Sookie's POV:
"You're really going to do it? You're really going to marry that vamp?" Jason asks me in astonishment.
"Yes," I say for the millionth time since I arrived here at Jason's house.
Jason had completely remodeled his home since he married Michele a few years ago. It was no longer a man's cave, but a comfortable home for a family of 6.
"You know, he gave me quite a scare when he showed up out of nowhere last night to ask for my permission for 'your hand in marriage'," Jason says as he flips the burgers on the barbecue.
I sigh. I guess Marten really did want to do this the traditional way. I was feeling a little embarrassed.
"I guess it was sort of honorable. Eric didn't ask for my permission," he grumbles.
"He asked Gran for permission," I say in a wispy tone.
"Michele took quite a likin' to him as soon as he showed up at the door. He seemed to almost be flirtin' with her," Jason comments.
"Oh Jason, you hush up," Michele replies. "But really Sookie, you are sooo lucky. I couldn't believe it was him at our door! Not only is he one of the hottest vampires on the planet, but he's the most eligible bachelor in the nation."
"What?" I ask in confusion.
"He is!" Michele says loudly. "It says so, right in People's Magazine. I'll show you!"
She goes running into the house. I continue to play with Katee's blonde curls. She was sitting on my lap, chewing on her favourite toy. My baby niece was almost 8 months old. My nephew Corbett, who was playing in the sandbox, was almost three. My two older nieces were playing inside.
Michele comes running out of the house. "See?! It says right there in the magazine."
She holds up a magazine in front of my face. I try to read the headline, but she kept on moving it around until I finally take it from her.
The 20 Most Eligible Bachelors, and Marten was on the cover. He was wearing a cowboy hat and sitting on a stack of hay with his plaid shirt open, gazing seductively at the camera. It reminded me of a photoshoot I did with Claude a year ago. He had convinced me to pose with him in a series of shots for his modelling portfolio. I close my eyes mortified. I knew that Claude posted some in his Instagram. I was glad I wasn't on social media.
"So, it seems," I say, as I skim through the article.
"I can't believe it! My own sister in law landed one of the most handsome men ever. You better hold onto your man Sook, I'm sure you'll be the envy of millions of women and they'll all be tryin' to steal him away from you," she says.
I return home a few hours later with a package waiting for me on the table. It was from Marten. I open it up to find three dozen blue roses. I read the note. He was planning on come to visit me in a few days after he was done with a few projects.
I sigh and put them in a vase. I was definitely in way over my head as I think about the rollercoaster ride my life would be taking from here on end.
Just as promised, Marten did return to see me a few days later. And as usual, he was kind, friendly, and respectful and I found myself to be enjoying his company more and more as I got to know him. I showed him around Bon Temps and the places that I grew up. He seemed to show a keen interest in my hometown and my history of the town. Marten also loved to entertain not only me, but other people as well. He constantly made jokes and always had vivid and exciting stories to tell me about his adventures around the world. He loved to talk about music and art. I was amazed at how confident he was and how he seemed to make other people feel good about themselves. He helped bring out the best in others. Despite being 'undead', he seemed to thrive on life and the energy around him.
Over the next six months, we continued to spend time together, either here in Louisiana or New York. He took me to music concerts, dance shows, musicals, and many different restaurants that served a variety of cuisines from all over the world. In a way, I guess we were sort of 'dating', just trying to get to know each other better before we took that next step of marriage.
The more time I spent with him, the more I found myself becoming more comfortable with him. My guard was slowly coming down. He had asked me if I was interested in planning the wedding, but I declined. He had hired wedding and party coordinators to handle all of it.
So here I was, preparing to make that commitment again. Our wedding date was in three weeks. Marten had arranged not only a vampire ceremony, but also a human ceremony for us at the same time as well. That was a complete surprise. He had sprung that up on me just the other day. His explanation was that he wanted to have 'a complete wedding', as this would be his first time making such a huge commitment. I was hesitant at first, but the more we talked about it, the more he managed to convince me. So now here I was, not only pledging myself to Marten in a vampire union, but also pledging myself to him in front of God. High-handed vampires….
