Sookie's POV:
I wake up dazed. My eyesight is blurry and my throat was extremely dry. My head was killing me.
"Ugh," I groan as I slowly wake up. I lift my head up a little, but lie back down. I put my hand over my forehead hoping that it would help soothe my throbbing head.
I was still dizzy and I could feel the nausea building in my throat.
"Maybe I won't….." I say to myself.
Nope, I needed to puke. I run to the bathroom and puke my guts out in the toilet. After I finish, I flush the toilet and wash my hands. I put my hand over my mouth to check my breath. It smelled gross like a mixture of vomit and stale booze.
I was so never going to drink again.
I think back to last night and my behavior. I was basically throwing myself at Marius and when he didn't want me, I threw myself at Marten. My face burns in mortification. I didn't know how I was going to face them this evening.
"Miss Sookie, good morning," Telma says as she walks in the room. "How was your night?"
"Ugh, don't ask," I groan to her. I was still in my dress from last night. My hair and makeup were a mess. I looked like complete shit.
"I brought some aspiring and water. I brought you some breakfast as well, fresh fruit and a bagel," she comments from the room.
"Thanks," I say in a low tone. I splash some water in my face.
"There are some men waiting for you upstairs in one of the meeting rooms," she said. "They seem very anxious to meet you. I told them you would be up shortly."
"Do you know who they are?" I ask curiously.
"No, they didn't say who they were, but just that they were working for Eric Northman," she says.
"Oh okay," I say confused.
My vampire boyfriend sent some men to me? What was going on?
I take a quick shower and brush my teeth thoroughly. I drink some water and take the aspirin to help with the hangover. I don't touch the food, I was still feeling sick. I put on some designer jeans, a pink tank top, and some sneakers.
Telma meets me and takes me to the meeting room where there were four men standing in the oval room. There was a large oak table with leather chairs in the centre of the room. The side table had some coffee and other snacks for the guests.
I look at each of them and try to probe their minds, but their minds were fuzzy. I try to focus on the biggest one there with black, wavy hair. He was very handsome like in a rugged, manly way. He was wearing a striped dress shirt and khaki-coloured chinos. He thought I looked pretty and couldn't believe I was the 'fangbanger' who had 'Eric Northman's panties in a twist'.
I was about to say something about what he was thinking, but I realized I needed to keep quiet about my telepathy.
"Hello, my name is Sookie Stackhouse," I wave at them with a little smile.
"Uh, hi, nice to meet you," the big guy with the black wavy hair says.
"My name is Alcide Herveaux," he says, reaching out his hand. "These are my associates, Randy, Hal, and David.
I shake it and more of his thoughts come popping out. He was thinking about how much he hated my boyfriend and that he was very angry about having to work for him because of his dad. He was worried that his girlfriend, Debbie, might be cheating on him. He needed to get back to her before she broke up with him.
It sounded like he had a lot on his plate.
I smile at him and ask him what he needed to discuss with me. He tells me that Eric hired him to watch over me and that we were going somewhere else to a secure location. The witches who had cursed me knew that I was in New York. We were going to be leaving for the new location in a few minutes.
"What?" I ask incredulously. "You can't just expect me to go with you. I don't even know you and I barely know Eric Northman."
"Wait, you don't know who Northman is? I was under the impression that you were his woman?" he asks.
"Ummmm, I am his….. I guess…. but we are taking a break right now," I comment. "I am very well protected here with Marten. This building is completely safe."
"I have orders from Northman to take you to a safer location. He was very adamant about you coming with us," Alcide says.
"Look, Mr. Herveaux, Eric Northman may be your boss, but he isn't mine. I don't have to take orders from him or anyone else," I say irately.
Before he can reply, a woman and another man come into the room.
I look at her and she looked pretty tough. She had an olive coloured complexion and her black hair was in a bun. She was at least a foot taller than me and was wearing a navy coloured pantsuit.
"Hello, Mr. Herveaux, my name is Loretta Somers. I am the head of his majesty's daytime security. How do you do?" she says as she shakes hands with him.
"Pleased to meet you, ma'am, what can I do for you?" he responds.
"His majesty wishes to aid you in your desire to take, Miss Stackhouse, here to another location," she says.
I try to probe her mind, but like Alcide's, hers was blurry.
"Ummm excuse me? I'm standing right here, the one you are both talking about moving to another location," I huff, holding my hand up and feeling very annoyed.
God, these vampires and these people were so hand-handed!
"Miss Stackhouse, the king has ordered me to escort you to another location," she says as she finally looks at me.
