Alternate Dead Ever After
Once Eric and I were alone in his house, I dropped the 'human Sookie' mask I was wearing to hide the changes triggered by my wish.
"You used the cluviel dor!" he breathed in acknowledgement as he absorbed the changes. I grinned at him, showing off my newly sharp teeth. "What was your wish? To become more faery?"
"Essentially," I admitted. "Though there was more to it than that. I have the ability to mask both my scent and my appearance, the way my grandfather did, and I also have the knowledge of how to use magic to protect myself and my loved ones."
He nodded thoughtfully, his blue eyes glowing with appreciation of my cleverness. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the slip of paper containing the wish I'd written and offered it to him to read.
I wish to inherit all of the magical knowledge, abilities, and benefits of my grandfather Fintan, including but not limited to: the knowledge of faery spells and the ability to mask my scent and the scents of my loved ones, change my appearance, heal rapidly, move with supernatural speed, maintain eternal youth and beauty, absorb and use faery magic successfully, and speak and understand the language of faery, while maintaining my human immunity to both iron and lemons.
"I'm quite impressed!" Eric admitted, and I could hear the veracity in his thoughts. I was surprised to learn he had actually thought of me using the cluviel dor to become more faery as a potential solution, though he hadn't considered all of the aspects I had included. I had grossly underestimated him when I had thought he just wanted me to wish for Freyda to go away. He had been thinking of long term benefits while I had been caught up with short term solutions. I was really glad I had eventually gotten on the same page with him.
I didn't tell him, but at the last minute I'd added one more part that had been part of my notes, but that I hadn't included in my final written version: " . . . and increasing my inheritance from my godfather Catalaides, allowing me to control my telepathy and access the minds of other supernatural creatures when I try."
I hadn't been sure I wanted that part, which is why I hadn't included it on the slip of paper I'd carried outside, but when the moment came, it had felt right to say it. Now I was really glad I had. I had been scared of hearing Eric's thoughts, but they actually made me feel more secure. Besides, I had gained better control and was able to set up some filters, so I wouldn't be disturbed by every stray thought that crossed a person's mind. There had to be some intention and emotion behind it for me to hear it.
"I'm ready to fully commit to being your wife now, Eric," I replied, wrapping my arms around his neck and drawing him closer to me. I heard his thoughts sing with joy and excitement, though he controlled his facial expression, simply raising an eyebrow and waiting for me to continue.
Eric had always claimed me as his, which had bothered me in the past, but now I understood he was truly mine as well. I grinned and added, "Let's renew our blood bond as we consummate our union in a way we never have before - as supernatural equals."
I didn't have to ask him twice. We were in his bedroom and naked in the blink of an eye. He was a considerate lover, as he'd always been, but this time I could match his strength and speed. He didn't have to hold back, because I wasn't fragile anymore. His lovemaking had always been incredible, but this time was transcendent.
I bit down on his chest and started drinking from him as I reached my climax. This action sent him over the edge and he bit my shoulder, groaning as he tasted the rich flavor of my enhanced faery blood. He pulled back when I did, tenderly licking the skin to help it heal, and then savored the flavor on his tongue, eyes closed in supreme satisfaction. The bite mark on his chest healed as I licked it, and I was pleased to note my own wound had healed just as quickly as his, thanks to the combination of my faery blood and the coagulants in his saliva.
We'd both only had a few swallows, not enough to recreate a blood bond between us. Now that I was committed to Eric, I wanted the closeness the bond had represented. I wanted to be able to feel each other's emotions and to be able to communicate with one another the way he did with Pam. We would need that edge over our mutual enemies. This time I initiated the exchange, flipping our position and taking blood from his groin area. He quickly reciprocated, so we were both drinking at the same time. Of course the process was incredibly stimulating for both of us, and we moved into shared passion once we had exchanged enough. Being able to feel his pleasure climb as he approached climax only added to my own pleasure and vice versa, increasing the intensity tenfold as our ecstasy combined within us, spiraling continually upward to a pinnacle of bliss beyond all imagining.
We spent the next several hours relearning each other's bodies and exploring our limits. When we were finally spent, I felt like I'd run a marathon and knew I would need some human sustenance soon. At the same time, I was filled with a contentment I'd never known before.
Eric sighed and turned on his side toward me, elbow bent and head propped on his hand as he tucked my hair behind my ear with his other hand. "We need to formulate a plan for getting rid of Freyda."
I nodded, thinking about the situation and what I was gleaning from Eric's thoughts on the subject. I realized a lot my issues with Eric would've been resolved a lot sooner if I'd been able to read his thoughts all along. The human mind abhors a vacuum and will usually fill the lack of knowledge with the worst possible explanation. When I didn't have answers to my questions, I assumed the worst. Communication would have been the key. I should have asked my questions to him directly, and he should have volunteered information readily.
