Chapter 17: Sating a Thirst

A/N:

Warning! Extremely long chapter ahead! I just couldn’t find a good place to cut it. It would’ve turned into a normal-sized one and a tiny, tiny one, so I decided to treat you to both at the same time. I’m all about compromises.

Disclaimer: True Blood and SVM are owned by Alan Ball, HBO, and Charlaine Harris. I own nothing and that’s not likely to change. That doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun though.

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The club was packed when we arrived, which was actually a very good thing because more vampires would be present than normal, all of whom needed to be aware there were two new vampires in the area. When we walked into the club, every vampire in the building stilled for a second as they realized a very powerful vampire was with their sheriff by taking in his aura and glow, making it very obvious who was undead and who was not. Younger vampires immediately averted their eyes and the others dropped their heads in respect. What they didn’t know was that Godric’s new progeny was probably just as powerful, if not more, but in a different way.

Sookie giggled, attracting the attention of not just her bloodline, and admitted softly, “I don’t think I’ll ever get over how much this looks like what a vampire ride at Disney World would.”

Chuckles escaped vampires throughout the room since they were all listening closely to find out anything about the new vampires in the area.

“I remember hearing you say that once, the first time you came here,” I recalled, desperately fighting a small smile. I started leading our group over to my reserved booth, nodding at vampires as we walked. Pam tugged on Jessica’s sleeve and peeled off in the direction of my office, so it was just Sookie, Godric, and I.

Sookie slid in one side and I sat next to her, dropping my arm over her shoulder as Godric slipped in opposite us. I wasn’t trying to make a claim, though in a way I had. It just felt like the most natural thing in the world. Sookie knew I wasn’t feeling abnormally possessive, so she wasn’t irritated. She even leaned into me, getting more comfortable. Secretly pleased, I tucked her in closer, bent my arm at the elbow, and trailed my hand up and down her throat.

“You were listenin’ the whole time then, weren’t you?” she asked. I nodded with an impish grin.

“I could smell your scent, Sookie, the second you walked in. It was like nothing I’d ever smelled before. Plus you were wearing a white dress in the middle of a sea of black, which was either incredibly smart or incredibly stupid. You attracted every vampire’s attention, but attracting that attention made it impossible for you to disappear,” I stated carefully.

Godric chuckled and leaned back, slipping both arms across the back of the booth.

“I’m gonna say it was a little of both. I knew nobody else would look like me, I didn’t own any black at the time, so I figured why not go all out. If I’m gonna stand out then I’m really gonna stand out,” she admitted ruefully. Godric and I gave her affectionate looks.

I sighed wistfully and lamented, “I liked that dress. Unfortunately, some guy decided he wanted to wear it at the maenad’s event. Pam saved part of it, though. She said she’d use it for something called a scrapbook?”

Sookie’s eyebrows shot to the ceiling. Sensing her confusion, I clarified, “She may not have gotten along with you before, but she secretly enjoyed your fire. It was refreshing to her, so she wanted to keep a small reminder.”

Sookie smiled and reached into her tie with Pam to lazily stroke her, not any more intimately, but prolonging the caress. When she finished, Pam vamped out of the office and was before us with her hand on her hip not a second later.

“Not that I don’t enjoy that, cupcake, because I do. I really, really do. But what was that for?” she asked with a raised brow.

“Eric told me you saved a scrap of my dress,” she stated and flooded Pam with so much affection that she purred in front of everyone, sending chuckles through our audience once again. Pam couldn’t give two shits about it, though. She’d purr in front of the whole world if Sookie kept sending her affection and caressing her all night. I could literally feel that in my blood.

“Do you want it back, Sookie?” Pam wondered.

Sookie shook her head, “Keep it, Pam. Although, I’d like to see the scrapbook when you’re done. Maybe it could be one of our bloodline after tonight?”

Pam slowly smiled and nodded. Not only had Sookie just pleased Pam, she had casually notified the area vampires not to fuck with her because she was a part of their sheriff’s bloodline. Sookie knew it too; she’d been a hundred percent sincere with her suggestion, but knew exactly what she was saying when she said it. All three of us pushed her pride and she struggled a little internally, but kept her expression schooled. Flooding our ties with gratitude, she smiled when Pam nodded and disappeared.

It wasn’t long before vampires came up to introduce themselves to the new vamps in the area, under the pretense of a conversation with me, of course. Nobody wanted to risk extra attention being cast their way by getting on the bad side of either Sookie or Godric. The most interesting visitor though was the, now, second oldest vampire in the state, Thalia.

Thalia was a petite, glamourous looking thing with dark, Mediterranean features, rich black hair and a wicked disposition. She was nearly 2,000 years old, just under Godric’s age, since her glow was fractionally smaller. Though Thalia looked petite, she was a vicious warrior who didn’t put up with anything from anybody, which reminded me of Sookie in a way, but Sookie was usually a lot better natured and gentler overall. Godric could still take Thalia on, but she would certainly give him a run for his money.

