"I was right, quite dangerous indeed. I see why fae made such formidable enemies once upon a time." Grinning, I lean in and give him a light peck on the lips, my sword gone in a flash as it's sheathed.
"Never dangerous to you though, my bonded." He grips me around the waist, bowing me up against him as he kisses me with a growl.
"We should likely go before I get carried away, this outfit is a tease all of its own. You look like a princess." His voice is heated, and I turn away from him to retrieve my shoes.
"How many princesses have you had in your time?" I question, pulling white slip on shoes over my feet that cling perfectly without falling off.
"A few, but none of your stature." Picking up the box for Godric, I hold it up by the bottom before looking at Eric.
"Good, I strive to be the best you'll ever have." He laughs heartily, putting his hand to my shoulder as he grins down at me.
My pop is subtle but the clicks that follow it are not, the vampires eyeing me in wonder as we stand in Godric's nest. He is sitting across from us, looking stunned but not unhappy at our appearance, his features smoothing as he stands to greet us.
"Godric." I address him in a power laced tone of voice and he eyes me over as he takes in my garb. "I am here to offer this gift, as I was unable to do so before taking your child as mine. The box is special, but something that I would rather explain to you in private."
Bowing slightly, I hold it out and he glances to Eric who is staring seriously over my shoulder. Taking the box a second later, he returns the bow and we both straighten at the same time. "I accept. My child seems quite content, which is more than I can usually say of his temperament."
The eyes of the vampires don't leave us as he turns, leading us down the hallway and into what appears to be a small private library. "This place is soundproof." He assures as he closes the door behind us and I smile as I explain what the box can do. "It is a rather valuable gift; might I inquire as to where you acquired it?"
"I crafted it myself, as well as placed some books inside that I believe you will be interested in. It slides open." Showing him how to open it, he pulls them out one at a time, laying them carefully out on his desktop. "These copies came from the original fae author, created recently so they're in pristine condition."
"I'm not really sure how to go about accepting such an invaluable collection." He finally says, having been silent for a short time and I wave it off, Eric's arms coming around me from behind. There's something about the way he watches us move that makes me unwilling to speak, not wanting to interrupt whatever train of thought he's on. "You have softened my child more than I have ever managed to. His mental state in recent time has been calmer than I've ever felt, something that I had hoped to achieve myself but was unable. At the same time though, you've made him a more dangerous adversary to any who would oppose him." His eyes lift from my face to his child's and he continues, only letting a second of silence slip in. "I had long feared that should you find a creature to bond with, you would become more vulnerable. But after spending a bit of time alone with your Sookie, I have reconsidered, and with her grand entrance tonight I doubt that any would think of her as weak. You do not require it, but you of course have my full blessing if it is of importance to you. I will also be having some paperwork quietly slipped into the Authorities files, on which I will have claimed you both as under my protection. Should any political issues come up, just let me know and you will have me fully at your back." Eric seems pleased by what his maker said and I'm grateful, knowing that he had been slightly uncertain of what this night would bring.
"I thank you, and if you have any fairy problems, just let me know." I say, only half joking and it seems he knows something as the corner of his mouth twitches upward.
"Of course, I'm sure the royal princess of the fairies could come quite in handy as an ally." My smile falters for a second as I don't say anything, feeling Eric tense slightly around me. "Child, did you not know what you possessed?" He asks, a wry glint visible in his eye before I turn slightly towards Eric.
"I meant to tell you sooner, but it kept slipping my mind and it wasn't ever the right moment when it did occur to me. I was going to present you with your own sword soon, since it's customary for my bonded to carry one as a newly bonded prince. Rest assured though, I do not intend to take the throne should Niall want to hand it over. One of my cousins can do that."
"How?" He asks, his eyes piercing into mine as I turn to look up at him.
"A civil war tore apart our people, it ended about a hundred years ago but started before I was even born. Niall's followers rose up as the superior ones, Mab and her people being nearly eradicated with the last of them having gone into hiding long ago and slowly being picked off over the years. The Brigant family has always been notable as one of the top fae powers and have been the ruling ones since then, but I didn't know that information had spread to the vampires. Ideally, it would never affect our lives apart from maybe some parties." There's a strange feeling in Eric's mind as he feels strangely predatory, standing over me unmoving.
"You are unbelievable." His hand secures the back of my head as he kisses me fiercely, a low rumble in his chest.
