Episode 406: Six O'clock in the Morning
I look at my muddy reflection in the mirror of the small diner's bathroom. My hair is still bloody, and sticky from the resin, despite the rain. We've established camp here, until Nora's troops could arrive. The place was empty, and the glamoured clerk had been about to close. Adela and I had needed something to eat, while Jessie needed a bottle of milk – although what she truly needs is her mother.
I feel like screaming at the mirror, when Eric appears behind me. His concerned smile tells me how bad I must look under those fluorescent lights. I'm happy to see him, but worried he let the others alone.
"- Nora sent new agents for your protection. They're patrolling outside. She'll be here soon.
- We're lucky you weren't too far…"
He had been getting ready for an event in San José, when he felt my fear and flew to my rescue, once again. I look at the reflection of him pacing behind me.
"- This has to stop. I'll talk to Roman; he has to let you go home now.
- I don't have enough signatures yet…
- I don't care!"
I feel his rage flare and close my eyes. I try to convey how much I need some quiet right now. He seems to get it, since he brings both his arms around me and kisses my hair. His tenderness feels possessive, and I understand how he feared for me. This feels selfishly good. To know some people care. His hug starts to turn into caresses, and I lean into it. After everything, in his arms is still where I feel the safest. It always has been, for some reason.
I should feel upset about his display of violence, right? I mean, of course, he killed them to protect me, but ripping off a man's heart shouldn't be such an enjoyable thing to do. There's blood, splattered on his white shirt, and on his neck, right up to his ear. He washed his hands clean, though I can still see red on his lips. But, I don't know why, watching him kiss my temple in the mirror, while his large hands slither to my breast, with his untucked shirt and unfasten bowtie, he is just so fucking sexy.
My jeans are on the floor when my back slams against the side of the stall. I lock the thin door, while he fumbles with the button of his pants, his lips not leaving mine. When his dick is in my hand, I push him backward, so he'll sit on the toilet, and I can straddle him. His hand grips my hair as if he were afraid I could vanish. As if he wanted to possess me, so I would never disappear.
I position him to my entrance right away, no foreplay; I want to feel him. And I descend on him with a cry of relief, like I've been missing a part of myself I'm only now reclaiming. He pulls up my top to graze his teeth between my breast. And I open his shirt without caring if I tear a button. I need to feel his skin against mine, as I move up and down on him. As usual, his coldness alleviates my fever, and it feels fucking exquisite.
"Jill, are you there?"
Fuck! Adela has entered the bathroom. I stop every motion and put a hand on Eric's mouth, just in case.
"- I'm here; I'll be right out.
- You okay?
- Yeah, I'm fine; I'm just… Give me a minute."
Eric chuckles under me, while biting my hand. I kick his hip with the side of my knee. I wait for Adela to leave but she doesn't; she enters the adjacent stall, and I bury my face in the crook of Eric's neck. He just moves his hands to my hips and forces the slightest friction. I gasp for air.
Finally, she exits the stall and washes her hands. There's another pause.
"You know you can talk to me, right?" she asks.
I'm feeling like shit right now.
"Just give me a sec, alright?" I'm forced to answer.
She gets out, and I wait to hear the door closing, so I can get my hand off his mouth.
"Are you ashamed of me?"
I have to look into his eyes to confirm he's messing with me.
"Of course I am; you're unpresentable." I joke, though we can both feel the unresolved issue here.
He rolls his eyes with a cheeky smile, the sort of which he would offer to Nora. And the degree of intimacy it channels makes me suddenly emotional.
Of course, he can feel everything that goes through me, so he takes my head between both his hands, to bring our lips together. The light pecks are all I needed. The motion starting back in our lower bodies is everything I ever needed.
"- You know, – he says between kisses, – this might be the less sexy place I've ever had sex in.
- I highly doubt that." The guy has lived through the Middle Ages, come on.
His light chuckle sends vibration all over, and I swallow it as I slip my tongue between his teeth. His fangs pop out, scraping it, so he starts sucking deeply, and I moan into his mouth.
