Hi!
I promised I'd update soon and here is the new chappy. I didn't want to post this until the next one was done, but I didn't have time to write this weekend and didn't want to keep you waiting. Hopefully, the next one will be done soon, as well.
I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. You are all amazing! I've sent replies to some of you since I didn't have time to reply to all of you, plus there were some "guest" readers as well. Man... I have no words for how much your reviews mean to me. I hope you'll all love the story!
I posted a question on my wordpress account - does anyone want ebooks of Eternal Night, Songs of Our Lives and the one shots? Is anyone interested in that? Go over there and leave me a message so I can manage the replies more easily.
I talk too much! here's the chapter:
Excuse me? I was not... But... I was stunned to say the least.
Russell must have figured out that all those confusing thoughts were going through my head, or maybe he was clued in by the fact that my mouth was hanging open.
"Yes. I do not think you are related to Niall, Sookie. Now, until I gather more proof that I am right, I can't get into specifics and for that I am sorry. But, you need to understand that in the many years since I was changed, I've met a lot of creatures and learned a lot of information about every supernatural race that walks this planet."
"Eric must have had his suspicions at first as well, but he doesn't know Niall as I do. You must understand that I didn't know from the start that you were fae, much less of your connection with Brigants. However, once Eric told me about you, bells started ringing for me. Sookie, the Brigant family is royalty among the fae; they do not breed with humans. They want to keep themselves pure. There's no if's, and's, or but's about this issue. Niall himself was adamant about this and I doubt he'd change his mind after more than a millennia of living like that.
"His father, the Prince before him, had the same mindset and they made sure to ingrain that kind of thinking into their children. That is why I really don't believe it would be possible for their blood to run through your veins."
When he was done he kept looking at me, waiting for my reaction. And I had no idea what to say. I had to mull this over. My head was spinning. Goddamnit all to hell. Why would he lie to me?
Russell gained nothing by telling me I wasn't Niall's granddaughter, but what did the Prince gain by lying to me? And that's exactly what I finally asked.
"Why lie?"
"Well, I'm going to assume that they want you on their side. If you were ever to enter a conflict between, let's say vampires and the fae, you'd be compelled to fight on your family's side."
"But how could I be of any use?" I asked, since that was still unclear to me.
"I'm sorry little one, but that I do not know yet. However, if my assumptions are correct, you are a very powerful supernatural. I need a few more days to figure out exactly to what extent your powers can evolve and to know if I'm right or not. When I find out what you can do, I'm going to tell you all that I suspect".
I nodded; frustrated that he wasn't just saying what the fuck he wanted to. It seemed important and I hated being kept out of the loop, especially since I was directly involved.
"Dermot looks just like Jason, though", I pointed out as an afterthought.
"Dermot?"
"Niall's son; the one who's supposed to be my great uncle".
"It might be a kind of glamour that some faeries possess, enabling them to appear different. If that's the case, considering how powerful Niall is, I think that it might be his spell."
But it still didn't make sense. "So does that mean that I'm not fae? If that's the case, what about my sweet smell and my blood and all that crap?" I asked.
"Sookie, it doesn't mean that you're not fae, it just means that you're not connected to the royal lineage since I have no doubt in mind that no Brigant has ever mated with a Human. It's either this, or Niall used a spell to mask your true nature.
"Since faeries attract vampires, I think he suspected you'd shy away from fangs rather than run into their arms. Of course, your telepathy didn't exactly aid his plans since you could only find some peace and quiet near the voids our minds represent."
It made sense to me. While I had no idea about the glamour thing, I knew for a fact that Niall could mask his scent when vampires were around. So if he could do that, why not the reverse of it, on someone else?
"So you're basically saying that Niall could have put this spell on me to make me smell sweet, knowing that it might be quite dangerous for me," I asked, my fangs running out in anger.
"In a nutshell, yes. But, Sookie, keep in mind that there is also another alternative that you should think about before putting a plan together to liberate Niall of the added weight of his head for making you smell like vampire bait: you might still actually be fae; just not from his direct lineage."
