“What
should I do?” she asked.
“Head
back to Merlotte’s,” he said. “At least if you have to get out of the car, you
can run into the bar.”
“Are
you sure?” she asked.
“Yes,
I have been watching him, he stays right with you and cut off another car to
stay with you,” said Preston. About that time, her phone rang. “Should I see who is phoning you?”
“Yes,”
she said. He opened her purse and reached in and looked at the ID.
“It
is Bill Compton,” he said.
“It
can wait,” she said. She was not that far from Merlotte’s. She kept her eye on
the mirror and the road. “What can they want?”
“Perhaps
Bill can tell you,” said Preston.
“I
just can’t seem to get away from vampires,” she muttered. Finally, Merlotte’s
was in view and there seemed to be a real crowd there. “What is going on?”
“It
is the Take Back the Night people, see their signs?” he said.
“They
won’t leave Sam alone,” she said, sighing.
“Pull
around back and let me get out first, and I will come around to your door,” he
said. Sookie pulled around to the parking space she had just vacated and Preston
got out and went around the back. She noticed he was looking around the area,
something like the way Bill and Eric used to do. She unlocked her car door and
he opened it. She slid out and Preston stayed right behind her. They hurried to
the back door and slid in. Preston shut the back door and Sookie shot the dead
bolt. They headed to the bar.
“What
are you doing back here Sookie?” asked Luna.
“We
were being followed maybe,” she said. “Where is Sam?”
“Crazy
fool called the police,” said Luna. “And then, instead of waiting in here, he
went outside.”
“What
do they want?” she asked.
“What
they always want. They want us to fall off the face of the earth so they don’t
have to share the planet with us,” she said.
“I
should call Bill Compton,” she said.
“We
don’t need vamps here making it worse Sookie,” she said. That was when her
phone rang again. It was Bill.
“Sookie,
where are you?” said Bill’s voice.
“I
am at Merlotte’s, those Take back the night people are outside Merlotte’s again
and it is more than just a few protestors, there is a mob here,” she said.
“Why
are you still there?” said Bill.
“I
came here out of necessity, I was being followed, I didn’t know where else to
go,” she explained.
“Pam
will be there in a minute with Mustapha Khan,” he said and hung up.
“Shit!!!”
she swore.”Pam is a vampire, you can’t be here.”
“Don’t
worry Sookie,” he said.
“No,
you have to get out,” she said.
Outside,
the protesters loudly shouted toward the bar.
It was hard to track what was going on as patrons and protestors blended
and no one noticed when a line of motorcycles pulled in and went around back
and Pam and Eric appeared out of nowhere. Sam looked over at Eric.
“What
have we here?” asked Eric.
“You
know, the usual low lifes,” said Sam, looking at the crowd. A large black wolf
appeared and stood by Eric. It was Mustafa Khan, Eric’s day guy. Bill appeared
on the other side of Sam. “Bill.”
“Sam,”
said Bill. “Have you called the police?”
“I
have,” he said. A line of werewolves came and stood in front of Sam and the
vampires. “Alcide?” Bill nodded.
“And
the patrons of the Hair of the Dog,” added Eric. “I phoned them before I left
Fangtasia.”
“Look
there, look who the freak has protecting him, a bunch of wolves and leeches,”
screamed the agitator. “Unnatural and demonic. The Bible says people who shift
their shapes are cursed by God and any creature who drinks blood is evil.”
“Hey,
I saw you in here having a Lafayette Burger and you ordered it rare,” said Sam.
“You were drinking blood, that’s against the Bible. “
“Animal
blood don’t count. It don’t count when they find you with your throat cut
either seeing as how you ain’t human,” he said, stepping closer to Sam.
“Hey,
I’m right here, you can come and get me,” said Sam.
“And
have your freaks and abominations fall on me and eat me? Let’s me and you get
together in our lonesome and settle this and we will see who is the best man,”
said the protestor.
Sam was about to step
from between Eric and Bill when both vampires pulled him back. Bill pointed his
chin toward the Renard Parish patrol car and in drove Andy and Alcee Beck.
Sheriff Dearborn and Kenya and Kevin came in with their SUV. The sirens and
wick wack lights moved the crowd and painted it with red and blue lights. Andy
Bellefleur got out and Alcee Beck looked around.
