I own nothing to do with True Blood, which is obvious haha. No, I'm just a simple fan who loves the show, especially everything Sookie and Eric (and Godric, oh yes!). :-)
I want to thank you all so much, your response to this story astounds me, as I'm not a particularly confident FF writer in any sense. I'm truly humbled! And, hopefully, you will enjoy this chapter! Love you guys, you're all so wonderful! x Please keep it up, as it motivates me so much.
Not sure if you'll like the turn of the story here hehe. I just couldn't resist putting more and more on Sookie's plate, poor girl.
Feel free to let me know your thoughts though, it's always welcomed and muchly appreciated.
See you guys again next update! Love you all! x
Not once in my right mind had I ever thought there might have been something a bit different about my English teacher Mr. Merlotte.
If anything, he was almost the most human person I knew on the planet; the most understanding, and compassionate. Guess I was wrong, and in a majorly different way. In reality, he was some type of Shifter- something I still couldn't gather two wits about into understanding- that turned into my Gran's cat. Who knows how long he'd been in disguise as Gran's cat for? I shuddered so much at the thought, because, Gran's cat was almost like a sister to me. Throughout my younger years, I spent a lot of time cuddling her, and cooing to her like she knew human-speak. I might have also told her a few personal things in confidence and if that was Mr Merlotte being my cat even then, somebody had better come strike me down and relieve me of my miseries.
Mr. Merlotte was limping around Gran's porch, naked as the day he was born, holding just a mere cushion in place to hide his manhood from my easily startled mind. It didn't get any more gross than that luckily, aside from those brief instances he twirled around, deep in thought, unintentionally giving me a nasty glimpse of his grazed butt yet again. His dark, shoulder-length hair was damp, and it looked it hadn't met the tooth of a comb in weeks. There were a few strands of grass in it, here and there, and a few snapped twigs. Clearly, he'd been having a jolly good, old time for himself out in the bushes of my Gran's yard.
I couldn't wrap my head around all the information I'd received these past few weeks.
Was anyone even human anymore? Was there even any such thing?
I thought I was human, and turned out I was anything but. I have flashlight fingers and I can hear people's thoughts whenever I concentrate real hard and touch them. Hell, I wouldn't be the slightest tad surprised if, soon as I returned back to school, my loyal bestie Tara revealed to me she was a goblin, or something crazy like that. Everything and anything seemed a real possibility to me at this point in time.
I kind of just wanted it all to stop, even for a minute. My brain couldn't soak up too much, no matter how much I wanted it to. It was getting increasingly harder by the next surprise, and the next, to absorb everything in. The sponge of my brain was weighed down with all sorts of bewildering information, and it needed to be wrung drip-dry in order to fully make its start to comprehend everything again.
"So, you're a Shifter?" I said again, for what was around the sixth time I'd said it. "You... you were my cat?"
He huffed out a breath of air, puffing out his ruddy cheeks, and then he was almost sizzling with agitation. I was always weak when it came to teacher; If they so much as singled me out in class in front of other students, or yelled at me, I was like a waterway just ready to burst. This time was no different, because although this wasn't school, he was still my teacher. And he was my English teacher naked... like I could even begin to forget that little tid-bit, and push it all aside.
"Technically, I wasn't your cat. Not for that long, anyhow. I have my obligations as a school teacher, you know that."
"Was my Gran's cat ever really a cat? Or was it just you?"
He had the heart to look a little guilty. That told me all I needed to know.
"Oh, my God!" I laughed out-loud, leaning back in my chair. "So, Gran's cat never really just was a harmless, little darling cat? You were the cat all along? Oh my. This is freakin' priceless." I laughed some more, more angry and surprised, than anything. "So, does that mean you were... on my bed with me while I slept?" I shuddered at the thought. Sometimes, when it was really windy or rainy outside at night, I'd take in Gran's cat because I was so frightened of all the sounds being made out side. All the croaking of the trees and groaning, and all the pellets of rain pouring down on the tin roof. I'd hold Gran's cat, let her sleep all curled up on my tummy. And really, I was actually letting my teacher curl up on my tummy? "Eww!"
Eric chuckled in the chair across from me. "My thoughts exactly. My feelings, also."
"Look, I ain't proud of what I've had to do," Mr. Merlotte exclaimed, louder by the second. "But it was necessary. Believe it or not, Sookie, there are some folks who care about you. We don't want you gettin' hurt." He combed a hand through his hair, and I realized he looked super frightened.