My eyes are tightly shut, when he lifts me to slam me on the wall, even harder than before. The pace quickens; it gets rough. I welcome it by clawing his back under his shirt and digging my heels into his butt. His length thrusting in and out, his lips around my tongue, send my heartbeat through the roof. For the first time, I allow images of all the moments he had sex before flow into both our minds. They're passing too fast to discern any faces or details, but the sheer erotism of it is enough to send us both over the edge at the same time.
Nora's voice rose in the bathroom:
"Come on, guys; get out; we need to talk."
When Eric unlocked the thin door, his other hand still scrabbling for his fly, she was waiting behind.
"Hey, sis'."
He kissed her forehead, but she pushed his face away, annoyed. He couldn't remember in the middle of which argument they were. She opened her arms for Jill, though. He smiled at the sight, as he always would. The closeness between the two had quickly become his favorite thing in the world. The girl handed him the bowtie he had left on the floor; he then followed them into the main, pitiably lit, room.
"With Nan gone, we're going to have to put the whole tour on hold. But before that, we've got to organize a press conference, to announce the situation. At least, we know we'll get some sympathy over it."
Nora looked around to find only clenched teeth and glaring looks.
"So we're not going to talk about the poor job you've been doing, about their security?" Eric spat at his sister.
She glared at him: "Obviously, we're going to improve that…"
Jessie started crying again, and Alcide got up to check on her. He had been awfully quiet, since Eric had given him his blood. He had muttered a 'thank you', had patted Jill on the back when she rejoiced at his remission, and had kept to himself since.
"We need to get her back to her father, – Adela grumbled, pointing at the baby, – and he's probably going to want a body for the funeral.
- I gathered that hunters weren't big on funerals; that you were all about unmarked graves. But I thought we could give Carrie a proper ceremony, you know, to thank her for her service to the community…
- Is all you care about your publicity stunt? – Jill exploded.
- I'm sorry Jill, but I need to be practical here. You want to go home, right? Well I'm sorry; but this tragedy is your ticket out."
Jill got up and grunted in exasperation. She began pacing the room, unable to process what had happened. Adela interjected:
"Well, I don't want to go home. Cause I don't have one. I want to keep going, even more now than before. And I think you're right; if we communicate well, I think other hunters will join us."
Jill turned to her, amazed at her resilience. After what had happened, she had been sure the young Mexican would call it quit. Especially after witnessing her with Eric, she had thought the hunter would be disgusted. But, somehow, she was ready to pick up the torch.
Eric hadn't found a way to be alone with her again, before they had to part. So, he had to endure feeling her distress through their bond, with only a few superficial text exchanges to try and lift her spirit. He hated it. He blocked Alcide's emotions, though he couldn't bring himself to block Jill's, despite how much he loathed feeling her distraught. It made him feel so…human.
Everything went fast after that. The rumors of the attack were confirmed during an emotional press conference, where Jessie's dad cried, Nan's colleagues praised her, and Jill looked positively lost. She was put in a flight back to the Authority's headquarter in DC, with Nora, while Adela was left to find the next covey – her security improved –, Alcide was sent home, and Eric back on his own current mission.
She wasn't comfortable being back there, especially with Salome. But Roman always proved himself a good host, and a better even decision maker. Until this:
"And we've found a replacement for our beloved Nan, he's a very young vampire, but his experience and capacity to reach out to the masses is all the more impressive."
This is when Steve Newlin entered the room.
Jill jumped on her feet.
"Hell no."
There was no way she was working with, or even remotely trust, Reverend Steve fucking Newlin. And she wasn't sure how she felt about the fact that he had been turned.
"- I'd rather keep going by myself. With Adela by my side, and if we can recruit more hunters, we can double our results in two more months, I'm sure of it.
- I'm afraid this isn't possible, Miss Kay. Not only we can't let you go unsupervised, but the whole point is to appear like we're working together.
- Well, I'm not working together with this psychopath. Find someone else.
- The work you've been doing until now, is remarkable, Miss Kay, although, I still feel like you're overestimating your own importance.
- Then, let me go home! What I've started, someone else can finish it. Hell, it will probably finish itself! Some hunters are willing to do your job for you, now. But other hunters have almost managed to kill me twice. I think I deserve a break."
