Chapter 24 – We have to Choose

January 26, 2004

‘What happened to first dark? I want to get the fuck out of here and home.’ Eric was in the palace waiting in a meeting room for Rasul. Already an hour had passed and there was no update to the original message about Rasul being held up in court.

He spent the waiting time recalling the talk he had with Sookie just before dawn. He explained the plan for her asset contract, but he kept the request to have her incarceration requirement removed to himself. He didn’t want to disappoint her; the results of his request would be squarely in the Queen’s hands, not his. She appreciated that he filled her in on the asset contract – even if she hated the thought of an asset contract, but she used the conversation to address his high-handed behavior from the day before. The argument was akin to one they had when Sookie first moved in with him and it only pissed him off that he wasn’t home to have it in person. He knew she was mad at him and when she started the conversation, she didn’t disappoint.

“Eric,” she had started. “Can we talk about you telling the guards to secure me, you know LOCK me in the house practically, but you couldn’t explain anything to me?”

“I was at the Palace, the rooms could be bugged.”

“A text could be bugged?”

“The explanation was quite lengthy.”

“Eric, stop being an ass! You’re making excuses.”

His back stiffened at the comment but he stepped back and thought before responding. “You’re right, I am making excuses. I am unaccustomed to explaining myself and I’m sorry you felt left out. This will likely happen again though. I mean security concerns WILL come up and there will be times I need you to just follow orders.” She huffed, but he continued. “How about a compromise if that situation comes up again?”

“I’m listening.”

“I can text you that I have given orders about something but that telling you the detail right then was not possible. Will that work?

She thought about it for a minute; then agreed. “Will you tell me now since you promised you would earlier tonight?”

“I will.” …

He was brought out of his memory by Rasul who had entered the meeting room finally. “Eric.”

“Good evening Rasul. Have you read my reports?”

“I have, and I apologize for being late. The Queen needed me for a meeting before this one.”

‘Seems someone is trying to keep me here, but why? No matter, I sent Pam home at first dark and Thalia is in place at my house with Sookie until Pam arrives. Flying home will be faster than driving and I need to see Sookie.’ He kept his expression straight and answered. “That’s fine; this shouldn’t take long as everything really is in the report.”

“I agree, but Andre was adamant that we meet in person.” He noticed he looked at his watch. Time was on his side. ‘Desmond said the Queen needed me out of here by 10PM, and it’s almost 9:30. This is her own fault since Rasul was kept in another meeting.’

“I was surprised you were not in attendance last night.”

Rasul took his comment as a question and explained. “I had out of town plans with my companion and was unable to return to the palace in time for the meeting.”

He hadn’t needed Rasul to explain his lack of attendance, but Eric was intrigued since he was unaware that Rasul had taken a companion. “You’ve taken a companion?”

“Yes, as you have with Miss Stackhouse.” The hairs on the back of Eric’s neck rose. “You seem upset, but you should be aware that Andre does not bother himself with certain things as he should: Pet and Companion contracts for example. I process all of those contracts myself; that is the only reason I know her name. Though I am curious about the woman who you deem worthy of being a companion.”

He ignored Rasul’s curiosity. “So, Andre has no idea if a vampire has taken a companion or not?”

“Not unless it comes up and he cares so little for most humans, it really has no reason to come up. I keep my Cynthia away from the palace. In fact, we live together in a home separate from here.”

“Interesting.” He motioned to the reports. “Perhaps we should get to work.” Rasul had reviewed the reports already and they spoke only for a short while before they ended the meeting. Eric practically ran from the palace, taking to the air as soon as he texted Sookie.

OOOoooOOOooo

Sookie was asleep in Eric’s bed when he found her. It had started to rain halfway home and it slowed down his progress. He noticed two white spaghetti straps peeking out from where the blanket ended at her shoulders. Since she normally wore nightshirts, the straps made him curious about the rest of the outfit AND hard. ‘Shower first; you’re disgusting from the rain.’ Part way through his speed shower, he felt Sookie wake and he finished quickly. ‘Towel or sleep pants? Will she freak if I walk out in a towel? But the spaghetti straps, I think she has something planned. Towel.’

