Spellbound
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The characters belong to Charlaine Harris but the story idea belongs to me.
Eric was watching Sookie as she talked with Quinn. She was animated with her talking and she talked and talked and talked. Even during what appeared to be their serious talk, Sookie still looked happy and excited. Her face was as bright as he'd ever seen it. Her smile was authentic and she was just as happy as ever. She listened to what Quinn had to say as if she really cared about what he was saying. This Sookie was the Sookie he'd met in the Faery realm. She has always been there. He never would have known it if she'd never threatened to leave him.
"There's something going on with your little fae, my brother." Sal turned in the direction that Eric was staring. He whispered in the softest whisper that only Eric could hear. "Your scent isn't as strong as it should be and hers, her natural scent seems to be fading. Tell me, is everything well in paradise?"
Even though he trusted Sal, Eric wasn't going to tell him that Sookie has moved into the guest room and that she's no longer sharing flesh with him. He wasn't going to lie to him either … not exactly. He was going to be as evasive as he possibly could be. "She hasn't been feeling well lately."
That surprised Sal. The fae never get sick. They are the healthiest of all supes except for vampires. "Hmm," he said. "That's quite peculiar. Have you contacted the great Dr. Ludwig?"
Eric chuckled and shook his head as he said yes. "That hateful bitch said that she'll see Sookie when she gets back into town and that was a week ago." Both vampires weren't surprised at Ludwig's attitude. She was as fearless as they come. Nothing or no one feared her.
Sal picked up his glass of blood from the table and said to Eric, "Don't worry. I'll make some calls and see what I can do. We have to find out what's going on with your little fae. We can't have anything happening to her, now can we? It is a pleasure to see you as happy as I've seen you tonight. She has quite the forgiving spirit. She's nothing like her kin."
Eric looked at Sal and smirked. He was right. She is extremely forgiving and she's more than willing to give their marriage another chance. Sal patted Eric on the back and said, "No worries, my brother. No worries at all."
As Eric took his glass of blood from their table, he raised to his friend to show that he agreed. It has been a good night. He never wanted it night to end. Even though Sookie was talking to the were-tiger longer than she needed to be, it still pleased him to have her there with him. The night was better than he'd ever expected it to be.
"I almost lost her," he said to Sal.
Placing his hand on Eric's shoulder, Sal said, "We'll take care of that. Hell, I can't wait until we put our plan in motion. How often do we get to exact revenge on our enemies these days? When you called me, I jumped at the chance to put my vampiric skills back to work. I can't wait to thank Fintan for giving me this opportunity." Sal's fangs dropped into place as he remembered the days of being a rogue vampire. He didn't want to go back to those days but it didn't hurt to reminisce.
"You were the second vampire that I thought of."
"Pam the first?" he asked.
Eric asked, "What do you think?"
"I've been meaning to tell you something." The atmosphere between the two vampires changed instantly. "I want to talk to you about Freyda. I've decided that I'm …"
Eric cut him off quickly. "There's no need. You have always been a good friend to me and I owe you. I will do this for you." It was debt that he was willing to pay. It was debt that he was going to see through. Sal has done so much for him. If it had not been for Sal, he would not be here. The only problem is that Sookie wouldn't understand. She wouldn't go for it.
"Listen to me, Eric. What I want to say is that ..."
"We'll discuss it later," he said as he saw Sookie approaching them. He then excused himself from Sal's company and was instantly standing in front of her.
Sookie had a peculiar look on her face when she saw the vampires talking. She didn't have to have the hearing of a vampire to know that something wasn't quite right. Sal looked as if he had more to say but it was obvious to her that Eric didn't want to hear anything that he had to say. "You fellas didn't have an argument did you? You looked awfully serious there for a minute."
Tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, Eric said, "No. Everything is fine with us. I was about to ask you the same question. Did the future tiger skin rug offend you? I've been keeping my eye on Quinn and if he's done anything that you find offensive, I will gladly kill him in your honor."
Eric looked over at Quinn who was once again leaning against the bar and staring at them. He raised his glass to Eric and bowed to his friend. A faint smile passed across Eric's lips.
"You wouldn't kill him and you know it just as well as I do. I just wanted to let you know that he's a good man and that he's jealous of you."
Sookie stood beside Eric and looked in Quinn's direction. A sudden sadness filled her heart. Placing her hand to her chest, she whispered, "He's lonely. That's what I saw when I touched him. It's so sad, Eric. He's so lonely. He says that he wishes that he had what he thinks we have."
Eric looked down at Sookie. He's always known that she's compassionate but until tonight, he never realized just how much. Her mind is always on the suffering of others and how she can make life better for them. Another realization hit him and it hit him hard. Until tonight, he never realized how lucky he is. He offered her his hand. He saw the hesitation in her eyes.
