Hello darlings, first of all, I am very, very, very sorry for not updating sooner. I had a busy weekend and I was lacking inspiration but my muse has come back lol I hope you can forgive me for making you wait so long (three days :O)
This chapter was mostly inspired music-wise by the soundtrack of the movie Repo Men which I watched this weekend. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's quite an enjoyable movie! I love Jude Law and in that movie, he is quite the yummy sight :) the soundtrack is great and inspiring and fun to listen to. It's a mix of rock, hip-hop, jazz, mambo, etc.
The title of this chapter is in fact my favorite song on the soundtrack. So here's a little playlist for you to listen to while reading this if you wish :)
Burn my Shadow - Unkle Feat Ian Astbury
Bad Blood- Beck
Full Moon - The Black Ghosts (haha allow me to puke on Twilight, even though I once was a fan of the books, the movies are juste disgusting, but the soundtrack has some good material, this song is one of them)
Sing It Back- Moloko
Are we All Forgotten- Paper Route
Face - The Black Ghosts
The Lightning Strike - Snow Patrol (Part 1 is my personal favorite!)
Ta-da. Reviews are my fuel, keep my fire burning :) I love you all very much, thank you for sticking to my story so long! I really hope you enjoy this chapter :) xoxoxoxoxoxxo I'll try and update tomorrow for chapter 20 (already huh I can't believe I've gone that far with this story, seriously :P)
'We have to get the hell out of here.' Eric muttered, sombrely.
I shuddered. Eric snapped his cell phone open and speed dialled.
'Alcide. We need you. Sookie's place.' There was a silence. I heard Alcide's voice at the other end of the line. 'When?' he seemed to ask.
'Yesterday.' Eric growled before hanging up. Okay so Alcide was on his way. Eric then speed dialled once more and spoke quickly with Pam in Swedish, I assumed. Right, keep us in the dark, cowboy.
'What's the plan?' I asked him, ignoring my whiny cousin who definitely wasn't going to be any good for the moment.
'Go get Hunter's things, wake him up. I'll glamour him if we need to.' Eric muttered. I ran to my old bedroom and gathered all Hunter's stuff before waking him up.
Darling, we have to go someplace, your Mamma's here. You can kiss her before we go and then we'll go to your Daddy's place okay?
Aunt Sookie what's wrong?
'It's okay honey, don't panic. Everything is going to be alright.' I told him, helping him out of his pyjamas. I didn't even manage to convince myself. Hadley came into the bedroom at that moment and took Hunter in her arms, tears still rolling on her cheeks.
'Mamma! What's wrong?' Hunter asked her, worried by his mother's tears.
'It's okay baby, everything will work out. I love you so much, baby, so, so much.' She whimpered, caressing his hair slowly and soothingly. Eric barged in the room at that instant. He looked alert and powerful.
'Is the Queen here?' I asked, my voice dry.
'No, not yet. She can't fly...' Eric replied. Of course, not all vampires could. 'But that won't stop her from coming, you can trust me on that.' He added.
'What's the plan?' I asked him while Hadley and Hunter went to the kitchen.
'Alcide will take Hunter to Remy's. The kid will be harder to track if there's a wolf with him.' Eric swiftly explained. 'I regret telling you this but there isn't anything we can do for Hadley. Except get her the hell away from you. If Sophie-Anne wishes to change her, she will. If not now, she'll do it later. We're immortal and very patient.' Eric reminded me. I swallowed hard. This wasn't good news at all.
'So we'll just tell her to shoo off to save our own skins?' I replied, frustrated. I couldn't let my cousin be turned against her will!
'Sookie, please don't make this any more complicated than it is. To save you and the kid, we have to make sacrifices.' Eric countered.
'I'm sorry but I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that my cousin was turned so that I could live free!' I snapped, my voice quivering.
'Now I know you humans are very high on guilt and all, but for once, please don't be such a child and trust me!' Eric snarled. He looked very pissed.
'What if we killed Sophie-Anne?' I suddenly whispered.
Eric snapped his head back at me and almost growled.
'What the fuck do you think this is Sookie? A game? We can't kill the fucking Queen of Louisiana and walk free! If not the Magister, her bloody guards will rip you to shreds!' He roared. I trembled. He was very scary. I felt tears gathering in my eyes and saw him soften at the sight. 'Please don't do that...' He whispered to me, pressing me to his chest.