“Hey, sorry I fell asleep.” His heart stopped. She’d repositioned to be on top of the blankets and the spaghetti straps were a tease for something that was worthy of every moment of anticipation. He took in her appearance from head to toe. Her golden hair was loose and fanned out against his dark red satin sheets with some of the soft curls resting on her shoulders. As he moved his eyes down, he took a moment to appreciate her outfit: a white open front babydoll in lace and silk with delicate chain embellishments. The chain draped about 4 inches between her breasts and he longed to grab the chain and rip the babydoll apart. He stared at her chest for a moment, enjoying that her more than ample bosom was practically spilling over the cups of the babydoll. Her legs and feet, normally in those ridiculous over-sized socks, were bare. She smiled at him sweetly when he returned his gaze to her face.

He moved to sit next to her on the bed. “Sookie.” His voice was almost hoarse. “I missed you.”

“I missed you. I have something to tell you.”

He smiled, hopeful about what she had to say. “Well, tell me.”

“I wanted to have this conversation on Saturday.” She took a deep breath then shared her desire. “Eric, I want to bond.” He smiled widely. “And I was ready to tell you that on Saturday, but honestly it wasn’t until you left that I realized something else.” She grabbed his hands and looked him in the eye. “Eric, I love you.”

He leaned into her to plant a searing kiss. “You’ve made me so happy.” He told her and he meant it. His heart was ready to burst.

They continued to kiss for a few minutes until Sookie pulled back. “Eric?

“Yes Sookie.”

“Take off the towel.”

“Sookie, what are you saying?”

“I want to exchange while we make love Eric, all the way.” He smiled widely and did as she asked, but as soon as he moved to lay with her he stopped. “Sookie, we need to choose.”

“Choose?”

“I want to exchange AND make love, but since it’s your first time, taking my blood would just heal you and we’d need to deflower you again.”

“Oh. So, if we had sex tonight, can we exchange tomorrow?

“You can call Ludwig tomorrow to be sure.” He answered quickly and leaned into her. “So you’re leaning towards making love.” He was growing excited at that choice; the evidence of his excitement was rising.

She nodded and explained. “I’ve been antsy since you left Gran’s on Saturday.” He started playing with the straps of her babydoll nightgown as she spoke. “I’ve been anxious for you to come home.” He pulled the straps down and exposed her breasts. “I’ve been burning for you, Eric.” He put his mouth on one breast and suckled while pinching the other as he stared into Sookie’s eyes. “Eric. I’m yours, make me yours.”

Eric couldn’t believe this was all finally happening, not just the sex but the agreement to the bond and her admittance of love. Truthfully he’d already felt her love through the bond but he let her to figure it out for herself (he also couldn’t claim to be the world’s expert on love, so he didn’t want to fall flat on his face if he was wrong).

Now was the time to move forward. The first step: clothing removal. Starting at the bottom of the split babydoll bodice, he pulled up to remove the garment, leaving Sookie in her panties. When she was sick and he’d helped her, he had the opportunity to see her whole body but he refrained. Not this time, she was his and ready to be laid bare for him. Moving slowly and with great tenderness, he moved his hand down her body caressing along the way to her panties. Goose bumps appeared on her skin and he spent time touching them or blowing over her to see more of the cute bumps form. Before he had reached them, her nipples were already engorged from his earlier attention so he could not resist spending a moment with each one, sucking and then blowing to watch them pull up even more. He continued down her torso flicking his tongue into her belly button causing her to laugh. When he reached his target, he hooked his thumbs into the lace of her panties to pull them down. He placed kisses down her legs as he completed his task. Now they were both ready for more. “Sookie, have you even seen a naked man?”

“Not in person.” She said and blushed.

“You want me to claim you, and I tell you to claim me. My body is yours to explore, to touch” he took her hand and placed it on his chest, “and to love.” He rested on his back to give her full access.