“What
the hell is going on here?” he shouted. “You people don’t have a right to
protest. This is private property.”
“God
gives us the right,” said a younger man.
“The
last time I looked, Jesus was sitting down to the Crawdad having some bread
pudding. Now you people cease and desist and get off this man’s property,” said
Andy. “Kevin, Kenya, start helping these people clear off.” He walked over to
where Sam was standing between Bill and Eric. Andy knew Bill of course and
recognized Eric from the time Merlotte’s was fire bombed.
“Detective
Bellefleur, this gentleman here made a threat to kill Sam,” said Bill.
“Oh
yeah,” he stepped up to the belligerent. “That true?”
“I
would do it again and he best be careful because I make good on it,” he said.
“Not
in the near future,” he said. “Alcee, cuff him and read him his rights.” Alcee
Beck looked as though he was not happy about this. Sheriff Dearborn came up,
hitching up his tans.
“Andy,
why are you arresting this fellah?” he asked.
“Threatening
bodily harm, inciting a riot on private property and terroristic threat,” said
Andy.
“That
last won’t hold, Congress has not decided his status yet,” said the Sheriff.
“Well
until they decide, I am treating Sam as the citizen he is until I am told
otherwise,” said Andy. “Cuff him Alcee.” The Sheriff stepped over to Sam.
“I
think you can agree this is just a misunderstanding,” said Sheriff Dearborn.
“Protestors against you…people…were not the ones who fire bombed your bar, in
fact if I remember, it was one of your own kind who did the actual firebombing
trying to get to Sookie Stackhouse.”
“That
is true, but these people are on my property and I want them off,” said Sam.
“You
know, you may be happier with your own kind, you ain’t from around here, so
maybe you would be happier to just move on Sam,” said Dearborn.
“I
ain’t going anywhere,” said Sam.
“Suit
yourself,” said the Sheriff. “Well, it looks as though they are clearing off.
Kenya, Kevin, come on, we are going back to the station.”
“Excuse
me?” asked Kenya.
“They
are dispersing, “said Dearborn. “Let’s go.”
“Kevin,
take the Sheriff back to the station, I will stay here and help Andy and Alcee
get the rest of these yahoos off here,” she said. Kevin gave Kenya a look and
then left the area and went to the SUV and waited for Sheriff Dearborn to get
into the passenger side.
“Well,
he was delightful,” said Eric. He looked at Bill. “Sookie Stackhouse is
inside?”
“I
guess, I didn’t see her come in,” said Sam. “I was outside.”
“We
should speak to her,” said Eric.
“No,
I am sorry, you came here and I appreciate it, but I can’t have you hurting her
again,” said Sam.
“I
promise to not even speak to her. Bill will do that,” he said. “And she is
speaking to Bill.” Sam looked at Eric.
“Don’t
make a problem for me,” he said.
“I
will not make a problem for you,” said Eric.
Sookie looked worried when she saw Sam, Bill,
Eric and Pam come in with a pack of wolves. Not so much over the wolves, but
because Preston was still there and he was a full-blooded fae. Eric’s head went
up right away. “Impossible,” he muttered.
“I
thought all the fae were gone,” said Bill.
“Obviously
not…Yum,” said Pam. There was a hard glittery edge to her eyes as she looked at
Preston.
“Preston,
please go, they smell you, they know you are fae,” she said through her teeth.
“I
won’t leave you,” he said.
“Just
go, disappear, go get your car and meet me at my house, you remember where I
live?”
“Of
course,” he said. “Are you sure you will be safe?”
“Don’t
worry faery, Sookie will be okay,” said Luna. Preston traced the tips of his
fingers over her cheek and disappeared. There was a noticeable change in the
atmosphere.
“I thought the fae were
all gone,” said Bill.
“Yeah,
I thought so too,” said Sookie. “Is everything okay out there?” She watched the
wolves file out toward the back presumably to put on their clothes.
“They
have just about cleared out the parking lot,” said Sam.
“So,
what was that all about?” she asked.
“It
is the usual thing, part of the campaign against Supernaturals,” said Luna. “I
knew this was a mistake when we took a page from the vampire playbook and made
ourselves known.”
“Sookie,
do you know who was following you?” asked Bill.
“No,
I didn’t even know I was being followed until Preston told me,” she said.
“How
much do you know about this fae?” asked Bill.
“I
just met him really,” said Sookie.
