Eric waited until Bill and Jessica were seated before settling Sookie and himself into the opposite side of the small private plane. It was an hour after sunset and they would be in New Orleans within two hours. Sookie looked delightful in her crisp Khaki's and navy shirt. In stark comparison, Jessica looked like the teenagers that wore their clothes too big and hung out at the strip mall near Fangtasia. Eric fully expected her to have a skateboard sitting beside her with all the black and plaid she was wearing. Eric leveled Bill with a look and Sookie knew they were having some kind of strange mental conversation. Bill looked away and her heart sank at the sheer anguish on his face. Eric grinned at her nervous fidgeting. He knew she was definitely out of her comfort zone. She had confided to him last night as he was holding her in his arms that she had never been on a plane before, much less a private jet. Her eyes were full of wonder and nervous excitement as she boarded the plane. He opened the small compartment next to her seat and handed her a bottle of water. She whispered her thanks and tried to ignore the death stare she was getting from Jessica. Sookie sat straight up in her seat as the engines roared to life and the pilot's voice squawked over the intercom. She gripped the armrests until her knuckles were white. Eric pried her hand from the leather seat and held it tightly in his own.
"Relax, my lover. I am here." Bill cast an angry glance at Eric's term of endearment and Eric flashed his fangs as a warning to remember his place. Sookie closed her eyes and took slow deep breaths as the small plane roared down the runway. Her stomach dropped to her knees as the wheels left the ground and the small hunk of metal and plastic took to the air.
"You can open your eyes now." Eric whispered before kissing her lightly on the cheek. When she did, she made the mistake of meeting Jessica's hatred filled stare. Eric felt her discomfort and leveled his own stare at Jessica.
"Unless you would like to know what it feels like to grow back an eye, you'll turn around." Eric threatened. Jessica scowled at him but did as she was told. Bill faced forward and refused to acknowledge the exchange.
"Grow back?" Sookie whispered meekly. Eric didn't feel the need to whisper. He answered her in a tone that she knew was more for Bill and Jessica's benefit than hers.
"Vampires are strong and powerful. We can survive most anything. But as you know, we can be hurt. We can lose a limb or even large pieces of ourselves. If we lose an arm, let's say, it grows back. It takes quite a bit of time, depending on the appendage, and it's extremely painful."
"That's…disturbing."
"It's excruciating. That's why we use such methods to punish those of us who refuse to fall in line." He watched her face pale and offered her a comforting kiss on her temple.
*****
Sookie stood in the middle of a very large bedroom suite. She was extremely grateful to be away from Bill and Jessica. The car ride to the Queen's residence had been unbearable. Eric placed her garment bag on the end of the huge king-sized bed and then turned to her.
"We need to change. The Queen is meeting with us first."
"I'm terrified."
"Just act…subservient."
"I'd rather eat a rat."
"Speaking of rats, I believe you likened yourself to a gerbil in a cage." He cocked his eyebrow and she scowled.
"Fine. I'll act all meek and such. But when this is done, you're taking me home. My home." She punctuated with a finger to his chest. He nodded and smiled but something inside him stirred and he didn't like the feeling. He didn't want to take her back to Bon Temps. He really did want to keep her for himself.
She grabbed her toiletry bag from her luggage and headed for the bathroom. Eric shook his head to remove the unnerving thoughts and started to change.
She stood in front of the full length mirror in the corner of the room and tried to breathe. She picked a loose hair from the front of her black dress and turned to make sure nothing was on the back. The dress was sleeveless with a square collar and pencil skirt. It fell to mid calf so the heels she wore made said calves look toned and tanned. Eric slipped up behind her and she couldn't help but let her mouth fall open a little.
"I've never seen you in a suit. You look so handsome."
"Thank you, lover. You are breathtaking."
"You don't have any breath." He laughed and swatted her behind.
"You ready?"
"No."
"Too bad. Come."
Eric took her hand and led her through the long corridors of the old New Orleans home. Soon they were in a formal living room. He was grateful that he had warned Sookie about the Queen's appearance. Sophie-Anne Leclerq was turned at the age of 16 or 17. She looked like a sweet-dispositioned teenager but was deceptively ruthless. Sookie swallowed hard and squeezed Eric's hand. He led Sookie to the middle of the room before dropping to his knee.
"My Queen."
"Greetings, Viking, Miss Stackhouse." Sookie had to refrain herself from taking a step back. Once Sophie-Anne pierced you with her gaze, you knew how dangerous she really was. Sookie bowed her head slightly, not trusting her voice. Eric rose and pulled her a step closer to his side.
"My Queen, I am here to request Ms. Stackhouse be kept in my custody." Sookie thanked her years of dealing people's thoughts and the ability to school her features when necessary. Otherwise, she'd have gagged right there.
"But her ability is one I find valuable. She would be an asset to me." The Queen stated.
"And she will be. However, I have taken Sookie as my human and I desire to keep her with me."
"I was irritated to hear that Mr. Compton made such a mess of things." Sophie-Anne saw the anger and hurt flash across Sookie's eyes. The Queen leaned forward and regarded her for a moment.
"I'm sorry if my methods hurt you. Hadley was dear to me and I know the pain of loss." Sookie saw that pain just under the surface and nodded in understanding to the Queen. Sookie swallowed in an effort to bring some moisture back to her mouth and smiled the nervous smile that made her look a little demented. Thankfully, Sophie-Anne turned her attention back to Eric.
"It was my error to rely on Compton to approach her. I hoped that his connection to Bon Temps and his desire to mainstream would have made it easier. I will deal with his failure and the transgressions of his child. Miss Stackhouse will remain under your control and protection. If I have use for her, you will bring her to me."
"Yes, my Queen." Before Sookie could burst into rage fueled hysterics, Eric dragged her by the hand from the room. He swept her into his arms and had her on the edge of the bed before she could blink. He licked the side of her neck and kissed her jaw line. Sookie finally regained her wits and shoved him away.
"Don't touch me…just don't touch me."
Eric took a step back and saw her pale features twist in anger.
"Sookie?" She rushed past him and into the bathroom. Fortunately she had a light supper. She flushed the toilet and brushed her teeth. She closed the lid on the toilet and sat, resting her head on the cool countertop. Her life was now someone else's. She was on-call to the Vampire Queen of Louisiana and she was assumedly the house pet of the Sheriff of Area 5. She refused to even let her mind wander to what was happening to Bill and Jessica. Eric pushed open the door and regarded her for a moment.
"What's wrong?"
She didn't bother to lift her head. She decided to speak to the toilet paper roll instead.
"Oh nothing, I guess most people would want to feel wanted. I, on the other hand, feel kinda shitty that I'm now considered your property."
"We got what we wanted, lover."
"No, I want to be left the hell alone. I want to go back in time and run like hell from Bill Compton. I want to not have my Gran murdered by a guy that was tryin' to kill me! I want to not have to chop that same guy's head off with a shovel! I want to be a naïve waitress again whose only problem was that everyone thought I was crazy! I want to not be treated like a damn pet! I want not to be fucking terrified!!"
She was now on her feet. Her face was red and her eyes wild. Eric took a step toward her and she bolted. Unfortunately for her, he was faster. He gathered her in his arms and held her against his chest.
"Sookie!" She still struggled and was starting to hyperventilate,"SOOKIE!" His voice echoed off the tile bathroom walls. She stopped struggling against him and collapsed against his chest. "Breathe, Sookie. Calm down."
"I want to go home. Please, take me home." He lifted her in his arms and carried her over to the bed.
"I'll call the airport and have them get the plane ready. Start gathering your things." She nodded mutely and watched Eric leave the room.