Chapter 3
Eric glanced at Sookie, who was looking at him curiously. "I'll just take this outside," he said with his most charming smile, and zipped out the house to the very end of the backyard.
"Godric," he said, once he was alone. "I have run into some problems with a witch."
"What kind of problems?" Godric asked patiently. Eric was sure he could still hear amusement in his voice, much to his chagrin.
"I asked this witch to perform a spell, but she purposefully screwed it up, and now every women is after me except Sookie, who was supposed to be throwing herself at me."
Silence greeted him for a few moments. "Have you learned nothing I ever taught you?" Godric said. There was no amusement left in his voice.
Eric cringed. "Master, I remember everything you've ever taught me, of course."
"Really? So you also remember to never trust a witch?"
Eric squeezed his eyes shut. He hated that his maker could make him feel like he were a human child being scolded for bad behaviour. "Yes, I remember."
"But you were arrogant enough to think the rules did not apply to you, were you?"
"Yes, master," Eric admitted with a sigh. "I screwed up."
"Very well. I will be there around midnight tomorrow."
Eric gave Godric his address, urged him not to share it with Pam or any other female for whatever reason, and then clicked his phone shut.
He found Sookie standing right inside the kitchen near the backdoor.
"Who was that on the phone?" she asked.
"An old friend. He's coming over tomorrow to help us."
"Good." Sookie looked around the kitchen. "What will we do in the meantime?"
Eric leered at her. "I can think of a few things to keep ourselves occupied, sweet Sookie."
Pursing her lips, Sookie glared at him. "Stop being a pervert. That's not what I meant."
Shrugging, Eric turned to make his way back to the living room, but Sookie grabbed his arm to stop him.
"What I meant was, there's no food, Eric. I checked. I need to eat before tomorrow night."
"You won't keel over from starvation in a day, Sookie," Eric said with more vehemence than he intended. He wasn't in the mood to concern himself with her pathetic human needs, and he was quite sure humans didn't starve to death that fast. Still, he pulled his cell phone out and sent Godric a quick text message to tell him to bring some human food.
"You're such a mean jerk!" Sookie stomped after him into the living room. When Eric sat down on the couch, she stood in front of him with her arms crossed. Eric picked up the remote control and clicked on the TV. Sookie didn't budge, and when Eric leaned to his side to look around her to watch the TV, Sookie took a step to block his view.
"What do you want now?" Eric asked with an irritated sigh.
"I want us to not just sit here. There must me something we can do to fix this mess."
"What do you propose we do, Sookie? It appears that every women out there wants to kill you before throwing themselves at me."
Sookie let out a defeated sigh and flopped down on the couch beside him. Eric leaned back, stretched his long legs out, and flipped through some channels.
"There," Sookie said suddenly. "That's a good movie."
Eric pressed a button to flip back to the previous channel. "What's this?"
"Forrest Gump."
"I'm not familiar with this movie."
"It's good." Sookie patted his arm in a patronizing way, but Eric let it slide. "Trust me."
"Fine."
After ten minutes of trying to figure out what was going on, Eric reached for the remote. "This movie makes no sense."
"Eric, no!" Sookie placed her warm hand over his. "It's really such a great movie."
"You want to watch this movie?" Eric asked, looking Sookie over, a plan forming in his mind.
Sookie nodded earnestly.
Smirking, Eric leaned a little closer to her. "It will cost you...one kiss."
Appalled, Sookie stared at Eric with her mouth open. Not a good look for her, Eric quickly decided. "Eric! You can't blackmail me like that."
"I just did." Eric pulled his hand away from her so he could change the channel. "Let's see what else is on."
"No!" Sookie launched herself at the remote in Eric's hand, but Eric used his speed to pull away from her, which meant that Sookie's momentum carried her all the way into his lap. "Eric, give me that," Sookie demanded, while Eric held the remote out of her reach. But sweet Sookie was not so easily deterred. With surprising strength (and how much blood had Compton fed this girl, really?), she pushed herself up, sprawled herself across Eric, and grabbed the remote.
Since Eric was also holding on, a small tug of war followed. Sookie shrieked and giggled, and squirmed so pleasantly in his lap, and Eric chuckled while he used just a tiny bit of his strength to keep Sookie from winning their playful battle.
After a few minutes, when Sookie was lying in his lap, panting, yet still holding on to the remote, Eric could no longer control himself.
He leaned down and firmly planted his lips on Sookie's.
For a second, Sookie stiffened, her eyes growing wide, but then Eric set to work with his lips, and a few moments later, his tongue, and before long, Sookie was kissing him back.
