CHAPTER EIGHT.

I sat at the table with a book and cup of iced tea in front of me. I hadn't made a move to touch either one. I was lost in my own thoughts. There was a creak on the floor behind me and I knew he was standing behind me. I made no move to turn around. Or even acknowledge him. Alcide had left ten minutes ago at my insistance. I didn't want him in the house. I needed to get some things out in the open and I had to get some things very straight.

"I see you didn't move into Sam Merlotte's rental." He said, not moving any further into the room. I shook my head and rested my hands in my lap.

"No."

"Why not?" He asked. I motioned to the seat next to mine. I heard him sigh and Eric sat down in the seat, folding his arms.

"I need to talk to you." I said and he just nodded. "Ok, look I need to get some things off my chest." I didn't know how to start so I dove right on in to it. Eric didn't say anything nor show any emotion, he simply let me continue. I sucked in a deep breath. "I don't like that you bought my house and I like it even less that you sleep in my bedroom." Eric ran his eyes over me but still remained silent. "Why did you buy me a car?"

"I told you I was going to give you an apology gift." He replied evenly.

"A car? What on Earth did you need to apologise for anyway?" I asked.

"Russell... the basement... using you for Godric...telling you about Bill. I admit everything I did was selfish. I hoped you could find Godric with your abilities, I wanted to tell you about Bill from the minute I found out because I wanted you to be mine." He looked at the table for a moment and then he looked back at me. "I didn't want to use you for Russell... it wasn't even my idea."

"Whose was it?"

"Pam's. I promise I wouldn't have let anything bad happen to you. I thought only Russell would drink from you and then he would walk into the sun. I had no idea he wanted me to drink too. I hated doing it." He closed his eyes. "I wanted the first time I drank from you to be a little more..." He opened his eyes and looked me over "more sensual than that."

"I... what made you think I would let you bite me?" Eric chuckled.

"I knew it would happen. I had no doubt of that." I grabbed my glass and drank deeply from it. I had to steel myself if I was going to continue this conversation to the ends that I needed to.

"Are you sorry for what you did?" I asked and Eric stared at me before he answered.

"Yes."

"I forgive you." I said with a nod. Eric grinned.

"Is it true?" He asked and I cocked my head to the side.

"What?"

"Did you really worry for me? Do you really care about my safety?" He asked softly and I nodded.

"Yes. I care." Eric gently brushed his thumb over my cheek and stared into my eyes for a moment. I saw that muscle in his jaw twitch. "What happened to the werewolf?" I gulped.

"It's dead. I killed it."

"Jesus?"

"He's been glamoured to forget everything. I promise you there isn't a scratch on him."

"Why didn't you simply kill him?" I asked.

"Well, for one thing you asked me not to, the other reason was that he was under the influence of another witch, a more powerful one and she was the one I wanted... I have been looking for her for many years."

"What are we going to do about them all? I admit that I'm scared."

"I can protect you." Eric informed me in barely more than a whisper.

"If I make myself yours?" I asked. Eric clenched his jaw and withdrew his hand as he reclined back on the seat.

"It would make it easier." He confessed.

"I'm gonna need a minute here." I said as I got up and started to limp out the kitchen I heard a snort of laughter and I turned to see Eric covering his mouth with his hand. "What?"

"Are you enjoying the leg?" He mocked and I shrugged.

"It makes me feel human and right now that's exactly how I need to feel." Then I limped out onto the porch. I leant against the porch rail and sucked in the warm summer night air. I took a few steadying breaths. I felt my heart race and looked down to see my hands shaking. I guess I had always known it would come to this and no matter how much I had tried to deny it, tried to ignore it and pretend I didn't want it, I had known.

I walked into the kitchen and Eric was sitting in exactly the same spot as I had left him. I sat across from him and took a deep breath. "Ok, so this is real hard for me." I began and Eric remained unemotional. "I want to make one thing straight... I don't want you to make any kind of move on me sexually... not until I'm ready. I'm still pretty raw from the whole Bill thing and I just need time for... to..." Eric growled and grabbed the back of my head. He crushed his lips to mine and kissed me deeper than he ever had before. I kissed him back.

