Have a great Independence Day to those who celebrate it! I'm jealous of the holiday time and especially the fireworks.
Thank you for all your wonderful support and feedback on this story.
My girls, AshleySue and ElenaM deserve a special bow of gratitude for their help and guidance. I love you both!
CH and AB own the characters, I just play with them.
I jerked awake, hearing a loud growl. My eyes flew open, but it took me a few seconds to orient myself before my brain caught on that I fell asleep on the couch in Eric's office in Fangtasia.
It was Eric's growl that woke me; he was staring menacingly at the computer, fangs out and a snarling expression on his face. I immediately felt sorry for whomever it was that had pissed him off enough to warrant such a reaction but then thought that it may be Maryann and my own anger rose. Three pairs of eyes swiveled my way as I pushed up into a sitting position. Someone covered me with a jacket.
"Sorry. I must have been more tired than I realized." I said with a sheepish expression, feeling bad for falling asleep. "What time is it?"
"Almost five," Pam said in her bored tones.
I was pretty sure the parking lot was almost empty when we got here which meant it would have been after two and my body let me know that however long I slept it wasn't nearly enough. My brain on the other hand started to whirl again remembering everything that has happened.
"Why were you angry?" I asked Eric.
His expression went completely blank, almost as though he was afraid that even the slightest show of emotion would set him off again. I waited for an explanation, although why I felt I deserved one I wasn't sure.
"I just received an email from the Queen letting me know that Compton," he spat out his name, "will be coming back to my area indefinitely."
I frowned as I watched them watching me with careful expressions. My heart clenched at the mention of his name and pain flooding my chest. I may have found someone better, two someones actually, but the pain of his betrayal was still fresh in my mind, but more importantly in my heart. I did a very good job of ignoring my situation while we were in Dallas. It's easy to forget about your problems when you weren't faced with reminders on a daily basis.
"Okay, but why did you get angry?" I asked carefully.
His eyebrows drew together as he took his time to answer, no doubt reading my emotions before speaking.
"He will be living in the house across the cemetery from yours. I find myself... unhappy with the idea of him being so close to my mate."
I raised an eyebrow in a great imitation of Eric's favorite expression.
"Why should it bother you? I mean, we are kind of together, not that I have any I idea as to what that actually means," I raised a hand to stop both of them answering before I continued, "He was my first boyfriend. I loved him. At least I thought I did. It doesn't mean I still do or that I ever want to speak or see him again." The words came out more vehemently than I intended, but I couldn't really help the anger and pain surfacing.
Godric just watched me, his expression unreadable. There were clouds in his eyes again, but after what happened earlier I hoped he realized that this had no bearing on our relationship.
Pam's smile was as wide as a semi-trailer as she listened in on our exchange, obviously enjoying the drama. I couldn't say it was a nice smile, but it wasn't the nasty, scary one I've seen on her so I took that as a good sign.
"Besides, right now my house is being held hostage by Maryann and my hometown has gone all kinds of crazy. I'm not even sure if the damage we saw there today is fixable or if I have enough money to fix it. My best friend is at her cousin's house, with black eyes saying weird-ass things and I don't even know what's going on with Jason or Sam." My breath hitched as my thoughts flew to my brother and my eyes started to fill up. "Good Lord! I hope he's okay! I haven't spoken to him since he left Dallas. What if she's got him too? He's the only family I have left. What if-"
"Sookie, your brother will be fine. From what your friend told me about this… Maryann, her only interest seems to be in catching this Sam. So far he's managed to avoid being caught. I'm sure they will be fine for another day." Godric said and his voice cut through my panic.
I nodded, unable to say a word from fear that the tears in my eyes would overflow.
"She's going to leak." Pam observed to no one in particular.
"What is she? She's obviously not human." I chocked out, trying to restrain myself from crying since Pam was feeling uncomfortable or something.
Eric's eyebrows shot up, "How do you know she isn't?"
I rolled my eyes, my tears finally under control. "You wouldn't have reacted like you did if she was. Besides, I couldn't really get a read on her,' I said thoughtfully, "it was very strange."