"Ahhhhh," I scream in excitement, as we ride the rollercoaster at Six Flags in Jersey. I hold onto Marten's hand as we go down the steep hill.
I laugh loudly when the ride comes to a stop.
"That was sooo much fun!" I say jubilantly.
We walk around and stop at a concession to buy cotton candy. I put some in my mouth.
"This place is awesome. I don't know why I've never been here," Marten says with a twinkle in his eyes.
I smile back at him.
"Did you want to go on more rides?" I ask.
He nods his head in excitement. He takes my hand as we go on a few more fast rides, before ending our night on the ferris wheel.
The cool wind blows as we stop near the top. I had forgotten to put on my sweater before jumping on. I start to shiver.
"Sookie, are you cold?" Marten asks as he puts his cool arm around me.
I shiver even more. "I don't think that helps."
I start smiling and we both laugh lightly.
"I can't believe we are getting married in a few weeks," he says in a low serious tone.
"Me neither," I reply. I start to think about Eric and my smile fades away.
"Sookie, it's okay to be sad," Marten says in sincere tone as he holds my hand.
"Yeah, but at the same time no," I comment. "I mean, I can't keep holding onto a ghost."
I squeeze his hand gently. "But thank you, thank you for being so patient with me."
He looks at me for a moment before he leans down to kiss me. I raise my face to him and close my eyes. I pucker as his lips meet mine. We had only kissed a few times since we got engaged and those times were just pecks on the lips or cheeks. This time it was different.
He presses his lips closer against mine. I open my mouth slightly to let him know that it was okay to deepen our kiss. Marten was an amazing kisser. He obviously spent years and years perfecting the art of kissing. We continue to kiss until we are interrupted.
"Cough, cough", the ferris wheel attendant feigns coughs to get our attention.
"Sorry," I say to the attendant as I break away from the kiss.
Marten helps me off the ride and we walk back to the parking lot. We stop at his Audi and he helps me into the vehicle. I glance around to see his bodyguards getting into their own vehicles.
I clutch the pink bunny that Marten had won for me in the ring toss game.
"I had so much fun tonight," I say to him. "With you."
"Me too," he replies with a smile.
"So, we have our formal engagement party tomorrow night," Marten says. "There will a lot of people there, ranging from European royalty and people high up in the vampire council. Some of my deputies will be there as well."
"Oh, that sounds great," I say with little enthusiasm. I hated attending parties that involved vampire dignitaries. They always seemed so snooty and looked down at me like I wasn't fit enough to wipe Eric Northman's boots.
"I know it sucks," he says. "But Sonya said we need to do this to help solidify our union in the vampire community. I am mostly looking forward to our other engagement party with just our friends and family."
He caresses my arm as he drives back to New York. "Don't worry Sookie. It'll be alright. I promise that if anything happens, I will take care of it."
The next evening, I get ready for the party with help from Telma, one of Marten's daytime assistants.
She puts my hair up in an elegant bun and adds jeweled pins to it. "You're going to be the most gorgeous woman there tonight, Sookie."
"Thanks Telma," I reply. I apply some more blush to my cheeks.
"If you don't my saying, you and the master make a lovely couple," she beams. "I have never seen him this happy since I started working for him. The others have said he only talks about you and no one else."
"That's nice," I smile. I wasn't sure what to make of that. I knew he was becoming fonder and more attached to me, but I still wasn't quite sure about how I should feel. I guess I still didn't want to let Eric out of my heart.
I slip into a purple Elie Saab dress. It had straps, a flowing skirt and silver coloured material around my chest and stomach area.
I put my heels on, grab my little clutch and take the elevator up to the living room in Marten's penthouse apartment in downtown New York City.
I check my messages on my phone, as I walk towards the room.
"You look beautiful Sookie," Marten says as he walks towards me.
"Thanks…" I say before I gasp and hold my breath as I see Marius standing by the window looking down at the city.
