Hello!
How are you all doing? Good I hope. I'm pretty good, had animal handling classes today which was nice, seeing a live animal since most things we deal with are in the dissection room. I've had quite the busy week - went to see the Green Day music recording of their 21st Century Breakdown tour yesterday in Covent Gardens. Won tickets, very nice. Brought back wonderful memories.
I need to say a really big thank-you to my betas who got this chapter turned around in only a couple of days although the speed at which they check my work is unbelievable. So, thanks to campyrs and trajedy99. I want to warn you that I should be updating next friday, i'm really really hoping to do so but i have yet another busy week coming up - exam tomorrow, two of my friends are down visiting me for the weekend, i have a job interview on monday and it's my birthday on tuesday! I'll be the good ol' age of 19 :) And in celebration of said occasion a group of us are going for cocketails again. I should be worrying about my exam, but i can't physically work anymore or i'll fall asleep on my keyboard so i'm thinking about what i'll order raspberry collins, frozen strawberry daiquiri or mango caipirinha. I promise i'm not an alcoholic but i am a student.
So yep, on with the chapter i think. Oh, Charlaine Harris owns the wonderful Southern Vampire Mysteries.
When I came to, I wasn't entirely sure that I'd woken up properly; the room was pitch black, the kind of darkness where you can't make anything out at all. My hands immediately went to my head which was beginning to throb with a severe headache from the chloroform; sadly I could recognise the sweet smell now that I was free of its clutches. It did seem ridiculously outdated to use chloroform; it hadn't been widely used in about a century and it was known to have fatal side effects.
"What the hell?" I muttered to myself as I pushed up into a sitting position, using the wall behind me for support.
Wonder if she's awake yet I heard from outside the door, a mental voice that I couldn't remember having ever encountered before. I collapsed quickly back to the floor, not entirely sure if I wanted them to know I was awake. With shaking hands and a thumping heart I slouched back down as swiftly as I was able to, trying to configure my body into the position I'd been in when I woke up.
Expletives ran in a constant circle around my head as I forced my eyelids to remain closed and my breath to even out. My ears were pricked for any movement from outside the little room where I was, I assumed I was in some form of closet since my feet, my back and head were all touching different walls.
"Cover my back," I heard a gruff voice that matched the mental one call out a second before bright light fluttered into the tiny room.
I fought desperately to keep my eyes light and natural. I wanted to screw them up tightly, pretending this wasn't happening. Calming thoughts swirled through my head; lazy Saturday mornings eating my Gran's fried breakfast, watching a romantic comedy on Sunday afternoons with Amelia and lounging naked in bed with Eric wrapped around me.
"She's still out," the voice said sounding surprisingly close, so close that I struggled not to recoil.
She's a pretty young thing, bet she could take some rough housing
"You sure she aint to be damaged?" The accent was American and it was only that observation that made me wonder what had happened to Caleb and more importantly, what had happened to me while I'd been unconscious. Taking stock of my body I only had pain in my head from the chemicals so I assumed I'd simply been moved into the closet.
"No damage at all, better not think it either you never know if he'll be able to tell." This voice was smooth with an edge of boredom, coming from the larger room that was in front of me.
"Shame," the original human muttered just before the door shut with a definite thud followed by a couple of clicks made from some locks sliding into place.
I was proud of myself; even slightly stronger than the average human due to all the vampire blood I'd ingested over the years but I would scarcely be able to take on one man, let alone two. I'd just bought myself some time, time to assess the situation and my body in preparation for an escape or a fight. This time I remained lying on the floor, I just shuffled over onto my back, bending my knees so I didn't feel quite so cooped up.
I had to think practically; I was in a carpeted closet, presumably in a hotel suite, with just about enough room to lie down. The door was now just to my right; if I stretched my hand out a couple of inches my fingers brushed against the wood. I couldn't allow myself to panic, it would do no good and the men keeping watch over me would know I was conscious and would presumably alert Caleb.