"And you knew that I had this King after me, all along?" I asked dubiously. As if.
He groaned, then stood still to look down at me. "It didn't take much to see somethin' was wrong. You haven't been to school in a little over a week. I think I figured as much, that somethin' wasn't right about you being absent so suddenly."
"And you're here to help me?" It was hard to keep my eyes planted solely on his face. I mean, when someone's standing naked right in front of you, it's a little hard to control where your eyes go.
"Yes, I am."
"And why should she trust you?" Eric asked, sounding very curious. "Why should I for that matter? Your despicable type is not known to be particularly friendly to vampires like myself."
"That's because this ain't about you, or any single other one of you people for that matter," Mr. Merlotte spat out, royally pissed off. I had to get a firm grip on myself; He wasn't my teacher right now. Plus, he wasn't even raising his voice at me. No need to get upset over it, really. "This is about that little girl I know and teach in high-school, the girl who came to me a few times after class for counselling, 'cause she had terrible secrets she couldn't keep any longer. 'Right?"
Well, talk about breaking student-teacher confidentiality!
"Terrible secrets?" Eric latched onto that part, just like I almost knew he would. "What are these secrets he speaks of, lover?"
"None of your friggen business, Eric," I hissed through my teeth. I sure as hell wasn't going to get into any of the horror that happened when I was younger, that's for sure. Especially not with... Eric, who had the trouble sympathizing with me, of all people. Besides, now was not the time. "Can we drop this, please?"
"No, I'd rather not." Eric scooted over closer in the chair, tapping a set of long fingers on his chin, in wickedly deep thought. It pissed me off somethin' shocking. "This is something you feel incredibly... touchy about, and I can feel that much, since your feelings are my own. Let's not beat around the bush here."
"I just had an Uncle that did some pretty loopy things to me, is all. All right? Drop it!" I shivered at the mere memory of my Uncle Bartlett, then felt my whole face redden. I really didn't want to have to talk about it.
"Loopy?" The phrase was like a foreign word on his tongue. Good, because that was all he was gonna get from me.
I stood from my chair hastily, intent on ignoring him.
"Well, I'm tired," I said, as cheerfully as I could manage. "My brain is officially swamped. 'Night, Mr. Sam. Eric." I pushed through the fly screen door, and just as I was about to close and lock everything up, I swear I heard them talking in hushed voices. Probably about my Uncle, maybe about this whole Russell Edgington predicament I found myself in. Hell, maybe even both.
Even having to bring my Uncle into the conversation and catching me so cruelly unprepared like that, made me too jumpy to even sleep, even though I felt I truly needed to.
Instead, I sat on the couch, flicked on the television, and watched some crappy soap-opera. I tried not to think or dwell too much, but even the sounds blaring from the T.V couldn't help me from stressing about what happened, when I was a much younger girl. I supposed my situation wasn't half as bad as what other girl's had went through; All it mainly was, was touching I felt uncomfortable with. I could almost feel Uncle's liver-spotted hands just gliding over my arms as I sat. I could almost hear his husky, smoky-voice in my ear: "My, my. Ain't you grown into a purty little girl?"
I drew my knees up on the couch, and circled my arms over them.
I hadn't been in contact with Uncle for years, luckily. Gran never knew what he did to me, he liked to keep all that stuff a secret between me and him. All the touching, all the sickening words about how beautiful I was, how I was developing real nicely.
Damn Mr. Merlotte! And damn, stupid Eric, for making me think about him all over again!
I didn't know how long I sat there on the couch, curled up and shivering for. But it seemed all years and years. Eventually I slept, then woke up again, and fell asleep all over. About after the third time, something roused me out of my sleepiness for good.
Someone was yelling in the yard, and having themselves a good time. Laughing, and calling out to someone. I listened carefully for several minutes, everything was still dark outside, and I swear that voice was Eric's calling me the way he was. Must have still been the night hours, then.
I climbed off the sofa, and pulled on my robe to go check and see for myself what he wanted. Hell, he probably just wanted to talk some more, and annoy me. Only, when I unlocked the door and pushed through the netted one, I found out I was wrong. Dead-wrong.
"Eric? What're you doing, you moron?"
I fingered around the porch wall for the outside light switch, and flicked it on. Instantly it bathed everything in the yard in a generous yellow glow. Including Eric, who was... being super weird. He was just standing there on the grass, hunched over something.
