Sookie Takes Charge, Ch. 23

**A/N:  It gets a little juicy toward the end.  Hope you enjoy!**

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“I should totally be miffed that Bee-yul neglected to send me an invitation, shouldn’t I,” Sookie snarked as she and Eric leisurely prepared to leave his house. They were running very early and Sookie was playing with her hair in the reflection of the mirror she’d popped into existence.

Eric had teased her about showing off when she’d magically attached it to the living room wall but silently was justifiably pleased with how relaxed Sookie felt in his home.

To his delight, during the past week she had spent an increasing amount of time “hanging out” with him at his place, although to his frustration nothing had actually managed to…hang out… yet.

He thought the phrase unnecessarily mocking of his interests…

The bombshell she had dropped on him was still reverberating somewhere in the back of his skull, he was sure of it. She not only wanted to kill Bill, but she wanted him by her side and working with her while they did it together… The fact she wanted to share this experience with him based on their mutual history with the bastard still warmed the always-semi-hard-since-her-return cock’els of his heart.

Fairy Sookie had routinely sent his world careening head over heels and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

When she’d arrived that first evening, he’d naturally been looking forward to reading Godric’s reply with eager anticipation, but having Sookie there, in his house and then on his lap, had easily if temporarily soothed the ever-present need for his Maker’s words. It had been unsurprisingly easy to delay reading until she had, unfortunately, left for her own home across the way.

Even then her suggestion had played in his thoughts repeatedly, as well as natural concerns for her safety.

In the early morning hours after he had eagerly absorbed those Maker’s words, he had gone into his dayrest composing his reply…and a plan. During the following afternoon before her impatiently awaited return, he had quickly penned his reply to Godric in hopes that Sookie would agree to deliver the letter…and accidentally remain in the Fairy Realm until after the upcoming, and suspiciously unnecessary, gala.

For once that infuriating time difference between the realms could work in his favor.

His Sookie had gladly agreed to deliver the letter the next morning, and while Eric hadn’t looked forward to missing her for up to a week or more, he had been glad to have her safely stashed…elsewhere…until the damn festivities were over.

As Bill was still the state’s king, he had the right to order any of his subjects to attend any unnecessary function he threw, and he had fully exercised those rights in commanding Eric’s appearance at what was expected to be an utter bore-fest. There was no reason for this party…gala…ass-kiss-fest unless it was to give Compton the opportunity to force/allow his “subjects” to kiss and pander to said oddly-shaped ass. Eric had to wonder if the fucktard cried into his teddy bear if he didn’t get his ass smooched at least five times a night.

On that note, sources had suggested that the vampire’s healing from the fairy’s light balls had taken far longer than anticipated. Sources also suggested that no one minded.

What pinged most strongly at the back of Eric’s mind that Compton had decided to host a required-attendance event so close to the also required-attendance conference for absolutely no reason he could detect.

Sure, there was yet another conference coming up, but there was always a conference coming up, so that was nothing new. They were vampires; it’s what they did. And sure, plans needed to be made and shared about the running of the state while its dear, darling kingling would be away. Duties needed to be reshuffled since Area Sheriffs were expected to attend and their positions would need to be covered, etc., but again, that was no reason for Billius to throw an attention-whore’s dress-up dream-fest.

All these issues had already been covered by well-honed practices – there were no contingencies to be made.

Well, he might have to attend but he was deeply relieved to have Sookie safely out of the way. Her ideas held merit, and her fairy-skills could almost guarantee their success, but they needed time to adequately plan.

Her safety came first, all else could wait for proper organization.

They just needed a little time to put together a foolproof plan that he could trust would assure her safety…and that hopefully wouldn’t require him to take over the state even though he was mostly resigned to that fate.

Who better to assure their safety than himself?

Time was all he needed…time that he suddenly didn’t have when she and her smiling face had knocked on his door just as the sun set later that same day.

It seemed Godric and Sookie’s cousin Claudy were both away from Niall’s palace, so she’d left the letter in Godric’s quarters, and hadn’t waited for their return.

Fuck.

So now they were ready and standing in his living room. Soon they would be going through his kitchen to the door that led to his garage to get into his car so he could drive them to…Compton’s Royal Pain-In-The-Ass Ugly-As-The-Royal-Sideburns Residence.