Caleb. Back in the bar, I realised then that I didn't know how much time had passed. I'd finally discovered all the secrets he'd been keeping and the reason why he'd been giving me such creepy feelings. He was a part-demon. Somewhere in his family tree was a demon, enough to give him extra powers but not enough so that it could be easily detected. This accounted for everything; his lack of broadcasting telepathically, why he gave me the creeps because something in me recognised him as something other than human. Also it could be an explanation for his willingness to do horrible, despicable things and why the vampires kept him around.
I banished thoughts of him from my mind for a moment and eased myself up into a sitting position once more. I stretched my hands out in front of me, easing tired muscles, and searching for the door and it was thanks to that motion that I finally saw my watch with its dim glow; 11:40pm on the same night. I hadn't been unconscious for as long as I'd thought. The general meeting would still be going on, no doubt with the queen cursing my name due to my absence. She wouldn't exactly miss me, and she definitely wouldn't be worried. I could only hope that Eric would have set up some kind of search for me; he would miss me and with my nose for trouble he'd assumed something bad had happened. I guess I was only proving his point further at the minute.
My hands connected softly with the door making no sound and with palms flat I searched for the little gap between the actual door and the frame, trying to orientate myself. I came up with nothing; there was also no door handle. The only discernable gap I'd found was between the wood and the carpet, however even that was covered with thick bristles to prevent drafts and apparently light.
I caught my sigh before it had left my mouth and instead ran my frustrated hands through my hair, using the motion to cradle my aching head as well. With shaking legs I pushed up until I was standing which only caused a wave of nausea and dizziness to wash over me. I fought it back until I was in full control of my body; it was all about control. With enough control I could keep myself calm and my telepathy tuned in. I scoured the walls, going in a full circle, searching in vain for a light switch. When that was over I slumped back to the floor, resting my head against the wall.
I was stuck in a closet with a securely locked door that had no handle and no gaps that would even let a thin shaft of light in. I didn't have my bag, so no phone. Shit. I never did call my Gran back. Oh, that's going to be a brilliant conversation. Even my pockets had been emptied except for a single tissue and a packet of gum. The only thing I could see was the glow in the dark face of my watch. I was completely alone and no one except my kidnappers knew where I was. I was however quite confident I was still somewhere in the hotel, especially given the time frame; they hadn't really had time to move me to anywhere else. These were all valid reasons to feel panicked, claustrophobic and possibly even terrified and hopeless. A lesser woman would have been. Not me. I wasn't hopeless or panicked, I had too much control. I had a plan; the next time that door opened which I would know in advance, I would attack, making a lot of noise, alerting someone to my presence. At this point a vampire from my group would come and help, hopefully before I was killed. Of course, this all used the assumption that at least one vampire was looking for me.
I must have somehow managed to fall asleep, tucked up in the corner of the closet to keep the cold away because the next thing I knew my watch was flashing 3AM and I had no recollection of how I'd passed the three and a bit hours. I blamed it on the chloroform because I really wasn't tired and under no circumstances would I have otherwise been able to sleep. There was also muffled talking coming from the other side of the door, what was clear to me though was the mental words, of course I heard the speech from the listeners mind but it still worked.
"She really needs to wake up," the guy with the American accent heard.
"Why? While she's out she's no trouble."
"The stuff we used can be lethal, I'm getting worried."
"Well, wouldn't she be better off dead? You know Caleb isn't planning on handing her over, he wants her telepathy since it's one of the few things he doesn't have."
"Shit!" Both my minds screamed the same sentiment at the same time, no clear thoughts other than that one word and a tidal wave of fear.I scrambled to my feet as quietly as I was able to, pleased to find that this time there was no nausea and the dizziness had disappeared which left me with only the headache. My eyes fluttered shut, it's not as though I could actually see anything anyway, as I concentrated on what was going on behind the door. Another mind entered the room, one that I couldn't read properly, one that only told me it was male and already angry. Caleb. I already knew the answer without getting it from the true humans.
