Eric's POV:
I rise knowing that Sookie is very close by. A small part of me was worried that she would flee and try to save her brother and friends on her own. I can still feel distress from her but I also feel a sense of determination. I quickly put on my clothes and go out to the living room to find Sookie sitting on the sofa waiting for me.
"Hi," the first word she utters to me. She gives me a half smile and motions to me to sit with her.
I lean in to kiss her but she stops me by moving her head back. "We should probably talk first. I think if we start something now, we won't stop," she says.
"Yes, you are probably right. I have to meet De Castro in about an hour to give him my final answer," I tell her.
She gives me a brief pained look but brushes it away. "So I spent a few hours thinking about all of this. And I've come to a few conclusions. I can't, won't become a vampire, at least not right now, and under these circumstances."
I gently squeeze her hand in understanding. I knew that she would not agree to that idea.
She continues on, "And I can't run away with you either, not as long as my brother's life is in danger. I also don't want to stay here if it means that your life is in danger also. And also because I don't want to live here under his control."
I have a good idea of what her conclusion is.
As I look at her I can see the tears starting to form behind her eyes.
"So... I think...," her voice is breaking. "I think you should take the deal," she says quickly while closing her eyes. "It's the only way we can be together and keep the people I love safe," she manages to say.
I pull her into my arms and she is now sobbing. I kiss her forehead and run my fingers down her hair.
"I love you, nothing will change that. I promise I will fix this so that you will not suffer greatly," I say trying to reassure her.
"I don't know about that," she says, "I mean you are going to be married to someone else. She will be known as your wife in your world. Then where will that leave me?"
I look into her eyes, "You are still my wife. You are the only one that matters to me and the only one that I love. She will not be a part of our lives. You will not see her and I will only see her when it is deemed necessary."
She breaks away from me, "Eric, I wish you wouldn't make promises that you may not be able to keep. I'm only agreeing to this because of my brother and friends. And they may even discover Hunter. But the biggest reason is because I love you so much and I don't want to lose you."
"You won't lose me and I will never let you go. We will overcome these new challenges, I am certain of that," I tell her firmly.
"I know you will try Eric. I will also try my best to deal with the things to come," she says. I know she is thinking about the consummation of the royal marriage. There was a time when I craved Rosamund's body, but now the thought of it makes me shudder and a feeling of revolt washes over me.
"Well at least I know you won't enjoy it," she says laughing a little, but quickly goes back to looking distressed.
"Lover I have to go talk to Pam. I will come back before I go to see De Castro."
"Okay," she says as she wipes a tear away.
I make my way down the hall to Pam's room and enter using a spare key card. I find her, still dressed in last night's clothing, lying on her bed dead to the world. Marten must have worn her out completely.
"Wake up," I say as I shake her bed a little.
Her eyes open and she sits up, "Master."
"We have much to discuss," I say. I tell her all the details about what had happened yesterday night. She stiffens when I mention the royal marriage proposal.
"Master, you cannot go through with it," she says feeling some sadness and dread.
"Don't you think I already know that? There is something going on between her and De Castro. That I am sure of. I will find out what it is."
"How does Sookie feel about this?" she asks.
"As expected, she is extremely hurt and angry, but is trying to accept it."
"When do you have to go through with it?"
"In about four weeks time," I answer.
"There must be something that can be done. I mean we can...," she says.
"There is plenty that I can think of, but none that Sookie is willing to do!" I yell cutting her off. I close my eyes trying to rein in my anger.
"You will stay near Sookie indefinitely, do you understand?" I tell her. Rosamund may still be a jealous creature so I will not risk her safety.
"Yes master," she responds.
"Get dressed and come to my suite to stay with Sookie while I meet De Castro downstairs in his villa." I leave her room and send a message to Sookie's guards to come to our suite as well.
When I return I find Sookie staring at the television. She is not really watching it, but rather just staring blankly at the images. She looks up and smiles at me. I go and hold her again.
Twenty minutes later, the steel drapes automatically open to reveal the night sky. Pam also walks in with the vampire guards at the same time as well.
"Lover I have to go now," I tell her softly as I reluctantly let her go.
"I know," she whispers. A tear falls down her left cheek. I catch it with my tongue and savour the taste of her tear.
"You did that before, at Alcide's apartment," she says, "That seems like another lifetime ago."
"Not to me, it seems just like yesterday," I tell her. I kiss her deeply for a few minutes. After that I hug her one more time and head downstairs.
I arrive at De Castro's hotel villa and get by his personal guards. He is sitting at a desk going through papers when I enter the living room area.
