Chapter 3

I found Eric in a library on the ground floor, sprawled on an oversized sofa. He was shirtless, and wore a pair of old jeans. One bare foot was propped on a big leather ottoman that served as a table. He'd been staring into the fireplace, where a pile of wood burned and crackled (and cast him in a wonderful light), but he looked up as soon as I entered.

"Sookie, are you well?" His eyes were studying me intently, and he appeared unharmed. Thankfully, he didn't laugh at my robe. He didn't even look amused.

I moved towards a chair opposite the couch, but he gave me a little look of annoyance and patted the cushion next to him.

"I'm just fine, I think." I was still a little surprised at how good I felt. I actually felt better than before my stint in the Fangtasia basement. I settled in next to him, keeping a polite distance, and tucked my feet under me. One pink feather escaped the robe and floated past my face.

"You've had blood from Pam and Chow. A transfusion, since you were in a coma."

My heart sank. This was my second coma in a year, and that couldn't be a good thing. "For how long? What day is it?" I asked. His face went hard and he looked at me with somber eyes.

"Three days." I heard the full weight of his worry in his voice. I let that sink in.

"Is Russell dead? Really dead?"

"Yes."

I let out a breath I hadn't even realized I'd been holding. "Tell me what happened," I said softly. I was beyond ready to hear it.

Wearily, Eric tilted his head back into the cushions and gazed at the ceiling. "Well, after I almost killed you, Russell and his second arrived. We fought in the bar, which is now closed for repairs. Pam dispatched the second tout de suite. She was ferocious." Eric allowed himself a small smile of pride, and glanced at me.

"Russell fought hard, he was very old… so strong. But I could feel that the sun was rising. I got him outside, through the back doors. I didn't know for sure…" Eric seemed to turn inwards, his eyes fixed on the fire behind me.

"You didn't burn…" it was a half question, and I touched his hand.

"It was as Bill said," Eric answered, and covered my hand with his. "Painful, but not burned." He paused and looked at me. "I hadn't seen the day since I was turned. To be in the sun again..."

He looked back to the fire and fell silent, remembering.

Finally I had to ask. "But Russell burned?"

"Oh, like a torch." He shot me a satisfied grin, but I know we both thought of Godric at that.

"And then?"

"I went back into the bar, tried to give you some of my blood… but you had no response, wouldn't swallow. I thought you were near death." Eric squeezed my hand briefly. "Pam had to go to ground for the day, but she and Chow had already donated blood for you, into bags... in the storage room freezer. I called Dr. Ludwig and told her to come get you, and told Bobby to stay with you, and to place day guards at the bar. I had to sleep, there... Ludwig got you stabilized, and Bobby brought you here this morning. Ludwig said you'd wake soon."

"What happened to Bill?"

Eric narrowed his eyes at me until I almost squirmed. "He's banished. I sent him away." I felt both relief and a stab of regret. And I knew there was a longer story there, which Eric didn't want to discuss.

"You can do that?"

"Sort of. I had to make amends with the queen, and she agreed with me." He had a bitter tone, and I gave him an enquiring look, which he ignored until I realized that I'd get no answers about it right now.

I chose a different line of questioning. "Are we safe?" Meaning, are there packs of Russell's crazed werewolves hunting for us?

"For the moment, yes," Eric said, sounding quite definite. "We're safe for now. After that TV stunt, very few vampires wanted Russell roaming this earth. I'll figure out something with the wolves… somehow, soon. But it's best if we stay quiet for a time. And you should stay here for a while… stay out of Bon Temps."

Peace and quiet sounded like a great idea to me. "I should call Jason," I said. After three days, he'd probably noticed that I was missing. Well, maybe he'd noticed.

"I have spoken to your brother," Eric said, almost absently. "He knows you're safe." I felt grateful to Eric for that, though God knows how that conversation had gone.

"Where are we, exactly?" I asked, glancing around the room. Bookcases up to the high ceiling covered two walls, and heavy damask curtains were closed over the windows. I felt cozy on this soft sofa, and delightfully warm from the fire.

"It's my home. One of them, anyways. Besides myself, and now you… only Pam and Bobby know about it." He was conveying the significance of my presence here.

I just nodded. I understood the deep trust he was putting in me.

Eric seemed to relax a little, and his eyes flicked over me. "Are you really healed?" he asked, in a low murmur of concern.

"Like it never happened," I said, with a small shrug. Vampire blood had brought me back from serious injury before, but its powers still amazed me. I almost thanked Eric for taking care of me, but realized I wouldn't have needed to go through all that in the first place if it hadn't been for him. But we could have that discussion another time, after I'd had more time to sort through my thoughts.

"I'm very glad to hear that," Eric said, and took my hand to gently pull me towards him. His other arm pulled me easily onto his lap, straddling his legs. I scrambled to arrange my robe, trying to stay covered.

It didn't surprise me at all that Eric would make some kind of move on me just hours after I awoke from a coma. That was just Eric being Eric. But his farewell kiss at Fangtasia had haunted and confused me, during my hours in the basement. I didn't know where we stood, and I realized suddenly that I wanted to understand.

"Sookie, you're shy… for me?" He was chastising me, and sounded a little amused.

I hoped he couldn't see me blushing in the firelight. "Eric, it's just that… I don't know what to think… I never know what to think about you. Or what you really think about me? I mean –"

"No," he interrupted, and put a finger to my lips to silence me. "You do know." Eric pressed one of my hands flat against his cool, smooth chest. "Sookie, we're bonded," he said softly. "Don't you feel it?

Bonded. I searched his watchful face. I felt a swirl of emotions in my head – happiness, arousal, caution – and realized that they were probably Eric's, because I mostly just felt confused. And scared.