"Sookie? I know you are awake and I know you can hear me." Caleb called oddly sweetly through the door, accentuating his words with fast raps on the door. How he could tell I was awake I had no idea, I did have the feeling that he wasn't bluffing though. I had a split second to decide how to react; the various options ran at a startling speed through my head.
"I can hear you." I finally settled on, keeping my back to the wall opposite the door just in case he surprised me. I might have stood a chance with the two humans but with Caleb I was essentially a helpless woman; I couldn't read his actions before he did them and he would be much stronger than me with demon blood in him, even if it wasn't much.
"Good, now I'm going to open the door, don't try anything stupid." I sucked in a deep breath, letting the oxygen flow through my body, energising me and making me focus on the only thing that really mattered; staying alive while getting out. Without ending up in a hospital would be an added bonus.
My heart thumped in my chest, until I could hear it pounding in my ears. I could almost feel adrenaline coursing through my blood stream, switching on all the things I needed for what I had planned, I didn't need much. The deep breath I had taken was let out in a whoosh only to be followed by another gulp of air. I could feel my chest heaving with the motion. Then the door began to open and I screwed my eyes up as tight as they would go, protecting them from the burst of light that would undoubtedly confuse me for a few seconds, a few precious seconds that I needed.
"Aw, now there's my beauty," Caleb said with what seemed like sincerity in his voice. I ignored his words though and I struck blindly. I tucked myself up, crouching down until I was at the perfect height for a tackle. My fingers were curled up into claws, ready to scratch at anything that I came into contact with. That was when I struck; running at him with as much speed and force as I could muster.
The collision was painful, even adrenaline didn't mask it fully. My shoulder crashed into his fleshy stomach and I heard the distinct crack of bone resounding in my ears. My right arm wrapped around his waist, pushing him back into a weak resistance, something that crunched. Assuming it was the door I kept on ploughing forward for another step when I opened my eyes, revealing the standard hotel room to me. Instantly I let Caleb go, realising I was nearing the centre of the living room area, and my fingers dug into his flesh as I retracted, causing deep gashes that had my hand covered in blood even through his shirt.
The two humans were nowhere to be seen, not that I paused to really search, and I ran away from Caleb as fast as my stumbling legs would take me. I'd only gone three steps, nearly reaching the door when I was pulled into the air, leaving my legs flailing desperately. A vice-like grip was around my waist, squeezing all of my air out of my lungs. I still fought though, my hands scratching against anything I could reach, whether it be the arms wrapped around me or reaching behind me to grapple with his face. "Argh!" I screamed, writhing with my entire body to try and break free.
"Oh no, you're not going anywhere."
My fingers tangled in his hair and I pulled hard, yanking so much that a lot strands came with me. A gasp of pain sounded in my ears and the grip around my waist relaxed ever so slightly but it was enough. I gulped down much needed air, letting the oxygen fill my starved lungs; I screamed as loud as I could even with my throat protesting painfully. Suddenly I found myself bent over, a great weight residing on my back, cutting of my yell. The arms around me turned into an arm, with the other clamping down over my mouth hard enough to crush my lips into my teeth.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Hissed a menacing Caleb; his mouth so close to my ear that his lips brushed my skin.
His question must have been rhetorical since I really couldn't reply but just to voice my opinion I stomped down on his foot, putting all of my weight behind the motion. It had more than the desired affect he completely relaxed his grip, allowing me to move away freely an instant before he stumbled back, moaning loudly in pain. I wasted no time and hurtled toward the door, hands outstretched in desperation.
"Michael! Luke!" Caleb yelled from behind, closer than I'd anticipated but I didn't even pause to glance because it was right then that I threw open the door, only to find myself running straight into another bedroom.