I think I about realized next. There was something white and long in the grass. I thought it was a human's body, or part of it anyhow. It sure did look like it.
"Oh, Eric. What've you done?"
"Hmm?"
He spun around at the sound of my shaky voice, his fangs out and fully extended menacingly.
I was shaken by the look that overcome him, and I very nearly gulped; He was a completely different Eric. He well and truly looked like the vampire he was. Strands of his blond hair was sticking all over the place chaotically, and his shirt was streaked with long strips of blood. His fangs and mouth were practically dribbling with strings of it. I felt like my heart had leapt up into my throat, because while he looked about ready to spring and attack and off me whole, he also looked panicked as all hell.
"Lover?" he breathed, his voice boiling over with profound excitement. "Is it you?"
Well, that well and truly knocked the wind out of my gut. And all the fear I felt for my safety along with it. It was almost like he had forgotten our entire conversation from tonight.
His defensive stance dropped, his fangs retracted, and then he was waving me urgently to come down the steps onto the grass to him with his big hands.
He softened into no more than an over-eager puppy dog, wagging its tail at the sight of its cherished owner. Something just wasn't right about him, that's for sure. The normal Eric wasn't so... happy around me. Or nice for that matter, either. Really, I hadn't the slightest inclination into why he was getting so jolly over me standing there in my pink nightgown on the porch. It was so... un-Eric. Eric was just plain old, cool and unaffected. This Eric, not so much.
"It is you," he said loudly, about as happy as a kid getting to eat a whole chocolate cake. "Come, lover! The night is young! We are free to roam!"
I couldn't help but get the feeling I was being played for an unsuspecting fool. This was probably just another one of his cruel games, where he laughed at me all at my expense, no doubt. I was sorely determined not to believe it so easily, because then that would be almost as if I'd let him win and get underneath my skin once and for all. So, I decided to play along.
"Right, Eric." I could feel the skepticism growing clear as day on my face and yet, I think I cracked just a little, when I saw the beatific smile that stretched across his lips at the sound of my voice, baring nothing but those pearly whites up at me. Damn, what a smile. "I'll just go waltzing 'round the yard with you after midnight in just my nightgown and robe, while there's a dead... body out there? No, thank you. That'd be real smart of me, wouldn't it?"
I stared at him, simmering with suspicion. Seemed it took him a while to process my words, because he just kept at it with that smile, until ever-so-slowly, his face fell.
He looked both taken aback and defeated, like I'd just spitefully kicked him. "But... but we must."
Still, I wasn't gonna fall for it. I crossed my arms over my chest, glowering, braced and ready for the moment he grinned maliciously, explained that he was just being the ass that he was most of the time, and rub it all in my face. Unluckily for him, this was one girl who had enough smarts within her not to get dragged down into his bullcrap this late of an evening.
"Eric, I am not in a very good mood to listen your crap this late of an evening," I said, very seriously and angrily. Almost sending me laughing hysterically, he looked down at his large feet and shied away from my strict tone of voice, like a little boy being scolded by his overbearing mother. He wrung his hands together, and shifted his feet on the grass, his body language screaming all sorts of tension. Boy, was he a good actor. I could give him credit there, for being able to keep up pretense as seamlessly as he could. "You know, for a vamp as old as you are, you sure are incredibly immature!"
"S-sorry," he stuttered pitifully.
I sighed loudly, officially not in the mood. "Now where is Godric?"
He shot me an alarmed look, then he trembled visibly. "Who?"
"Godric!" I couldn't help raising my voice at him; He'd just pushed all my fiery buttons that intensely and effortlessly, it seemed. "Your maker, Eric!"
"Godric is here?" His eyes widened fearfully. "Oh, no. Is he angry in me? Have I displeased him, is that why he has come?"
"What?" He wasn't making any sense at all, even when he was speaking in English. "Don't you... remember anything? Don't you remember...how we found him tonight, and how I...I de-silvered him?" And how you were acting like a high-handed butt-wipe, intentionally rubbing me in all the wrong ways imaginable?
He shook his head violently. My God, he looked beyond terrified and confused by his surroundings. Something definitely wasn't right, no if's or buts about it. He was being serious here, his dead-straight expression and uncontrived body language told me as much.
Still, it all felt fishy as hell.
"Then if you truthfully don't remember anythin' that's happened, then how..." My heart swelled up with mistrust, as I voiced the words aloud, "...how did you know where to find me exactly? Let alone know... how to come here?" Gran's place wasn't the easiest to find. And there was just a million other places he could have easily got to. It all seemed a bit too... convenient, almost.