"You are unbelievable." I whisper against his lips, smiling against him as I hear Godric putting the books away and I look over as he secures the lid in place on his box. "I had wondered, did you find out anything about what Willow truly wanted, before the building was burnt?"
"Not yet. I removed any papers I found and brought them back here with me, but nothing seems relevant so far. It's all just nonsensical lists of ingredients for the most part." He pulls a cardboard box from a corner, the parchments inside yellowed and seeming flaky. Picking it up, I start to glance over the pages as Eric is asking about developments in their political world.
"I do not need any new problems." He mutters, glad to hear as Godric tells him everything seems to be calm. He's about to say something else to Godric, but turns to me instead as the color drains from my face. A coldness creeps into my stomach and his hand is on my shoulder as I regain my composure.
"Memorize these, and then burn them." I request quietly, handing the papers to Eric as I assume Godric has already memorized them all and he only takes a few moments to flip through them before turning on the fireplace. The pages turn to ash quickly, the paper old and thin. "Did anyone else see those?" I ask, turning to Godric.
"No, nobody knows what happened while I was in Louisiana except for the three of us." Silence fills the air as I think, wondering what I should do next and I start to formulate a plan until I realize that both vampires are patiently staring at me. "Those lists are the ingredients and directions which when put into the right order, are what is needed to make a rudimentary portal to the fairy plane. It would take a lot of all the ingredients to create a portal that works well, but it's possible as long as…" I trail off, nobody interrupting as I'm sure Eric feels my thoughts coming together, the pieces beginning to fall into place.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but vampires magic and strength is derived from the blood within you. All you would need to make a portal besides the listed ingredients would be a large energy source. It's a recipe once devised and intended for fairies who got stranded and they would use their light to activate it, but theoretically you could use anything with enough energy and your blood is energy." Eric is fully focused on me as I put my arms around his sides, saying the last part with my face pressed into his chest. "Willow wanted to get to the fairy plane for something, and she was going to mix your blood with the spell to create a portal. It would have likely required all your blood. She probably wanted to try to find a fairy first, since she couldn't get to you and perhaps thought that finding a fairy would be easier than restraining you after her seduction failed. That is why the werewolf was looking for a fairy, and she had to fall back on her original plan when that fell through. She probably had some wards that tipped her off when he got free and triggered something to kill him."
"I still want to know where she learned how to control vampires. That is quite a dangerous skill." Godric remarks and I agree as I turn, seeing him again as Eric pulls me to sit in his lap on the couch.
"It was some sort of witch magic, something I couldn't sense as I'm not a witch. Are there any other significant witches around Louisiana that you know of?" I ask, looking at Eric expectantly.
"No." Eric sounds resolved, but I feel the twitch in his emotions as he remembers something. "There are rumors though that the queen has a witch in her retinue, but that's only ever been a rumor. None of my spies have ever confirmed it."
"I'll see if I can find anything out, one of her children does owe me a favor for allowing him to live after killing a donor in my area half a decade ago. In the meantime, what are your plans?" He questions both of us, Eric quiet behind me as he feels that I'm not done, something else coming forming in my mind as more of the puzzle tries to complete itself.
"Eric, what if Warlow was using Willow? It's far fetched, but at the same time it's not when you consider everything. He would be likely to know that Louisiana is one of the points of connection to the fairy plane, making it easier to create a portal there than anywhere else in North America. He's also very old, so there's no doubt he could pour enough money into Willow to make her do whatever he wants. He could have even have helped her to figure out how to control older vampires. That would also explain where she got the know how to make a portal in the first place, since my ancestors took great care to destroy as many human documentations of it as possible. He could have just given her a copy he had, and since he's a vampire he wouldn't have to worry about forgetting it." His brow is furrowed, and I can feel that his fangs have dropped as he's agitated, his head tilted forward to lean into me as he is deep in thought.
"Who is Warlow?" Godric questions, triggering the snarl in Eric's chest to become audible for a second before he quiets and quickly explains who he is.
There's silence in the room for a moment as we are all deep in thought until Godric speak first. "Child, I believe that Sookie may be right."
"I know." He cuts in, not letting Godric continue as the malice is clear in his voice. "A vampire much older than I am would wish to take away my Sookie, and he seems to already be solidly on her trail." Thinking back, I believe this is one of the first times he's called me 'his' Sookie, and it puts a small smile on my face, his eyes piercing down into mine a second after he feels my response.