It had been a long time since a simple kiss had such an effect on Eric. He groaned into Sookie's mouth, pulling her closer, basking in her alluring scent, which was growing more and more interesting the more aroused Sookie became. Eric trailed his hand down Sookie's body and cupped one of her breasts, but the moment he did so, he realized he'd gone too far.
Sookie pulled back with a horrified expression on her face. "No! I have a boyfriend, Eric, as you well know." She scrambled off Eric's lap and sat a safe distance away from him.
"Yes, I am aware," Eric replied without a shred of guilt.
"But since you got your kiss, I now get to watch my movie."
Eric looked at Sookie in surprise, and when he saw her staring back at him with defiance written all over his face, he couldn't help but chuckle. He flipped the TV back to the inane movie and grudgingly thought that perhaps Sookie had won this battle.
Of course, the war was far from over.
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The only good thing about the movie was that it apparently was so boring, Sookie fell asleep halfway through and ended up lying curled against him. Eric slipped an arm around her shoulders and enjoyed the warmth of her body.
Perhaps all wasn't lost, even with that vile witch screwing up the spell, Eric mused as he stared at nothing in particular. Here Sookie was, alone with him in a house in the middle of nowhere, with no Compton in sight.
Yes, Eric realized, victory was still a very real possibility.
When the movie ended, Eric clicked off the TV and considered the human beside him. The good thing about coming to this particular safe house was that there was only one small light-tight bedroom downstairs. With one bed.
Eric knew that the polite thing to do was leave Sookie to sleep on the couch.
But Eric wasn't known for being polite. He was known, however, for being opportunistic, so he gently scooped Sookie up in his arms and carried her down the narrow stairs, careful not to wake her.
Since this bedroom (or the whole house for that matter) hadn't been used in quite some time, it smelled a bit musty, but Eric didn't particularly care. He had a far more enticing scent to focus on, after all. He pulled the sheets back and placed Sookie down on the bed. He slipped her shoes off, but didn't dare touch her shorts or shirt for fear of waking her. He took off his own clothing, uncaring that he wasn't wearing underwear and thus was stark naked.
Sookie wouldn't mind. He hoped.
He slipped under the covers and arranged Sookie against him as he leaned up on one elbow, his cheek propped up on his hand. With his other hand he stroked Sookie face. Sookie mumbled something, licked her lips, but didn't wake up.
Keeping a careful ear out for her slow and even heartbeat, Eric continued his exploration of the human who had captured his interest in the worst possible way.
Enough to have him resort to witchcraft, even though he knew better.
What was it about this girl, Eric wondered, as he trailed his fingers down Sookie's shirt. He slipped his hand under the hem and worked his way across her naked belly up to her breasts. He teased her nipple through her bra until it was hard, and then he did the same with her other nipple.
Sookie released a soft moan, but remained fast asleep.
Growing aroused, his cock hardening, Eric couldn't help himself. He'd never forced himself on a woman, and he never would, but there was nothing wrong with a little teasing.
He trailed his fingers down her alluring skin until he slipped them under her shorts and the edge of her panties until soft curls brushed against his fingertips. He inched his fingers down until he slipped one between her slit and found her wet.
Eric groaned and shifted his position so he could grab hold of his erection with his other hand. He teased his fingertip across Sookie's hard clit and squeezed his cock in the same rhythm.
Sookie bucked her hips up and just like that his finger slipped inside her tight body. Eric grinded his teeth to keep from groaning too loudly.
"Sookie," he whispered into her ear, nuzzling the soft hairs behind it. "Tell me what you want." He moved his finger in and out of the wet heat at an ever increasing pace.
"Bill," Sookie moaned, and just like that the moment was over.
Someone might as well have thrown a bucket of ice water across Eric. His erection wilted at an alarming pace, and he pulled his hand away from that inviting body with a defeated sigh.
He lay down on his back and stared up at the ceiling.
Yes, obviously, he still had his work cut out for him, but Sookie would be his, that much Eric knew.
If it was the last thing he ever did, this woman would be his. And given the amount of trouble they were in, it might very well be the last thing he ever did once Godric found out the full extent of what he'd done.
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Loud shrieks woke him long before he was due to wake up. The first thing he knew was that the sun was still high up in the sky and it pulled at him to go back to sleep.
The second thing he knew was a pillow hitting his face. Repeatedly.
Without even looking, he reached for whatever was hitting him and pressed it down against the mattress.