"What was, ma petite?" Godric asked, leaning forward as he put his elbows on his knees. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Pam's eyebrow go up at the nickname.
"I got this weird feeling in my head, like pressure I guess, and then more of a headache. It felt strange, almost as though someone was pressing against the shields I put up so I don't hear any thoughts. I've never felt that before." I said slowly, lost in the process of trying to remember.
Eric sat forward slightly, "You felt something trying to get past the shields and into your head?"
"I'm not sure. I guess." I said still confused by what happened, "It's never happened before, but I'm glad I had your blood and my shields held. I had a feeling it wouldn't have been a good idea if I let them drop. I just had this feeling that I shouldn't drop them no matter what."
Pam's eyebrows vanished in her hairline at the mention of me having their blood; her face lost its bored expression as her eyes took on a speculative glint. Eric shot her a look before settling his piercing blues on me again.
"Our blood has helped you shield your mind better?" He leaned forward resting his elbows on the desk while he laced his fingers in the now familiar fashion. He always made me think of his more devious side when he did that.
"Yes, but I didn't really notice until we got to the airport tonight. It was effortless when we were there. Although, I'm going to have to see how well it holds up when I'm in a crowd for a longer time than the twenty minutes it took us to board." I told him, not a little excited by the prospect.
"Interesting," Eric said. I thought so too.
"Can you read vampires at all now?" Godric asked.
"No!" I was so shocked and frightened by the idea. "I've never been able to nor do I want to ever read any of you."
"Yes. That would definitely go a long way to shortening your already small lifespan," Pam said. I stared at her in shock before blinking it away. She only said what was true, the only reason I was still alive was because I couldn't read any of them and I thanked my lucky stars for the fact that it was true. There wasn't any way I could lie to two of the three vampires sitting in this room.
"Thanks Pam. I didn't realize you cared." My tone dry, but damn good manners, she really didn't need to point it out.
"Sookie, it would be undeniably boring if you were to get yourself killed." I guess it was her way of saying that she liked me alive too. That Pam.
Godric may have picked up on my rising temper, stepping in before I made a snarky remark.
"In answer to your earlier question she is a maenad." Godric said without bothering to conceal the obvious distaste he felt for the subject. It was almost like he's seen something like her before; then again he may have seen dozens in his undead life.
"Why here?" I asked. "How is it that I have a mythological creature living in my house and turning all my friends into what I assume to be Bacchus worshipers? Bon Temps is an awfully small place; there are bigger and better fish to fry. And why does she want Sam?"
"Sookie, you have unexpected depths." Eric said, after an appreciative pause. I didn't tell him I learned that from reading a mystery.
"It may be she picked Bon Temps at random. The god takes over some women so completely that in their madness they consider themselves immortal or very close to it. They are highly unpredictable creatures, generally enjoying chaos that drunken revelry induced people provide in abundance. That is, I assume, why she has taken over the towns peoples, she's feeding off their energy. Why Bon Temps? That is a very good question, something I doubt we would ever be able to comprehend since I doubt she'd consider answering questions while we are trying to kill her," Godric answered.
"You've seen these things before?" I asked, almost positive that I'd get a confirmation to my suspicions.
"Yes." Godric answered his face grim. I didn't like that at all.
"As have I. We had to stake one of our own." Eric said and he didn't look any happier than Godric.
That surprised me. For vampires to stake one of their own, things had to be pretty serious. Bill told me about the severe penalty Eric had to pay for staking Longshadow. Whom to, Bill hadn't said, and I hadn't asked. That was something I could live quite well without knowing.
"Is there a way to get rid of it?" I wasn't expecting an easy one but I'd settle for something. I wasn't going to let her suck my town dry of energy, if that's what she was doing.
They shared a glance. I didn't like that one bit.
"We'll know tomorrow night. I've contacted someone who may be able to assist us," Eric said, "She may be able to help us kill her or simply get her out of my Area."