“Sheriff,” she greeted and I nodded in return. She turned and looked at Godric pointedly. He grinned wickedly, honestly feeling pleased by her presence, and slid over to give her room to sit. Thalia had turned her attention to Sookie while she waited for Godric to move, evaluating her.

“Thalia,” Godric said with glee. They went way, way back.

Registering how old Thalia was, Sookie immediately started feeling protective of her kin, so her inner predator started to emerge. Her emotions tightened and became smaller, but didn’t completely disappear. Lifting her arms above her head, she stretched them languidly as she arched her back in that very graceful, feline way of hers. She completely relaxed into me, molding her form to mine as if we were one unit. I stroked her throat again and she purred, making my lips twitch. Not once did she break eye contact with Thalia.

Slowly, very slowly, Thalia smiled at her and nodded. Sookie imitated her, respectfully, smiling just as slowly and nodding back. The room burst into vampire murmurs and surprise as the ill-tempered, 2,000 year old vampiress acknowledged a baby vamp. Thalia didn’t acknowledge many, didn’t respect many, so it was an incredible surprise and honor. We flooded Sookie with pride all over again as Thalia took a seat. This time she did purr, then nuzzled into me, to my delight, and stroked her connections with Godric and I. Unable to purr in front of such a crowd without explanation, we shivered.

Having picked up on all of our reactions, Thalia put together our emotional exchange and let out a delighted laugh. A shocked vampire in the background actually dropped a glass of True Blood at the sound of it.

“Little one, it is nice to see one with your control,” Thalia commented, simultaneously making us aware that she knew Sookie was talented with her blood and leading others to assume she was mentioning Sookie’s behavior.

“Thank you, Thalia,” she purred and somewhere in the crowd someone’s fangs dropped. My possessiveness ignited, but I managed to stifle it without reacting. “I’m Sookie,” she added casually.

Thalia smiled again and gave her another nod. Turning to Godric, she scolded, “You turn another and I do not find out for a month? I thought we had this talk last time!”

Godric chuckled, “I apologize, Thalia. I wanted some time to spend alone with my new progeny. I knew you would be here when we moved into the area, so I thought I’d surprise you.”

She harrumphed and muttered, “I’m surprised, but more with her than you.” Godric chuckled again. Thalia then considered Godric’s words and that rare, yet gorgeous smile emerged again. “You move to my area, Godric? You both?”

Godric nodded and Thalia looked to Sookie for confirmation. With Sookie’s nod, Thalia laughed in delight all over again. Another two glasses fell, sending mirth and amusement firing through our veins.

“Oh, I will like that,” she cackled. She eyed Sookie and repeated with a mischievous grin, “I will like that very much. You and I will be friends, little one. I feel it in my blood.”

Sookie purred and nodded in agreement, “I feel it too, Thalia. And you’ll teach me about fightin’ bigger opponents, this I feel as well.”

Godric and I lowered our gazes to Sookie in surprise. We hadn’t felt dishonesty flare and were getting a steady read of her pleasure, so she wasn’t shielding a lie with her blood. In fact, we could feel her confidence. Sookie genuinely felt this, her instincts screamed it, but Thalia hadn’t taken another under her wing to train in at least a thousand years, so we both braced ourselves for her negative reaction.

Instead, Thalia blew us away.

“Yes, I will. We will begin a week from now, little one. You are mine to train. Godric will call me, yes?” she insisted as she turned and glared at him.

The vampires in the room actually broke out into conversation that could be heard by the human ear at this while Godric nodded, open-mouthed. For them, it was like shouting to another across a room. They were that surprised by Sookie ordering Thalia to train her and Thalia complying like it was the most natural thing in the world, claiming Sookie as her apprentice.

The older vampires, including me and Godric, were stunned for a very different reason. Thalia had not only refused to train anyone in the last thousand years, but those she did train were always older than five hundred. Sookie was just over a month old, yet Thalia had agreed to it. Being trained by Thalia was beyond impressive and ideal. She was similar to Sookie’s physique and though Godric could beat her, she was the next best thing. She could probably kick my ass to Timbuktu. The only downside to this training was that Sookie would definitely be known throughout the state by the end of the night. Unfortunately, nothing could be done about that, it was already too late to have that conversation privately.

On the other hand, maybe Vampire Sookie had done that on purpose?

Nobody would dare challenge a pupil of Thalia’s. If Sookie disappeared or died before she was through with her training (which would take several years to complete), Thalia would hunt down the offender and nobody wanted Thalia to hunt them down. As the thought occurred to me, my blood echoed it and Sookie’s blood responded by humming in agreement.

Impressed, I sent her a wave of approval. That was great strategic thinking. She smiled, still looking at Thalia, and laced our tie with affection and gratitude. I ran my fingers along her throat again to show her my own pleasure.

