Chapter 5

AN: Many thanks to all who have been reading. I can’t express how much I appreciate the likes and the kind words. I hope you enjoy.  Take care!

Sookie couldn’t believe her eyes.  She screamed and backed up into the door.  Eric moved with her and said “Scream all you want. No one will hear you.”

Much to Eric’s chagrin, Sookie complied and continued to scream.  Once again he found the need to cover her mouth to muffle the piercing octave that penetrated his very sensitive ears. 

Sookie struggled in his grip, but there was no give.  She was starting to feel lightheaded from all of the energy she was expending.  She hadn’t lost all ability to think at this point and finally realized that she needed to keep her wits about her.  If she was going to survive the nightmare she’d found herself in, it was imperative that she regain control…that she use her head.  Sookie was a smart girl and she was a fighter.  She’d be damned if she was going out in a pool of hysteria.  There was no way this was her fate.

With as much effort as she could muster, Sookie stopped screaming.  She closed her eyes and concentrated on slowing her breathing and slowing her heart rate.

Eric watched with fascination.  He was surprised by her sudden change in demeanor.  He watched as deep concentration laid over her features.  He could see the change in her breathing and he could hear the slowing of her heart rate. The rigidity of her body seemed to float away.  ‘My, my….who is this girl’, he thought to himself. 

If his existence wasn’t in danger, he could easily find himself enamored with her, but he could ill-afford that.  There was something special about her, no doubt, but that “specialness” equaled danger to his kind…to him, and, above all else, he would protect himself.

When she had finally centered herself and felt like she could think again, Sookie slowly opened her eyes.  She found herself staring directly at Eric’s mouth and his glistening, white fangs.  She blinked hard and opened them again.  ‘Yep, still there’, Sookie thought.

Eric’s hand was still covering her mouth and she wanted to get him to remove it, so she attempted to say something. It came out muffled, of course, but it worked. Eric slowly removed his hand and Sookie took a deep breath the moment his hand was clear. After a few seconds had passed she finally spoke. “Are those real?”  No response.  “Are you a vampire?”  No response.  “Vampires are real?”  No response.  “Are you gonna kill me?”  No response. “Are you gonna say anything?”  No response.  Silence passed between them as they continued to stare at each other. 

Finally, the silence got to her,“Well, fuck you! If you’re gonna kill me then get it over with, but I’m not going to beg for a response.  Answer me, don’t answer me. Kill me, don’t kill me. But figure it out, because I’m gettin’ bored.”, she spat out.  Sookie knew this was tantamount to “poking the bear”, but she needed a reaction. She needed him to do something because the not answering, the not moving, the ‘nothing’ was threatening her control and she couldn’t allow that. 

Eric was startled by Sookie’s fierceness.  In some ways, she reminded him of himself.  He was no stranger to facing danger and he had had his  moments of foolhardy bravado.  He’d been bitten a time or two when confronted by a stronger opponent and he’d learned through the years, that there was only so much he could push.  It was obvious that Sookie had yet to learn that lesson.  She was about to learn.

Grabbing her arms, Eric’s mouth rushed forward and met her neck. He growled as his teeth skimmed the surface of her skin. Sookie flinched…hard, and all she could do was close her eyes tightly waiting for the pain of his bite.  She tensed and remained rigid for what felt like eternity, but the bite never came.  She slowly opened her eyes and noticed that Eric’s head remained in the crook of her neck.  She dared not move, as she could hear sonorous rumblings emanating from him.  Respecting the very present threat, she timidly said, “Dr. Northman?”  Eric’s grip tightened around her arms, a deep thunderous growl escaped, as he forcibly pushed himself from her.

Eric had wanted to scare Sookie…teach her a lesson.  He had no intention of killing her just yet. There was so much he needed to learn first, but what he hadn’t counted on was the affect she had on him especially when he was pressed up against her like he was.  She smelled…..heavenly.  He could think of no other word for it. He brushed his nose and lips back and forth across her skin.  He had no idea how lost he had become until he heard her soft voice in the background. 

He shoved away from her and growled in anger, with his eyes reflecting the contained rage he felt inside.  He couldn’t believe what had just happened.  He may have succeeded in scaring Sookie, but it wasn’t without a cost to himself.  The attraction he had had towards her had now intensified.  It was unexpected and, most assuredly, unwelcome. In short, he was pissed — pissed at Sookie and pissed at himself for exposing a weakness to a potential enemy.

“Dr. Northman?” Sookie tried again as she looked into the eyes of her foe.

Eric retracted his fangs and backed away from her hoping distance would revive his senses.  He continued his retreat and started to turn.  Sookie reached for the door knob intending to attempt her escape. 

