eric said, still at it with his amusing, smug attitude and retorted, "I'm a thousand years old and you're twenty years old. So to me, you're a kid. A cute little teacup human!" He cackled in my ear.
After the teacup human statement, I wanted to slap him, kick him in the balls and quite possibly rip them right off. I grunted and blew my bangs out of my face in annoyance, "You're the worst babysitter in the entire world!"
"At least I'm not eating you." Eric pointed out in a sing-songy voice. I growled and continued to squirm in his arms and said, "This isn't fair! Lemme go! I want to get out! I want to have fun! I want to run around! Ugh!" Eric rolled his eyes dramatically. He was wearing a black sweater and black skinny jeans and his combat-looking boots, an outfit he usually wore. His hair was messy from repeatedly chasing me. He was inhaling and exhaling, against my back I could feel him breathing. It was slightly calming me down and relaxing me. I huffed. I was wearing a flannel, long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, that had light orange, grey and white stripes. It was an open shirt with a white tank top underneath that had a faded British flag on it. I wore a pair of old black athletic shorts that said in faded letters Missouri University on the butt. I was barefoot from running around so much. My hair was tied to the side in a low, slightly curled ponytail as always. My hair was slightly messy now, from all my running and huffing and puffing.
"You big, stupid a-hole!" I huffed in frustration.
"Watch that mouth of yours. You're worse than a newborn." Eric said, smiling. I squirmed and squirmed and squirmed, but he refused to budge and let me go. "Evangeline Stackhouse, keep squirming and I'll tie you to the stripper pole for the remainder of the day." Eric warned, his voice sounding quite paternal.
I rolled my eyes and I chewed on my lip. After a minute of not responding out of spite, Eric shook me, "Now, I'm going to let you go and out of my grasp now. Can you behave like a good little girl?"
"No! This is unbelievable. I shouldn't have to be babysat!" I screeched like a toddler, rocking up and down, aggressively on purpose so I would rock Eric back and forth, too. Eric held me tighter so I couldn't rock back and forth and squirm. Eric sighed and said exhaustedly, "Let's close that pretty mouth of yours and give it a rest?"
"No! Eric, I am serious! Lemme go! I'll tell Pam! Or Sookie! Or Bill! Or Nan! Or Isabel! Or Sam! Or Stan! Or..." Eric just rolled his eyes as I went off on a rant, listing off every vampire and human I knew and thought could do something about it. Eric seemed unaffected and didn't care, his blue irises remaining annoyed as hell as I kept ranting off to him. To myself I smugly smiled, proud of myself that I was driving him insane. I was as stubborn as he was, and I knew he wouldn't budge. He had circles under his eyes and looked groggy and exhausted.
"How are you not exhausted?" I asked him out of the blue. "I am exhausted. I haven't slept." He muttered and I could almost hear his eyelids flutter closed. Then an idea popped into my head, as if a lightbulb had switched on. Bingo! "I have to pee!" I yelled for no particular reason, still squirming in his imprisoning arms. I really didn't have to, I just wanted to get a quick get-away. And it's not like Eric would follow me into the bathroom. Eric huffed in my ear, "Tough luck."
"You really want me to pee all over your new Armani jeans?" I asked in an extremely annoyingly, surprised and mocking manner.
I knew he rolled his eyes, even if I couldn't see him. After all, I was sitting on his lap. "No. They're new." He sighed. "You and your awkward human stuff." He mumbled. I grinned as he got up, but then frowned again when I realized he was carrying me like a toddler, in his arms, to the bathroom. I looked around, puzzled, as we made our way to the rock n roll style door of the woman's restroom. No way was I letting Eric in the stall with me. I arched an eyebrow as we entered the bathroom and Eric kicked open one of the stalls.
"Uhm, let me down?" I said, but it sounded more like a question than a statement or a demand. He rolled his eyes and dropped me down. I scurried into the stall and slammed the door. From underneath the stall I saw that Eric had leaned himself up against the wall, his ankles crossing boredly, waiting for me. "Why is it necessary that you listen to me piss?" I grunted. I heard his light laugh at my snarky comment and I muttered, "Jackass."
