AN: Hello again! Thank you to all who are still sticking around! I appreciate every single one of you! Sorry it took me longer to update this chapter, it is my first mature scene and after reading many (okay LOTS) I wanted to make sure it was worth the wait. As most of you have probably noticed, I've switched to sticking in Sookie's point of view for the majority now. My brain was starting to hurt switching around in the beginning. There is brief translation at the bottom, I don't speak Swedish or Norse so apologies if they are terribly wrong.

NSFW No beta, so all my mistakes are my own. I own nothing!

Reviews are love!

LAST TIME

"Your only other option would be applying vampire blood and saliva to the skin directly." I closed my eyes. I knew that was coming… but at least I had heard all of my options.

"He won't want me Pam" I stutter out, and her arms tighten fractionally.

"He has always wanted you Sookie" she whispers in my hair, before filling my glass again and handing it to me, before she gently removes herself from the tub.

"Let him know when you are ready" she says, giving me a genuine smile, before she leaves the room completely.

• • •

I sat in the tub for a while longer, and drank the rest of the vodka in my (rather large) tumbler. I could feel the burn and tingle in my skin and it did a wonderful job numbing other areas. I contemplated and procrastinated before I finally raised my head from where it had been resting on top of my arms and knees (still sitting in a ball in the tub). I sighed, poored another small shot, gulped it back, and set the glass to the side. I braced my arms on either side of the tub, and slowly, oh so slowly, raised my body to standing.

I sat down on the edge of the tub again, and swung my legs over in one motion (so I didn't have to try and hurdle one legs at a time and risk more uncomfortable stretching). I took a deep breath, and slowly pushed myself standing again.

"You're a Stackhouse." I told myself, eyes closed, in a harsh whisper. "Stackhouse's are strong".

With a firm nod to myself, I made my way out of the bathroom and towards the kitchen where all three vampires were sitting at the table. They all turned to look at me, concerned expressions still marring their faces.

Not sure where to begin, we stared at each other for a few awkward seconds before I realized I was in full control. I opened my mouth, and shut it, trying to find the words….trying to figure out WHO I was going to ask WHAT. I mean, I needed blood and saliva to heal…any of these three could provide that in a vile but I wasn't sure I could apply it myself. Enduring the pain was one thing, but the scars and wounds and the healing process was a constant reminder of that experience, and I couldn't look down without returning to that dark dungeon with Nevil and reliving every cut all over again.

I glanced at Pam.

She has been where I am right now. She was healed. She could apply it and we'd never speak of it again.

But I didn't feel comfortable with that. I'm not homophobic whatsoever, but it was a different kind of intimacy level. Pam and I have known each other for a while, but I would say it's a tense relationship.

I glanced at Godric.

He is pretty much a complete stranger. We've had very few interactions and I was never one to become that intimate with strangers. I didn't feel like I could cross that line with him either.

Finally, I glanced at Eric. My beautiful Viking.

I opened and closed my mouth again, before Godric came to my rescue.

"Pamela and I will be leaving for the evening" I looked back to him. He had a comforting smile on his lips, and an understanding warmth in his eyes. "We will feed and then return to my house before we depart tomorrow." I realized that would leave me alone with Eric. I nodded slightly and Godric continued.

"Thalia will be meeting us at the air strip, as will you and Eric. We will arrive just before dusk, our coffins will be loaded, and halfway through the flight will all join you in the cabin Sookie." I felt the confused look on my face, and he elaborated. "You will be training in Sweden". I nodded again.

A small of part of me may also have done a small happy dance on the inside. It would be my first time on a plane. Out of the country. To the native land of a vampire I realized I care very much about. I continued nodding and Godric and Pam stood.

Pam met my gaze, and gave me a small nod of her own. It seemed to be one of strength, a "go get him" kind of glance before they both vamped quickly to the front of the small underground lair. I heard the shifting of large concrete walls, and some punch pads before the large doors closed again with a concluding ZIP.

I wanted to fidget. I would normally shift foot to foot, but I was aware that would just aggravate my wounds again. Starting to feel the slight buzz from all that vodka, I made my way closer to the table and Eric casting my gaze downwards. Eric reached for my hand, and we slowly walked towards his resting chambers. He quickly entered a code, and a finger scan, before the door opened, and he waved my through ahead of him.

