A/N: Hi my lovelies - I'm so sorry! I got sick and holy crap it kicked my ass.
Chapter Sixteen
Eric was seething. He sat on the couch, jaw clenched, forearms on his knees, hands clasped together so tight that he threatened to break his own fingers. Benji had just finished telling him the story of what had happened to Jo in college, and the blood lust that constantly simmered inside him had risen to a boil. He wanted to rip someone apart.
"Did I get you what you wanted to know?" Benji asked from the armchair across from him, one leg crossed on his other knee, foot bouncing.
"Yes, thank you." Eric said, his voice tight.
"It explains a lot. Her reaction to you, her mistrust… And I can't imagine having access to that kind of power as a child, and then to have it lash out uncontrolled… for a human that is not a trained warrior, one with a kind heart, I can see why she represses her magic." Benji glanced over at Eric, meeting his eyes. "That's what it is, you know. Abilities, powers, whatever other words you want to use - she has magic. It's not witch magic, but it is magic."
"Been reading on the internet have you?" Eric rolled his shoulders as he stood, trying to displace his pent up energy as he paced.
Benji shrugged. "It's all speculation and lore, but as you and I both know, sometimes it's true. Each court has designations of supernatural creatures that make them up - selkies, sprites, imps, so on. Seelie are like faeries, but not. Almost like an ancestor to faeries, I think."
"Godric said that he didn't believe that faeries were real."
"We all know better than to dismiss something in the supernatural world as not real. If faeries are real, and Seelie are their ancestor, it would stand to reason that they are more powerful. You saw first hand what she was capable of at the church; imagine that, but if she's trained. Confident." Benji shook his head slowly. "A force to be reckoned with."
"A kitten with claws." Eric said with a smile.
"With what we discussed earlier, if you're going to make your move, I would wait until she's trained and agreed to work with you, if you can. At the very least, you need to be completely honest and prepare her, or you risk losing her. But you make your move with her at your side, with your other connections and plans lined up, and you'll have no problems."
Eric stopped pacing and glanced over at the front door a moment before the bell rang. He moved toward the door to answer it, knowing it was his shopping assistant, but stopped as Benji motioned his hand for him to stop.
"One last thing - the lore says that iron can hurt Seelie. It's like silver for us."
Eric nodded and then headed to the door to answer it. He let the human in and she placed the shopping bags on the kitchen table.
"I got five different options of swimsuits in the size you said, but I also got the next size down and up, because women can't trust sizing at all. That way she has options, and I can just stop by and pick up whatever she wants returned. There's also sunscreen in there." The human, he thought her name was Cindy, pulled glass bottles out of another bag and set them on the table. "There's two bottles of Riesling, a nice Moscato, and I got Jack Daniel's since you said she likes whiskey."
"Very nice." Eric said, nodding his approval.
"Well, she's a lucky girl." Cindy said, twirling her blonde hair around her finger as Eric pulled his wallet out and handed her a wad of cash. "Just let me know if you need anything else. Anything."
Eric heard a rustle of fabric and then Benji walked into the kitchen with a smile on his face.
"Actually…" Benji began as he stepped toward her and grasped her hand, pulling her to his side as he lowered his voice to speak with her.
Eric watched as the woman nodded and then the two disappeared upstairs to the guest bedroom. He should have known that would happen. Eric picked up each of the bottles, finding that the Riesling was already chilled, and poured a glass before grabbing the shopping bags and heading into the bedroom. He kicked the door shut behind him, dropped the bags on the bed, and then stepped into the bathroom. Jo was reading her book, the jets in the tub on, and she had finished the bottle of water. With a smile, Eric sat on the edge of the tub and handed her the glass of wine.
"What's this for?" Jo asked warily as she put her book down and took the glass. "Is something wrong?"
Eric ran his fingers through the water slowly. "Not exactly. But there are a few things that I need to tell you."
"Jesus Christ." Jo drank half the glass in two gulps and stared at him. "Maybe you should have brought the bottle."
Eric laughed softly and disappeared, reappearing a moment later with the bottle, which he sat beside the tub.
"It's not that bad, but just in case." He said as he undressed and sat down in the tub opposite her, pulling her feet to rest in his lap. "I lied to you last night."
Jo inhaled sharply through her nose and stiffened, trying to pull her feet away from him, but he held firm.
"Let me finish. I lied about selling the vampire blood." Eric said, and she stopped trying to pull away from him but didn't relax. "The Queen of Louisiana has been having me sell vampire blood to help her pay back taxes to the IRS. And her gambling debts."
Jo blinked at him, absorbing the information, and then she took a sip of wine, nodding for him to continue.
"Queen Sophie-Anne is… well, a righteous pain in my ass, more so than you." A ghost of a smile appeared on Jo's face. "She's childish and spoiled, and in five hundred years, has not learned to pick her battles. And I have reached my limit with putting myself at risk in order to be a good and loyal subject."
