Lisa was the right amount of apologetic at lunch, even offering to pay despite the fact that she was as skint as Emilia was. Everly had headed home at around 10 am, hugging Emilia hard and promising she would come back again that night if she was needed. Emilia almost told her about the text message from Eric, but thought better of it. If he was going to stick to his word, and summon her through a connection she couldn't understand, or show up on her doorstep, then the last thing Emilia wanted was her dearest friend being dragged into that mess with her.
"I think you should consider what Eric offered," Lisa said, pulling Emilia out of her thoughts and making me regret telling her what Eric had said at the bar. "I mean, think of everything he could do for you!"
"You mean do for the band?" Emilia muttered, staring down at the salad in front of her. Food didn't seem appealing under the current circumstances.
Lisa waved her hand. "Sure. That too."
"Is sex all you think about Lisa?"
"When it comes to vampires, um yes!" The brunette squealed, her giggles causing a few others in the diner to turn and survey them with interest.
"Will you keep your voice down? Lord." Emilia frowned.
"This is Eric we're talking about here. Dawn said he was the best sex she's ever had, and she's had a lot of good sex …"
"Wait, Dawn? Your sister has slept with Eric?"
"Well sure Ems," Lisa looked up in surprise from her coffee, "lots of people have."
Emilia grimaced and crossed her arms over her thin chest.
"That settles it then. I am so not having your sister's sloppy seconds."
Lisa chuckled and drained the rest of her drink.
"Honey if people around here weren't prepared to sleep with men Dawn has then no one would be getting laid."
"Sex with Eric interests me about as much as letting him drink my blood."
"But he's so dreamy …" Lisa hummed, a glazed look in her eyes as she entertained fantasies about the vampire.
"Yeah that totally makes up for the fact that he could kill me in a heartbeat."
Lisa snorted.
"That, my innocent little friend, is half the fun …"
"Gosh you sound like him," Emilia said, shuddering. "He was pretty condescending actually, and terrifying."
"He is crazy hot though ..." Lisa muttered, twirling her pasta.
Despite everything Emilia had to concede that she was right.
She wasn't quite ready to go home after her lunch with Lisa, and ended up wandering throughout Shreveport considering her situation. Eric's text seemed to indicate he was holding true to his promises, his orders, and despite the fact that Emilia had a lot of questions, least of all how he'd gotten her number in the first place, she didn't want to see him in order to get those answers.
She browsed through the bookshop and then did a little grocery shopping before making the short drive home. By the time Emilia arrived at her apartment, and stocked her fridge and pantry with the groceries, she'd formulated some kind of plan. Going back to Fangtasia, with or without friends, so soon after she'd been scared half to death wasn't something she wanted to do. Before Emilia could talk herself out of it she hit reply on her phone and typed up a quick response to Eric's layered, creepy text.
I need some time to think, please give me that. Emilia
Emilia figured she was safe in the apartment for the night at least, maybe he didn't even know where she lived, although that seemed like wishful thinking given he'd acquired her number within hours of her leaving the bar. She send Everly a message to let her know that everything was okay, but asked if she could swing by first thing in the morning to check in. When Emilia had calmed down enough to convince herself it would all be alright, she settled down in front of the television to watch Buffy, figuring she could use some nice vampires, and enjoy several bowls of cereal as a dinner substitute.
Everly's reply was typically kind, and while Emilia was communicating with everyone she replied to her bandmates too, thanking them for their concerns and loading up Tucker's van after the gig without any help from her. By sunset she almost felt normal again, and a long hot shower had further refreshed her. Dressed in favourite oversized mens plaid pyjamas, Emilia had just finished braiding her hair when the phone buzzed on the table. She knew without looking that it was Eric, a tingling growing at the top of her spine and becoming uncomfortable.
I am not known for my patience child.
Emilia shook a little as she formulated a reply.
Wouldn't you rather I come to you willingly?
Hitting send, she chewed the inside of her cheek and paced the length of the apartment.
I don't think you really know what I want.
Well, he was right there. Everything had been peculiar so far. Just as Emilia was typing up a reply that wasn't too curt there was a quick rap at the door and she pulled it open without thinking.
It was Eric, his phone in hand. Emilia stood agape, as the cell he was holding audibly vibrated.