Her fingers trembled a little as she touched him softly on the chest. She’d already seen and felt his chest; what she really wanted was to explore further down, so she did. The v-cut of his abdomen fascinated her; she traced it with her hands and bent to place soft kisses along the lines. Eric was moaning from her exploration. She truly had no idea that just her curiosity was making him even harder. Her soft lips kissing him, sometimes leaving little licks and her hair tickling as she made her way down were driving him crazy. After her attention to the V, she was face to face with his penis and she smiled nervously at Eric. “This still scares me.”

“I know, I promise to be gentle. We can still wait if you want” he proposed, feeling like the pansy he’d become.

“Oh, we aren’t stopping. I think I’ll burst if we do.”

“I know that feeling, you know, about to burst.” His comment made her laugh and it helped with her nervousness. She continued to explore and she kissed and licked the tip and Eric hissed. “Fuck Sookie, you’re mouth is almost too much right now.” She really was exciting him so much he feared he would cum on the spot. The anticipation of having Sookie had been building in him for a while now. That, combined with celibacy was a dangerous hit to his stamina. He decided to think about his paperwork to distract himself. His distraction plan only lasted a moment before she asked if she could taste him.

Of course he nodded yes and then hissed when she took him in her mouth. Being a telepath had its advantages. She’d seen blow jobs in many minds over the years, so she decided to employ some of the techniques she’d seen and combine them with the tips from her best friend Pam. While she moved his cock down as far as she could, she toyed with his sack and he growled. Smiling while sucking cock didn’t work well, but she couldn’t help it; she liked when he growled like that. She also liked the taste of Eric which surprised her since she’d heard many women complain of the taste in their thoughts. According to those women, sucking a cock was gross; not to Sookie. In fact, the act was making her lady bits ache in anticipation. After a few head bobs, Eric placed his hand gently on her head. Getting blown by Sookie certainly hadn’t been his plan – and he had planned his first time with Sookie many times in his head – he wanted her first night to be all about her. However, vampires had excellent recovery time so he knew if he came now, it would actually remove some of his anxiousness and allow him to be gentler. He could smell her arousal so he knew she was enjoying this, likely due to the empowered feeling of pleasing him, and she WAS pleasing him thoroughly. As his arousal grew, he moved his hand from her head to clutch the sheets, not wanting to pull her hair too hard or push her too far accidentally.

Sookie’s curiousness about his reaction caused her to look up at Eric frequently. Her likely innocent action only increased Eric’s pleasure as he enjoyed eye contact, but hadn’t wanted to ask for it since he believed she would be too shy. To encourage this behavior, he praised her when her eyes met his for a more than a quick glance.

After a few minutes, he was ready to go and he instructed her. “Sookie, you feel so good, go faster and I can cum.” As requested, she sped up and pulled on his sack. Not wanting to overwhelm her, he shouted out a warning. “Sookie, I’m going to cum.” She tugged harder on his sack while sucking and he exploded in her mouth. The amount of sperm he produced surprised her and she had trouble keeping up. Eric was able to reach the towel he dropped onto the floor and helped her clean up. Moving so quickly she didn’t even see it, Sookie was on her back under a very happy Eric. “That was fantastic Sookie.”

“Is it a problem that you already came?” He took her hand and pulled it to his already hardening cock. “Oh, I guess not.”

“Not at all. Now, I want you to lay back and enjoy. This is when you need to be selfish like we discussed Sookie. This is all about you. I’m going to make love to you first with my hands and tongue until your legs feel like jelly and you are out of your mind from cumming.” Sookie gasped at his statement and she felt the wetness between her legs increase. Eric noticed her reaction as well and smirked. He started with soft kisses on her forehead and covered her entire front before easing her over and doing the same to her back. The temptation to simply take her needed to be beaten down as his desire to be gentle warred with his internal beast. He just couldn’t get enough of her and by the time he’d flipped her, he’d begun alternating between soft kisses, nips, open mouth kisses and licking so he could taste her. “Gods Sookie, everything about you tastes good.”

