Chapter Thirty Nine:
Sookie stood there in the doorway to Eric's office with her arms crossed and a look of agitation on her face. Her gaze barely even registered the fact that I was there, her attention focused entirely on Eric. And his attention was solely on her, as well. In fact, if it hadn't of been for Godric's quick reflexes, I would have found myself flat on my ass on the floor as Eric stood abruptly. I grunted, Godric keeping a secure arm around me as if he thought I was just going to leap at the woman. Maybe he had a reason to worry. But I was trying to behave myself. Which was difficult when this once horrible night maybe just maybe had a hopeful chance to be salvageable. But now that Sookie was here, all of our issues were now back into the open and it was hard to rein in that ugly green monster.
"Sookie, what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?" Eric's face was a cool mask, one that I wanted to slap right off.
"You can't just show up at my house, tell me that you've bought my house, and then take off without warning!" Sookie looked one step away from stomping her foot on the ground like a child. Her cheeks were growing a faint red as her anger grew, radiating right off of her.
It took me a minute to completely register what she had even said. I just sat there, Godric's arm tightening around me. I blinked repeatedly for a moment before my jaw dropped open, my eyes growing wide.
"You what!" I didn't even care that the screech sounding from my lips was embarrassing and high pitched. All I cared about was the fact that Eric, my Eric, had apparently bought her house. But not only that, but he had been there, at this house, with her. He had been there this entire time. While I had been in pure agony, while I had been squirming in pain, my body feeling like it was on fire, he had been with her doing god even knows what. That hurt. That felt like a hand had suddenly slammed right into my chest, grasped onto my already fragile heart, and began squeezing. "You...you were with her?"
Eric sighed, running a hand through his hair as he shot me a quick glance. He wouldn't catch my gaze, however, his eyes dropping as he felt my glare.
"What the hell, Eric!" My hands curled into tight fists, my fingernails digging almost painfully into my palm as I tried my best not to let my anger boil over. But it was nearly impossible. Because I was pissed. I was angry as hell and hurt beyond belief. He had felt my pain. He had felt the agony I had gone through, the sheer torture Marnie had forced me to endure, and he had just had a grand old time hanging out with the woman he seemed to care more about than me. That killed me. I wasn't sure if I wanted to burst out crying at that moment, or slap Eric so hard that my hand would likely shatter.
"Not now, Savannah."
"Not now, Savannah?" My anger was growing by the second, and having Eric talk to me like I was a little child that needed to comply with his ever demand, it didn't help one bit. "We're going to talk about this right now."
"I said not now." He snapped, snarling at me with those fangs peeking from beneath his top lip. "We'll discuss this at home."
"Oh fuck that." I shook my head furiously. "We're going to..."
"You can't just buy my house, Eric!" Sookie interrupted, forcing the conversation back onto her. I growled, my fingernails beginning to draw blood as I glared daggers at the blonde girl. I wanted to rip out her throat with my bare hands. Maybe that was the vampire blood that was constantly coursing through me doing the talking, but I didn't care. This little goody two shoes bitch was ruining everything and I hated her for it.
"It's no longer your house." Eric crossed his arms loosely over his chest, his gaze settling on her. "It's mine."
"No, Eric, it's my house." she did stomp her foot on the ground this time, and if I hadn't been so furious, I probably would have laughed.
"Calm down, Savannah." Godric pleaded, whispering into my ear. His free hand began rubbing up and down the length of my arm. His attempt at soothing my anger failed however, and if his arm hadn't of been there, I was certain I would have attacked. Whether it would have been Sookie or Eric, that remained to be seen.
"No, I'm not going to..."
"I want you to sell me back my house." Sookie once again ignored the fact that there were others in the room and just talked over me. Because apparently her house issues were more important than anything else.
"Now why would I do that?" Eric raised an eyebrow, he too ignoring the fact that Godric and I were here at all. I was surprised he wasn't eye fucking her yet. I'm sure that was still to come. "I already told you why I bought your house, Sookie..."
"You may have bought the house but the house does not come with me in it." she argued fiercely.
"Well then I seriously overpaid." Eric rolled his eyes sarcastically. "What's done is done, Sookie. You're house is just one of my many investments..."