The seconds I hesitated when I saw where I'd ended up, I'd been expecting the living room since I hadn't dared hope for the main hallway, cost me dearly. I was pushed to the ground, the impact jarring seemingly every joint in my body. It happened so fast I hadn't even been able to get my hands up into time to break my fall; my right arm lay off to the side while the left was trapped painfully underneath me. The same weight as before pinned me down, his body heaving with exertion and I knew I'd given him a fight. I'd been winded by my fall and I was gasping for oxygen that my body just couldn't cooperate enough to obtain.
"What's going..." the new voice, I recognised it from one of the mental ones I'd heard earlier and it was cut off only half way through the sentence. I couldn't see the person at all; I just knew he was standing in front of me somewhere. I could see the scene laid out before him, a dishevelled blonde girl collapsed on the floor with a heaving shaggy haired Caleb lying on top of me, almost obscuring my body from view.
"Get Michael, now!" Caleb roared in anger, and I felt the flash of fear that flickered through the human's mind before he disappeared from the room again, a door slamming shut told me when he'd fully left. "Now then bitch," he hissed directly into my ear, pulling roughly on my hair so I was forced to lift up as much as possible from the floor. "Come with me." He rolled to the right, taking his weight off me and allowing me to take a glorious gasp of breath that brought the world back into focus. I didn't have much respite until he tugged again on my hair, making me cry out in pain as I followed his hand, stumbling to my feet while cradling my left arm to my body. "You dare fight back against me?" I managed to turn around enough to see his eyes which were glistening with rage, they'd darkened almost beyond recognition yet I still wasn't as scared as I could have been. This was a heated anger; there was rationality behind it somewhere even if I wasn't the one that could understand it. I'd seen cold anger; vampires were masters of this feeling, where they could do anything with the same ferocity without a care at all for anything.
"Yes," I rasped out, infusing as much confidence as I possibly could into the one word. Disbelief filled his eyes, I watched it from only a few inches away; it may be the last thing I had done but at least I'd stood up to the bad guy. His free hand, the one that wasn't holding me up by my hair, wrapped around my throat, squeezing hard. The pain began instantly, making me cringe back away from him and my face contort in a grimace. I had precious little air left, my lungs had taken a beating over the past couple of minutes and I didn't have enough strength left in meto fight back. My muscles were screaming in defiance against not being able to move but there wasn't really anything I could do.
It was then that I felt it; calm washing over me as silence filled my head. My eyelids began to flutter uselessly as I flailed desperately at Caleb's hands, trying to get him to relax his grip even slightly so I could just breathe. I wasn't attacking him anymore; I was just trying to stop myself from getting hurt anymore than I already was. Then I heard an almighty crash from the other room; a wooden door smashing into a wall. The next instant a body flew through the now open door into the living room, landing just a few feet to my right.
"What the hell?" Caleb whispered and his lack of confidence allowed me to pry three of his fingers from my tender neck, allowing me a sip of sweet air. "They never can do any fucking thing right," he added as he turned back to me, astonishment washing over his face when he realised how much progress I'd made. His thoughts invaded my head since I couldn't keep my shields up; he didn't want to kill me, he'd settle for injured and knocked out. What he didn't understand was that he could want it more than anything else in the world but it wasn't happening, not now.
I spat in his face, using up my remaining energy to watch the horror wash over his face. It was what he deserved and it summed up my feelings for him. He never got the chance to retaliate.
Eric stormed into the room, snarling at anything that came into his scope of vision.
"Put her down," he growled out, his voice so low that it seemed to reverberate around the room. Caleb stood motionless for a second as Eric strode into the room, the tension was palpable, and I couldn't believe I was witnessing it. My vision was starting to go blurry and I was stood on tiptoes to try to alleviate the pressure, it wasn't working but I couldn't give up. "I said, put her down." These words were accompanied by a snapping of his teeth as he stalked toward us; legs slightly crouched in a stance that said he was ready to pounce at any second.
