Disclaimer: Charlaine Harris owns all.
Rated M for several reasons.
Chpt 35 Just the Two of Us
SPOV
I think I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know Eric is carefully tucking what is left of his shirt around me. There's an awkward moment half way, when were skin to skin in the chest department, and then it's done.
He fastens what buttons he can quickly, his eyes fixed resolutely on the window, his whole demeanour frosty.
Pattern. I still wish I knew what to make of it.
The silence is heavy.
Should I apologise? Thank him?
I should definitely pry away his arms, which are loosely circling me now, and get up off his lap.
Instead I drop my head back down to his shoulder and close my eyes, pathetically grateful when he doesn't push me away.
EPOV
I do not know precisely why I am still sat here when there is much that requires my attention and I must let Pam know what has transpired. I can feel the night slipping away from me yet still I sit.
The non-human is sleeping. Her soft exhales blowing across my chest and her warm body against mine are apparently part of the spell of inertia.
Of course I came after her, if any harm befalls her my life will be forfeit, so of course I did. And the fear and desperation I felt when I realised she was in trouble and I could not get to her immediately, is also completely understandable, under the circumstances. I do not wish to die.
So, if that absence of fear is what is causing me to sit here now and allow myself to mentally re-group, I should accept it. It is not weakness, merely good long term strategy.
I can also choose to ignore the fact that my hand is now beneath the shirt she is wearing, my thumb gently stroking the silky skin of her lower back. It is out of character. I am vampire, bloodlust segues into plain old lust as naturally as water flowing downhill. She is practically naked and she freely gave me her blood. If I am not attending to my responsibilities it should at least be because I am finally giving into my desire for her.
The blunt instrument trauma is starting in on my skull again.
We will need to leave soon. I must focus on the situation at hand.
The attackers were Madden's. He has attempted a takeover and it has failed. Has he returned to Philadelphia or does he have other plans in place?
Where is the Queen? What has Andre or Madden done with her, does she live?
Who was attacking Madden's forces from outside? I saw no sign of them when I left. Were they perhaps from Stan, has he actioned his takeover of the state?
I need to torture Andre before I kill him.
I need to find somewhere safe for the non-human.
I need to get out of this chair and attend to my responsibilities.
We need to return to New Orleans.
However it is now too late to do that tonight. I will have to find somewhere to go to ground, somewhere she will be safe until I rise. Fortunately I have made it my business to be fully familiar with all the terrain between Shreveport and New Orleans, I know just the place.
Lifting the non-human I place her gently on the couch.
A quick check reveals there is no food in the house but I gather up blankets from the bedrooms, it will be cold for her in the cave.
With her securely wrapped in the blankets I carry her outside and take to the sky.
"We're flying aren't we?" She whispers after a few minutes, tensing in my arms.
"Yes."
She sighs and relaxes slightly.
"Are we going back to New Orleans?"
"Not tonight. There is not time."
"Then where are we going?"
"Somewhere safe."
SPOV
I'm too numb to really care that I'm flying again. Too numb to think about what happened or how I feel about it.
Eric says were going somewhere safe but I don't care where it is as long as he's not leaving me there without him. For now at least I'm only going to feel safe with him.
The bond is still muted and I'm more conscious of his presence pulsing inside me than I am his emotions. It doesn't feel so bad.
Everything feels strange. Maybe I'm not numb, maybe the events of tonight have just temporarily reduced the world down to a bubble where only Eric and I exist.
Or I could just be in shock, it would certainly be a normal reaction to what's just happened.
Eric's arms are tight around me and though I know he won't drop me I'm grateful for the unspoken confirmation so I just let myself drift.
Finally I realise we've touched down and I open my eyes as he sets me on my feet and steps back.
Flying and the musty blankets I'm wrapped in haven't prepared me for the sudden need for balance and I start to fall.
He catches me easily and straightens me up again, leaving one hand on my shoulder just to be sure.
And suddenly the heavy silence is back. There's a strange pressure building in my chest but I still know whether I should be apologising to him or thanking him, I just feel like I should be doing something to diffuse this weird intensity that's crowding our bubble and threatening to expel all the air.
Unwilling to look at him I focus instead on his chest, the wounds are healed and apart from the gore he's as perfect as ever. I want to touch him.
I was happy to touch Bill when he touched me, it felt right, but I never had this overwhelming urge. If I weren't trapped in this woollen cocoon I could reach up to his hand on my shoulder and trace down the muscles of his forearm until I reach the crook of his elbow, will his skin be softer there? I could then move up the flexed muscle of his arm, over his until my palm is resting on his huge shoulder, it would be such a short drop from there to rest it on his pecs. I'd probably need both hands to be fair. Then I could slide them down his torso, letting my fingers roam across his ribs and dip in and out of the muscles of his abdomen. Would they flutter under my touch or stay rock solid, like a statue?
Jesus.
My swallow is thick and heavy, like the atmosphere.
His hand moves up from my shoulder, sliding into the hair at the nape of my neck, cupping the back of my head as he pulls me gently into his chest.
My lips are against his sternum, and god help me, I kiss his cool skin.
He shudders and his other arm coils around my waist, pulling me in tighter. His chest is moving now. He's breathing, deep and slow. The Eric light inside me adjusts to match it perfectly, my heartbeat following suit.
Time and we stand still. Then his hand begins to flex in my hair to the same steady beat, his fingers massaging my scalp and some invisible force inches my head up to look at him. His eyes are screwed tight shut, a pronounced 'v' creasing the skin between them. Jason used to look like that when Gran was putting iodine on a cut or scrape.