After another fifteen minutes of bantering with Godric and Sookie, Thalia nodded to all of us, lingering on Sookie with a pleased smile, before explaining she had a meeting but would see us next week.

Okay, she said see Sookie, but like hell was I going to miss that.

After Thalia left the club, Godric and I looked down at Sookie. Her emotions expanded a little more with every step away from us Thalia took. Now, she was nearly normal, still tucked into me but not moving as languidly. She smiled at us and laughed ruefully, “I already know.” Cocking an eyebrow, she tugged on us twice and suddenly we understood what she knew, everything about Thalia and who she mentors. She listened to other vampire minds while Thalia was here, so she knew Thalia rarely trained anyone, let alone someone not at least half a millennium old.

I really shouldn’t be so shocked around her anymore, yet I also knew that would never change. She would keep shocking me for eternity.

I swear I felt her blood hum in agreement with that thought too.

“Did you know Thalia never smiles? Let alone laughs? You gave some fangirls heart attacks tonight. They’ll probably form your own club in gratitude,” I teased with a grin, delighted when she laughed.

We shot the breeze for a few more minutes before Godric and I felt her hunger and thirst mounting. Slowly, her emotions tightened again and she became more predatory, scenting the air occasionally and eyeing the necks of people walking by. I cocked an eyebrow at Godric, who met my eyes and nodded slowly. Anticipation thrummed through us both and we turned our gazes to Sookie.

“Are you thirsty, child?” Godric asked.

Immediately, Sookie stilled and her fangs dropped, making mine drop, and setting off a hysterical chain reaction around the club. Gasps shot up around the room as vampires released their fangs and the air in the club became heavier and tenser.

“Yes,” she hissed and vampires around us growled in pleasure.

“No feeding in the bar,” I warned subvocally to the surrounding vampires. Reluctantly, the vampires in the club retracted their fangs, but kept their eyes glued on Sookie, knowing perfectly well that she was about to choose a meal and the rule didn’t apply as strictly to the bloodline of the sheriff and the owners of the club.

“Sookie, I want you to look around and examine the people here,” Godric instructed. Sookie’s gaze shifted from his face to the people of the bar, gliding over the frozen vampires angled towards her, and moving from throat to throat, reveling in their beating pulses. “Sookie, focus on their faces. You’re going to select one this time based on the face, the body, the way they act, not on the scent.”

Sookie adjusted her gaze, stunning the vampires present that a month old newborn could focus enough during bloodlust to look up from a pulse.

“Look for the type of person you want to protect,” he encouraged, “someone you wish you could make leave this club and walk away from vampires forever. Someone you wouldn’t want to hurt, let alone drain.”

Her eyes flew over the crowd rapidly, like she wasn’t really looking at them, but searching nonetheless. With pleasure, I realized she was focusing on their inner voices, truly looking for someone who she wanted to protect from the predators in the room. Finally, her eyes stopped moving and her gaze narrowed. We followed the direction of her gaze and Godric’s fangs finally dropped. Sookie had indeed chosen her prey.

Over in the corner of the club was a tall, lanky brunette sitting with a couple friends. She was beautiful, but not in the stereotypical way. Her beauty was all in the behavior. She was innocent, pure, full of excitement and hope. She included everyone around her in conversation, but a very shy vibe still radiated off of her. Sensing eyes on her, the girl looked over at us and immediately blushed. Sookie growled, which ironically made the other vampires hiss. Entertained, I flushed Godric with amusement and he let a small smile slip out.

“Okay, Sookie. You’re going to approach her, ask her permission to feed from her, and bring her downstairs. What will you do if she says no?” Godric asked.

Sookie tensed and protectiveness flared up, astounding us for a brief second. She then quietly and honestly told us what she would do, “Glamour her to leave and never come back, master. She’s not safe here.”

Pleasure and surprise erupted in us both. We sent her enough affection to make her purr again while the vampires around us gaped at her in astonishment. They couldn’t believe a newborn this young would offer protection to her prey if she couldn’t feed on her. Every vampire in the bar had just gotten the message that Sookie was unique, that they hadn’t seen anything like her before. With that realization quickly came another, if they didn’t know what to expect from her, they shouldn’t challenge her. Sookie had just set a precedent.

“I agree, Sookie. She’s not safe here,” Godric acknowledged. “Offer to feed on her and we’ll protect her, whether she allows you or not. Tonight, she’s yours.”

Possessiveness flared up for a brief minute, just like her instinct to protect, and Sookie growled, “Mine.”

I slid out from the booth to allow Sookie free, eyeing the enthralled vampires in the club as I moved. Nobody even glanced at me, all too focused on the baby vamp who had selected her prey.

