Spellbound

Surprise! I had to get this one posted because my week is going to be pretty busy. I wanted to give ya'll this extra chapter until I can get the other one posted later on this week. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. Thank you for the most recent alerts and favorites. I can't thank you all enough for sticking with me after such a long hiatus from writing the story.

The SVM characters belong to Charlaine Harris. Selene belongs to the Underworld. The lesser known characters belong to me as well as the story idea.

The rest of the night went by pretty smoothly. The council members were pleased with the night's activities … in more ways than one; especially Godric. He was allowed to drink pure faery blood without being punished. He was more than happy to watch Sookie and Eric make love in the garden. They'd given him a pretty good night. He showed the lovers a different side to himself; one that they didn't expect to see. He was more than willing to show them the real Godric. He wanted Sookie to see what kind of vampire he truly is.

As Eric and Sookie were leaving for the night, Godric stopped them at the door. "It was a pleasure seeing you this evening, Mrs. Northman. You have given me a glimpse at what it's like to be Eric. And the Northman is the first vampire that I have ever envied in all of my undead life. I've decided that I'm going to let certain things remain as they are." There was gleam in his eyes.

Eric and Sookie looked at each. Eric's face remained stoic. Sookie couldn't and didn't try to hide her look of confusion. "What are you saying, Godric?"

"I'm saying that Eric is a very lucky vampire to have someone like you to stand by him." The gleam that was in Godric's eyes earlier during the conversation, vanished. "But don't think that I don't know what's going on with you two. If that seat comes open, I'm going to do whatever it takes to get it. I will lead this council. I may not be able to have you, Sookie but that seat is going to be mine."

Eric's face was stonier than before. His blue eyes looked like glaciers. "Are you saying this because you're afraid that you won't get the seat? Are you trying to figure out what Sookie and I are going to do? Well, Godric, I can tell you this. If we decide to take André's seat, you'll be the first to know because you'll be answering to us." He moved in close to Godric and said, "If you play your cards right, you might even get to keep your kingdom."

Sookie stood under Eric's arm and smiled. "You can beg then," she said.

"Let the games begin." Godric gave the lovers a slight nod. "Good evening," he said as he walked away.

"He won't be a problem," Sookie said. "He's too proud. Once he realizes that he doesn't stand a chance, he'll bow out gracefully. We have the upper hand."

"So it may be but I don't trust him. I'll never trust him. He wants you," Eric said. "I can see it."

"Yeah," she said. "But he's over that. I read him earlier tonight. He knows where he stands with me … nowhere. They watched us tonight ... as we made love. They saw us; Shiloh, Sandy, Sophie Ann, and Godric. They saw us. Godric raised his glass to you. He's a gracious loser. He knows when it's over." She took Eric's hand in hers as she led him out of the door. "I admire that about him. That's one of his strengths. We have nothing to worry about with Godric. He's a fair player. Unlike some of the others, he has honor."

As Selene held the door open for them, Eric smiled down at Sookie as she slid into the backseat of the car. "You say that he raised him glass to me, huh? Do you think that my sexual prowess scared him off?" he asked as he slid in behind her.

"Oh goodness," Sookie said.

"What?" he asked innocently.

Selene laughed she closed the car door.

They'd been home and in bed for less than an hour when there was a knock at the door. They'd just gotten out of the shower and were ready to settle down and watch Ironman. Sookie had popped her popcorn and had her iced cold bottle of water in hand. She was ready to enjoy a movie with her husband. When she heard the knock, she rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth. She knew that she'd expected too much.

Before Sookie could get out of the bed and put her snacks on the nightstand, Eric was up and dressed. "Stay in bed, lover," he ordered. "Get your rest. I will handle this. Whoever it is, I'll send them on their way."

"You're going to stay down there and talk to them. That's what you are going to do," Sookie said. "We'll watch Ironman another night. I'm tired anyway. Shiloh and Sandy wore me out with that awful line dancing thing that they were doing. I don't know if that kicking and foot shuffling is my idea of a good time. Did you hear that music; bag pipes and accordions. It was terrible." She sighed heavily. "You go on," she said. "If you need me, call me. I'll come running."