I was about to ask who, how and the more pertinent question of when, but my stomach growled. I felt the blush spread over my cheeks as the vampires obviously registered the sound; it wouldn't have matter if it was quiet or not, their hearing was far too good to have missed my obvious hunger. The last time I ate something was on the plane, and that had been hours ago.
"Sorry." I muttered.
Godric waved me off from adding anything else and said, "There is nothing to be sorry for, ma petite. We need to get going regardless."
He stood up and came over to help me. My legs had fallen asleep while I was sitting down so I was slightly unsteady when I got up and completely grateful for his offered arm.
"Pam, I won't be coming in tomorrow night." Eric said as he rose. "We need to handle this before she becomes more of a threat to our kind."
Pam nodded in acknowledgment before turning my way and saying her goodbyes. It was the most polite I've seen her and I wondered what was the reason behind it. Pam always had a reason.
We followed her out a little later. Godric and I waiting while Eric grabbed some paperwork he needed to go through tomorrow night.
"What kind of food would you like?" Godric asked me as we headed to the car.
"Eric, do you have any human food at your house?" I asked.
He smiled at me, "No, you will be the first human to stay in my house."
"But you do have a kitchen right?"
He chuckled. "Yes, lover. There is a kitchen with a gas stove and an oven, which do work. I would hate to think you would lose any of those lovely curves due to my neglecting to provide you with adequate facilities."
I blushed. Not so much from the words, but more the look that accompanied them.
"In that case, do you think we could stop off somewhere on the way so I can grab some food that'll last me for tomorrow as well?"
"Where would you like to go?"
"Any petrol station would do, I guess. Wait. Do you have any cookware or anything else?" I knew from experience vampires generally didn't bother. Bill never had, he didn't even bother installing a kitchen. His contained a fridge, a cupboard for the glasses, with a microwave on top of it and one cabinet with a sink on it. He hated when I ate while he was in the same room, not installing a kitchen as he renovated his house may have been a subtle hint to me that I'd never picked up on until now. I pushed the painful thoughts of him away, concentrating on the now.
"Wouldn't it be better to go to a bigger store just in case a smaller place doesn't carry everything you need?" Godric asked as he opened the back door of the car for me. I climbed in and he followed. I felt guilty that Eric was playing chauffeur tonight but there wasn't much I could do about it.
"Probably." I said, reluctant to be this much of a bother for them. It was getting awfully close to sunrise. Godric grabbed my hand, intertwining his fingers through mine and began to trace patterns on the inside of my wrist with his free hand.
"Yes. The kitchen is fully equipped, lover. Pam decided that the house should look authentic." There was a mixture of amusement and exasperation mixed into that statement. I tried to picture Pam in a department store debating which silverware would suitEric's tastes better and tried to stifle a giggle. It came out somewhere between a snort and a cough. Eric gave me a curious look in the back view mirror before continuing. "What about Wall-Mart? I believe there is one we can go to that isn't too far out of our way."
I beamed at him through the mirror. "That's perfect." And he grinned back. I was getting excited about seeing his house. I wasn't sure what to expect, but after being blown away by Godric's mansion my mind was already running through all the possibilities.
After getting some basics from Wall-mart, we headed towards Cross Lake, following the road around the shoreline until we reached a larger imposing fence and even more imposing iron-wrought gate. Eric pulled up, putting in a code for the gate to open.
I shivered as we drove past it. The feeling of needles sticking into my body everywhere at once came over me but I didn't' get a chance to react before it left and a warm wave of welcome enveloped me. "That's strange." I said, thinking that maybe I was more tired than I had originally thought.
Then Godric asked what happened, so I explained, and they shared one of those conversation looks. I noticed vampires could have whole conversations without saying a word, or maybe they did talk but I couldn't hear them, or see them move their lips. One day I'd ask, but right now I didn't really care about that much given that we were nearly at Eric's house.
Finally we rounded the last corner and I saw… a building with three garage doors, which I assumed, correctly, to be the garage. Eric parked next to a slick looking red corvette. The black escalade I was getting out off, looked enormous in comparison.
I wondered where the actual house was, surely this isn't it, and we weren't going to go down to some sort of an underground layer. Dracula much?