She shook her head and said no. "I can't. I don't want to do anything to make you … to cause you to doubt …"
"Take my hand," he said.
She did.
He placed his hand on her waist and pulled her close into his body. "Will you dance with me?"
"You're an awful dancer," she whispered. "It's everything that I can do to keep you from stomping on my toes."
Eric laughed loudly as he asked her once again. "Will you dance with me?"
She barely nodded as he led her out onto the floor.
Everyone in the bar was watching them. It was the first time they'd ever danced in front of a group of supes other than Sookie's family and the supes of the highest status. They had no idea what song was playing but as far as Eric was concerned, it was slow a song. Eric hasn't been like this since they were married; so open, so free. When she stared into his eyes, she could almost see his soul.
"Why did you bring me here tonight?" Sookie whispered.
"Because I wanted you to meet my friends," he stated. "I want you to know how I spend my private time. I want to share my life with you."
She continued to stare into his eyes; almost afraid to believe a single word he'd spoken. She'd heard it all before. She'd seen that look of contentment and peace in his eyes. It was spellbinding. "Why now? Why did it take me saying that I was leaving you in order for this to happen? Why couldn't you do this for us years ago?"
Without missing a beat, Eric said, "Because I was stupid."
Sookie quickly agreed. "I can't argue with that."
He laughed. "You didn't have to be so quick in agreeing with me."
She smiled as she placed her small hands on his massive chest. "You didn't tell me that we were coming here tonight. Why?"
"I thought that you'd refuse to come with me. When I tried taking you to Bloody Goodness, you were so melodramatic about it." He quickly added, "I'm not blaming you. You had every right to be doubtful of me. This time, I didn't want to take the chance that you would deny me. I didn't want you to think that I had ulterior motives. In no way was I trying to be sneaky and underhanded. I wanted you to be here. I know now that I was wrong for not bringing you with me sooner and I apologize for that. I want to make things right. I do want to make this work. I want us to work and I promise you that it has nothing to do with the contract."
The song had stopped but they remained standing in the middle of the floor and stared at one another. His arms tightened around her waist. Sookie bit her bottom lip; willing to trust him, willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Fear of rejection almost made her run; pop back home onto the couch and read that dumb book but she didn't. She stayed. She was also unable to defy the intensity and sincerity that filled his eyes. He looked like he truly meant what he said to her. His words seemed true.
"Everyone's staring at us," she said.
"Let them stare." His grip tightened.
"You don't mind being seen as the insecure vampire that holds on to the little fae princess in the middle of an empty dance floor?"
"Not in the least," he replied.
"You're so full of shit," she said.
He pulled her into his body as he filled the bar with laughter. When he looked at her again, her eyes had changed that quickly. He peered at her intently and asked, "Maybe I should take you home."
"No, I'm fine." She could barely muster up a smile. "I just need some fresh air."
He stared at her a little longer. He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her to him. Eric then kissed her on the forehead and inhaled. He closed his eyes in defeat. Sal was right. He told Eric that when he kissed Sookie's hand, he could barely smell his scent or hers. She hadn't let him get close enough to her so that he would know that his scent was almost gone. He couldn't tell that her natural scent wasn't as strong. She'd closed the bond and that was another reason why he couldn't tell she was weakening. Eric knew that if Fintan found out, he was surely going to lose his wife. That was not something that Eric was willing to risk.
"Eric? Did you hear me?"
"Yes, my lover. Let's take you outside and get you some fresh air. It's an unusually warm night for October. It'll do you good."
Sookie had to lean on Eric as they walked through the bar. Pam did a double take when she saw Sookie. She noticed that Sookie wasn't as bright as she was when she first entered the bar. She was about to ask if she was okay but Eric stopped her with a look. She went back to talking with Indira and Gertrude but her eyes remained on her master's wife.
Sookie and Eric continued the long walk to the backdoor of Fangtasia. They were stopped several times and asked if they were leaving. Each time they were asked, they replied that they were just going outside to get some fresh air. "We won't be long," Eric would say as he tightened his grip on Sookie's waist.
When they went outside, Eric sat Sookie on the hood of the car as he stood in between her legs. "Rest your head on here," he ordered as he patted his chest. "Close your eyes and just relax."
She did as he told her to. She rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. She stayed that way for quite some time before speaking. "I'm sorry that I've ruined your night," she finally said.
"Nonsense," he replied. "You've only made my night better."
When she was able to, Sookie looked up into Eric's eyes and when she did her thoughts went back to the very night she told him that she was leaving him. She remembered how he ridiculed her and how he laughed at the fact that she loved him. She also remembered the lie that he told. "You lied to me that night. The night that I told you that I was leaving you, you lied." Her voice was small but strong.