...Why can't I resist her damn it? I'd do anything for her to stop crying... I hate it when she cries because of me...Think, think, think damn it. There must be something...
I pulled back, startled. Again I'd heard his thoughts. And he had no idea. And he couldn't know or I'd be dead, fairy or not.
'Please? Can't we do something? We can't let Sophie-Anne win...' I whispered, tears rolling down my cheeks as I gazed at his face. He looked much more the Viking warrior now than he ever had.
'There might be one thing but it would mean Hadley could never come back...' Eric replied, his voice cold.
'What?' I asked, full of hope.
'The Queen's jurisdiction only extends on the territories of Louisiana and now that Russell's dead, Mississippi. If Hadley were to leave those territories and swear allegiance to the King or Queen of any other state, Sophie-Anne wouldn't be able to do anything to her. But that would also mean Hadley wouldn't be allowed to come back to Louisiana...' Eric replied.
'Does that mean...' I didn't even finish my sentence.
'Yes, she couldn't see Hunter anymore. Hunter moving around Louisiana to go to her would be suspicious and Sophie-Anne would know where he'd be...' Eric completed.
'So she has to choose between never seeing him again because she might kill him or never seeing him again because he might get killed?' I asked, my voice catching in my throat.
Eric didn't even bother with an answer.
'Where could she go?' I asked him.
'She could go to Isabelle and Stan in Dallas. They owe us in a way, even though Godric decided to meet the sun...' Eric said. I saw pain wash over his features a quick instant. That sight reminded me of the demand Godric had made of me before meeting the sun: to take care of Eric. It had sounded almost funny at the time considering Eric was the powerful one of the relationship, but in a way, it kind of made sense to me now.
We walked to the kitchen where Hadley was holding Hunter tightly to her chest. Hunter was now crying silently against his mother's neck.
'We might have a plan, Hadley...' I muttered, my eyes on the floor.
'I understand, it's okay. I'll go to Dallas...' she whispered. Obviously they had overheard us.
'Promise me one thing, Sookie?' Hadley whispered to me, hugging me tightly. 'Look after Hunter, help him with his talent?' she asked me.
'Of course, honey, of course. If Remy allows it I'll try and help him as much as I can.' I whispered back to her.
Eric went out of the room and called Isabelle or Stan I supposed to inform them of Hadley's arrival and then he came back in the kitchen. I'd never seen him looking so impatient: with an eternity ahead, Vampires were rarely impatient about anything at all.
I heard a truck outside and barged out the front door, Eric in tow with Hadley and Hunter. Alcide seemed quite puzzled by the sight and I realised he mustn't have been far if he'd gotten here so fast.
Eric and Hadley instructed him to take Hunter to Remy's place which was in a nearby town, a bit south of Bon Temps. I hugged Hunter tight and then he cuddled into Hadley's arms. I choked back tears and watched him go with Alcide.
Goodbye, Aunt Sookie. Take care of Mamma please?
Of course, sweetie. We'll see each other real soon. Don't doubt it, darling. I love you very much.
When Alcide's truck was gone, Eric sniffed the air and turned back to Hadley.
'She's close but if you go and drive fast, you might make it out of the state by morning. Sophie-Anne can't move around during daytime so you might be able to make it to Dallas without problem. Take Sookie's car, you'll be harder to track, it smells of her.' Eric ordered Hadley. I didn't complain and simply ran inside for the keys. I handed them to her, hugged her tight and almost pushed her into the car.
'Thank you, the both of you.' She whispered before she took off.
It suddenly dawned on me it might be the last time I'd see my cousin and I had to fight back the tears. With most of my family dead, it felt like Life was playing a cruel joke on me by taking away from me yet another of my kin.
'Now what?' I asked Eric, my voice trembling. 'Do we make a run for it too? Will she still be headed this way you think?'
'Now we wait.' Eric muttered, kissing me with heat before pulling me back inside.
'We wait for what?' I asked, my voice fearful.
'For Sophie-Anne.' Eric replied.
'What? Shouldn't we try to get away? Can't you fly us to safety?' I said, dumbfounded.