“And
you thought it was a good idea to have him in your car alone,” said Eric. Sam
flashed him a warning look but he ignored him. About that time, Alcide and his
wolves appeared.
“Eric,
Mustafa said he would meet you back at Fangtasia,” he said. Eric gave him a
nod.
“Answer
me Sookie,” said Eric. “Why did you have a strange fae in your car tonight?”
“None
of your damned business,” she said. “Who is following me?”
“It
was likely one of Latesta’s people,” said Bill. “We happen to know he is in
Vegas.”
“So
they are after me,” she said.
“As
we tried to warn you before,” said Eric.
“Do
you think this protest had anything to do with Sookie being followed?” asked
Luna.
“We
don’t think so, it seems entirely coincidental,” said Bill.
“That
we know of,” said Eric. “I am still
concerned with Sookie’s new friend.”
“You
needn’t be,” she said. Eric grinned at her.
“Always
so easy to deceive,” said Eric. Sookie felt her rage rise up and she made to go
around the bar but Alcide grabbed her before she could get to Eric. Eric
chuckled. “Sam, you may want to get some extra security in here, you have been
targeted.”
“I
will take that under advisement, Eric, now if you don’t mind, we have clean up
to do,” he said.
“Sookie,
think it over,” said Eric. “Ask yourself if you really trust Preston. Why he is
really here and what might he want from you.” Eric left at vampire speed and
left the shutting door in his wake. Bill turned to her.
“Should you feel
frightened at home, do not hesitate to come to my house,” said Bill. “You still
have my key?”
“Yeah,
thanks Bill,” she said.
“Good
night Sookie. Sam, let me know if there is anything you need,” said Bill.
“Thanks
for coming tonight,” said Sam. Bill walked calmly out the door. Alcide faced
Sam.
“I
know you are a shifter and not aligned, but consider yourself a friend of the
pack, if you need anything, call us, the pack will be there,” said Alcide.
“Luna, I’ll see you at the meeting.”
“See
you around Alcide,” she said. The werewolves filed out of the bar and there was
the sound of motorcycles.
“Sookie,
would you like for me to follow you home?” asked Sam.
“We
can follow her home,” said India, standing there by Pam. They were holding
hands. “We could even stay if you like.”
“Just
follow me home that will be good enough,” said Sookie.
“Let’s
go then,” said Pam. Sookie grabbed her purse and headed for the back of the bar
and out the back door. She had her keys in her hand and went to her car and
unlocked her car door and got in. Pam waved at her as she got into India’s
little car.
Sookie
carefully drove home and India and Pam stayed close to her. When she got to her
house, India pulled up beside her. Sookie leaned over and rolled down her
window. “Bubba is in the woods, so just shout if you have trouble, and please,
I know Eric was not very nice about it, but really you should find out more
about your friend,” said Pam.
“Thank
you India, Pam, and I will find out,” she said. It was hard for her to believe
sometimes Pam was Eric’s get, she was as hard as he was sometimes, but somehow,
she seemed far more reasonable than her maker. Maybe it was because she was not
that old. They backed out to the main road and Sookie pulled around the back of
her house. There was a red Hyundai parked out behind her house, but not under
the covered car awning. She pulled in and the security light came on. She could
see Preston sitting in his car, waiting for her. She got out and looked around.
Preston came out. “Hurry, there is a vampire in the woods,” she said. He came
around the car and was beside her in no time and she had the door unlocked and
the both of them in her kitchen. She turned on the light in the kitchen.
“Are
you hungry? We didn’t get to have supper,” she said.
“If
it is no trouble,” he said.
“I
have some Freschetta’s pizzas in the icebox, I can fix that,” she said.
“That
is fine Sookie, I like pizzas,” he said. He looked around. She got a baking pan
out, opened the icebox, took out the pizzas, took them from their packages,
laid them on the pans, and turned on the oven. He watched her move around. “I
have a beer if you like.”
“Will
you be having one?” he asked.
“Sure,”
she said. She opened her fridge again, grabbed the two beer bottles, opened
them, and handed him one. She sipped it. “It will be about 30 minutes.”
“Sookie,
do you trust me?” he asked.
“I
am not sure, I haven’t decided yet,” she said.
“Was
it something Eric said?” he asked.
