Hello!
How are you all doing? I'm doing great, i'm loving uni so far (classes start properly on monday) and i'm pretty sure i'm in love with Camden :) It's absolutely fantastic, there's so much to do and the Stables/Dock Yard/Markets are amazing. Ah...
Anyway, i've had some serious issues with internet access and my dorm room. I'm sleeping in a hotel because we don't have water in the dorm flat, though the uni is nice enough to pay for us. I'll be back in my dorm permanently from monday. I only got internet access in my dorm today and i have it in the hotel though i'm not paying for it (£5 per hour!).
I wanted to thank-you all for your kind reviews, it was brilliant opening up my email account and seeing all the emails in there.
Anyway, here's chapter 4. Charlaine Harris owns the wonderful Southern Vampire Mysteries and on with the chapter.
"Argh!" I screamed at the contact, pulling out of the grasp as I did so. The movement only resulted in another hand gripping my waist which stopped me mid jolt, another scream awakening on my lips.
"Sookie!" The deep voice behind me snapped, the sound cut through my clouded mind and turned my yell to a whimper. I shrivelled back against the touch, crouching down as much as I could but the grip didn't allow me to move far, the hands stayed where they had been planted. "Calm down." I was spun around and I was instantly wrapped up in strong arms with my face pressed against a cold chest. "It's Eric." And just like that my breath escaped me and the tension that had my muscles clenched was relieved which left me quivering.
"What's happening?" I whispered; my voice was unable to rise any further in volume. My body was crumpled against his broad chest, my arms trapped beneath our bodies and everything was shaking as I came down from the adrenaline rush.
"There's a fire down in one of the sub basements, it's small. We need to get out of here; the Guardians have gotten wind of this and are beginning to gather. Come with me." I pulled back out of his embrace to look up at him, making sure that he was really there for me. His mental silence washed over me, pushing the crying of all the human minds aside. The expression on his face wasn't one that I'd expected; he looked almost in shock, as though he couldn't quite believe he was comforting a human in his arms.
"Okay." I nodded faintly, stepping out of his arms completely so we could move to whatever safe place he had in mind. I had no real reason to trust this vampire but there was nothing in me that said I couldn't either, I had to give him the benefit of the doubt, especially since we were from the same area, that he would do right by me.
One of his large hands slipped around to my lower back where he gently pressed against me, leading me away from the main crowd. I could feel his cool presence just behind me and I held onto it, the calm within the storm that helped to keep me at least somewhat together. I knew in the stairwell that it hadn't been him but I needed to know how much he knew.
"How did you get out of the building?" I asked once we were out of earshot from the milling humans. We had walked through the parking lot, through the other side and were walking down a small alley way between two other brick buildings. Up ahead I could see an accumulation of lights in what appeared to be some form of courtyard, we were still too far away to make anything out and I had no idea where we were going.
"I flew." He answered easily.
"What?" My feet came to a standstill at the revelation but the coaxing hand, that had never moved from its original position since we'd started moving, brought me back to walking albeit more slowly.
"I can fly. You've never seen another vampire who can?" An amused tone had taken over his voice and a smirk graced his face when I glanced up at him. I shook my head in answer. "Well then you're in for an interesting stay in London, I have many other things you've never seen." His eyebrows actually waggled at me and I could hardly suppress a giggle.
I sobered up quickly when I remembered why I'd asked him how he'd gotten out of the building and I had another question burning in my chest to be asked. "Did you see me in the stairwell? Was it you in the stairwell?" Deep down I knew it couldn't have been him; I'd gotten an impression from the person who had grabbed me on the stairs and the hands had been warm, not the cool flesh of a vampire. Yet still I had to ask because I knew I could read a vampire's mind. It happened occasionally, rarely, and it was a sworn secret.
"What happened in the stairwell? No, I didn't see you until the car park." His order of response surprised me and showed just how his brain was working. A look of concern flickered across his face and he stopped me, the hand on my waist looped round so that his hand rested on my stomach. "Sookie, what happened in the stairwell?" I didn't have an excuse not to tell him and he'd given me no reason not to trust him.