Sookie gracefully stood up from the booth, looked up at me for a second, and grabbed the collar of my jacket to pull me down for a kiss. Surprise and pleasure fluttered through me and I felt her lust hit the highest peak I’d ever felt from her. She surprised me again when she voluntarily pulled back after a tender and lingering kiss and pure glee ignited in my veins. Sookie had just claimed me in front of the area vampires. I never thought I’d ever let somebody stake a claim on me, let alone enjoy it.

But I did. In fact, I relished it.

She turned around, fluidly moving from one claim to another of a very different sort. As she walked across the club, weaving in out of the dancers and drinkers, the other vampires studied her body. Sookie moved like a large cat of a prey, limberly like a lion. Occasionally, she ran her fingers over someone’s arm or shoulder if they attempted to catch her eye, but kept moving. Her pace was unhurried and lazy and more than one eye followed her as she passed by. I was sure by the time she made it to her prey, half the bar was watching.

Slowly, she circled the table, every inch the beautiful, dangerous predator, before she smoothly slipped herself in between her prey and a chair. Sookie leaned down and whispered in the girl’s ear, the girl who had been watching since she felt eyes on her. Her prey said something and Sookie’s tinkling and musical laughter filled the air. She whispered something else to the girl and purred when she got her answer, making the other present vampires in the room rumble, growl, and hiss with pleasure.

Sookie had caught her prey.

She held her hand out to the girl, who gladly took it. Another thing vampires hadn’t often seen before, touching a human willingly, even pleased to be doing it. They stared, mesmerized, as Sookie pulled the girl to her feet and led her towards the door of the basement, laughing and joking like she was the girl’s best friend. Whenever they neared other vampires, they gave her a nod of respect, flashed their fangs in excitement, and parted like the Red Sea.

Godric and I smiled at each other, our anticipation sky-rocketing, and vamped closer, sending gasps and cries of excitement up in the crowd.

We stopped a few feet behind them, seamlessly transitioning from vamp speed to walking, and followed them towards the basement.

“Why’s everyone staring, Sookie?” the girl asked.

Sookie gave a small laugh and put the girl at ease by flattering her, “Because I’m walking away with the most appealing creature in the room, Brittany.”

Sookie was the most appealing creature in the room.

Brittany laughed and playfully slapped Sookie’s shoulder. They made it to the basement door and Sookie opened it while Brittany glanced around the club, noticing us for the first time.

She leaned in towards Sookie and whispered, “Why are they coming with us?”

Sookie’s expression morphed into seriousness as she explained, “Because I want you to be safe, to feel safe, and that’s my maker and his other progeny. They’ll protect you, not hurt you, so don’t worry. I told you I’m a newborn and we need a guidin’ hand sometimes.”

Surprisingly, instead of tensing at the idea of feeding a newborn and being alone with three vampires, Brittany completely relaxed, shot us a dazzling smile, and thanked us. Surprise shot through us again and we looked at each other with raised eyebrows before following them into the basement.

She really was safe with us, but if this was her first instinct? Well, I could see why Sookie felt she wasn’t safe here.

We walked down the steps leisurely, our excitement mounting with each step, before we came to a stop and watched Sookie move. Circling her prey, she leaned in to scent her and Brittany giggled.

“Brittany?” Godric asked as he stepped into her line of sight, giving her a soft smile. She nodded, giggling again as Sookie ran her fingers through her hair. “Sookie told you she’s a newborn. She has never fed from the source before, do you understand?” She nodded, smiling when Sookie trailed her fingers across her throat. “Have you ever been bitten before, Brittany?” She shook her head nervously and Sookie stilled for a second, protectiveness burning through her veins.

She leaned in and whispered in her ear seductively, “Don’t worry, honey. I’ll make sure it doesn’t hurt, I’ll protect ya.”

If my fangs weren’t already down, they would be.

Godric smiled at Sookie, sending her enough affection and pride to make her purr like a delighted kitten and Brittany giggle. “Sookie, focus on her heartbeat. Focus on the tempo, the steady beat, the music of it. Immerse yourself in that sound and focus solely on the rhythm. You must stop when that rhythm slows.”

Godric brought himself closer while I leaned back against the wall, placing himself behind Sookie at vamp speed and wrapping his arms around her waist. Lifting the girl’s hair from her neck, she scented her skin and slowly ghosted her lips over her jugular.

“You’ve already found the vein, Sookie,” he praised. “That’s where you’ll puncture her. When you do, don’t pull. Just allow the blood to flow into your mouth and enjoy it. There’s no hurry and sucking on the wound would make the blood move too quickly. You want to protect her, so don’t pull.”

Sookie nodded against her skin before taking a slow, seductive breath and licking it gently. Brittany inhaled sharply at the sensation.

“When the rhythm slows, think about something repulsive to you to stop, something you find unacceptable,” he advised before leaning closer. Tucking his arms tighter around her, he whispered, “Think about her family if you killed her.”

