I couldn't leave you hanging too long for the second part of their talk. Hope you enjoy it!
Charlaine Harris owns these characters.
"What does his blood have to do with it?"
"It's the only explanation. What did you like about him when you met?"
"I thought he was handsome and the silence of his mind was really appealing."
"There are many even more handsome, and the silence comes with every vampire mind, does it not? It's the blood," he stated authoritatively.
"Why does it always have to come back to blood?"
He laughed shortly, a sound without humor. "I am vampire. It always comes back to blood, sweet Sookie."
"I'm not dumb, Eric." Her tone was sharper than she intended and she took a deep breath before continuing. "You are vampire. I am not. Why would you think I'm controlled by his blood?"
"Did Bill not tell you how vampire blood affects humans?" Eric's reply was sharper, too, as he considered the implications of her statement. Could she truly not understand the consequences of their blood exchanges?
"Yes, he did," she told him flatly. "Better reflexes, sharper senses and improved appearance. I have all of those things, but I'm not with Bill for those reasons."
"All of those things are true," he confirmed slowly. "But they don't represent the entire picture. Did he tell you anything else?"
"Well, yes." Her comfort level plummeted as she tried to find the words to explain. "I know about the dreams, too. He did warn me about that."
"Dreams," Eric retorted caustically. "Is that what he told you? That you would dream of him?"
"Yes. He said because I was already attracted to him, the blood would cause me to dream of him." Her mind flickered to the few mild-mannered dreams featuring Bill before inevitably recalling the steamy, torrid nighttime visions starring the vampire on the other end of the phone.
"And were you really attracted to him before you took his blood?" The relationship between the civil war vampire and the telepath was puzzling. Not for a moment did the Viking believe Bill's claim to be mainstreaming, and while he couldn't truly say he knew the telepath well, what he did know didn't suggest she would find the younger vampire appealing.
"No." An uncomfortable moment passed before she continued. "I didn't even know him then."
"What do you mean?" His question was as sharp as his curiosity.
"I only met him the night before he gave me blood," Sookie explained defensively. "I was injured quite badly and he told me his blood would help. I didn't know him, so no, I wasn't attracted to him then, but I didn't want to die, either."
Silence reigned supreme and the telepath fidgeted with the edge of her comforter as she waited for Eric to respond. Their late night talks had given her some insight into his behaviour and she took his silence to mean he was contemplating her story. Why he cared so much was as much a mystery to her as why she cared if he cared. She had a boyfriend, and even though she was beginning to agree that he wasn't the one for her, she shouldn't care so much about Eric's opinion. She did, though, and that revelation provided even more food for thought.
"How did you become injured?"
Painful memories of the vicious beating she'd sustained came rushing to the forefront of her mind, only to be pushed back savagely. The Ratt's had done enough damage and she refused to be haunted by the memories of the pain and humiliation she'd experienced at their hands.
"The Rattray's retaliated after I stopped them from draining Bill the night before," she related calmly. "They beat me up pretty bad and Bill told me I might die from my injuries if I didn't take his blood."
"Drainers!" His shock and surprise were evident. He hadn't been informed of this problem and he wondered why. Most vampires couldn't wait to report such happenings, but Area Five's newest resident hadn't even mentioned it. "When did this happen? Did you know these people?"
"It was a couple of weeks before we met and, yes, I knew them."
"You knew them? Your phrasing suggests they are no longer available to be known." Drainers were a dangerous and unpredictable set, coming from every walk of life. They were dealt with swiftly and firmly, but there was a chain of command to be followed and just as he'd not been informed of their existence, there was no corresponding report of their death.
"I don't think they'll be causing any more trouble," she replied after a significant pause, confirming his suspicions and fueling more. Bill was lying about his lackluster efforts to mainstream, but to what end?
"Tell me what happened," he said, barely managing to make it sound more like a request than an order.
"Bill came into Merlotte's that first night and caused quite a stir. Everyone seemed to know what he was and it didn't take long for Denise and Mack Rattray to cozy up to him. I thought it was strange because they seemed to be the wrong kind to be getting friendly with a vampire. Anyway, later on they got Bill outside and I knew what they were going to do because I heard their heads. I went out to help."
"By yourself?"
"Well, there really wasn't time ever to waste finding someone and explaining it all. I didn't know how long he had."
"And there you go again," he murmured.
"What did you say?"
"There you go again," he repeated. "You say there's no mystery about you and then tell me a story about rushing into known and imminent danger to save a vampire you didn't even know."
"That's not a mystery; that's basic humanity. I couldn't let them kill him. Anyone would have done the same if they knew what was going on."
He knew how wrong she was on that score. Many would watch with pleasure, while others would simply turn away, but few would charge into the fray unarmed and alone.