“Don’t!” Eric said loudly.  “Do. Not. Run.” He took an unneeded breath and said, “Do not make me give chase.  I fear it will end badly for both of us.”

“Oh..Okay.” Sookie’s hand stilled. “I won’t run, but I need you tell me what’s going on.  And I need to know you won’t hurt me.”

Eric pondered the situation.  There was no good answer — kill her and he keeps his secret, but learns nothing of who she is or of the light, or spare her and compromise his safety. The latter would offer him the opportunity to learn the origin of the light and Sookie’s connection to it. He tossed it around in his head, considering all of the angles and possibilities, save one. He ignored his attraction.  That he could not give life to. Eric Northman did not do emotions and he refused to start now.

Decision made, “You have my word. I will not hurt you, unless….unless” he said thoughtfully, “you attempt to threaten me and mine. I will be unmerciful if you betray me.  Understood?”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Then we are in agreement….we have a deal.”

Sookie nodded and moved away from the door.  “I’m gonna sit down a minute if you don’t mind. So much has happened and I can’t quite wrap my head around it all.”  After a moment”s pause, she said, “Are you really a vampire?”

“Yes, I am vampire.”

“Oh boy. I don’t know what to think about that? Wow!  Vampires. Just…wow!”  Her head was spinning with all kinds of questions.  The thought of vampires was both exciting and scary.  This was the stuff of folklore and here she was right in the middle of it.  “Are there other creatures we don’t know about?  I mean ‘we’ meaning humans, of course.”

“There are many, but I think we should stick to vampires, don’t you think?” he said, requiring no answer. “besides there is the little issue of what you are.”

Sookie sputtered in confusion, “What do you mean ‘what’ am I? I’m human, thank you very much! And why do you keep saying that?   Hmpf…just because you’re not human doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t!”

She was indignant and Eric couldn’t help but laugh. She truly had no idea and just the thought of that made him soften to her a little bit more.

“Stop laughing!”, but Eric couldn’t help himself, which irritated Sookie even more,  “Ugh! Fine! Why do you keep asking me that?  Tell me, Mr. Funny Man.”

Turning serious, Eric stopped laughing.  He looked at her directly in the eyes and said “Ms. Stackhouse, I want you to kiss me.”  Based on what happened earlier, he didn’t think there was a chance in hell that she’d plant her lips anywhere near his. Slightly disappointed at the thought, he waited for her reaction.  He could see the red rush to her face and the change in her body language, and then there it was.

“How dare you?! I will do no such thing.  Are you some kind of pervert? Can vampires be perverts? No, don’t answer that. I’m sure I don’t want to know.”, Sookie rushed feeling completely discombobulated by the odd and very inappropriate request. 

“And that is how I know YOU are different. You do not succumb to my glamour, Ms. Stackhouse, and that has never happened before.”

“So glamour, meaning you can control humans? Is that what that weird feeling is I get in my head?”

“Yes, it is a form of control.  As for the ‘weird feeling’, I can only presume that’s what it is.  We can test again if you’d like?” Eric purred.

Sookie balked and her face became heated, “No thanks. I appreciate the offer, but I can only guess what your…a-hem….request would be.  So..ah..thanks,. but let’s not and say we did.”, she stumbled in embarrassment.

Eric smiled.  He did enjoy making her uncomfortable.  She turned such a lovely shade of red, his favorite color.

“Back to business, Mr. That’s Never Happened To Me Before.  That can’t be the only reason. What else makes you think I’m…ah…different?”

“Well, the light is another reason. You recall seeing the light, do you not?”

Sookie tried to replay the night.  She remembered leaving Jason at the hospital and making her way to the highway that bridged Shreveport and Bon Temps. She remembered seeing the lightning and how it was curious that it seemed to follow her.  She recalled the last strike, how it hit her car, and how she lost control and ended up in a ditch.  And more vivid than anything else was how she remembered seeing Eric’s eyes right before she passed out. 

A slight blush crept over her face at the thought. “Yes, I remember the lightning.”

Curious at the reappearance of his favorite color, he continued, “That wasn’t lightning, Ms. Stackhouse. What you saw and what targeted you was most definitely supernatural.”

Taken aback, her confusion grew.  Eric continued, “You see, I was watching it, following it really. So I could see the premeditated way it traveled down the highway right along with you. It searched you out, and when it hit, it was attempting to hit you.  It took 3 times, but it finally got you.”

“And you happened to be driving along the same road as me? Don’t you find that quite a coincidence?”

“I wasn’t driving, Ms. Stackhouse.”

“No, so what were you doing? Flying?” she said chuckling

“Exactly.” Eric smirked.

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