"Thanks for making me a birthday breakfast," Junior told Faye as she cut him off a cinnamon roll from the bunch and put it on a plate for him, along with eggs, bacon, pancakes, and a bunch of other stuff that he wasn't sure he'd be able to finish. "It was very sweet of you."
"Of course," Faye told him. "You shouldn't be alone on your birthday and since I'm one of the few people you know here, I thought I should do something."
"Well, I'm very impressed," Junior smiled at her. "You're right that I don't know many people here, but I'm glad I know you."
The doorbell rang and Faye ran to it. "Who do you think that is?" She asked. "Do you think it's someone coming to bring you a present?"
"Maybe," Junior remarked and stood up. "I'm expecting something from a family friend back home. Her name's Sarah. I wish you could meet her. I think you'd get along."
"Really?" Faye asked and grabbed the doorknob, pulling the door open. When the person on the other side was let in, Junior's eyes widened.
"Oh, my god," he muttered.
"Happy birthday, Sean!" Sarah smiled, her brown eyes sparkling as she hugged him. "Miss me? I hope you're not too surprised. I tried to drop hints about coming in that letter I sent you. You got the letter, right?"
"Yeah…" Junior nodded as he prayed fervently that there wouldn't be any trouble between Faye and Sarah. "I got the letter."
"You don't seem very pleased that I came," Sarah remarked. "Since I came all the way here from America, I expected more of a welcome."
"Yeah, sorry," Junior apologized. "I haven't had my coffee yet. You know how I get when I haven't had my coffee."
"Yes, right," Sarah cleared her throat and stuck her hand out to Faye. "Hi," she greeted her. "I'm Sarah, Sean's girlfriend. Who are you?"
"I'm his neighbor, Faye," Faye replied. "We cook together sometimes. You say you're his girlfriend; it's funny, because he's not mentioned you before."
"He hasn't?" Sarah turned to face Junior, her eyes narrowed. "Isn't that strange?"
"Well, you can't blame me for thinking we're done when you don't reply to any of my letters after I've written a million of them," Junior pointed out, refusing to be shamed for living his life.
"If you wanted us to break up you could have said so," Sarah pointed out. "Then I wouldn't have flown all the way over here to make a complete fool of myself!"
"I didn't mean for you to feel like a fool!" Junior tried to reason with her. "I just thought you would come here and understand, and then we could all be friends and celebrate my birthday together."
Sarah narrowed her eyes. "I hope a threesome's not what you're after cause that's not going to happen."
"No, it isn't," Faye assured her. "I don't intend on giving myself to any man until there's a ring on my finger."
"Well, that's very refreshing," Sarah told her. "Good for you." She went to get some water from the pitcher in the fridge, and as she held it over her cup and the water began to stream out, it suddenly changed direction and got all over her shirt, making her shriek.
"Oh, my goodness, how did that happen?" Faye cried, but did nothing to go and clean it up as she was too busy smirking behind Sarah's back.
When Sarah finally did have her water, she went to sit at the kitchen table and the chair she meant to sit in slid out from underneath her and she landed hard on the floor.
"Oh, are you all right?" Junior came running over to her. "Shit. Here, let me help you up."
"Thanks," Sarah told him. "I don't know how the chair could have moved."
"Yes," Faye looked at Sarah disdainfully. "I wonder how."
"What is your problem?" Sarah cried. "I never did anything to you. I don't know why you have to be so mean." She was going to speak some more, undoubtedly to say something insulting, but Junior quickly put a hand over her mouth. "She's a fairy," he told her. "Don't you dare say anything to insult her or I'll be screwed."
Faye quickly stood up. "How in the world do you know I'm a fairy? Is it the hair? My powers? Did you look at me and just assume?"
"No, it's not just your hair," Junior told her with a shake of his head. "Ever since we met, I only see you at night except for today. My apartment's been cleaner than ever without me doing a thing. You look out for me."
"Yes, but anyone can do that," Faye reasoned, her arms crossed as she tried to stare him down. "That doesn't mean I'm a fairy."
"You're overly cheerful, you play pranks on people who piss you off, and your name means 'fairy'," Junior reminded her. "Not very subtle, are you?"
"Well, I wasn't sure you were going to figure that out," Faye confessed. "Humans don't usually pay attention to stuff like that."
