Chapter 8

When I'd sucked two bullets out of Eric's chest in Dallas, along with a bit of his blood, I'd been in a state, as Arlene would say. Shocked… disgusted, panicked. Now, his blood trickled onto my tongue, and I actually tasted it.

It was far richer than Bill's blood, like the best dark chocolate compared to dime-store stuff. I closed my eyes and sucked, my mouth suddenly full of him. I heard Eric moan, and he moved closer to me. I swallowed a second time, almost choking, and felt his blood running wild in my veins, an electric sensation. My body hummed, and I wondered if my skin could contain the energy I felt. Eric pulled his wrist away then, and lapped at the wound. I had wanted more.

"Fuck…" I whispered, and curled up into a ball, on my side. I felt Eric's hand in my hair, gently brushing it out of my face. The threads that had connected us now turned into a rope, and I felt his tenderness for me, with an undercurrent of wanton lust.

Eric was out of the bed then, and he picked me up. We went into the bathroom, where the air was steamy, a couple of candles burned, and the large bathtub was full right up to the high overflow drain. Water still poured into the tub from the spout, but Eric shut it off after he stood me on my feet on the marble floor. Holding one of my hands, he guided me into the deep tub, and followed me in. There was plenty of room for both of us. Plenty of room for three or four people, I guessed.

Eric submerged himself briefly, and reappeared, pushing his wet hair back. I made my way over to him, and sat in his lap. The warm water felt heavenly, and the drops of it on Eric's skin gave me a shiver of arousal. My skin was glowing, as it had after taking a lot of Bill's blood months ago.

"It's good, yes?" he asked, preening a little about his gift to me.

"Eric, I don't even know how to describe it." I felt vital and alert, but dreamy. And lusty. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Eric's. They looked intensely blue, a shade I hadn't seen before.

"I know," he said. "I love seeing you discover this." His fingers twined through mine.

"I feel… our bond is much stronger, isn't it?"

He nodded and gave me a little smile, and one of his hands drifted over my breasts. My fingers moved up his chest and clasped his wonderful shoulders. I kissed his neck, then licked him and scraped my teeth against the skin. He murmured a noise at that, so I bit him gently and sucked, though I didn't draw blood, and brought my hand down to stroke his erection. He closed his eyes and sighed, and I knew he was struggling not to take control, to take me there in the tub. The water had heated his skin to the point that he felt almost human under my touch. I bit his chest, and grazed one nipple with my teeth. He twitched in my hand. I bit him harder, and squeezed him, moving my hand a little faster.

After a minute Eric abruptly removed my hand and kissed me. "Take me in your mouth, Sookie" he said against my lips, and pulled himself out of the water. He sat on the broad tiled deck of the tub. Now I had an eye-level view that was... intimidating. I got to my knees in the water, and nestled between his long legs.

I looked up at him, and he was watching me, his head tilted a little. I'd only done this twice with Bill – I'd felt awkward, and I'd choked and gagged noisily, which had mortified me.

I don't know if it was Eric's blood in me or his half-lidded gaze that gave me a rush, now. Even though I was on my knees before him, I felt powerful as I took him in my hand. I leaned down a little and swirled my tongue around him, then down the length, to the scrotum below. I kissed and licked the soft skin there, then glanced up at Eric's face. He'd reclined against the wall, eyes closed.

I took as much of his length as I could in my mouth, my hands on the rest, and sucked gently. Willing myself to relax, and loving the feel and taste of him against my tongue, I took him in deeper, and applied more pressure. Somehow I coordinated one of my hands with the pace of my mouth, and then my whole world was Eric and his pleasure, which I could feel in my head. His hips were moving, but I suspected he was trying not to thrust too hard, and he kept his hands at his sides.

I sucked, and swirled, and gasped against him until Eric swore in another language. I felt his body tense up, and he came. I swallowed and hardly choked. I gave him one last caress with my tongue and a lingering kiss on his thigh, then sat back in the tub. I was panting and sparking with arousal, both his and mine.

Eric slid back into the tub in front of me and kissed me hard. He lifted my body a little and sank his fangs into the side of my breast, pulling deeply. I cried out, and mewed with disappointment when he stopped. He slowly licked the wound with his tongue.

I felt too tightly wound, and full of need. It took only a few moments of Eric's fingers between my legs to set me off, the sound of my scream echoing around the room, my body shaking hard against his chest. It seemed unending. He whispered soothing words in my ear, only some of which I understood, and I felt his arms tighten around me. I slowly regained my breath.

"Eric," I breathed. "Oh my God…" I felt overwhelmed, and then I whimpered as I realized that renewed arousal was already starting to coil inside me.

"Shh… it's just very new to you," he murmured, as his hands slowly rubbed my back. "Sometimes I forget that."

I rested my forehead on his chest, closed my eyes, and tried to make sense of it all… What was mine, what was from Eric, our bond… Bill and I had shared blood, and pleasure, but neither had felt like this.

"You'll get used to this…" he said, "and you can control it. Although I do like you out of control…" I couldn't form real words yet, but I smiled against his neck.

I didn't want to leave Eric's arms, but the water was cooling, and finally he gently urged me to my feet. He lifted me out of the tub, and wrapped me in a soft towel. He made a haphazard effort at drying himself, then put his hands on my shoulders and walked me back to the bed. He sat on the edge of it, then lay on his back. He was erect again, so I knew I wasn't the only one with this insatiable appetite.

I dropped my towel, and slowly crawled up Eric's body. My wet hair dripped onto him as I nuzzled his chest. I sat up, straddling him, and lowered myself to his base. I hissed at the delicious sensation of being filled again. He closed his eyes for a long moment.

Eric let me set my pace. His hips rose up to meet mine, and his hungry eyes now watched me. I leaned forward and bit his neck gently, then his nipple, and his back arched. I moved my hips a little faster, finding the right friction, and came so quickly, and sharply, that even Eric seemed surprised. I caught a glimpse of his face, which looked either bemused or admiring. I panted against his chest, sighing his name.

He still filled me, and now he rolled us over and thrust into me with hard strokes as he sought his release. Through our bond, Eric's pleasure and lust boiled. It felt primal and dark, and a little frightening, to share this passion so closely. He came with a guttural sigh and moved to rest next to me.

"Sookie… to think that I almost lost you…" His voice was so quiet that I thought he might just be talking to himself.

"I'm here," I whispered, and smiled a little. My eyelids felt too heavy to open.

"You should sleep," he said reluctantly, and then gave me a small soft kiss. "Sweet dreams, Sookie..." I knew he was teasing me, but I drifted off before I could protest.