A/N: This is a ridiculously short chapter compared to my last one and for that I apologize. BUT the next couple of chapters require quite a bit of my attention and a lot of finessing and I figured I would give you this instead of leaving you guys hanging for another week. So I hope you enjoy.....which is laughable.....
CH owns and created the characters, 'cept Maybelle and Hamish, they all mine.
*tickles Hamish's chin* aren't you my big Scottish Stud?
When I woke up the next morning, I was pleased to see that no one was tickling my toes and Eric was the only other body in the room.
And what a body it was. I hadn't heard him creep back in last night, but he had taken up his usual position, curled up behind me, with one arm wrapped around my mid-section and the other stretched out over my head. His body encased me in a strong ivory cocoon and for a moment I simply enjoyed the feel of his body enveloping me and his life force humming lovingly in the back of my mind.
Glancing over at the clock I saw that it was just before 10am and today was a big day for me. Last night, while I was telling Eric about my time spent with Morgan, he had begrudgingly agreed that Morgan could keep me safe if she took me to see Arthur. He hadn't been too happy about it, but I figured he knew that if he tried to tell me no, I would probably just go off with her anyway.
I wasn't quite sure how I would be traveling with her and I was a little put off at the thought of 'popping' away with her. But I was more excited about the prospect of meeting Arthur, than I was scared about our mode of transportation.
Rolling over, I burrowed my nose in the crevice between his pecs. I was still in a state of wonderment at what I had witnessed the night before. Eric, I am sure, wouldn't appreciate it if I mentioned it. So I swore to myself silently that I would cherish that moment when I had woken and I felt like my heart was going to rupture from all the emotions that had been uncontrollably pouring out of him. It would be my little secret.
Even after everything we had been through and everything we had told each other, over the past few days, waking up to his emotional bombardment was just another sign, another confirmation, that he cared very deeply, maybe too deeply about me.
Shaking my head at the thought, I laid several small, but very wet kisses on his chest and struggled with my heart as I slithered out from his protective embrace. I stood looking at his magnificent figure. He was naked of course, but the bed sheet lay daringly low on his hip and I traced the fingertips of one hand across that perfect skin . I let my fingers go over his ribs, across his shoulders , up his neck and over his jaw line to finally rest, on his cheek. I laid a kiss on his noble brow and pulled back. I was overwhelmed with the desire to hop back into the bed and not leave it until Eric had risen, in both senses of the word.
With an amazing amount of difficulty I pulled myself away from the bed and walked into the bathroom to get myself ready for the day.
As I stood in the shower, I looked down at the necklace that I still hadn't removed since the previous morning when Morgan had handed it to me. Experimentally, I tried to pull the necklace over my head but I couldn't even lift the chain to my chin. It didn't feel heavy actually it felt lighter than ever. But when I tried to pull it off, it just stopped. Like some invisible barrier encircled my neck, making it impossible to remove. It was like one of those creepy shopping carts that magically halt when you come to the edge of the parking lot.
I decided against trying to yank the chain from my neck. There was no way I was going to destroy a gift from Eric, just because Morgan had put some sort of unknown protection spell on it.
I got out and dried myself off before going back into the bedroom to get dressed. Throwing on a pair of jeans and pale pink sweater set, I then slipped on a pair of simple black patent leather flats while perched on the edge of the bed next to Eric.
After getting dressed and throwing my hair up in a simple ponytail, I looked through the nightstand until I found a small pad of paper and pen. I wrote Eric a quick note, reminding him where I went and that I would probably be back before he awoke anyway, but that I would no doubt miss him anyway.
Leaving the note folded on top of nightstand on his side of the bed, I leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I'll be back later Eric, I love you."
Then I planted a few kisses on his cheek and shoulder before grabbing my jacket and slipping out the door and down the stairs.
Mildred was already waiting for me in the kitchen, whipping me up a meal that I was so ready to inhale. After consuming only one (albeit, a huge one) meal yesterday , I was ready to devour whatever Mildred put in front of me. We chitchatted while I shoveled another steaming and delicious breakfast into my mouth.
"So what are you doing today love?" She asked charmingly.
I knew better than to tell the truth so I simply said, "Exploring the grounds and house probably."