'We'll go to Fangtasia. There at least we'll have backup if she decides to attack.' Eric replied. The next thing I knew, we were in my room and I was packing some stuff to go for a few days away. My house was the last place I would be safe if Sophie-Anne decided to pounce.
We climbed into Eric's Corvette and zoomed off into the night. I felt a big lump in my throat and I realised my world had really been shattered to pieces in the last few months. I searched for Eric's hand. He grasped my fingers reassuringly over the gearshift.
'I know.' Was all he said to me, his eyes still fixed on the road. Somehow, that made me want to cry. I was strained, tired, fearful. Tears welled up in my eyes as the road flew by.
'Stop the car.' I whispered to him. Without asking questions, he drove the car slightly off the road and stopped. We were in the forest, far from town and safety. But I didn't mind. I felt safe with Eric. I slipped out of my seat and slid to his lap, straddling him, my face cradled in the crook of his neck. Goosebumps erupted on my skin when he slid his hands on the naked skin of my back, beneath my shirt.
'You'll be the end of me.' He whispered in my ear, his mouth caressing the skin of my neck.
'When it is over, you'll leave me. You won't have to be with me anymore. And I'll be alone, again.' I whispered, my breath caressing his skin.
'Never.' He answered me, lifting my chin to look at him. 'Never, Sookie, you hear me? I won't let you down.' He added, his gaze dreamy and yet very serious. I gazed back at him, my hands snaked around his neck, tugging at his hair, trying to pull him to me.
'Kiss me.' I begged him. He looked at me as if I was the only source of water in an endless desert and brought his lips to mine, roughly. Somehow, I loved it when he got rough with me. It felt as if for once in his life he was genuinely out of control. I didn't fear it when he lost control with me, because it meant he was as affected by me as I was by him. I only feared him losing control when it regarded our safety. I lost myself in his kiss. His lips were making love to mine in the most erotic way. I felt as if he was sucking the very life out of me, yet he was also giving me most of his energy and strength through the kiss.
I can never lose her. I can't. Won't allow it. Never...
For the first time of me hearing his thoughts, I didn't pull back.
'You won't lose me.' I whispered against his lips. And suddenly he understood. His eyes snapped open and he gazed at me in wonder. He seemed genuinely troubled too.
'Since when?' he asked me, his mouth still barely an inch away from mine.
'Not long. Not always. I just get glimpses sometimes when we touch.' I explained, mildly afraid that he'd try to destroy that link between us.
'When we made love?' he asked, curious.
'Nope. Though I sometimes wish I could tell what you're thinking when we do. You seem quite the naughty thinker.' I said, playful. He grinned slightly. 'I thought you'd be very, very mad that I can hear you.' I added.
'Can you hear any other vampire?' he asked, his lips unconsciously seeking mine.
'Nope. You're the only one I've ever heard. I thought you'd want me dead for it.' I replied, my voice faint.
He almost growled in anger.
'I was willing to die for you, Sookie. I would die to keep you safe. And you believe I'd kill you myself? If I ever hurt you, I'd never forgive myself.' He growled menacingly. I almost gasped when his lips finally grazed mine again, hungry, demanding and passionate. I whimpered against his mouth when he nibbled roughly at my bottom lip. His tongue licked my lip in the most sensual manner and his hand snaked in my hair, trapping me as if he were afraid I'd disappear. I'd never felt more emotionally overwhelmed than I felt now. My fear for my current situation and my love for Eric mingled and made me feel like I was drowning. I felt tears rolling down my cheeks and he noticed them. He kissed fervently every inch of my face, licking the tears away.
'Don't cry, my love, don't cry.' He whispered to me, his lips on my neck, breathing me in.
'Eric, don't ever leave me.' I begged him, tugging at his shirt, trying to yank it open. I needed his skin, the strength of him, and the warmth. It felt bizarre to me that I'd be seeking warmth from his cool stone-like body, but he exhaled such joie de vivre and strength and hunger for the pleasures of life it felt as if he was my own personal sun. For him, I could give up my life in the sunshine, I thought. Not that I'd want to, but if I was faced with an eternity of darkness, I wished dearly he'd be there to be my light. I tried to hear his thoughts and he must have felt my concentration because he simply murmured in my ear.