Sookie jerked back and hissed at Godric, who backed away with his hands up and a tiny smile on his face. He had nailed it for her. Sookie was Fae, driven by the need to protect her kin. She wanted to protect this girl. Facing the girl’s kin after killing her, witnessing that grief, would make her fangs retract in less than a heartbeat, which was perfect.

Sookie slid around the girl so she was facing her, still eyeing Godric warningly over Brittany’s shoulder. Then she dragged her eyes back to Brittany’s to meet her gaze.

“Brittany, I would never hurt you in that way, never send you back to your kin that way, do you understand?” she asked quietly and reached her hand up to stroke her cheek.

The girl shivered under her touch, but it wasn’t with fear. She wasn’t afraid, something she very clearly voiced when she told Sookie, “I trust you, Sookie. The fact that you’re telling me this now, when you’re about to feed, when you’re only a newborn? It makes me think I’d probably be safer being bitten by you than any other vampire in the club. Your need to protect me just makes me want to feed you.”

Brittany was right. She was definitely safest with Sookie. No other vampire would feel such a compelling need to protect a casual meal.

Sookie nodded at her and purred with such a genuine and beautiful smile on her face that Brittany’s heart skipped a beat. She reached up with her other hand, stroking Brittany from her face to her neck before pulling her flush against her. The girl’s arousal filled the room, making Sookie purr again. She swept Brittany’s hair from her neck and nuzzled into it before she found a place she wanted to bite. She ran her lips over it teasingly and the girl quivered. Then Sookie tasted it, caressed it with her tongue, and numbed the area with her saliva. Brittany whimpered and Sookie began to suck on the site. Just before she bit, Sookie looked up and met my eyes.

And then plunged her fangs in.

It was the single most erotic thing I had ever seen and I moved closer without being aware of it, drawn like a moth to a flame. I could vaguely feel Godric’s incredulousness, mirth, and pure glee running across our bond, but I was too focused on watching Sookie feed to acknowledge any of it. It honestly felt like I’d been glamoured again, everything faded away but Sookie and her meal. When I came within touching distance, I ran my fingers down her cheek and Sookie released a moan that made my mouth water. Her own arousal flooded the room, adding to the already tempting scent, and I actually found myself longing to be her prey.

I didn’t realize I already was.

I broke that agonizingly beautiful eye contact and slipped behind her, pressing myself up against her as I ghosted my own mouth along her skin. Sliding her braid to the side and scenting her, I dragged my fingers along the outside of her legs, up to her waist, and over her arms to her shoulders. Sookie trembled at the touch. Wrapping one hand around her throat, I caressed the front with my thumb and relished the way her muscles moved every time she swallowed. I looked over her other shoulder to meet Brittany’s eyes as she gasped and whimpered. The eye contact was enough for her and caused her immediate climax, making her cry out and sweetening the blood.

Sookie growled in my arms at the enhanced taste, sending delicious aftershocks through Brittany. I raised an eyebrow slowly and kept my eyes on Brittany’s as I dropped a lazy, seductive kiss to Sookie’s shoulder. I trailed my free hand back down to her waist and slipped it between them, drawing moans from them both. I grazed my hand over the front of Sookie’s jeans and Sookie trembled again, her lust reaching a new level. I sent her a push for permission, desperately wanting her to feel completely sated with her first meal, but not to feel taken advantage of, and rumbled with surprised pleasure when she pushed back her consent.

I teasingly stroked her through the fabric for a second before I pushed my hand beneath the band of her jeans, past her already moist panties, and gently massaged her between her folds. I then tapped her twice on her sensitive clit, which was enough by itself to send her over the golden edge as she drank. Every gentle touch felt magnified by a hundred in a state of bloodlust.

Which was exactly why my fangs nearly dropped when I found out that Sookie had yet to experience sex as a vampire.

I dipped my fingers lower, bringing her down gently, while still maintaining eye contact with Brittany. Gently pulling my hand free, I raised it to my lips and sucked the sweet juices from my fingers. I let my own moan escape at the ambrosia-like taste of sunshine, wheat, and honey on my tongue. Brittany flushed, making her scent even headier, but the temptation didn’t get to Sookie. Shockingly, she even gentled her pace and drank even slower, letting her mouth fill completely before she swallowed. When Brittany’s heart slowed, I brought my lips to her ear and whispered against it, “Now, Sookie. Now.”

Immediately, which was enough to surprise me again, she retracted her fangs. She lazily sealed the wound, trailed her tongue over the marks she made, and lapped up the remaining blood. Putting a very tender kiss over the wound, she whispered, “Thank you, honey,” against her skin.

I pulled Sookie back against me, raised my hand from her throat to her jaw to turn her face towards mine, and kissed her passionately, reveling in the taste of fresh blood on her lips. Eventually, I slowed the kiss and caressed her mouth unhurriedly with my own until we both pulled back. It may have appeared like her submission, but we both knew full well it had been mine. She had reeled me in with the most seductive bait I had ever seen.

And I was more than fine with it.