"Where does he want me to go?" I ask. I probably offended him badly last night. Shit! I really was never going to drink ever again!
"His majesty believes your safety is at risk here in the city. We will take you to another secure location by chopper. I cannot tell you the location," she says.
I sigh and close my eyes.
"That's great, but Northman is adamant that I accompany the girl wherever she goes," Alcide says.
"Yes, that is acceptable," she says. "We will be leaving in five minutes. The chopper is on the roof waiting for us."
"I have to go get my clothes," I say. I didn't have any other belongings except my Merlotte's shirt, pants, and shoes. I may as well change into those clothes since I was being kicked out of here.
"Your belongings are already on the helicopter," she says.
"Great, that's just great," I respond sarcastically.
A few minutes later, we make our way up to the roof. I don't get the chance to thank Telma and say goodbye to her, as I climb aboard the helicopter. As we fly away, I look at the building sadly. I wasn't sure where I was going. I wasn't sure if I was ever going to see this place again. But most of all, I wasn't sure if I was ever going to see Marius again.
I watch as we fly further and further away from the city. We land about 45 minutes later. I still wasn't sure where we were but I was glad to see the ocean. It was beautiful. I stare at the vast ocean mesmerized.
As soon as we land, we get into a vehicle which takes us to an almost secluded gated to another gate to a house. We wait for the gates to open before we drive up to a beautiful beach house.
"Where are we?" I ask my male companions.
"The Hamptons," Alcide says.
Ms. Somers opens the car door for us and leads us into the house.
"This is his majesty's Hamptons' getaway home," she comments.
"Wow," I say to myself as I look at the grand staircase.
Ms. Somers give us a short tour of the main floor. There was a chef's kitchen, two living areas, a den, a formal dining room, a screening room and a breakfast nook. She shows us the views of the ocean from the amazing deck and the heated outdoor pool. There was also an indoor pool on the other side of the house.
"So, this place is well protected?" Alcide asks.
"The King had this place protected by witches' spells and enchantments. There is 24 hour security protection in this gated community. Don't worry, the King knows very well how to protect his assets and himself," she replies. "You are the king's guest Sookie. A guest room has been prepared for you upstairs."
Oh, at least I still kind of knew where I stood with them. I was pretty sure this morning that I killed any type of relationship with Marten. I wasn't interested in him romantically, but drunk Sookie tried her very best to flirt with him. I shake my head at that thought. I wanted to be friends with him. I try to think why he was still helping me. Perhaps he was still just fulfilling his promise to Eric to keep me safe, but at a different location that was far from him. As for Marius, well, I was really confused about how I felt about him. I liked him a lot. He was obviously very attractive and exuded a mysterious sexiness that would charm the panties off any woman. I loved the serenity that he brought with him where ever he went. I loved the fact that he knew more about life and history than I would ever know. I loved how he made me feel confident when I was so uncertain about myself.
I take a deep breath as I look out at the ocean view.
"Will the king be joining us here?" I ask.
"I believe so," she says but doesn't elaborate any further. I wanted to ask her if Marius was coming as well, but I wasn't sure if she would know the answer to that question. I sure hoped that he was coming. He did say that he would stay with me until I regained my memory.
I have luncheon with Alcide who tells me a bit more about himself. He seemed like a good man. It was nice to have a regular conversation with someone who wasn't going to burn in the sun that was currently shining down on us as we ate out on the patio. I start thinking about how nice it would be to have a normal relationship with someone; with someone I could grow old and have children with. I was never going to grow old with Eric or Marius, I would age while they would stay the same. I would never be a mother if I married them. I squash those thoughts. One problem at a time, Sookie.
"Does Eric have a plan on how to trap the witches?" I ask Alcide.
"As far as I know, he just plans on doing his same old tactic. Go in fast and kill everyone in his path. Of course, he will need to keep either Hallow or Mark alive to undo the spell," he says.
I wasn't sure what to think about the killing part. But I was eager for these witches to undo the spell.
Night approaches as I lay down on my bed. I had the balcony door in my room open. I loved listening to the waves crashing against the shoreline and the wind.
Suddenly, there's a knock on my door.
"Come in," I say as I sit up on my bed. The door opens and it was Marten.
"Hi Sookie, how are you doing?" Marten asks me.
I feel a little flustered and embarrassed still. "Oh, I'm fine."
I get up from the bed and walk over to him. "Listen, I'm so sorry about the way I behaved last night. I guess I'm not much of a drinker, seeing at how wasted I got. But that's no excuse for the way I acted last night."
