*enters the room and gives a small wave* Hi everyone! Remember me? Yep, I'm sorry, I dropped off the face of the earth. I know I promised updates, but I've just been very very busy and my muse ran away. Hopefully that time is over and here is something a lot of you wanted and requested and I sincerely hope you all like it. I cannot wait to have you all back in my life again.
I promise to get my ass in the game again and you better pester me about it.
I own nothing, CH does, unfortunately since she'd never turn Sookie, right?
The loss of my Maker was a big cause of pain for me and a relief at the same time. Vampires as old as I should not have Makers that are still alive. There comes an age when one does not like the idea of another having that amount of control over you.
I knew he would come some day. He'd done if before. He released me to my own when he got bored of me and then he'd find his way back to torment me time and time again, knowing there was nothing I could do against him.
Appius never cared much for my wellbeing. At over two thousand years he was a selfish creature, as I suspected I'd turn if I ever reached that age.
I had lost my Maker and I had lost Sookie. The two emotions, though very different, left me empty and mournful. I resented Sookie for leaving me, although I could certainly understand her decision. Bad things have happened to her ever since she was exposed to the supernatural world, but her approach to the situation was not the best.
Also, and most importantly, I resented Appius. He was the one vampire I feared most in the world for what he'd done to me after my wake and for the many centuries that followed. He tortured me, physically and mentally. I could not find myself sorry for his death, despite the pain I'd felt when he met his final death.
I was relieved he no longer had control over me and I hated him for being the drop that toppled Sookie's glass. The way I saw it, and this is solely because I was trying to find a person responsible for our separation, he was the reason I was not with my bonded in this very second.
While I hated most human holidays because they had no meaning behind them other than consumer bullshit, I appreciated the age-old New Years. All cultures celebrate the passing of time and although I usually kept away from the rowdy crowds in such night, somehow I didn't want to be alone tonight. Not that I'd ever admit that to anyone.
Gods know Pam would never shut up about it.
I had been in my chair for a few hours when I felt it. A window opened in a stuffy home. A beacon of light in the darkness. Sookie's side of the bond was open.
Was she in trouble, I asked myself immediately, but tried to keep my feelings in check. Perhaps she had simply lost control of the wall she had learnt to build.
I allowed myself to analyze what she was feeling and found loneliness, longing, love and sorrow. I missed her. Eric fucking Northman, older than dirt itself, missed the Bon Temps troublemaker. I admitted it and I felt no shame. She had awoken feelings inside me that I knew nothing of until I met her. She was my bonded and my pledged and I would protect her until I would meet my final death, for I knew, just as sure as I knew night followed day, that I'd follow her just the same. A creature of the night following one in love with sunshine. I'd only live long enough to bury her.
I knew I was risking scaring her away and making her retreat in her own little shell again, but I allowed my feelings to reach her, comfort her as I would have if I were in front of her. I felt her surprise before she reigned it in and then her feelings shifted to determination.
I could tell she wasn't moving great distances so I could only assume she was still at home. I didn't dare probe for her feelings further than what was at the surface. I was afraid I'd misunderstand her and make a fool of myself. I'd wait for her until the world stopped spinning, but my ego had been hurt by her decision and I would not be the one to take the first step.
As it was, I felt like a sitting duck. The second Felipe and Victor figured out I had lost the so-called control I had over Sookie, they'd send someone to take me out and someone to pick her up and transport her to Vegas. I was of no use to them if I the masks were dropped and all was exposed.
I'd like to see them try, I smirked at my thoughts. Sure, I was cocky, but I was also level-headed enough to know I'd survive anything they lashed on. Their fates however were yet under the hammer. The only reason I was taking all their bullshit was because I didn't particularly want to be king. However, if I had my way they'd never see my bowed head again. I was older and more powerful than both of them combined.
The distance between Sookie and I was shortening fast. I tried to keep my composure as I felt her getting nearer and nearer. Pam must have felt my mood because she poked her head through the door and raised an eyebrow in my direction. I nodded slowly at her and motioned for her to return outside.
If Sookie was to enter the bar I didn't want her to have any trouble from the fangbangers at the door. Gods know they can be annoying leeches when they're happy. I don't even want to think at the things Sookie will be able to read from them as she cuts the line.
If she ever entered, that is. I was prepared to let her have five minutes outside and then I'd go after her. She surprised me, however, as she never hesitated. Determination was still her most prominent feeling as she walked through the door. Then it was like a dam broke. I closed my eyes for a second, trying to filter through everything she was sending me.