"Ahh Northman, I am glad that you have arrived," he says as he looks up. "I was a bit concerned that you might attempt to escape, but I am happy to see that you are smarter than that. Please sit down."
I sit at one of the armchairs. He gets up from his chair behind the desk and sits on the sofa.
"So I take it that you have an answer for me," he says smugly.
"Yes your majesty. I will accept your terms with a few conditions of my own."
He stares at me, "Northman I am not sure that you are in a position to bargain with me. But since you have been loyal and proven valuable to me, I will listen."
"I want your assurance that you will no longer interfere with my relationship with Sookie. That you will no longer meddle in her life, as well her brother's and friends' lives. I promise you that her talents will still be at your disposal but only within reasonable terms."
He looks at me vacantly and responds, "Very well. I can agree to that. I will require the use of her talents from time to time, but I promise that it will be only when it is a comfortable time for her."
"I also don't want you to interfere in my marriage to Rosamund or in the marriage negotiations," I say.
He smiles, "Of course that is between you and her. I don't want to get between the affairs of an engaged couple who are soon to be wed. Is that all?"
I nod my head.
"Very well. Now there is someone who is anxious to meet with you." He dials a number on his phone and a moment later, his guest arrives.
Rosamund slinks into the room giving me a lustful stare and smile. I scowl at her.
"Ms. Lefevre," De Castro as he gets up to greet her. He kisses her on both cheeks. "May I be the first to congratulate you on your forthcoming marriage. I wish nothing but happiness and prosperity for you both."
"Northman, aren't you going to get up to greet your fiancé?" he says.
I stand and she offers me her hand. I quickly brush my lips against it.
"Is that how you properly greet your betrothed?" she says. She suddenly puts her arms around my waist and leans up to kiss me on the lips. I can feel her tongue trying to part my lips but I refuse to open them. I move my head away from her to break away from the kiss.
"I can see that you two would like to be alone," De Castro jeers. "You two have much to discuss such as wedding arrangements and engagement parties." He leaves the room as I continue to scowl at her.
"Oh I wish you would loosen up Eric. Who knows, this marriage could turn out to be fun for both of us," she says smiling as she tries to put her hand on my chest, but I grab it and swipe it aside.
"There are going to be rules in this arrangement and the number one rule is you do not touch me unless I say so," I tell her in a low deadly tone.
The smug smile that was plastered on her face a few seconds ago is now gone and replaced with a frown. "Do not threaten me Viking. Clearly it is not in your best interest to do so."
"On the contrary, De Castro has agreed to not intrude in the affairs between us. Now sit down, " I tell her harshly.
She takes a seat and I continue to stand. "First of all, this is merely a political marriage, nothing more. You will stay out of my private affairs unless it has to do with business or issues within our kingdoms. Are we clear on that?"
At first I can tell she is about to protest but wisely decides against it. She hesitantly nods her head.
"Secondly, you will stay away from my bonded wife. You will not attempt to contact her and you will not try to interfere with my relationship with her."
She smiles at that. "Oh I don't know if I can agree to that Eric. After all we have to spend a certain amount of time together throughout the year. It is the law that we both spend an allocated time in one another's kingdoms, not to mention the social events that we must attend together, business meetings and my personal favourite, the conjugal visits. Surely since you are so close to her, our paths would eventually cross."
I try to remain composed as I know that she is right. When I become king my schedule will be very hectic. The amount of time that I have already spent away from Sookie has been very hard to bear already. She will have to play a larger role in my world now. "The conjugal visits will only be the minimum once a year. Even then, those meetings will mean nothing to me. As for the amount of time I will be forced to spend with you, you will not attempt to address Sookie at any time. If I see you so much as look her way in a manner that displeases me, I will find a way to end your life."
She looks at me angrily, "You know that I don't respond to threats very well Eric. Since this is an important issue for you, then I will not address her unless she comes to me."
"Is this the end of our marriage negotiations?" she asks me.
"For now," I say.
She gets up from the sofa and stands by me closely, "We still have to go before the council to get approval for our wedding. I've already arranged for that in three weeks. By then I hope your attitude improves. I truly believe this marriage will prove to be beneficial for both of us."
I look into her eyes, "If you think by marrying me will invoke any affectionate feelings in me for you, you are gravely mistaken. If you think that you will be happy, I can assure you it will be the opposite. I never had any feelings of love or tenderness towards you. You are nothing more to me than just a forgettable fuck."