"Will do," he said as he walked out of the room.

"Oh and leave the bond open so that I can feel you," she called out behind him.

Eric went down to answer the door. He was on alert but he had no cause to be. The house was well guarded with the best and most loyal vampires and the fiercest Weres. One thing for sure was that the guards wouldn't have let the visitor through if it hadn't been a friend. They would've killed them and then called and told Eric what they'd done and why they'd done it.

When he opened the door, there stood Gervais. "I've come with some information."

"Were you followed?" Eric asked as he let Gervais inside.

Gervais shook his head no. "I left my car at home. I borrowed my neighbor's car. He lives four blocks from me."

Eric glanced as Gervais. "Neighbor?" he asked.

Gervais shrugged his shoulders. "We're all neighbors if you really think about it."

Eric chuckled at the vampire's words. "Follow me to my office." Eric led his guest down the hall in silence.

As they walked along, Gervais admired the furnishings and paintings that adorned the hallway leading to their destination. The fabric that covered the walls was delicate and fine. The hardwood floors shone impeccably. The antique furniture would have made his Carla smile. The furnishings resembled the furnishings of many centuries ago.

"Your home is outstanding," Gervais said. "I've never seen a home more beautifully decorated. Carla would love it. Did Mrs. Northman decorate it?"

"No," Eric answered. "This is all me. I've had this house for over three hundred years. Glancing over his shoulder, he said to Gervais, "Many of you don't know this but I am a vampire of extraordinary tastes."

Gervais nodded. "I'm impressed."

"As you should be," Eric replied.

When they entered Eric's office, he closed the door behind them and offered Gervais the seat in front of his desk. "Would you like a blood?" Eric asked once he was seated at his desk.

"No, thanks," Gervais said.

"Tell me what you have," Eric ordered as he rested his elbows on his desk.

Gervais, resting his elbows on his knees, leaned forward as he began speaking. "There's talk at the compound that another girl is missing. It hasn't made the human news just yet because she's a news reporter. She's always going undercover and not telling her friends and family where she's going … always chasing after a lead. You know the type. Anyway, someone was showing her picture around at The Coffin. From what I've heard, she was a regular."

Another halfling, Eric thought. "Do you have a description of the girl … a photo?"

"Yeah," Gervais answered. He reached into his pocket and retrieved the girl's picture. As he handed it to Eric, he continued telling him about what he'd learned. "I took this pic off of Jake Purefoy earlier tonight. He said that the guy that was showing the pic around is the girl's brother. He claims that he hadn't heard from the girl in a couple of weeks. She usually checks in with him on Mondays but she's missed the past two. And according to her brother, she's never missed calling him."

Eric studied the picture of the missing girl. She looked like your typical human woman; black hair, olive colored skin, big brown eyes. Then he noticed it. He could see what Sookie saw in the eyes of the other missing girls. Their otherness can be seen in their eyes. He flipped the picture over.

"Tara Thornton," Eric read aloud.

"Her brother said that she's known for being a little hostile at times but she's just a very defensive person because of their childhood. I guess he was afraid that someone would have killed her for being abrasive," Gervais said. "She's 25. She weighs 115 pounds and she's five feet tall. Her brother said that he wanted to find her because she is all that he has left." He paused for affect. "They have no mother or father."

Eric looked up quickly. With the picture pointing at Gervais, he asked, "When did the brother hand out the pictures?"

Gervais shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Jake hasn't been off the compound in a maybe a week." He scooted to the edge of his seat and said, "And get this. No one has seen her brother since, Eric. You know what I think."

Eric nodded unnecessarily. "They got him. That's why the fact that she's missing hasn't been reported to the police. If he was telling the vampires that it's just him and his sister, they got him. He's dead. Whoever took him and his sister, had no choice but to kill him. He was a liability. André can't risk another girl going missing under his watch. He has to keep it quiet."