My eyes locked on hers and I rose to my feet, moving through the crowd towards her. She opened her coat and exposed the dress she had underneath it. She looked breathtaking, pun intended. The color suited her well and it made her hair and eyes stand out. In a mass of black and leather she looked like a goddess.
She smiled at me and I felt alive again. My life seemed to have a purpose again, but I would not let myself get excited over nothing. I wanted nothing more than to kiss her and feel her body against mine, preferably without clothes on, but I simply offered her my hand.
Sookie took it with a smile and I pulled her closer, smirking as I heard her let out a small sigh, as she lay her head on my chest. The bond told me she was content in my arms and I couldn't help but agree with her. This was best.
We swayed to the beats of the song, softly moving from one side to the other, not really dancing. The entire club was looking at us and I couldn't bring myself to care. Let them be jealous, let them watch as I danced with my bonded. I dared them to interrupt.
The second the song ended I motioned for her to join me in the back office. We needed to talk and here was not the place. The bar had too many eyes and too many sensitive ears that would pick up on anything that passed our lips.
I was surprised, however, when we reached the hall and she pulled me towards the back exit and the parking lot. I followed her and helped her in the car. Not one word. Not a single thing had passed her painted lips.
I went to the other side and slid into the car as well and put it in drive. I stole glances at her as I drove and probed the bond as soft as I could. I had no idea what to expect of her. Was this simply because she felt alone tonight, or did she really miss me? Was she going to say she was leaving for Fairy or to another country or that she was coming back to me. Would Sookie break me or make me, was what it summed at.
As we approached the right turn that would take us back to Bon Temps I asked where to take her.
"Home," she said softly and my stomach tightened as I turned the steering wheel in the direction of Bumfuck. I felt her hand over mine, her warmth spreading into my skin and burning like only her touch could.
"Home, Eric," she said again and I smiled as I understood what she had said.
Taking Sookie at her home would have meant our relationship was truly, really over. She'd have wanted to be on her own turf if she was going to give me bad news.
My mood was improving more and more as I felt her tranquil state. One of my homes, the one I enjoyed most, was in the outskirts of Shreveport and that's where I was going. Soon, I was parked in front of the house and I zipped to her side to help her out.
She gladly took my hand as I helped her up of the car, but I had no excuse for what I did next. I scooped her up, bridal style as they call it nowadays, and carried her into the house. I nearly tripped as her face nuzzled in my neck and she took in deep breaths of my shirt and skin.
I put her on the sofa and I opened my mouth to talk, only to find her fingers pressed against my lips.
"I need to talk and I need you to listen, ok? I need to get this out," she said before she started mending my heart and soul.
She told me how she loved me and how she had missed me and even though it couldn't erase the pain I had felt when she left me, it sure made it seem more bearable. She was the first woman I had given myself like this to in a thousand years and I was vulnerable in front of her. It was not a feeling I was used to, but I had come to understand that with Sookie most of everything I felt was new. Good or bad.
I told her I forgave her, because it all seemed silly to hold a grudge when we could be happy together. The past was the past and there was no reason to dwell on it, only learn from it. We had to stand together, we had to work together, love together and we'd both live to see another night.
I pressed my lips to hers, softly at first, before my longing for her took over and I kissed her fully. I wanted her to remember always how much my kisses, and mine alone were making her feel.
Really, I though nothing could surprise me further tonight than her return to my side, but she found a way. She pulled a tissue from her purse and opened it, revealing what looked like a bullet. I picked it up slowly and immediately felt my own scent on it. I filtered through the numerous times I got shot, to those when she was present and I immediately knew.
Dallas. The bullet she sucked out of my chest. Even as she claimed she was Compton's…
"I knew I should be yours." Her words echoed through my mind and made me impossibly hard. From that second on it was like I couldn't get close to her fast enough.
I scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom. Our bedroom. I untied the black sash from her waist, opened the brooch on her shoulder and her dress dropped to the floor, leaving her in barely there lingerie. My cock was aching to be in her and my fangs were craving her skin. I had missed seeing her sun-kissed skin. Mine.
We ended up on the bed, with me on top of her, kissing her skin, the one I've missed for too long. She moaned my name as my fangs found her nipple and then, soft as a breeze I heard her say the perfect word. "Forever".
My hands kept roaming her body as I confessed, once more that I would make her mine forever if she'd only let me. I wanted her by my side, but in the end, time meant nothing. Whether I'd get to live another thousand years with her by my side or another sixty until she died a natural death, it was of no real importance to me, as it would never be enough. I had come to terms with this feeling she arose inside me and I would not press her into joining me into eternal life. Our love would last as long as we'd still be alive.
She moaned the word again, this time more powerful and I felt her determination once more. I stopped and asked her. I needed to know.