"I don't believe you," she says adamantly. "You will change your mind and then it will be like the way it was between us in the beginning when we first met, but this time even better." She walks out of the room.
I sit on the sofa for several minutes thinking about what has transpired. After awhile I leave as well but not before heading to the bathroom and washing my face and lips. I go back to the hotel room and dismiss the guards and Pam.
"So I take it everything has been settled?" Sookie says sombrely.
"The initial agreement is settled. Now we have to get the approval of the council and finalize our agreement in writing," I say deliberately using the word agreement instead of marriage.
She walks toward the dining area as though she is trying to put space between us, but I close in on her and embrace her from behind. Her body feels rigid against mine so I begin to kiss her temple and rub my hands along her stomach and above her sex. I can feel her starting to relax.
"I still can't believe how things have changed within just twenty-four hours," she says. I can smell the tears starting to form behind her eyes.
"We will rise above this, I swear my lover," I whisper into her ear.
She turns around to face me and puts her arms around my neck. "I know Eric. I can feel your love and tenacity." She leans up to kiss me. I lower my head to kiss her back passionately as well.
I begin to sense her arousal and I grind myself against her as I move my hands down her back. I grip her thighs to lift her and bring her to eye level. We continue kissing and she starts to moan in my mouth.
"Promise me Eric, promise that when you have to be with her, it won't be like this," she says between kisses in a strained voice.
"Never my love, it will never be like this," I say coarsely.
I carry her to the bedroom and gently lower her on the mattress. I remove my clothing quickly and join her on the bed. I sit up and start by removing her shoes and kissing my way to her inner thigh. She is enjoying it so I tug her panties down and remove them as well. I push her sundress up around her waist and she widens her legs for me. She is already wet so I slowly run my tongue along her folds and can instantly taste her juices. I circle my tongue around her nub and stick a finger inside her. I move my finger in and out of her rubbing her g-spot. I can feel her tightening around my finger as her orgasm is coming quickly.
"Eric I need to feel you inside me right now," she pleads.
I am eager to be inside her as well so I sit up and rip her dress down the middle. Her bra is in the way so I snap that away too. I kiss her breast quickly before meeting her mouth. She reaches between us and grabs my hard cock. She strokes it a few times and positions it at her entrance. After she removes her hand I push in completely filling her. We both groan at the same time. I pump languidly in and out for a few minutes allowing her the time to adjust. After that, I pick up the pace.
"Harder, faster," she says coarsely.
I oblige her and pump her harder and faster. She starts to clench around me. My fangs pop out and I bite her on the neck. She screams out in pleasure as I draw out blood. I remove my fangs and my own orgasm overpowers me also. I continue to pump in and out of her slowly as I lick the tiny wounds. We are both still in post coital bliss.
"I just bought that dress a few days ago," she softly says smiling still trying to catch her breath.
"Couldn't be helped my love," I say smiling back. "Ready for more?" I ask, still very hard.
She smiles at me, "Always."
Two Weeks Later:
I sit at my desk in Shreveport going through my work. These past two weeks since we returned from Las Vegas have been very busy. The night after I agreed to take the throne, De Castro declared me the king of Louisiana. The formal official coronation ceremony is to take place in New Orleans in about two weeks but I have immediately acquired all the burdens and work that went along with the kingdom. I have already had to deal with issues and vampires from specific areas. I have made Pam the sheriff of this area in order to ensure the continued protection of Sookie's family and friends as well as my various businesses. During the last few months I have been in contact with several vampires that I have known very well to possibly become sheriffs after I remove the ones that I have felt are inadequate.
There is also the issue of having to move to New Orleans in order to run the state effectively. I had thought that Sookie would be strongly against that idea, but so far she has complied. She says that even though it will be hard to leave Shreveport and Bon Temps, her home is where I am. We have acquired a temporary home there until a new residence is built. Living in Sophie's former residence is definitely not an option. The building of a new home in New Orleans has also been something that I have been planning during the past few months.
As for Sookie, I can still feel her turmoil. When I am at work, I know she is feeling conflicted when she shuts off her part of the bond. I have spent as much time as I can with her in order to reassure her of my love and devotion. But there are times when she puts on a facade that she is content, an act that she usually uses in front of people that she fears and feels uncomfortable around. The fact that she is acting this way around me troubles me greatly. But I am determined to keep the closeness between us so I have been sharing my blood with her more frequently even when she is hesitant.
Just then the intercom buzzes and my assistant speaks, "Mr. Northman, I'm sorry to bother you, but there is a phone call from Rosamund Lefevre. She says she is your fiancée."