Marten gives me a hug when he reaches me. I shake out of my bewilderment and hug him back.
"Fadir is here," he says with delight, as he puts his hand on my back to lead me to Marius.
"Ahhh," I fluster stupidly. I could feel my cheeks reddening.
"Miss Stackhouse," Marius says formally. He nods his head in respect.
"Call me Sookie," I say to him as I hold my hand out to shake his. I take it back after realizing my mistake.
"Sorry," I mumble.
"He didn't tell me he was coming early," Marten remarks. "I thought he was coming later for our other party."
"No, I mean, it's good that he's here," I say nervously. I plaster on my fake smile, wishing that I could crawl back into my room and hide.
"Sir," I say still flustered. "I just wanted to say thank you. I mean I didn't get the chance to thank you properly for all that you did for me when those pesky witches had stolen my memory and tried to kill me."
"I mean… What I mean to say…." I stammer, "Thanks. I didn't even try to thank you properly for that, for all your help, for coming to rescue me."
"From what I heard, is that you handled the situation on your own," Marius says.
"Uhhh yes, I guess," I reply. "I don't know what Marten has told you about me, but it comes and goes. I think in heightened situations, my powers come out. It's not like I can snap my fingers and kill everyone in this room!"
I laugh nervously like a buffoon. Oh god, I wished the word vomit would stop.
"Well, I should take my leave. I just stopped by to see Marten and to say good evening to you both," Marius says.
"You're not coming to the party?" I ask.
"No, I do not think I would find it very enjoyable. And besides, you too are the honoured guests," he says. "I would not want to take everyone's attention from the two of you."
Marius was still one of the most mysterious and private vampires in this world. The tales of his renowned battles were still talked about in the supe world. His mysteriousness only elevated his status in the vampire community.
Marten walks with him to the elevator. I could hear them talking in their ancient language, which I was able to understand since Marius had taught me in my previous life.
Marius was telling him to be careful. He was also telling him that he would be returning in a few days.
I put my phone back into my clutch and take a few deep breaths.
"That was a nice surprise," I tell Marten as he returns to the room.
We get into a limo and make our way to where the engagement party was being held; at a fancy yacht club by the water. We walk into the large reception room and are greeted by the host, Sonya Previn, who was still Marten's second in command.
She introduces us to all the vampire dignitaries. After an hour of socializing with vampire elites, I go grab a glass of champagne and walk closer to the water to have a few moments to myself.
"So, this is the faery half-ling who stole not only one, but two, vampire kings," a woman says to me from behind.
I turn around quickly. I gasp a little in surprise. It was Rosamund, the Queen of France. She was still gorgeous; gorgeous and unfriendly. Her strawberry blonde hair was also in an updo and she was wearing a sparkly gold gown. The last time I saw her, was when I had chopped her head from her body, another lifetime ago. But here she was, undead and still standing.
"Your majesty," I say as I bow my head.
She walks closer to me. I could feel her eyes securitizing every inch of me, as if she was trying to figure out why Marten was marrying me.
"Well, you certainly are what people are saying about you," she says. "Beautiful, enchanting, and perhaps dangerous?"
I chuckle nervously. "I'm just a coffee shop owner from Louisiana."
"Yes, I have heard all about your background," she comments as she purses her lips.
"Although I don't see nothing extraordinary about you. How did you persuade Eric and even Marten to marry you?" Rosamund snaps. "Have you placed some sort of enchantment over Marten? And is that how you snagged Eric? How you managed to get him killed?"
I start feeling the anger rising. "I do not know what you mean, ma'am. But all I can say is, I didn't need to spread my legs like some women I know, to land a husband."
Her smug face turns into a scowl.
"If you will excuse me," I say to her as I walk past her.
"Bitch," I hear her say quietly, but loud enough for me to hear.
"Excuse me, your majesty," Pam says as she walks up to us. "But Miss Stackhouse deserves to be treated with the upmost respect. After all, she will be the Queen consort of New York very soon."
She scowls at both of us and huffs away.