"Because I..." He seemed like he was having real difficulty in articulating the answer to that very question himself. He shook his head again, looked away from me for almost a mind-riddling minute, before placing his hands on his chest, somewhat significantly. "I.. felt it, in here." He drummed at his chest with his long fingers. "I was... drawn here like... home."
Well, that wasn't what I was expecting.
"You were drawn here because it felt like... home to you?" I repeated, exasperated.
"Yes, that is correct," he clarified, aggrieved. "Is this my home?"
It took me a moment to think that through. Was this home for him? Not really. But I loathe to think what might have happened to him in his confounded state had he not come to Gran's property so quickly. Who knows what could have happened to him, while he was not being the usual irritating, self-reliant Eric? For one thing, he might have gotten himself into a heck of a lot of trouble and, considering the blood all over him, it was probable he already had, in some way or another. He was downright lucky no vampire-haters got hold of him in the vulnerable state he appeared to be trapped in.
"I guess, it's safe to say yes," I answered carefully, "This is kinda like your home. It's safest here."
"And are you my home?" he asked tentatively, fixing me with a shy look.
Oh, hell. Now he was just being cloyingly sweet.
With a resigned sigh, I tightened the flaps of my robe more securely over my nightgown. "Come on, you. Get inside, and we'll see what Godric has to say about all of this."
I thanked the Lord above I had Godric with us then. Everything was bound to be so much... easier, with him around. Not to mention more civilized. I knew he'd have more than a few insightful explanations into why Eric was acting all different the way he was. Hell, he probably just over-consumed his daily tolerance level of blood, that's it.
I yanked open the fly screen door, and turned back to look at him in the yard. I had expected him to follow me obediently and yet, surprisingly, he hadn't. He hadn't moved a single inch from where he stood before. His neck was straining left to right, as he looked around every nook and cranny of my Gran's yard warily, like he was afraid the whole thing was a trap.
If anyone had anymore reason to believe something was a trap, it was me in the ways Eric was acting so uncharacteristically like himself, the way he was. I couldn't say I wanted to feel it in regards to him, but I felt all tragically sorry for him and in such a weepy mood, even though I still hadn't the slightest idea of what was going on with him at all.
"Well, are you coming inside or not?" I prompted, trying not to sound too impatient out of concern I'd frighten him even more.
"And you won't hurt me if I do so?" Oh, my Lord. Breaking my little heart.
"Sure, there have been times where I've wanted to seriously maim you," I admitted honestly, stifling back a laugh. "But... now isn't one of those times. So long as you be careful not to get on my nerves, or else I'm hauling you out with my flashlight fingers first chance I get," I added sternly.
He looked downright horrified at the thought of getting on my wrong side. How... surprising, to be worried over a young girl who was no match for his vampire strength. Like I could ever seriously hurt him. The whole thing was so... laughable. Then again, Eric was well and truly not being himself tonight.
"Consider me warned." He gulped loudly, the pale muscles in his throat knotting together. Could he seriously be for real? Like a girl like me would ever be considered a danger or intimidating in his books.
Still, he was eyeballing me warily, like I was the most dangerous creature in the world. It was kinda empowering, considering.
"Let's not waste anymore time," I said, pushing the fly screen door wider open with my elbow. I tried to make the offer sound extra inviting for him by forcing a strained smile on my lips. Seemed it was just the friendly incentive he needed.
I still couldn't seem to wrap my head around it, when he walked up the porch steps and hesitated a second, before scampering through the threshold of Gran's house. Even then, he whirled around to look me square in the eyes, making his awareness of my movements very known, like he believed I was somehow sneaky enough to catch him unprepared in attacking him with his back facing me. It was unbelievable.
"You are my lover, yes?" he blurted out uncertainly, seemingly out-of-nowhere. It took me a long moment to get my brain straight, because though the words were out of mere harmless innocence and curiosity to him, they still itched at me the wrong way and got me fuming something crippling.
I turned my back on him, trusting him wholeheartedly not to do anything, while I closed the front door to Gran's house. I knew he was too terrified to so much as hurt me, anyhow. At least, I felt mighty confident he was no threat to me at this point in time.