She did look exhausted and disheartened. And the conditions of her deal – the reinstatement of Nora at the council, and Northman's pardon – were, in fact, working in his own favor. He could have the media argue that she had been frightened by death threats. It wouldn't do any good to her image, though, hunters' pride would push them to come and take her place. As she had said, the flocks would work for them, spreading their message, thinking it had all been at the initiative of one of their own.
He let the argument drag on, right until she said some things she had to regret. Then, he sent her back to the guest room, just long enough so she'd feel like their prisoner. Finally, when he would send her back to her forsaken little town, alone and with nothing to show for her hard work, it would feel like a deliverance.
He had thought he'd had to kill her, for some time. She indisputably knew too much. But he could surmise it would cause unrest with Northman and Nora. Plus, not only was she quite pleasant, but she had proven herself more loyal than he had thought, and she might well be of use again in the future.
I enter my old little house, almost three months after leaving it, with a feeling of strangeness. The last time I was here, I had just packed a bag to crash at Alcide's house. Before that, it had been just prior to leaving for Mississippi. It seems like six lifetimes ago. I let my bags on the floor and drive directly to Merlotte's. The feeling of Sam – my big brother at heart – hugging me will help me feel at home again.
"The truth is, I'm completely lost."
He introduces me to his girlfriend Luna and her were daughter. I'm so happy he finally got over his Sookie crush and got on with his life. Speaking of the devil, the blonde girl throws herself into my arms without any restraint.
"Well, you know you'll always have your job back here, if that's what you want." He offers, but he already knows I'll dither over it. I mean, working as a waitress was fine, when I knew it was only temporarily paying the bills. I'll still have to pay off my student loan, though. And so, repeating a year would be disastrous.
"Well, now that I'm done being a TV celebrity, I'm considering switching career to bank robbing, or something like that."
Once back at the house, I break down crying. I'm already tired of feeling sorry for myself, but I can't help the images – of innocent redheaded Carrie laughing in the bus, baby Jessie inert on the floor, that limbless guy I knew from back then and his sentence: 'How could you betray your mother like this?' – spinning in my head. Carrie followed me, because she trusted me. Now, Adela is going down that road, with others, and I have abandoned them. For what?
My phone rings.
"You have to stop doing that; it's unbearable."
Eric's voice still brings a smile on my lips.
"- Hey, handsome, what are you up to? – is my poor attempt at lightheartedness.
- I checked, and nothing can prevent you from taking your final exams next week-
- What are you talking about? I'd have to have validated my rotations and-
- I have a guy, right now, glamouring your former boss, so he'll put a stamp on that paper-
- Eric, you can't-
- And I know there's a few paperwork missing, but nothing a girl that could buy herself a house at thirteen couldn't counterfeit.
- That's cheating!
- No. It'd be cheating if you counterfeited the results of the exams. We could do that too, though. I guess it'd be even easier…
- Eric-
- Jill! If you hadn't met me, would you have failed?
- If I hadn't met you, I'd probably be dead by now.
- Well, same here, so… Take that exam, Jill."
I breathe in. I don't want to cheat, though, right now is the first time I feel like the lid over my heart is beginning to be lifted.
"- Eric, if I pass that exam, you know I'll leave, right?
- Good. It's settled then."
And he hangs up.
Evidently, she passed with flying colors. She had worked all week, day and night, to make up for the time she had missed. She'd had to break into her school, add a few signatures there, and into their computer, to make sure she was even still registered. She was sure it would raise a few questions, as her disappearance and subsequent reappearance on TV couldn't have gone unnoticed, but she guessed she would deal with them as they arose. She should have felt ashamed at the subterfuge, but she simply felt like a hunter. They did things like that all the time. Especially when it came to making money. Compared to them, she even felt like a lightweight, trying to get into the exam and not out of it.
They only had to have glamoured a couple of inquisitive professors from the faculty, other than that, she received the letter from Seattle's hospital without any more complication. That night, she was having a celebratory -slash- goodbye party, with everyone, at Merlotte's. She had a one-way plane's ticket for the day after; she had sold her house, and what little she had of furniture, everything that didn't fit into her suitcase. With that, she had gathered a small amount that would be enough to survive until she'd get her first paycheck from the internship. Sam was to take care of closing the deals, after she'd left, so she could spend her last night in her house.