"Thanks Pam," I tell her. "What a dreadful woman."
"Rosamund is someone you do not want to mess with, Sookie," Pam replies.
"You're right about that," I comment.
I walk around the room with Pam and watch some people dancing. I look across the room to see Marten talking to someone, I think it was the king of Mexico, when he is approached by Rosamund. She leans way too close to him and whispers something into his ear and caresses the sides of his torso. In an instant, I could feel anger rising, but there was another emotion that I hadn't felt in a long time. Was it jealousy?
Right away, Marten looks around and meets my gaze. Oh shit! I sometimes forgot that he was able to sense my emotions from our first blood exchange.
I look away trying to pretend like I was listening to one of Pam's stories. I was standing with Pam and a few other women. I glance back to see Marten whispering something into her ear and walking away. The look on her face showed that she was not happy with whatever he said.
"Hello ladies, I hope you are enjoying yourselves this evening," Marten says as he walks up to us. The other women respond to him and I smile shyly to him.
"That is wonderful," he says as he glances at them. "But if you permit me, I think it is time that I have a dance with my fiancé."
I hold my hand out and we walk slowly to the dancefloor.
The music changes into a slow romantic song and we begin waltzing slowly.
I sigh as I look around the room, trying to avoid his gaze.
"Sookie? Were you jealous?" Marten asks me.
I look up at him, "uhhh no. I mean, I'm not jealous."
"I can still feel your emotions," he replies.
I start blushing in embarrassment. "Maybe a little."
"You do not have to feel that way. I made a promise to you in the beginning that I would be faithful to you," he says in a whispery tone. "And besides, Rosamund is not my type."
"Oh?" I respond.
"My type is blonder with a voluptuous body with a terrific sense of humour and who is courageous and strong."
My heart beats faster as I listen attentively to the song. It was the same song that Eric played for us when we were in a hotel room in Stockholm back in the 70s. A lump starts forming in my throat as I remember that night.
"Are you alright Sookie?" Marten asks in a worrisome tone.
"Yes," I choke out. "Can we go back to your home?"
He nods his head.
An hour later we are back at his place. He walks me back to my room.
"I had a great time with you as always," Marten says. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me tomorrow night."
I look up at him.
"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to do the second blood exchange too as well," he asks.
"Oh!" I respond. "I mean I kind of forgot about that. But I do remember you saying that we should complete the bond before or during our ceremony. Ummmm….. yes, yes we could do that tomorrow."
"Right on!" he responds enthusiastically. "Remember to pack your swimsuit."
I look at him in confusion as to what he may have planned for us, but I smile and nod anyway. We kiss goodnight before I head into my room, ready to crash out for the night.
The following night we were on a yacht. The moon was shining down on us and the city lights were sparkling. There was also a nice, warm breeze coming off the harbor. I listen to the sounds of the nightlife of New York City.
"It's lovely out here," I tell Marten.
"Yes, the captain said it would be a good night to go out for a ride," he says.
"I didn't know you owned a boat, or should I say a yacht," I smile at him, as he hands me a drink.
"Yes, I rarely have time to venture out on it though," Marten replies as he takes a swig of his Royalty Blend. "There's a hot tub in the lower level. I thought it would be nice to take a night dip with the skyline of the city behind us."
"Ooooooo," I respond. "That would be nice."
Marten tells me that I could get dressed into my swimsuit in the primary bedroom.
I put on my yellow-checkered one-piece bathing suit. I stand in front of the full-body mirror and evaluate my attire. Maybe I should have worn a bikini instead?
I meet Marten out in the balcony where the hot tub was. He was wearing his swim trunks as well and putting some music on. We get in the hot water. I lean against the wall and close my eyes. I listen to the sounds arounds us and begin to relax.
"Did you want some more champagne?" he asks me.
I nod my head as he gets me a glass. I take some sips and continue to enjoy the sensations of the jet streams massaging my body.
Suddenly, I feel his foot against mine. Was he trying to play footsies? I open my eyes and chuckle nervously. I get up and go to sit closely beside him, leaning against his side as he puts his arm around me.