"I would hardly call you my lover," I said, finding myself nauseated at the mere term yet again. Mostly, it was only due to Eric calling me that repetitively out of spitefulness and nothing more, that constantly got my bristles up. But somehow... with this new Eric, it didn't seem a taunt rolling off his tongue at all. Somehow, it was something a tad more easier to swallow down when he was being like this, all pitiful and confused. "Hell, I wouldn't even call you my friend, least of all... my lover. More like playful adversaries, than anything."
"But you are my human?"
I felt the bile rise in my throat. Now, why was it he remembered that, and not anything else? Surely, he had to well and truly be playing with me. He just had to be.
"No. I am nobodies human. I belong to no one. I'm not some... kept girl, all right?" I sounded way too defensive, yet he instantly mistook my defensiveness as affront.
"I have insulted you," he observed, ducking his head low in guilt.
"Yes, you have." I wasn't gonna lie. And, truth be told, while he was acting like this, so human and gentle- however long it lasted- I would milk it all for what it's worth.
"But I smell my blood inside you. I assumed-"
"- Well, you assumed wrong, Mister!" Boy, all this pointless talking was doing my head in.
I decided I needed to put myself to good use, as a way to distract myself from over thinking the current, bewildering situation through. Without another single word at him, I padded my way down the hallway into the kitchen. I could only pray to God that Godric would be joining us very soon.
Turned out I had myself an unwanted follower, in Eric. For some reason beyond me, he decided to tag along loyally and when I halted dramatically in the middle of the kitchen, deliberating on what to do, he ended up bumping into me roughly, by accident, I think.
I swirled around on the spot to look at him.
He was watching my legs avidly with keen, appraising eyes and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why. Hadn't this Eric seen a pair of legs before, or other perfectly average body parts for that matter?
"You are smaller limbed than most," he remarked, a little too casually for my liking. "You would think I would go for a taller statured woman." I knew he wasn't intentionally saying all that to get me riled up. He sounded merely... surprised and mightily intrigued, all at once.
"That's because I am hardly a woman yet," I retorted stiffly underneath my breath. "I'll grow taller, sooner or later. Perhaps not as freakishly tall as you, thank riddance for that." God, I couldn't believe I was even having such a conversation with him!
"Oh, no. You most definitely look female to me." His eyes flickered down... lower curiously. "You have long hair, and breasts." I felt my cheeks aflame with heat. How pervy of him!
"Well, excuse me! That was a rude thing to say to a girl!"
He ducked his head down again, avoiding my eyes out of shame. "Sorry." He was all full of 'sorry''s tonight. "You live alone in this moderately large house?"
Well, clearly he wasn't playing around about not remembering anything, and this threw a major spanner into the works. Who was meant to explain that his reasons in being here, was to protect me from Russell Edgington? Because I sure as hell didn't know where to even start.
"Yes," I whispered, grasping at straws into why he would bother to even ask such a thing. "Uh, well. Not exactly." I shook my head, suddenly remembering. "I live with my older brother." Who I haven't seen hide nor hair of for over a week, strangely enough, because he'd been at his best friend Hoyt's. He hadn't even so much as called in to check on me and Gran or nothing. Which was totally unlike Jason. "And, I did with my... Grandmother." Having to mention Gran like that just added a fresh scatter of salt into the wounds of not ever going to have her around any longer.
I could only just imagine what it would be like had she still been here with me now; She probably would have told me not to worry my heart out on insignificant things, and to keep calm as much as possible over the turmoil my life had just become.
"Did?" he repeated, sounding gravely confused.
"Yes, did. She's... gone now." There, leave it at that. I felt my throat constrict painfully, and purposefully, I dodged my way out of his line of sight, excruciatingly uncomfortable. It was so miserable having to speak of it, especially when he was right there, when it happened. Hell, he had even removed her body out of the house. Pity he couldn't remember just how involved he was in it all, really.
"Then I gather I am the man of the house?"
I almost cackled at that. Man of the house? Yeah, in your dreams, egotistical man. What a righteous assumption to make!
"No." I snorted derisively. "In your wildest dreams, maybe."
"Ah. Then our marriage is unconventional?"
"What?" Oh, my Lord. He was more of a helpless cause than I initially thought. It was kind of hilarious in a... dark way. "Is there anything you can remember at all? Like anything you were doing... before?"
"Uhm." He thought for a moment. Then something like excitement glistened over his eyes. "Certain things, yes. Like... a knife, and you accepting my hand, and I yours. And the happiness we felt, at being wedded."