Mildred nodded, "There is quite a lot to see on the property, just don't wander-"
"I know, I know, " I interrupted with and exasperated breath, "don't wander too far and keep the manor in sight."
Then realizing how rude I had just been, I apologized profusely.
She waved it away, "You are a cheeky one love. But its nice to have such a spirited young girl in the house."
"Maybelle seems pretty spirited to me, " I replied.
She snorted with laughter, "Indeed, she is that. But with you love, death isn't a possibility if one insults you or rubs you the wrong way."
With an exaggerated airiness and detachment I said, "Well, I guess that all depends on whether or not Eric is there."
Mildred almost doubled over with her laughter, "Right you are again love. I don't think many people would insult you in his presence and if they did it would be a bit like that fad in your country, suicide by cop," she paused, a mischievous smile playing on her lips, "but I guess in this case, it would be suicide by Sheriff."
We both laughed for a bit at this. What she had said had brought to mind a flurry of naughty but oh so delicious images. Eric in a police blues, with a cap on his head, twirling a nightstick absentmindedly. Eric in a fire fighters uniform, but just the pants, boot and suspenders, all covered in soot and sweaty.
I had to fight an urge to race back up the stairs and find out if Eric was as lusty during the day as he was at night.
Suddenly I realized that Mildred was staring at me with an amused expression on her face.
I cleared my throat, "Sorry, got lost in my thoughts there for a second."
She broke out in a grin and began to gather up my dishes to wash, "I bet you did, my dear. But its no worry, you young people have such terribly active imaginations."
She had no idea.
We said our goodbyes and I headed to the foyer at the entrance. I slipped on the navy blue peacoat and went out the front door.
The morning was almost as foggy as it had been yesterday but I was able to see the edge of the woods from the top of the front steps. I buttoned the coat up to the neck and burrowed my hands in the pockets, were my fingers curled around the handkerchief's of Eric's that I had retrieved last night.
I was excited about the prospect of telling Eric of my decision that he had shrugged off last night as post coital bliss. Imagining the joy in his eyes when I assured him it was what I wanted, spread a warmth through my body. The thought of eternity in his arms seemed unfathomable, but heavenly all the same.
Skipping down the front steps, I saw a flash of white at the edge of the forest but I waited until I saw the unmistakable shape and glitter of the horn of Morgan's animal form.
As I slowly began to walk to the wooded edge, I felt a warmth spread through my mind, like someone poured warm honey over my brain. I was about to embrace the sensation when it clashed with a sudden sharp tingling that burst into my head.
While it wasn't painful, I stood motionless for a moment. I closed my eyes and pressed my fingers against my temples until both sensations faded and disappeared.
Letting out a deep breath, trying to calm all the nerve endings in my brain that were on red alert, I then continued through the ghostly morning fog. The unicorn trotted along the edge a few moments more before turning towards the darkness created by the thick canopies of the trees.
If I had been really paying attention, I might have noticed that the unicorn's coat wasn't quite as glistening as it had been or that its tail wasn't quite as long or thick. Instead, I sped up a little and stepped past the threshold, into the trees.
I saw a flash of white far ahead of me and I made my way towards it, calling out as I did so, "Morgan, wait for me."
Stepping into a small clearing, I saw several dark shapes laying on the ground but I couldn't quite make them out.
"Morgan?" I whispered quietly and with perhaps a little dread settling in.
I turned my head and to my horror, I realized that I had walk so far into the woods that nothing but trees and darkness surrounded me and I could see nothing beyond, no light, no beautiful front yard and no manor house.
A small voice inside my head told me to run, run fast and run far. I had just turned and was about to sprint back the way I came, when my legs suddenly felt covered and weighed down by concrete. They wouldn't budge.
The unicorn stepped into the clearing and coming out from behind it was a woman with long dark hair and a dress that was similar to the ones Morgan wore, but it was faded, as if she had been wearing it for centuries. Her cold eyes inspected me from top to bottom, but never looked into my eyes.
"Wh-who are you?" I asked, my voice barely even making a sound.
A nasty smile slithered onto her face before she spoke. Her voice was not beautiful like Morgan's. It sounded like an out of tune harpsichord.
"In time. Although I'm surprised you don't know, I though you were supposed to be a quick one." Her voice thick with disdain.