"Well look at that, what a coincidence. 'I'm sorry Mr. Northman I don't think I should be talking to you.' My oh my. And why might that be sötma?"
"How did you know where I live? How did you even get my number?"
"It is surprisingly easy to find these kinds of things out, at my age."
"Which would be?" Emilia asked, surprising herself when she kept her voice steady.
Eric was dressed casually in a leather jacket and jeans that hugged his legs all, and he filled her doorway with his impressive height and shoulders.
Emilia had not missed the way the air had started to heat as soon as she'd opened the door. And tonight, beyond the confines of the packed club, she could even smell him. Salty, manly and very intoxicating. She wondered if she smelled this good to him.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?" He asked, ignoring her question.
"I ... I don't think so."
"Would you rather I dragged you out here? We could go to Fangtasia? Or ...," he grinned, "just stay here on your balcony ..." The implication of what they would do on said balcony that she shared with the apartments on either side of hers had Emilia blushing.
"I'm in my pyjamas," she said, blushing further as he looked her up and down.
"Aw, you look ... cute," he said, the corners of his mouth quirking up in amusement. "So? Invite me in."
Emilia knew then that the rumours were true and vampires couldn't enter a home without an invitation. Adrenaline coursed through her as she moved to shut the door in his smug, handsome face, but Eric anticipated the move and lay a hand on the wooden door itself. Pain reverberated up Emilia's arm at the force of the impact and she yelped, withdrawing her hand to shake the now numb and jarred arm.
"Emilia ..."
She raised her eyes to meet him head on, prepared to give him as stern a talking to as she could, but in a heartbeat her eyes were locked with his.
"Emilia, you will invite me in."
The radiating heat around them intensified and despite the sensible part of her brain willing her to say the words "Heck no" all that came out of Emilia's mouth was, "Mr. Northman, won't you come in?"
The next thing she knew he was standing beside her in the lounge room, closing the door over Emilia's shoulder and leaving his hand there. At this angle, looking up at him, it seemed like he was double her height and she tried to remind herself to breathe and stay calm. Eric rubbed a gentle thumb over her chin, but it burned Emilia like ice, twitching her lip into a snarl.
"Oh, you're grumpy at me," he said with a laugh, turning around to take in the apartment and seeming pretty unimpressed with what he saw. The vampire shrugged out of his leather jacket, dumping it on the arm of the couch and Emilia tried not to stare the huge muscles of his arms, each almost the width of her torso. How could he be so lean, and yet so muscular?
"You were watching ... Buffy?" He asked, picking up the DVD case on the coffee table and chuckling.
"How did you do that?"
"Do what?" Eric asked, feigning innocence while he surveyed the books and assorted trinkets on Emilia's shelves, running a large finger along the items he found interesting.
"You know what I mean. Get me to invite you in," she said, crossing her arms and staring at her socks, which were pink and fuzzy. It struck her as silly that she was embarrassed about this terrifying being seeing her in pjs and socks when he was inside her apartment and touching all her things and close enough to kill her in a heartbeat.
"I glamoured you," Eric said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
"Glamoured," Emilia muttered, rolling her eyes. Of course he would perform the vampire equivalent of hyponosis on her. It was down-right invasive.
"This apartment ... are you happy here?" It was a personal question, and Eric stared at Emilia waiting for an answer.
She shrugged, not moving from her position near the door, pressing to the wall like a lifeline and weighing her options. If she tried to run he would catch her in seconds. If she screamed and drew the attention of her neighbours they might find themselves on the receiving end of a very dangerous vampire's wrath.
"I cannot imagine you would be," Eric said, answering for her and ducking his head into the bedroom that adjoined the lounge. "You deserve better than this."
"Well, waitresses at Hank's 89 don't exactly get paid much, even with tips ..."
"I would have thought customers would tip you quite generously," he said, smiling again and looking her up and down. Emilia didn't have a stitch of makeup on and with her two long plaits she imagined she looked about twelve-years old. She twitched with discomfort.
"So, Miss Claesson, what are we going to do with you?" Eric had crossed her apartment in a blink, his long, even strides and inhumane speed predatory and he pinned her against the wall with the length of his body. His scent, the radiant heat of the energy between them, the chill Emilia could feel from the exposed skin of his arms was all too much and she became weak kneed.