All righty then. That wasn't the way I remembered it at all. Clearly I had an obvious advantage on my side, because I still recalled, with such anger and betrayal bubbling away inside my veins, at how he tricked me the way he had; so scheming like a filthy fanger. Clearly, along with losing everything in his mind, he was also deluded.
But then I peered up at his face, and saw the way he was looking down at me, with such hope and fervor, I couldn't even bring myself to break that little fact to him outright. For some reason, I knew it would've caused him to feel sad, and surprisingly, I didn't want that for him at all right about now. Especially not in his current state. So, I pushed it all aside and let him win for the time being. It was the least I could do, anyhow.
I just felt so... sorry for him, no matter how unjustified that was of me to feel that way towards a character like him, whenever he was his unpleasant, pain-in-the-rear self. He wasn't himself right now. It felt kinda... malicious and cruel to cut him back down to size in such a way.
I was still reflecting on everything, on the surreal predicament Eric found himself in, when there was a hesitant, slow knock coming from the front door.
Winding me, Eric gave out a long sniff and then so suddenly it concerned me for whoever was outside that front door, his razor-sharp fangs shot out.
"Vampire," he spat out between his teeth with such scary hostility. "The nerve they have to pillage my wife's home!"
"Eric?"
Before I could gain any sense into what the heck he was doing, he turned and trudged out of the kitchen, like a man on a mission. I heard the front door open, and then next, snarls that only vampires sounded fit to make, all rumbling groans and moans.
Eric was definitely not right in frame of mind tonight, that was blatantly clear.
"No, retract... your fangs," a clear voice I instantly recognized said, full of sheer warning. Godric. Oh, thank Jesus for that. Instantly, my whole body was lifted. "I command you to stop this at once!"
I went back into the hallway, rightfully frightened of what I would see appearing before me; There was a whole lot of fangery going on, as well as belligerent staring from Eric up at Godric. Godric's hand was wrapped tightly around his throat, restraining Eric from all his wriggling, and Eric... was on his knees.
"No, Eric! Stop fighting against him!" I yelled. "He's your Maker, you dumbo! You can't kill him, you care about him! Remember?" Well, not that he'd ever really admit to having feelings for anyone. That seemed to shake Eric out of it immediately at once, thank goodness. The fangs retracted, and he considerately bent up on his knees to straighten out a few visible wrinkles on his Maker's shirt from where he knelt.
Oh, thank goodness it was all over. I breathed a whole lot easier then.
He gave me another apologetic look, sorry as ever.
"You... you made me the way I am?" Again with that slow, drugged-out, confused voice that sounded so unlike Eric.
Godric was about the epitome of patience right now. Well, at least one of us had to be. I couldn't understand, for the life of me, why Eric was behaving this way at all. Exactly like he was experiencing a massive hang-over from a bender you woke up to the next morning, with a pounding headache and selective amnesia 'bout the worst parts of your night.
"Indeed I did, my child."
Eric still looked uncertain about the whole thing, but he collected himself enough to give his Maker a funny bow by inclination of his head.
I just couldn't help myself. I had to know, and surely, Godric would know more into Eric's state than I ever would.
"What the hell is going on?" I asked hastily, from my secure place behind Gran's couch, away from the finished fight between the two. "Godric, did he drink too much human blood, or something? Is that why he's... acting so differently like this?" Like a drunk, boisterous human that's forgotten almost everything, aside from a few skewered parts of our pledge-thingy?
"Oh, no." Godric looked almost amused. "It is not human blood that has the ability to affect us in such this way, child."
"My Faerie blood, then?"
"No. Not even blood at all. But something more malignant to our kind, and full of dark magic."
I wanted him to be level with me. It was the only way I'd be able to understand everything more clearly. Maybe he didn't want to say too much in front of Eric, perhaps? Eric... who was just staring at me from where he sat on his knees, with such avid intensity. I blushed for what felt like the hundredth time tonight.
"Godric, do you think we can go into the hallway?" I asked, with all the gentle politeness I could seem to muster up in my tone of voice.
"Of course, child." At that, he patted Eric somewhat fondly on the head and stepped out into the hallway.
Just as I was about to follow him, Eric gave out a funny moan of despair.
"Please," he begged from his place on the floor, sounding all miserable. "Don't leave me, lover. Stay." His voice was awfully petrified, for reasons beyond me. It was something' I'd never heard come from his voice before. I turned to share a glance with Godric, who was looking down at Eric on the floor with the most delighted expression on his face. What he felt so good about any of this, I hadn't the slightest clue.