'Right now, darling, I'm thinking that if we don't stop now, I'll take you out and make love to you on the hood of my car.' He mused. I could feel the bulge in his pants and I knew very well that I must have smelt just as aroused as him. And I didn't mind. The thought of being made love to on the hood of his car in the middle of nowhere excited me to a point where I didn't even recognize myself. I wanted him to fuck me brainless on the hood of his flashy Corvette. But now was not the time. Now was the time for survival and well thought out planning. We had to be smart about our current situation, not go purely on instinct; otherwise we'd spend our nights together having sex over and over again. I'd never felt so attracted to a man.
In fact, before Bill, I had never really felt any sort of intense attraction to a man, but with Eric it didn't even compare with anything I'd ever known. It was as if he was my own personal stash of heroine. I'd watched documentaries about drug addicts, hell I'd even heard Lafayette describing the effects of V on a human, and yet, I felt as if my craving of Eric was even more animalistic than that. I needed him, physically and mentally. I needed him to live, to breathe. I didn't know if that was because of the curse or the blood bond or some other mystical reason, but I couldn't stand the idea of ever seeing him leave me.
'We have to get to Fangtasia.' He whispered, his eyes closed, his forehead pressed against mine.
'I know.' I whispered back, my fingers fluttering over his lips lightly. I loved every single thing about him, his smell, his looks (hell I think I'd never seen such a good looking man in any magazine), his strength, his personality, his love for life even though he'd seen pretty much everything there was to see about it, the way he made me feel powerless, the way he made me want to feel powerless and surrender everything to him.
'How I wish we didn't have to. I'd ravish you till you'd beg for mercy.' He added, a grin on his lips as he pretended to bite my fingers. I giggled slightly. His eyes were still closed and he breathed me in, softly. 'You smell so good, nothing like I've ever smelt before. You're the perfect mix between fairy and human, my little Telepath.' He said, opening his eyes to look at mine. I didn't want to let go of him but he couldn't very well drive with me straddling him. I tried to untangle myself from him but only ended up almost toppling over the gearshift.
'Where do you think you're going?' He asked, smiling. He was holding me in place on his lap. 'I'm not nearly finished with you yet.'
'Didn't you say we had to get to Fangtasia?' I asked, my lips nibbling at his bottom lip.
'Did I?' He asked, his hands under my shirt once more. He unclasped my bra before I had time to protest and yanked it out of my shirt, almost ripping the straps off it.
'What are you doing?' I said, breathless.
'I don't understand why women nowadays insist on wearing these.' He said, throwing my bra on the back seat. 'When I was still human, all you had to do to get to these' he explained, his big hands cupping both my breasts through the thin material of my shirt 'was open their corsage. Now we have to fidget with your bloody undergarments.' He chuckled.
'Well, what fun would it be if you didn't have to work a little bit to get to the prize?' I asked, whimpering against his touch. The man knew how to use his hands, there was no denying that.
'No fun at all.' He grunted against my mouth as my hand slid between us to press against his length through the material of his pants. He hissed. I almost ripped his shirt open. There was definitely too much fabric between us.
'You little minx.' He laughed. I yanked his shirt off him, his hips pressing slightly against mine when he lifted his back off the seat for me to yank the material off his back. His hands slid in my pants and he felt the tiny underwear I was wearing.
'I must admit I love the improvement on the panty department.' He said, mischievously tugging at the wet material of my panties. 'I love lace.' He hushed, my skin tingling with desire as his breath caressed it. I grind my hips on him, drawing a grunt from his lips.
'We really, really should get going.' I mused in his ear. He grunted his approval but didn't let go of me.
'We should.' He said, his hands still all over my body. He slid them up under my shirt to graze my hard nipples. I was so aroused I thought I was going to melt in a puddle at his feet. His mouth was back on mine, sucking my tongue into his hungry mouth, his fangs biting it gently and drawing blood from me slowly. I almost purred. He then proceeded to kiss all my neck, nibbling at the skin, sucking and biting softly, kissing again and finally he let go of me. I don't know how it happened but a mere second later I was back in my seat, panting like an idiot. He looked as dishevelled as I felt which reassured me on the effect I had on his libido. He was leaning back in his seat, breathing heavily, his eyes closed, his hands gripping the steering wheel as if he was afraid he'd do something completely different if he didn't keep them there. The bulge in his pants was very apparent and I almost felt like relieving him. A naughty idea came up to me as I tried to regain composure. My shirt left very little to the imagination with my bra gone and I decided to look for it.