"This is nice," I whisper. "I hope we can have more nights like this. This is peaceful."
"Yes, I would like that too," he says as he sniffs my hair. "Sookie, I just wanted to say, that I am glad to have met you. I know this was not what you were planning to do with your life, but I am happy that you have chosen this. That you have chosen to marry me."
I open my eyes and put my hand on his thigh. "This wasn't what I planned for the rest of my life. But I'm glad too. I've been so sad and unhappy and depressed for so long that it was just taking a toll on me to get out of bed and face the world. But now, you are making it easier for me."
We make out for several minutes before he breaks away from the kiss.
"Did you want to do the next exchange now?" he asks me.
"Sure," I comment. "Like right here, in the water?"
He laughs lightly. "I don't think doing a blood exchange in a hot tub is wise."
I laugh as well.
We get out of the tub and put on some warm luxurious robes. I go to the bedroom and put on a blue tank top and pink shorts. I hear a knock on the door and let Marten know that he could come in. He was wearing a t-shirt and shorts as well.
"Okay, where should we do this?" he asks me nervously.
"Uhh, how about the bed?" I blush. "I mean you lie down, sitting up and I lie between your legs against your chest."
Marten smiles and nods his head. He leans against the headboard and open his legs. I hesitate for a second but join him on the bed. I hear the clicking of his fangs and the crunch as he bites into his wrist. I take his wrist and start drinking from him and immediately feel the effects. Instead of feeling fear of the unknown, I let myself fall into that euphoric haze.
I gasp as he sinks his fangs into my neck. His hands begin roaming my body and I could feel them cupping my breasts underneath my tank top. The wound on his wrist begin closing but I continue to suck on it. When it closes, I swirl my tongue around it. Immediately, my libido keeps rising as he continues to caress my breasts and sucking on the skin around my neck and shoulders. His hand moves underneath my shorts and cups my mound. I close my eyes and shudder at the sensual feeling. It had been an extremely long time since I last felt this way. I lean up to meet his lips as we kiss. I flip my body around to straddle him. I grind myself against him as cups my butt as we continue to make out.
"Sookie," he says coarsely as he breaks away from our kiss. "I think we should wait."
"What?" I ask, still feeling hazy. I was feeling sooo… horny at the moment. I couldn't think of another word to describe it. He had reawakened a feeling inside of me that I had thought was long gone. I wanted to have sex again. It was like I needed it or something. I started wondering if that was the faery part of me or if it was just me, feeling like a complete woman again.
"I made a promise to myself and to Fadir that I would do our courtship in a way that your church would approve of, you know the one your grandmother was associated with…" he mumbles.
My mind becomes clearer and I could feel his emotions as well. He was telling me the truth. I could also hear that humming sound. The humming sound of our bond becoming stronger.
I lean back up to think about it.
"Sookie, could you….maybe…. move off of me?" Marten says.
I didn't realize I was still inadvertently grinding myself softly against him. I could feel the hardness in his shorts.
"Oh sorry," I gasp out as I move off the bed. I readjust my tank top and put my shorts back in order.
"I do want this too Sookie," he sighs in frustration. "But nevertheless, I made an oath."
He stops and looks at with his wide open. "Is our bond becoming stronger? I can hear something."
I nod at him and he smiles with astonishment.
An hour later we head back to the apartment. He walks me to my room as usual.
"I think I'll just call it a night and head to bed," I tell him.
"Sookie, can I lay with you? Just until you fall asleep?" he asks me in a hopeful tone.
I look up at his puppy dog eyes and say okay.
I put my things away before getting into my bed. He comes to lay behind me. I sigh, enjoying the feeling of bliss and serenity. He puts his arm around my waist as he leans closely against me. I put my hand on his hand and close my eyes, ready to sleep.
"Goodnight Marten," I say in a dreamful tone.
"Goodnight Sookie," he says back to me.
A/N: Yes, Eric is still coming back! Very soon! LOL