"I've studied your humanity for over ten centuries and this cannot be explained as a simple act of human kindness. It takes a special blend of fearlessness, bravery and strength and that combination is rare. You are unique in the truest sense."
Sookie laughed. "If you say so," she replied dubiously. "You never did get to your point about Bill's blood and now I can't not know. What were you going to tell me?"
"You should question why it's there at all," he told her bluntly. "No matter what your boyfriend may have told you, what he did was very strange and highly unusual. Vampires don't simply donate to a worthy cause; we jealously hoard and guard our blood."
"But I was dying. He said so," she replied absently as her mind twirled and swirled into a tangled web of questions.
"That's what hospitals and doctors are for. I'm forever grateful to the smarmy prick, if he truly saved your life. But what he did would raise suspicion with just about every vampire in existence, Sookie. I find it suspicious and I think you should, as well."
"What do you mean, if he really saved my life?"
"He may have said you were dying, but would you know the truth? Was there time for a doctor? It seems to me he was looking for a reason to get his blood into you."
"Why would he do that? If the blood is precious, why would he give it to me?"
"That's what I want to know, too. It is even more unusual to offer blood after a draining; he would weaken himself even further."
"He offered me his blood that first night," Sookie informed him slowly. "The Ratt's had siphoned it into bottles and he offered it to me."
"He should have drunk it as soon as he was able," Eric replied, a frown marring his handsome face. "He would have needed it to heal."
"Then why offer it to me?" She was puzzled and a little disturbed by these revelations. His explanations had been taken at face value at the time; the telepath had simply been grateful to be alive. Eric's perspective on the situation was vastly different than Bill's casual attitude and now she wondered whether her naivety was biting her in the ass.
"That's the question, isn't it? I would guess he wanted to bring you under his influence."
"How would that work?" Out of all the reasons Bill had given, control was not one of them. Sookie winced as she recalled how he'd pressed even more blood on her before their ill-fated second meeting with Eric. Every instinct had told her to refuse it, but she'd capitulated without much fight. "Can his blood control my thoughts or actions?"
"Yes, and no." This was not the conversation he'd envisioned, and one he'd never had with a human before, but she needed to know. The younger vampire's actions were suspect and Eric's interest in the telepath surpassed his natural reluctance to explain the magic inhabiting their blood. "Practically speaking, the only reason a vampire would give blood is to exert a measure of control, or to be able to track the human's movements and honesty."
"Can you explain that?" In for a penny, in for a pound. It was one of Gran's favorite sayings and Sookie thought it suited the moment. Ignorance might be bliss, but she could not longer claim that state. What she'd learned could not be undone now and the only recourse was to absorb the crash course Eric was providing.
"The magic which animates us resides in our blood. We still have some control of the it, even if it is another body. We can tell where our blood is fairly easily and it can tell us the emotional state of the host. Every subsequent infusion increases the control available to us. He would know where you are and what you're feeling."
"So, if I've had blood twice, what would that mean for me?"
"Twice?" he questioned sharply.
"The night I read your employees, he told me it would be better - I would be stronger - if I had more of his blood."
"Is that so?" Even though the night had ended disastrously, there had been no reason for Bill to expect trouble. There was no way this was as innocent as he claimed. "Does the blood help with the telepathy?"
"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I've had more success with shielding my brain, but that's probably because Bill's been helping me practice."
"Shielding?"
"Learning to keep the thoughts out," she explained.
"The exact opposite of what you planned to do that night," he pointed out. "Giving you blood seems counterproductive, don't you think?"
"I honestly don't know what to think." All the thinking of the past couple weeks was thrown out the window as she considered all Eric revealed. Indignation boiled within as she prepared a mental checklist of all the lies, and deliberate omissions, Bill had heaped upon her. "I'm mad as hell and I don't understand all of this."
"And I have no more time for explanations," he told her.
"You can't just leave me hanging like this!"
He chuckled softly. "I must. The sun is rising and I have no choice."
"Damn," she replied as she finally noticed the changing sky outside her window. "It's almost dawn. How are you still so alert?"
"First of all, vampires don't get groggy. There is complete awareness until the precise moment we succumb to our rest. Secondly, I'm able to stay awake for a while after the sun rises and I generally rise well before the sun sets. It's a perk of my advanced age."
"That's really cool," she enthused. "You get extra time every night."
"It is indeed cool," he replied with a smile on his face. "But this night is ending and I regretfully must say goodnight."
"Will you call me tomorrow? I really need to know the rest of this."
"I will," he confirmed.
"Okay, then. We'll talk tomorrow. Good night, Eric."
"There's one thing I'd like to know first."
"What is it?"
"What are you wearing?"
"Oh my God," she exclaimed. "Pyjamas, Eric. Plain old flannels."
"Delightful," he murmured with amusement. "Goodnight, Sookie."
"Night, Eric."
The cat's out of the bag now. What do you think?