"I will never be yours."
"Right, because I'm his." I found myself spitting out bitterly.
That seemed to draw Sookie's attention to the fact that she wasn't simply alone in the office with Eric. Her gaze finally settled on Godric and me, her scrutinizing stare sweeping over me as if she was already judging who I was. Her eyes rested on the double fang marks and I couldn't believe the appalled expression she had the audacity to wear. From what I understood, she fucked around with both Bill and Eric; she couldn't judge me a single bit, especially since she didn't understand my relationship with Eric and Godric. It was more than just a mere relationship; it was more than just sex or intimacy. We were a triumvirate. We were part of each other. Sookie was too daft to possibly understand that.
"You were at Merlotte's earlier. You were the one talking with Holly." Realization finally dawned.
"And here I thought I always left a lasting impression." I snorted, my teeth grinding together.
"What are you doing here?"
"Well that's not really any of your business, now is it?" I snapped back. If I wasn't so pissed at her and didn't want to rip her head off, I would have found the shocked look on her face amusing. She clearly wasn't used to be talked back to.
She shook off my statement quickly however, and turned back to Eric in accusation. "I guess it didn't take you long to jump back on the horse. How many other women have you fucked and drank from?"
"Well aren't your feisty tonight?" Eric smirked, completely ignorant to the fact that she had practically just called me another one of his conquests. He didn't deny it at all, and I think that's what stung the most. "I like saucy Sookie. She's so much more fun."
"You can't just claim to care about someone and turn around and do that" she pointed rudely at me, indicating the fact that I was nearly half naked on his couch with two separate fang marks on my neck. "What happened to wanting to claim me? Or was that just another one of your lies?"
My heart stopped at that. Claim her? He wanted to claim her? But he had already claimed me. I was his, that's what he made sure I knew every single night before we had even gotten together. And now suddenly, he was throwing me to the curb?
"Is this true?" I was surprised that it was Godric who questioned Eric.
The Viking couldn't ignore his maker like he could me, however, and was forced to send Godric a brief look.
"It's not as it sounds."
"It sounds exactly how I'm hearing it." there was an edge to his voice, the same edge that been there when he had been defending Eric earlier when we were arguing. Maybe just maybe Godric was beginning to slide on over to Team Savannah, not that I exactly wanted teams. But right now, Eric seemed to be on an island all on his own, an island that apparently he wanted Sookie to be included on and not the other two halves of this triumvirate.
"We'll discuss this later." Eric frowned.
"No, perhaps we should discuss this now." Godric too frowned, the two now glaring at each other.
And of course, Sookie just had to inject herself into a conversation that didn't concern her. "What's going on here, Eric?"
"It's none of your business. Why don't you run on back to your little hick town and mind your own business." I glared daggers at her.
"Who are you anyways?" her eyes narrowed, her hands planting on her hips.
"Someone you really don't want to piss off."
She just kept staring at me for the longest time to the point that I found myself fidgeting nervously at Godric's side. Godric and Eric, meanwhile, seemed to be having some sort of silent conversation with one another, both of their angers rising to the point that my blood was boiling. It felt like flames were licking at my skin and I shuddered from the sensation. I wasn't sure I would ever get used to feeling everything that they did, and with such intensity.
"You two need to cool it." I tried to ignore the way she was staring at me and tried to focus on the two vampires. I laid my hand on Godric's arm, only to yelp in pain, feeling as if a leather whip had come down hard on my hand. I bit down on my bottom lip as I nursed my hand to my chest, staring in shock at Eric and Godric. Whatever was going on between those two I was receiving the backlash. "Guys..."
"Why can't I hear you?" Sookie demanded to know.
"Um, are you deaf?" I sent her a dirty look while soothingly rubbing my sore hand.
"I can't hear you." She spoke slowly, as if she was talking to a five year old. She rolled her eyes when I just stared blankly at her. "Your thoughts, I can't hear your thoughts."
That seemed to have interested Eric, his attention being drawn from his maker and to the blonde. "You can't hear her?"
Sookie shook her head, tilting her head to the side as she continued to stare at me. "With vampires, it's like this white empty hole. You're just not there. But with her...it's just this empty darkness."