"Someone grabbed me." I told him the whole incident which didn't sound like anything at all when I actually said it out loud. "I was shaken up already because of the fire, because everyone was freaking out and I could feel it. I guess it wasn't really much of anything though." I finished and we were still hiding in the shadows of the alley way, leaning against the wall so that anyone looking down to where we were wouldn't be able to see us.
"That's not nothing, that's someone wanting to harm you. Someone knew who you were and wanted you bad enough to risk their human. A human who was special enough to be chosen for this summit. Sookie, that means you're special."
"Yeah, the Queen wants me around and there's a reason for that." I had to explain things to him; there was no way around it now. I could trust this vampire about this, I had to trust him because there was no else to turn to.
"What are you Sookie?" He stooped down slightly so that his eyes were level with mine.
"Well I'm a..." I started out but was cut off by a high pitched trilling voice.
"Eric, I can hear you. You need to get here. Now!" I recognised the voice as the Queen's and she wasn't happy.
We continued to stare at each other for another second inside our own little bubble. I took in his dark blue eyes, made all the darker by the exceedingly dim light, and I felt the calm of a blank vampire mind wash over me. The calm washed away my frazzled nerves and the last effects of the adrenaline rush. When he broke away, unable to withhold from his master, I realised that my shaking had stopped and my voice had returned to its normal volume when I'd last spoken. Eric had calmed me down.
"We need to move." He stepped away then and started to walk down the alleyway, the only way I knew he was actually making sure I was following was the slow pace and the strides that appeared to be shorter than he was comfortable with. Without saying anything I jogged slightly to catch up.
"What the hell happened?" Sophie Anne screeched as soon as we stepped from the shadows offered by the alley way, side by side. She was strutting up and down, walking between two of her body guards. Her deep red hair was trailing down her back, the French plait from earlier was barely holding on with strands falling around her face. "It's only two hours until sunrise, they better have that building back open before then or they will have me to deal with." It would have been laughable if I hadn't known the Queen personally; she was a tiny woman and the least intimidating vampire I'd ever encountered if you went on looks alone since she'd been turned when she was in her mid teens. Her personality was a different matter though, she took little provocation to strike and she struck hard.
Eric bowed his head deeply before speaking, a gesture to the Queen that she was more powerful than he was. It didn't take much of an outside perspective though to notice he didn't show as much reverence as the other vampires, and I had to wonder whether he resented being under the control of a vampire half his age. "There was a small fire; it's already been put out. Apparently they're just checking for damage to make sure everything is safe. Once that has been done the electricity and gas will be switched back on and the building will be deemed safe for habitation again."
"Where were you?" She asked accusingly as though she'd only just realised I was actually standing with them in the square behind the buildings. I stood tall in her glare though, I set my back straight and I looked back towards her, although I couldn't quite make myself make eye contact in case she saw it as a threat.
"I was in my room when the fire alarm went off. I made my way down the stairwell with everyone else. Eric found me in the parking lot." I didn't embellish the incident in the stairwell, I wasn't sure whether I should tell her and with Eric by my side, if he thought I should he could always speak up. He didn't say anything.
"Fine. Your first port of call though should have been to check the safety of your area vampires, not to get yourself out of the building." Vampires have a tendency to go up like dry kindling at the first spark against them. "If anything should ever happen like this again you are to find us, any of us, first," she fumed and I half expected to see steam billowing out of her ears.
"She isn't a body guard. She shouldn't be expected to help us out in this sort of situation. As far as I can make out, and that isn't much since not one of you will tell me anything of importance, she isn't here to keep us safe!" Eric's voice ricocheted around the space, dripping with so much venom that it made me slink back even though it wasn't directed at me.
"That's exactly what she is!" Sophie Anne flung her arm out toward me and I slunk even further back until I leaned up against the wall. My heart was back to hammering in my chest and only the deep bass growl in their voices meant that I could hear them above the thudding in my ears. "That's why she's here to make sure everything goes ahead normally, to keep us safe from potential threats. It's one of many things." Anger began to rise in me as the Queen continued to speak, the way they were speaking about me like I wasn't there hearing every utterance.