The room was nothing like I expected. All of the walls were a stark white, except the wall directly behind the bed. It was a beautiful arctic blue that reminded me of the colour of his eyes. The furniture was all natural oak wood, with a large headboard attached to the four poster bed. The sheets and large comforter were a warm cream with an abundance of pillows. White fur rugs were on either side of the bed, and in front of the additional fire place and seating area close to the entrance. It reminded me of snow in winter and an arctic playground. Very true to his heritage. It made me smile.

He let me walk all the way into the room, until I stopped in front of the large trunk at the foot of the King bed. My back to his chest, his hands came to rub the side of my arms. He quietly whispered that he was going to move me, and picked me up bridal style. My arms wrapped around his neck, and I gasped, the warmth of the alcohol unfortunately not completely numbing me. I closed my eyes as tears pricked them, and nuzzled into his neck.

"I will not hurt you" he said, and it pulled on my heart strings.

He laid me down on my back in the middle of the bed, and laid down beside me.

"Pam mentioned the options she gave you" he said, staring deep into my eyes. I nodded and he must have sensed my hesitation. His large right hand came to caress the side of my face as I closed my eyes. A tear escaped and fell down onto his large knuckles.

"I don't know if I can do this" I release on a sigh, and paused. I open my eyes and meet his gaze "you will see me differently". I felt like a whimpering child, but I couldn't' control my vulnerability. My wounds were gaping from all that I had endured. Literally and metaphorically. But I didn't know how to heal without potentially breaking myself more in the process.

"I will never force you" Eric replies, leaning forwards to rest his forehead against mine as he had done before. His right hand continued to stroke the side of my face and hair, and we lay sideways cuddling for a long while before Eric spoke again.

"There are some things I wished to ask you about in terms of our bond" he hedged. I made a non-committal sound, that I hoped was an urge for him to continue. "We have not had a natural bond from the beginning…. But I have enjoyed it." I opened my eyes again. "You have literally lit up my undead existence in so many ways. These past years without you have been so trying. I am relieved to have you this close. In my arms of all things." He closes his eyes again "I will wait until you are ready. But I would like you to have my blood as it should have happened the first time. What I should have said back in Dallas." I open my eyes and Eric rolls on top of me. His forearms brace his weight on either side of my head, and one of his knees finds space between mine, still not making any more contact physically.

"I want to exchange with you Sookie. I want to start a bond. A true bond... To make you mine" as he spoke one of his hands played with my hair, and his gaze penetrates me to my very core. I can't help the smile that lands on my lips. For the first time, that M-word does not sound too bad.

The overwhelming vulnerability in me forces me to ask the next question. "For how long?"

My gaze searches his face for a reaction. Anger? Hurt? Anything. Eric maintains his poker face, and does not reply. He leans in further and his lips caress mine. Soft and gentle, I feel his tongue trace my bottom lip, not begging entrance, but merely savoring my taste. I feel a heat begin to build that has nothing to do with the alcohol, and he pulls back to rest our noses together. He gives my Eskimo kisses, rubbing our noses together, up and down, then side to side.

When we meet each other's eyes again, I see something I had never seen in Eric before. A youthful caring look that reminds me of when I was a kid. I used to love to dance in the rain, because the smile it would leave on my face would last days. Gran always said she could see the smile in my eyes.

That was the look Eric was giving me. He caresses my nose one more time as he whispers "forever" and dives back into my lips.

This kiss is much more demanding, as he grabs my top lip with need, sucking and nibbling on it as a wanton moan escapes me. Needing no further invitation, Eric expertly switches lips and then slips his tongue into my mouth. Massaging his tongue with mine slowly, he begins to warm me further.

I want to shift my legs wider, so he can settle both of his knees between them but I know it will hurt. But I know I want this.

I want him.

I want forever.

I bring both my hands to either side of his face and pull back. "Really?" I ask. Yes, it's that whiny child again. But I need the reassurance. I need the confirmation that he will still want me. He won't get tired of me. He's not just saying this to get what he wants now, and retract it later.

But as Eric meets my eyes again he nods and I hear the catch in his voice as he admits "My undead life is not the same without you. I have spent the last three years searching for you, and I cannot bare the thought of not having you like this for every night I am able… Please" he begs "be my bonded Sookie. I promise I will protect you with all that I am, and all that I can be, and I will never let you suffer this kind of pain again. We will be warriors. Together".