"It's alright Sookie," he says reassuringly. "I didn't behave that well either. I shouldn't have had anything to drink that would inhibit my abilities to protect you. Because of me, those witches are now after you in my state."
"NO, NO, it was me, I shouldn't have convinced you to take me out to a club. It was an idiotic idea."
He laughs. "Well let's just call it even. We both made mistakes."
I laugh lightly as well. "So, I guess I passed out?"
"Yeah, you fell asleep against me while you were trying to dance," he says. "I carried you back to your room after that."
"'Trying', being the operative word." I joke. "Ugh, I just made a complete ass of myself last night."
"I wouldn't say that. You have a very nice one," Marten says before he laughs.
I laugh shyly with him. I was glad we were still friends and could make fun of what happened. I was still curious to know if Marius had come with him.
We walk downstairs together.
"The Northman was very pissed off about our clubbing incident. He blames me completely, hence the reason why there's new guards for you," Marten said.
"Oh shit," I reply. "I wish I could tell him it was my fault and not yours."
"Hello," a striking blonde woman says as she rises from the sofa. I start to feel a little bit queasy in my stomach but it was tolerable. I wasn't feeling hungover again, was I?
"This is Pamela Ravenscroft, Eric's protégé," Marten says.
"Hi," I wave to her. She was definitely making me queasy. I guess whoever shared Eric's blood was part of the curse. I rub my stomach a little, trying to stop the feeling.
"Are you feel well? You're starting to look green," she says with a raised eyebrow.
"Umm, not really," I reply. Yeah, the longer I was around her, the worse I felt.
"I see now," Pam says. "I suppose I will have to go and tell Eric that I cannot watch over you during the evenings. Have a wonderful evening Sookie. Marten, I hope I will see you later on tonight."
She skims his shoulder as she leaves.
"Is Eric nearby?" I ask him.
"Yes, we had a talk before I came here," Marten says. "It took every ounce of my persuasion to convince Eric that I was still capable of watching over you. He sent Pam as assurance. If she can't watch over you tonight, I'm not sure who he will ask now."
"Where is Marius?" I ask in a serious low tone.
"He is still in the city," Marten replies. "He wishes that he could join us, but he does not want to upset Eric even further."
"Oh," I reply. On one hand, I was upset that he wasn't here. But on the other, I could understand why. Even though I couldn't see or talk to Eric, his actions showed me how much he cared about me. He must have found out somehow that I was feeling an attraction to Marius. And the little I knew about Marius, was that he would avoid an unnecessary confrontation. I understood that. I didn't want anyone fighting over me.
I tell Marten that it wasn't necessary for him to hang out with me for the rest of the evening and if he had any other things to do, then he could do them. He obliges and goes to his den to work. I find Alcide and the other weres in the games room playing pool. I play a few games of pool and air hockey with them and we also watch a movie.
I start feeling tired, so I excuse myself and go upstairs to bed. I still had my patio door open, so I close and lock it. I close the windows and go into the closet to look for something to wear to bed. I find the walk-in closet filled with clothes and most of them were in my size. I put on a blue silk spaghetti- strapped nightgown that went to my thigh. I put on the matching robe as well.
I brush my teeth and turn off the lights.
My room had a small sitting area, so I don't notice the vampire sitting on the lounge chair.
"Good evening Sookie," he responds.
"Ahhh," I yelp out. "Jesus, you scared me," I say, relieved at who I see sitting on the chair.
It was Marius.
"How did you get in here?" I ask.
"I had to sneak in. The Northman is watching this place like a hawk," he replies.
"Oh, I'm so sorry about that. I'm going to tell Alcide that it wasn't your fault and to let Eric know that," I say.
"I do not think the Northman can be reasoned with, especially when it comes to you," Marius says as he rises. He walks toward me.
"I do not blame him. He is irrational when it comes to you," he says.
I didn't know what to say to that, so I just smile at him. "Well I'm glad you're here. I wanted to apologize for how I behaved. I already apologized to Marten. There was no excuse for me to behave that way."
"You are young," he comments.
"Ahh you mean I'm young, so I'm supposed to act immature. To be honest, I don't think I'm usually that way even though I don't remember anything. I'm so embarrassed about how I acted," I tell him though gritted teeth. "You must think I'm an idiot."
"I do not think you are an idiot. Like I said, you are young, it is what is to be expected of someone your age," Marius says.
"You were pretty ambitious with your desire to dance with me," he says with a twinkle in his eye.
"Oh, please don't remind me," I laugh lightly.
"Marten said that I didn't know how to dance because I thought it was a waste of time," he says in an even tone.
"I remember him saying something like that," I reply.