"I'll just be in the hallway," I said, in the most levelled voice I could manage for him. I threw in a reassuring smile for benefit, then got my act together. It was no use just standing there, feeling all sorry for him. "What is going on with him?" I asked Godric nervously.
"It seems he has been put under a witchery's curse."
"A witchery's...?" Well, that stunned me. So, he was practically saying there were witches existing the world now? Was anything make-believe anymore?
"And, by the looks of it... it has come both a blessing and hindrance in equal measure. He appears to be more... attached to you, than regular. Like an infatuated human boy."
"A giant human boy," I muttered underneath my breath dryly.
"Yes." A faint smile cracked across Godric's pale lips. "I suppose so. Not in a thousand-years has something like this arisen out of him and, biggest surprise of all, it was all a witches work. I daresay you are making him more human by the second, one that is open to feelings for your kind."
"So, how do we get it all to stop?" I asked, feeling even more nervous by the second, when I peered back into the living room at Eric cautiously. He caught my looking and, before I knew it, he started crawling forward on his knees, like he'd somehow misinterpreted my look as calling for him to come to me.
"I'm afraid it isn't that simple, child. No doubt, most assuredly, it will wane over time and the curse will be broken."
"How long are...?" My eyes widened, and I swallowed uncomfortably at the sight of Eric curling up between my feet like a cat, resting his large elbows on his knees. He tilted his head to look at me with those bright and big curious eyes of his, and he looked about as peaceful as a wind-free day about being near to me. It was so... weird. Even for a cursed Eric. "How long are we talking here? A week? Two weeks, at best, 'till he gets back to normal?"
"More like a month. Or possibly even years."
"You're kidding me, right?" I said, louder than I had really intended. "A month, maybe a year? And what happens if Russell Edgington comes for me again, and tries to attack every single damn one of us? Wouldn't Eric be more... vulnerable to an attack?"
Clearly, my harsh tone of voice set Eric off something wild, because he made a funny panicked noise and clung onto my legs in a super tight grasp by wrapping his arms around them. He pushed the side of his face up against my shin.
"No one hurts my lover," he said, his voice deep and dangerous.
The threat wasn't all that affective because, so abruptly, Godric was bursting into amused, shaky laughter. I stared at him, unimpressed; Still, it was so nice to see Godric share a hearty, real laugh, and break out of his sad mood.
"You will give my son hell after this, yes? You will make him see the light into his stubborn ways, and that this is how we mingle with humans?"
"Oh, yes." I gave him a wicked smile. "I fully intend to."
Godric went on, in a more serious voice, "This can also be worked to your advantage. His severe attachment to you now will only make him Russell Edgington's reckoning once he so much as attempts to harm you. Eric's wrath on him will be merciless, as this King dutifully deserves. It will not be out of vengeful actions for my son, but rather... love. And that is glorious. This almost makes my four-thousand-years on earth tolerable."
Too bad it took something as dramatic as a witches curse to change all of that.
And then it suddenly clicked into my brain, and I remembered just as suddenly. Oh, crap. The body in the yard that he was hanging over! "Uhm, Godric," I started nervously, because I didn't want to be too much of a pain. "I'm sorry to ask this, but... Eric killed something out in the yard, and I'm guessing it's a human. Do you think you could just go check and see for me?"
"Of course." Within the blink of an eye, Godric was gone. He had moved with his vampire speed, and then, sending me shrieking and Eric covering his ears with a startled groan, Godric was standing right in front of me again. "I am afraid so, child. However, it is not entirely a human. A hand, in fact. I do not know if this will mean anything to you, but this was on one of his fingers. Some type of symbolic ring." He held his hand, palm flat, out to me steadily. His fingertips were stained with sticky, red blood, and the gold ring was all bloody. It took me a moment to recognize it and, when I did, the unsettled feelings stirred within.
It was my Uncle Bartlett's ring, which meant - -
I looked down at Eric's blood-splattered face cautiously. He turned his head up to meet my look and gave me a harmless, fang-free smile.
Oh, great. I was hyperventilating. So, in the meantime of getting his memories erased from his brain, he had the moment to kill and drain my Uncle whole? Oh, my God. I guess he was so oblivious to what he'd done in his altered, new Eric state, that he couldn't put two-and-two together into just how serious a crime murdering my Uncle was.