Spellbound

Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Thank you for making this story one of your favorites and for the alerts. And thank you so much for sticking with me throughout this story and for enjoying the ride. The story belongs to me but the characters belong to Ms. CH.

Eric's eyes blazed with memory. If she didn't know any better, Sookie would have believed that he'd yearned to return to that special night; a night of fighting, honor, and vengeance. She walked over to where he was sitting and took the chair next to his. She could've closed her eyes and the battle would have clearly replayed in her mind but that wasn't going to be good enough. She wanted to be in the moment with him. She wanted to stand at his side and share in his joy and triumph. She wanted desperately to be a part of that night; so she did the next best thing. She offered him her hand.

"May I?" she asked.

Without hesitation, Eric took her hand and held it firmly. She'd never seen Eric fight before and what she saw in his memories was pure magnificence. He is a beautiful warrior; the best fighter she's ever had the pleasure of seeing in battle. His movements were graceful, breathtaking, and superb. His blade sliced viciously through the air before it was allowed to pierce the flesh of his enemy. His hand plunged deeply into the chests of the Weres as he ripped their still beating hearts from within them. Their eyes were wide with surprise as their heartless corpses fell to the ground. There was a look of satisfaction in Eric's eyes with each kill that he called his own. At the end of the battle, he stood tall in the moonlight as it beamed down on his face; making the blood of his enemies stand out on his pale white skin.

As she watched him, Sookie assumed that as Eric looked up into the night sky he was thinking about the victory that he and Claudette shared. She'd assumed that he was basking in his glory but she was wrong. He was thinking of her; his lover and his wife. Though she had no idea what she actually meant to him, the battle had nothing to do with Claudette. It was all for her; his most beloved wife. She wouldn't have to suffer the loss of her most beloved cousin. She wouldn't have to know the pain of losing someone that she loves so dearly. She wouldn't have to lose him; her husband, a husband that loves her more than he's ever loved himself. More than she could ever fathom.

He was thinking that once he and Claudette went to the council and told them what Lucian had planned, all would be fine. There would be no repercussions for either of them because she was fighting for her life and he, as a member of the royal family, he was defending his family. He'd done what he needed to do.

When Sookie released his hand, she was completely lost in the moment. She jumped on his lap and began kissing Eric with such ferocity that their lips began to bleed. There's nothing that faeries loves more than a good battle and it was great but his profession of love for her was better than any battle that she could have been a party to. She wanted him more than she's ever wanted him. When she ripped his belt from his pants, she took the belt loops and the waist band with it. His hardness was rubbing against her through his now ruined pants.

With great pleasure, he returned her kisses and relished the sweet taste of her blood. With that single drop of blood, their connection grew stronger. Their love flowed freely through one another. There was no fear. There were no lies. There was only love. Though he didn't want it to stop, Eric stopped her. It took every bit of willpower that he had.

"As much as I want this and as much I want you, we must stop. There is too much for us to discuss. I have to tell you everything about Freyda." He stole one last kiss before she could move away.

She didn't want to stop but Sookie more than understood his reasons for keeping this meeting professional. She never should have let her desires get the best of her but her emotions were too strong. She stood up from Eric's lap and ran her hands over the front of her dress.

With her head held high, Sookie walked back to her desk and took her seat. "Forgive my rudeness," she said after clearing her throat. As an afterthought, she said, "I want you to know that I've never gotten that familiar with another person, supe or human, in this office. I've always carried myself in a very proficient and professional manner."

Eric chuckled. "That's good to know," he replied.

"I have a question for you; if you don't mind," she said after she'd made that important clarification.

"There's something that I have to do first," he said as he stood up from his chair. Eric removed his now ruined pants because there was no reason for him to keep them on. They wouldn't have stayed on anyway. There was no waistband. He would have to continue the meeting in his boxers. Eric returned to his seat and waited for Sookie's question.

"Okay," he said. "Ask me."