"It is not completely true. I was never interested in dancing because I had not found the right partner until now," he says. "Will you do me the honor of dancing with me Sookie?"
I stare at him with my mouth open. "You serious?"
Marius nods his head with a grin.
"Ummmm, okay," I respond, tying the belt of my robe more securely around my waist. I go to the stereo equipment and put a song from the 60s on.
I approach him and wait for him to lead.
"You are going to have to show me," he chuckles.
I smile back and I show him how to move his feet and arms. We laugh as we bump heads lightly.
Next, a slower song plays. "You'll have to put your hand on my waist and back."
He moves closer to me. I take in his wonderful scent. It was like pine trees and a warm earthy tone. I take his hand and we move around in a slow circle in the small sitting room.
I lean my head against his chest, listening to the hallow, vibrating sound of the song against it. I close my eyes trying to relax, but my heart was thumping fast and my breathing was increasing. He grips my waist tighter. I rest my arm over his.
"This is probably the best way to dance," he murmurs in my hair.
"I have to agree with you on that one," I comment softly.
We slow dance a minute more in silence.
I wanted to kiss him and I think he wanted to kiss me as well. I gaze up into his eyes, waiting for him to make the first move. He leans down slowly.
We are within just a few centimeters from each other's' faces when we get interrupted by the sound of knocking on the door.
Marius moves away from me and I let out a sigh of frustration.
"You should answer it," he says, letting me go.
I grit my teeth and go to the door.
It was Alcide.
"Hi!" I say in a high tone.
"Umm, is there something you needed?" I say, bringing my tone down. I was pretty sure I look flushed. Rod Stewart's, Do you think I'm Sexy?, was playing randomly in the background now. I could feel the heat in my cheeks rising. Alcide was not stupid. He probably sensed something was going on, but it wasn't any of his business what I did in my personal life. I had the door opened just enough to peek my head around it. I was pretty sure Marius was still standing about five feet behind me.
"Yes, just thought I heard something and decided to check up on you. We are going to be taking turns tonight, standing watch outside your door."
"What!" I respond. "That's not necessary, Alcide. I'd rather you guys get a good nights' rest." I say.
"Sorry, Sookie, but it's Northman's orders," Alcide says.
I go pfft. I tell him goodnight and that I'll see them tomorrow, before closing the door.
"So, I guess you heard," I whisper to Marius.
"I will leave you to rest Sookie," he says. He takes one of my hands and kisses the back of it.
"How are you going to get out?" I ask quietly.
He presses a hidden button against the wall, revealing a hidden door.
"Just Marten and I know about these secret doors," Marius says.
I smile and give him a hug goodnight.
"I think I need another shower," I tell myself after he leaves.
I wake up the next morning feeling refreshed. I didn't feel scared or confused like I usually felt these past few mornings. It was like something felt right with the world today.
I ponder that thought for a few minutes before I get out of bed and get ready for the day. After showering, I put on a white crocheted sun dress. I thought about taking a swim in the outdoor pool later on today as well.
The guard Hal greets me outside my door and we head downstairs for breakfast.
"Morning, fellas!" I say happily.
"Sookie, do you feel any different today?" Alcide asks curiously.
"Uhhhh, yeah I feel fantastic," I comment as I pour myself a cup of coffee.
"Do you remember anything about your past?"
I pause for a moment, "Nope, it's the same as before. Can't remember diddly-squat."
"Eric found Mark early this morning before sunrise. He forced him to undo the spell before ending him," Alcide says.
I stop applying marmalade to my piece of toast and stare at him.
"Why don't I remember anything?" I say in a serious tone.
"Because I think since they both created the spell jointly, they both need to undo it," Ms. Somers says as she walks in.
She hands me a photo. I look at it and it was Eric.
I stare at it for a few minutes. I wasn't feeling sick or anything like that.
"I don't think Mr. Northman has the ability to make you ill anymore, Ms. Stackhouse," she says.
I felt relieved but also frightened of the unknown. This would be my first time meeting him. Though he had a memory of the life we shared together and the feelings to go with it, he was still a virtual stranger to me.
"Is he coming over tonight?" I ask Alcide.
"I'm pretty sure he is," he says.
We finish our breakfast in silence. I spend the rest of the day relaxing. I take a swim in the pool and invite the weres to join me, but they decline. Fair enough, I thought to myself.
It was getting dark. As the sun set, I was starting to become even more and more nervous. He was coming. I could feel it.
I decide to go sit outside in one of the lounge chairs and wait for him.
As I twiddle my thumbs waiting, Marten walks out of the house to me.