Laying one hand on the rump of the unicorn and the other over her heart, she began chanting and muttering. Fog swirled around them, concealing them both completely.
As the disgusting noises that marked a shifting filled the air, I tried to lift and pull my legs up with all my might. But they were stuck to the ground, as if my legs had sprouted from it.
The fog cleared away and I found myself staring into a man's lifeless, soulless eyes, as black as night but lacking the luster and beauty of the twilight. Black dull hair hung limply around a pasty face that was sunken in and skeleton like.
He stepped closer to me and I saw that the woman was chanting again, this time with her eyes closed and both hands clasped in prayer in front of her. A pale blue light was pulsating from her and growing larger.
The light emanating from her bathed the clearing around me in a eerie glow. I could now make out the dark shapes on the ground, they were four men, all dead, eyes staring hopelessly up at the dark foliage. Right then, I knew that they had been my day were guards and must have been lured and murdered by the two that stood before me.
He reached out a claw like hand towards me and I tried to scream but no sound came out. Cold clammy fingers wrapped around my wrist and he pulled my hand up to his mouth and kissed it. His touch felt more lifeless than any vampire I had ever met.
"What do you want?" I asked, looking into his cold eyes and feeling a horrible sense of foreboding overcome me.
He merely smiled at me, revealing small pointy teeth that seemed to be dripping with his saliva.
With the blue light steadily growing brighter and brighter, I was able to get a better look at him. He was wearing a leather tunic and breeches. There was a grotesque smell coming from him and my eyes zeroed in on the dark wet spot on his chest. It was in the same place were the sword had gone through the dark knight in my dream.
They weren't speaking to me or answering my questions, which wasn't too surprising. So I dove head first into their thoughts. Yes indeed it was Mordred and his mother Morgause and they were here for me and I was petrified.
Even though it was daylight, I tried to send my fear across the bond to Eric. I closed my eyes and let my mind reach out too gently graze his potent life force.
Just as I touched his presence, Mordred turned to his mother and said, "She is reaching through the bond. Do it NOW!"
Just as he yelled the last word, Morgause flung her hands out towards me, sending the core of the blue light flying right at me. I flinched when it hit me in the chest and proceeded to surround me. It didn't hurt exactly, it was like millions of tiny needles were barely poking me from both the inside and the outside of my body.
The light began to pulsate darkly before dimming slowly, until there was only the faintest glow that attached itself to my skin. It was as if I was covered in a thin veil of blue light.
Mordred pulled me closer and towering over me he snarled, "Try and reach your precious Viking now." a few drops of his spittle landed on my face and I almost introduced him to my breakfast.
I reached out for Eric again, but this time when I touched the bond, I couldn't feel him. There was nothing but a Viking sized hole. My eyes widened and I tried to yank my arms from his grip but he was too strong.
"Why?" I began screaming, "Why me? What do you want? What did you do to me?"
Mordred glanced back at his mother, who seemed pleased by my distress. Then he turned back to me with an equally satisfied look on his face and said, "What did I do? I ensured that your Viking will not be able to find you. And what do I want? All in good time my dear."
He scraped one of my cheeks with a dirty fingernail.
I yanked, bit, pulled, scratched and anything else that might enable me to escape from them.
Mordred's fist bashed against my cheek that he had just caressed and I felt the skin split open. Trying to pull myself from his arms with the last bit of strength I could muster, I felt a crack against my other cheek. My head exploded with pain and I felt unconsciousness creeping up on me.
"Eric." I whispered one last time, before falling into the blackness of Mordred's making.
*throws on armor* it may be too big for some......but bring it on..........LMAO
A/N :Now do you see why I said it was laughable that you would enjoy the chapter? lol....poor sookie, whatever shall she do? abducted by two evil faeries with no blood bond for Eric to track her.....where shall she go? what shall she do? Needless to say, Eric really gives a damn.
the upcoming chapters are going to be an experiment in POV's, of course you will get an Eric one, but the cavalry is coming, so who would you like to see me write in their POV? Pam? Sam? Claudine? Morgan? Cora? Arthur is out, because that would spoil the illusion of the myth that surrounds him.....
review review review, it makes me happy and more likely to pump out chapters faster.