Caleb recognised the predatory look because the next second I was on the floor in heap, unable to support my own body when it was under so much stress. My hands rushed up to hold my bruised neck, finger tips trailed over the flesh gently, never once however did I take my eyes off of the circling men in front of me. The standoff didn't last long; Eric literally flew through the air with his arms outstretched. He barrelled into Caleb, knocking him to the ground easily and rolled straight over him so that he was once again standing up, looming over the part demon. He was just about to lean down to grab one of his arms, probably to rip it off, when Caleb sprang to his feet, kicking out with his right leg as he pivoted around. His speed was good, but nothing compared to a vampire's and his foot connected with nothing but air. Eric did grasp him this time, one arm on his shoulder, another digging viciously into his waist. There was no warning for what happened next and the sickening crack as he dislocated Caleb's shoulder had me cringing back. A loud wail of agony filled the air and Caleb dropped to the floor, clutching his limp arm carefully. With another swift kick to the ribs, accompanied by more crunching of bones as several ribs gave way, Eric made his way over to me.
"How are you?" He asked, his voice still the deep growl and I could see wildness in his eyes. He didn't come too close to me, staying a few feet away and keeping his hands curved into claws. It was strange to think but I was glad he hadn't just asked me if I was okay, I preferred this question. It gave me more options to respond with.
"I'll live," I whispered out, the loudest sound that my throat could manage. "Look out," I tried to rasp out but the higher octave didn't register, it came out as a mere squeak that didn't do anything at all.
Eric didn't need the warning; he was already spinning around, ducked down, before I'd even finished the first word. Caleb had got back to his feet, his arm still hanging limply and the shoulder looking distorted underneath his t-shirt. The fist that he'd drawn back with his good arm barely connected with the side of Eric's head, a glancing blow at best but it did change his course of movement. Eric reeled back, out of the trajectory and it was enough for Caleb to follow his momentum through and run out of the room with startling speed.
My vampire followed less than a second behind him, light blond hair flowing behind him with the motion, until he was gone from view. That left me alone in a room with one human who looked like he was clinging by a thread to life and another human who I had no idea about. I scurried back slightly until my back hit the wall, I needed to know that nothing was going to creep up on me. My shields dropped slightly, allowing me to scope out the hotel room we were in; the man who Eric had thrown was better than I'd anticipated, he was knocked out but it didn't seem fatal and the other man was in a crying heap on the floor of the living room. He had several broken bones and a giant lump forming on his head from where it had been smashed into the wall; he was lucky to be alive. There was no one else around; in fact the only other person I could hear was a cleaner about five rooms down who was mentally complaining about the noise. I also discovered we were on the sixteenth floor.
Just as I was starting to freak out that I'd been left to my own defences again, I was contemplating getting up and trying to get back to my own room even though I didn't have a key, perhaps the front desk would help me, the familiar blankness of a vampire brain emerged on this floor. I didn't know how I knew, I didn't want to think about it too deeply either, but I recognised it as Eric, there was just something about his mind even though it was completely closed off to me that was familiar. He made no noise, even as he stepped through the destroyed suite.
"He got away," he growled out, fangs still extended and eyes darting around the room as though he expected another attacker to leap out of a corner or from under the bed.
"You couldn't catch him?" I rasped out, clutching my eyes shut tightly against the pain.
"No," he huffed and scanned the room once more before collapsing gracefully beside me, his long legs folded up so that he was kneeling. "I saw him turning around the corner toward the stairs and elevators, by the time I got there, two elevators had just shut their doors and the door of the stairwell was shutting. I couldn't pick up his scent, only the barest traces which said he'd been around here. I followed the stairs down but had to come back up." He ran his hand through his hair, pushing it back from his face and he really looked at me for the first time; surprise flickered through his bright blue eyes.
"Why?" I asked again, breaking his conversation so that his eyes snapped back up to mine from where they'd been staring at what I assumed were already forming bruises on my neck.
