When I get behind the bar I don't look at anyone, I just go to the fridge and grab a True Blood. We only have A and O positive, I go for O+. As soon as I put it in the microwave and turn it on, Sam grabs me by the shoulder and spins me around. I'm surprised to see how angry he is right now. Frothing at the mouth would be the term I use.
"Sookie, what are you doing? Do you know who that is?"
"Yeah, that's Eric. Do you think I go around kissing people I don't know?"
"Sookie, he's dangerous! He's a killer and he's so bad that other vampires are scared of him. You shouldn't be talking to someone like that, let alone kissing, it isn't safe. Imagine what your Gran would think." He says, trying to both scare me and guilt me into staying away from Eric.
"Gran likes Eric just fine, Sam. They met last night."
"Damn hookah, that is one fine looking man, get it girl," Lafayette says as he puts the three burgers for my brother's table on the kitchen window. I feel my cheeks grow warm.
"Now you keep that dirty talk to yourself Lafayette, no one is getting anything! You know I'm not that kinda girl."
"Sure you aren't. That man looks like he can get the panties off of a nun, I wonder how long you'll last." He says then sashays away back into the kitchen. I feel my blush grow deeper, gosh dangit! I don't like my blush letting everyone know how inexperienced I am.
Arlene pulls me aside before Sam could say anything, she puts her hands on my shoulders and looks at me worriedly. "Sookie, you best keep yourself away from vampires, they go against God and will only drag you into darkness."
"Arlene, please tell me you're not still going to those fellowship sermons, are you?"
"Of course I am. You know how important God is to me."
I want to roll my eyes and tell her that those churches aren't about being close to God, there about hate but the microwave dinged, signaling Eric's True Blood was ready. I nod my head, disengage myself from Arlene, go to the microwave, grab his True Blood, put the lid on, and shake it. I see Sam open his mouth to say something else but Tara cuts in.
"Sam Merlotte, Sookie is a grown woman that can make her own decisions, stupid as they may be right now. Stay out of it." She says then gives me a look that makes it clear we'll be talking about this later.
I give her a thankful smile then get Jason and his friend's food and head back on the floor. When I get to his table, I realize Renee is gone. Weird, he was just here. "Where did Renee go?"
"He'll be back, he's on the phone with someone from his family. Sook, you didn't tell me you got a man. I'm your brother, I'm supposed to vet them. Hey, who's that True Blood for? We got a vamper in here?"
"It's new Jason, Gran likes him just fine though. The True Blood is for Eric."
"Thanks, Sookie," Hoyt says as I put the plate down in front of him.
"Your new man is a vamp? No way, I won't allow it, no sister of mine is going to date a Deader!" He says and stands up to do something, I don't know what. I'm pretty sure he doesn't know either.
"Jason Stackhouse, you sit your ass down and shut your mouth right this instant! You don't get a say in my private life! Hell, you don't get a say in any part of my life. You're never around for it anyway, just off getting drunk and sleeping with whoever will have you for one night, it's disgusting. How about you focus on fixing your life before you worry about mine? Maybe you wouldn't be up on murder charges if you kept it in your pants for one night."
Wow, it's been a long time since I've gone off on Jason like that but he got me mad. My cheeks grow red again when I realize everyone is looking at us, including Eric. He's smirking, clearly enjoying the tongue-lashing I just gave Jason. I can tell Hoyt is trying not to laugh, but he gives me a nod of his head of solidarity. Jason doesn't say anything else, he just takes an angry bite of his burger. So I walk away and towards Eric's table. On the way there, I focus on everyone's thoughts hoping to find something incriminating.
'Good for her, that boy needs a rude awakening. He broke my daughter's heart. Made her think he was in love with her just to fuck her best friend the next night.'
'Can't believe there's a fanger in Bon Temps, makes sense Sookie is with him. She needed to find another freak to find someone to actually give her the time of day.'
'Vampires are wrong, Sookie. If you need help getting away from him safely just let me know. Me and Renee can help keep you safe.' That one was clearly from Arlene and she was thinking right to me.
'Dirty fanger, only thing he deserves is a stake to the heart.'
'Good for Sookie, he's hot as all get out and she deserves some happiness. I hate how this town treats her'
'Dirty fang banging harlot, I'll kill her just like I killed the rest of them. It'll look like her brother killed them too, he'll get convicted for sure and I'll move on to the next and do it again, just like I've been doing.'
'Adele would be so disappointed in Sookie if she kn—'
I stopped listening and looked around wildly, trying to find where that last thought came from. It was in a voice I don't know. It's a Louisianan accent but in a voice I've never heard before. I know everyone here, it doesn't make sense. Without knowing how, I must have made it to Eric's table because the next thing I know, I'm in his lap, and he's talking to me quietly.