“No,
I just don’t know you very well,” she said. “Eric doesn’t trust you either but
he doesn’t trust you because you are a man, not really because you are fae.”
“I
don’t know about that. Vampires and fae do have that volatile relationship,” he
said. “You should be careful, Sookie, there are those who will harm you.”
“Will
you harm me?” she asked.
“No,
and I know you don’t believe that yet, but no, I will not harm you, and I will
not allow anyone else to harm you,” he said. “Now, who would be after you?”
Sookie
looked down for a moment and then looked up and began to speak.
Sam
and Luna lay the darkness of Sam’s room. Luna was not asleep. She lay with her
head on his chest and listened to his heart, beating just a little faster than
a regular human. “You okay, you’re awful quiet.”
“Do
you think Sookie was the target of tonight’s trouble?” she asked softly.
“No,”
he said. “They weren’t after her, as much as we would like to believe they were
interested in someone else, they were after us.”
“Who
was after Sookie?” she asked.
“Apparently,
according to Bill, there is a big shot vampire who is interested in what Sookie
can do,” he said.
“I
just don’t want her shit overlapping on us,” said Luna. “I like Sookie, she is
the reason I came here, and I know what she did for you, with her…thing…and for
that I could never repay her, but we have our own problems, we don’t need hers
as well.”
“I
can’t turn my back on her,” said Sam. “She and I have been through a lot, we
are best friends, and she saved not only my life, but my bar.”
“Just…don’t
get killed, Sam,” she said.
“Would
you miss me?” he asked, chuckling a little.
“I
would miss you, because I think I am in love with you and I don’t want to lose
you,” she said.
“You
are in love with me?” he asked.
“Yeah,”
she said. “Maybe.”
“And
you didn’t get to her?” asked Latesta.
“No,”
said the voice at the other end. “I am sorry.”
“You
are saying sorry to the wrong person,” said Latesta. “I will be back in
Louisiana tomorrow. Gather everyone together in the Minden church and we will
have a discussion about our next plan.”
“Yes
sir,” said the voice.
Rachel
brought Bill a bottle of TrueBlood. She was surprised to see Bill at her door.
She opened the door quickly without turning on the porch light and he slipped
in quickly. She felt as though she was having an affair with a married man with
all this cloak and dagger stuff. He took the bottle out of her hand and thanked
her. “So Merlotte’s is okay?” she said.
“Yes,”
said Bill. “So I want you to be extremely careful. When do you have your window
replaced?”
“Tomorrow,”
she said. “Divine Signs are coming in the day after to repaint it.”
“Be
very cautious sweetheart,” he said. “I wish I could be with you to keep you
safe during the day.”
“I
know,” she said. “I will just be more vigilant. I appreciate your concern.”
“I
am concerned,” he said. “I’ve come to care about you a great deal on short
notice.”
“I
care about you too,” she said. He pulled her closer, she leaned forward, and he
kissed her. Her arms went around his neck and he pulled her closer, his arms
around her waist. He could taste her desire, a taste like heat and spice.
Seeing Sookie tonight did not affect him as she used to, even with the
tantalizing scent of a full-blooded fae in the air. He pulled Rachel closer to
him, he could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and her breath was faster
as they deepened their kiss. Bill felt his fangs snick down and he pulled away
from her a little. “Hey, hey, it’s okay.”
“Rachel,”
he said.
“If
it helps, I feel the same way, even if I don’t have fangs that show you how
much I appreciate you,” she said. He looked at her and pressed his lips
together and smiled briefly at her. “Let me see them.” She leaned forward
again, her small breasts pressed against him. He parted his lips and she could
see them. “May I touch them? I mean, I guess that is silly to ask, they are
just teeth, after all.” He opened his lips a little and she put her fingertips
on the sharp tip of one of his fangs. He closed his eyes and sighed. “Fantastic.” He smiled and they retracted.
“I
don’t think I have ever had a woman react quite like that to my fangs,” he
said.
“Well,
if I am going to like you, I should like all of you,” she said. She leaned
forward and kissed him again, pressing him back on her couch.
“So,
because of this telepathy, you have two factions who are after you, a vampire
faction and a human one,” said Preston, finishing his pizza.
“Yeah,
“she said.
“Sookie,
can you read my mind?” he asked.
“No,
I get this sense of fuzzy sort of energy from your head, like I could tell you
are here, or if you were asleep, but I can’t hear your thoughts,” she said.
