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“And what do you think is gonna to happen when I do come to grips with it? Do you think my legs are going to magically open for you?” I asked more than a little sarcastically.
“Must be Faerie Sookie talking. I like when she comes out,” Eric said with a smirk.
“And I’m already sorry I said it.” I sighed. I’d only been back a day and I was already exhausted.
“Don’t be. The more you let her speak for you, the more likely you are to go on living. And you want to live, don’t you?”
“Of course I want to live.” Anger burned like a fire in my belly. “But I want to live on my terms. Make my own choices.”
The smirk faded from Eric’s face. “I understand that. I do. But you have to play the hand you are dealt. You are part Faerie. You may not be able to be glamoured, but you are well versed in being kidnapped. The scent of Faerie is stronger in you now. Some vampire could easily decide he wants to take you home and keep you on tap. Or maybe he’ll just be enamored by your taste and drain you dry.”
I can’t help a shudder at the thought.
“It has been over a year since you had Bill’s blood. Or mine. The scent of it is gone. You renounced Bill’s claim on you. I am your best option.”
My mind was a buzz. As much as I hated to admit it, what Eric was saying was all true. “I can’t imagine how I can trust you, Eric.”
Eric stood a little taller realizing that I was considering his offer. He seemed to swagger, even standing still.
I continued before he could speak. “You were part of one of those kidnapping schemes. I understand you had a plan, but I didn’t know about it. How can I trust you? I don’t even know you. Not really.”
He seemed to consider what I was saying. Perhaps even hearing my concerns for the first time.
“I know who you show to the world, the vampire who sits on the throne at Fangtasia, but not the real you. I didn’t know Bill when I first had his blood. I won’t make that same mistake again,” I said forcefully.
He pulled a chair out from the kitchen table and gestured for me to sit, then he took another seat for himself. “All right then, what do you want to know?”
_____
I couldn’t help but yawn. It was nearly morning and Eric and I had talked all night. “You’re not going to make it to Shreveport before dawn.” I stretched and stood, my leg all pins and needles.
“I’ll dig a hole. It won’t be the first time.”
I looked at him. There were layers to Eric Northman that I had never considered before tonight. I made my decision. “Don’t bother. Use the cubby. I mean it is your house.”
He scrutinized me as he stood, then nodded.
“I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in tonight.” I turned to go.
“Have you decided then?” He asked. I turned back to him, but he had pulled on the Sheriff persona like a cloak.
“I have,” I answered simply.
“And what is that decision?”
I wouldn’t have noticed the hesitancy if I hadn’t been watching him so closely.
“I will be yours.” I don’t think I had ever seen someone smile with just their eyes. They seemed to sparkle with joy, though his lips didn’t move. I blinked and he was directly in front of me. “But I’m not sleeping with you. It may be a year to all y’all, but to me Bill and I only broke up a couple of days ago.”
“I understand. Just a simple blood exchange.” The ‘for now’ seemed like a physical presence between us.
His fangs clicked into place and he nicked the pad of his pointer finger. The blood swelled, thick and dark. He held out his hand to me. “Take it before the cut closes.” I took his finger into my mouth, the sweet/salty liquid sliding down my throat.
“Give me your hand.” His voice was rough, his eyes focused intently on my lips.
I held it out for him. He pierced my finger just as he had done his. He slipped it into his mouth and sucked gently. A moan caught in my throat.
I watched him, the pleasure of it. Just that small sample of my blood, probably only a thimble-full. He was in ecstasy.
The first time I had Bill’s blood I had been nearly beaten to death. The second time I had vampire blood had been when LongShadow had been killed nearly on top of me. When Eric finally tricked me into drinking his blood there had just been a bombing. So many traumatic experiences. This was the first time I had really made a conscious choice. I let his finger fall from my mouth. He moved his hand to cup my face.
I had learned a lot of things about vampires, a lot of things that ladies don’t talk about outside their own heads. I knew Eric could smell what his blood did to me, hear my heart racing, see the flush to my skin.
Bill had warned me about erotic dreams when I’d had Eric’s blood in Dallas, but I hadn’t had dreams like that when I had Bill’s blood or LongShadow’s. Bill’s blood had healed me, but I never craved it. Barely a taste of Eric’s blood and it was all I could do not to throw myself at him that very moment. And my dreams, well….
I pulled my finger from his mouth.
“Wait.” He nicked his tongue and swiped it against my fingertip. The small cut was no more. He kissed the spot. “Sookie Stackhouse, you are mine.”
That was it. It felt like something clicked into place, a key fitting into a lock. I didn’t understand and I’m sure that confusion was written on my face. This was not what it felt like when Bill claimed me. Eric’s Sheriff mask was firmly in place, but his eyes were wide. Inside me I felt the echo of stormy seas.
I stepped back from him, doing everything in my power not to jump in his arms. Doing everything I could not to run.
“Good night, Eric.” I walked away as steadily as possible, blood pounding in my ears. I wasn’t sure whether I imagined what he said next.
“Sleep well, Sookie.”