"What was that, Evangeline?" He asked, his predatory warning creeping up in his voice. "Nothing." I muttered.
"It's necessary for me to secure that you will not escape." Eric corrected, "And I can't let you escape. You'll probably hot-wire my car, or run out into the road and hitch-hike, or something like that. I mean, c'mon, Evie. You had me chase you around for almost two hours today while you shouted like a maniac. I'm not letting you out of my sight. You are way too clumsy. You're practically calling for the Magister's messengers to come and attack you." I could hear the smirk in his voice. "I'm not clumsy." I mumbled to myself as I fiddled with my shorts' tie. I grumbled as I pushed open the door and Eric scooped me up under his left arm. I yelled at him to put me down but he ignored me. My bathroom escape plan failed.
"You don't know everything, Eric!" I protested. "I know a hell of a lot more than you do." He retorted.
"Eric, please let me go! I won't run away! I promise!" I pleaded, giving him a pleading look. I bit my lip nervously as he contemplated. He squinted his eyes at me as I dangled under his left arm. "Aren't you ever even a little tired? How do I know your not a liar?" I smiled up at him innocently and asked, "Do I look like a liar?" He rolled his eyes, but I caught his attention when I yawned, my mouth open in an exagerrated yawn. He looked down at me and said with the most mocking tone he could offer, "Time for a nap. You must be exhausted from all that running."
I narrowed my eyes at him darkly and he gave me a smug smile, with a click his fangs were out.
My body betrayed me when I let out another dramatic yawn. I barely slept this last week and I had a lot on my mind. I had Eric, the Magister, Godric and everything else in my mind. I couldn't let it drop, let it go. But I was so exhausted, a little nap would do me some good, now that I thought of it. Eric brought me over to the comfy sofa in the sitting area of the bar and settled me down. It pulled out to a bed, even though it didn't look like it. I chewed on my lip as Eric laid me down comfortably and he laid down next to me. He was a vampire, he needed his sleep. I was robbing him of his natural instinct. He shut his eyes and I smiled at him.
His blond hair was attractively messy and his stubble made his handsome, structured face more beautiful to look at. I was in love with Eric Northman. I admitted it to myself. I was almost positive he didn't feel the same way about me. He could have almost any woman he wanted, human or vampire. Most likely he didn't love me back. But for now, all I knew was that I loved him. Taking me by surprise, Eric slung an arm around me, yanking me against his chest and held me in a tight grip against him, so that I wouldn't leave and if I even attempted to, he would be woken up. He ranted in Swedish to himself in an irritated mumble. He tightened his grip and I smiled to myself.
Within four minutes, Eric was out like a light. I smiled to myself in his arms. Now was the time for my escape, but I needed to do it really quickly. I poked him a few times, on his chest, on his arm. I yelled, too. He was still asleep. I grinned widely and eased myself out of his grasp, landing on the floor. I tip-toed across the main club area of Fangtasia and saw Eric's car keys on the bar counter, where he had put them after he had to tackle me for them earlier. I grabbed them, then practically sprinting outside. A boom of thunder and a streak of lightening flashed in the dark sky, raining soaking me and causing my mascara to run.
The back parking lot of Fangtasia always creepied me out. I felt a chill run down my spine and I spotted Eric's car, the attractive red Corvette that sat in the back of the parking lot. I felt like I was being watched. Eric would attack me after this, I knew it. I shook my head to clear my mind of these thoughts and I sprinted to Eric's car. I pressed the 'open' button on the car keys, but when I tried to open the car door, it wouldn't open. I was panicking, as the rain fell down on me rapidly. I yanked on the car door, but it refused to open. I groaned to myself in frustration as my outfit became soaked and my hair was dripping wet. My bare feet hurt against the rocks that served as the ground in the parking lot. I grabbed the key to run the car and tried to open it by jabbing it in the key hole on the door handle. It opened. But before I could step in the car, I was grabbed from behind, a rough, hard hand smacked over my mouth. I screamed, a muffled yell behind the hand covering my mouth. I tried to look behind me as I was held against this attacker, my eyes wide in fear. Then someone hissed in my ear,
"I said to watch your back."
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