I watched curiously as she shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself and subconsciously inching towards Eric. Which I didn't like at all. Godric was so focused on Eric that his arm had loosened around my waist, allowing me to stand, my hands still curled into tight fists at my sides.
"How interesting." Eric briefly glanced at me. "I wonder if you could have heard her before..."
"Before?" Sookie frowned, gazing up at Eric, momentarily forgetting why she had come here in the first place. "Who is she, Eric? What is she?"
"That's none of your concern." I was surprised when Eric's expression hardened. "If all you came here for was to yell at me about my house, I'm afraid your arguments have fallen on deaf ears."
"It's my house!" she threw her arms up into the air. "And you can't just ignore my questions, Eric. Who is she? What is she? Why can't I hear her?"
"Don't you worry yourself over that." he smirked down at her. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave, Sookie. But don't worry; I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again soon."
"I wouldn't count on it." her face scrunched up in disgust. "But then again, knowing you, you'll drag me into your vampire shit again."
"That was Bill. I've never..."
"You nearly got me killed all because you wanted revenge for your family. Who were murdered over a thousand years ago!"
That seemed to strike a nerve with Eric. I knew better than anyone that he could be teasing and having fun one minute, and then a vicious animal the next. All it took was one little comment to bring that monstrous vampire out, and Sookie just happened to say all the right things.
"I would suggest leaving, Miss Stackhouse." Eric's voice was dangerously low, his eyes narrowed into slits as his arms fell to his sides tensely.
Sookie wasn't stupid enough to stick around, shockingly enough. "This isn't over, Eric. I want my house back."
Eric just glared down at her until she scurried from the room. I had to stop myself from fist pumping the air in victory, knowing that now without Sookie to take the brunt of his anger, I was likely going to end up being the victim.
Silence rang through the room for the longest time, no one daring to speak. I bit my lip, staring down at my feet, feeling like an idiot as I just stood there. I would have sat if Godric hadn't of stood, his hand resting on the small of my back.
"We'll discuss this at home." Godric's voice was eerily even, and I knew it was only the calm before the storm.
"Is anyone going to say anything?" I sat on the couch in the penthouse suite, staring between the vampires on either side of the room. Godric stood by the large windowed wall, glaring out at the starry night while Eric sat bitterly in a chair in the far corner. I was evenly between the two, with a nice escape route not too far away in case things got a bit out of hand. I didn't hope for it, but Sookie's sudden appearance tonight brought up a lot of dark subjects that I knew were going to end in shouting and harsh words being said. Probably mostly from myself.
"How could you?" Godric finally turned, glaring across the room at Eric. "How could you just go to that girl's house and ask to claim her?"
"My house." Eric made sure to correct, only for the darkest glare I had ever seen Godric muster to be thrown at him. "And it was merely an offer, nothing more. We all know she won't accept it anyways. She hated when Bill tried to possess her."
"It doesn't matter, Eric. You still went there looking to claim another. Which you know you cannot claim two humans at the same time. So what about Savannah? What about the woman you went to extreme lengths to keep as yours?"
Eric sighed, looking away, refusing to meet either Godric's or my gaze.
"I defended you, my son. I thought Savannah was foolish to believe you didn't love her. I thought she was merely letting her emotions get the better of her." Godric shook his head in disappointment. "But I see now that I was the one being foolish, because she was completely right all along."
"Don't start this, Godric." Eric grunted. "I'm not in the mood to talk about this again."
"I think we need to discuss this. I think we need to discuss us." Godric narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as he took a step forward.
"No, we really don't." Eric shook his head with narrowed eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you that I love her? How many fucking times do I need to prove that?"
I didn't know what to say. It was me this time who sat there silently as Godric and Eric argued. Soon they switched to Swedish and some other ancient language that I couldn't follow. And still, I just sat there, staring down at my lap, my hands gripping each other tightly. I tried as best as I could to keep my composure, to not burst into the tears that I knew were waiting in the wings. I had gone through just too much tonight. I was exhausted physically and emotionally and didn't want to get into this. But I knew we had to. Because there were just too many issues to try and pretend they didn't exist. The longer we went on that way, the worst everything was going to end up. If there was even a chance that this could all be salvageable, then I was willing to try. Even if it was painful to face the truth.