"Mine or yours, Lover?"
"Yours. I want it to be mine as well. Ours," she declared, caressing me. I was sure to be in shock. Elated, surprised, happy. I do not think there was a proper response to her promise.
"Lover, don't joke." I needed her to never joke about this. It was not something I took lightly and I was hoping she knew that.
"I want to be yours in every way. Your lover, your bonded, your pledged, your childe," Sookie managed to get out before my lips were on hers again. I poured all my love into the bond, letting her feel everything I felt. She needed to know to never be afraid, she needed to know she could trust me and that there was nothing in this world I'd love more than to spend century after century with her. I'd never tire of her.
I made sure she was wet and ready before I pushed into her, groaning at the feeling I only got when I was inside her. I took her slowly, restraining myself, since I didn't want to hurt her. Fuck. It was hard to not let go. I wanted to and I growled as I thought of the ways I could take her when she'd be a vampire.
She was moaning and clutching to my shoulders, her eyes rolled in the back of her head and I knew she was close.
"Do it now, Eric. Jag älskar dig," she said and I moaned as she exposed her neck to me. For a brief second I wondered if she meant she wanted me to change her before I felt her pull me closer. I bit into her skin and I felt every cell in my body was alive as her blood hit my tongue. We came together, screaming in pleasure.
She didn't push me away, but stayed in my arms, letting me feed, letting me change her. I never felt any panic from her as her life left her, slipping from her grasp. Love, content and the thrill she always felt when I drank from her.
Her heart nearly stopped beating when I cut into my wrist and put it to her mouth, letting my blood pool down her throat.
"Come back to me. I need you, Lover," I whispered into her ear as I felt the bond switch to a little hum as she died in my arms.
I let bloody tears fall then. For her human life, for her love of sunshine, for the things she'd have to face. For the sacrifice she made for me, for us.
I pulled her body closer to mine and cradled her into the blankets. I took a washcloth from the bathroom and cleaned her body as best I could. I covered her in the warm blankets. Not that she'd need them, but it felt wrong somehow to leave her bare.
I didn't bother calling Pam on the phone, but simply used my Maker's influence so she'd know I wasn't messing around. I felt her coming closer the second I released the pull.
I scrolled through my contact list and thought of the allies I had. Turning Sookie might be seen as treachery by Felipe and Victor and I had no intention of letting it go there. It was my right as bonded to a human to turn her without the King's permission, even if he considered her to be in his retinue. However, I wouldn't put it above him to stake an empty claim.
That, however, wasn't my first worry. I needed a place to train her and for her to adjust to the vampire life without worrying and looking over her shoulder the entire time. So I called someone who had a soft spot for my ray of sunshine.
"Northman, do tell, how's the Missus?"
"Very well, your Highness."
"Nonsense, Eric. I might be older than you, but only by a couple hundred years. Don't kiss my ass."
"Russell, I know you are fond of Sookie, am I correct?" I went straight to the point.
"I hope you're not going to do it like those uncivilized vampires and propose to trade her or some other shit," he said, all ruffled up.
"I am merely asking because I need your help in the next few months. I need your help protecting her."
"Well, that's another matter altogether. Of course I'll help. I'm bored out of my mind. She'll keep things interesting, I'm sure. What has she done now that she needs protecting?"
"Long story or short story?"
"Give me the long version, that way I won't bore you again with the details."
"De Castro and Victor are after her. They've been waiting for an opportunity to intervene between us…"
"But you've pledged as well, yes? I heard that. Although, I must admit, my sources also said that Victor didn't believe it to be genuine," he mused.
"Yes, we're also pledged. I don't give a shit what Victor says, but given the circumstances I want to be prepared to protect her at any cost. Your standing as King and friend of Sookie will deter them for at least a while."
"And what exactly are the circumstances? You're yet to tell me that."
"In three day's time Sookie will be one of us."
There was silence over the phone. I was fairly certain he was considering all aspects of what I'd said.
"You and Sookie have my protection, Northman. Bring her here in your own time. One question though, and please answer me truthfully. I have suspected it for some time now."
"Thank you, Russell. Ask away," I said reluctantly.
"Your Sookie's part fae, isn't she?"
I thought about lying to him, but I was asking for his help, his protection and I honored my allies. Also, if my assumptions were true, I'd need help in the next few weeks and his knowledge of other races was sure to come in handy.
"She is. Brigandt's great grand-daughter."
"Royal. She does have that 'princess' look about herself."
"Don't let her hear you say that," I chuckled and he joined me.
"Yes, you're probably right about that. She could probably zap me half across the room."