"Sookie, min stjärna, what is wrong? You're terrified. Did you hear something?" I nod numbly but don't respond more than that. "Shifter, we will be back, she needs a minute."
I'm pretty sure Sam had something to say to that but Eric doesn't give him the chance to respond, he stands up and leads me to the door. When we get to it, it's opened for us. I look up and see Renee on the other side, holding it open for us.
"Sookie, are you okay?" He asks worriedly in his Cajon accent.
Again, I nod numbly and keep walking. When we're alone and a little ways away from the bar, Eric pulls me into his arms and rubs my back soothingly. I sink into them and just enjoy the solace for a few minutes. After a while, he pulls back a little, just so we can look each other in the eyes.
"Sookie, what happened back there?"
"I—I guess I panicked. Maybe had a panic attack? I heard the killer but I didn't know the voice. The problem is, I know every single person in that bar. So how come I didn't know the voice? I'm so confused, Eric, and worried, and scared. Now on top of that, I'm on the killer's hit list."
"Sookie, I fear I've been remiss with your safety. When are you done with your shift? I have something I must talk to you and Adele about."
I look at him with a question in my eyes but it goes unanswered. "What time is it?" I ask instead
"10:30"
"Then I get off in a half hour."
"I shall be right back." He vamps back into Merlotte's before I have a chance to reply. I look into the windows and see him and Sam having what looks to be a heated conversation. I'm about to walk back in there when Eric disappears from my sight. I don't have time to worry about where he went because a second later he is in front of me with my purse and coat. "Come, Lover. You are done for the night, let me take you home."
"What? I can't just leave without talking to Sam! I can't leave someone else to handle my tables on top of theirs."
"It is already handled, min stjärna." He says and starts leading me toward the back parking lot, where my car is.
"Eric, you can't do things like that for me! I'm not the type to leave an obligation and I will not stand for you forcing me into doing it!" I say and after a few steps, plant my feet.
He lets out a growl that I definatly shouldn't feel is sexy but I have to squeeze my legs together all the same. "Sookie, you obviously needed someone to take care of you because you weren't able to do it yourself. I won't leave my woman wanting when I can help." He ended with a leer but that just made my hackles raise higher.
"Your woman? I'm not your woman, we just met about twenty-four hours ago!" He pushes us against the wall of the bar and growls again. And I definatly don't shiver in want. Uh-uh nope, not at all.
"You are my woman, you might not realize it yet but that doesn't make it any less true. What I claim, stays claimed, Sookie. So you best start getting used to the idea."
"Now you listen here, Eric Northman! I don't care if you look like a walking Adonis, or if your past partners think you're a 'sex god' or 'I'd die happy if he'd just take me one more time'! I am no man's property and you best believe I won't sleep with anyone that's sleeping with anyone other than me. I'm a one-man woman and I demand my partner is the same. If they can't agree to that, well then, their loss! So why don't you get those dirty thoughts out of your head and back your possessive bullshit away from me!"
Our stare-down lasts for so long and it's so charged, I don't know if I want a ride home or to slap him in the face and walk away I'm pretty sure he feels the same way. He growls so long and deep, I let out another involuntary shiver. Then he bends down and smashes his lips to mine, he's trying to possess me. So I decided to give as good as I'm getting and possess right back. He grabs my legs and lifts me so I wrap my legs around him.
"You're mine, Sookie Stackhouse."
"Only if you're mine, Eric Northman."
He growls again. "I belong to no one!"
"Well, ditto."
Our short conversation takes minutes because it's in between our kisses and caresses. When we finally stopped we were both just staring at each other with both of us panting. That made me laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"Why are you panting? You don't need to breathe."
He didn't answer my question and just wrapped his arm around me to lead me to my car. I was surprised when he led me to my passenger side, though I realize I shouldn't be when I take a second to think about it. It seems like a very Eric thing to do.
"So what do you have to talk to me and Gran about?"
"I'd rather wait until we're there to only talk about it once."
It was a pretty tense ride if I do say so myself. We clearly have disagreeing stances on how a relationship should go between us. And instead of talking about it, we both got too hot and bothered so we just made out and rubbed against each other like teenagers instead. Ugh, what am I supposed to do in this situation? I'm just going to wait and see what he has to say to Gran and me, and go from there. Because I really like him but I can't just be another conquest for him. I must have been lost in thought because I come back to myself when the car turns off, I look around and realize we're home. We go inside and Eric gives me a caring look when he realizes that I didn't revoke his invitation.
"Hello, hello. I didn't expect you back here so soon. I thought you worked until 11, Sookie. It's only 10:45 now?"