“And
two natured?” he asked.
“I
get a sense of their emotions and sometimes a word or two but not really a
thought unless they are really concentrating hard to sort of beam me a
thought,” she said.
“And
vampires?” he asked.
“They
are blank spots in the atmosphere, like seeing a hole. I guess it is because
they are dead, they don’t have brain waves I guess and I can’t read their
minds,” she said.
“So,
of what use would you be to vampires?” he asked.
“They
like to collect quirky humans like me so they have an edge on humans and other
vampires. Most all important vampires have humans who sort of take care of
them, like doing stuff for them during the day,” she said. Preston nodded.
“Isn’t
there somewhere you could go, hide out?” he asked.
“They
would find me, or they would get to Jason or Sam or someone else I care about
and I would just have to come back and face them,” she said. “Really no point.”
“Unless
they thought you were dead,” he said.
“And
not be able to come back and see Jason? I couldn’t do that,” she said.
“I
see,” he said. Preston looked thoughtful. Sookie looked at the clock. It was
coming close to midnight. She yawned widely. “I should go, let you go to bed.”
“I
liked having you here,” she said, careful not thank him.
“Thank
you for having me, Sookie. Next time, it’s my treat,” he said.
“I’ll
take you up on that,” she said.
The
next day, Rachel was watching anxiously as the guy from Rear Window Glass
positioned the window into the aluminum frame. She was happy to see the window
going in but she was worried about what might happen next. She had to admit,
she was more nervous now and she looked at people warily. By the time they
finished, she was relieved to close her shop door and lock it. She went to the
main counter, called Sally, and told her that she would open tomorrow and she
could come in today and call clients and let them know the store and the
classes were open.
After
she got off the phone, Rachel filled her water pitcher and began to water her
plants. She thought about Bill. She was disappointed Bill had decided to go
home so early. She had wanted him to stay a little longer. Oh hell, Rachel, be
honest, you wanted him to take you to bed. This was true. She had never wanted
to sleep with someone so much in her life. It was not that she was incredibly
experienced. Her first was Tommy Hambrick and that was when they were in high school and then there were two guys after
high school, but they wanted more, maybe someone who was more fashionable, more
flashy. Rachel was beautiful in her own way, but her mother had always said she
was born too late. She was an old world beauty with lovely old-fashioned ways.
Now
she had Bill here, interested in her, literally from another time. He seemed to
like her southern manners and her old-fashioned tastes. Before he left, in an
attempt to cool things off perhaps, he asked for a tour of her house. He loved
the way she had preserved the integrity of the house, spending hours picking
out the right trim and sanding the old fireplace and staining it dark, the
restored hardwood floors and the carefully restored windows, still holding the
wavy handmade window panes. He liked her picture array on the mantle. She
showed him pictures of her parents, her grandparents and later, the stiff,
formal portraits of people all the way back to just before the war. The only
differences he saw was of course the electricity and the indoor bathrooms and
modern plumbing in the kitchen. By the time they returned to the downstairs of
the house, he turned to her, kissed her goodnight and left.
Rachel
had heard vampires were skilled lovers. Of course you would be, after all that
time, when getting a meal by peaceful means might depend on your bedroom
prowess. By the way he felt in her arms, he was strongly made and she blushed
as she watered her miniature roses when she wondered what he would look like
naked. Then there was the intrusive thought about Eric. What would he look
like? She mentally castigated herself, that was just being curious for the sake
of it. She shook her head and snickered at her errant thought.
As
she was walking through, she heard a pecking on the door. There was a strange
man there. Bill’s warning voice came to her. He waved and held up a card and a
small bowl of violets. She went over to the door and looked at the card.
“Thinking of you, Bill.”
“Miss
Westnight, I am Danny Prideaux, Mr. Compton told me to bring this to you,” he
said. Rachel opened the door and he stepped in but the door was still open,
kept that way with his back. “I just wanted to give these to you, violets don’t
do so well in the sun.”
“Thank
you, Mr. Prideaux,” she said. “I am sorry if I seem nervous.”
“You
should be ma’am,” he said. “These are bad times.” He set the bowl in her hands
and the card, he gently tucked among the violets. “You have a safe day.”
“Thank
you, you too,” she said. He headed out and she locked her door behind him.