"Eric!" Sookie's shrill voice penetrated the fog of his sleep-deprived mind. "Let me go!"
Eric blinked his eyes open, looked down at Sookie's outraged face, and offered her a charming smile. "Sookie. Good morning."
"Why are you in bed with me? Naked?" Sookie demanded.
"How do you know I'm naked?" Eric asked innocently. "Did you take a little peek, my Sookie? Couldn't resist me, after all?"
Sookie punched him against his shoulder, but he barely felt it. "I know you're naked, because you were pressing your...your...yourself against me in your sleep, you big pervert!"
"I could do that again, if you like?" he offered genially, bucking his hips against Sookie, who shrieked in horror and tried to squirm away from him.
Eric chuckled. This woman amused him like no one had in a very long time. But the moment he thought that, he released her and lay back down on the bed. "I always sleep in the nude," he said, trying to sound unconcerned.
Sookie jumped out of bed, straightening her shirt. "I'm sure you do, but that doesn't mean you have to molest me in my sleep."
Something shot through Eric's chest, something sharp and unpleasant. He hadn't molested her in her sleep, had he? No, he'd just been a bit curious. There was nothing wrong with that. "There's a bathroom through that door. You can take a shower if you want." He gestured at the door on his left.
"Just as long as you stay put!" Sookie marched through the door and threw it shut with a bang.
Eric was tempted. Oh yes, was he ever tempted to join her, but he knew that would be pushing things too far for his precious little Sookie. So he stayed put and closed his eyes and listened to the water running in the small bathroom until he fell asleep again.
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"Eric?"
Something persistent shook his shoulder.
"Eric? Wake up."
"What?" he groused as he opened his eyes to see a freshly washed Sookie sitting beside him on the bed. She smelled like his favourite shampoo.
"Can you open the door? So I can watch some TV upstairs or something?"
"No." Eric closed his eyes again. "Half the world is out to get us, so I'm not opening that door until the sun has set and I can protect us."
Sookie sighed and shifted a little on the bed. "I'm bored."
"You could take off your clothes for me?" Eric offered hopefully and was rewarded with a slap to his stomach. He chuckled in response.
"We're not doing anything like that, so get your mind out of the gutter." Sookie looked around the bedroom, which was quite bare save for the bed and an armoire that held a few changes of clothing for him. "So who's this vampire that's coming to visit tonight?"
"His name is Godric."
"Oh. Have you known him for a long time?"
"Ever since he made me."
Sookie shifted on the bed, leaning closer to him. "You mean..."
"He's my maker, yes," Eric said, quirking an eyebrow at Sookie in a silent dare. Of course, stubborn woman that she was, she took him up on it.
"Is he just as big a pervert as you are?"
Eric growled before he could stop himself and sat up at once. "Godric is my maker, yes, and there are none like him in the new world."
Sookie stared at him with wide eyes. "Sorry," she mumbled, obviously realizing she'd genuinely pissed him off.
Eric reigned in his temper and leaned back against the headboard. "You must understand, Sookie, that a bond between a maker and a child is nothing like a human could ever understand. Godric is my father, my brother and my son."
"Okay," Sookie said with a thoughtful expression. "You obviously love him. I won't talk badly about him again."
Eric made a derisive noise. Love. As if that stupid little word could ever describe the bond he had with his maker.
"Do you know Bill's maker?" Sookie asked quietly. "He's never mentioned him."
"Her," Eric corrected with a smile. Here was an opportunity he couldn't resist. "Bill's maker is a female vampire by the name of Lorena. They were lovers for many decades. Strange he never mentioned that to you. I was sure he wouldn't keep such big secrets from you."
Sookie frowned and didn't say anything for a while as Eric basked in this small victory. "Do you see him often?" Sookie finally asked.
"Who?"
"Godric."
"We spent the first few centuries after he turned me as constant companions, but at some point the child has to find his own way in the world." Eric shrugged to indicate that this was no big deal to a vampire. "We still regularly spent time together during the years, and if we have need for each other we will meet up."
Sookie sniffled a little, much to Eric's surprise and confusion. "It must be nice to have a family that's going to live as long as you do," she whispered.
"What's wrong?" Eric asked. Sometimes humans just mystified him.
"Oh, nothing," Sookie said dismissively, as she plucked at her shirt. "I just miss my grandmother, is all."
"What happened?" Eric asked before he could stop himself. Normally he couldn't care less about whatever went on in human lives.
"She was killed just a few weeks ago, by the same guy who killed all those other girls." Sookie wiped at her eyes a few times, and Eric as relieved to see she wasn't actually crying, not like the night before.