"Why won't you tell me anything?" Eric began pacing, following the path the Queen had previously taken before. He actually turned his back on her, showing that he trusted her or that he believed her to be of no threat to him. I had a feeling it was the latter.
I let myself fold up into myself so that I was removed from the situation in front of me. I couldn't let myself snap at them or it might end up being the last thing I would do. It took everything I had to hold my tongue in check, keep my words to myself but I managed it and I watched the vampires verbally fight it out.
"You're the biggest threat I have Northman. You're the vampire who is most likely to take her away if you find out, so you will learn nothing from me or any of mine." The Queen came to a standstill, her hands resting on under developed hips and her expression was stony, scarier than a look of anger would have been.
Faster than I could follow the Queen was held up against the wall by one large, pale hand gripping her neck hard enough to make her eyes bulge. Her dainty feet dangled almost three feet above the ground. Their faces were mere inches apart, Eric's lips drawn back in a fierce snarl as he growled his words out. "I can make you tell me. I can force it out of you." His grip tightened so much that his knuckles looked like they would burst through the skin and his other hand pinned her wrists so that she couldn't use her hands to fight back. His lower body was effectively trapping her legs; she was helpless in his superior power.
The guards stepped in at that moment, two rushing forward to each grab one of Eric's arms. His face showed no strain, or pain, at their efforts and he remained standing there, holding up the Queen and resisting the strength of two guards. "To be my Queen you have to trust me. I show no respect to someone who doesn't show the same to me. Tell them to release me before I make them."
"I am your Queen. I command you to release me." Sophie Anne croaked out, her voice barely a whisper.
"No. Make them release me," he spat out, enunciating every word clearly. If the Queen had been human she would have been turning purple in the face and blue in the lips through lack of oxygen. I would also suspect a crushed trachea. She stared ahead at Eric, her eyes glassy and what I thought was a hint of fear beginning to creep in at the edges.
"Release him," she breathed out, I couldn't actually hear the words but I read her lips. Instantly the vampire guards released their hold, taking a couple of steps back for good measure and then, slowly, Eric released the Queen. She dropped to the ground before she could catch herself which meant she ended up huddled over in the most ungraceful movement I'd ever seen from a vampire.
"Now, get out of my sight before I decide to give you the second death." She barked as soon as she'd stood up straight and smoothed down her ruffled hair. She stood as tall as her petite frame would let her, the fire once again alive in her eyes.
Eric stared at her for another second before spinning around on his heel without another word and walked back toward the alley way, his hair billowed out behind him with the speed. I was still staring at the gap between the two vampires; I couldn't believe that the fight was over without coming to a bloody conclusion. I couldn't move because if I did they would remember I was there, the human who was so easily broken. I would be collateral damage in their fight for dominance. As he passed me by his hand darted out, grabbed my wrist and pulled me along with him, down the alley way on stumbling feet.
"Eric, slow down." I managed to squeak out when we reached the parking lot again and I still hadn't regained my balance. His blue eyes glanced down at me and the hard expression softened slightly allowing a hint of emotion to seep in. His pace slowed down until we finally came to a stop against the railings that marked the edge of the parking lot which I gratefully leaned against. "Why do you let her be your command you? You're so much more powerful than her." I whispered as loud as I dared, I couldn't be sure that someone wasn't following us. My body dampened down what I'd witnessed, the adrenaline that felt like it had been coursing for hours kept me numb which meant I no longer felt fear.
"I have no desire to take her job. There are better things in life. I might give you the full answer one day. I think we need to talk privately though." He didn't pose it as a question but the intonation of his voice rose at the end of the utterance, asking me whether it was okay. All I could do was nod my head and follow him as we made our way in silence back to the building which appeared to now have the all clear.