"How do I trust you, this time? Eric, you kissed me, but then you chained me in that awful basement. I haven't forgotten that, you know. You said horrible things to me at Russell's house. And you have Yvetta… and God knows who else too…"

"And if I recall correctly, you returned my kiss… enthusiastically." I had gotten caught up in that moment, our first kiss in his office, thinking I would never see him again. Plus, he kisses really well. This blood bond with him, however, seemed like it might be a bigger bite than I could chew.

"There were things I said that I did not mean, Sookie," he continued. "It was for your protection, though you might not understand it all right away. But now… Bill is gone, and you're free to choose, or leave. But I want you to stay… let me protect you."

"You just want to protect me, huh?" Color me skeptical.

He gave me a hint of a smile. "Not just that, no. You know I have… feelings… for you. And you feel something for me. I don't need a blood bond to tell me that."

"You care about me," I said softly.

"I always have, Sookie." His voice was so warm.

"I've had dreams about you…" I said, really more like thinking out loud, and I immediately regretted my words.

Eric didn't seem surprised, but his curiosity was piqued. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Do tell."

"No, Eric. No. It's just that blood thing, obviously. Bill told me all about it… I had, you know, two drops of your blood and it makes me a little tiny bit attracted to you. And that's all - What?"

Eric had started shaking his head. "The blood we've shared just enhances… intensifies… feelings that are already there."

"No." But there was some truth in what he was saying. And it made me wonder how well I knew myself.

"Yes, Sookie." He looked serious but I suspected that he was really enjoying himself. "Now tell me about these dreams." He raised my hand from his chest and pressed his lips softly to my palm.

I stayed silent, slightly mesmerized by his blue eyes, which seemed to be glittering at me. Eric raised my hand just a bit and kissed the inside of my wrist, letting his lips linger there a long moment. He pulled his lips away and didn't bother to hide his smirk.

"I'm all ears…" he said softly, now holding both of my hands. I realized that he would gladly sit here all night, toying with me, until I told him. I sighed, and rolled my eyes.

"Fine. In these dreams," I started, and I had to look down at our hands. I couldn't look at him directly. "You kiss me, and… you're gentle, and sweet, and good…"

Eric tilted my face up with one finger under my chin. He was frowning. "This does not sound like me."

"Maybe it's some… hidden part of you?" I suggested. Eric was conniving, scary, and selfish – I knew it first-hand – but I wanted very much to believe that love was one of his "feelings."

"Do we fuck, in your dreams?" He was looking at me intently, his finger still under my chin. Inwardly, I sighed.

"No," I said emphatically, "I always wake up before…" I waved one of my hands around a little.

He tilted his head and smiled wickedly. "How frustrating for you."

"They're just dreams, Eric," I huffed.

"Yes. I like this… reality… much better," he murmured. His hands moved to my hips, and he pulled me several inches closer. He wanted me to feel his hardness below me, and yes I did. His fangs were showing now, too. He looked especially handsome, and seductive. I sensed that this was probably the last chance I'd have to get up and run. If we started this, Eric wouldn't stop. But I couldn't move, and didn't want to go.

His hips rocked slightly, a calculated move, and I couldn't hold back a little gasp. His hands moved my hips to grind me against him a couple of times, which forced strange breathy mewing sounds from my mouth.

"I cannot resist you," he whispered, with a tone of bemused surprise. His hands slid up my arms and back down, taking the robe with it, off my shoulders. His eyes went right to my camisole-clad breasts. "So beautiful," he said appreciatively, and he set to work on the robe's sash at my waist.

In a moment, the ridiculous robe was on the floor, and his big hands roamed gently, but possessively. He gave a hum of pleasure at the scarcity of fabric over my ass. With one of his hands on my back and another threaded through my hair above the nape of my neck, he tilted me backwards and finally kissed me.

At first the kiss was soft, but when I didn't fight him, he deepened it. Slow, with a nip of one fang against my lips, then deeper still, and more intense, on and on until I was breathless. He broke the kiss to watch his hand move down between us, between my legs, where he pressed me through the lace. I knew he could feel my heat, and the wetness there.

"Just a little, tiny attraction," Eric teased, mocking my earlier words. His eyes slowly lifted to meet mine, and he watched my face carefully as his hand continued to explore, below. My mind was a tangle of lust, fear, exhilaration… lust. Blood bond or not, I wanted him badly. I whimpered as one of his fingers slid into me, and closed my eyes against his intense gaze.

"Sookie," he said, and I loved the slightly ragged sound of his voice now. "Come to my bed." He kissed me deeply again, then trailed his lips down to my neck, and across my collarbones.

And then he was standing. I was attached to him like a barnacle in black lace, my legs around his waist. He carried me to the stairs and as we climbed he nuzzled my neck, and grazed me with his fangs. Through my fog of arousal, I suddenly felt panicky, and my stomach flipped and flopped.

Was I feeling his thoughts? No. I was pretty sure that I wasn't. After all of my dreams of Eric, and his fantastic kisses, we were actually going to bed, and the reality was starting to spook me. In my mind I saw the unwelcome image of Yvetta naked, her legs wide for Eric, her big fake boobs sprinkled with glitter.

"You will love this, Sookie," Eric whispered in my ear. "I promise you." Yvetta faded away, and I felt a rush of calm, this time almost certainly directed from Eric though our bond. So he'd sensed my nerves. Just great. We were heading down the hall now. Eric's talented tongue was on my earlobe, toying with my little earring. He carried me through a big doorway into his pitch-black bedroom, and kicked the door shut behind us.