"I realised I could be following an entirely wrong path, I had no way of finding out which level he took and he could have even gone up. I couldn't risk him doubling back and taking you." I leant into his chest with those words, letting my head flop onto his shoulder yet my hands remained in place, it was too painful not to cradle my aches. "Now, what hurts?" When he glanced down at me and saw the grimace on my face, everything hurt, he asked another question. "What is injured?"
"My throat and arm." I croaked out, moving my left arm into his lap so he'd know which one I meant. Carefully he picked it up, supporting all of the weight in one of his hands, his fingertips from his left hand tracing over the swelling that had already formed around my wrist. Gently he gripped my fingers and moved them while his eyes remained focused intently on my face, checking to see if there was any pain at all. When that was cleared he moved up to my wrist, starting off with the barest hint of movement until he was rotating my wrist at almost full motion. It hurt, I can't lie; it really hurt, but it also wasn't broken, just badly sprained.
"Your wrist will heal quickly. Let me see your neck." I complied and tilted my head back after pulling away from him slightly, completely supporting myself. Faint brushes of cool skin tickled my tender flesh and it was so sweeping that it didn't hurt at all, holding my head back however did. "You will be fine, your neck will just take longer to heal. Come with me," he whispered before giving my forehead the briefest of kisses, so quick that I didn't even feel the hardness of his fangs behind his lips.
He stood up quickly and I'd only just begun to push up when he swept down, picking me up bridal style in a seamless movement. Within a second I was cradled against his chest, my head resting on his shoulder with my nose pressed into his neck, my uninjured arm behind his neck and the other resting on my lap.
"What about the humans?"
"They are lucky to be alive, if you don't want them dead, don't remind me." I nodded mutely against his head and sank down into him as much as possible, enjoying the feeling of being safe for the first time in hours. I had to agree that the humans were very lucky, he'd shown amazing restraint, either that or he'd just wanted them out of the way so he could get through to Caleb and I.
We walked down the corridor silently. Surprisingly I wasn't jostled at all, and I felt secure enough to close my eyes and just let his scent wash over me.
"Sookie," a deep voice whispered in the darkness and I bolted upright though I regretted the motion immediately with the pain that rocketed through my body. "Shh," the same voice added and I felt the bed depress beside me as Eric sat down next to me, his arm sliding around my shoulders which released the tension there immediately. He didn't apologise for the shock he'd caused but he did switch on the bedside light, letting me see the room.
We were back in his hotel suite, the sheets had been changed I noticed randomly, but everything was exactly the same. I was still fully dressed, my coat had been taken off but I remained in my jeans and shirt, but the same couldn't be said for Eric; he was only wearing boxers. He must have seen my eyes grow wide as I made that realisation because a low chuckle rumbled in his chest. "It's only a couple of hours until dawn, I want to be comfy." If it was still a couple of hours until dawn I couldn't have been asleep for that long.
"News?" I asked, using one word to express my entire question because it was just too painful to speak.
"I haven't left the room," he assured me, squeezing my shoulder so that I was flush against his body. I wasn't in that position for even a second before he'd picked me up to place me between his legs, my back against his chest and his arms wrapped around my waist snugly. "The Queen knows the basics, the front desk knows to alert our group if they see Caleb. The humans have been arrested on destruction of private property that they can't pay for." I nodded in understanding. My eyelids fluttered shut again as I pulled up the duvet around my shoulders to keep me warm; it was nice snuggling with a vampire but since they were only the temperature of their surroundings it wasn't the best when I wanted to be warm.
"Now, we need to get you sorted out." His hands trailed up my arms, his fingertips raising goosebumps as he went, until he reached my shoulders. He leaned over then and picked up a first aid kit that I hadn't noticed before. It was placed in my lap, already opened and I was greeted by a plethora of treatments, I could understand what they were doing in the possession of a vampire. "Let's start with your wrist." He gently picked up a tube of cooling gel which he opened and smeared over my heated, swollen flesh with a tenderness I hadn't known he was capable of. Next he wrapped a support bandage around it carefully, immediately relieving some of the pain and the coolness of both the gel and his skin was like heaven.