This close, she could see the silvery blonde scruff that coated his sharp jaw and cheeks and the many blue shades of his irises, which she refused to stare into for more than a moment now that she knew she could be glamoured with such ease. Eric lay a giant hand on the side of her neck and every part of her skin thrummed to life. Emilia let out a startled, not entirely pained gasp and Eric's fangs clicked into place.
"I feel it too," he said, almost sweet, "your blood wants to be in me."
"Why? Surely that's not normal ..." She looked anywhere but at his fangs and he pressed himself just a little harder to her.
"No, no it is not. And even more unlikely, my blood wants to be in you. It's pulling ..." His eyes flicked around her face, as if searching for an answer there somewhere and Emilia grimaced at the idea of having any of Eric's blood. He chuckled at her disgust.
"You don't know what you are missing ..." He purred, and his hips moved against her stomach. His fangs weren't the only thing erect.
"No!" She cried out, startling both of them as she pushed him away. Eric took a step back even though she knew the push on his chest couldn't have been more than the swat of a kitten to him.
"Emilia ... this is not awful," the large vampire said, his biceps tensing. "This uncomfortable energy between us. I can't stand it."
"Then you stay away from me, plain and simple."
"I don't think that's possible now. You smell so familiar to me ..." Eric closed the distance between them, this time ignoring the anxious press of Emilia's hands on his chest, and nuzzled his face into her hair.
"Like the North Sea." He voice was pained.
"This ... this is hard for you too, isn't it?"
"Truthfully," he said, staring down with a liquid gaze, "it is taking all of my strength to not pick you up and drain you dry."
Emilia screamed then, attempting to duck under his arms and reach the door, her finger tips just grazing the knob before he was true to his word and picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder. She started to scream again, kicking out with her feet, which battered him in the ribs. Eric didn't seem to notice and twisted her down to cover her mouth with one hand, cupping her backside with the other.
She lashed out harder and attempted to bite the palm that was stifling her sounds. At the feeling of Emilia's teeth grazing his skin, which felt like chilled granite beneath them, Eric let out an animal howl and gripped her tighter. In a whoosh the door was opened and closed behind them and they were down the stairs of the apartment complex, the cold air rushing around them. Eric's body was marble underneath her, and he didn't seem the least encumbered by her weight. She tried to yell, but the sound was smothered by his hand and the night air. They were moving incomprehensibly fast. Her next attempt to bite him received the same reaction as before, and his hand slapped down on her butt.
"Do not do that again, unless you want me to stop here and take you, in every capacity, against a tree," he said, snarling.
Emilia froze, trying to ignore the sparks that seemed to be flickering between the two of them. Her pyjama shirt had ridden up and the flat of her stomach was touching the skin of his chest and shoulders. He'd forgotten his jacket on her couch.
Within moments they were outside Fangtasia and Emilia was all-too aware that she was wearing pyjamas and being carried over the shoulder of a large, angry Viking vamp whose hand was gripping her rump like it was a plush toy he needed for comfort.
"Great," she thought, "I'm going to get killed in my pjs ..."
They seemed to be going around the building, entering through some sort of service entrance, although they passed several individuals, human and vampire, on the way through. They didn't seem to think Emilia's apperance, or Eric's, was especially strange and looked away. Perhaps they were used to women being dragged around Fangtasia? That or they were just exceptionally well trained to ignore all the goings on at the vampire club.
They entered a room that Emilia presumed was Eric's office and she was dumped without ceremony onto a long, leather couch. He shut the door behind them, and assumed a position in front of desk, legs wide and fangs bared.
Emilia curled up on the couch, back against the wall as tears pricked her eyes.
"Please don't do that," he said, staring at her with distate. "It makes me feel so ... human."
"Take me home," she said, more unbidden tears welling up despite Eric's request for her to stop crying.
"Soon pet." His eyes flicked to the doorway before a knock came. The female vampire, the one who had checked Emilia's ID yesterday came into the office, her eyes appraising the woman on the couch with vague interest.
"Pam," Eric greeted her, "I am ... preoccupied."
"I can see that. Emilia Claesson," the vampire nodded to her, "I never forget a pretty face. You performed very well yesterday."
