I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter ready, but I'm all out of prepared chapters. There's only one left, though, and that one won't take me too long. I expect to have this story completed in a week or so.
Hope you like!
As always, I only wish I owned Eric. Charlaine Harris owns that right.
"I'm delighted everything is working out so well for you, Sookie," Claudine enthused. "I always hoped you two would be together and happy."
"I'm very happy," the telepath confirmed with a bright, beaming smile on her pretty face. "He's so much more than I expected, but he's perfect for me, I think."
"You are in love," Claudine stated without surprise.
"Yes, I am," she responded proudly. "I love everything about him, Claudine."
Sookie had known, thanks to her fairy godmother's visions, that there was a chance she would fall in love with the Viking vampire. The practical side of her, however, had held tight to the knowledge that their relationship was not set in stone and anything could happen, theoretically. Meeting him had been completely nerve wracking on so many levels, but it hadn't taken the fairy princess long to appreciate the entire package that was Eric Northman. He came wrapped in an entirely gorgeous skin, but it was the very part of him that made him who he was that called to her, ultimately ensnaring her heart.
The acknowledgement of that love left the telepath feeling secure and empowered. There was no part of her that doubted her love; right to her very soul, Sookie loved him with everything she was and ever would be. It was both terrifying and freeing, with neither feeling taking precedence over the other.
Did the vampire love her? He had never said so, but then again, Sookie hadn't given voice to her feelings yet, either. He treated her with great kindness and respect at all times, but it was the desperate passion and sweet tenderness he showed her in private that made her sure he had feelings as powerful as hers. Whether he was ready to call it love was up to him, as far as she was concerned; Sookie knew the vampire, as was common amongst his kind, didn't embrace the concept of romantic love.
"But you haven't had his blood," Claudine sounded puzzled.
"No, I haven't." Sookie frowned as she spoke. "He hasn't had mine, either."
"What? Why not?" Claudine sounded more eager for details than puzzled now. "You are having sex."
"Yes, we're having sex, but he hasn't bitten me." Sookie was matter of fact about it, but sounded just a little forlorn, all the same. The sex was so much better than even she thought it would be, but it felt like something was missing. She was sleeping with a vampire, after all.
"You're serious, aren't you?" Claudine asked with wide eyes and a more puzzled expression. "He really hasn't tasted you?" The situation with the fairy princess and the vampire was unique enough as it was without the Viking failing to act as the vampire he was. The fairy wouldn't have thought it possible for him to resist the allure of Sookie's incredible sweetness. Claudine's estimation of the Viking climbed another notch as she considered the willpower he must exert every time he is with her.
"No, he really hasn't bitten me." It was the one thing the vampire had stubbornly denied her, no matter how prettily she'd all but begged to feel his fangs in her flesh. When she'd finally confronted him about it, his response had surprised her. "He's waiting," she told Claudine.
"For what?" Her brows drawn together over emerald green eyes, the fairy looked at her cousin with full on puzzlement now etched into her features. Shiny raven locks slid around her slim shoulders as her head gave a shake.
"He wants me to be ready first," Sookie began.
"And you're not ready?" Claudine interrupted with an incredulous look at her beloved cousin.
"Oh, I'm ready for him to feed from me," Sookie replied with a slight blush and a big smile. "But he wants me to be ready to take his blood before he takes mine."
"Really?" Claudine's green eyes grew as round as saucers. "How unexpected…romantic, too."
"I suppose it is, isn't it?" The telepath had been surprised by his explanation, more particularly because they hadn't really spoken much about her taking his blood and forming a bond between them. Somewhere inside her she'd known it was the direction they were heading in, but it still took her by surprise. It had been the last thing she'd been expecting to hear. Everything she knew about vampires told her that sex and blood went hand in hand, but Eric seemingly had rock solid willpower.
"Why are you waiting? You're in love." Claudine paused and held her thoughts for a moment before continuing. "How does he feel for you?"
Sookie smiled, reaching out and clasping her hand over Claudine's. "Don't worry. I think he cares for me."
"You think he cares for you?" Her fairy godmother gave Sookie a strange look. "You're in love with him, but you think he just cares for you? Are you okay with that?" Never had that scenario crossed her mind, or her visions. Nothing had suggested a one-sided, unrequited love.
"Perhaps that was a bad choice of words. I don't know exactly how he feels about me because I haven't asked him and he hasn't told me, just like I haven't told him how I feel," Sookie defended herself. "But I know he feels something for me. I like how we are together; I like how we seem to fit. He treats me better than I could have imagined and for now, that's enough for me."
"But you aren't ready to take his blood?"
"No, I think I am ready. I've been ready for a while, honestly. It's not like I haven't thought about all of this before," Sookie revealed.
