Chapter 5

Godric poked Harley in his side to alert him to the situation while Eric pressed a button and put Sophie-Anne on speaker phone so the witch would know what was going on.

Eric held a finger to his lips to indicate everyone else should remain silent before he answered his queen. "Your Majesty, while I would love to spend some time with you, I am rather busy at the moment. Bill Compton's human got herself into trouble with a witch, and she came to me for help. I am currently trying to find a solution for her problems."

Sookie opened her mouth, obviously to object to Eric's version of events, but Godric zipped to her side and clapped his hand over Sookie's mouth before she could utter a single word.

"I care nothing for Bill Compton's human," Sophie-Anne said with a quiet hiss in her voice. "When I sent Bill to procure her for me, I thought perhaps she could be of use to me, but I have now decided she's no longer my concern. Let the witch kill her for all I care. You, my dearest Eric, however, are my concern."

Eric stared at Sookie, seeing her eyes widen and fill with tears. Godric, still with his hand firmly covering Sookie's mouth, looked at the girl with something akin to pity written across his face.

"Your Majesty, did you say you sent Compton to procure the girl? For your services? Why was I not informed of this before?"

"Eric," Sophie-Anne said with a giggle. "You have no sense of fun. So I told Bill to seduce the girl away from your area, to get his blood into her as soon as he could. Did you know he glamoured some humans to beat her so he could swoop in to play her hero? He's proven himself to be such an eager boy, but Eric, no matter what a fine job Bill has done for me, he is nothing compared to you. I expect you at the palace before midnight tomorrow, so I can show you how much I appreciate all you've done for me over the years."

The line went dead as Sophie-Anne ended the call, and Eric lowered his phone as he stared at Sookie. Tears were spilling over her cheeks, and the second Godric removed his hand and released her from his grip, Sookie shot up from the couch and fled to the kitchen. They heard the backdoor slam a moment later.

Eric made to go after her, a strange, heavy feeling weighing on his chest as he realized that Bill fucking Compton had played both Sookie and himself for a fool from the beginning, but Godric appeared at his side and placed his hand on Eric's arm to stop him.

"Give her a moment," Godric said. "She needs some time to mourn."

Nodding, Eric turned around and glared at the witch. "How is it possible the queen was under the influence of this spell? I haven't seen or spoken to her since this started."

Harley swallowed and ran a hand through his greasy hair. "I think the magic is spreading independent of you or Sookie. Like a virus."

Eric frowned. "So Bill's progeny came in contact with me, and she spread it to the queen?"

"It think so, yeah," Harley whispered. "You should really just break the curse."

Eric snarled at Harley, but Godric pulled at his arm before he could attack the ignorant fool.

"Come," Godric said quietly. "Let's see how Sookie is doing."

They found her in the backyard, standing still as she stared up at the dark sky. But the moment she heard them approach, she turned around and glared at Eric.

"Did you know?" she demanded, her eyes red and puffy but still with a fire in them that made Eric want to ravage her on the spot. "Did you? Answer me!"

"I did not know what Compton was up to," Eric said with conviction. "I swear it."

Sookie seemed at a loss for words for a moment, her bottom lip trembling and her hands tugging on her shirt, and then she let out a sharp shriek, startling both Eric and Godric.

"I can't believe I was so stupid!" Sookie threw her hands up and stomped both her feet. "I gave him everything! My gran was murdered because I wanted to be around him! I thought he loved me! For the first time, there was someone who wanted to be with me, who didn't think I was Crazy Sookie, and it was all a lie! He just used me because his stupid queen told him to."

"I am truly sorry this happened to you, Ms Stackhouse," Godric said, and he seemed to mean it. Eric wasn't sure what to say or do. Seeing Sookie so distraught made him very uncomfortable. It also made him want to tear Compton limb from limb for having hurt this girl so deeply.

Sookie shook her head as she stared down at the grass. "It was all a lie. I have nothing left." Then she snapped her head up and stared at Eric. "Let's break this curse."

Eric arched an eyebrow. "Now?" And the moment he said that, he wanted to kick himself. Sookie was obviously willing to fuck him, so why was he questioning that?

"Yes. Now. You. Me. Sex." She stepped forward, grabbed his hand, and dragged him towards the house. "Come on, Eric. You finally get your wish."

Eric looked at Godric over his shoulder, but all his maker did was shrug and offer him an amused smile.

Sookie had been right. Eric was finally getting his wish. Then why wasn't he feeling happy at the prospect of spending the night with this girl?

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The moment Eric closed the bedroom door behind them, Sookie pulled her shirt over her head and threw it to the side. Eric stared in disbelief as Sookie pushed her black shorts down, and unhooked her bra. Her panties followed, and just like that, Sookie Stackhouse was standing naked in front of him.