We mingled in with the rest of the crowd, his hand would dart back to grab my wrist whenever I dropped behind. His incredible height and cool presence meant that I never lost him in the volume of people, he was always at least a few inches clear of everyone and his beautifully pale blond hair stood out amongst the majority of brunettes. Once inside the lobby the crowd began to disperse with everyone disappearing in different directions to get back to their rooms or whatever they were doing before the fire alarm sounded. I was led toward the elevators but not the bank that I'd been using for my room; these were at the opposite side of the lobby, still against the back wall. It wasn't until we were inside and had travelled up a few floors which meant we were on our own that I dared to speak.
"Where are we going?" I sounded stronger than in the parking lot even to my own ears.
"My hotel room, it's the only place I know we won't be disturbed. Even the Queen doesn't know about it." He didn't look at me when he spoke, just continued to stare straight ahead at the closed doors as we moved upward at an alarming rate. I really didn't like elevators.
"Why doesn't the Queen know? All rooms were booked in her name." Even my room, which had been booked for longer than the vampires and wasn't anywhere near the collective rooms, was booked under Sophie-Anne.
"I wanted some privacy, the Queen often has ulterior motives and it wouldn't be below her to put bugs in my room to monitor my activities." I noticed a little smirking grin flicker across his lips and he actually glanced at me as he spoke the last little bit. "It's near my original room so they can't tell."
"I think that makes you more devious than the Queen," I told him honestly and I was relieved when the elevator dinged and the doors opened up to reveal an empty hallway.
"I've had a few more centuries to practice." His hand went to the small of my back again so that he could lead me swiftly down the hallway until we came to a stop outside of his room.
The inside was more extravagant than mine, but less so than the Queen's, it was also a double room designed for both vampire and human occupation with separate bedrooms, one each for a king sized bed and a coffin. Every door in the suite was open wide, giving me a clear view of everything and I could see that every room was tidy. We walked into the living room area which also held what passed for a kitchen, which was basically a microwave to heat bottled blood and a refrigerator that was large enough to keep some actual food too. I sat down on one of the two sofas and shucked my coat, placing it on the cushion beside me. It was only then that I remembered I was only wearing a tank top and a pair of jeans over my pyjama boxers. I folded my hands over my chest instinctively and I was instantly self conscious.
"Here," Eric said and I looked up to find a wool knit jumper held out to me which I gladly took and I wasted no time in slipping it on over my head.
"Thanks." I couldn't help but notice the intoxicating scent as the black material moved down past my nose; fresh, line dried linen and an undertone of masculinity that reminded me of vampire. I couldn't help but sigh and relax back against the sofa with the calm that only spending time alone with a vampire can bring me. I relished the sense of being alone in my own head that they brought me; I couldn't read a vampire's mind and they were blissfully mute, in return they couldn't touch my brain.
I followed him, ashamedly my eyes dropped low to his butt which filled out his tight fitting jeans wonderfully; as he went to grab a bottle of blood along with what turned out to be a bottle of water for me. Once the blood was heated up he snapped the top off fully with his bare hands and then joined me in the living room area, taking a seat on the sofa opposite me. His long legs stretched out in front of him and he slouched against the back of the sofa, looking completely relaxed. The facade would have worked if I hadn't noticed the tendons in his neck standing out taught, and the vein in the centre of his forehead that seemed to have filled with blood it was standing out so much. If he'd been human it probably would have been pulsating.
"What are you Sookie Stackhouse? You're the most interesting human I've met in..." his voice trailed off and his eyes glazed over showing he wasn't currently in the room with me. As though I'd snapped my fingers he jumped back into reality and another flickering smile crossed his kissable lips. "Well, ever. So Miss Stackhouse, what are you?"
"Well, I'm a waitress," I started out and I couldn't help but giggle at the deep growl of frustration he let out. "You have to listen to the full explanation before you make any judgements or get angry. Just restrain yourself." I stared at him as I spoke, straight into his startlingly blue eyes and I searched for honesty there. I searched for something in his eyes that I could trust and all I could find was life. It was more than I was used to and I clung to it, desperately. I had a feeling, I'm not sure where from, that I would be gaining an ally. He'd never shown me anything in the couple of days that I'd known him that I should distrust him, in fact he'd actually helped me when he had no reason to.
"Okay," he stated, making it sound like it was a promise.