"And the same guy who almost killed you," Eric added, and Sookie nodded in response. He hadn't known the girl's grandmother had been killed, but he had heard that Bill fucking Compton had been unable to protect Sookie from a fucking human.
The shame of that should have driven Compton underground for at least a few centuries, but of course that arrogant twat was too stupid to realize how badly this made him look in their world.
"I didn't know your grandmother was killed," Eric said quietly, in some sort of attempt to...offer comfort? Apologize? He wasn't sure what the hell he was doing. This girl quite obviously drove him insane.
Sookie shrugged and stared down at her hands. "How can you stand it?"
"Stand what?" Eric asked, bewildered.
"I mean, Godric killed you, right? But you also love him? How can you stand that?"
Eric sighed and wanted to, literally, smack some sense into this girl. "Sookie, I was dying. I had been mortally wounded in the battlefield, and Godric offered me a choice to be his companion or to accept my human death. I chose to live."
"Oh." Sookie stared at him with a peculiar expression on her face. "I didn't know. I just presumed...I'm sorry." She offered him a tentative smile. "That was nice of him, to offer you that."
Eric stared at her in complete disbelief, unable to comprehend what little human sensibilities would consider the amazing gift Godric had offered him as nice.
"I'm taking a shower," he said as he pushed himself up from the bed. He ignored Sookie's indignant shriek as she got an eyeful of his best assets and slammed the bathroom door shut behind him.
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They sat side by side on the couch, watching some inane TV show Sookie insisted on.
"I'm hungry," Sookie said with little whine in her voice.
"So am I," Eric replied with a significant look, which made Sookie gulp and focus all her attention on the TV. Eric smirked and leaned back in the couch. He felt better already.
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"I've found a Monopoly game," Sookie said as she pulled her head out of a cupboard and showed him a big white box. After two hours of watching TV, sheer boredom had led Sookie to explore every nook and cranny of the house.
Eric frowned. The previous owners must have left it behind. "What is that?"
"It's a game." Sookie sat down beside him on the couch and started unloading the box. "It's fun. You have to make money. The one with the most money wins."
"I can do that," Eric said with a grin. "Show me how it's done."
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"You're cheating!" Sookie said while Eric held out his hand and wriggled his fingers.
"No, I'm not, and you know it, my sweet Sookie. Now give me the money!"
Sookie sighed and pulled out one of those ridiculous pieces of fake money and slapped it into Eric's outstretched hand. Eric purred in victory and added it to his considerable pile, which was much bigger than Sookie's. She was a tasty human for sure, but she had no sense of business. She spent far too much time worrying about the small amount of money she had instead of investing it to make more like he did.
A knock on the door startled them both. Apparently, he'd been so engrossed in the game he hadn't even felt his maker approach.
Eric zipped to the door and yanked it open. There stood his maker, and something like relief spread through Eric's chest. He knew that whatever happened now, he would not be alone, and that was a very comfortable feeling.
"Godric," Eric said, bowing his head and dropping down to one knee.
"Eric." Godric briefly placed his hand on Eric's head. "Rise, my child."
Eric waved Godric inside, and then stared at the human behind Godric.
"This is Harley," Godric said, gesturing at the tall but rail-thin human who smelled unpleasantly of marihuana. "He is a witch from my area."
"Hey," Harley offered as he waltzed inside. Eric glared at him.
"Hi," Sookie said as she got up from the couch. She was staring at Godric with a silly smile on her face. Eric sighed. He knew the kind of effect Godric could have on people. He did look like a handsome teenager, almost a man, after all. Of course, someone like Sookie didn't know that underneath a beast almost more vicious than himself was hiding. Godric may have calmed down over the years, but he still had a temper that could make Eric want to run screaming for the hills on occasion.
Godric looked expectantly up at Eric, who gestured between his maker and future lover.
"Godric, this is Sookie Stackhouse.
"Good evening, Ms Stackhouse," Godric said pleasantly.
"It's nice to meet you, Godric," Sookie said. She was clearly in awe of his maker. Not that Eric could blame her. Godric often had that effect on him as well.
"Hey, you," Harley said as he offered Sookie a lopsided grin. He looked her over and let his gaze linger on her breasts far longer than was acceptable. Eric wanted to smack him, but before he or Sookie could react to the rude witch, Godric turned to Eric.
"Tell me, my child, have you told Ms Stackhouse about what you've done to her?"
"What?" Sookie said in a small voice.
Eric closed his eyes. This was not going to be pretty.