Chapter 7
I must have dozed off because I awoke in the back of a limousine, stretched across Eric's lap with him stroking my hair. He'd told me so much about his home and his life the last one hundred years or so. He made a lot of his money on the railroads and western expansion during the 1800's and narrowly avoided losing it all on a bad investment prior to World War II. I was dying to find out how Eric came to America and when, but he told me that was a story for another time.
I was surprised more vampires weren't drawn to becoming historians like Mahesh-Ra. Eric laughed when he told me that she is currently a Professor of Antiquities at the Sorbonne in France. He had the burgundy box that had carried her blood tucked under his arm for safekeeping. We were gliding silently towards Shreveport. I rolled onto my back and looked up at him. He was so beautiful in the moonlight.
"I love you, Eric." I sighed contentedly.
"Hey, you fell asleep. We're home, Lover." He lifted me up and I saw the house lit up like it was a few nights ago. Such different circumstances. I promised myself that this time, I would enjoy every detail. The car pulled up to the stairs and the driver came around to the back and let us out. I had only been in a limousine twice before. I could get used to this lifestyle.
Eric took my hand and led me up the stairs. I hadn't noticed the maze and fountain when Pam drove me here before. We got to the double doors and I waited for him to open them.
"So, Sookie, are we going traditional or would you like to carry me over the threshold?"
"How about you just invite me in, and I'll follow you."
"Well, I offered." He smiled, took my hand and pushed the doors open. "This, my love, is Ravenwood." It was as I remembered; except this time, Eric was vertical. While I wanted to see the rest of the house, I was very interested in heading up to our bed. His staff must only appear during the daytime, because I hadn't heard or seen anyone else either time. I unbuttoned my coat and Eric took it from me. He led me into a cloakroom that was as large as my laundry room at home. He kissed me lightly and promised to show me around the next evening.
He received a call from Fangtasia as we went back out into the foyer and began ascending the stairs. There were oil paintings by artists I recognized from coffee table books at the Shreveport Art Museum lining the walls as the stairs gently curved upward. Once on the balcony, I looked over the balustrade to the foyer below. Through the bank of windows over the front doors, you could see a lake just beyond the maze complex. It would take days to thoroughly explore this place.
He ended his call and we stepped into the bedroom. The lights were on and the bags from my shopping trip were neatly folded on a black settee. I suspected that my clothes were hanging in a walk-in closet or dressing room that I had yet to discover. The bed had been made and the flowers were just as fresh as they were earlier in the week, which meant that they were probably replaced every three days or so. Eric must have realized what I was thinking.
"Pam stopped by before she went to Fangtasia for the evening. She left you a note." Eric handed me an envelope and I opened it. I saw him pick up a peignoir that I'd purchased at Victoria's Secret and raise his eyebrow approvingly.
"Very nice, Sookie. What does Pam have to say?"
I giggled and took the peignoir. "She left this out for me and she's sorry that she won't get to see me in it. Oh, and she told me to tell you to hire a ladies maid."
He shook his head and laughed, "That Pam. Now put that on so I can tear it off."
"But I like it, I've never owned a see-thru nightie before."
"I will buy you another. I grow impatient."
I smiled at him seductively and walked into the bathroom to undress. I had to laugh at my sudden streak of modesty given the wild strip tease I had done in his hospital room. I slipped out of my clothes and pulled the flimsy material over my head. It was so sheer and light, it hardly qualified as a nightgown. I knew that he'd come in just as surely as I knew my own name.
"Lover, I cannot wait any longer."
He lifted me up by my waist and placed me on the marble top vanity. I lost my breath as he entered me. I turned my head and watched him in the mirror. We moved together for several minutes. I wrapped my legs around his waist and held onto him. He was much stronger now than he'd been before. Eric told me that Mahesh-Ra's blood would make him one of the strongest and fastest vampires in the world and that there were only two other vampires in existence with her blood. He wouldn't need to feed as often, and he would be able to rise earlier, requiring less sleep.
"Eric," I kissed his neck. "The bed. "Now."
He lifted me up off the counter and I held onto him. I moved against him as he carried me to the bed and laid me down. I turned over onto my knees and grabbed the pillows. He growled with eagerness and finished what we started in the bathroom.
When we were both too exhausted to hold ourselves up, we collapsed on top of the comforter. I don't know if I've ever been in a more comfortable bed.
I crawled between the sheets and Eric slid in beside me.
"You won't be here when I wake up, will you?" I was already going to miss the mornings in the hospital when I'd wake up with him in my arms.
"No. But I will be close by."