"So did you agree to sell the V for her or is she threatening you? I mean, you're twice her age, right?" Jo asked, relaxing slightly as she realized that Eric's lie wasn't as terrible as her mind initially went to.
"I have an entrepreneurial mind, Johana, and I rarely pass up a good business opportunity. Sophie-Anne is reckless, though, and I should have known better. She leveraged her position to get me on board, and then my greed solidified the rest." Eric had started to massage her feet slowly. "Once you told me of the Magister, I informed Sophie-Anne that I was done; we're liquidating. She was not happy."
"Okay, so why did you lie?"
Eric worked his way from her foot to her calf. "I didn't know if you could be trusted with that information. Not until I told you everything. Because the timing would make this look bad, but I'm telling you this now in an attempt to be honest with you."
Jo finished her glass of wine and reached for the bottle to pour another glass. "Benji told you the story."
Eric nodded, his grip tightening slightly before relaxing. "I have things in place to formally challenge the Queen. To set myself up to become the next King of Louisiana. And if you agree, if you are willing, I would like to have your help and support."
Jo stared at him over the top of her wine glass, assessing. "If everything is in place, why do you need me? And do you actually think I'll be of any help?"
"There are always variables that cannot be accounted for. And to have you as an ally would be in my favor, especially if we take the time to have you train and not be afraid of your magic."
"Magic?" Jo mulled over the word, taking a sip of her wine. "I guess… well, I guess that is one way to think about it." She cleared her throat and broke eye contact, focusing instead on the wolf pendant that rested on his chest. "I haven't been entirely honest in that regard, actually."
"Oh?" Eric said lightly. He switched to her other calf, still massaging gently. It felt amazing, and she was having a hard time focusing. "I can't imagine that you would withhold any information from me regarding your magic."
Jo made a face at his sarcasm. "I know; you're in shock, I'm sure." She ran her hand across the bubbles and scooped water into her hand, holding her hand out between them. She closed her eyes and concentrated, pushing all of her focus and energy into the water in her palm. There was a better than average chance that nothing would happen. A minute passed, then two, and Eric shifted across from her, waiting. Jo started to get frustrated and as her anger flashed through her, the water in her hand jolted, splashing back into her face.
With a sigh, she opened her eyes and wiped the water off her face, and shrugged. "I was hoping it would be a little more impressive than that, but I haven't exactly tried to master it. Or even use it, honestly."
Eric was staring at her and his hands had stilled on her legs. "You can control water?"
"I can sometimes manipulate all of the elements. Like I said, I haven't really tried to use it, and the electricity is stronger. It comes to the surface more easily." Jo shifted nervously under his gaze. He was still staring at her with no expression on his face. "Are you going to say anything?"
Eric jerked her by her legs and water sloshed out of the tub as he pulled her toward him until she was situated on his lap, her legs curled to the side to keep from banging into the side of the tub. He wrapped his arms around her, settling them on her waist, and smiled at her.
"You made me spill my wine, and now there's water all over the floor." Jo huffed, but she wrapped one arm around his neck, her wine glass dangling over his shoulder, and leaned into him.
"You are a wonderful creature, do you know that?" Eric mused, his thumb caressing her hip absently.
Jo wrinkled her nose. "Creature? You make it sound like I'm some sort of gremlin or something."
"You're short, but you're not short enough to be a gremlin." Eric teased, and Jo smiled at how easily it seemed to come to him. She almost regretted the question that she was going to ask.
"In the course of being honest with one another, I have a question. About Sookie." Jo said, avoiding eye contact as she played with his necklace.
Eric tensed underneath her, a growl starting in his chest. "Am I going to have to spank you again, Johana? We were having such a good night."
Jo rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop the fact that her nipples hardened at the thought, and she knew he felt her reaction.
"I'm actually not jumping to conclusions this time. I want to genuinely ask you what is going on with all that, and then I'll never bring it up again." Jo said, and then after a pause, she added, "Probably."
Eric couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter as he put his finger under her chin and lifted it until her eyes met his. She glanced away until he said, "Eyes on me, kitten." Reluctantly, Jo met his eyes, and he resumed speaking. "I felt an allure to Sookie. I can't say whether it was because I wanted to use her for her telepathic abilities or because I was attracted to her, or both, but I wanted her. And there was a time that I considered trying to have you both."
Jo swallowed hard and dropped her gaze back to where her hand continued to flip the pendant back and forth.
"I no longer feel the need to have both of you." Eric said, placing his hand on top of hers to stop her fidgeting. "I'm perfectly happy with a Scottish Seelie brat with an attitude problem."
Jo snorted rather unattractively before she could stop herself, and looked up at him. "Okay then."
Eric narrowed his eyes skeptically. "That's it? No argument, no complaining?"
"Trust, honesty, blah blah blah. I'm trying." Jo dropped his pendant and transferred the glass of wine to her other hand and emptied it, setting it on the side of the tub before returning her hand to his chest.
"So much growth in such a small amount of time. See what you can accomplish with direction and a firm hand guiding you."