Double Fuck.

No matter how much he anticipated seeing Compton meet his gooey reward, no matter how much he loathed the slimy ass-sucker…no matter how much he would delight in seeing the cretin’s blood staining some room’s walls, floor, and ceiling, it wasn’t worth risking his Sookie in the process.

She had increased powers – impressively increased in all honesty, and the other abilities she’d finally pointed out to him during the rest of the week were equally if not more impressive, but the potential of risk…

He finally had his Sookie and there was no way in any level of hell he would risk losing her now.

Unfortunately the highly dangerous ending of Compton – vampire king of Louisiana, for fuck’s sake – was something she wanted to do, something she needed to do…and he, also unfortunately, couldn’t say no to her, not about something so important to the not-quite-claimed love of his unlife.

He had used the time remaining to council her to caution, not that he held any misguided belief it had actually worked, and to help her hone her fairy-skills even more.

Fairy Sookie, he was discovering, was a forced to be reckoned with…and played with…and teased and kissed and they had come so close…

Focus.

Fairy Sookie was a handful, he reminisced with a hidden smirk as he considered her breasts all-but gift-wrapped in that gown.

Focusing could be fun…but now was not the time for that sort of focus.

Damn it.

At least they’d had fun, though, even if it hadn’t been his preferred variety. They’d made a game of tossing potential plans back and forth, some realistic, some quite laughably outlandish, and more than a few had made Eric very glad he wasn’t on Sookie’s bad side.

The suggestion involving hot dogs, fire ants, and something called a “rectal funnel” came to mind…

Eric hid a shiver as he remembered when Sookie had explained the connection to him.

“Hot dogs” were apparently a tasty but semi-edible food item and had nothing to do with canines. It seemed the fire ants were nasty defensive little beasts with an atrociously painful sting and they considered these hot dogs delicious, too.

Fairy Sookie could be a little scary sometimes.

In the end he had finally, if partially, talked her into a series of less-risky possibilities that would depend entirely on which opportunities might arise during the course of the evening.

That partial agreement had been the best he could hope for but it was marginally better than nothing.

He would never admit how very much he appreciated the idea of Sookie linking arms with Compton on one side, himself on her other, then simply popping them over to a prepared, and handily disposable, house he unofficially owned near that uninhabited swamp where he could play for nights on end…

Far more often than he probably should have, throughout the week Eric had savored the thought of simply taking Compton out himself. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t fantasized about doing it before. He’d still be stuck with the kingdom, of course, but at least Sookie’s name would be kept out of everything.

By the evening of the fucking gala he had gleefully plotted at least 157 foolproof death-to-Compton scenarios that involved weeks, sometimes months, of copious pain and, often, fatal blood loss, and these plans didn’t involve Sookie…

…and…they…didn’t involve Sookie.

He couldn’t do that to her, damn it.

She wanted and deserved her revenge. That she wanted him by her side when it all went down still made his cock harden.

Eric firmly subdued the urge to throw his delicious hybrid over his shoulder and haul her off somewhere secure, ravish her until she was too exhausted to move, then go end the slimy fucker himself while she was safely tucked away.

Ahhh, a vampire could dream…

There were far too many variables possible with the night’s event, too many people milling around, too much…Compton, but Sookie was determined to have, or at least initiate, her revenge on the vampire she’d been referring to as “Bee-yul“.

Damned if he could blame her. Plus with her accent her corruption of the fucker’s name was, as she would say, “just plain damn funny”.

Eric couldn’t help prevent a small but rising tide of anticipation…fucker had no idea that his “Plus One” was the one and only Sookie Stackhouse-Brigant…

That did bring a grin to his thousand year old lips.

The look on Compton’s face when he saw them…especially when he spied Sookie – the same Sookie who had fried his ass – dangling on his arm like the world’s most delicious (and lethal) arm candy.

Not to mention the fact that the hybrid in question was truly radiant in her red silk gown with the deep neckline and flowing skirt… The pattern made by the thick gold threads adorning the dramatic red gown naturally drew the eye to her rounded, and freely bouncing, breasts and the inviting width of her softly curved hips.

Compton was going to explode.

Eric adjusted the fit of his trousers.

His own tailored black tux was subtly and elegantly expensive, and he thought for a moment about how this was their first official date.