Florists had begun calling violets vampire plants because they thrived best in
artificial or indirect light and plenty of water. She decided to take it home
and put it in her bedroom, under the amber glass shade of the lamp on her
dresser.
Sookie
was surprised when Preston appeared in a shabby tee shirt and jeans and tennis
shoes and two cups of Coffee Bean coffee and a sack of beignets. “You mentioned
you need someone to help you weed, I thought I would offer my services,” he
said.
“Wow,”
she said. “Come on in, I will get dressed.”
“Have
breakfast first,” he said. He shook the sack tantalizingly. She led him into
the kitchen.
“Want
some juice with that? You can have orange juice can’t you?”
“Yes,
just no lemon juice,” he said.
“Why
lemon juice?” she asked, pouring him a glass of juice and then herself one.
“I
don’t know,” he said. “It is just one of those things.” Sookie grabbed a couple of plates and set them
down and Preston opened the bag, put a couple of sugary beignets on the plates
apiece, and licked his fingers to enjoy the powdered sugar. Sookie handed him a
napkin and he wiped his fingers on it. “Sookie, why don’t you have children?”
“Well,
my longest relationships have been with vampires and they can’t get you that
way,” she said.
“Have
you only been with vampires apart from me?” he asked. Sookie blushed. “Please
don’t be embarrassed, I’m not Sookie.”
“No,
I have been with a two natured man. John Quinn, he shifted into a Bengal
Tiger,” she said.
“Did
you like it when he was a tiger?” he asked.
“Well,
he was beautiful, and you know, they are still sort of in there, so they can
think sort of, but you can smell the animal on them, you know what I mean? Sort
of a wild smell, not a people smell,” she said. She had to admit this had been
a small problem for her.
“What
do I smell like to you?” he asked, looking at her with his strange turquoise
eyes.
“It’s
hard to describe. It is like sugar and bread and air after a rain, flowers,
newly mowed lawn,” she said. “Fresh sheets.”
“Good
things,” he said.
“Yeah,
all the best things,” she said.
“And
what do vampires smell like to you?” he asked.
“They
smell dry, secret, and somehow…rich, not like money, but…full of promises,” she
said.
“Dark
promises,” he said.
“Not
always. I mean, vampires are different among themselves as we are. Eric...” she
swallowed. “Eric could be very playful and he was very lively. Bill was like a
lot of old southern guys I have known all my life, real serious and quiet. Pam
is really funny and sarcastic and I get a kick out her.”
“Do
you miss them?” he asked.
“That’s
complicated,” she admitted. “I was in and out of a lot of trouble with them,
but there were times they were lots of uncomplicated fun and of course, not
being able to read their minds was a plus. There were some nights I would get
off work, my head pounding with everyone’s thoughts and come home and there was
Bill or Eric and I could spend time with someone and not hear their heads. It
was like normal life.” She finished her beignet. “Of course, it really wasn’t
normal because neither of us were normal. I was a telepath and come to find
out, a little fae, and Bill and Eric were vampires.”
“Would
you like a child Sookie?” he asked.
“I
would, but I don’t think it is fair for me to bring a child into my life, not
with the kinds of…things that come in and out of my life, maybe endangering it.
It was always hard for me to imagine spending my life with Bill or Eric because
I would get old and they would stay the same, and they would not be…I don’t
think they would stick around.”
“Did
they ever offer to make you…” he asked.
“I
think Eric wanted me to, I think Bill would have. I think of the two of them,
Bill would have liked to make me vampire the most,” she said. “But they both
knew I didn’t want to be vampire.”
“But
you loved them Sookie, didn’t you love who they were?” he asked. Sookie thought
about it.
“Let’s
talk about something else,” she said.
“I’m
sorry, I have upset you,” he said.
“No,
you haven’t. I am going to get dressed and we can start,” she said.
The
sun and cicadas, the buzzing hum of summer in the south, made Sookie think of
Martians in that movie War of the Worlds from the ‘50s. They had two huge
buckets full of weeds and Preston was graceful and strong and was barely dirty
while Sookie was scratched up and dirty.
“Preston,
are you a sky person?” she asked.
“I
am,” he said.
“Is
that why Niall chose you?” she asked.
“Perhaps,
but, my father was friends with your true grandfather Fintan and my father and
mother were killed by the water fae who killed your parents,” he said. “I think
Niall thought we had something in common.”