"Yeah I'm supposed to still be working but I heard the killer and kind of had a little breakdown."
"You heard him? Who is it then?"
"That's the problem, I don't know. I heard it loud and clear but it was in a voice I've never heard before. The problem is, I knew every single person in the bar so I just don't get it. It doesn't make sense."
"No, it doesn't. Are you sure you knew everyone at the bar?"
"Positive."
"I just don't know then."
"Me either, Oh! Eric and I were supposed to go out to eat after work but he said he has something important he has to talk to us about,"
"Oh? What do you need to tell us, Eric?" She asks as she leads us to the living room, "Please, sit" she says to Eric, pointing to the chair while Gran and I sit on the couch.
"Thank you. Now, I should start by saying that Sookie left out a very important part of the story. She left out that when she heard the killer, she heard that they planned to make Sookie their next victim. Thus making Jason the most likely perpetrator so the killer can get away scot-free."
"Sookie, why would you keep something like that from me?"
"I didn't want you to worry," I say, giving Eric a dark look for upsetting Gran.
"I can appreciate that but Sookie, I could be in danger too. Home is the most likely place where he'd try to find you without a crowd."
I can feel myself pale but I don't have a chance to respond because Eric cuts in. "Exactly, which is what I wanted to talk to you ladies about. I blame myself for not seeing this possibility. I figured if she heard the voice we could know who it is and we could take the proper steps to get him arrested and then convicted. I did not foresee you not knowing the killer's voice. So now, it's no longer safe for you two here as it is. As I see it, you have two options. I can either hire bodyguards to patrol your lands so no one can get in that might want to cause you harm. Or, you can come home with me and stay there until the threat has passed."
All I can do is stare at him dumbly, it's like my brain isn't computing the words he's saying right now. Is he really offering to let us move into his house? Thankfully, Gran isn't having the same problem. "Eric, I really appreciate it but I can't let you pay for bodyguards and we just don't have the money to pay for it ourselves."
"Then you shall come with me. That is my preferred choice anyway. I am much stronger than the Weres that would have been watching your yard for you. Although, they probably would have been fine considering the fact that the murderer is most likely human."
"Weres? Like werewolves?" I ask incredulously. There's no way werewolves are real. I look over to Gran expecting her to be just as sceptical as me but she's looking at me a little disappointedly. What's that about?
"Yes, the weres that I would have hired would have been werewolves. I work closely with the pack of Shreveport. There are many types of weres though, werepanthers, werelions, almost any type of animal there is, there's a were version too. Sookie, I thought you knew this, you work for a shifter."
I just stare, a little overwhelmed when Gran puts her hand on my knee. "Sookie, this can't be too crazy for you, could it? You're a telepath, as far as the rest of the world thinks, people like you don't exist and for most of our lives, vampires weren't real either." I notice Eric looks at Gran approvingly.
"I guess that's true. Wait, Sam is a shifter? And what is a shifter?"
"A shifter is someone who can turn into any animal they want whenever they want."
"Is there any chance he doesn't know?"
"Oh, he definatly knows. If I were to guess, going by scent alone, his most common shift is a dog. I've worked with him before a time or two."
"Why would you have worked together?"
"I'm in charge of all the local vampires and whenever there's a problem or one of them is acting out, I'm the one that has to take care of it. Sam has called me once or twice."
"Why wouldn't he have told me?" I ask quietly, mostly talking to myself. Gran's hand on my knee squeezes me gently. "That's why he sounds different than everyone else. Well, most people, there are some, like those people over at Hotshot."
"Werepanthers."
"Realy? Wait, wait, wait, this is all very interesting and I would like to ask you more questions about this later but I think this conversation has gotten a little off track…" I pause when Eric just smirks, the bastard meant to distract us. "We're not just going to pack up our things and go stay with someone we just met. We have a life here, I have a job. It's just not going to happen."
"Sookie, so you plan to stay here, in the middle of nowhere with no neighbors and no protection, and hope for the best? What about when you're at work? Just leave your grandmother here, alone?"
"Stop trying to scare me."
"I'm simply stating the facts."
"Okay, this is what's going to happen. We're going to pack clothes for a few days and go with Mr. Northman."
"Gran!"
"You listen here, young lady. I'm not going to let you leave yourself vulnerable just because you're stubborn. We're going and I don't want to hear another word about it."
I know that look on her face, there's no talking her out of it. I don't like this though, and I feel like I'm about to lose my temper. I take a deep breath to try to calm myself down but nope. "URGH!" I scream as I stomp upstairs to do exactly what my Gran told me to, she's not the type of woman you want to get mad. I hear her apologize to Eric about me as I'm walking up the stairs.