Considering how nothing had gone normally between them since their first meeting, the fact that their first official date would be going to a useless gala thrown by her former boyfriend, the King of Louisiana, and being held in said King’s garish overly-modern “residence”, and that their sole reason for attending was to hasten the ending of said vampire’s undead status…it was all par for the course.

He shook his head as he watched her tuck in a stray hair as she stood before the mirror she’d magically attached to the wall.

Later, assuming better luck held and they were successful in their endeavors, or at least still alive afterward, he would gladly plan things that might actually qualify as “first date” activities…whatever those might be. He wanted to give Sookie experiences to enjoy and smile about, good memories to visit with fondness.

Although the ending of Compton would definitely qualify…

He inhaled and exhaled in preparation for his upcoming suggestion.

“Sookie, before we leave I would like to ask you a question.”

The unusual seriousness of his voice warranted her full attention and she turned to face him…and her reaction was the same as it was the first time she’d seen him that evening.

Woah…

It had been hard enough to look away from him as it was. Her Eric – at some point during the week her Fairy side had come to the inevitable conclusion that he was hers regardless of her human side’s finer tendencies – was a massively sexy beast no matter what he wore, but there was something about her Eric in a tux…

That potent blend of suave cosmopolitan finesse and raw sexual animal…both were magnificent beasts at home in their natural element but when combined both shed their veneers to become…uniquely, enthrallingly, mouth-wateringly Eric.

Fairy Sookie wanted to play, but Human Sookie just wasn’t quite ready.

But she could sure as hell look…and think…

Too bad her damn knees were starting to shake.

“What is it?”

This was probably about yet another precaution he wanted to discuss with her. As certain about their safety as she was, she would still give respect and fair attention to his concerns. After all, while they both had skills and she had her powers, he’d had more than a thousand years to hone his trouble detection systems, and he deserved her full attention.

Eric had been honest about his reservations during the past week. There was no denying his enthusiasm for ending Bill, that had never been in doubt, but his worry for her safety had been both obvious and sweet.

If he felt something was odd about the upcoming “party”, there was something odd about the upcoming “party”.

As much as she appreciated it, however, it wasn’t necessary. Barring finding herself in a room filled with rusty iron she could pop herself, and him if need be, to or from anywhere. She could call to her hand any object she could envision. She could power her scent on or off in the blink of an eye. She could throw balls of literal fire at a whim.

She was a powerful fairy and thus didn’t see a problem but her Eric, bless his ancient Viking heart, could…and did.

So she would listen.

“I would like for us to exchange blood.  The suggestion and the timing are both for a reason.”

Sookie regarded him steadily for a moment, her curiosity piqued and her shock hidden adequately.

She knew that “exchanging blood” was a politely worded euphemism for forming a double, in that it went both ways, bond, but what she didn’t know was why Eric would want to form one with her so soon after getting together, and especially why he would want to do that now.

“Ok, big guy, let’s hear it.”

Eric quirked his lips briefly.

“I apologize that the first time you had my blood it wasn’t by your choice. I’m not sorry that you had it, but I’m sorry for the deception. This time will be different; this time I would offer you the option. It would be for both our benefit.” Eric paused, and when she voiced no immediate objections, he breathed a little easier.

All week the thought of bonding with Sookie, or at least giving her his blood, had been running through his mind. He knew that she desired him for the clues her body had been giving him had driven him to far more solo sessions with his shower than he would wish to admit, but he knew she still had some sort of reservations. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t tease her unmercifully…but he would give her time to come to him…time that would translate into shower time…but there was no rush.

He knew, therefore, that she wasn’t ready for the fuck-fest that was sure to follow a true exchange when completed in such comfortable circumstances. She might, however, be amenable toward the emotional aspects of a shared bond.

While she didn’t say anything, she did incline her head at his apology, so he continued.

“You know that the ingestion of a vampire’s blood enables the vampire to sense your location and to an extent sense your emotions. Both can be useful in the kind of situation we’re likely to encounter in the next couple hours. If we exchange blood to create a true bond, that connection would be even stronger and it might flow both ways given your heritage.”

A thoughtful look crossed his Sookie’s face so he paused again to let her process the information. He wouldn’t rush her or try to push her into making a decision. This had to be by her choice.