"Better," I said, sticking with my less is better policy. Knowing that elevation would help the swelling go down I lifted my arm up, resting my wrist on my shoulder so that my fingers were woven in his hair.
"For your neck it's honey tea and painkillers," he accompanied his words with a steaming mug of sweet smelling tea and two white tablets. The tablets of course, were disgusting but the tea was wonderful; I couldn't help relaxing back and sighing in the comfort it brought me.
"What happened?" He asked quietly with his mouth hovering over the place where my neck met my shoulder. I took another sip before answering him; it would be best to get it all over with at once and I knew it would be agony by the end.
"In the bar, read his mind." I shuddered at the memories of being inside Caleb's mind and the evil that I'd felt there. "He's part demon, one great grandparent or possibly just a grandparent. Like me." I added quietly. Until that point I hadn't realised it; Caleb and I shared a rather unique genetic trait. We both had small amounts of supernatural blood that made us very different from normal humans.
"You have no demon in you," he replied confidently then thought deeply in silence. I didn't mind the quiet, instead I let him come to his own conclusion which occurred rather quickly. "Part fae?" I nodded; my paternal grandfather had actually been a fairy. "That explains it."
"What?"
"You are delicious." I turned around as much as I was able to see him; a small smile was tweaking the edges of his mouth. I also noticed that his fangs were fully retracted now so he'd calmed down considerably while I'd been asleep. "You are Exquisite." My eyes went wide but I still turned back around, his statements brought too many questions to think about at the minute so I put them to the back of mind and continued on with the story of what happened.
"He sensed my otherness, assumed and still does that I'm part demon." I paused to take another long sip of tea. I was quite pleased with how my voice sounded; if I thought through the grating pain I could make a sound that was pretty much my normal voice. "He thought I should be with him. His vampire group does want me and he offered his assistance but he never intended to hand me over. He was going to take me back to America and use me in his business dealings as his 'partner'." I couldn't bring myself to say anything else so I just used inverted commas with my one good hand.
"I would have found you." He told me sincerely, kissing the skin underneath where he'd been resting his chin.
"I found out what he intended to do with me and how he wanted to punish me for being with a vampire."
"He doesn't like us? I thought it was personal." I half laughed but the urge to cough became so great that I gave up quickly. Eric would think that it was personal, he had a big personality and an ego to match, and I suppose on some level it was personal between him and Caleb; Caleb despised Eric because he was the vampire I'd chosen but it ran deeper than that. Caleb hated all vampires because it was what he most wanted to become but it was something that he could never have. Demons, even part demons could never become vampires. I had no idea if the same was true for telepaths with fae blood.
"All vampires, he had a deep hatred. I tried to run but he cut me off at the elevators, he used chloroform and I woke up in a closet. I'd just made a break for it when Caleb opened the closet door when you came to my rescue."
"I should have worked faster," he chastised himself, having lifted up from my shoulder his words were hissed out and menacing.
"No, you were right on time." I turned around again to find him looking back at me, so not letting him get away with his derogation of himself, I kissed him. My lips softly moved against his for a second before he began to respond; our lips were soft, moving slowly and only slightly as we both sought comfort from the other. He pulled back slightly before placing another chaste kiss to my lips and pulling me back into his chest properly. "How did you find me?"
I went where I could smell you, but you've been a lot of places in this hotel and they carried you up to the room. I'd narrowed it down to which tower block and I was going systematically through each floor. I was only on fifteen when I heard a commotion from above. I'm guessing you were giving your all to Caleb."
"Yeah," I replied, remembering all the screaming I'd done and the loud sound that must have ensued as we crashed to the floor.
"Please tell me something," he traced kisses along my collar bone, pulling the loose collar of my shirt aside with his free hand to do so. "Tell me that you hurt him." He carefully flicked his tongue over my bone and kissed back up to my neck, before the bruising, and licked again, adding the slightest bit of pressure so I could feel that his fangs had run down slightly at the thought of violence.