It was hard to accept that Eric had been with Sookie tonight. Of all the things he could have been doing, he had been there with her, at her house. I had been in pure agony, feeling as if my insides were burning into nothing, feeling as if my heart and soul were being dug right out of me by Marnie. Godric had swept in to protect me, to take care of me despite the words we shared earlier. But it had taken much longer for Eric to do the same. And now I knew why. He had been with her; he had ignored the fact that I was in so much pain and stayed with her until finally, Godric's calls had forced him back to Fangtasia. But not only that, he also bought her house. How could he possibly deny loving her and then buy her house? That didn't seem like just some friendly thing to do. You just don't go around buying people's houses that you don't care about.
But the worst, the part of this that felt like my heart was being ripped out inch by inch, torn into a million tiny little pieces, was the fact that he tried to claim her. That hurt the most. That felt like my whole world was crumbling down. Because almost from day one, he had insisted that I was his. He had haunted me even when I was at Yale, making sure that I knew I belonged to no one else but him. Hell, he had shown up at my apartment, only to kidnap me weeks later. And now, after all we've been through, he was just willing to throw me to the curb so he could claim Sookie as his? Didn't it matter at all that I had been the one to help save his maker? Didn't it matter at all that I was doing all of this, dealing with the witches, for him? Did I really mean that little to him?
I could feel the tears pricking my eyes. I curled my hands ion tight fists, I tried biting down on my bottom lip to keep them at bay, but it was no use. Soon, my vision was growing blurry and I knew it wouldn't take much more before I was a complete mess. And I hated that. When had I become this girl? I had been so strong willed, so independent. I had never really relied on anyone other than myself my entire life. I put myself through college; I fought against distractions to meet my goals. And now all of that hard work seemed to just go spiralling down the drain. Because I wasn't in New York living it up at the newspaper of my dreams. Instead, I was here in Louisiana, with two vampire lovers that I would forever be bonded to arguing with one another. I was here, just waiting for my heart to be broken completely, waiting as these witches slowly but surely took my life, because I knew that's where this was all headed. Marnie wouldn't stop until she had everything she ever wanted; power. She didn't care about anything other than having all the power. And it was my magic, the gifts I had been born with, that she had her sights on.
And that was the single reason that I had to blink away the tears, that I had to pull myself together, at least for now. The logical side of me, the part of me that had gotten me through four strenuous years at Yale, knew that there would be time to talk about all of this later. We could argue until our ears bled if we wanted to. I could cry, I could fall apart, let my heart ache, after these witches were dealt with. We needed to pull together, as the powerful triumvirate I knew we were, and figure out a way to stop Marnie before she destroyed us all. And after tonight, I knew more than ever now that she was dangerous, that she needed to be stopped, and soon. She had brought that dead bird to life using the magic she had drained me of. Who knew what she could continue to do. We couldn't take that chance. She was delving into dark magic, magic that could change everything with only a snap of her fingers. We needed to do something, and fast.
So as much as I wanted to curl up into a ball and feel sorry for myself, crying myself to sleep, I knew that I couldn't. I rubbed at my eyes, inhaled slowly, before raising my gaze to the two still arguing vampires.
"Guys..." I called to them, my voice wavering. I had to shake my head, roll my shoulders before calling to them again, this time with a stronger voice. "Eric, Godric, you need to stop..."
But they didn't listen to me. It was as if I wasn't even there. They just argued, shouting what I assumed to be harsh words at one another. Both looked ready to attack and I knew that if either started throwing punches, I wouldn't be able to stop them at all.
"Guys!" I slowly rose to my feet, hesitantly stepping forward. I kept my distance, however, knowing that if things did come down to blows, I didn't want to be the one standing between them. "You have to stop fighting. Please!"
To Eric and Godric, I was invisible. They didn't hear me, they didn't see me, I wasn't even there. And that started to frustrate me.