Sookie was trying to hang on to her mind while she was enjoying the sensations from his mouth. He stopped for a second to bite her ass with his blunt teeth and explained that he’d been waiting to do that for weeks. She responded with giggles. “I’ll bite you there for real sometime.”

“Tease.”

“Oh, there will be plenty of teasing Sookie, but now I have to get back to work. I missed a few spots that haven’t been kissed.”

“Yes, I noticed you missed some areas in particular.”

When he finished his attentions to her back, he gently flipped her again and positioned himself by kneeling at her side. The trademark eyebrow rose and he asked, “You mentioned some missed spots? ” She nodded. “Are you going to tell me where?” She bit her lip and blushed, the boldness she had when she was facing away from him gone. ‘We’ll work on that confidence‘ he thought. “Did I miss here?” He bent to kiss her left breast.

“Yes, and its mate.” She said, so he rectified that immediately by kissing the right one as well, using his tongue to whisper a lick over the nipple.

“Did I miss here?” He asked as he was poised over her mons.

“You did miss there. It feels neglected.”

“No more. No part of you will ever be neglected.” He told her as he bent her legs and went to move her knees apart. He felt a twinge of resistance so he continued very gently. “I know you will enjoy this Min älskade.” He looked at her. “Trust me.” With that, she acquiesced with her legs falling to the side and he moved between them. “You are perfect Sookie.” He spoke softly but with reverence. Sookie looked down at Eric while he gazed at her sex. Being embarrassed didn’t occur to her given the look of awe on his face; rather she felt heady from his silent praise. He seemed stoned for a moment before he placed more kisses and nips over the entire area first. Now Eric knew perfection, and it was Sookie. He looked up to see her looking at him panting with need, the blush from her face had expanded to her chest, dappling his favorite place in the world with a pink hue. Her nipples stood dark red waiting for attention; and he longed to suck on them. Right now though, he wanted to explore her sex fully; watch as her arousal grew and see her clitoris darken just as her nipples did when it filled with blood. With his own excitement building, he parted her folds and saw just how ready Sookie was. Her juices were flowing while she was wiggling in his hands – and the scent! Vampires didn’t need to breathe, but they could inhale just the same and he took several deep draws to capture Sookie’s perfume. After inhaling, he exhaled, blowing cool air over her wet exposed folds. Just that blowing on the area caused Sookie to gasp since she felt like she was on fire waiting for his touch. Seeing images in other’s heads had certainly shown her the mechanics of all this – but feeling it? He hadn’t even touched her and she was ready to explode. Then he licked and her eyes rolled back into her head. “Sookie, I will live my nights between your thighs from now on. There is no sweeter taste in the world than this. My Gods, you are a gift.” Lost in the sensations, Sookie only barely noticed Eric’s words, but understood that he was happy with her. At the moment that’s all she could process because he was making her feel things she never thought possible. Sure, she had touched some of these areas herself over the years but it NEVER felt this good. Her hips started bucking a bit when he paid more attention to her nub and he needed to move one arm to band over her and hold her down. She didn’t care and in fact, added her own hand to hold onto Eric’s head. She wasn’t letting him out of that area for a good long time if she had her way. Eric had no intention of leaving so her hand was welcome to hold him down. Giving oral sex to the right partner, not the whore fangbangers, was always something Eric enjoyed, but with Sookie her taste made this a whole new experience. Her moans and bucking informed her just how much she was enjoying his attentions and he reveled in it. His woman would never be neglected.