I hold his gaze, seeing the loyalty and honesty of a 1000 year old Viking in his words, and barely whisper yes before his lips attack mine again. His lips are bruising and the heat is building in a part of my lower abdomen I was afraid I would never feel again. It stirs the fire in me that builds my confidence.

Eric breaks away and leans to his bedside, opening a drawer to pull out a small silver dagger. He hands it to me and begins kissing down my neck. His talented lips nip at the space just behind my ear, and another moan falls from my lips. He continues his trail further down my neck and begins to suck my shoulder and collarbone.

A constant chant of "yes" is building in my mind and after a slight hesitation I start reciprocating in kind. One hand holding the dagger carefully against the wall of his shoulder blade, the other grasping the back of his neck. Tangling my hand through the gorgeous locks of his hair, massaging the skin with my fingernails. Eric beings to kiss his way back up to my neck, licking from the top of my shoulder to the back of my ear. I was about to pull back when he softly blows on the wet skin, and I feel goosebumps break out with the lovely chill. I shiver and moan again, loving the reverence he is treating my body with.

Spurring me on, I reach up to bite his neck with my dull teeth and hear him growl in pleasure. Encouraging my bravery, I slowly bring the dagger from where it was resting in my hand against his back to the gap in his t-shirt at his neck. Feeling my movement, he leans back and strips off his t-shirt like a GQ model on a runway. He moves back to me as his fangs snap down, looking like such a predator. But the heat in his gaze is not that one of threatening power, but of overwhelming need. He grabs my hand still holding the dagger and brings it to his neck, as he resumes his previous position.

I slice into the marble of his skin, low on his neck above his collarbone. Before I latch on I meet his eyes, it is his turn to let out a pleasured yes just as my lips make contact.

Fireworks. I take my first swallow and I feel our small tie erupt in pleasure. Moments later I feel Eric sink his fangs into my neck and I cry out in ecstasy. He groans against me, and begins to take very slow and careful sips. After my first mouthful, our pulls become synced, and so do our moans.

After three swallows, I feel the tingling pressure in my abdomen stretch, reaching out for more. My hips start to come off of the mattress, still not touching Eric's strong body. One more swallow, and we both detangle our lips as we cry out.

Eric moves his knee from between mine to the other side of my hips, straddling me as he lays his head on the pillow next to my neck. I am panting and shaking slightly, the high from our combined finish leaving pleasant tingles running through my body.

Eric waits another moment before his hands start to explore again. I'm happy to let him do as he pleases, the connection we have created humming with emotions. Relief. Joy. Lust. The connection is calming my over-active brain and the slight panic I've been fighting at our close proximity.

His hands start their exploration at my arms, running from my shoulders across my chest and collarbone. My eyes snapped open and I suck in a harsh breath. The motion was the same that Steve Newlin had used with a surgical scalpel. Hearing my gasp, Eric quickly adds his lips. Leading with his nose, he traces small patterns across the same area, dropping pecks and open mouth kisses across the same area. I start to relax again, as his mouth moves to the tops of my breasts. His nose traces the swell of my left breast, as I feel his long fingers tickle the edge of my Fangtasia t-shirt/dress.

I feel his hands pause, and I meet his eyes that are now looking up at me from the valley of my breasts. I smile shyly, and feel his hands gather the fabric on either side of my hips and pull it upwards. I do a half sit up and raise my arms over my head as he helps the garment off of me, leaving me bare in tattered white lace booty shorts. His right hand comes to grasp the back of my head, as he lowers us back down to the bed. My head hits the pillow and his hands begin exploring again.

His right hand drags softly from my neck down to my breast, as his mouth dips with it. His left comes to cup my other breast, as he lifts and grabs them, softly squeezing them and working my nipples into pleasurable points. He starts to move further down my body, and the tingles in my body continue to intensify. His talented mouth latches onto my nipple and my hips lift off the mattress again, seeking friction I'm not quite ready for.

Eric lets out a deep, baritone chuckle "mmm yes, you are mine, my Sookie". It is in such a tone of worship, it made me feel like a goddess. A goddess his hands have dedicated to give pleasure to indefinitely. His mouth continues to suck and bite my hardened nipple as his right hand continues to massage and squeeze. His left comes down to snap the small underwear on me and I feel my nerves return. He seems to notice and his voice settles me, he continues to murmur compliments in both English and what I assume is Old Norse.