"I'm a telepath. I read minds, everyone but vampires," I added on quickly, getting the most important statement out. "I've developed mental shields over time so that I can almost tune it all out when I try hard. Most of the time I shield enough to get by without going crazy and on the reversal, I can tune in better now. Shifters and other Supes are hard to read, but I can still get a general feel for them. Contact makes it stronger and with some humans I need contact to get a clear reading. That's about it." I let out a long breath, making my frazzled nerves lose their grip on my tension as I did so. I couldn't look up at him to see his reaction. I didn't want to see him turn away from me if that was going to be his reaction.
"You can't read vampires?" He asked after a few seconds and I finally glanced up at him and I was actually shocked by what I saw.
"I can't read vampires." Complete acceptance.
"Okay." He nodded his head once and stood up, leaving the room and returning only a couple of seconds later with some form of card in his hands which he promptly handed over. "You need to eat."
"Thank-you." Two minutes later, after a miniature argument about who was paying that I lost, an order was placed to room service for a sandwich and we were back to sitting opposite each other on our respective sofas.
"Can I ask a question please?" I asked after we'd spent a few seconds contemplating what I'd just revealed in silence. He nodded his head but didn't bother verbally saying anything. "Why do you put up with the Queen acting like that towards you? Why didn't she want to tell you about a telepath in her service?" I was aware that I was speaking about myself like I was the Queen's possession but it was how she spoke about me.
He sucked in a big breath that he didn't need, letting it out slowly through his mouth before speaking slowly, thinking over the information before he said it aloud. "Sophie Anne is much younger than me, but it's not just that which sets us apart. She was barely an adult when she was sired which means she's weak anyway. Even with vampire strength she's weaker than anyone else her age. Being a female means she's weaker."
"What do you mean by that? The genders are equal; you have no right to say that being a woman makes you weak!" I snapped at him. I couldn't keep my mouth shut and I instantly regretted it, knowing how much trouble my words could get me into. My cheeks flushed crimson with anger and I leaned forward in my seat to stand up so that I could more effectively glare at him. However, I hadn't moved more than a few inches when a pair of strong hands clamped down on my shoulders, keeping me in place and a set of blue eyes glared right back at me.
"Listen woman, that's not what I was saying. The sexes are equal, humans and vampires I'm working on. Now let me finish," he growled out the last bit and squeezed my shoulders before he went back to lounging on the other sofa as though the little interaction had never happened.
"When she was changed women were second class citizens, even when she was changed it took her ages to become used to being powerful so even when she acts tough, sometimes it's just that, an act. I still don't want to be King, she doesn't seem to always remember that but she also knows that if I do test my position she can't really do anything to stop it."
"So you're the jerk vampire that forever needs to be put in his place?" I asked with a slight giggle, hoping that my question would help turn the conversation more light hearted.
"No, usually I don't actually bother." Our conversation was interrupted then by the loud, distinct knocking on the door which Eric immediately went to answer. He returned a moment later carrying an overly ornate silver tray and another bottle of water which he placed on the coffee table in front of me. "Here you go. You can stay here if you need to, there's the human room. Stay at least until you've finished eating and the sun has risen fully, there's some old vampires here, but I must leave you now. Sunrise is nearly here."
"Okay, thank-you," I replied and I snuck a glance at the clock on the wall just behind him, finding that it really was almost sunrise. "I'll go back to my room after this."
"Well, good morning Sookie and thank-you for telling me your secret, I admit it would have been fun to really find out on my own." He grinned at me, showing a little bit of fang before turning on his heel and walking toward the darkest room in the suite. The door was shut behind him and I heard the clicking of a large bolt sliding into place and then quiet filled the suite, only my breathing disturbing the peace.