Sookie was sensing everything; the heat from her body in contrast to his cold, the scrape from the very slight stubble on his chin as he worked his jaw up from her entrance to her clit, and the feel of her own hand that had started kneading one of her breasts. He loved the entire area with his tongue, lips and teeth, basking in her mewls and whimpers and pulling back a bit just before he thought she was about to go over the edge. When Eric brought her to the edge for the third time then backed down, she actually stomped her foot and he chuckled. “Eric, please. More.” The begging was music to his ears but he kept his maddening pace for another few minutes and added a finger to her very tight hole. Realizing he really needed to stretch her in preparation, the removed his mouth and concentrated on adding another finger and scissoring as much as possible, all while staring intently at Sookie. That she was toying with her own nipple was enough for him to lose control and he knew then that if he ever convinced her to masturbate in from of him, he would cum from the sight alone. He watched as her face morphed from pleasure to anticipation to oh so close then he backed down again and he saw anger. Growing frustrated Sookie looked him in the eye and demanded now. “ERIC you finish what you started, I’m going to burn up if you don’t!”

“Yes dear.” In his mind, he was working to time things perfectly. She would be most relaxed right after an orgasm so he added his tongue back and prepared himself to take advantage of her orgasm by entering her right after she recovered. As he worked her, Sookie was holding her breaths and clenching her stomach in anticipation of her orgasm and it only enhanced the feeling. She had been so close before and now that he added his tongue again, it only took seconds before she came. Eric noted all of her reactions, eager to learn how to please her best. Sookie felt almost blind for a moment while she rode out the feeling of the orgasm that occurred when Eric took her bundle of nerves into his mouth and sucked. The liquid that left her body and was eagerly consumed by Eric while he gently petted her folds through her spasms. Once she recovered, he was over her in a second, his cock at her entrance. Not knowing if she would like the taste of herself on his kisses, he used his towel to clean up a bit and leaned over to kiss her. “My Sookie.” He held her gaze. “I love you forever.”

“I love you too.” Sookie knew it was time, but she didn’t feel panic or worry, she felt cared for and loved and she trusted this man with her heart and now her body. She whispered to him, “I’m ready.”

Their love confirmed he started to enter her while using words to distract her. “You are so beautiful, you are mine and I am yours.” When he reached her barrier he pushed. Sookie flinched and some tears fell from her eyes. Leaning down so he could reach her face, he licked and kissed her tears away while reminding her that he loved her. Sookie had felt a pinch, just as Pam had described and it did sting. She was thankful that Eric stopped to give her a moment. His words only caused more of a crying reaction and she pulled his shoulders down to her body so she could feel even more connected. “Sookie, does it hurt that badly?” He started to pull back in fear.

She held tight and whispered through her tears. “Don’t pull back, I just need a minute.” He stilled himself again and gave her that minute. The timing was difficult; he was trembling to maintain control while she adjusted to his size and waited for the burn to lessen. Feeling his struggle to maintain his stillness, she drew in a deep breath, placed a quick kiss on his chest where her lips were; wrapped her legs around him and nudged him against his ass to move again. Eric needed no further invitation to proceed. She loosened her hold on his arms, allowing him to rise up from her again while he was moving and she noted the look on his face. A combination of lust, pleasure and a bit of concern from his furrowed brow were how she described it to herself. She smiled and reached up to kiss him, trying to assure him without words that she was OK. Sookie felt he was still holding back so she urged him. “I’m fine Eric. Love me, please.”

Eric had been holding back, and even though he now sped his movements, he continued to restrain himself a bit. The fact that he had caused the tears almost had him pulling out and dealing with his situation on his own so she could just rest. Her urging him to move was actually bravery on her part and it only caused him to love her more. He continued to kiss and praise her as he slid his length in and out. After a few strokes, he was feeling lust and arousal again from her and he was taken by surprise. She was TINY, and he felt she would most certainly need time to recover before she could thoroughly enjoy the experience. Encouraged by what he felt from her, he moved a hand to play with her clit while he continued his movements. ‘Gods she’s tight.’ He thought as he thanked Odin, Sookie’s Jesus and any other deity he could think of for her. He was amazed that she could take all of him and felt that she was truly meant to be his, because not even some taller or otherwise larger women could accommodate his full length. The feel of her shaft gripping around him, the softness of her body under his, and the adorable noises she made were testing his endurance. “Sookie, can you cum?” He asked, while assessing her feelings. He thought she was close because he was starting to hold her breath again and he was sure she didn’t even realize she did that. She only nodded slightly, almost completely lost to the sensations. He sped up his rubbing on her nub and curled himself to suckle on her breast. Now he felt she was very near so he moved up to her neck and bit. THAT did it and she was over the edge crying out. She convulsed around him and he exploded, yelling out her name and several words Sookie didn’t understand.