"Since we're sharing, I'm not a human," Junior said. "Well, I am at the moment but that's only because my extremely powerful warlock birth father threw a fit and deprived a bunch of people of their powers, including me, but I'll get them back soon."
Faye then reached out and took his hand. "Oh, but I knew that," she said. "You're a McCullough, aren't you? That means you have the power. I was wondering where yours went, but now it's good to know. I've been following your family for years, and I was confused."
"What?" Junior's eyes widened. He pulled his hand out of hers and backed away. "What do you mean? Am I gonna die soon? Be honest with me."
"How would I know when you're going to die?" Faye questioned. "Calm down. I'm a fairy, not a banshee."
"Oh," Junior took a few deep breaths. "Okay, good. I feel better."
But Sarah still didn't. "You take care of him?" She asked. "What makes you think you can just waltz in here and do that?"
"Well, as I said, I didn't know about you until right now, so it wasn't like I was deliberately ruining things for you," Faye told her. "And I don't want to, because Sean's happiness is my priority, so if you make him happy, I'm not going to try and stand in the way, although now I really wonder what's going through his mind when he pines for you."
"I don't pine!" Junior cried irritably.
"Why not?" Sarah asked. "I'm a whole ocean away and you can't even be bothered to miss me?"
"Not when you can't be bothered to show that you miss me back," Junior pointed out.
It was then that frustration really built up in Sarah. She'd put his present on the table, but now she threw it at him, trying not to burst into tears while he and Faye were watching, and then stormed from the apartment and sobbed in the nearby stairwell for what seemed like ages before trying to figure out what she was gonna do next.
"What do you come here for?" Sophia asked Teddy when she found him reading a book in the snack bar in the gym as she had ever since they'd met. "You don't look like the work out type."
"I actually have a great fondness for the pool," Teddy told her. "And sometimes I use the small weights. But I really don't desire to become a muscle man."
"Ah," Sophia nodded. "That's cool. I like the pool too." She tiptoed a little closer. "Can I sit?" She asked. "I don't want to interrupt your reading."
"Sure," Teddy replied. Once she'd sat down, Teddy put down his book and cast a hunted look around, then caught Sophia's eye. "I think I'd like to kiss you, if that's all right," he said.
She was a bit surprised, but also excited. She'd never kissed anyone but Eric and she wondered what it would feel like to kiss someone she had some fondness for. "All right," she nodded. "Just a kiss, right? You don't want us to start dating or anything?"
"No," Teddy shook his head. "Unless you want to."
"I don't know about that," Sophia replied.
They again made sure there was no Eric about, then leaned forward and kissed each other. On the lips. When they pulled apart, they both took deep breaths, smiled at each other, and then went back to their business. But just when they were convinced they'd gotten away with it, Eric came up behind her, lifted her and lifted her off the bar stool, and the last thing she saw as he carried her away was the panicked look on Teddy's face.
"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Sophia cried. Eric hadn't been around to witness her and Teddy's kiss, but since it was his gym, he had spies everywhere, especially when it came to her, and someone had ratted her out. Now she was hanging over Eric's shoulder and suffering the indignity of being carried that way out of the gym. "What's wrong with you? Is this about the kiss? It was one time! It's not like it's gonna happen again."
"No, it's not," Eric agreed. His face was red with anger and it was his demon face she saw as he stuffed her into his car. "Because you are going to be staying somewhere where I can keep an eye on you and make sure you do what you're supposed to."
"And what's that?" Sophia snapped. "Marry you and bear your children?"
"Exactly!" Eric nodded. "What else?" He shuddered. "A blue one?" He asked. "Of all the guys you could have cheated on me with, you picked a blue one?"
"What's the big problem with blue ones anyway?" Sophia questioned. "Are they not as smart, or what?"
"No, they're very smart," Eric corrected. "And if we just let them run wild, they'd overtake the rest of us, so we have to scare them and make them keep to the background. That weasel probably only befriended you to cause trouble for me."
"Or it's because he's nice!" Sophia offered the alternative.
Eric gave her a look of pity. "Oh, darling," he said. "It's words like that that make me glad I took you away when I did, before you really screwed things up for me. I really dodged a bullet."
Sophia opened her mouth to protest again, but soon realized that it was useless. He was stuck in his way of thinking and nothing she said would change it. She maintained silence and looked out the window until Eric parked his car in front of a large, sleek white house with many windows that was built into the side of a mountain. "What the hell is that?" She asked, stunned into speaking.