"What?"
"Yes, I suspect she'll be a little firecracker or that she'd develop some kind of ability. She'll be a gifted vampire, Northman. Those of mixed races often acquire more gifts than usual. I've seen a demon turned vampire once and he could make you blind for as long as it took him to either kill you or escape. With a fae hybrid such as Sookie, telepathic nonetheless, I can only expect great things. I knew you'd entertain me, Northman," Russell said, almost giddy at the prospect.
"As thrilled I am you've found yourself a new toy, I am scared she'll hate being even more "abnormal" than she already feels."
"But her telepathy is a gift."
"To you and to me, maybe, but not to her. Not when she was the weird one as a child, when she couldn't date anyone as she grew up. Although I see the benefits, I can understand her need to be normal."
"Ah, but she chose you, Eric. Half her friends, from what I've heard, aren't human, she's bonded to a vampire and she's Fae Royalty. She's hardly normal and I think she knows that."
"From what you've heard?" I asked, raising a brow Russell couldn't see.
"Yes. I have people that tell me how she's been. That prank she pulled while under my roof has put her above any human I've ever met. She intrigues me and I've grown fond of her. I'm sure you understand. It's nothing for you to worry about."
When a few seconds passed and I had yet to say anything, I realized I was acting like a jealous teenager.
"I would never intervene between a bonded pair, Northman."
"I know. I will talk to you in a few nights then. I must tend to Sookie."
"Of course, of course. Keep me posted. I'll arrange for your arrival. Pamela will join you, I expect."
"Yes. Good night."
"Same."
I put the phone down and thought of the next few months. I wondered, much as Russell, what she'd be able to do now that her magic was changing. Would her telepathy transfer, would she be able to read vampire minds, will she be able to fly, would she develop more fae magic? I rubbed my eyes in frustration. Nothing about the next few days was predictable and I hated not knowing what would happen next.
Pam entered the house and zapped towards me.
"Eric, what is it?" she asked quickly, before looking towards the bed. She gasped and moved quickly to the bed, where Sookie lay.
"What have you done?" her voice full of anguish.
"She's changing, Pamela. She chose me, she chose it," I explained. I didn't need to do it, since I was her Master, but I felt I needed to. Sookie was as close to a friend as Pamela had in her three centuries.
Her eyes went wide, her mouth agape. She was shocked. And then she started snickering.
"Well, of course our little fairy would make the unexpected decision. When are we leaving?" she asked and I raised an eyebrow at her. She truly knew me better than anyone.
"When she rises. We'll have to ask her if she wants to fake her death or if we should all fake them and leave the country altogether. I'm fairly certain she'll want to be able to talk to her brother at least. We'll see."
"Where are we going if she wants to stay?"
"Mississippi. "
"Oh great, Russell is such a doll," she said excitedly and I'm sure she was imagining the talks she could have with his gay boyfriends.
"I'm glad you agree."
I might have been a bit snippy.
"You're worried," she remarked.
"Yes. Fae-human hybrid turning into a vampire. I doubt there's been one before. I've talked to Russell and neither of us know what to expect exactly. He has some theories, but nothing solid".
"We'll cross each bump when we get there. Eric, she's going to be fine. We'll take care of her," she said, sensing my anxiety. "I thought you'd be happy."
"I am happy. I'm thrilled she made this decision. I just need to get my shit together before she wakes. Felipe and Victor will come for her if they even suspect her abilities have passed over or extended. They'll do everything in their power to kill me, like they hadn't been planning that for ages."
"Eric, you've lived a thousand years. You're smarter and more powerful than them. If need be, you take over. Or flee the country. I'm getting tired of this fuckery anyway. Too much fucking drama. It's like a bad soap-opera," she huffed.
"We'll see. I'm building a million plans in my mind for any possible situation."
"That's what you're good at."
I smiled at her and wrapped my arms around her, kissing her forehead. It was times like this when I remembered why I turned her and why she was still with me after so many years. We worked. I knew her, she knew me and we called each other on our bullshit, but we also praised our good points.
Which was why Sookie and I would be ok, on the long term. On the very long term. With that thought, a big smile spread on my face.
So? How is everyone feeling? I have something to announce, I got an email this morning, from a very very nice lady, by the name of Sephrenia, who let me know that Eternal Night is her Sunday Story of the Week. Which is awesome. I've been giddy since this morning. Just put in her name with number 1 at the end and search for the wordpress blog. I'd add it to my page, but won't let me.
Big thanks go to Keri for supporting my chappy and clearing away my worries.
Darlings, please, let me know what you thought. It'd make me write faster :D
xoxo
Gaby