"Hello!" I waved my hands around, hoping to catch their attention. I even tried lashing at them through our bond, the beast from within clawing at the blood we all shared. But still, nothing. There wasn't even a flinch from either of them. I grunted, muttering under my breath. "Are you seriously kidding me right now?"
I tried the most idiotic move I could ever have done; I put myself between them, hoping that if they realized I was there, if they could physically see me, they would pay me some attention. But nothing. They just kept snapping at one another, only having eyes for the other. I could feel my frustration and anger mixing, boiling to the point that I was going to explode. Maybe it was only child syndrome finally taking effect after all these years and I just wanted the attention to be on me, but I was starting to get pissed off. Didn't they realize that this bickering wasn't going to help anything? Sure, I wanted to slap Eric really really hard, I wanted to shout at him, to cry and plead with him to be mine, not Sookie's. But we didn't have time for that. We had bigger fish to fry.
"Both of you stop it!" I threw each a dark glare, hoping it would snap them out of it. It didn't, and I couldn't stop the anger from swelling inside of me until it began expanding to both vampires. I wasn't sure how; I never was able to understand how I was able to do it, but with the sudden burst of fury and impatience I was able to throw my hands out towards both vampires, halting them in their place. "Just shut up!"
I waited them to turn their angry words onto me, but not a single sound met my ears. I risked a glance at them both and found them frozen to the spot, their mouths opening as if they were trying to mouth off to me, but neither were able to utter a single word. Godric, after a moment, exhaled slowly and relaxed his tense muscles, knowing there was no way fighting whatever control I had over them. Eric however, was as furious as ever, but this time, it wasn't towards Godric and was once again directed towards me. His fangs had extended and low grunts were beginning to sound from the back of his throat. His fists were curled into tight fists and I knew that the moment I let that control slip, he would be leaping across the distance between us.
"We have bigger problems right now than...Sookie." I tried my hardest not to spit out her name bitterly. "So you two need to stop yelling at each other so we can figure shit out."
Godric nodded, always the reasonable one. Eric of course, still looked like he wanted to punch his fist through the wall. Or my face. I could already feel the control I had over them beginningto slip away. I could feel it in the blood that flowed through my veins. It was like grasping onto a thin piece of string with a giant boulder on the other end. It was slipping through my fingers and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I grit my teeth, my hands beginning to shake as I lost the hold I had on them. Godric must have known exactly what was happening as the moment the control slipped free, he leapt around me, slamming Eric up against the wall with a single hand curled around his throat. I jumped, a yelp emitting from my lips as my eyes grew wide, not expecting the sudden action.
"Calm down, my son." Godric gave him an even look. "Let her speak."
"You little..." Eric hissed with narrowed eyes. "I thought we've talked about this..."
"I'm sorry, but neither of you were listening." I shakily wrapped my arms around myself as I looked away from his piercing gaze. "It's not like I wanted to..."
"Let me go, Godric."
"No." Godric shook his head, his hand tightening around Eric's throat. "Go ahead Savannah, say what you need to."
I inhaled sharply, nodding as I took a hesitant step forward. "I never exactly told you what happened tonight. Everything was just so messed and I was in so much pain that I just never got around to it."
"I never thought to ask." Godric admitted. "I was just so concerned with your safety."
"So was I." I agreed. "But we have to talk about it. Because it's big, Godric. It's...it's scary as hell."
Godric grew tense, throwing a look over his shoulder to where I stood. His eyebrows were furrowed together, a frown settled on his lips. "What happened, Savannah? You can tell us."
"Yes, please, go ahead and tell us what happened after you left Merlotte's." Eric sneered.
I ignored his comment; I had to right now. "I was alone with her – with Marnie – before the meeting started."
"Well that was a brilliant idea." Eric rolled his eyes.
"Quiet." Godric demanded, sending Eric a pointed look. "Don't make me command you, Eric."
Eric glared daggers down at his own maker but didn't utter another sound.
"Go on, Savannah. What happened with Marnie?" Godric encouraged.
I sighed heavily, running a hand through my hair. "She grabbed onto my wrists and was chanting in some obscure language. Right away I knew somethingwas wrong, but I just couldn't get away from her. And before long..." I shuddered, remembering the horrible, dreadful feeling. It felt like everything was being sucked out of me. Like all of the good, all of the souls I had aided, was being stolen from me by that evil, dark witch of a woman.