"I don't understand how you helped her. Nothing that you've said has led me to believe that you have done anything wrong. You've protected a member of our family. You were doing what was right; as far as the council would have ever known. You would have been safe from punishment as far as I've seen. What have you done that can be construed as protecting Freyda?"

Eric sighed uselessly before speaking. "Before I killed the last Were, he pled for his life by trying to negotiate with me; which was futile. There was nothing that he could have offered me that was going to spare his life and deep down he knew that. I think that he thought that because I am Eric Northman, he had a chance. He said that he would go before the council with us to report everything that he knew about the plan to kill Claudette."

Now she was really confused. Eric had someone that would have stood with him before the council and he still killed him? Before she could ask him another question, he was talking once again.

"I told him that I need for him to answer only one question for me … that question was why. Why would Lucian want to kill his wife? Before the Were could answer me, I could hear Lucian howling and it wasn't a victory howl. It sounded like your cousin's screams from the previous night. Claudette was standing over him; her tip of her sword was aimed at his throat. She was crying as her hand was resting on her on her stomach."

Sookie knew that at that precise moment, Claudette had told Lucian about the baby that he'd unknowingly killed; the baby that he'd always wanted was now dead because of him.

"I turned back to the Were and he was frightened. His pack master was about to die and he was determined not to meet the same fate. He told me that it was done because of Lucian's vampire lover. Lucian's lover wanted everything that the fae had and Lucian was willing to give it to her. That alone startled me.

"The vampires and the fae have been at peace for quite some time. There was no need to argue over property or money because there was more than enough for us all; supes and humans alike. If there had been a dispute, it could have been brought before the council. The council would have handed down a decision based on the information provided and we would have enforced it. Our main goal has always been to keep the peace between the fae and the vampires."

Sookie leaned forward and rested her elbows on her desk. "We can't afford another war. Our numbers are finally climbing. Fae births are at a record high compared to what they used to be. The hybrid births are making our people stronger; our bloodline will live on for centuries to come. Why would any vampire want to jeopardize what we've built … all that we've done in order to make this new world possible? It makes no sense; especially for someone to go after Claudette. She has never had any type of infraction with any supernatural group. She's well liked amongst all races. She has always been civil with everyone including the ones that she's had to kill."

"That is until the now dead Were said that Lucian was having an affair with …"

"Freyda," Sookie finished.

Eric nodded.

"But why kill Claudette? Why would she want her dead?"

"I can only guess it was because of greed," he replied. "They wanted what she has. Do you realize how powerful Lucian would have been if he'd inherited her properties and her vast wealth? Freyda loves money and there's only one thing that she loves more than money."

"Power," she whispered.

"Exactly," Eric agreed. "She told Lucian that she would belong to him and only him if would get rid of the fae."

Sookie looked surprised. "What would make a powerful Were like Lucian try and kill an even more powerful fae for a vampire that has absolutely nothing to offer? She has no money. She has no power. It's obvious that she's not trustworthy. She has nothing to offer him as a mate at all."

Cockily, Eric said, "Well, not in defense of Freyda but we vampires are not selfish when it comes to making love and that in itself makes us excellent lovers. Her skills as a lover probably affected his mind. Sex can be more powerful than money, my lover."

"Whatever," Sookie replied sarcastically. "We, the fae, are the best lovers. We give our lovers every inch of us; our hearts and souls. You're my proof."

Eric cocked an eyebrow and asked, "How do you figure?"

"When you make love to me, you forget who you are. I give you what you've never had before … all of me. I give you the very thing that you need; especially things that you didn't know that you needed," she answered sultrily. "So, there is no other race that can compare to what we, the fae, have to offer. So don't toot your own horn buddy. You should know that what I'm saying is true, Mr. I can't sleep without you, Sookie."

Eric tried to hide the smile that was threatening to appear on his face but he failed miserably. He also didn't want her to know that what she'd said to him was nothing but the truth. "If that is what you want to believe, then fine. It doesn't negate the fact that Freyda wanted what Claudette has and Lucian was willing to kill his wife in order to give it to his lover. He wanted her so he did whatever Freyda told him to do. She came up with the plan to kill Claudette and he put the plan in motion." Eric leaned forward in his seat and said, "I can damn well guarantee that he would've been dead as soon as she'd gotten what she wanted."