"Thank you," Emilia whispered, her voice cracking around broken sobs.
"How sweet you are." She turned back towards Eric and spoke to him in Swedish. Emilia picked up on a word or two, but their dialect was so unusual, their accents so strong that she couldn't follow any part of their conversation. She thought she heard her name though.
Pam turned to leave and glanced at Emilia again.
"Nice socks, how did you know pink is my favourite colour?" She smiled as she exited, closing the door behind her.
"Oh God ..." Emilia moaned, covering her face in her hands. "This night just keeps getting better and better."
Eric chuckled and Emilia looked up to glare at him in the most intimidating way she could, ignoring her pyjamas and socks and wind-mussed braids.
"You're infuriating."
"You know, I've been told that before ..."
"Please, Mr. Northman ... I just want to go home."
"To that pitiful apartment? Really?"
"Anywhere is better than here and this."
"You detest me so much?" He asked, voice flat.
"I detest this. Yesterday my life was so ... normal. I had such a bad feeling about playing here, but I knew it would be good for the band and they were so excited. And then you ... I felt you before I saw you too, you know? It was like ..."
"Magnets," Eric finished helpfully.
"Yes." Emilia met his eyes and there was tenderness there that surprised her, tenderness quickly erased as his face stilled into a perfect vampire mask.
"It's so awful. Can't you just forget about me?"
"That would be quite impossible."
"Are you going to ...?"
"Fuck you?" Eric grinned.
"No! God! Hurt me. Geez." Emilia shivered and wished she would stop blushing around the vampire, it must have made her blood all the more tempting to him.
"I have no wish to harm you, curiously. I spoke to Longshadow, the vampire bartender here," Eric said, noting her head tilt at the mention of an unknown name, "and while he agreed you are quite a delicious human he feels no particular draw to you. Pam on the otherhand, she experienced what I do when she saw you, yesterday and now, although to a far lesser extent than I."
"What does that mean? Only some vampires want to kill me?"
"Petulance doesn't suit you Emilia," Eric said testily, ignoring her pout. "It means that it is undeniably a blood bond at work between the two of us. Pam is my Child, of my blood, so it is only natural that she too is compelled towards you. The real question is the why of it. I have never experienced anything akin to it in my thousand vampire years." Eric leaned against the edge of his desk.
"Excuse me, did you just say a thousand years?" Emilia's head swirled, he really was ancient. It was daunting, and made him even harder to relate to.
"It is quite impressive, even amongst vampires," he conceded with a sniff.
"Doesn't this all just seem like something that can be ignored? It's not so bad when I'm not around you. I couldn't feel anything during the day yesterday."
"We are effectively in stasis during the day, the compulsion would be weakest then. But when I awoke, you felt it didn't you?"
She gave him a brief nod, realising she had registered the stirring of something right as she'd received his text message.
"When we give our blood to humans, which is usually only done when a bond has been established, these kinds of ... side effects occur, amongst others. However, they are one sided. The human does not feel the emotions of the vampire, the connection to them."
"I didn't even know that a vampire would willingly share their blood ..."
"It is a great honour, second only to turning a human."
"Turning them into a vampire, you mean?"
Eric nodded, spreading his hands wider on the rim of the desk.
"I see ... I suppose that's a pretty big commitment."
"You don't know what you are talking about child," he said with a sneer and Emilia bit her lip, twisting her hands in her lap.
"Regardless," Eric continued, undettered, "I have never known of a human able to sense a vampire in such a way as you can sense me, before or after the sharing of blood. Tell me, can you feel Pam now?"
Emilia paused, closing her eyes and searching for something. The pulsating, heated connection between her and Eric was so intense, focusing on it like this caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end. It was completely distracting and invasive to all her senses. After a moment, however, she detected a second presence, the uncomfortable pricking of another energy.
"I can feel her, I think. She's near the bar ... She isn't paying attention to me though."
"Try pulling to her, calling to her as I called to you yesterday."
It took a lot of effort, a small sweat breaking out over Emilia's forehead as she tried to tug at the tenuous link of frying energy between herself and the female vampire. It was like grabbing a rope underwater, but it evenutally seemed strong enough to hold onto, and Emilia used all her mental fortitude to yank as hard as she could, willing the vampire to come towards her.