I growl and pick up the phone. "What do you want?"
"Eric, you know what I want," she purrs in an attempted sexy voice. "But I was just calling you to see if you were ready for Vancouver next week."
"Yes I am ready," I say in a clipped tone.
"And also I was calling to tell you that the wedding plans have been coming along smoothly, even though you haven't helped out at all. But of course I forgive you. Men hardly ever trouble themselves with such plans. The arrangements of the coordinator are lovely, I can't wait till you see it when you come here," she says happily. I honestly didn't care about where and how we were to be wed, though I would have preferred something quick and informal. It was to take place in two and a half weeks time in France after my coronation ceremony.
She continues on, "I have chosen beautiful garments for us and I have even found something quite lovely for Sookie."
I am becoming angrier, "Do not say her name. She will not wear anything that you have chosen. I don't have time to deal with this nonsense. I will see you in Vancouver." I hang up on her.
I have been trying to come up with solutions on how to avoid as much personal contact with her. The blood exchange at the ceremony is unavoidable, but that will be the only time when she will taste my blood. I will not be showing her any type of affection during our marriage. As for sex, I have not yet told her yet I will be wearing a condom even though I do not need them. That is probably the only aspect that I am looking forward to is her reaction when she realizes that we will not be exchanging bodily fluids.
Suddenly I can no longer feel Sookie as she has shut off her part of the bond again and I feel immediately aggravated. I am already angry and frustrated from the phone call so I decide to go home and be with her.
One more week till Vancouver, I tell myself as I head towards my car. I still have a faint hope that the council will not approve the marriage, but it's doubtful.
One Week Later: Vancouver
I arrive in Vancouver, British Columbia with my lawyer Cataliades. I had invited Sookie to come but she declined. She decided to remain in New Orleans with Pam to settle into our temporary home. It aches to be away from her but this is only a one night business trip. We head to the hotel on Vancouver Island to check in and wait for the arrival of Rosamund and Victor Madden, who is acting as De Castro's representative.
Every one hundred years, the vampire council moves its headquarters to various cities in the world. This century the council is based in Vancouver. The makeup of the council is similar to that of the UN Security Council. There are five permanent members who are the perhaps the oldest vampires known to exist. The ten other members are elected by kings and queens to serve fifty year terms.
I do some work on my laptop in my room while I wait for them. My cell rings and it's Sookie.
"My lover," I answer.
"Hey honey, you arrived safely?" she asks.
"Yes, I am at the hotel."
"Oh. Is it almost time for your meeting?" she asks sounding despondent.
"Soon," I reply.
There is a beep on the phone indicating another call.
"Lover I have another call, it is probably my lawyer," I say.
"Okay," she replies in a whisper. "Call me later?"
"Of course I will," I say, "I love you," I add.
"I love you too Eric," she says.
I click on my phone to answer the other call and it is Madden.
"We're waiting downstairs in the lobby," he says before hanging up.
I immediately call my lawyer to meet us downstairs. I put on my jacket and head downstairs to meet Madden and Rosamund.
"Eric you look positively handsome as usual," Rosamund says with lustful eyes.
I ignore her and look at Madden.
"Northman, I am glad to see that you have arrived safely," he says cheerfully. "Your future queen was worried about your arrival since you are not yet travelling with royal guards."
I fight the urge to roll my eyes so I try and change the subject. "Victor, how have things been in your kingdom?"
"Very good. Thank you for asking," he says. He won't be having a coronation ceremony since he is still under the rule of De Castro even though he is technically a king. His role is more like a steward.
"Shall we go?" I ask everyone. We all get into the limo and take the short ride to the council headquarters.
We arrive at the office and greeted by the council secretary John Wilcox, a six hundred year old English born vampire. "Mr. Northman and Ms. Lefevre, I am glad to see the both of you again. The council will be ready to see you in a few minutes."
We sit in the waiting area and Madden chooses to open his mouth again. "So Northman I hear that your child is planning your coronation ceremony next week. Will your bonded and your soon to be wife both be playing roles in that occasion?"
I tense up. I knew that he would say something eventually that would anger me as he loves to create uncomfortable situations.
"Yes Eric, I have not been given an itinerary even though I have requested one from Pam," Rosamund says.
"My wife Sookie will be by my side during the ceremony. Since we are not yet married she is still
A/N Hey! I feel like such an asshole. There are alot of people who have been waiting for the next chapter, but me, I have been busy these past two weeks. so here's part of the chapter, i'll post the rest and the next chapter by thursday. sorry and thanks for reading!