"So you are stuck because your maker signed a contract with Freyda, essentially selling you into slavery, because in the vampire world he basically had ownership of you," I clarified.
He nodded.
"How many people have actually seen those contracts?" I asked. "What if they disappeared?"
"There are only two originals. She has a copy and Appius had a copy. I found it in his belongings after his death. He had intended to send it to his lawyer for safekeeping, but luckily he didn't have time. The courier was waiting when I got back to my house that night, which alerted me to search for the document, but I sent the courier away empty handed, with a hefty tip for his trouble." Eric disappeared from the room and returned with a sheaf of papers. "However, the lawyer would have made several copies for safe keeping, likely including a digital copy if he was smart."
I looked over the papers, which had four bloody fingerprints on each page - Freyda's and Appius's as the primaries, with Alexei and Freyda's lawyer as witnesses, as well as all four signatures on the final page. I looked at the date of the signatures - April 1st, 2006.
"Our marriage precedes this date," I noticed with satisfaction, knowing I had brought him the ceremonial knife just two days after the big Were reveal, while Sam was taking care of his mom.
"January 12th," Eric agreed. Giving me a defeated look, he explained, "However, since it was a pledging between a vampire and a human, the vampire tribunal will not be inclined to set it above the wishes of my maker."
I gave him a half-smile and raised one eyebrow. "Ah, but I only appear human," I reminded him, donning my human Sookie mask again. "What evidence do they have that I wasn't already a half-fae pretending to be human even back then?"
Eric winced, "The Ancient Pythoness will know."
I nodded and bit my lip in consternation. "Then we need to convince Freyda somehow to drop it and not take it all the way to the tribunal."
Eric's phone rang and he answered. Thanks to my upgraded hearing, I could hear both sides of the conversation, a fact Eric hadn't considered yet, since he was so used to me being human. Pam warned him that both Felipe and Freyda expected an audience with him the next evening to settle the contract situation once and for all.
After he got off the phone and summarized the conversation for me, leaving out the part where the king and queen expected him to divorce me in front of them, I asked, "So what if both originals and all the copies, including any digital copies, suddenly disappeared?"
Eric shook his head. "They will know there was foul play and then we will be brought up on charges before the tribunal. It's one of the reasons I haven't had her assassinated either."
I frowned and thought some more. "What if just the blood and signatures disappeared from the contracts and the copies, as if they were unsigned?"
Eric shook his head again. "That would be accusing Freyda of misrepresentation, since she told Felipe the papers were signed. She would be forced to defend herself from that accusation and would seek out someone with magical ability to reverse your spell."
"What if I just made it so every time Freyda thought of being intimate with you, her body would react the same way a wealthy upper class human woman's body would when contemplating sexual intercourse with a scraggly, vermin-infested homeless drunkard with emphysema, who hadn't showered or changed clothes in weeks?" I wondered, picturing Freyda turning green with nausea, horror, and disgust.
Eric was taken aback at my suggestion and somewhat offended that anyone could think of him that way, even under the influence of magic. I rolled my eyes. Insufferable male pride. "If she can't stand the idea of bedding you, then she won't want you as a consort," I explained.
He understood, but it still irked him a bit. "I'm also worried about how Felipe will react once he realizes how powerful you are now. He appeases her now in exchange for the promise of her assistance if anyone attacks him. He's trying to hold onto three states, while everyone around him watches for any signs of weakness. We might be able to convince him we would be more powerful as allies as a couple beholden to him. On the other hand, he might think he can control you and claim you for himself if he gets me out of the way first."
I frowned, disturbed by the notion. "I would never . . . ," I protested, before he interrupted, giving me a wry glance.
"Even if he had your brother?" The pictures in Eric's mind of what he imagined Felipe might do to Jason to force my cooperation shocked and horrified me. I felt myself breathing shallowly, trying not to vomit. Eric's ideas of torture were much more creative than anything I would ever have considered. I shook my head, no longer certain I wouldn't capitulate.
"I don't know," I whimpered. He pulled me closer, his mind thankfully now occupied with comforting me and easing my distress.
"We'll just have to make sure it doesn't come to that," Eric replied, trying to plan for every contingency in his mind, even as he sent me confidence through our bond.
Dawn was rapidly approaching, and we still didn't have a solid plan, nothing better than turning off Freyda's sexual attraction to Eric and exposing my new status as a supernatural being, which could possibly backfire by making Felipe covet me for himself. I set my alarm for 10 am, so I'd have some more time to think and plan after a few hours of sleep. Like Eric, I was determined we would prevail.