The door swung open and Pam was back in the office, her painted lids fluttering in shock as her eyes darted around the room.
"What the fuck was that?"
Eric laughed in pure delight.
"Eric," Pam said, skirting around the couch to stand near the larger vampire. "Did that human just ... summon me?"
"I believe she did."
"That is completely impossible," she spat, side-eyeing Emilia with something like fear.
"And yet, here you are." Eric looked at Emilia like she was a show dog who'd just won him the big prize and she shrugged, not sure what she'd done nor how.
"Trolldom," Pam said, placing a hand on Eric's bare shoulder. His singlet was almost obscene in how it hugged his waist and revealed the breadth of his arms, and Emilia squeezed her eyes shut.
"She isn't a witch. She seems ... human."
"Whatever she is, don't let her do that again," she said with a huff, exiting for a second time and all but slamming the door.
"I still don't understand ..."
"Nor do I, little one. I know someone who may, but I will not be able to speak to him until tomorrow night. Hopefully he will have some answers for us."
Emilia yawned, body and mind feeling drained. It had been a strange and frightening night.
"I need to go home, Mr. Northman ..."
"Eric," the vampire interrupted with a wave of his hand.
"Right, Eric," Emilia said, the informality of using his first name feeling far too intimate for her liking. "My friend will be coming by first thing to check on me. She'll know something bad has happened if I'm not there. Something bad involving you."
His eyebrow twitched and he sighed his assent.
"Fine. I will give you this night, tomorrow we will sort it out."
By Eric standards it seemed to be the best offer she was going to get, and Emilia got to her feet. Her strength wavered, more depleted than she'd expected after the mental exertion necessary to summon Pam, and she flopped into Eric's oversized arms, blushing.
"I'm sorry ... I'm so tired now."
"Don't apologise, silly girl. It is a delight to hold you."
The fizzling of her skin felt more comfortable now where he touched her, still bone-chilling and disorienting, but far more pleasurable. It was less like her blood was about to be pulled through her skin and more like it was bubbling just below the surface. Emilia sighed and rolled against his chest, and the vampire rose carrying her bridal style out of the office and back the way they had come.
The next thing she was aware of, she was being placed in her own bed, only half roused out of sleep, and a featherlight kiss landed on her temple as sheets were tucked around her.
A loud knock on Emilia's door woke her with a start, and she tripped out of bed in an effort to get up, finding her feet wrapped in blankets. Her dreams had been odd and vivid, but she felt well rested despite her alarm clock flashing 8 am in angry red digits.
Everly was mid-knock when Emilia pulled the door open.
"Oh thank goodness, five more minutes and I would have called the cops!"
"That seems like a tiny overreaction," Emilia said, stepping aside so Everly could slide past her. Everly was dressed for work at her corporate office job, shiny dark hair slicked back into a neat bun, grey pencil skirt fitted snug to her hips and waist. Emilia was still in her pyjamas and braids, although she noticed that Eric had removed her socks before he'd tucked her into bed, the idea of him doing so too intimate and weird to linger on.
"I've been calling your phone and knocking for almost twenty minutes," Everly said with a thin smile, stalking into the kitchenette to make herself some coffee.
"Oh God Ev, I'm so sorry. I was completely out. I don't even know where my phone is."
Emilia unearthed it from the couch a few minutes later, where it must have fallen after the last text she'd sent Eric. His jacket was now gone from the couch arm, a small mercy that was going to spare her a lot of questions from the women now sipping from a favourite mug.
The phone battery was almost dead, and there were several missed calls and texts from Everly, alongside one from a fellow waitress Bridget, asking if Emilia could switch the evening shift for her afternoon one, which Emilia replied yes to. Her neighbour, Ms. Lobell, had also messaged, asking if she could feed her cat, Victor, for the next few days. Ms. Lobell often visited family nearby, and Emilia had been feeding her cat during her absences since she'd moved into the apartment a few years prior. There was of course another message from Eric, and Emilia skimmed it as Everly handed her a mug of steaming black liquid.
Be ready for me tonight pet, preferably not in pyjamas. Eric x
It was just the right amount of Eric creepy and cryptic and Emilia sighed through her teeth.
"Vampire troubles?" Everly asked, staring at her friend.