"So how do we figure out if I am? Was?" I let out a long sign and leaned forward, putting my face in my hands, closing my eyes and trying to clear my head. I had so many questions.
Russell's hand rested on my shoulder in a comforting gesture.
"I need a few more days to see how your powers evolve. Don't stress over it. For now you are here and you are safe."
"Would Jason's blood give us any hints?"
"I wish I could say it did, but I doubt it. He's a were now. Also, if he put a spell on you, he could have put one on Jason too. Thus, any lingering sweetness might be an effect of that. Similarly to what I told you earlier, if he were to hate vampires, he would certainly express that in front of you. Since he is your kind, you'd at least take his opinion into consideration even if you said it didn't matter. That's how families work."
"So you think it's only going to be a few more days, right?"
"That is what I hope, yes. I cannot guarantee it, but that is what I think. You should join your Viking, Sookie. It is nearly dawn."
I stood up as if I was electrified. How long had it passed? I wished him a good rest and zipped to our room. Eric's arms enveloped me immediately.
"I've sensed your distress, but I could tell you weren't in danger. What happened, Lover?" he asked, slowly taking my clothes off and carrying me to the bathroom.
I told him everything that had passed between Russell and me that night. He kept quiet and worked in lathering me up with body soaps and washing my hair gently, trying to make me relax.
"He is right. I did feel suspicious of Niall in the beginning. I still do. Even without everything that Russell told you, I still wouldn't trust the Prince completely. As much as you are lovely, my dear, faeries are vile as you found out on your own," he said with sorrow in his voice, caressing the areas where my wounds had been. "They are vicious and deceptive. I don't trust any of them."
"So why did you accept Niall?"
"Because of you, Sookie. I thought then that if you truly are of the fae, then having Niall on your side wasn't a bad idea. He was your only relative apart from Jason. Since your grandmother had died, there was no one else for you. It happened when we were apart and although I didn't know why, I felt compelled to make sure you were protected."
"I love you, Eric," I declared, pulling him in my arms.
Our kisses got heated and before I knew it he had me pushed against the cold tiles. My body felt hot and the contrast made me hiss. He captured my lips once more and pressed his hard member against me. I moaned loudly as he entered me and pressed my fingers into his back, pulling him closer.
It was passionate and loving, but we were both racing towards the end. No detours; no prolonging the moment. Dawn was coming soon.
"Fuck," I shouted as my orgasm washed over me, making my skin tingle from head to toes.
His grunts accompanied mine as he reached his own climax.
Silently, he took me in his arms and levitated us towards the bed. I was barely fighting the pull of the sun. I managed to snuggle into his side before the darkness won the battle.
•0~*~*~*~*~*~•0•~*~*~*~*~*~0••0~*~*~*~*~*~•0•~*~*~*~*~*~0••0~*~*~*~*~*~•0•~*~*~*~*~*~0•
The following night, I rose to find Eric's blue gaze looking down on me. He smiled and softly pressed his lips to mine.
Mmm, I was purring like a kitty cat. Nothing beat waking up next to Eric. Ever.
When we finally pulled apart, we agreed to get dressed or we wouldn't be leaving the quarters at all.
I had a pair of dark yoga pants and a tank top on. If we were going to play with swords, I wanted to feel comfortable in the clothes I wore.
I was in front of the mirror, pulling back my hair into a pony tail when it happened. I didn't pass out, but it was like I was watching TV. The mirror surface seemed to ripple before giving room to the image of a field. I could see Niall there. He seemed afraid of something. His chin wasn't as high as it once used to be and his posture showed deference, not superiority, like he usually carried himself.
There were bodies all over the field. Some, I could see, were faeries. The ashy areas were vampires, I presumed.
The scene was bathed in a warm light and I had no idea where that was coming from. Before the image slipped away I saw a winged figure looking down at Niall.