We got my bag out of the trunk along with the groceries and I let the vampires lead the way as we walked down a small lit up path. The path followed the hillside and no matter where we were I could see to our left the expanse of the beautiful still waters of Cross Lake. The moon shone out and the waters were laced with silver threads, the imposing tall cypress trees rising out of the water like dark guardians silently watching our progress. It was tranquil and beautiful, and I breathed deeply trying to capture some of the serenity.
It was a log house. Eric Northman, the Sheriff of Area 5 and the most powerful vampire in Northern Louisiana lived in a small log cottage house. I stared at it for a moment or two, taking in the beautiful simplicity of the modest structure. It was lovely and it looked completely at home on the sloping banks of the lake. I was sure that there would be beautiful views on the other side and hoped he had a deck of some sorts.
"It's lovely, Eric." I told him finally. Godric and Eric had been patiently standing next to me, giving me time to take everything in. I wasn't sure if he needed or wanted my approval, but I gave it to him anyway. He bent down and gave me a quick kiss on the lips, snaking one arm around my shoulders moving me closer to him.
"Godric and I built it about seventy years ago." He said with a note of pride in his voice.
I almost laughed at that, but then I thought how nice it must have been for them to do something like this together. Sure, I would never have imagined vampires wanting to do manual labor but this wasn't like that, they created something beautiful.
I felt my legs itching to move as I felt my excitement rise. My curiosity rising with each second we waited outside. Godric chuckled next to me as he felt my emotions go into hyper drive.
The front door was made out of darker wood and had intricate carvings all over it. Eric let Godric go first up onto the porch to open it while he picked me up, bridal style, to carry me through. We were all laughing as he set me down, gently in the hallway. I looked around, curious as to what might be lurking in such a place.
There were stairs leading up and down, there were windows on the upper staircase. On the opposite side a set of double doors, closed off, and I wondered what was behind them. I'll have plenty of opportunities to explore tomorrow.
"Lover, it's getting close, why don't we put the food away and get some sleep. You can explore the house during the day." Eric said, picking up the bags as he headed around the corner, I followed and found myself in the kitchen. It was warm and comfortable, just large enough for me to enjoy cooking in. I hummed in pleasure as I helped Eric put everything away.
"Why did you install a kitchen if you don't use it?" I asked and then wondered about another useful facility that vampires didn't need. "Eric, you do have a toilet here, right?" I was hoping I wouldn't have to go dig a trench somewhere in the bushes.
"Actually, there are several. We were interested in modern day plumbing technology and installed one on each floor." Godric came in just as I finished putting away the last of the food into the fridge answering my question.
"Huh," was my less than eloquent answer. It made sense in an odd way; every time I'd seen Eric he had a new phone, why would plumbing be any different? "Where are your bags?" I realized we hadn't seen them since they were loaded into a large minivan at the airport.
"They were delivered to another house," Eric said, "I have several all over Shreveport, this being my primary residence, I keep it secret. Very few actually know of its existence at all, let alone have been here. My other houses are a lot more…flashy."
"But won't you need something to wear tomorrow?" I asked, confused.
He raised an eyebrow at me, "You are aware that Pamela has a retail addiction?" I nodded. "It extends towards my wardrobe as well as Godric's."
I gaped at him. How could one person shop that much?
"She used to send me clothes to Dallas quarterly before I asked Eric to put a stop to it when I ran out of room in my closets." Godric said with amusement.
I looked at him, to see if he was joking, but didn't see any dishonesty on his face.
"She is that bad?"
"Just wait until she gets hold of your sizes, ma petite." He said and they both laughed at the look of horror on my face.
We headed downstairs and I came face to face with Pam's problem when Eric switched on the lights and we were standing in a very full walk-in closet. It was probably the size of my living room if not slightly larger. There were shelves and racks on every wall. There was even a shelving unit for shoes built in the middle of the room; it was double sided and completely full of shoes. Every available space was full of clothes, expensive clothes, and I stared at it all in astounded disbelief that one person could possibly need that much. Eric had suits in almost every color there was. Speechless, I followed them across the room to the door on the other side.