"No," Emilia said before rethinking the answer. "Yes. Well, sort of. The whole situation has become weirder, and more complicated ..."
"He hasn't hurt you has he?" Everly looked her up and down.
"Oh no. I mean a little manhandling, but he hasn't gotten fangy."
"Manhandling sounds good," Everly laughed, her eyes twinkling. Emilia glared at her half-heartedly, thanking her for coming to check on her before work. Everly patted her on the arm, before washing her mug and leaving in a hurry. She was a diligent employee who had never been late or called in sick.
Knowing she would soon start her own shift at a far less prestigious job, Emilia showered and washed her hair, dressing in the stiff red dress and checkered white apron that was her work uniform. The morning was finished with cereal in front of the television. She made sure to blare music on the drive to work, it was soothing and distracted her from the idea of another visit from Eric, who she hadn't yet decided if she liked or not.
She was attracted to him, that was undeniable. And considering she'd never had more than a fleeting interest or attraction to anyone before it was a pretty unfamiliar territory for her, regardless of his undead status. But Emilia wasn't stupid, there was something deeper, and likely more sinister at play, something that set her nerves on edge.
Her six-hour shift passed without incident, and she was out of there and back home by five-thirty. Emilia had no particular desire to greet Eric in her work uniform, although it was better than the previous night's attire, so she slipped on tight black jeans and a loose knit sweater. She ate toast and brushed her teeth and ran nervous fingers through her hair about eighty times before the sun had set and the tingling sensation began in her neck again, pricking at her skin like live wires. A few minutes later there was a firm knock at the door.
Eric was dressed in a silky looking black shirt, fitted black jeans again and the leather jacket Emilia recognised. His hair was brushed and too-soft looking, it waved around his jaw. Eric stared at Emilia, standing in front of him, and then closed his eyes, inhaling a long, unnecessary breath through his nose. The hum between them was becoming so familiar, but the intensity of it still startled Emilia into immobility. She couldn't imagine what they'd have looked like to any of her neighbours if they'd come out at that moment; a giant, blonde Viking and a frozen, young woman standing stock still and sniffing each other.
Eric broke his own reverie, smiling and entering the apartment as Emilia stepped back, her breath catching in her throat as he brushed past her.
"Evening sweetness, where is your suitcase?"
"Ah, under the bed?" Emilia voice raised to a question as he waltzed into the bedroom, sliding her mid-size, generic black suitcase out from under the bedframe. He dusted it off, and placed it on the mattress, opening it.
"Um, Eric? Why do you need my suitcase?" Emilia scampered into her room after him just as he threw open the closet, inspecting all the clothes hanging there.
"For Dallas, pet."
"Dallas? Wait ..." Panic rose inside her. "I'm going to Dallas?"
"We're going to Dallas," he corrected, pulling one of the very few sun dressers off its hanger and adding it to the suitcase, alongside a black cardigan and a pair of heels he'd found at the base of the closet.
"Okay ..." Emilia breathed deep, trying to take this development in her stride. "Why are we going to Dallas?"
Eric was packing so fast it almost made her dizzy, his hands a blur as he opened one of the drawers and began to add a few t-shirts and a pair of jeans to the growing pile in the open suitcase. He was a very efficient packer, each item of clothing was folded even though Emilia didn't see him folding them.
"There is someone we need to visit there ..."
"The someone you mentioned might be able to figure all this ...," she gestured between them, "out?"
Eric nodded and a sudden smile split his face.
"Ooh put this on!" He handed her a black dress, one of her favourites, but Emilia eyed it.
"For the trip?"
He nodded, still smiling. "It's a short flight, so we will be received by Godric at his residence tonight."
Eric's enthusiastic tone was infectious, and Emilia returned his smile. She loved flying, no matter how short the distance, and while an impromptu trip to Dallas wasn't what she'd expected of the evening, if they could get answers, or better yet sever the annoying, stifling connection between them then she was more than willing. It was also preferable to Eric harrassing her, or dragging her to Fangtasia for another mortifying midnight visit.
She got changed in the bathroom, keeping the door closed between them, ignoring the vampire who was still rifling through her drawers and zipping around the room. He seemed to be humming something rather jaunty to himself, and his positive mood, while curious, was certainly nicer than some of the other states she'd seen him in the past two nights.