"I would expect her to have killed him. She wouldn't have been able to trust him after that. She doesn't appear to be very trustworthy but you're leaving the most important parts out." She leaned back in her chair and said, "I'm still not sure how you helped her."

"The thing is, Sookie, I didn't realize that I was helping her until after Claudette had killed Lucian. When the were-traitor told me that it was Freyda that Lucian was sleeping with, I was too late. Claudette's sword was slicing through Lucian's neck before I could stop her. If she hadn't killed him, we could have taken him, Freyda, and the now deceased Were to stand before the council. They needed to be alive, Sookie. We couldn't just take Freyda. She would've used it to her advantage."

"Does Claudette know that Freyda was involved?"

"No," he replied. "I never told her."

"Does she know what Freyda is to you?"

"No. I couldn't tell her. No harm intended, but your people have a suspicious and untrusting nature."

"You're one to talk," Sookie said.

Eric cocked an eye at Sookie.

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Anyway," he said. "She wouldn't have believed me if I'd told her that I knew nothing about it. Claudette would have believed that I'd purposely helped to cover for Freyda or that I was involved."

Sookie's mouth was opened and ready to fire. She was about to protest and say that Claudette would never have believed that but he cut her off. "Tell me that I'm wrong. Tell me that Claudette wouldn't have thought that I'd only helped her to cover for my child."

She couldn't say that he was wrong because if their relationship wasn't on the way to being repaired, she would've thought the exact same thing.

"Although I haven't told her about Freyda, Claudette has nothing to fear. I've commanded Freyda to stay away from all of your family. She can have no one to do her bidding for her. Claudette's life is no longer in danger and she is safe."

"And you trust that she won't?"

"She can't. Even after releasing her from my hold, an order that I make has to be obeyed. She has no choice. She has to listen to me." As the words poured from his mouth, a bit of uncertainty was there.

Sookie stared at Eric for a long moment. "Tell me why you didn't kill her after you found out that she was involved. You could've killed her and no one would've been the wiser. There's no reason why she should still be occupying space. You realize that if this gets out, you will be punished … severely?! What were you thinking, Eric … letting her go?"

He expected Sookie to react in this manner. Her family member was almost killed and it was indirectly done at the hands of his child. He knew what was coming next. She was going to leave him.

"No, Eric, you don't know what's coming next and I'm not going anywhere. Stop assuming that I'm leaving you. We are going to work this out but your actions were not becoming."

"You read my mind," he said.

"It's your fault! You projected it at me! But so what? That doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that you should've killed her! Screw the fact that she's your child. Do you realize what this could mean for you? Do you know what punishments could be in store for you … silver shackles for 200 years with no feeding … IVs inserted into your arms and silver pumping into your veins in small doses for years? They could rip your fangs out and you won't be able to feed. They'd feed you the cheapest and the nastiest blood that they can find. You wouldn't be able to feed from me. We would be separated from each other.

"Do you want to be placed in a silver lined coffin draped in silver netting? Is that what you want? You've gone through this for some … some rent-a-tart; for a traitor to our family … our very lives? Are you fucking kidding me? What do you think Shiloh would do if she found out what took place in her queendom? She is supposed to take care of punishments in her state. She can request a severe punishment for you because of your part in it all."

For the second time tonight, he'd heard the same line at least four times. Sookie continued to mumble under her breath. A muffled sound escaped Eric as he moved towards Sookie. She stepped back away from him. His hand dropped to his side.

She paced back and forth as she ran her hands through her now messy hair. The very thought of Eric being punished for something that Freyda had done was a stab to her heart. They were starting over and now it could be over because of his fucking offspring. "I can't believe that I felt pity for her when you said that she was going to meet the true death! She should meet the true death at least ten times!" She exclaimed as she threw her arms in the air. "Why is she still alive, Eric? What am I missing?"