She was magnificent, and yet the only thing that stirred inside Eric was a strange feeling in his chest, something heavy and unpleasant.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Sookie asked, as she threw herself onto the bed. She lay down on her back, crossed her arms over her breasts, and then looked up at the ceiling, her body as stiff as a board.

Eric stared at her. Here was the object of his obsession naked in his bed, and for some unfathomable reason, Eric had never felt less aroused as he did at that moment. And so he continued to stare, unsure what else to do with this strange girl.

"Eric?" Sookie asked with obvious hesitance when she looked up and saw Eric standing there, fully dressed, and making no move in her direction. Her eyes began to shine, and tears fell down her cheeks, and she sat up and hugged her knees to her chest. "I thought you wanted me," she whispered in between sniffles. "But nobody wants me, not unless they're ordered to seduce me."

Taking a small step towards her, Eric still wasn't sure what to do or say. All he knew was that he wanted her to stop hurting so obviously. He hated to see her in pain. He hated to see her tears. He wanted to kill anyone and anything that made her feel that way.

"Sookie," he said as he lowered himself onto the bed and reached out to her so he could gently place his hand on her arm. "I want you, make no mistake about that." He offered her a crooked smile when she looked up at him. "I want you so badly I resorted to witchcraft. But what I want most of all is to stop your pain."

For some reason, this made Sookie cry even harder, huge sobs wrecking her small frame as she buried her face against her arms. Puzzled, Eric scooted closer to her, and before he knew what he was doing, he wrapped his arm around her shaking shoulders and pulled her against his chest.

"I'm so stupid," Sookie said in between sobs. "All of this is my fault. If I hadn't been so naive and dumb, none of this would have happened."

Eric frowned. He did not like anyone talking about Sookie this way, not even Sookie herself. "You are beautiful," he whispered in her ear. That earned him a snort and more sniffles, but he kept going. "You are brave. you are loyal. And maybe you were a little naive at some point, but you are most certainly not stupid."

"You don't mean that," Sookie mumbled, but Eric only pulled her closer and buried his nose in her hair. She smelled so incredible, even when she was in so much pain that it made him uncomfortably sore in his chest.

"I mean everything I say," Eric said, softly nuzzling her hair. "You do things to me no other human has ever done."

"Like what?" Sookie asked, her eyes wide and innocent.

"You drive me mad, woman," Eric said in all honesty. That made Sookie giggle, and before Eric could stop himself he smiled at her. "Since the moment you set foot in my bar, in that delicious dress, I have been unable to stop thinking about you. And even when you yell at me and call me names and slap me in the face, I still can't stop thinking about you. Or stop wanting you."

For a moment, Sookie seemed happy in his arms as she looked up at him with flushed cheeks and a smile that lit up her eyes. But then her expression darkened, and she looked away with a frown. "Then maybe that stupid queen should have sent you to procure me."

Before he could stop himself, Eric growled. "If she had, I would not have lied to you about it. And I certainly would not have glamoured humans into beating you to within an inch of your life just so I could give you my blood."

And the moment he said that, Eric knew it was true. He had done unspeakable things to humans during his long existence. Certainly things worse than lying to women or glamouring humans to hurt other humans, but he knew with certainty that he would not have done any of those things to Sookie. He could never purposefully cause her pain. He'd sooner silver himself.

"But you hired a witch to curse me," Sookie said dejectedly.

"Not one of my better moments, I admit," Eric said, embarrassment colouring his voice. Now that he was sitting there with Sookie in his arms, he couldn't for the life of him remember why he'd ever thought that was a good plan. "I just wanted you to want me as much as I want you," he said softly in her ear.

Sookie looked up at him with a question in her eyes, but Eric was unsure if you could give her an answer. So instead he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. It was a modest kiss, certainly by Eric's standards, and yet Eric felt no desire to push for more. He kissed her slowly, with just a hint of tongue, and after a few moments, Sookie closed her eyes and kissed him back.

Eric wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted, but it felt so good that he didn't particularly care. At some moment, Sookie pulled back and inhaled a deep breath. Eric leaned his cheek on top of her head and stroked a hand down her warm back.

"I'm not sure I can do this right now," Sookie said, her voice hitching. "I know I said earlier - "

"Sshh," Eric interrupted her. "We are safe here. We have plenty of time. We can try again tomorrow."

"Thank you," Sookie whispered, burrowing closer against Eric's body. "Will you stay with me?"

"Of course." Eric pulled up a sheet and wrapped it around Sookie. He leaned back against the headboard, Sookie lying peacefully in his arms, and he vaguely wondered what this strange, warm feeling in his chest was. Then he quickly decided that as long as he could hold Sookie like this, he didn't really care.

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A soft knock announced Godric's arrival an hour before dawn.

Godric looked at the scene before him and chuckled. "I do not think I've ever seen you fully dressed before while there was naked woman in your bed."