Eric slows, lifting his head to see me staring at the ceiling, and switches to my other breast. He drags his fangs over my other nipple and another moan escapes. As his fingers play with the skin at my hip, where my underwear was previously resting. He does not make any immediate move to touch anywhere closer to the apex of my thighs, and continues to lavish my nipple with the most pleasurable attention. His mouth travels further down my chest, to my sternum and he licks and sucks down my abdomen.

A growl emits from him, and I close my eyes as I realize he is seeing the many scars now scattering my body. "He will pay. Jag kommer aldrig att låta en annan mar din vackra hud. Jag kommer att skydda dig för alltid, mitt ljus" he whispers to my stomach, as he continues to lick every scar in sight, I fell the wetness of his saliva, and blood. The warmth and tingling on my skin furthers my lust and anticipation, but knowing he is nearing the worst of my wounds has my hands scrunched into fists in the sheets.

Finished with my abdomen, Eric leans back and runs his fingertips up the sides of my body, from the top of my thighs to just underneath my breasts. Tickling. The softest touches, leaving behind more goosebumps and effectively clearing my mind of thoughts.

I feel his legs shift again as his hands take one last trip down my legs and I know he has reached the worst. Tears prick my eyes, as I send a silent prayer hoping this really won't change us, and that it won't hurt. Not knowing the level of pain, if any, is what has my anxiety climbing.

I hear him softly shush me "It's okay Sookie. I will not hurt you. I will stop at any time you are uncomfortable". He speaks in a low soft tone, and I find myself trusting him. I am in control of this situation... I think.

"I want this Eric. Just please – be gentle" I stutter to ask it, but as his face now reaches the top of my pelvic bone I know he has seen all of my destroyed flesh. His hands continue to soothe my skin on the sides of my hips, and the tingles distract from the initial contact of his cool lips on the marred flesh. I flinched, and fought the urge to clamp my legs closed. A whimper of pain escapes me before I feel the cool rush of blood, as he must have made a very large gash in his tongue. I'm surprised to hear him groaning in pleasure as he lathers my wounds in his blood and saliva. He starts on the top of my pelvis, kissing and caressing my entire pelvis area, before I feel him settle his body between my legs, and his arm wrapped around my hips.

"I am going to work on your inner wounds mitt ljus" he whispers, as one of his long fingers comes to his mouth to be punctured, before coating my outer lips in his blood again.

The tingling sensation grows tenfold as he adds his fingers. The anxiety inside me calming and the anticipation of more climbing steadily higher. He glides his finger from the outside of my pelvis, along the junction of my inner thigh, climbing higher to the front of my pelvic bone, then down the other side. His finger dips lower and lower towards my sex as his long finger brushes against my opening. He punctures more of his fingers and brings them back to me, coating my entrance before I feel his cool tongue added.

I let out a soft shriek of pleasure as the cool wet muscle works my walls, to which Eric releases a growl. His tongue laps at my lower lips and he continues to puncture his tongue for more blood to coat the wounds that are quickly healing. I feel myself getting closer and closer to orgasm when his long middle finger enters my channel slowly. His mouth and tongue continue to play with my clit and lips. He strokes inside me once, twice, then removes his finger to slice it from bottom to fingertip against his fang, before returning inside me.

I moan loudly, "Yes Eric, oh that feels so good". My hips are starting to move in time with his ministrations as the tingling warmth of his healing blood consumes me inside and out. Another animalistic growl comes from him when he removes his finger a second time, slices it and his pointer finger, and then returns them both inside me.

It was my undoing. I came hard, my freshly healed inner muscles tightening around his fingers, his talented mouth and tongue licking up every drop. Eric's heat filled eyes watching me with hunger and lust, his chest rumbling deeply in pleasure. As I came down from my high, he removes his fingers and continues to lap at my juices until I am clean, before he crawls up my body and tucks my head into his chest.

Stroking my hair, he wraps a long leg around my hip effectively trapping me in a spider-monkey like hold. He grabs the blankets and throws them over us, and a deep sigh of contentment leaves me as I feel myself drifting towards sleep.

"Thank you" I manage to whisper as my heavy eyelids start to drift close.

"You are mine. Sleep, mitt ljus. I will be here when you wake" he drops a soft kiss on my head just before I was out cold.

TRANSLATION:

Jag kommer aldrig att låta en annan mar din vackra hud. Jag kommer att skydda dig för alltid, mitt ljus.- I will never let another mar your beautiful skin. I will protect you forever, my light.