'Don't. I like you like that.' Eric grunted, his hand stopping me from investigating my bra's whereabouts.
'But...' I started.
'No buts. I like you like that.' He added, his tongue licking his lips slowly. The man was pure sex on legs.
'Fine. Than you don't get to wear your shirt.' I replied, crossing my arms on my panting chest.
'Miss Stackhouse, what has got into you.' He mused. He reached for his shirt but I snatched him away from him and threw it out my window. He frowned.
'I liked that shirt.' He simply said.
'Not me.' I replied, grinning. I felt infinitely better than I had a few minutes before. And I wanted him very badly. We drove off and spent the rest of the ride pointedly looking out to the road, trying to concentrate on something entirely different then the obvious tension between us. I wanted to jump on him and ravish him. His pants were not getting any more comfortable and I understood he wanted me just as bad as I wanted him. I almost whimpered at the thought of his length stretching me, so I closed my eyes tightly shut and tried to distract myself. I thought about the witches and Sophie-Anne and the grim fate that awaited Hadley if Sophie-Anne ever laid hands on her. But every thought I tried to keep would drift away every time Eric's hand jerked on the gearshift. I opened my eyes and looked at him. He slid his hand on my thigh and pressed it slightly. It reminded me of that time which felt a decade ago when he'd done the same thing at Fangtasia during Bill's trial. His hand slipped higher and I panted.
'No fair.' I whispered, my eyes closing at the sensation his strong hand was able to give me. He left my thigh one second to change the speed with the gearshift and his hand curled back on my thigh, massaging it in a deliberately slow movement.
I pressed my thighs together, trapping his hand between them. He grinned and looked at me.
'You are so not a darling.' He observed, a smile still playing on his lips. It reminded me of my first dream with him and I tensed against his touch.
'I've been wondering...' I started to say, my voice faint.
'Yes?' he asked, still amused.
'Have you ever dreamt of me?' I asked, eyeing him out the corner of my eyes, curious. He kept his gaze on the road and moved back his hand to the gearshift.
'Yes.' He replied, still staring at the road.
'Before or after I'd had your blood?' I questioned him
'Both.' He replied.
I smiled slightly.
'What kind of dreams?' I asked, trying to sound innocent.
'Ones that would make you blush.' He retorted, grinning.
'Which was your favourite?' I replied, flattered.
'My dreams don't even compare to the real you.' He said, mysteriously. We were now very close to Fangtasia and when we turned in the parking lot, I almost pouted in disappointment. Now was time to go back to our serious selves. Which would be hard considering he was shirtless and I bra-less. And we were both obviously aroused. I looked at myself in the car mirror and almost gasped. My neck was covered in slightly bluish bruises. Hickeys on about every possible surface of my neck. But the bruises didn't really hurt. Eric looked at me, smug and proud.
'What did you do to me! I look like a hooker!' I whimpered.
'You look like you belong to me.' He simply grunted, kissing me hungrily. He then slid out his side of the car and with his vampire speed, he had me out of the passenger seat and pressed against the car for a last hungry kiss before he pulled me into the employee door and in the bar. Pam appeared next to us in a whoosh and took in the sight of us.
'You look like sex-crazed teenagers.' She hissed, eyeing my neck with a mixture of displeasure and hunger.
'I feel like one too.' I whispered, my arms on my chest, trying to cover my very exposed breasts. Eric stifled a laugh and dropped me in a chair before explaining to Pam our current predicament.
Pam looked anything but pleased by Eric's report.
'So now not only do we have to deal with a bunch of were witches but also with the Queen. I think you just made my day, Eric.' She snarled.
He snapped at her in his language and she rolled her eyes, her arms crossed on her chest.
'Will you know when the Queen arrives?' I asked, their attention now drifting back to me.
'Yes.' Eric replied, looking for a fresh shirt.
Pam eyed me and smirked when she noticed I wasn't wearing a bra.
'Shall I supply her with one of mine?' She asked Eric, teasing him.
'I would be very much obliged to you.' I said, staring her in the eyes. My hair must have been a total mess and I tried to gather it into a ponytail. I didn't have any elastics with me and Pam seemed to read my mind because the next instant she had a brush and an elastic in her hands.