The bedroom was beautiful. The walls were painted a light caramel brown and the bedding was, not surprisingly, red silk. Naturally, there weren't any windows but there were paintings of gorgeous landscapes. One was a lovely winter landscape, the snow covered trees that glistened in the sunlight playfully and you could almost feel the crisp air stinging your skin as you looked at it. There was another one of a beautiful shoreline, it captured autumn and all the different colors of the tree leaves made the painting vibrant with life.
I didn't ask for a separate room and they didn't offer it. I didn't need one, wanting to fall asleep with their cool arms wrapped securely around me, needing the reassurance that their closeness brought me. So after brushing my teeth and changing into a small teddy, which Eric eyed with displeasure written clearly on his face, I climbed into the bed between the two vampires. I was certainly glad the bed was custom made and large enough to hold four Erics as we arranged ourselves into a wonderfully comforting tangle of arms and legs before the two vampires died for the day and I fell asleep with them.
My body woke me up a while later and I heard my stomach rumble again. With all the excitement of seeing Eric's home I forgot to actually eat any of the food we bought last night. It was midday and I groaned knowing I would have been better off sleeping for longer since I wasn't sure what kind of night was ahead of me. One thing was certain, I wouldn't be sleeping much.
It took me a while again to get out of bed. I had mentioned my previous dilemma to the vampires so they didn't hold onto me as tightly today, yet trying to move heavy limbs wasn't exactly easy. My own reluctance at leaving them behind may also have been a contributing factor.
I took a quick shower before heading upstairs. The place was beautiful in the sparkling sunlight. I didn't get a good look at the rest of the house because we were in a bit of a hurry last night, but now I could see that the kitchen opened up into a living room area which had a beautiful view of the lake through the enormous tinted windows. It had oversized couches covered in lovely bright patterned material, the predominant colors being navy blue and deep red, and a large plain red rug. There was a beautiful round coffee table, the wood so thick I had to wonder just how heavy it would be if I wanted to move it. A large open fireplace on the left dominated the wall, the stones a nice grey, a striking contrast with the warm wooden walls of the rest of the space. I started the coffeemaker while I looked around more, I almost bought instant coffee last night but Eric insisted on getting the machine. My protest was silenced since he sited that he wanted to have more reasons for me to want to stay at his house, it was sweet and I gave in, finding this caring side of him a definite weakness for me.
I found a note on the kitchen counter from Eric,
Lover,
I realize that the temptation to leave would probably be impossible for you to resist come daytime, which is why I have hidden the keys to both my cars. You will not find them, so I suggest you spend your time relaxing before tonight. I had to re-read this a few times, trying to figure out when he had managed to write the note, let alone hide the keys. I figured it must have been while I was in the bathroom. Sneaky vampire!
If you are worried about your friends, I have included the address and directions to a house in Shreveport they may use until it's safe to return to Bon Temps. If you get a hold of your brother please feel free to tell him as well.
The dog too.
You are free to look around the house and anywhere you wish to go on the property is fine. I have a large selection of books in the library and I hope you will enjoy them.
E
Manipulative… sneaky… high-handed… my brain went on and on until I ran out of adjectives and cuss words. When I did calm down enough to see that he was right and I probably would have taken off if I had a car, it didn't help matters. The fact that he knew me well enough to have planned ahead like this made me feel both pleased and incredibly frustrated. I had no idea how one person could bring out such confrontational feelings in me, but I knew it would be pointless to argue with him. I was starting to feel entirely too much for him to really stay mad for too long, after all, he was thinking of my safety, how could I really be mad at him for knowing better than I, how to keep myself alive?
The best view was from what I would assume to have been, under normal circumstances, the dining area. It was covered on three sides with windows and had uninterrupted views of Cross Lake. The sun was high enough now not to be shining straight in but I had a feeling it would be the perfect spot to watch a sunrise from. Eric had two overstuffed chairs facing the lake with a little table in between them. There were several books laying carelessly on top of it making me wonder if the double doors in the hall led to a study.