“Wow,” Brittany murmured, floored.

We both turned our gazes back to Brittany simultaneously. Amused, I trailed my fingers teasingly back to Sookie’s throat before wrapping my hand around it once more and tracing her jugular vein. I slid my free arm across her waist, letting her do what she needed to, but keeping her firmly tucked against me.

After a show like that? Well, it was a lot like the night she slapped me.

She was MINE.

“Brittany,” Sookie purred. Her voice became edgier, steeped in sex, and I privately wondered if she was trying to kill me with my own lust. “You enjoyed that. It didn’t hurt at all, but when you go home, you’ll think about it and realize the sexual tension from feedin’ is too much for you and you don’t wanna hang around with vampires anymore.”

I smirked. Brittany enjoyed the sexual tension. She got off on it.

Literally.

Brittany sighed wistfully, “Yeah, that felt great, but it was SO intense.”

Sookie nodded with a smile and finished, “You’ll go upstairs and tell your friends you’re tired and wanna go home.”

She yawned and nodded before walking up the stairs. As she got to the top, she called out, “Bye, Sookie! I’m tired, so I’m going home.”

Godric and I both chuckled at that. Brittany considered Sookie a friend.

“Well, Sookie,” Godric smiled while drowning her in pride, encouragement, pleasure, and a little relief, “no command, no order. Eric told you it was time and you just pulled back. I’m honestly not surprised. I told you not to worry, that you have great control. I think one or two more feedings and you won’t even need anyone in the room with you.”

My blood immediately protested and they laughed.

“I said need, Eric, not want,” Godric pointed out and I nodded, still not pleased with the idea of her feeding without me. I enjoyed it way too much. Godric shot me a devilish smile and mischief began to build in his blood. I groaned, knowing what was coming, and tucked my face into Sookie’s neck. “In fact, Sookie, if I’m not mistaken, you pulled in two separate targets at once. I think you lured in Eric, a 1,000 year old vampire, before he even realized he was being hunted.”

Sookie blushed in the blood and I laughed against her skin. She blushed? After everything she just did?

Really?

I shot her full of mirth and disbelief. Embarrassed, she sent me a push telling me to go stab myself with a toothpick, which only amused me more.

“I will concede to that, Godric,” I agreed as I lifted my head again, speaking to Godric but angling my face down to Sookie. Bringing my mouth to her ear so I could trace it with my teeth, I gently sucked her lobe between my lips. “I was drawn in like a magnet,” I whispered. “But Sookie is welcome to hunt me like that, anytime,” I purred and nipped at her neck, enjoying the way her body shivered.

“I should just glamour you both to forget it,” she muttered.

“That reminds me, Sookie,” Godric chuckled and gave her a tender smile. “As your maker, I command you to never glamour me without my permission. I know you wouldn’t, but I have to be sure. If you ever get in trouble, I need to be certain I know everything.”

Sookie nodded and pushed acceptance to him, completely understanding.

And then she just had to say, “I can still glamour Eric, though. Right?”

“Godric?” I called. “Couldn’t you add my name to that command?” I was only half-kidding.

Mischief rose once again in his blood and I shoved exasperation his way, hoping to make him hesitate.

Of course, he didn’t and teased instead, “I don’t think so, Eric. She may need leverage on you at some point and glamouring you to forget something like her first feeding?” He whistled. “That would be quite the punishment.”

I knew he was yanking my leg, but one of the words he said resonated with me, punishment. Last night, Vampire Sookie ripped her tie away from me in punishment. Would the predator in her even care when she was in that mode if she took away something like a memory from me? Her punishments were psychologically painful and being forced to forget anything like tonight would be one of the most painful punishments I could think of. Afterwards, I’d completely forget any of it even happened.

If she took away tonight? I’d lose a memory of the first time I saw her hunt, the first time I saw her feed…

And the first time I brought her pleasure.

I never wanted to forget any of it.

The more I thought about the possibilities, the more unsettled I became and the more my alarm, anxiety, and trepidation grew.

“Eric, stop,” Sookie commanded forcefully, gently pulling my hand from her throat so she could turn around and cup my face with her hands. “Hey, we were messin’ with you. If the idea bothers ya that much, Godric can command me, but I give you my word I would never take away an important memory, or any memory, in punishment.” She paused, squinting at me, “Are you worried I’d take away somethin’ important to who you are?”

I looked into her gorgeous, brown eyes and shook my head slowly, “No.” I placed my hands on her hips and tugged her a little closer as I clarified, “I’m worried you’d take something important for me to understand who you are, like anything that’s happened in the last two nights.”

She smiled softly, brushed some loose hair from my forehead, and quietly mused, “Why you gotta say things like that you big, crazy Viking?”

I smiled just as softly back and reasoned, “Sookie, the vampire in you is in charge of the punishments. Can you honestly tell me you’ll be worried enough in that mode to keep yourself from glamouring something away if that side of you thinks it’s the best punishment? That you’d even care?”