Confused and strangely hurt I try to pull away from him but his eyes snap open, boring into mine as his hand pulls my head back, baring my throat to him almost painfully. For a moment the Eric light, my heartbeat and our breathing are in wild discord and then his mouth slams down over mine and we're in perfect synchronicity again. His lips are cool and soft but they have mine completely in their thrall, moving them however and wherever he sees fit. And I feel warm, warm all over. He sucks my lower lip between his, tugging at it gently and I moan, struggling against the restricting blankets, giddy with the need to touch him. My moan causes him to tighten his grip and his tongue sweeps into my mouth, parting my lips and stroking mine, passing over it to probe rhythmically into every part of my mouth he can reach. The warmth is melting my bones and I sag against him. I want . . . . I want frightening things . . . . bad things . . . . I want him. I want to feel his skin against mine, I want to feel his weight on me, his hands on me, I want him inside me . . . .
Abruptly it's over and I open my eyes, my mouth hanging slightly open, my body arched backward by his hand in my hair. He is curled over me his face tilted upward, eyes narrowed on the horizon.
"The sun is coming." His voice is flat and inflectionless.
"Eric, I . . . ."
He sets me upright, tugging at the blankets so I can release my arms.
"This way." He commands.
And I scurry after him, taking in the trees surrounding us and the wooded incline we're heading up that suddenly reveals a cave entrance. He ducks down and disappears inside and I trot after him, minus the ducking.
He stops and I almost crash into his back.
"We will be safe here. I will rest further down the cave."
He leans his sword against the rough rock wall, refusing to look at me.
"Stay inside. Do not wander off. I can protect you if needs be, if you are inside the cave. However, we will be safe here, there will be no need."
"Eric . . . ."
But he's gone, swallowed by the darkness and a bend in the tunnel.
I'm still uncomfortably warm. Hell I'm just uncomfortable. What . . . . what just happened? I felt . . . . I . . . .
Woman up Stackhouse.
I wanted Eric. Really, really, badly. I'm still aching with it now.
This is incorrect. I wouldn't sleep with Bill because I didn't love him but if Eric hadn't run away I would have been on my back with my legs in the air without a second thought. What's wrong with me?
And he did run away didn't he? There's not a ray of sunlight in sight and my new sense of time tells me I've still got about ten minutes.
Wow. He's a horny vampiric sex machine and he ran away from me like a frightened little boy.
I think that sinking feeling is my sexual allure crawling away on its belly.
Not that I'm not glad. Getting frisky with Eric would have been a very, very, bad thing to do, I know this. I am not a fangbanger and just because I fed him does not entitle him to the 'entertainment' to go with his 'travel rations'.
The very idea.
The nerve of that jerk.
He'd better never ever attempt to lay his lips on me again or I swear to God I will stake him.
Not knowing what else to do I curl up in mouth of the cave with his sword, like a guard dog, and drift off to sleep.
EPOV
I rise slightly early, moving as far up the cave as I can until the last rays of the sun are gone.
My mind already occupied with what must be done this night and with her.
She is asleep, curled tightly in on herself, with one hand outside the blankets clutching the hilt of the sword. Like she is attempting to guard us.
Even in sleep her face is pinched and I would describe her emotions as the same since she does not appear to have closed down our bond. I have grown accustomed to feeling her these last few days, it is not wholly unpleasant, though I did not enjoy her hurt last night, nor the knowledge that I caused it. Is that how I will lose this contest between us, because I do not like how it makes her feel when I win? Did I win last night? I wanted her so much it was physically painful and I know she felt the same. Yes, I am fairly certain the fact that I ended it and walked away from her makes me the victor of this particular tussle.
I need get a grip. This is not an innocent game of seduction without consequences, we are working together at the moment but that does not change the fact that I have been forced into caring for her and she is withholding her true nature from me. She is still a danger and this is clearly a long term threat.
She wakes as the night settles fully over us.
Her eyes home in on mine unerringly, despite the dark. "Jerk." She mutters through gritted teeth, knowing full well I can hear her.
I raise my eyebrow but she ignores me, scrambling to her feet and tucking the blankets around her toga style.
"You are not in a good mood." I observe dryly.
"No coffee." She snaps.
"There will be coffee in New Orleans, Sophie Anne always keeps a well-stocked kitchen for her pets."
"Then let's get on with it shall we?" She orders, eyes flashing.
I snatch up my sword and sweep her into my arms, eliciting a squeal from her, striding out of the cave and immediately taking flight.
…..
I circle the Queen's mansion, carefully studying the scene below. Human law enforcement are patrolling outside the walls but do not appear to be making any attempt to get inside. Most of the signs of recent battle have been removed from the grounds. There is no sign of trouble.
"The humans know something happened but are quite happy to stay out of it and let us deal with it." The non-human says suddenly.
"There are about thirty voids, ten humans and twenty weres inside." She continues. "Alcide and his pack are there. Everyone is tense but there hasn't been any more trouble. They're waiting for you before they do anything."
"Thank you."
She shrugs indifferently and I supress a sigh. I wish I could rewind time and do last night differently, not that I am sure how, but this is definitely easier when she is not annoyed with me.
I land on the front steps and carry her inside. The ornate entryway is alive with activity which ceases as soon as we enter.
Herveaux comes forward immediately, his pack flanking him.
"See that she gets everything she needs . . . ."
I hand her over into Herveaux's arms.
". . . . then bring her straight back to me."
He nods and I withdraw my arms so he can carry her after the human who is already hovering to guide them upstairs to a suite.
When I turn back the Sheriffs and the Queen's officials are watching me expectantly.
My distraction with the non-human has prevented me from preparing properly for this.
Fuck.