"Why are you waiting, then?"
"I suppose I just wanted to experience life as it is now," the telepath shrugged. "I've never really dated or anything before and I've enjoyed it. I know taking his blood is going to change everything in so many different ways. I just wanted to get my fill before everything gets so serious."
"Do you think it will change your life so much?"
"Yes and no. Not in a bad way, but it will change one big thing. I love the fact that I can't hear him, you know? It's nice not to have to try and block him all the time. As much as I want to know how he feels about me, I'm really very happy I can't read it from his mind." Sookie frowned slightly, her lips pressing together momentarily. "Once we start exchanging blood, though, that kind of privacy will be gone. I won't be able to hear his thoughts, but I will start to feel his emotions. I'm actually not sure if it will be any better than hearing his thoughts."
"Oh," Claudine murmured. "I hadn't thought of that, cousin. I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry," Sookie replied. "It's simply the way things are. I don't feel half as sorry for myself as I sound. That's only a small part of how I feel about blood bonding with Eric. I know there will be wonderful benefits, too."
"So you are going to take that step?" Claudine had never been sure of the outcome, no matter what her visions showed her. There were simply too many variables when it came to Sookie and her vampire. Never before had she experienced so many visions, all showing so many varied possibilities for the future. "You will take his blood?"
"Of course," Sookie replied serenely, as if it had never been in doubt. "Just as he was waiting for me to be ready, I was waiting for the timing to be right."
"And is it?" Claudine probed. No matter her uncertainty with the exact path her charge would take, Sookie's fairy godmother knew exchanging blood with the vampire was an essential component of her future.
"I think so," the fairy princess replied. "I'm seeing him tonight and I'm going to tell him how I feel. From there, we will see what happens."
Claudine quietly absorbed what Sookie was saying, thinking of the strength her charge possessed. Just as she knew Sookie thought her to be a better, wiser person, she knew it was in fact the telepath who was the stronger and more resilient of the two. The simple country girl she'd met just a few short years ago was long gone, left behind as the beautiful, confidant woman before her emerged like a butterfly, beating her wings as she reveled in her strength and power.
The metamorphosis she'd endured had been remarkable on so many levels; it was rare for one with such dilute blood to possess the essential spark. It was even rarer for one with mostly human blood to be able to withstand the emergence of that spark. Sookie had not only withstood it, she'd triumphed over it to fully embrace it and learn to control it with remarkable precision. In very short order, the simple, sheltered girl had become a powerful and formidable force to be reckoned with.
No matter how powerful, however, Sookie was just an innocent girl falling in love, laying her heart on the line for the first time. There was no magic to protect her from any potential heartbreak, no spell to give her the happily-ever-after she deserved. Claudine, no matter how much more experienced with men than Sookie, had never actually been in love, or not the way Sookie loved the vampire. She'd never been emotionally invested enough in any man to truly care what he felt for her. She might never have loved anyone enough to want them to love her back, but she could still sympathize with what Sookie was facing.
"I'm sure it will be fine," Claudine said eventually. "Everything has worked out well so far. Grandfather will at least relax once you've bonded."
"He will?" Sookie asked dubiously before taking a sip of her tea. "I think you're forgetting the minor fit he threw at the very idea of me and Eric."
"Like I told you then, Sookie, don't worry about him. Any concerns he had will disappear when the Northman makes it official. He was more concerned things wouldn't be this good and you would be hurt."
"Bonding doesn't prevent heartbreak. Eric could still beak my heart, even if we are bonded," Sookie argued without any passion.
"True, but he would still be yours and still bound to protect you. Niall's concerns are about more than your heart, cousin. While he surely worried about your emotional wellbeing, to someone as old and as powerful as Niall, it is more about the legalities and the technicalities."
"What on earth is that supposed to mean?"
"Sookie, bonding is an eternal promise, a melding of two into one. Eric would be taking on the responsibility of your well-being for the rest of your life, just as you would for him. It is a contract more meaningful than any written document; this is a promise forged in sacred blood magic. Since it is your decision to live in this realm, Niall will be content to let you do so with such a strong protector by your side." Claudine paused and squeezed Sookie's hand. "You do understand he was being such a bear about the whole thing because he worried for you, though? He was genuinely concerned for you and immediately thought the worst about the Viking."
"I don't know if it's better or worse that he worried I might become a common fangbanger," Sookie replied with a wry twist to her lips. "But I love the old guy anyway and if me being bonded to Eric will give him some peace, then that's fine with me. I still don't understand what you meant by the legalities and technicalities, though."
"Well, because technically, if you bond, you will belong to Eric. This is from a vampire perspective; their blood is their most prized possession and if it's in you, they own you too. But legally speaking – supernatural law, that is – you outrank Eric, meaning you cannot be owned by him. The legality of the situation means you would be his equal, rather than an owned possession."