I managed to get another five hours of sleep that morning and with an afternoon nap thrown in for good measure I was perfectly awake by the time I needed to head down to the Queen's room for the opening ball. After eating the sandwich this morning I'd scurried through the hallways until I found my own room where I promptly fell asleep. I got up and went down for a breakfast where I met up with Caleb, sharing funny stories about the silly things that we'd done for the vampires we were with before heading back upstairs. Due to the nap I'd been running late on getting ready so my hair was hanging loosely over my shoulders instead of up like I'd intended. In a room full of vampires, it was probably for the better, showing off an exposed neck might have been asking for trouble, especially if there was a hungry vampire around. Overall I'd had a very successful day, which to me meant I hadn't been in any form of dangerous trouble and I'd been around humans that didn't have anything against vampires although I had heard the English Fellowship of the Sun had taken up picket again outside.
I held my head up high, banishing the thoughts of the day away and I walked into the large conference rooms that had been transformed in less than a day to a gorgeous ball room with banquet tables, dance floors and even a live band which was more like an orchestra. I grinned at the effect and walked into the room with eyes roaming over every face in the crowd so that I could take absolutely everything in. Ladies were dressed to the nines with sparkles and shimmering dresses that were accessorised with every type of jewellery you could imagine, the only real difference from a human ball; there was no silver.
I stepped forward into the room fully and I took notice of the colourful strobe lights in the dimly lit halls, and went straight over to the tall round tables that held champagne flutes for the humans. There were also some wine glasses filled with a dark red liquid that was too thick for wine. I paid those glasses no more notice and picked up one of the others, wasting no time in taking in a mouthful of the bubbling drink.
"Hello Miss Stackhouse," a chipper voice chirped in my ear and I spun around to find Caleb smiling at me, holding his own glass. "How are you doing? I haven't seen you in about, oh," he pretended to ponder deeply which only caused me to giggle. "Twelve hours."
"I'm fine, good actually, and you?" We walked away from the drinks tables to wander around the rest of the rooms where we ended up leaning against a wall, a suitable distance away from the band that was playing some slow, enchanting music. We were close enough to hear everything clearly and far enough away so that we could talk without raising our voices.
"You look amazing," he whispered into my ear and I shuddered as his breath tickled the sensitive flesh of my neck, it even caused a few Goosebumps to rise along my arms.
"Thanks, you look pretty dapper yourself," I replied honestly and I even snuck another glance at his lean body. I defended that action by knowing that it had been a long time. His black suit jacket showed that he had more muscles than I'd first given him credit for with his broad shoulders and slim waist. The thin black tie stood out in stark contrast to the pristine white shirt until it disappeared into the fastened up jacket and below that point, it was just impolite to look since it wasn't in my natural gaze. Do you like what you see?
My head snapped up at that thought and I searched his face for answers but I found only an innocent expression that was also slightly hopeful. "Would you honour me with this dance?" He held his hand out and I slipped mine into it, letting myself be lead out onto the dance floor. That explained the hope I'd seen, he'd wanted me to say yes to this question not the one I'd heard mentally. It was absurd to believe that he knew about my telepathy, even vampires from my own area didn't know about it so a human from another state entirely shouldn't know a thing. I wasn't completely naive though, I knew some vampires from other areas did know about me, you can't keep a telepath completely secret but I didn't believe it would be news shared with human subordinates.
As soon as we stepped onto the dance floor he pulled me around to face him, his hand already on my waist and he expertly manoeuvred our hands into the proper grip. With only a slight tentative shudder my other hand rested on his shoulder and we were moving before I could blink. His grinning face was inches away from my own and the happiness he exuded was contagious, we'd barely gone three steps by the time I was grinning right back at him. I loved to dance.
"You can dance, I had a feeling you would be good," he told me after a couple of minutes of turning around the dance floor and he was really beginning to put me through my paces.
"How did you know?" Have you seen the way you walk? It was only through years of schooling my face that I kept my face neutral to the internal thought and the images that came with them.
"Because you have a strange grace with your movements and you hold yourself with pride," a deep voice that I hadn't been expecting answered for him, speaking over my shoulder. We came to a standstill, luckily near the edge of the dance floor and I turned my head enough to see Eric looking back at me. "May I cut in?" He said to Caleb, his voice clearly saying that he had no choice in the matter; he was losing his dance partner.
Caleb bent his shaggy head to me, his eyes disappearing underneath his hair. When he raised his head, his hands picked mine up from his shoulder, gracing my knuckles with his lips before giving me back my hand and stepping away graciously.