I wasn't sure how long we kissed for, it could have been minutes or hours or seconds. I was so lost in the kiss that it didn't matter. I was just enjoying the moment. Eric growled and his fangs unsheathed. He stared into my eyes hungrily. "I mean it." I breathed.

"I promise. Nothing until you're ready for it." I pulled his head down and pressed my lips to his. This time the kiss was slow, passionate and sensual. Eric nipped my lip and I brushed my lips lightly against his. I pulled my hair slowly from my neck and tilted my head. Eric stood and took my hand, pulling me to my feet. He lifted me and carried me to my bed. He deposited me on the bed and lay down beside me. I placed my hand on his chest and glared at him.

"I said..."

"I know." He growled as he ran a finger along my collar bone. "I made a promise and I will keep it. You're sleepy and call me a creature of habit but I prefer to be lying down when I feed." Eric then lightly brushed his lips lightly along my neck. I closed my eyes and sighed as I enjoyed the feeling. Eric ran his hand along my side and hip, pulling my hip against his. Eric kissed my neck gently in different places. I felt him move to the vein in my neck.

I gulped as I felt him lightly nip the spot. I sighed... as much as I hated to admit it I liked the feeling. Eric made a rumbling sound in his chest and then he bit my neck. I felt him drink and it was disgusted to admit to the feelings that Eric stirred in me. I heard him make a noise of appreciation. He pulled away and licked the wound in my neck closed. "I believe I can sense some... strong feelings in you."

I kissed him. Pulling him down so that he was lying on top of me. "Sookie..." he growled and I placed a finger over his lips. I kissed him again and he growled. I didn't tell him but I had been testing Eric. I wanted to know without a shadow of a doubt that he was sorry and see if he cared enough about me to respect my wishes and I was pleased to find he did.

I helped Eric shrug out of his shirt and ran my fingers down his back. Eric kissed my shoulder as he slowly pulled down the strap of my dress. He nipped my shoulder and I ran a hand in his hair. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his lips. He pulled down my dress until it was at my hips. Eric kissed down the clefts in between my breasts and I sucked in air. I felt his hand run up the length of my leg and he brought my skirt up as he moved his hand up my leg.

I was ready to make myself his and I didn't care anymore about who knew it. I loved him. I was stupid and a sucker for punishment but dammit Tara was right. Eric had proven to me on more than one occasion that he loved me. Damn it all to hell I loved him back.

It took me a minute to realise that my dress had gone. Eric eyed me over and grinned. "It's a strange feeling when the fantasy lives up to the reality." I had seen Eric without a shirt before... hell I had seen him naked once when I had accidently stumbled upon him having sex with some waitress in the basement of Fangtasia. Eric lowered his head and kissed my stomach, he wrapped my leg around his hip and I hissed out in pain at my ankle. "What?"

"My ankle." I said and he looked at my leg. He smiled lazily up at me.

"Want me to heal it for you now?"

"Yes." I replied and he lifted his eyebrow. He bit into his wrist and held it out to me. I wrapped my lips over the wound and drank. After a few moments he nodded.

"That's enough Sookie. Unless you want to be a vampire?" I stopped drinking and Eric's wound healed. Eric gently ran his hands down my leg, massaging as he went, leaving a trail of goosebumps in the wake of his touch. He reached the brace that was tightly clinging to my injured ankle and he slowly pulled it off. I looked down to see that the bruising and the swelling were completely gone. It still amazed me after all this time to see that.

Eric kissed my leg and then settled himself over me. He held himself up on his arms, the muscles in his arms bulging. "Say it Sookie."

"Say what?" I gulped and he grinned.

"You know perfectly well what."

"I..." I began and he glared down at me amused.

"You?"

"I want you to make me yours." I said. Eric grinned evilly as he bent down and sank his fangs into the vein in my upper thigh.