"I know all that," Sookie said.
Claudine opened her mouth and then closed it, small pearly teeth merging to chew on the edge of her bottom lip as she looked at her cousin and charge, the reluctant fairy princess. With a small sigh, she gave a shrug and gave up trying to explain it nicely. "Niall would have the right to kill him should anything happen to you."
"Holy crap!" the girl cried out. "This is what makes him happy? Well, he will be disappointed because Eric would never let anything happen to me. I won't let anything happen to me, either."
"It's not that he wishes anything to happen, Sookie." Claudine's admonishment was gentle, but firm. "Niall is very – old school, you might say. The bonding makes it official, almost like marriage. That is what will make him happy; he wants to see you in a stable, secure relationship."
"Well, that I can offer him, I think." Sookie rolled her shoulders as she thought. "I've enjoyed my stint at being 'normal' but I think it's time to move forward with real life again. It seems crazy to even be thinking about this stuff so soon; I mean, I only met Eric a couple of weeks ago. But I really don't see the point in waiting, you know? I've kind of known for a long time that this would probably happen. Now that I've met him and fallen in love with him, it really just feels right to do it now."
"I think you are right. Everything we know says this is right, Sookie. I honestly feel you shouldn't delay, but I've always been an advocate of that position." Claudine looked thoughtful for a brief moment. "Trust your instincts, Sookie. You will know what is right."
Long after she'd departed Claudine's, those words stayed with Sookie. Every instinct she possessed screamed at her to bind herself to her vampire lover by any and every means necessary. Careful thought had been given to those impulses and Sookie was sure it was more than the blush of first love driving those instinctive feelings. Love certainly played into her decision; if she hadn't loved the vampire, she was sure there would be little chance she would feel this need to tie herself to him.
Her contemplative mood led her to wonder about Eric's motivation to create a bond between them. Vampires would expect at least one exchange of blood but Sookie knew Eric didn't really care what was expected of him. It was his blood, his most sacred, prized possession, as Claudine had said. Eric was not the type of vampire who gave his blood freely, but yet, he wanted to share it with her. What drove his instincts? Whereas Sookie had at least been given the advantage of advance warning and knowledge, Eric truly hadn't been given the same luxury. He'd truly only known her for a matter of weeks, but yet somehow felt comfortable enough to want his blood in her.
Could his security stem from his burgeoning feelings for her? Was he being buffeted by the same peaceful wave of serenity that accompanied her decision? Sookie, for all her inexperience with men, could not help but notice the evolution of Eric's feelings for her. Oh, he'd been interested enough right from their first meeting, but small things gave him away now; his inability to be around her and not be physically connected in some way was no small indicator, but it was the even smaller things Sookie noticed the most. It was how the light in his eyes burned brightly, only for her; it was the way his devastating smile was a softer, more personal one than the sexy, come hither kind of grin he'd been fond of bestowing on her during their early interactions. His whole face softened when he looked at her and smiled, a change Sookie had noticed before Pam pointed it out one night.
Rising from the bathwaters she'd used as her meditation space, Sookie tried to clear her mind as she dried her skin. A methodical application of unscented lotion soothed her further and she moved on to choosing her attire for the evening. If things went as planned, there would be some very intimate moments shared between them tonight and Sookie wanted to feel beautiful for the occasion. Eric always complimented her appearance, but somewhere inside her, she knew he really wouldn't have cared much if she was still wearing the cheap Walmart sundresses she favored when she was poor. Regardless, this was going to be a memorable night for the rest of their lives and she chose her outfit carefully before selecting the sexiest lingerie she owned to wear underneath.
An hour later, she was satisfied with her appearance. It was still some time before dark, but Sookie knew Eric would be rising long before the sun sank into the night. A last minute check of her appearance and her bag prompted some random thought into her head and Sookie ran back to her bedroom and rummaged through her drawers until she found the item she was looking for. Shoving it into her purse, she smoothed her hair and took a deep breath before starting to teleport herself directly into Eric's daychamber.
"Welcome home, lover," came the sexiest purr she'd ever heard in her life. Eric smiled that wonderful smile and lifted the edge of the sheets. "Are you coming in, or am I getting up?"
"I'm really hoping for both," Sookie replied with a sweet smile that belied the brazenness of her words. He was gorgeous; breathtaking in the best way possible. As small sigh slid between her perfectly pink lips as she remembered her plan. "Later."
I'm going to leave it here for now. There's only one more chapter left for this story and I think it needs to pick up from this point. Sorry there was almost no Eric in this one, but the next one will make up for it in a big way.
Please remember to review. It really does make me want to write!