Almost immediately after collapsing on her, he went to move off to the side, but she held him tightly above her, she was crying again and he hated it. “Sookie, what is it?” He asked as he moved his head up to look at her. The only thing she could do was shake her head no to indicate she couldn’t speak, so he held her through her tears. When he thought about it, the last few days had been a whirlwind for her: risking herself by sharing her telepathy, killing someone, helping to uncover a drainer ring courtesy of the Fellowship of the Sun, being separated due to his meetings in New Orleans, having added security without being told why, deciding to bond and finally, losing her virginity to a man who originally had hurt her, fed from her while she was unwilling, and took her as captive. ‘Fuck, if I was still human, I might be crying too.‘ Still, he felt like he could be crushing her so he reversed them carefully and finally moved into a position where she was on his lap. He noted she had bled a little, but he didn’t dare try to heal it, knowing her barrier could completely heal and return. He cursed himself for not asking Ludwig about this very thing before tonight.

After a while she finally calmed. “Sookie, these past days have been very difficult, I’m sorry you are feeling overwhelmed.”

“I am a bit overwhelmed, but that doesn’t mean you need to be sorry. The ending of these past few days has been wonderful. While I need a break for a bit, ’cause I’m sore, I love what we just did and can’t wait until I feel up to doing it again. I guess I just hope you want to as well. What I mean is, was I alright? Did you enjoy yourself?”

“Sookie, I’ve never experienced a connection like that. I assure you, you were more than alright. I can’t wait to experience more with you, when you’re ready, and I can’t wait for us to explore what we each want and like the best. I love you Sookie, there will never be another for me.”

“OK.” She said quietly.

“OK? What has you feeling, I’m not sure what that is, hesitant?”

“It might not be an appropriate topic.”

He was confused. “How could anything be inappropriate between us now? Tell me.”

“Eric, do you um, do you, what I mean is, what happens when I get older? You said I love you forever – what forever do you mean?”

“Are you asking if I want to turn you?” She nodded. “I want nothing more than to make you my eternal companion, but only if you’re willing and ready. We have plenty of time.” She smiled and he was surprised considering she had referred to his turning Pam as murder. He decided to ask. “I must admit your smile surprises me. You told me I murdered Pam.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. Gran had a really good perspective; she said it’s not murder, but transformation, like a butterfly.”

“Your family’s tolerance for – well anything, continues to surprise me. Does this mean you want to be turned?”

“When we first met, it would have been a no. Now I’ll tell you I’m considering it. But I still want to enjoy the sun and pastries for now.”

“I understand but I do need to know. What if you were injured and I couldn’t heal you, it was being turned or die?”

Her eyes widened in fear over the thought. “Do you think that’s a possibility? Am I in that much danger?”

“Sookie, even a drive off the property can be dangerous.”

“Oh, yeah, um, I guess given where I am leaning, you can turn me. We’ll call it life insurance, or maybe it’s death insurance.”

His smile grew brighter and he kissed her. It was a kiss meant to share his joy at her words, but it soon grew heated. Remembering that she needed time before he took her again, he backed down quickly and suggested they go upstairs so Sookie could eat. “Let me get you cleaned up first.” He walked into the bathroom to wet a washcloth with warm water and returned to tend to her.

Sookie was surprised to see the blood. “Wow, it didn’t seem like it hurt enough to cause that.”

“It’s not as much blood as it seems Min älskade.”

“You’ve called me that before, what does it mean?”

“My beloved, my love. It’s a term to show my love for you.”

“Oh, I like that much better than Lover.”

“As you wish Min älskade.” He said as he kissed her nose and her stomach growled. “It seems I have to replenish your fuel now.”