The dress he had foisted on her was skater style, flaring into a pleated skirt. It fit her tightly around the torso, and the long sleeves ended just below the elbows. It was plain, and presentable, with the exception of the neckline, which sat high at the front across the shoulders and opened at the back. It showed almost Emilia's entire back and she paled at the thought of revealing so much skin around Eric. She'd bought it for dressier occaisions, and wondered if this Godric was the kind of person, or vampire, that one needed to be rather fancy for.
She touched up her basic makeup that had been applied hours earlier for work, adding dark liner and darker lipstick and threw the cosmetics and necessary toiletries into a small travel bag from under the bathroom sink. Eric hadn't mentioned how long they would be gone for, and with a sigh Emilia realised she would have to try to reschedule at least one shift at work to accommodate the controlling vampire's wishes.
"Eric ..." She began, exiting the bathroom and adding the toiletry bag to the top of the suitcase, now almost full. "I'm going to have to contact work and my friends before we leave."
Emilia gasped, mortified as she faced the glowing vampire when he pulled something from the back of her underwear drawer. It was bad enough that he'd been going through her most intimate items of clothing without asking, worse that he had found what she kept hidden there.
"Why Emilia ... what is this?" He said with mirth, holding the item aloft and grinning. "And here I was taking you for a prude!"
"Oh my god." Emilia reached to grab the offending item away from him, feeling herself turn scarlet, but he was far too quick, not to mention ludicrously tall, and he waved the toy just out of reach. It was purple for goodness sake, she was never going to live this down.
"Eric that's private!" She said, almost stamping a foot in frustration. "But for your information I haven't actually used it. It was a gag gift from my friend Lisa on my birthday ..."
Eric, still smiling, made her blush redder still when he sniffed along the length of the toy, considering.
"Mm you're right, this hasn't been used. Yet. Shall we bring it with us?"
Her furious glare was her only answer, and Emilia had to remove the sex aid from the suitcase twice before Eric relented and placed it back in the drawer for the final time.
"You look lovely, by the way," he said, when Emilia's bad mood and embarrassment had started to dissipate. "Can you do your hair like you had it yesterday?" He tugged on one of her long black curls and she braided the thick locks into twin plaits as they had been last night.
Eric had been vague when she'd questioned the time frame of the spontaneous journey and she typed up nearly identical text messages and sent them to Everly and Lisa, reassuring them both that she would be back soon from visiting a friend (a half truth), and would call them tomorrow. She called her boss, Hank, explaining that she needed a few days off work and not roster her on. It was Monday night, the beginning of the working week, and he was none too pleased that Emilia was leaving with no warning and no ETA to offer him. She blanched, knowing that there was every likelihood she'd return from this trip unemployed.
She slipped on a pair of black ballet flats, adding a couple of paperbacks, her wallet, phone and charger to a small backpack for the flight and moved to follow Eric as he carried her suitcase, worryingly full, to the door.
"Oh no!"
"What is it?" He said, turning to face her with a raised brow, "we have a flight in an hour Emilia ..."
"I'm supposed to be feeding my neighbours cat this week."
"Can one of your friends do that for you?" A muscle in his cheek twitched.
"I suppose, but there's no guarrantee they can or will. I don't want to leave without that organised." She was probably overreacting, but the thought of Ms. Lobell coming home to a starved Victor was pretty distressing.
With a sigh Eric pulled his phone from his jacket pocket, hitting a number on the speed dial. It rang only once and Emilia heard Pam's voice over the line.
"Eric?"
"Pam."
"Eric," she said, more exasperated now.
"Pam, I need you to feed Miss Claesson's neighbours cat while we are away."
"A cat, Eric? Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Get Ginger to do it if you don't want to. Don't send Longshadow, you know how he likes cats." Eric winked at Emilia and she felt nauseous.
"Fine," the female vampire said with a huff, and Eric relayed the details Emilia gave as to when to feed Victor, how much to feed him and where to find the spare key to Ms. Lobell's apartment.
Satisfied that it was all taken care of Eric hung up without a thank you, and smirked at Emilia, looping his free arm in hers to lead her from the apartment and down the stairs without giving her another moment to consider what she was walking into.