Alcide was missing from the party though. She had called him; she had even drove to his house, but to no avail. Eric was halfway across the country. She had no idea when she'd see him again. But, tonight was about saying good bye to the life she'd made for herself in this small town. She had missed them all, during her months on the road, so she could only surmise she'd miss them even more, once she had officially moved out.
"Damn, this is stupid, I'm taking you to the airport tomorrow morning!" Sam was tearing up after a few glasses, and Jill laughed, unable to let herself feel all this too deeply.
"- You'll call, right? – Sookie sniffled.
- Of course I will."
Jill shook hands with Bill, and, maybe because the wind send a whiff of his scent towards her, she remembered the one time she had sensed him whole, long ago, in that church:
"You should tell her, you know, – she whispered to him, – whatever it is you're hiding from her; I'm sure you two will get passed it."
He only gritted his teeth and averted his eyes. She smiled at him warmly, though; she knew how strongly he felt for the blonde girl.
When she drove back home, she realized she had remained completely sober. It was as if her subconscious was forbidding her to feel the whole extent of her own sorrow. She was shielding herself, as she had done when her mother had died. That fact compelled her to realize what a loss leaving this community was to her. Though, still, she couldn't shed a tear.
Once she got home, she only put her key into the lock before she felt him. Like a swirl of brisk wind, he was behind her. She didn't need to turn to know it was him. She only closed her eyes, to sense him even more deeply. He stood, barely an inch from her, raising goosebumps all over her skin.
"Invite me in."
His breath made her shoulders shiver, and her smile grew bigger.
"- Aren't you going to congratulate me first?
- Congratulations are for things that required at least a little effort. This was never into question."
She chuckled before opening her door and walking in, leaving him outside. He hissed in aggravation at her childish game.
She left the door open, as she slowly unbuttoned the front of the summer dress she'd been wearing. A teasing grin played innocently on her features. Gradually, she uncovered her arms, unbuckled her weapons, and undid her necklace. Now in her underwear, she twirled a strand of hair around her finger, while her other hand lowered into her panties.
She was still looking at him, standing in front of him, a little bashful, but out of reach. And she could feel every reaction of his body. His anger and frustration, his arousal, his amusement also, and even a hint of pride at her brazenness.
"- Your neighbors will see you.
- I don't care; I'm leaving tomorrow.
- Let me in.
- Uh huh."
Her fingers were moving inside of her, in front of him. He gritted his teeth, seething on the outside, but she could feel how much he liked it underneath, and the ever-growing bulge in his pants was there to attest it. She brought her free hand into her hair, messing them up as she moaned. He wanted to leave, or do anything to take back control, but he was enraptured.
She unclasped her bra and let it slide on the ground, so her fingers could play with her own breasts. He wanted to yell. She closed her eyes, and he could feel the pleasure overtaking her. She whimpered softly, biting her lips, as her hand worked around her own bud. He had to take out his erection out of its constraint, and she opened her eyes with a winning smile.
"Mr. Northman, please come in."
He was in without wasting another second. Though, when he reached her, faster than the eye could see, she had been awaiting it. Moving as she had learned as a hunter, she used his speed against him to spin the both of them around and push him back on the bed.
Of course, had he wanted to stop her, he could have. Though he still had been surprised by her deftness, and the use of a hunter's technique on him had awakened some dark instincts that were just as strangely arousing. So, he fell back on the mattress, with an intense look in his eyes. And, when she placed her legs on either side of his hips, with a hand on his chest to keep him lying, he was hit with the same thought he'd had, the last time he was here: I would have never gotten tired of this. Though, this time, the thought was harsh and grim.
Before she could react to his change of mood, he flipped them both, so he could finally hold her. Pinning her under his weight, he kissed her deeply, still conveying some of his sorrow. She wanted to ask, but he couldn't let her talk. He shushed her with a finger over her lips, that she bit, before he pulled his shirt above his head. They chuckled as they took a second to gaze into each other's eyes.