Eric glared at him and pulled Sookie a little closer, making sure the sheet covered her naked body. She'd fallen asleep hours before, and yet Eric hadn't felt like letting her go.

Godric discreetly sniffed the air. "I take it the curse isn't broken yet?"

Eric glared harder, but this didn't faze his maker one bit. "We'll try again tomorrow. Sookie just needed...something else tonight."

"Hmm." Godric tilted his head. "And you provided this for her?"

"Obviously."

"Hmm." Godric smiled an infuriating smile, and Eric pulled Sookie even closer. "Is there room in the bed for me, or do you want me to rest on the floor?"

"There is plenty of room," Eric said grudgingly, even though he really did not want to share Sookie with anyone, even his maker, even if it was just to share a bed to sleep. "Just as long as you don't wake her up. She's been through a lot."

"Hmm." Godric pulled his shirt over his head, but kept his pants on before he climbed onto the bed. Eric wanted to smack him and his knowing looks, but instead he just scooted over to make room, all the while keeping Sookie safe in his arms, careful not to wake her up. She deserved some undisturbed rest after all she'd been through, after all.

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A warm, soft hand stroking his cheek woke Eric up well before sunset. He blinked his eyes open and saw a freshly showered Sookie sitting on the bed beside him. She was wearing one of his jogging pants, which was too big for her even with the legs rolled up, and one of his t-shirts, which fit her like a small dress. Just seeing her in his clothes made Eric want to purr and rub himself against her, but he could barely keep his eyes open.

"Eric?" Sookie asked softly.

"Sookie?" Eric replied with a grin.

"I borrowed some of your clothes, because mine were starting to smell. Badly. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind."

"Okay." Sookie looked down at him with furrowed brows and Eric wondered if something was bothering her. And then, just like that, Sookie leaned down and brushed a soft kiss across Eric's lips. "I just wanted to thank you for last night. That was...well, thank you. I'm going upstairs to find something to eat, but I'll see you later."

And with that, Sookie hopped off the bed and disappeared up the small staircase.

Eric stared after her, a peculiar feeling warming his insides. The sheets beside him rustled, and he looked to the side to see Godric smiling at him.

"You're awake?" Eric asked suspiciously.

"I'm much older than you. Of course I am awake."

Eric looked at his maker, suddenly getting the urge to explain things. "That was...Sookie was just grateful."

"I didn't say anything," Godric said innocently, but his eyes shone with amusement.

"You were thinking it," Eric said, and managed to make it sound like an accusation.

"I think many things, Eric. Some of them even concern you."

Eric snorted and rolled onto his side, and pointedly ignored Godric's chuckles until he fell asleep again.

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After they showered and dressed, Eric and Godric found Sookie and Harley in the kitchen, talking quietly while they ate a few sandwiches.

"Do you have to visit this queen tonight?" Sookie asked as Eric took a seat beside her.

"I will not visit her as long as she's under the spell," Eric said, and for some reason this made Sookie blush. Perhaps she was thinking of breaking the spell later? Eric hoped she was, and yet he no longer felt the same urgency to get her into his bed as he'd done in the weeks before. He'd meant it last night when he told her they had time. He'd be perfectly happy to spend a few more days with her, just getting her comfortable around him, before they finally broke the curse.

"That would be for the best," Godric agreed. "There is no telling what Sophie-Anne would do while she's bewitched. Even under the best of circumstances, she's not the fairest of rulers."

Eric nodded his agreement while Sookie looked between them with wide eyes. "She's a spoiled little bitch," Eric clarified, which made Sookie giggle, but then she sobered quickly, probably remembering what the queen had done to her by sending Compton to procure her.

A phone rang, and Godric reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Godric," Sophie-Anne said. Eric could hear her clearly, even if the humans in the room had no idea who was calling Godric.

"Who is this?" Godric asked politely, which made Eric grin from ear to ear. Godric knew damn well who was calling.

"It's Sophie-Anne," the queen said, slightly affronted.

"Ah. Your Majesty. How may I be of service to you this evening?" Godric said in his most serene voice.

"Godric, have you ever considered marriage for your progeny?"

"No," Godric said, with a note of finality to his voice. Eric's stomach dropped. As his maker, Godric had the right to marry him off, and even though Godric had promised him centuries ago he'd never force Eric into a situation like that, the mere idea of an arranged vampire marriage still made Eric shiver with unease.

"Perhaps I can change your mind," Sophie-Anne said in a saccharine voice. "I think I can make you an offer you can't refuse."

"I doubt that," Godric said, and Eric wanted to drop to his knees and beg his maker not to marry him off to the bitch queen, no matter what she offered.

But before Sophie-Anne could make her offer, the front door banged open.

"Sookie!"

Great. Just when Eric thought things couldn't possibly get any worse, Bill fucking Compton decided to crash their party.