"What did I lie about?" he asked as he leaned down and whispered in her ear.
The backdoor to the bar suddenly came open. Some shifters came out and decided that it would be a good night for a shift. When she saw them, Sookie placed her hand on the back of Eric's head and pulled him closer to her. "I didn't know that you didn't love me when we were married. You told me that you'd love me forever. You told me that you'd stay with me forever."
He leaned his forehead against her shoulder as he remembered how he'd hurt her only a few short nights ago and how he'd made her that promise a few short years ago. He meant those words then and those words were just as true tonight. He regretted telling Sookie that she knew that he couldn't love her.
"I believed in you."
His body flinched when she said the word 'believed'.
"I believed you."
He pulled her closer to his body as he brought his hands up to cup her face. "Sookie, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Sookie caressed his head as he laid it on her shoulder. She'd decided that they'd played enough games. If they were going to make it, then the truth needed to be told. It needed to be told by both of them.
"I didn't go into this blindly because I truly love you," she said. "I never thought that I would have a love like ours. My position and my title made it hard for me to believe that anyone would love me for me … until you." She kissed his head. "And I believed that you loved me. You said that it wasn't in your nature to love but it was in your nature when we were in Fae. You loved me," she replied softly.
He held her tighter as his hateful words began to hurt even him. She rested her chin on his shoulder as tears fell from her eyes. When she sniffled, he apologized to her again for what he'd said and how he'd hurt her. The worst part for them both was that they knew that once the words were spoken, there was no taking them back. The only things that they could do were to work past it and try to let it go. For the next few seconds, minutes, or hours, they held onto each other.
After wiping the tears from her eyes, Sookie changed the direction of the conversation. "I'm glad that we came tonight. You have the greatest bunch of friends. They are so accepting of me. I thought that they'd think that I'd rebuffed them or that I thought that I believed that I am better than they are."
Tugging lightly at her ponytail, Eric said, "They know that it was me so you have nothing to worry about."
"I can't believe you said those things. You didn't have to do that."
"I did. I owed that to you and besides, I am a possessive vampire. They believed me when I told them that I wanted to keep you all to myself. I already have to share you with the council members and the other higher ups." Shrugging as he held her, he added, "I didn't want to share with them. If you'll keep me, I'll tell it to the world."
Sookie cupped his face with her hands. Mockingly, she said, "What in the world would the other vampires think? There is no way you're supposed to be submissive to a fae princess. You wouldn't tell it to the world. You're Eric Northman. No woman has ever led you by the hand. You're the one that does the leading." Laughing, Sookie said, "But I will tell you this. If that ever happens, I'll be with you for the rest of my life."
Eric traced his thumbs along Sookie's cheeks. "It's not in my nature to care what anyone else thinks. My only concerns are for you. And I'm going to hold you to that."
"Hold me to what?"
"If I do it, you're going to stay with me forever." He looked deep into her eyes and said, "I ache for you."
Since they've been married, she's never seen such honesty in his eyes and it touched her heart and soul. She wanted so desperately to believe him without fearing that he would hurt her again. She wanted to read him but she vowed to never do that. "You ache for me?" Her voice shivered as she anticipated his answer.
"Only for you," he said. Eric leaned in closer to her; his lips thisclose to hers. He was going to kiss her for the first time in six years. He couldn't wait to taste the sweetness of her mouth. Both lovers licked their lips in eagerness. Just as he was about to kiss her, a voice made them push away from each other. They were acting like a couple of teenagers who've been caught by their parents. Sookie face was flaming red. Eric's face looked as if he'd been sucking on the sourest of lemons. He'd given Sookie an unfathomable look. She quickly looked away from him.
Pam giggled. "Cut that shit out and get your asses in here. It's time for karaoke." She clapped her hands and said to Sookie, "I have the perfect song for us to song. I hope that you like Blake Shelton."
Clearing her throat before she answered Pam, Sookie said, "Boys 'Round Here… chew tobacco, chew tobacco, chew tobacco, spit; I love that song."
Pam did a little jump. "We're gonna win!" She pointed and Eric and said, "You. You are no longer my partner. Whenever you're my partner, we lose. It's time for a change and tonight that change is you … master," she added as an afterthought. "Come on Sookie. Let's get this show on the road." She held the door open and waited for them to enter. Eric helped Sookie down from the hood of the car and held her hand as they walked back to the bar.
They both were thinking about what almost happened. They both realized that they couldn't think about that achingly sweet, almost kiss. They certainly couldn't wonder about that achingly sweet, almost kiss that they'd almost shared. There was so much that they had to talk about.
The kiss would just have to wait.