"He has to do whatever it takes to keep it out of the papers," Gervais said. "Fuck, man. It's one of our own." He then looked down at the floor. "I have to ask because I believe it to be true. You don't have to answer me but I have to ask you. Do you think that André is behind all of these missing girls?"

Eric wasn't going to tell Gervais what he thought; not yet. "We don't know that for sure. We can't jump to conclusions without any proof. This is too important. We can't run off of assumptions. If we took this before the council with what we have, they'll kill us for treason. We have to be careful, Gervais. We have to keep this quiet."

"I understand," Gervais said.

"Let me ask you," Eric said. "Why is this Jake just now telling you about the missing girl?"

Sitting back in his seat, Gervais said, "I asked him the same thing. He said that since André passed down an edict warning all local vampires to stay out of human business, he thought nothing else of it."

Eric's normally emotionless face now housed a frown. "André has passed down an edict? Why am I just hearing about this? I've been here for three nights and no one is sharing anything with me." Eric shook his head in disbelief. "I'm starting to agree with you, Gervais. I'm being set up to take the fall for these murders. Did you know of this edict?"

Gervais shook his head no. "Not until tonight," he answered. "As I told you, he's leaving his security team out of the loop. I heard that the council members were pissed that André had you at the meeting instead of out there investigating these missing girls. What are you going to do? Are you going to The Coffin tonight?"

"Yes," Eric answered. "I have to. I have to find out what those vampires know. Someone is hiding something."

"I can go with you. We still have a few hours before the dawn. You don't have to do this alone," Gervais offered.

Eric shook his head no. "I don't want anyone to know that you're helping me. André would have you chained and whipped with silver. You go home to Carla."

"Okay," he said. He stood up from his chair and nodded his head at Eric. "I'll keep you posted on whatever I find out."

"I appreciate your assistance with this, Gervais," Eric said. "And I will keep you updated with whatever I find out." It may be limited but he was going to tell him what he knew.

"Not a problem." As they left the office, Gervais spoke of what he heard about tonight at the council meeting. "I also heard that you and your wife made quite an impression tonight. They say that she's ruthless; especially when it comes to you. I heard that she killed one of her kin because he tried to interfere with your marriage. She let vampires drain him of every drop of his blood."

Eric nodded proudly. "We stand as one. They all know that now."

Just as they reached the door, Gervais put his hand on the knob and looked up at Eric. "There's also talk that André's seat may be up for grabs. From what I've heard, Godric has his eye on the seat and he's got Shiloh backing him."

Shiloh is going to be a problem. If she finds out about Freyda and how Eric had unwittingly helping her to cover up a murder plot, he will surely meet the true death; especially if Godric gets that seat. It'll open the door for him to try and get his hands on Sookie. And Godric will take whatever opportunity is afforded to him; regardless of what he said to them tonight.

"You don't say?" Eric asked. "I know that Shiloh mentioned a meeting in a couple weeks to question André's standing as head of the council but there was no mention of anyone taking André's seat. Hmmm; I guess I'm going to have to look into that. That's a juicy bit of information there, Gervais. Thanks for letting me know."

Gervais eyed Eric suspiciously as he chuckled. "Really, Eric?

Eric's face showed not an ounce of emotion.

Staring at his superior, Gervais said, "I don't know much about these council meetings or summits. That shit has never really interested me but I will tell you this. If that seat does come open, I'd bet dollars to donuts that you'd do one helluva a good job, Northman. We've been waiting for a leader like you. We need a leader like you."

Eric stood tall. It was hard for him to hide the pride that he felt at Gervais' words but he never let on. "I didn't say that I was going for the seat."

"You didn't have to," Gervais said.

"Good evening, Gervais."

"Eric."

Once the doors were locked, Eric blurred upstairs to let Sookie know that he was going to have to go out for awhile. When he reached the bedroom door, he saw a sight that melted his heart. Sookie was rubbing her hand over the slight bump of her stomach. She was smiling and talking to the baby. "You're going to love your daddy," she whispered. "He's so strong and powerful. Oh, and he's going to teach you to ride a bike." She then giggled. "I don't know if he can ride bike. Maybe I'll teach both of you to ride a bike."