She nodded vehemently and pushed me her conviction, “Yes. No matter what mode I’m in, I would care about that. No matter what side of me, whether I feel emotions or not, I still have the same convictions, the same core, and life principles. Even when my emotions didn’t come back, when all ya felt from me was static? I knew that I was my emotions, knew that my emotions made me who I am, and I went to Godric for help to bring ’em back… And last night, my vampire side agreed with all of you at first. Vampire Sookie thought of all the nifty and manipulative things we could do to make our lives easier with that program. The other side of me saw the harm, how it could hurt you, so it cranked all of my emotions up until my feelings were everything, so that all I could do was care and took the control away from her. Glamouring a memory away would hurt you, Eric, and my other side would step in, just like it did last night, if she ever thought Vampire Sookie was capable of hurtin’ you. I will always protect my kin.” She then laid her palm over my unbeating heart and insisted, “And that means protectin’ this too.

“The only way I can see myself actually glamouring anythin’ from you is if it were necessary to protect you. I give you my word, Eric. I will not use glamour as a punishment and I’ve never broken my word, in either mode. Listen to my blood, Eric, because it’s hummin’ in agreement and has been the whole time, so my vampire side agrees with what I’ve said.”

I was a blind fool.

Her blood was humming in agreement, but I didn’t need to feel that to know she was absolutely right. Everything she had just done proved Sookie was right. No matter what race- human, fairy, vampire- she was still Sookie at her core. Protectiveness had flared up for her prey twice while she was in bloodlust, so how would she feel about her kin then? Her nature, everything that made her Sookie, would not allow her to hurt her kin, ever, and it would hurt me if she stole that memory from me.

She was right about Fairy Sookie too. The Fae side of her would take over if she thought the vampire in her could potentially hurt her kin, just like it did last night when it shut down her emotions to keep us safe. It just frightened me, caused actual fear in me, to think I could lose a piece of Sookie, to think she could be taken from me in any way. I just got her back and I’d only had two nights with her since, so those two nights had suddenly become more precious to me than anything else in the entire world.

I quickly swept Sookie into an embrace, pulling her in so close that we could be considered one being, and wrapped my arms tightly around her. Sookie’s arms held me just as tightly and she tucked her head into my chest. I dropped an affectionate kiss on her hair and flooded her with understanding, remorse, apology, warmth, affection, awe, and gratitude.

“I’m an idiot,” I whispered, sharing my revelation with her. “You’re right and I don’t need to listen to your blood to know that. I was just thinking about my last punishment, about you ripping away the tie, and the idea you could rip away one of the few memories I have of you where you’re in my arms… frightened me, Sookie. It frightened me and I’m sorry I didn’t think it through,” I admitted in a low, thick voice.

I chanced a look at Godric, who was leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed and a soft smile on his face. He gave me a nod and sent me familial love as he watched us. I truly hoped he didn’t really think I would ever treat Sookie like I did Nora.

When I met Nora, I begged Godric to turn her because she had impressed me. She was one of the first to impress me in hundreds of years, but I didn’t feel for her. We still had a charged sexual relationship (or I guess did have, since I already knew Sookie was the monogamous type) whenever we met up, but we couldn’t stand each other for very long and truly did fight like siblings. My brotherly love for Nora was completely different than the feelings I had for Sookie. I had love for Sookie before she was even turned, but I had absolutely none for Nora at the time of her turning. We’d grown to have familial love, which I think Nora sometimes confused with romantic love, and indulged in sexual relations. With Sookie, I loved her and we hadn’t even had sex yet. I needed Godric to trust me with her, needed him to know I’d rather die than purposefully hurt her. There was only one way I could think of to assuage any of his fears, though.

I narrowed our bond, like he had done several times since he opened it, threw up a powerful blood shield, and sent him the one feeling that could change his mind about how he thought I would treat his youngest progeny if he truly did have doubts. I sent him the love I had for Sookie.

Our bond rippled with shock, then disbelief, amazement, joy, pride, understanding, tenderness and, finally, with an even more powerful dose of the love Godric had for me. A blood tear slid down his cheek and he quickly caught it and wiped his face to hide it from Sookie. Slowly, I reined in the emotion again and sent him protectiveness, telling him I wouldn’t hurt her, and not just because I wanted her.

Because I loved her.

He nodded my way and embraced me with gratitude, a sense of vindication (he practically cried out “I knew it!“), and immense relief. The relief said it all; he had hoped I loved Sookie, even felt vindicated now that he knew I absolutely did, and he had hoped that I wouldn’t bring her to my bed and expect her to leave it sometime in the future, but hadn’t been positive. Now he was sure. Now he knew.

And maybe, just maybe, he would trust me to be alone with her.

“Eric?” Sookie asked me, her voice small and muffled against my chest, but I wasn’t ready to let go yet. She appeared to be okay with that because she pulled her arms tighter, pulling me closer instead of pushing me away.