"Hmm, you're right. Everything can be attributed to the man; I'm just a simple woman, grateful that I have you to guide me and show me the best thing to do." Jo batted her eyelashes up at him.
Eric grinned before grasping her chin and kissing her hard. Jo laughed when he released her, his thumb running across her lips.
"Have we aired everything out? No secrets? No other bits of magic you need to reveal?" Eric asked.
"No, I think we're all good. Although I'm going to be very upset if you have crabs or something, since you've been hitting it raw." Jo paused. "Is that even possible? Can vampires get STD's?"
"No, you're safe." Eric laughed, and then she noticed his face shift, his gaze going dark. "If we're asking questions, I have one. About your college disaster."
Jo dropped her gaze to the pendant immediately, swallowing hard as she fidgeted with it. "Okay."
"Would you like for me to kill him?"
Jo was quiet as she played with his necklace. She had no idea how to answer his question.
"I would like to kill him." Eric continued, his hands running up her sides and across her stomach before settling on her breasts, cupping them. "Give me a name."
Jo inhaled deeply and swallowed, her teeth grazing her bottom lip a few times before she answered. "I… I don't know."
"Well, when you decide…" Eric left the rest of his sentence lingering between them as he grasped her chin and kissed her hard. "Now, on a brighter note, I have a few things for you in the bedroom."
"You brought my swimsuit?"
Eric grimaced. "I did, but that thing is abysmal. It's practically falling apart."
Jo rolled her eyes and disentangled herself from him to stand, reaching over to grab the towel and step out of the tub. "I like my swimsuit. I'm not a big fan of shopping."
Eric watched her tighten the towel around herself as she glanced back and noticed him staring, her cheeks pinking.
"I took the liberty of having my shopper pick up a few options for you. The bags are on the bed." Eric said as he stood. He expected her to watch him, but he was not prepared for the shuttered look that crossed her face at his words.
"That's okay. I'll just wear mine." She said as she quickly turned and left the bathroom, fleeing from him.
What had he done now?
—
Jo gritted her teeth as she walked past the bed, glancing at the bags on it before heading to her suitcase and pulling out her clothes for bed. She pulled on her panties, shorts, and t-shirt quickly, surprised she could do it before Eric strolled out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. She didn't want to relive the horror that is bathing suit shopping, let alone with an audience. Jo pulled the bags off the bed and shoved them in a chair in the corner before turning off the light, crawling into the bed, and pulling the covers over her, turning her back to Eric.
"You're not going to read?" Eric asked from behind her. His voice was a lot closer than she expected, and then she felt the bed dip.
"Tired." Jo replied quietly, squeezing her eyes shut and fighting back the self-deprecating thoughts that constantly niggled at her consciousness. Sometimes not being able to read Eric's thoughts was nice, but being alone with her own was also suffocating.
"Johana…" Eric rumbled, and his arms wrapped around her and pulled her to his chest before she could object.
"It's fine. I'm fine." Jo said quietly, trying to pull away from him, but he had her in a vice grip.
"All of this over a few bathing suits?" He asked, his voice incredulous.
With a huff, Jo jerked away from him hard, and he surprisingly let her go. She turned and glared down at him. "You can't just erase years of, of, of fucking constant feelings of not being good enough, pretty enough, thin enough, Eric. I hate going clothes shopping and I hate trying on stuff. Why do you think I wear basically the same thing over and over? If you find something that fits, you buy it in multiple colors."
"So I'll have every piece of clothing specifically tailored to your measurements." Eric said flippantly.
Jo scoffed, resisting the urge to hit him. "And what happens when you're tired of me and I go back to my life? I can't get used to this." She waves her hand around the room. "Yeah, I make a good living, but I can't afford to have my clothes made just for me. I can't go out and buy a Ducati just because I want one."
In an instant, Eric had her on her back, her hands pinned above her head in one of his hands, the other gripping her chin painfully. Jo's breath hitched as she realized he was straddling her hips, and he was naked, his dick half hard and pressed against the crotch of her panties.
"You are not going anywhere, Johana." Eric's eyes flashed in the light cast off from the bedside lamp on the table on his side of the bed. "I've claimed you; you are mine. There is no life that you live that does not include me."
"And I don't get a say in this? What happens when I get old? Am I still going to be a good kitten then?" Jo sneered up at him, but the malice she intended to inject in the words didn't quite make it. The insecurity seeped in a the last moment.
"There's plenty of time before I have to have a solution for that, Johana. And if it takes a thousand years for you to see what I do when you look at your body, then that's what it takes." Eric loosened his grip as he traced her bottom lip with his thumb. "You've known since the night you walked into Fangtasia that you were mine. I've known since then." He leaned down and captured her mouth in a bruising kiss before releasing her hands and sliding down into the bed beside her. "Now be a good girl and read your book."
"So fucking bossy." Jo muttered as she evened her breathing out and climbed out of the bed to retrieve her book from the bathroom. But there was a small smile on her face as she did it.