Eric smiled and put his arm around her. He knew that seeing the house would shock her into speech. "It's our hideout. It used to be in a cave, but I figured it would be better to modernize. Like it?"
"Yeah!" Sophia exclaimed, then continued in a less impressed voice, "I mean, it's all right, I guess."
Eric chuckled. "You're a terrible liar," he told her. "Come on."
The inside of the house was much bigger than one would expect from looking at the outside. Eric led her through a large, airy entryway, and into rooms that were just as big.
"My god," she remarked as she collapsed on a sofa. "That roadway up to the front door is steep. Good thing we had magic for when I got tired, otherwise, I'd be dead."
"Well, we do what we have to in the name of security," Eric said and began undressing. "Once you've rested, you can join me in the bedroom."
"Just a minute now!" Sophia exclaimed. "You realize you brought me here without giving me a chance to pack or tell anyone else where I am, don't you? My parents will be worried sick! What do you want me to do about that?"
He handed her a phone. "You may call them and tell them that you're sorry, but they'll never hear from you again because you've begun a new stage in life and their presence in it is unnecessary. As for your clothes, you don't have to worry about that. Every closet in this house is filled to overflowing with things that will make you look wonderful. I promise."
"Oh, I'm sure," Sophia replied through her teeth.
"Go change into something more comfortable," Eric demanded, pointing down a hallway. "Now."
"I can't believe you," she told him. "I can't believe that the same man who was so sweet saving me from those idiots throwing rocks would take me away from my family and my friends for his own selfish reasons and not give a damn about how I feel. But I guess that was a fluke and our whole relationship is all about you, isn't it?"
Eric's facial expression was tightly controlled. The truth was, her words did make him feel some shame, but he couldn't let her see that. "Will you just go?" he asked.
She groaned and stomped off, just reaching into a closet and pulling out the first thing she saw, then heading to the nearest bathroom and slamming the door behind her before she changed.
It was as she was changing that she realized she had her cell phone in her pocket. Praying it would still work, she called Lilith.
"Hi!" Lilith answered brightly after she identified herself. "Wanna do something tonight?"
"I can't," Sophia told her. "Eric kidnapped me and took me to some demon hideout on the side of a mountain. He didn't give me time to pack or anything. Will you go and tell my parents where I am? Please? I know I could call them, but I don't want to risk it."
"Sure," Lilith nodded. "I'll do it for you. Don't worry."
"Thank you," Sophia breathed a sigh of relief. "You're a real life saver."
Not sure how Christian and Jill would react to her, Lilith decided that if she brought Caleb with her, at least Jill might be more willing to let her in their house. She knocked on the door and when he answered and opened his mouth, she told him, "I know it's a big shock to see me, but before you ask, no, I can't have sex with you. There's no time! Your niece is in trouble and I need you to help me help her."
"Sophia's in trouble?" Caleb questioned. "What happened?"
"Eric kidnapped her and took her to the demon headquarters to begin his plans with her," Lilith explained. "Apparently, she's not allowed to tell Jill or Christian where she is, so I've been enlisted to do it for her…along with a few other errands."
"And what did you need me for?" Caleb asked. "This isn't gonna be like a date or anything, is it?"
"No, it's a rescue!" Lilith snapped. "We can't be distracted by anything else. I need you to be the person who will convince Jill it's okay to let me into her house, cause I don't know if she hates me or not and I can't take the time to try and reason with her if she does."
"Ah," Caleb nodded. "I understand. Let's go."
"Lilith? Caleb?" Christian asked. "Are you two back together again? It's so back and forth with you two, it's hard to keep track."
"No, we're not officially together at the moment," Lilith told him. "I just thought I wouldn't be let in this house if I didn't have someone you trusted with me. I came to tell you that your daughter has been kidnapped by Eric and he's told her that she's not allowed to contact you ever again because she'll be busy helping him with his plan."
"And we're just supposed to accept that?" Christian raised an eyebrow. "Is he an idiot or what?"
"I know," Lilith nodded. "That's probably why he didn't want you to know anything. Anyway, she was taken so quickly that she didn't have time to get everything she needed. I'm here to get the rest of her necessary stuff."