I sat in one of the chairs after I ate and called Lafayette as I sipped my coffee.
"Sookie? Where are you?" He asked. He sounded exhausted and frightened.
"I'm safe. Eric and Godric took me to Shreveport last night. I can't leave until they wake up tonight." I said, still miffed by the fact that Eric actually went as far as hiding the stupid keys from me.
"Why?" He asked.
"Eric hid the car keys."
"Damn vampire." I had to agree.
"Listen, I might not be able to come to you but he did leave me an address for a safehouse if you want to take Tara there?"
"Hooker, anywhere that's out of this God dammed town would be better than nothing. I haven't slept in longer than I want to think about."
I relayed the instructions of how to get to the house and told him we'd be there as soon as we could tonight before hanging up. I tried to feel better about giving some help, but it still bothered me that I couldn't be there with him. Tara was my friend and she was in trouble, it wasn't fair of Eric to keep me locked up while my friends were in danger. I hoped they'd be okay until tonight.
Jason didn't pick up his house phone so I tried his cell.
"Hello?"
"Oh, Thank God! Jason, are you okay?" I almost screamed down the phone.
"Sookie? Where are you? Please, tell me you're still in Dallas and not back home. It's all kinds of crazy here. Like Armageddon or something." He said.
"I'm in Shreveport. We got back last night and went to my house, but Maryann was there and the vampires got me out in time. Are you okay? Where are you?"
"I'm fine. I'm with Andy Bellefleur at the motel. Sam's with us too. We've been helping him hide from the rest of the folk. It's weird, Sook, theireyes are like all black and stuff. They're acting possessed or something." He didn't really need to explain which motel; there was only one in Bon Temps.
"That's because they are, Jason. Do you guys have a car? Can you get out of town without being spotted?"
"Yeah, I got my truck, but we can't abandon our town." He sounded completely shocked I'd even suggest such a thing.
"I'm not asking you to. Just get the hell out until we can deal with the situation. Eric has someone who knows how to deal with Maryann, but you need to get the hell out of there, now!"
"How's a vampire going to deal with this better than we can?"
"Because Maryann isn't human and since we are, it may be a good idea to use the help we're being offered."
"Okay, Sook. But where would we go?" I gave him the details of the house as well, letting him know that Lafayette and Tara should be there as well. He sounded reluctant but he agreed after some pressure from Sam. Thank goodness one of them was thinking straight.
Feeling less worried now that I knew everyone I cared about was as safe as they could be, I went to find the library. I wasn't thinking of reading, but I was curious.
It turned out I was right and the large double doors did open into a long room full of books. There were shelves everywhere and books on every single one of them. A baby grand piano stood across from the entrance and an extra large lounge chair to my left. To my right, further down the long room was a large desk, again made from very heavy dark wood. There were of course views of the lake from the windows and all the natural sunlight was just beautiful in this room. I felt sad that having built such a lovely home neither Eric nor Godric would ever get a chance to fully appreciate it.
Despite my reluctance to read I found a copy of Pride & Prejudice on one of the shelves. It was a very old edition and when I opened it there was an inscription inside the cover in lovely flowing writing.
Thank you for saving me from such a fate.
Pam
I laughed so hard I got stitches. Trust Pam to think that marrying Darcy would be a fate worse than death.
"Lover?" I heard Eric's voice through my sleep induced brain. I struggled to open my eyes, his face was very close to mine as he crouched next to the huge chair in the library I fell asleep in while I was reading how much Elizabeth disliked Mr. Darcy. Eric looked sinful with his long blond hair slicked back, still damp after the recent shower, and his black tank hugging that delicious broad chest like second skin. I smelled cologne and vampire as I breathed in, delicious.
"Hmm." I hummed as my body slowly woke up.
"I am wondering if I could persuade you to try and fall asleep in the bed with us next time you decide to take a nap." I looked at him confused.
"It would save me the trouble of trying to find you and let us skip to the pleasurable part." He smirked and I rolled my eyes while trying to ignore my body's reaction to his words. Just because I wanted to jump him didn't mean I would. I was proud of myself for restraining the urge.