She was still wearing her panties and him his pants, albeit unbuttoned, when they heard the crack of the wood on her porch. The door had been left wide open. Alcide was standing there, mouth agape.
"Like what you see?" Eric asked, raising a sarcastic eyebrow.
He received a slap on the shoulder for that, before she pushed him off her and pulled the sheet over her frame.
"I'm… I'm sorry; I just… I didn't mean to…" Alcide couldn't finish a sentence, and he turned away to leave.
But Eric was suddenly on the porch. His torso bare, his hands in the pockets of his unbuttoned pants, showing the trail of blond hairs that descended towards his groin, he leaned on the railing. Alcide's eyes were drawn down, before he forced them up.
"- Alcide, my faithful friend, what brings you here, at such an untimely hour?
- I just…
- Eric, stop. Alcide, I'm sorry, we should have at least closed the door-
- Oh, don't be so sorry, dear; I don't think he is." Eric snickered.
Alcide decidedly ignored him to turn to her, handing her a package:
"- I got your calls, Jill; I'm sorry I wasn't at your party. I just wanted to give you this, and I'll be gone.
- What is it?
- It's just some sage. It's supposed to purify the air. We use it when our sense of smell is overloaded; it kind of resets it. I thought it'd be a good thing, if you wanted to start a new life…"
She took the present with a quivering breath.
"- Thank you; it's perfect.
- I'm sorry for the bad timing.
- Oh, come on, – Eric interjected, blocking the way, – now that you came all this way, you're not going to leave so soon. It'd be a shame to waste such an…opportunity."
He advanced upon the wolf languidly, displaying his seductive smile and letting his finger trail on the other man's chest. Alcide's breath rasped, before he straightened himself and cleared his throat.
I wonder if I'm dreaming, when I indeed witness the wolf blushing. The idea of these two men together could make me lightheaded. I bite the inside of my cheeks when Eric glances at me knowingly; the bastard can feel my embarrassment.
"- Eric, what are you doing?
- I just figured I didn't get you any going away present. So, I thought I could redeem myself."
Eric is loving how uncomfortable the two of us feel; though I can't figure out why Alcide hasn't stormed out yet. Suddenly, it hits me: he's drunk the vampire's blood only two weeks ago. His nights must have been filled with confusing erotic dreams since then. I laugh at the thought.
Next though, I wonder if Eric is serious, if he'd go through with it. I know him possessive; I also know he has no problem being with a man. I raise a quizzical eyebrow at him. And the smile he offers in return is more truthful than I expected.
His hands are still teasing the wolf's chest, descending to his belt.
"- I'm not gay, Northman, nor bi or whatever.
- Aren't you? Then, why are you hard as a brick in there?"
Eric's fingers flick on his fly.
"- Leave him alone. – I interject, not wanting to force anything.
- I could glamour him-
- Yeah, that would be rape, Eric."
The tall vampire rolls his eyes jokingly and raises his arms in defeat, before walking back into the house. I'm left alone on the porch, wearing only a sheet around my almost naked body, with the uneasy wolf. He doesn't move to leave, though.
"- You two are kidding, right? – he tries.
- I don't think so."
He looks at me disconcerted, but I decide to lay it out:
"Listen, I'm leaving for the airport tomorrow at 6 am, and I'm not coming back any time soon. And, yeah, I can't deny the thought is more than enticing to me, so it's your decision. I'm having sex either way."
He shakes his head at me, as he usually does when he can't believe me. I chuckle, before judging it's time to get flirty, so I let the sheet fall on the ground.
"Come on, I know what those dreams are like, so I know you want to. And if you're embarrassed, – I add with a wink then a shrug, – just focus on me."
I get back inside to be met by Eric's extended hand. He makes me twirl around before pulling me back to him, as he's leaning against the wall. Our lips find each other effortlessly. My hand explores the cool muscles of his abdomen to find, below the iliac crest, the one on his hip, called Apollo's belt. I love this one. And his is deliciously chiseled.
Alcide steps in, then. So, I smile and pull on his shirt to kiss him in turn. I can feel Eric's ambiguous reaction, between amusement and jealousy, so I make sure to let my hand lower to regions that'll refocus his attention.