"Because of Sal," he said. His voice was filled with acrimony. "It's only because of Sal."

Sookie stood in front of Eric and asked, "What about Sal? Tell me why Freyda and Sal are so much more important than you are. Tell me why they are so much more important than your freedom and your life. You are my husband, Eric and I am not going to lose you. You are mine. We have so much ahead of us. If I lose you, I won't … I can't …."

It was breaking her heart to even imagine that Eric would be punished for his part in what Freyda had done. And now to find out that his good friend Sal is involved, has terrified her even more. Sal is old. He is extremely old. When a vampire is as old as Sal, they are also tremendously powerful. If he wanted to, he could kill Eric; especially if Eric kills Freyda.

"I owe him, Sookie. Sal saved me from certain death. My maker was cruel and he was cruel for sport. He turned me, tortured me, raped me, and abandoned me. I didn't know how to be a vampire. I wasn't taught to be a vampire. I was taught to be a killer, a murderer. I didn't know how to hunt. I didn't know how to survive. With the way that my maker abandoned me, I was a threat to our very existence."

A look of regret appeared on Eric's face. "Sadly, I've killed a lot of innocents; men, women, and children alike. I never purposely killed anyone unless I had to but when it came to feeding, I didn't know when to stop. My hunger would be so strong. It was uncontrollable. My maker taught me to do nothing but kill. He was pure evil. He was the only being that has ever placed fear in me. He was vicious and cruel. He took pleasure in other peoples' pain and despair; especially mine.

"Before my maker, I was always free to be me. I was free to come and go as I please. I was man, a husband and a father. After my maker, I was nothing more than a slave … a thing to do with as he pleased. I had no voice. I was nothing to him." Pausing, Eric added, "I was less than nothing. When my maker was alive, I don't believe he knew what being human was."

"My dearest love," Sookie whispered.

Eric's hands were white fists as he thought of the vampire that had almost succeeded in destroying him. For just a moment, she could feel his fear as it filled her body. It was the fear that his maker had instilled in him; even speaking about his maker, chilled Eric to the bone.

'He's more human than I ever thought he could be,' she thought.

And from the look in his eyes, he had more to say about his maker. Sookie waited with baited breath.

"His name was Appius Livius Ocella. In all of my thousand plus years, I've never met a colder or more sadistic vampire. His eyes were cold and dead." Eric looked as if he was staring at his maker as he talked about him. "He was scarred from many years of battle; strong and evil. He didn't think that teaching me to feed without killing was important. He said that humans were no more than food to us; useless." He chuckled. "Ignorant beyond reproach, he'd say. Feed from them and leave then where they fall. He'd make me heal the bite marks and then walk away."

I could kill him.

"Where is this … Appius?"

A look of pleasure danced in his eyes. "That brings me back to Freyda and Sal. As I said before, Sal saved me. He gave me a home and he taught me what it means to be a vampire. Because of Sal, I am the vampire that stands before you. I have my faults and I do have moments of weakness that I regret. I wish that I could take it all back. "

Sookie knew that he was talking about Fintan.

"I have honor and dignity. I am strong and I am a fighter," he proclaimed proudly.

It made Sookie smile and it made her feel good that Eric is proud of who and what he is. It made her even prouder to know that he was ashamed of the vampire that he used to be and that the obstacles that he had to overcome haven't come to define him. He turned his disadvantages into advantages and strengths. Her heart swelled with pride and love as she realized that she'd made the right choice when she chose him. Though she fought within herself over and over again, she knew deep down that she was never going to leave him. He is the one that she was meant to mate with and to love. She now knew for sure that what lies before them was meant to be.

Eric closed his eyes and inhaled the sweet scent of faery as it filled the air. His fangs dropped slowly into place. His manhood shifted in his boxer shorts. "You are distracting me, my lover."

Sookie squeezed her legs together as she shifted in her seat. She swallowed deeply. "Forgive me," she said in a husky voice. "You may proceed."

This was going to be a long night.