"Sookie, what is it?" Eric asked, looking at our reflection in the mirror, his expression worried.
"I had another vision."
"You didn't lose consciousness this time. I felt you were dimming in the bond, but you didn't disappear like before. That is a good sign, I think. "
"Let's hope so. Come, we must see Russell. I don't want to go over this again."
We found the king in his study.
"I thought we were supposed to meet in the yard," he remarked with a smile.
"I had another vision," I said and, as expected, that got his attention.
I went over all the details and they both listened intently.
"Could it be just my mind playing tricks since I was thinking of Niall so much last night?"
"Impossible. It was a vision, that's for sure. I expect you'll find them easier to handle as time goes by," said Russell. "Now tell me about this winged figure. What did you see of it?"
"Not much. It was in a sort of shadow because of the angle of my view. But it didn't feel like it was evil or anything, because there was this muted light on the field and I think it was coming from this… thing. It felt good. Do you know what it could be?"
"I have a few theories, yes," Russell said vaguely, but didn't elaborate.
"It is important that you include your feelings and impressions throughout the visions, Sookie. You did well to tell us. I'm sure it is of great importance. We just need to figure out why," Eric piped in.
"I'm going to place a call to the Pythoness closer to dawn," Russell said, effectively closing the chapter. It wasn't like there was a higher authority regarding this type of visions than the Oracle.
We made our way outside. A large number of weres were present and they seemed to be anxious. Pam joined us soon after and I could hear Jason's heart thrumming as he made his way towards us.
"Your Majesty, I was wondering if it'd be ok to run with the pack here," he said as he made his way to us.
"It's Russell. And yes, I'm sure it would be fine. Everyone here is waiting for the sky to clear. I'm sure it won't be long."
"Thanks man, that's really cool."
I rolled my eyes. How could he go from showing deference to talking like that in 0.2 seconds? Seriously!?
Eric, Pam, Russell and I made our way to a small space delineated by large, round rocks placed in a circle that was just around the corner of the mansion. A table nearby held an entire arsenal of swords.
"What about Jason?" I asked.
"It's not like there is anything he can do for the next few nights. He'll train when he's done being a were," Pam said with a smile.
"I guess. So, Pam… what have you been up to these past few days?" I asked, knowing damn well and good what she'd been doing. While I didn't bother lowering my shields, I could smell her all over Jason. I could see Eric smirking and his amusement was evident in his bright blue eyes.
Pam smirked and let her fangs down, waggling her eyebrows.
"Eww, Pam. Really? He's my brother. I keep out of his mind for a reason. Now you're not gonna be safe to be around either."
She shrugged and stepped closer to the table, perusing the swords put on display.
Eric turned towards me with a beautifully crafted blade in his hands.
"Lover, this is a scimitar. It's a sabre with a curved blade originated in the Middle East. I think this should fit you best, but you are to try others as well." He seemed really excited about this. I knew he was great with a sword, especially since I'd seen him fight with one in hand before. He was also hot as hell.
I had just taken the blade in hand, bent on giving this my best try, when there was a chorus of ripping sounds. I looked up and saw that the moon had come out of its hiding place. It was beautiful and its eerie glow bathed the entire yard.
The weres. They were changing.
Soon, from around the corner, huge wolves made their way towards the woods. There was no hurry in their pace. They looked towards us and then continued on their way.
A sudden excitement built inside me. I was going to see Jason in his panther form for the first time. I knew how he looked like from his memories, but this was different.
Wolf after wolf strolled through the yard until, finally, Jason made an appearance as well. Unlike the others, he took a few steps towards us and stopped.
I gasped. That was no mangy mutt with missing patches of fur and a deformed back. The panther in front of us had a full coat of black, shiny fur. He looked just as lean and deadly as the creatures on the animal shows on TV.
He was just like in my vision.
Yep. It's a cliffy and it's not a cliffy... don't hate me. I like the drama.
Reviews are love! What do you all think so far?
xoxo
Gaby