“Sookie?” I questioned in the same tone and Godric chuckled.

“I’m sorry my punishment worried you that much. I don’t want ya to worry like this. Honestly, and you can ask Godric, my punishments almost always have to do with manipulation, so if you don’t try to manipulate me, everythin’ else should really be okay,” she said in a hushed tone. I nodded and sent her understanding, but didn’t speak yet. I could tell she wasn’t finished.

“I found out minutes after I rose I was manipulated into fallin’ in love, manipulated into gettin’ involved in the vampire world, literally manipulated with blood, and I felt those manipulations led to my death. Even though I honestly believe my turnin’ is a good thing, manipulation is still what makes me snap. When I rose and discovered all this, Godric promised me he would teach me how to recognize it when I was being manipulated. He promised to teach me to turn the tables on them, to become the hunter instead of the prey. I’ve learned some already, which is why I seem to be a pretty good schemer, but I shut down when I feel manipulated. That’s what happened when I ripped the tie away. Don’t manipulate me and you won’t have to worry about punishments,” she cautioned, barely breathing the last words.

I sent her apology again. I honestly hadn’t known how much she had been manipulated before, but I shouldn’t have tried it anyway. I plotted to manipulate her yesterday because I was too chickenshit to straight up ask her about strengthening our tie. It wasn’t the first time I had done it, though, and I felt like a coward when I realized that. I could literally feel from her blood that had I just been honest with her, she would’ve helped me no matter what. She would’ve helped me with Longshadow, would’ve helped me find my maker, and would’ve sat down and worked out everything with me just like she had last night when I gave her everything she needed to know about the werewolves. I cringed when I thought about how both times I had manipulated her she had been attacked, first by Longshadow, then by the Fellowship. No wonder she had snapped yesterday. She’d only ever been manipulated by vampires, Godric being the exception.

“Sookie… I’m truly sorry I manipulated you with Lafayette to get you to Dallas and that I didn’t tell you Godric was my maker,” I confessed. “I’m sorry I kept that from you-” she cut me off by literally slapping her hand over my mouth.

She pulled back to look up at me and whispered, “Don’t. Don’t open that can of worms, Eric. I’ve never regretted my choice. I never plan to either. The manipulation that haunts me is the one that led to the loss of my virginity to a monster, that led to the death of my gran, that focused a serial killer on me, and was gonna enslave me to a childish queen, not the one that led to my turning because, even though it was violent, my turning was a good thing. Maybe the best decision I ever made. So you get a pardon for that one. I’m just explainin’ why I punished you that harshly so you understand how to avoid gettin’ another one, mkay?” She finished with a pat to my cheek.

I pushed understanding towards her and she dropped her hand. Everything was way too tense down here, so I lightened the mood by purring in her ear, “I do love it when you order me around, lover.”

She shot me with humor, gave me a final squeeze, and let me go. Since it would be odd if I kept holding Sookie after she’d dropped her hands, I reluctantly removed my own. She may or may not have burst out laughing when she actually felt my reluctance in our tie.

The door to the basement crashed open a second later and darling Pam waltzed in.

“Well, I’m glad the three of you are enjoying yourselves,” she said as she scented the air, smelled sex, and winked at Sookie, who ducked her head in embarrassment. “No big deal upstairs. I didn’t just have to work my ass off dealing with vampires about to snap into a feeding frenzy or anything.”

Sookie’s brow furrowed and she pushed her confusion to all three of us through the blood. She had been in bloodlust, focused first on the pulses of the living around her and then singularly focused on her prey, so she had no idea she’d had an audience of older vampires when she hunted.

I chuckled ruefully and rubbed the back of my head with my hand before I explained, “About that, Sookie. The vampires of the area are extremely intrigued by you. They watched you select your prey, stalk her, and claim her. I had to force them all to retract their fangs at one point and remind them no biting in the club. They’ve never seen a baby vamp act the way you do, like an ancient on the prowl, so they became a little too involved while they watched you hunt.”

Couldn’t say I was shocked when she blushed again.

“Yes, well put, master,” Pam nodded. “After you disappeared though, I literally had to order them to back down all over again and kick several of the more aggressive ones out. The ones remaining are all very curious about Auntie Sookie and wondering why she’s taking so long since her dinner walked out a while ago, smelling like she enjoyed herself immensely.”

“Well, then,” Sookie croaked. She cleared her throat unnecessarily, straightened her spine, and gracefully waved her hand towards the stairs. “Let’s not keep my adorin’ public waiting.”

“By the way, master, it’s almost nine and you have some requests to see to,” Pam reminded me.

Godric then offered his arm to Sookie, encouraging her to tuck her hand in in the crook of his elbow, “Well, child, it looks like we need to give the paparazzi a small glimpse and make a break for the Jeep if we want to get to Bon Temps tonight.”