"Thank-you for the dance," he said before he slunk into the crowd. I lost track of his retreating form as soon as Eric's hands gripped my waist to spin me into his arms, holding me closer than I would have guessed. Smoother than what he could have planned, the band eased the tempo and went into a slow song and Eric only pulled me closer until our bodies were connected in one long line.
"You look beautiful Sookie," Eric whispered to me, his nose brushing against my ear and his lips skimming against my skin. My cheeks flushed scarlet at the compliment and I remembered what I was wearing; he would remember it from the time it was really in fashion.
The dress was vintage, from the 1950s. Black satin made up the gown that fell to just below my knees in a full skirt that swished outward when I twirled. The waist had a clinched-in panel that helped my average, healthy frame look borderline skinny and the bust was ruffled around the edges with no straps. The thing I liked most about it though was the almost strap that looped around the back of my neck, made out of sheer chiffon that was sprinkled with glimmering rhinestones. My long blond hair brushed the back of the dress which meant that every time I moved a hint of tanned flesh was shown on my back.
"Thank-you, you're very handsome yourself," I replied back, actually managing a little smirking grin when I'd got my blush under control. I hadn't had a chance to look at him properly since I'd been transferred from Caleb's arms straight into his but the bowtie around his neck signified he was wearing a full tux and I could see a slip of a crimson handkerchief poking out of his breast pocket. I didn't need to see evidence of his muscles, I could feel them rippling under my hands with every movement.
"I still can't believe we've never met," he added after a couple of moments just feeling each other and I'd bathed in the silence that just being in his presence afforded me. It was as though vampires helped block out the white noise from humans that I heard whenever I was around them.
"I've never been to Fangtasia," I replied; I thought we'd already had this discussion.
"Yes, but we both live in Area 5 and we've both been working for the Queen. You talk as though this isn't anywhere near the first assignment you've been sent on." His deep voice reverberated around his chest; I felt it vibrating against my own chest we were so close, our feet barely moving as we danced to the music.
"It isn't, I guess from the way she spoke to you tonight she meant to make it so that we wouldn't meet. It appears she's worried that you'd steal me away from her." I flashed him another cheeky grin which was rewarded with a fangy smile and a slight chuckle. "I've never been to anything like this before. She can't have had any choice with this summit meeting."
I'd just finished speaking when we were jostled harshly and a sharp pain shot down my spine from the elbow that had landed there. At the same time I heard a voice yelling out, goading someone on and the next I was being spun around so that I could face the scuffle that had caused my pain. In the same movement I was out of Eric's arms and a snarl was growling out of his chest as he crouched down slightly in a protective stance with me standing directly behind him. From around his gigantic frame I could see two vampires squaring off, both crouched down with fangs bared and hands curved into claws, ready to draw blood. I'd never seen the vampires before, but I could tell they were young just because of the stupid actions they were taking in a crowded room.
The slightly smaller vampire flung himself forward then and Eric was no longer standing before him, instead he was wrapped around the other vampire, restraining him on the floor with his sheer size. I stepped towards them, ignoring the fact I was only human since I needed to help calm the situation down. The humans who stood around us were all on the other side of the vampires, where I couldn't hear their voices properly but in amongst them I could hear the voice that had yelled out at the beginning, the person who must have started everything. It was only when I heard another snarl and looked back that I realised I was standing between a vampire and his prey.
I had no time to move, no time to do anything but watch the vampire almost literally fly towards me with arms outstretched and I was thrown out of the way like I was no more than lint. I didn't even register my flight through the air just the pain as I collided with the floor a good ten feet away. My whole body ached but it was my cheek and forehead that stung the most, the place that felt like it had landed first. My right hand instantly went up to touch the area. It came away covered in crimson. I was bleeding, apparently heavily, in a ballroom full of vampires and my only potential ally able to help me out was still pinning down another vampire.
So what did you think? You know I love feedback almost as much as i love a certain viking vampire.
The title, This is a Tricky Situation is from the Queen song It's a Hard Life.
Thanks for reading. *hugs*