"You've been high-handed again." I said, not really trying to fight but more pointing out the fact.
"I have." He didn't sound the least bit sorry about it.
"You realize that not everyone has to obey you, yes?"
"I kept you safe. That is what's important to me." He said and even his eyes were serious. "I find that the idea of you being such a danger magnet is starting to worry me. I do not enjoy worrying."
I sighed, realizing there just wasn't going to be an apology.
"Fine. I'm still not happy about it."
He picked me up, letting the book fall back on the large chair. I wrapped my legs around him as he held me to his chest, our eyes on the same level for once.
"I find that I missed having you next to me when I wake." He admitted staring me straight in the eyes with an expression almost vulnerable in his own.
I swallowed, my anger suddenly forgotten. I missed him all day. Godric too.
"I'll try not to fall asleep anywhere else next time." I said with a small smile as I leaned in to kiss his lips. He let me pull away after a while and I was completely breathless as he carried me to the kitchen.
"I see you've found her." Godric's voice came from somewhere behind me.
"I was never lost." I retorted. He chuckled as Eric deposited me onto the kitchen island. He went to grab the bottle of blood Godric held out to him. I noticed a different label on it.
"What are those? I've never seen them before." I asked, wondering if they were better than True Blood. We stocked a few different types at Merlotte's but True Blood seemed to be the favorite among the visiting vampires.
"It's a special blend a friend supplies me with. It's not available for mass distribution." Eric said taking a long sip. He seemed to be actually enjoying drinking something out of a bottle for once. Well, color me purple.
"How come?"
"It's not from around here." He answered.
"True Blood isn't either. And Royalty Blend too. They're still around though." I said confused.
"What he means to say is that they are not produced on Earth." I heard a musical female voice say behind me. I jumped off the counter so fast I felt my head spin as I found myself facing the unknown visitor.
She stood half way between the kitchen and the living area. Beautiful would be a great adjective to describe someone, in her case, quite inadequate. Long black hair curled around her delicate face, which held the brightest green eyes I'd ever seen. She must have been my height or maybe a little bit taller, her body only lovely curves. She was wearing a stunning white sleeveless evening dress with large black flowers painted on it.
"I see why you called me." She said to Eric without taking her bright green eyes off me. "However did you manage to find her?"
I was trying not to cringe under her piercing gaze; it felt like she could see right through me.
Don't worry little one, I'm friend, not foe.
I gasped as I heard her voice clear as a bell in my head. Her lips didn't move. Oh my!
"What are you talking about Lexie?" Eric asked; clearly not pleased by whatever she was implying.
She moved her eyes to him.
"You have no idea who she is?" She asked startled. I looked at Eric, his face was blank. Lexie laughed, an enchanting sound, and I felt like I wanted to laugh with her.
"Oh, this is priceless." She said when she managed to calm down. "You thought she was human. Didn't you wonder how you managed to get her through my shields? Did you feel anything when you went through the gates?" The last question was directed at me.
I looked at her confused. Not sure if I should answer her question.
"She did." Godric said before I could decide what to do. "Lexie let me introduce you to Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie this is Alessandra Hellion-Brigant." He moved closer to me and put his arm around my waist. "Now, would you mind explaining what you are talking about?"
"It's nice to meet you." I said politely.
"A pleasure." She purred with a smirk on her face. She walked closer to me and I felt Godric tense slightly next to me. Lexie looked at him, raising her eyebrow slightly. "Godric, dear, I would never dream of harming my niece."
And just like that the room suddenly held two statues, as both Eric and Godric went completely, eerily still.
If you are interested in seeing the inspiration behind Eric's house, I have a new link on my profile page.
If you are thinking of throwing any particularly nasty smelling things my way because of the cliffy, just remember, I'm directly responsible for the update of the next chapter….*evil grin*
I'm working on it already; it'll be up early next week provided everybody cooperates. (and by that I mean the characters)
For those who read both of my stories - Lexie wanted to come and play; the stories are completely separate and have no relevance to each other.
I'd love to hear from you all!