Authors Note: Thank you so much for all the response to chapter six. Thanks again to my beta: FreeMoment for beta'ing another chapter of ETE!
Before I could even respond, Jason slammed the front door open and made a beeline for me. I felt Eric tense, who was now standing directly behind me. I was half surprised my brother hadn't noticed my man yet. He surprised me by grabbing hold of my upper arms in a tight grip and shook me. I felt Eric's anger rise within him as he tensed.
"What the fuck did you do? What happened? Tell me it ain't true?" he fired at me, all at once in a slurred way, and the pain from finding her this morning came back to me all at once, with a little hurt and anger of my own regarding his accusation. His face wasin my face, his nose almost touching my own. Just as Eric's hands touched my hips, I guessed to pull me away from my brother, I shocked myself by slapping him hard across the face. He stunk of alcohol, too.
"Don't you dare, Jason Earl Stackhouse." He stumbled back and fell to the floor, in shock from the impact, holding on to his face. "Don't you dare accuse me of hurting that woman in any way, you drunken asshole. She was more of a mother figure to me than our own mother was, and raised us both after they died in the flash flood. Don't you fucking dare." I hissed the last part at him, still shocked.
I went to move forwards but Eric wrapped his strong arms around my waist, locking me in place, and rested his chin on my shoulder. Anger and something I couldn't put my finger on rolled around our bond. I looked over to Tara who stood stock still, jaw dropped and wide-eyed, as she took in the scene around us. Her eyes settled on my and Eric's cosy position as my body leaned back into his.
"Who's running the bar?" I asked her. As Jason started to rise up from the floor, Eric loosened his hold and moved me behind him.
"Laffayette. I didn't realise you would not be alone when this one came in to Merlotte's already drunk. When I told him of what happened this morning, he flipped and I told Lala to run shit whilst I brought his drunk ass over so his sorry ass didn't die of drunk driving," Tara said, looking at Jason disgusted.
"So much for nothing is going on," Tara said, with her arms now folded. I placed my hand on Eric's left hip, and he turned his head to the right as he sent me warning. I placed my other hand on his upper arm, both of which were folded over his chest. Heseemed to calm a little bit upon my contact with him and moved slightly to the right. I also noticed he wore his long blonde hair tied back tonight.
Jason had fully risen now to his full height, still holding onto his face, and looked in our direction. His eyes widened in shock when he saw Eric standing in my place.
"Who the fuck are you?" he demanded. I glanced up at Eric as he locked eyes with mine. "Why are you touching him like that? What the fuck's going on, where's Gran?" he demanded again, though his voice cracked on the last bit.
"Touch my woman like that again, and you'll get more than a slap. You are lucky you are still standing." Eric's tone was ice cold as he turned to stare at my brother. Jason took a step back, hearing the authority and truth in Eric's tone. Jason must have realised my man had meant what he said.
"You threatening me, buddy?" Jason said, narrowing his eyes. Obviously, I thought wrong.
"JASON!" I said loudly, feeling slightly annoyed. He turned his narrowed eyes on me.
"Shut up and listen, I'm in no mood to deal with your alcoholic ass tonight. It has been a long, hard day. I found Gran this morning, and it's been confirmed she passed away during the night of a heart attack. She died, Jason, of NATURAL causes. Nobody did anything to her! So, again, don't you ever accuse me of ever hurting Adele Stackhouse again, you drunken asshole." I hissed the last bit.
"Why are you with him?" he said, completely ignoring my words.
"For fuck sake, you dumb shit," Tara said, clearly annoyed. "Oh, and don't you dare accuse Sookie of hurting Gran ever again,either." I felt Eric's confusion upon Tara calling Gran her gran, but she wasn't finished. "Can't you tell that our Sookie's finally found a man?" she said.
"Yeah, fucking right." Jason's thought process was a jumble, but some thoughts came through loud and clear and I felt incredibly hurt by it. "Sookie doesn't date!" I'd had just about enough and went to move around Eric, but he held me back.
Eric got right in Jason's face and locked eyes with him. Curiosity ran deep within me and I could not resist peeking inside his mind as Eric did his glamour thing. It was interesting to see as his mind went completely blank, but I also felt the pull of Eric's control over his thoughts.
"You will not remember seeing me in your sister's home, you only remember seeing Tara and Sookie. Sookie will contact you via your home phone regarding funeral arrangements or Tara will tell you, depending on how Sookie feels after the mean and hurtful things you will remember saying to your sister after learning the truth of your grandmother actually having a heart attack. Sookie did not cause her death. You will realise the mistakes you've made with your accusations... understood?" Eric told him.
"Yes, sir," Jason replied.
"Good, now go." Eric rose and I pulled out of Jason's head as he rushed out the door. I looked to Tara who had stood watching the whole thing with her mouth hanging open once again. I had actually forgotten she was still here.
"It's your call, lover, just be careful," Eric told me.
"What the fuck was that shit? Sookie, you completely zoned out." Eric glanced at me, sending me concern. I stepped fully out from behind him and approached Tara.
"I can't read his mind, Tara. I don't know how or why... we both have unique, unexplainable things about us, as you just saw." Her jaw dropped again. I took a few steps further away from Eric to stand directly in front of my childhood friend.
"Is his name really Mr. Supe?" was all she asked me. I looked back over my shoulder to my man and waited for him to elaborate because that was his story.
"No, we will not be revealing who I am to you. Just that Sookie is mine, as I am hers. Our situation is rather unique and unexpected for us both in different ways and we are working through it. Sookie will be coming to New Orleans with me for the week. I wasn't lying exactly when I mentioned business," he told her fairly honestly as he walked over to wrap his arm around my shoulders.
"What did you do to Jason? Is it another mind trickery thing?" she asked, glancing at me. I nodded, confirming her thought process.
"He can't read people's minds like I can, if that's what you are asking, T."
"No, I was asking what did he do to Jason?" she pressed on with Eric's glamour.
"We will not be revealing what it is exactly I can do, partly for the safety of you two. I am only speaking to you now and tolerating your presence because you are important to Sookie and Sookie trusts you."
Tara glared at him for the tolerating part. I sent Eric annoyance through our bond!
"IF you two are going to be in the same room as each other after this night, I'd rather not deal with one person feeling unwelcome. You are both important to me, and now Gran's g-gone. I only really have you two and Lala left, and Jason when he's not being a drunken asshole." I felt Eric's disbelief.
"Jason may be many things, lord knows me and Tara have covered his ass many times. Gran never knew the half of it. But when he's actually in a good mindset and place, then he's just Jason." I shrugged, trying to explain my complicated brother. There weremany sides to Jason Stackhouse!
"What Sookie is trying to explain is Jason has a split personality disorder, and it depends on who's around if he'll act intoxicated or not."
"As enlightening as this is, ladies, we really must get packing, Sookie. You've got the keys to the bar, Tara, and now have Sookie's mobile. We've covered most of what I'm willing to share. If you need to reach Sookie, you know how too. You can catch up with her any time after sunrise, but not sunset unless it's an emergency or something to do with the bar." I sent Eric annoyance due to his controlling way, and Tara glared at him.
"What a controlling asshole, you sure you want to be with this jerk?" Tara asked.
"He's my jerk."