'Allow me?' she asked, a smile on her lips. I understood better the reasons for Eric's choice. Pam was truly a beautiful woman but she was also predatory. She seemed almost as dangerous as Eric even though she was 800 years younger than him. I simply shrugged and turned back to her on the chair to allow here to brush my hair. She gently passed the brush through my strands and I relaxed. I'd never had anyone but my Grandmother brush my hair. Allowing another woman to do it for me was a bizarre sensation, but I strangely felt good letting her do it. Pam's hands were surprisingly gentle. Eric stared at us with wonder. It must have been a strange sight for him, his vampire child brushing his human lover's hair. I smiled at him and closed my eyes as Pam's hands wandered in my hair, untangling it softly.
'You have the softest hair...' Pam commented. 'And the colour, it's like liquid gold.' She cooed. I almost giggled.
She braided it swiftly and tied it at the nape of my neck. I sighed. I wouldn't have minded her playing in my hair some more. She was very gentle and it felt good to let myself be pampered by someone else. Eric was still looking at us. Pam's hands fell on my shoulders and I almost felt the tension in the room.
'I understand better your fascination with her.' Pam whispered, breathing in the smell of me. 'She's smells delicious. I wish I could taste her. Someday, maybe?' I almost shuddered in surprise. I knew Pam's taste for women, but it was quite a surprise that she'd direct that interest at me, especially considering how possessive Eric was.
Eric frowned and I almost heard a growl ripple through his chest.
'She's mine.' He simply said. I turned to look at Pam and saw that her fangs were drawn.
'You are very selfish, Eric.' Pam commented, her arms crossed on her latex clad chest.
'And you are very insubordinate.' He commented, playful. I couldn't help but remember what he'd told me, about them being lovers centuries ago. I could understand why she'd be attracted to him: every normally constituted human would be, man or woman alike. What he represented for women was the romance novel character that they could only imagine: he incarnated it in the skin. For man, he was the ideal they would want to attain and secretly yearned to become.
And for the first time, I understood her appeal to him. She was strong, determined and ruthless. And she was very feline, a characteristic undoubtedly enhanced by her vampiric state. And most of all, she stood up to him. She understood him and knew that not a single woman held interest in his eyes if they did not put up a fight to him. He liked a challenge and she must have been his biggest.
Until me.
The room was now silent. Pam had sat beside me in a chair and was looking at me with wonder. Eric was staring at his hands, curled on his desk in from of him. He seemed lost in his thoughts.
'What are we going to do about the Queen? And the witches?' I murmured, afraid to break the silence that had grown between us, only broken by the thudding of the music in the bar.
'We found the witches' nest.' Pam dropped, her eyes still fixed on me. Eric sat up in his chair.
'Why didn't you tell me earlier tonight?' He asked her, mad at her.
'Because Chow only just told me.' She replied. 'Some supes have reported a bizarre activity going on near an abandoned building in the industrial part of Shreveport' she explained. 'We think they've jinxed the whole area so that people don't suspect anything.'
'What are we waiting for the attack?' Eric growled.
'They are powerful, Eric. Look at what they did to you...' Pam said, her gaze drifting back to me.
'I could overpower any of them, physically.' Eric replied, smug.
'Yes, but they're quite a few of them. Chow's spies reported a dozen of them, three or four of which are weres. And that's without counting Hallow and her brother. And they all fuel on vampire blood.' Pam continued.
Eric suddenly stood up, sending his chair crashing on the concrete floor. Pam stood as abruptly, alert, fangs out.
'The Queen.' Eric hissed.
Suddenly we hear a loud scream erupt from the bar. It sounded a lot like Ginger. It was soon followed by screams of terror from every human person in the place. Chaos had obviously just erupted in the bar.
Eric took me by the arm. Pam and he walked out of the office with me in tow. When we entered the bar, I almost hurled. The place looked like carnage had taken place there. There were at least half a dozen humans lying on the ground, dead. There was blood on the tables and walls. A few humans were injured and whimpering, trying to escape the hold of the Queen's vampire guard. And in the middle, in a long white fur coat that was splattered in blood, stood the Queen of Louisiana, a cruel grin on her face.
'Well hello there.' She purred when we emerged in the bar. I gazed at her, my eyes wide as plates.