Sookie’s struggles to walk on her own were in vain. Eric simply said he wanted to keep his hands on her and she couldn’t deny him. In fact, she felt so wonderful, loved and cherished; she probably wouldn’t deny him anything at this point. He pampered her by sitting her at the kitchen counter then he found some of the leftovers from Gran’s to heat for her. While she ate, he addressed a few items that popped into his email. “Sookie, I sent an email to Ludwig to ask her about your healing and when we can safely exchange blood. I should have an answer before I rise tonight.”

“Ok. How long do we need to wait to complete the bond?”

“We can do it one exchange right after the other. Though, for the third exchange, we may want to plan for it, make it special.”

“Like what?”

“We can go away for a day or two. Would you want to do that?”

“Really?”

“Yes, just us time. I’ll forward my emails and calls to Pam. I need to check with her, but I think we can make arrangements for this coming weekend. We can leave on Saturday after Fangtasia closes and return in time for me to be back to work late on Tuesday. I’ll pick somewhere close, so we don’t spend too much time on travel.”

“That sounds good. Yeah, that sounds really good.” She nodded her head to match her verbal reply. “Eric?”

“Yes min älskade?”

“Are you going to explain the changes in your chamber?”

“Why don’t we do that while we enjoy the stars?”

She eagerly said yes and grabbed the blanket. While they rocked and enjoyed the stars, he explained the kitchen area he had added to his chamber for her. She thought it was a bit over the top, since now she had three kitchens at her disposal on the property. He disagreed. “I don’t want you losing any luscious curves because there is no kitchen downstairs and I want you to feel that you can stay with me whenever you want. Besides, it’s already installed so you should just enjoy it.” She responded by sticking out her tongue and he just laughed at her.

“Sookie, I have news for you.”

“OK.”

“I met with my lawyer while in New Orleans, as it turns out, you know him.”

“Uncle Des?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

“I only know two lawyers. I didn’t think Sid Matt Lancaster from Bon Temps is your lawyer.”

“Fair enough. Let me tell what we have planned for you.”

“He wanted us to bond, believing it offers the most protection with your registration as a companion. Once we bond, we are also going to register you as a personal asset.” She scowled. “DON’T make that face. This is me trying to protect you.” She relaxed her scowl. “Better. We will then take you to meet the Queen. Your Uncle Des is squarely on our side, I feel better about all of this than ever before.”

“Good.”

They glided for a few minutes just enjoying each other. Sookie’s mind wandered; she was curious about something else, but wasn’t sure how to ask the question. Eric called her on it. “I can feel your curiosity. Ask.”

“You drink blood.” He nodded. “Well, you also, um licked and I guess swallowed, um other stuff?”

“You delicious cum you mean?” He got the blush he expected. “Blood is necessary for our magic to animate us, but other bodily fluids and even tiny bits of water can be swallowed. Does that answer your question?”

“Yes, let’s move onto less embarrassing topics.”

They talked about Sookie’s weekend at her Gran’s, the bulbs that Sookie had started planting, and the meetings Eric attended. The discussion about the meetings started some planning for the next few days since he had much to do to eliminate the Soldiers of the Light threat in Area 5. Thankfully, he was ahead of all the other Sheriffs since he’d captured the leader of the organization in his area already. Sookie agreed to help him by using her mind reading techniques and he was pleased. When she started to yawn, Eric knew it was time to head in. He’d exhausted his little one, and even though he was loathe to think about it, he did have work to complete before he rested.

Sookie was actually asleep before he made it to his bed, so he took her out of her robe and tucked her in. Not wanting to be far away from her, he retrieved his laptop and Blackberry and set-up to work in bed. Like a cold seeking missile, she nudged her way over to be up against him as he worked, but she never fully woke. He was happy for the closeness and snuck kisses to her head or caresses to her back in between emails. As his body felt the call to rest, he packed up his work gear, returned to bed and curled himself around Sookie for the day. His last words were a whisper to Sookie, “I love you min älskade. Sweet dreams.”