"Well, isn't that nice of you?" Christian smiled. "You can proceed."
"Thank you," Lilith replied and brought Caleb to Sophia's bedroom where she began pulling out drawers and looking under things.
"What are you hoping to find?" Caleb questioned as he looked with her. That brought her eyes to his…before they moved to his butt and the very distinct bulge at the front of his pants. Lilith felt herself getting hot and she tried to stave off her feelings.
"No!" She whispered. "You have to help Sophia! You have to focus!" Then she told Caleb, "I'm looking for those birth control pill thingies," she told him. "Sophia's gonna need those if she doesn't want to have any of Eric's children right now."
"They're usually kept in the bathroom medicine cabinet," Caleb informed her. "I'll go look there."
"All right," Lilith nodded. "You do that."
Caleb's instincts were on target and soon, Lilith had Sophia's pills. "Where do you have to go now?" He asked. "Would you like me to come with you? Would it be safer?"
"No," Lilith shook her head as she put a hand on his cheek. "But you're very sweet to offer, though." She gave him a long hug and then waved goodbye, disappearing from the room before Caleb even had time to respond.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Eric cried when he saw her. "Go away!"
"I will, I will," Lilith assured him. "Keep your pants on. And I literally mean that. Where's Sophia? I have some stuff she didn't have time to get when you rushed her out here."
"She's supposed to be changing into something more comfortable, but if you're here, I doubt she's doing it," Eric replied dryly.
Lilith quickly searched the rooms and to her surprise, found Sophia sitting on the bed in one of them in a red lace nightie. "Really?" She asked as she handed her the pills and a bag with some of her more comfortable clothes in it. "You're just gonna give into him? I thought you would fight it more."
"I would, but you said that the more I fight, the more aroused he becomes," Sophia reminded her. "The more he wants me. So I figure that if I give into him now, he'll lose interest, and then I can go home."
"I don't know if that will work, but it's worth a shot," Lilith told her. "Good luck."
"Thanks," Sophia smiled. "And thanks for bringing me my pills. You're a good friend." She went to get a glass of water and popped one in her mouth.
"Hey," Lilith blushed. "I do what I can." She went to pester Eric some more just for the fun of it and then she finally left.
When she was gone, Sophia left the bathroom and strode to the living room. "Hi, Eric," got out in a breathy voice as she came to sit on his lap. "I heard Lilith giving you trouble. I can help you feel better." She kissed him, then got off his lap and grabbed his hand. "Let's have some fun." She tried not to laugh at the dumbstruck look on Eric's face. He'd planned for their battle to be more drawn out, that was for sure.
But by the time they got to the bedroom, he was more in control. He set her down on the bed and made sure she was watching as he undressed, and then, giving her a smirk, came to join her on the bed. It didn't take much effort for him to remove the flimsy negligee she wore, and soon she was as naked as he was. He had planned for their first encounter to be rough, so he could make clear who was in control between the two of them. But then she'd gone and reminded him of that night in the park, and that made him change his mind. At least this time.
He started out by pulling her close to his body and kissing her gently: Her lips, her neck, her forehead, her hair, and her earlobes. Then, he lowered her onto the mattress and smiled at her gently. "I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered. "Unless you want me to. Do you like it rough, or not?"
She gave him a smile. "Surprise me," she grinned. "You can do that, can't you?" She reached up to tousle his dark hair, and he parted her legs, kissing up her thighs as she moaned. Then she gasped as she felt him pleasure her with his tongue. It was much better when she was lying down like this and not standing up. "Better," she got out. "Oh, yes, Eric, that's so much better!" She grabbed the edge of the mattress, clutching it tight as she climaxed. Then, he looked up, grinning. "Are you okay?" He asked. "Have you had enough?"
"Oh, I think not," she grinned. "Keep going."
That was when he repositioned himself and pushed into her over and over again. When they were both exhausted for the moment, they rested, then she reached out, took his hand, and gently sucked on his finger. His cock began to throb and he grabbed her again. "Are you trying to kill me?" He asked, his eyes wide.
She grinned. "You seem surprised," she remarked, pushing a strand of curly blonde hair out of her face before putting her lips against his ear. "And that makes me wonder what sort of girl you thought you were bringing here today."
"Nothing like the kind of woman I got," he told her and kissed her palm. "That's for sure."