"Savannah?" Godric pulled me from my thoughts, looking as if he wanted to join me at my side and take me into his arms. I shook my head thought, keeping him at a distance. I knew if he drew me into those warm, strong protective arms that I would just break. And right now I needed to muster all the courage that I could. I needed to keep my composure to get through this.
"Sorry." I chewed on my bottom lip as I continued. "It...It felt like she was sucking the life right out of me."
"Like every other time?" he questioned.
"No, it was different." I shook my head. "It was like she was digging through my magic, like she was searching for something. And she found it I think."
"Found what?"
"My necromancy." I answered in a whisper, a chill shooting up my spine. "I...I saw them all; every single soul, every single death, I saw it all over again. Only it was different than when I first saw the visions. It's different than when I feel a soul has passed on. It didn't feel good; it didn't feel right. It was almost like I was drowning in death and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't escape."
Godric did move towards me this time, letting go of Eric and turning towards me. I held up a hand however, to stop him.
"Please don't." I pleaded. "Just...just let me say this, okay?"
Godric sighed but nodded, keeping his distance.
I had to take another deep breath before continuing. "Holly took me into the bathroom, not knowing what was wrong, and while we were in there, well the meeting sort of started without us."
"Why do I have a feeling you have yet to tell us the true danger?"
"Because I haven't yet." I closed my eyes, hating that this had all happened to us. Why did we have to get stuck with witches? Why did they have to form in our city? They could have gone anywhere, so why here? Why now? Destiny I suppose. Fate was a bitch at times. "Marnie started chanting some ritual to ease her dead bird into the afterlife. That itself worried me, but then she started muttering that language again, the same as she spoke earlier, and...and..."
"And?" he prompted with a nod, encouraging me to go on. "What happened, Savannah? What did she do?"
"She..." my voice was barely above a whisper, wavering as I shook on the spot. "The bird...she..."
"Oh spit it already." Eric snapped from where he was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed tight across his chest.
I felt a lump rising in my throat, and for a moment, I couldn't speak, I could barely breathe. I could feel that fear, that panic in the pit of my stomach and it just froze me to the spot. I couldn't move, I couldn't utter a word. I was too scared. Because witnessing what I had tonight, feeling it all, it was just horrible, it was agonizing and I wished I could just forget it. But I couldn't. Because in my heart, I knew where this could lead. If she could bring a bird back to life by tapping into my necromancer, what else could she do? Would she be able to control the dead, and in turn, vampires? Would we have a crap load of zombies on our hands? It was frightening to realize that Marnie had a greater understanding of my powers, my magic, than I did.
"Well?" Eric pestered.
There was just something in his tone that edged me the wrong way. Why did he always have to be a jackass? Why did he always have to be a cold hearted bastard that cared about no one but himself? And how the hell had I fallen in love with him? Oh right, because when he wasn't trying, and by complete mistake, he could be kind and gentle hearted. It was rare, of course, and he always seemed to ruin the good moments minutes later, but there was a good side to him.
I just wasn't seeing it right now.
"Come on, Savannah, tell us already."
I couldn't take his attitude and without meaning to, I just let it all blurt out. "She brought the fucking bird to life! Are you happy now, Eric? One minute bird was dead and the next it was fucking alive."
I stood there, my chest heaving as I glared across the room at the blonde. Not a single word was uttered, and the only sound in the room alone was my unsteady breaths. Both vampires just stood there, still and stone, and if I wasn't actually staring at them, I would have thought I was alone all together
"Say something." I demanded, looking between Eric and Godric for a reaction. No one was freaking out; no one was acting like it was no big deal. They were just standing there, not saying a word, with the most masked expressions I had ever seen. And it frustrated me. Enough to the point that I threw my hands up into the air. "Oh just say something, will you? I'm freaking out here and I could use a little support."
When neither even blinked in response I felt my patience level beginning to take a nose dive.