I remembered that a vampire's daytime sleeping spot is his or her most closely guarded secret. "I will miss you horribly."
"Not as much as I will miss you." He kissed my neck lightly, and I stared up at the mural painted on the top of his bed. He began pulling the draperies around us closed and we were cut off from the rest of the world.
"This reminds me of when Jason and I would play tent in the living room on rainy days. We would drag all of the blankets out of the linen closet and tie them to chair backs and the banister. Sometimes, when Gran would help, she would run clothes line between the kitchen and dining room and we would drape blankets over that and read by flashlight, and tell ghost stories."
"He took good care of you."
"We took care of each other. He's a great guy, I hope he finds someone to make him happy."
"Are you happy?"
"I am." I sighed. It was so nice to just be able to let go with someone and relax completely. No thoughts crowding in. Eric also didn't mind sitting in silence sometimes. Most people try to fill up every moment with something instead of just letting it be. We lay quietly, holding each other and nothing more.
"Which stars am I looking at here?"
"That is the night sky, as seen from my village about the time I was turned. I had an astronomer recreate the probable star positions and then I brought an artist in. It is relatively new actually. I got it a year ago, I think."
"If you had told me a year ago that we'd be here, like this…I just wouldn't have believed you."
"I have been telling you that you were meant to be mine since you were presented to me at Fangtasia."
"I was not presented to you. We call that introducing."
"You were laid out before me as a banquet for my eyes and mind; now, a feast for my body and soul. So I think presented is appropriate."
"As romantic as you are, why haven't you been snapped up several times?"
"We'll discuss those things another time. I'll have to leave you soon and there are some things we need to discuss. The staff that manages my household lives here at Ravenwood, but they have there own homes down the lane by the lake. Don't be startled if you see them around at various hours. I had Bobby leave a house key for you on your car key ring. The alarm code spells out "Seven" don't reveal this to anyone for any reason. I have a housekeeper and groundskeeper that report every day at 8 am. Natalia Gurova is my housekeeper. She is very good at her job and proud of it. She is supposed to be bringing you food for the kitchen." He smiled and drew lazy circles on my chest. "I have a kitchen, but I can't tell you the last time I was in it, so if you require something, leave her a list. She buys my toiletries on Wednesdays, so I'm guessing she could buy groceries for you then too. By the way, she knows that you'll be here so don't worry about scaring her.
Anton Gurov is her younger brother; he takes care of the grounds and makes sure that I have fresh flowers in my room and throughout the house every day.
Carl is the maintenance person. You may not see him very often, or if you do, it will be in passing to go to the mechanical room.
Oliver takes care of my cars and Brady manages my horses. If you decide to go riding, make sure you get with Brady, as he will have to pair you with the right horse for your temperament but tell him I suggested Avalon. They all answer to Bobby Burnham. so, if you have any problems with anyone, or if you need to contact one of them, let Bobby know. Pam is right, you do need an assistant. I'll have Bobby look into that tomorrow." He pulled up a yellow note pad on his phone and left a message for Bobby. "He checks this daily. Sometimes I leave notes for him in the butler's pantry, otherwise he's to retrieve notes from my phone."
I laughed out loud.
"What is so funny?"
"Everything. Our lives couldn't be more different." He sat up and swung his legs out of the bed. "I mean if I run out of Tide, I have to go to the SuperSaver and grab Tide. If my car breaks down, I have to spend a good hour fretting about how I'm going to pay for it before anything gets fixed. It's just so different, and no, I won't have an assistant, okay? I'm just me, Sookie from Bon Temps, Louisiana and I can fold my own laundry and wash my own dishes and drive myself to work and back."
"I applaud your work ethic. But this house requires quite a few more people than that and I don't know if you realized it, but I'm a very busy man."
"I didn't mean to offend you, Eric. I was only pointing out how different we are."
"We're not so different. You had your grandmother to manage things and when she passed, you had to rely on friends. People without friends pay servants."
I had put my foot in my mouth, but he was willing to let it pass.
"I'll see you tomorrow evening then." He kissed me quickly and pulled the draperies shut. I heard what sounded like a heavy door being opened, and then closed again, but I couldn't make out from which direction. I hopped out of the bed and saw that I was alone in the room. He had told me that he would be close by, so I took a chance that he could hear me.
"I'm sorry, Eric. I say dumb things without thinking sometimes. Be patient with me, okay? I love you. Goodnight." I climbed back into the bed and pulled the draperies closed. Just before I drifted off, I heard Eric from what sounded like a very far distance say, "I love you, too."