Eric sneered as he listened to how his wife was teasing him to their unborn child. Even if he couldn't ride a bike, she shouldn't have told their unborn child that. Doesn't she realize how embarrassing that is … to be over a thousand years old and not know how to ride a bike?

"Even if he can't ride a bike, he's going to teach you so many other things. He's going to teach you to fight, to protect and to love. You're going to be just like him." She then closed her eyes and began to hum a sweet lullaby.

She's mine, he thought. She's mine and she loves me. Eric had fallen in love all over again. A wave of pure happiness swept through him.

"Hey, baby," Sookie whispered as she caressed her belly. "You're looking happy. Did you have a good meeting?"

"I did," he said. But that wasn't why he was happy.

Sookie suddenly gasped and jumped. Her hand stilled on her stomach. Her eyes went directly to her small baby bump.

Eric's face looked as hard and as cold as ever. His eyes iced over and darkened with alarm. Within seconds, he was on the bed with her; his hand resting atop hers. "What's wrong, lover? Should I call Dr. Ludwig? Are you hurting? Are you okay?"

When she looked up at him, Sookie's eyes were beaming. They were glistening with tears and unconditional joy. When she smiled at him, he'd never seen a more beautiful woman in all of his existence. She'd never been more beautiful. "Our baby moved," she whispered. She then began to giggle. "The baby moved! For the first time, our baby moved!"

She took his hand and placed it on their baby bump and held it there. She began laughing in delight. She threw her arms around Eric's neck while his hand continued to rest on Sookie's stomach. While she laughed, he waited and waited. And then it happened.

He felt it.

Eric's eyes widened. He stood up quickly and stared down at the baby bump. With his hand still resting on the bump, he stared out into space. In all of his centuries in this world, he didn't think that he'd ever know the feeling of being a father again. He never believed that he'd ever have another family. As he stood there and pondered, he felt the baby flutter again. Eric inhaled sharply.

"The baby moved."

He returned to the bed and removed his hand from Sookie's stomach and replaced it with his head. Sookie began stroking his head as he felt and listened to their baby.

"He loves you," Sookie said. "He loves you so very much."

Sookie smiled as Eric wrapped his arms around her waist and continued resting on her belly. She began to hum to them a sweet lullaby that Adele used to sing to her and her cousins.

Before Sookie could finish her lullaby, Eric jumped up from the bed. He looked down at her for a brief second, nodded and then blurred from the room.

Sookie looked at the empty spot where her husband once stood. She chuckled because she didn't know what to think or what to do. She had no idea as to what just happened. She looked at the door and called out to him. "Eric?"

There was no answer.

"Eric?"

Still, no answer.

She searched the bond and he was there. He was there and he was safe. He was happy but he wasn't in the house.

"Eric, are you here?"

Again, no answer.

She sighed. "I guess I'll have to go and find him."

Just as she swung her legs off of the bed, there he was. He was standing in the doorway carrying two bouquets of pink and white tulips and every balloon that he could find. He had to have cleaned out whatever store it was that he'd gone to. She giggled loudly and clapped her hands, she asked, "Where did you get those?"

"The corner store is open," he answered innocently. "The sign said that they stay open all night long so I went there. They had balloons and flowers. I wanted to get you something so I got you balloons and flowers."

Sookie fell back on the bed and waved her legs back and forth. She more than enjoyed her surprise. Once her joyous giggle had subsided, she jumped up from the bed and ran over to him. She threw her arms around his neck and peppered his face with kisses. "I love tulips and balloons!"

"Good," Eric said. "These are for you." With Sookie swinging from his neck, he placed the tulip vases on the nightstand and let the balloons float throughout the room.

"I love you so much, Eric. I love you, I love you, I love you," she said as she danced around the room surrounded by balloons.

Eric placed his hand to his heart and smiled. This was the happiest he'd ever been.