"I can't believe you two." I shook my head, feeling the tears pricking my eyes again. I wasn't sure if it was because I was so emotionally freaked out by what happened earlier with Marnie, or because I was so frustrated with the two of them. Hell, maybe I was just an emotional mess in general; it had been a long night after all. Either way, I had to raise a hand up to rub at my eyes, not wanting to cry in front of them. There had been way too many tears shed lately. And it wasn't going to help anything right now. "I'm scared as hell and you're just being..."
I never got the chance to finish however, as a gust of wind sent my hair flying over my shoulders. I had to blink a handful of times before realizing that Eric was standing before me a bit too close. I gulped, slowly craning my neck up to catch his gaze. I had to look away however, those piercing blue eyes boring right through me with such intensity that it was unnerving. Or at least I tried to look away. Eric had my chin clasped between his fingers faster than I could have moved and had forced my gaze to stay connected with his. My heart was yammering away in my chest as he just stared down at me, his orbs searching mine, as if he was looking deep into my soul. And maybe he was. We had a bond, the three of us, unlike any other. It wasn't just a bond between vampire and human. It wasn't just any ordinary blood bond. We were a triumvirate, and while we still didn't entirely understand it, I knew we were connected far deeper than just our blood, just our emotions.
"Don't do that." his tone didn't hold a single hint of malice or anger. It was even, and I knew the tone well. He was trying not to feel, to not let whatever emotions this giant of a Viking was feeling. I attempted to push at our bond, but there was still that sturdy as steel wall between us. "Don't cry. You know I hate it when you cry."
"I'm scared." I was surprised that I sounded so vulnerable, so defeated. He and Godric were always able to make me feel things, both good and bad, that I had never allowed myself to feel in the past. I let my guard down around them, even when I was completely unaware of it.
"Whatever she's doing, I won't let her..." He trailed off, his eyes closing for a moment as he raised his other hand to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear so tenderly I had to do my best to hide my surprise. How could he go from being such a heartless monster to that sweet lover he rarely let seen in only milliseconds? "I won't let her hurt you."
His eyes opened and I was even more surprised at the burning flame set in his orbs. He lowered until his lips were just barely brushing against my forehead lovingly.
"I promise you that, lover."
"No you can't." I shook my head, my hands itching to clutch onto Eric and never let him go. How could he make me hate everything about him one minute, and want nothing more than for him to protect me the next? Eric must have sensed that need, the desire for his arms to mould themselves around me like I was meant to be tucked into his embrace, and he did just that. I squeezed my eyes shut as I did clutch onto his dark grey t-shirt, digging my head into his chest searching for that warm, safe place that I yearned for.
"We won't let her hurt you. Not again." It was Godric this time who made the vow. I felt his hand on the small of my back, a jolt of electricity shooting right up my spine and the triumvirate being linked completely. Goosebumps rose on my arms as a warmth spread through my bones, my blood practically buzzing with life. "I don't care what Bill threatens us with, you will not go back there, Savannah."
"But that won't stop her." I reminded him. "She'll just do it from a distance. She's done it before."
"Then we'll stop her." there was a dark underlying tone to Eric's promise. "We'll take care of her."
"But..."
Eric unwrapped his arms from around me, but before I could complain, his held my face gingerly in his hands. His long fingers gently caressed my cheeks as his gaze bored right through mine, the fire still dancing in his eyes. "You can hate me all you want, Savannah. Don't try to deny it, I can feel it. A part of you wants nothing more than to be in my arms, but yet a part of you feels repulsed by the sight of me. And I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you, you must believe me, lover. I never did this intentionally. I swear that to you. But I promise you with my entire dead, cold heart that I will kill her. I'll kill that bitch and Bill if I have to. I won't let them take you away from me. Ever."
I was shocked by his words. After everything that had happened not only tonight, but for the past few weeks, I had found myself doubting if he even cared at all. There were little glimpses, of course, into that love that had been there long before Sookie ever became a factor. But the bad always seemed to overshadow any good of this dysfunctional relationship. But the way he was looking at me, as if I was the only person in the world; like the way he first looked at me months ago, it made me believe that he did care. Maybe he still loved Sookie, maybe I wouldn't win in this war for Eric's heart; but he did love me, even just a fraction.
And right now, that was enough.