"Good evening, Sookie," he says formally. He keeps about six or seven feet away from me. He was usually a lot more relaxed and friendlier when we talked.
I knew Eric was inside the house.
"I have someone here who has been waiting a long time to meet you," he says.
"Okay," I reply nervously. I get up.
A few seconds later, Eric comes walking out of the house and towards me.
I gasp at the sight of him and hold my hand over my mouth. The picture that I saw of him didn't do him any justice. He was more unbelievably handsome in real life. He was so tall, like a Greek god statue. He was wearing a gray metallic suit with no tie that clung to his body. Though he was fully clothed, I knew he was probably well-built underneath that suit. His hair was the same colour as mine, as well as his eyes.
"Hello Sookie," he says in a gentle tone. "I am so happy to see you."
I lose the ability to speak before he comes up and embraces me. He holds onto me gently. I take in his scent, and cling onto him. Though Marius felt familiar to me when we touched, what I felt for Eric was overwhelming and more stronger. I take in his scent and the contours of his body that were soooo familiar to me. I dearly wanted to remember him. Eric made me feel secure and most of all loved, as he continued to hold me.
"I'm so happy you're here," I sob as the tears flow.
I sniffle, "I'm sorry, I'm probably slobbering all over your nice suit."
I look into Eric's eyes and I see the love for me in them. I realized at that very moment, that I loved this man immensely. I didn't need my memories to be reminded of that.
I look up, waiting for him to kiss me, and he does. The electricity and passion between the two of us overtake us. This just felt right, like it was meant to be.
As we kiss, I don't notice that we were hovering over the pool.
We break away from our kiss and I look down and laugh. "You can fly."
He takes us to the balcony of my room and I lead him in. I had a feeling of what was going to happen next. I was ready for him. I wanted him to touch me more intimately and I wanted to see what was underneath his clothes.
We kiss for a bit longer and just hold each other, relishing the feeling that engulf us. I break away from him for a moment to undress. I take off my dress and was now standing in front of him in my white lace bra and panty.
"Vaenn," he says lustily.
I didn't know what that meant, but obviously it was something good as he held me close and ran his hands over my body.
It wasn't long before we were in my bed. He had taken off my bra and underwear and was in the middle of undressing himself. He lets me unbutton his pants and out comes the biggest thing I ever saw. I tremble at the sight of it. It was beautiful and smooth, but at the same time terrifying. Was it going to fit? I thought to myself.
"Don't worry, my lover," he whispers. "I will be gentle."
I gulp and let him take over. He kisses my entire body before stopping at my private area. I gasp at the sensation. It felt so erotic and so good all at once.
After bringing me to an orgasm, he comes up to me and starts kissing my lips again. I open my legs to invite him in. He pushes into me gently, letting my body adjust to his size.
It isn't long before he is completely inside me and pushing in and out at a rapid pace.
"Bite me!" I moan out in pleasure. His fangs click out and he bites into my shoulder area. I feel a mixture of pain and pleasure as he drinks from me.
He has his own orgasm as I enjoy my own. He stays on top of me and inside me as we come down from our high.
"That was incredible," I pant.
"I want you take my blood," Eric says.
I nod and latch onto a cut he makes against his chest. We enjoy another round of fantastic sex before, he finally pulls out of me. Immediately, I feel the loss of him. I snuggle up against him and close my eyes.
"I'm guessing it's always like this?" I ask him still feeling hazy.
"Yes, what we have is extraordinary," he says as he kisses my hair.
"I love you," I say to him quietly.
"I love you too," he whispers back.
We kiss and have another round of sex. I wanted to stay in bed with him for the rest of the night.
"We must get up Sookie," he says.
"Awww," I pout.
"Hallow is still out there. I have no doubt she is now looking to avenge her brother's death," Eric says.
"Oh shit," I sigh. I almost forgot about the situation we were still in.
We take a shower together and get dressed again. I put on a cashmere sweater and jeans.
We head downstairs. We find Alcide and the other weres in the screening room watching the news. Pam comes out from a hallway, followed by Marten.
"She is very good at concealing her identity," Pam says.
"Who is?" I ask.
"Hallow."
"You think she is posing as someone else?" I ask worriedly.
Pam nods her head.
I lean against Eric and he holds me close to him.
"I have an idea," I say to him.
He looks down at me and lets out an unnecessary sigh, "I think I know what you are going to say, but the answer is no."
"She's not going to stop until she gets what she wants," I retort.
Fuck, I think my idea was a bad one too and I had a feeling it wasn't going to end well for me. But I wanted my life back and this time I was going to fight for it.