“And your blood would make me stronger and help me to heal faster if I got hurt, too.”

He nodded.

“You think I might be able to sense your location and how you were feelin’ if we did a real exchange?”

He nodded again. “I believe so. After one exchange a human wouldn’t be able to sense my location, at best they might be able to sense if I’m nearby, but they might notice my most extreme emotions. With your heritage, I believe you would be more than able to do both.”

Sookie walked over to the desperately beige couch and perched on the edge.

“Why now? Why not earlier this week?”

Eric exhaled then walked over to sink to one knee before her, and took her hand in his.

“I have thought of this all week but I wasn’t sure if you were ready, didn’t know if this was something you would want. So tonight, I decided to simply…ask you.”

She squeezed his hand and nodded, and her expression was gratifyingly thoughtful.

“Also, you should know that the mutual sharing of blood is extremely…sensual for a vampire. Bluntly, it would be an all-night fuck-fest of the highest order if given the right circumstances. I know you want me, Sookie, but I also know that you’re not quite ready to take that step, not yet.”

Sookie made to speak, but he quickly placed his fingers over her lips.

“I am fine with this. Impatient and hard more often than not, but I will not rush you. I want you when you are ready. Tonight’s time constraint will certainly…help…with whatever situation would…arise.”

The naughty blue twinkle in his eyes assured her of the truth in his statement as well as the fact that he really was fine with waiting.

Sookie smiled and Eric noted that it was with both humor and relief. He kissed her knuckles then waited for her to give his suggestion due consideration.

“So if we were to do this tonight, how would we go about it?” She indicated their mode of dress.

“Well,” he drawled, “you could easily pop out of your clothing, lean back on this couch and spread your le…”

“Eric!” She playfully slapped his shoulder. “Be serious!”

With a wicked grin and a raised brow he replied, “Oh I am… Or,” he added with extreme resignation at her look, “if you only wanted to take my blood, I would place you on my lap, bite my wrist and you would simply drink from me while ignoring anything that happens under your luscious bottom.”

Her spurt of laughter was music to his ears even if he wasn’t kidding.

“If you desired to create a double bond with me, then I would still seat you on my lap, and I would still bite my wrist for you, but I would bite and drink from your wrist, or neck if you choose, while you drink from me. So long as we drink from the other at the same time, it would count. The same would, of course, apply about my…”

“Eric,” she admonished again, her smile still evident even as her expression turned more serious.

Sookie bit her lip as she hurriedly considered the situation. This was…this was bonding. Sure, it was only a first stage mutual bond and from what Godric had explained to her it had to happen at least twice more for it to become permanent in humans, but she wasn’t entirely human.

Could she handle feeling Eric’s emotions?

She liked the idea of knowing what he was feeling and knowing where and how he was especially when things such as safety came into the game, but…well…well, she did know how to use her shields against the telepathy so they could probably be modified to keep her from going nuts feelin’ what he felt…

And he had been right, of course. She did want him, badly in fact. All week they had been coming closer and closer to that delicious point of no return, and if she wasn’t mistaken – and she wasn’t – his jeans had paid the price more than once for the make-out sessions on various flat surfaces, and those sessions were growing in both intensity and frequency.

Even now the tone of his voice and that look in his eyes were maddening.

Oh, bother…

“Yes.”

Fairy Sookie answered the question and that was that.

“Yes? Are you sure? This would form a bond between us.”

Eric caught the flash of insecurity in her beautiful eyes, and promptly stated, “I want this. I would not have suggested it otherwise. And, if we do this and then you decide this isn’t something you want, it wouldn’t be permanent. It would fade with time.”

“How will the fact that I’ve already had your blood affect me this time around?”

“It might enhance your reception of me, and perhaps mine of you, but it shouldn’t affect the permanence of the bond except to strengthen it while it’s in effect.”

Sookie nodded. “Ok, so how…?”

Eric sat beside her and gently if quickly pulled her onto his lap so that her back rested against his chest.

“Do you want me to drink from your neck or your wrist?”

He didn’t even try to calm his already hardening cock – that cannon was going to fire regardless. Vampire speed and an identical pair of trousers would dispose of the evidence.