"I did," I wasn't ashamed to feel a smile cross my lips as I remembered pulling his hair out, scratching him so badly that he bled. When I glanced down at my hands however I found them completely clean.
"You were covered in blood; you wouldn't want to wake up caked in dried blood."
"Thank-you," I whispered out and kissed him again. My hands, even my injured one, latched around the back of his neck so that I could pull him down closer to me. His tongue explored my lips before searching my mouth and my tongue danced with his. A small moan rumbled in my throat, barely more than a completely contented sigh, as we moved together. His hands caressed my back, easing any residual tension from my muscles. Suddenly he broke away from me, his lips still parted and showing the tips of his fangs that made me, even in this state, want them in me.
"Do you want my blood? I can heal you." I shook my head slowly, eliciting a perplexed expression from my handsome vampire.
"I have a strange need to feel human," I replied, trying my best to explain how I was feeling. "The pain reminds me I'm alive. My wrist is already much better," I wiggled it around for emphasis. "And my throat can only get better; I even sound more like me. I'll be fine in a couple of days. Thank-you." I didn't have time to lean into him this time. Instead he kissed me, cutting off any more words that I could have used in explanation. If this was how he treated me when I had been rescued it almost made it worthwhile.
His tongue caressed mine in our almost lazy kiss. His touch was comforting and exactly what I needed; he made me feel more than the pain and I felt really alive. Shivers shot down my spine with the sensations I was feeling and I couldn't help tangling my hands in his hair again, pulling him down closer to me if that was at all possible. Slowly I was rolled over, Eric's arms around me, controlling me until I was laid on my side on the mattress with the duvet still miraculously pulled up to my shoulders. My vampire was right beside me, sharing my pillow with my body pushed against the long length of his. My legs intertwined with him, needing to be as close as possible. His chest was perfectly still while my heart beat loudly in mine and my breathing was becoming ragged. We weren't going anywhere with this, I may have wanted it but given my current state it would be awkward to say the least. Kissing however, was like my own personal heaven. His lips moved softly against mine, contrasting with the hard fangs behind them that I was fascinated with. His scent was all around me, so unique that it simply screamed Eric with an undercurrent of vampire and danger, yet I felt perfectly safe in his arms.
Another moaning sigh broke from my lips as I pulled back ever so slightly to draw in breath and of course it was that precise moment that a tremendous wave of panic washed over me, sending me reeling back into the duvet and away from Eric's chest.
"What's wrong? Sookie?" Eric's worried face filled my vision, becoming even more so as he took in my wide eyes and mouth hanging open in a perfect 'o'.
"Shit, what the hell?" I whispered more to myself and the dread that had come over me, now accompanied by my own. After what I'd already been through tonight it seemed the person in power had more plans for me than kissing my vampire. Fear flooded through my mind even though I shouldn't have been able to detect anything from this high up and this close to a vampire. It was utterly complete though; the fear and the panic, there was no escaping it and just as my stomach sunk as low as it could possibly go the gunshots started ringing out, resounding around the hotel.
So yep, that was chapter 10. What did you think? What you think is happening? I really feel sorry for Sookie, she doesn't seem able to have one uneventful night although i think this one takes the biscuit. As i'm sure you know by now, i love feedback almost as much as i love a certain Viking vampire. I finally watched the ASkars acceptance speech at the Scream awards this year. Wow, hilarious and i have to agree Eric has definitely been a very good boy this year. Well, he definitely gave naked scenes, not enough but still :)
The title this week, Let's Get Outta Here, it come's from the song Let's Get Outta Here by Madina Lake. It's brilliant and funky, i advise going and listening to it.
If you haven't figured this out yet, i'm writing this on thursday night because i'm going for the cocktails i mentioned tomorrow. So thanks for reading and i'll see you next week.
*hugs*