From then on, I must admit, it's a blur of fingers and lips. I let my eyes close sometimes, just to feel the contrasts of heat and cold, of warm breath panting and cool control mixed with raw feelings. I feel them fighting for dominance on my body, as they bring me to pleasure. When an icy tongue goes down on me, warm lips close around my ear lobe, and my back is pressed to a muscled chest, while hands are everywhere.
I'm soon writhing in ecstasy. And my hands search both their length urgently. I then kneel before them, to stroke and suck and knead and lick, in turn, until I hear their grunts in unison, and both bodies tremble. But I stop before it ends, to push them back to the bed.
Alcide falls first, so I straddle him and descend on his width, first with small back-and-forth motions. Eric wraps his arms around me, as he grinds his own length on my lower back. His teeth are nipping on the crook of my neck. His cold presence is still exhilarating. I lean into him and give him better access, by letting my head fall back on his shoulder. As he still accompanies my movements up and down Alcide's dick, his fangs sink into my skin. I cry out and suddenly stop still.
I hear the wolf growl in frustration, when I straighten up and force him to slip out before he finished. Eric licks my wound one last time as he lets my upper body leave his embrace and lower down, so my lips can dive on Alcide's. Doing so, I arch my back and can feel Eric's fingers finding my core immediately. So, as I trail down Alcide's chest, to finish what I started orally, I offer myself on my knees to Eric's length.
The pure jouissance of giving and receiving such pleasure at the same time, is beyond words. Alcide, with one hand in my hair, the other clutching the mattress, and his wide-open eyes fixed on us both, is the first to give in. His cry of complete abandon, and his taste in my mouth, gives me leaves to claw his hips, as I let everything go, tightening and jolting under Eric's iron grip. A few final thrusts are enough to bring him with us, over the brink of utter bliss.
He collapses by my side, pulling me flush against his chest, and tangling his legs with mine. With a hand on the wolf's stomach before me, and one on the vampire's waist behind me, I think I lose consciousness for a moment.
He let his hand rise and fall on her breast, feeling her breathe, for a while, before he laid down light kisses on her shoulder. Incising the flesh on his finger, he closed the wound he had pierced earlier. She moaned and stirred without opening her eyes. However, the nights were short this time of year, and he had to move, soon. He wondered at the lump in his throat, as it was time for goodbyes. So, he didn't speak.
"When will I see you again?" She sighed with her eyes still closed, and he didn't answer.
Alcide was still lying on his back beside her. His hand was leisurely tracing small circles on her thigh. He folded an arm behind his head, and looked at Eric with a frown, while the vampire put his clothes back on.
Only, when his hand was on the doorknob, he felt hers on his arm, pulling him back.
"- Eric?
- You won't." He managed to let out, not looking at her.
She paused for a second, but decided not to believe him.
"- Excuse me?
- This is for the best, Jill. For the both of us. You deserve a chance at a normal life."
He exited the small house, where he suddenly felt confined.
"And you deserve to be free of me?"
She was boiling, her whole body shaking, while she followed him out. He spun around to face her, and she froze.
"- Will you let me turn you?
- No!
- Then, yes, Jill, this is it.
- You can't leave like that!
- If you wanted teary goodbyes, you chose the wrong person.
- You're an asshole, Eric."
He smiled at her sadly.
"I never said otherwise."
He knew he left her in comforting arms, with Alcide there to catch her when she'd fall, and Sam, already on his way here, to take her to the airport. Though, for now, her small trembling frame stood alone in the empty street.
"A waste of your time, huh?" she said brokenly.
At his highest speed, he was back before her. He grabbed her chin forcefully when she recoiled in anger.
"Never."
Her lips tasted like salt before he flew away.
x
End of Season 04
x
Damn, that ending was sad... I didn't think it would be this bad...!
Thankfully, Season 05 is already out, so, this is not the end!
I've posted it separately. It's still in progress. (I want to mark this as complete, since it feels like a cycle has ended.)
Otherwise, look for Hunters & Preys S05!
Please review, even briefly! I'm dying to know what people thought of the turn of events...
And thank you so much to those who already did!