"Let's stay here for a while then, nobody knows we're here. I'm sure the local authorities wouldn't mind our presence." I smirk, glancing at his maker whose lip twitches upward for a moment.
"Child, stay here with your bonded as long as you wish." He tells Eric, seeming to settle the matter as Eric nods and reaches into his pocket. Pam answers his call and he's giving her directions on official matters that he needs to handle when she informs him that one of the newly hired pole dancers turned out to be a V addict. Growling, he paces as they talk about what to do and I look at Godric.
"Do you have such problems with V here?" I'd not paid much mind to the illegal drug trade trends in the different areas and he would be the ideal one to ask.
"There is the occasional drainer who is dealt with by Isabelle, my second in command, but Eric's business attracts that sort of thing. It's more prevalent around similar bars in this area." Scanning the humans in the building, I find a few that bother me and one in particular that I do not like at all.
"How do you vet your staff?" I ask, although I'm already piecing together the nest practices through different minds.
"Isabelle also usually handles that, but I see the application of every person she approves for hire before they are called in for a final interview. Do you see a problem here?"
"Surprisingly, yes, and I do believe it may be with Isabelle herself. Or rather, her human, Hugo." I add the last part, seeing him bristle at the notion that his second in command is an unwise choice. "He seems to be in the business of helping the fellowship of the sun capture vampires to torture, experiment on and ultimately destroy. Several of your safe houses are compromised, he has given them a lot of security codes, and if you would like I can give you the identity of every vampire he's hand a hand in destroying."
"Pam, I have to go." Eric says deadpan, ending the call as Godric stares at me unmoving for a long moment.
"Those are serious allegations." I scoff, seeming to surprise him.
"I do not make allegations. I know facts because I am telepathic, so I know my facts straight from the source. The code for your safe house near the airport is 8894512, the code for your garage here is 766743211, the code to your safe is 40301 and the code to your bedroom is 23562134. Hugo loves to get into Isabelle's computer when she is not around to review any security updates you do. A girl named Amber that works during the day is conspiring with another girl named Whitney who works the night shift and they do the laundry together. They use it as a cover to skim spare money from the pockets of any humans who stay here. A man named Charley works during both day and night shift and is unaffiliated with them, but he has saved up a fair bit of money by stealing it from the vehicles of the cars he parks when he valets for your guests. I would suggest mentioning to your second in command that she should be more careful of the company she keeps." They're both staring at me, the tension palpable as Godric appears frozen.
"Eric, is she telling the truth." He demands, meeting the eye of his child behind me and I snap at Godric through the bond he has with Eric, seeming to surprise him that I could reach so far.
"I would have the maker of my bonded be as safe as possible, and someone who seems rather intelligent to accept good intel when it's offered for free." Moving with purpose, I grab a notepad on his desk and a pen, starting to write the names of all the ended vampires before handing it over to Godric. "Hugo directly caused the end of these vampires by providing the fellowship with everything they'd need to get into safehouses and intercept trucks moving vampires during the day. Usually he'd have them target vampires who were leaving the area anyway and wouldn't be noticed until they didn't show up for long enough at their destination."
"I apologize if I appeared mistrustful, but I have to ensure that my information is as clear as possible before making a move." He says, surprising Eric who I would imagine has only rarely seen his maker apologize to someone.
"I understand, but I would also have you to please believe me when I say that I want you safe. You are Eric's maker, and I would also consider you my friend, someone to be trusted and who I would hate to see perish. I would imagine that you would like to speak to Isabelle alone? From Hugo's memories, she regards you and treats you as she would her maker, and you subtly return the sentiment."
Nodding, he confirms what I've said, and I look up at Eric who seems to be quite happy. "You continue to surprise me. I might even be jealous of how nice you are to Godric in the future."
"Be jealous, it's cute, but keep in mind that you are the only one I would ever allow closer than a hug."
"Eric, you are to keep that treasure safe, and Sookie I appreciate the lending of your services to my area. Name a price and I would pay it, should you feel you want compensated for your efforts. If you would both excuse me, I would like to see to the partial restructuring of my nest, as well as an overhaul of the security of all my properties. I would assist you in any way you like with Warlow, but for tonight and likely tomorrow night I will be occupied."
"Try to have a good night, even it is about to be eventful." I smile empathically, taking Eric's hand as he wraps an arm around me and I pop us back to the hotel room.