“Neck,” she answered, and he could scent her rising desire at the idea. She continued with superbly guileless innocence, “And don’t heal the fang scars. Leave them visible for now. They can be healed later.”

Eric groaned softly as his fangs snicked down and the cannon almost exploded.

His claiming marks on his fairy would be publicly visible – especially to vampire eyes.

Compton would lose his shit.

Determined to share and incite as much pleasure as he could even though he knew what he craved most would have to wait, he lightly trailed his nose along Sookie’s exposed neck, back and forth… His hands around her waist rose to cup and fondle her breasts as he inhaled her scent then indulged in a gentle nip to taste her skin.

His gut clenched when she gasped.

As they had grown physically closer during the past week, he had learned more about what she liked, what she wasn’t crazy about, and what would make her flood the room with the fragrance of her arousal.

Tonight he had planned to be good, for the most part; he really had. He had been going to keep his hands to himself…for the most part…but when he was blasted with that tidal wave of proof of Sookie’s arousal when he nipped his way along her neck…and the breathless moan that followed…

“Can you use your magic to straighten out some wrinkles,” he growled, his words more statement than question.

At her moaned affirmation, using both hands he quickly hiked her skirt up to her waist, and nipped again at her neck as he eased her thighs apart to rest them on each side of his.

He slid his thumbs beneath the sides of her panties to quickly rip them, and a widening of his thighs to spread her own both eased removal of the offending underwear and revealed the damp nest of neatly trimmed curls.

Eric nipped her neck again as he lowered one large hand to tease and explore her inner thighs while he raised the other hand to tease his thumb over her hard nipple.

As he tongued the spot he planned to bite, he allowed his fingers to drift through those deliciously damp curls, and moved his legs to spread hers far apart.

How he would have loved to be facing a full-length mirror just then…

The moment he parted her swollen lips and made contact with the hardened bundle of nerves he sought, she arched back against him.

Her breathless “yes” combined with the rubbing of her bottom against his cock made him catch his breath.

With his thumb and forefinger he squeezed and rolled her sensitive nipple while he circled and tapped her engorged clit with maddening slowness. Her instinctive bucking worked his cock better than his hand ever could and he could feel himself nearing that edge.

With lightening speed he removed his hand from her breast, bit his wrist, and placed the bleeding wounds to her parted lips. When he felt her latch on, he gently slid his fangs into the butter-soft skin of her neck, and together they drank.

The knowledge that his blood was on her lips, was crossing her tongue…easing down her throat… He came at once.

Moments later, as he rubbed and tapped her clit harder and faster, she came, but he didn’t stop.

He neither increased nor decreased his attentions to her most sensitive bundle of nerves, instead keeping her thighs spread wide and his hand in constant motion as he worked to bring her to her pleasure again…and again.

Determined to make the most of this chance, he willed the small wounds in his wrist to remain open, and as he slowly drank from her neck, he could feel the magical barriers between them fading.

Finally his would did close and he sealed but did not heal his bites in her neck, but by then he had brought her intense pleasure three times to his own found twice.  He wrapped his arms about her waist and held her close as he slowly drew his legs together so she could close hers more comfortably.

Her pleasured satiation flooded their newly-created bond along with a small burst of humor, and he smiled.

“How do you feel?”

“Can’t you tell,” she teased. As though it was a new thought in her mind, she could feel his own satisfaction surging through what she knew to be their connection. It held an undercurrent of instinct reinforced with love and power and possession that was proving to be a serious distraction.

“Yes, but I still want to hear the words. I know this wasn’t exactly what you had in mind but…”

“It was perfect,” she firmly interrupted him as she hugged his arms with her own. “It was perfect, and yes, I’m fine. More than fine,” she purred.

Sookie turned on his lap to better face him, and kissed his neck since she couldn’t reach his lips at that angle.

He groaned in enjoyment, then grumbled, “None of that or we’ll never leave this house… On second thought…”

She laughed as she rose on shaky legs.

“Oh, hush it, you, and go get changed. We have a date to go on and a king to kill and the night’s not gettin’ any younger.”

He rose, turned, and promptly kissed his flushed and starry-eyed Sookie senseless.  Tonight was going to be so much fun.

“Yes, dear.”

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**A/N:  Awwww…they’re “first bonded” now!  So, what did you think?**

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