“How
old are you?” she asked.
“I
am not as old as Eric Northman but I am quite a bit older than Bill,” said
Preston. “Of course, I will age differently now. Not as fast as humans, but,
faster than fae.”
“Could
you get back to Faerie, if you really wanted to?” she asked. He stopped and
stood up.
“I
could get back to Faerie. There are some times of the year where the barrier
between your world and the world of the fae is thin and if you know how, you
can create a slip and go back,” he said. “Witches can help us open the door.
Nothing is absolute.”
“Do
you think you would want to go back someday?” she asked. He stepped up to her.
“Sookie,
are you wondering if I will just disappear?” he asked. He palmed her cheek. She
could smell the fae smell and the smell of the soil and the plants.
“I
just don’t want to like you and then have you disappear,” she said.
“I
will not just disappear,” he said. He leaned down and kissed her, his mouth
tasting of sugar, of sweet coffee and fae. He wrapped his arms around her waist
and pulled her against him. He was so warm and felt so strong. He deepened the
kiss and she put her arms around his neck. She felt all the right things, she
wanted to be with him. She had been thinking about that Yule, and she was
beginning to remember how it was, how he was, and she wanted to see if it was
everything she remembered. She wanted to take him to bed in the sunlight of her
room and watch his eyes change with each stage of their lovemaking. She wanted
to see him without his clothes.
As
though Preston was reading her mind, he broke their kiss and he took her hands,
still dirty from gardening and pulled her to the house.
“Wait
Preston,” she said.
“No
more waiting Sookie,” he said. “Come and we’ll bathe and make love. Either in
your room in your house, or here on the ground under the blue sky. Of course we
might be seen by someone coming up the road, but..I’m not shy.” He smiled and
she was dazzled by the sweet boyish smile.
“Don’t
you think this is fast?” she asked.
“Actually,
I think we are picking up where we left off,” he said. He turned to walk toward
the house and pulled her gently with him. He led her into her room, and he
began to undress her. After a second’s hesitation, she began to help him out of
his clothes. They kissed their way to the bathroom and stood there and kissed
for a long time. Sookie could feel his body pressed against hers, his hard
penis pressed against her belly. He let go of her and ran the water. Sookie was
hooked up to an artesian well and there was no chlorine smell from the tap. He
tested the water with his hand and Sookie gave him a couple of wash clothes. He
held his hand up…that was what he intended to use. She smiled at him and
watched him.
Preston
was six feet tall and he had a light pelt of hair on his chest that led to his
happy place and what he had was big and beautiful, springing up from crisp
curls in his groin. He watched her as she turned to the sink and scrubbed her
hands and got the worst of the dirt off and dried them. When the water was run,
he took her hand and they both slid into the tub. Sookie was grateful to
whomever it was who put in this big tub.
Preston
took the bar of soap and rolled it around in his hands, making a lather and
began to bathe her, running his hands all over. He looked at her and smiled. “I
like it when you smile,” she said, feeling his hands smoothing all over her. He
took his hands in hers and finished the wash job she started, massaging the
soap into her fingertips and palms and then back up her arms. He made a twirly motion and she turned in the tub and
her back was to him and she felt his warm hands spread over her, washing her
shoulders and back. He rinsed her off, and pulled her against him in the bath.
He laid back and brought her with him. They lay there in the steam and soapy
water. She had the faint impression he was blowing on her skin. “Are you essence
sharing with me?”
“Is
that okay?” he asked, one of his hands cupping her breast, and the other
sliding down to her belly.
“What
does that do for you,” she asked. He laughed and his hand slid further down and
he began to toy with her under the water. He held her snuggly against him,
making her moan softly. His lips were on her neck and for a second, she thought
he was going to bite her, and then she remembered he was not a vampire. She
slid around to look at him. “You have the most beautiful eyes, they aren’t like
human eyes at all.”
“You
would be amazed at the number of times people are confronted by the
supernatural and never think of it, it is just something they remember as a
remarkable feature,” he said. “I like your eyes, they look like a storm.”
She
did not know when it happened but suddenly they were out of the tub, the water
going down the drain and they were drying each other off. Once they were dry,
Preston pulled her back against him and kissed her, his hands more insistent
now, kneading her flesh and filling his hands with her. He pushed her gently back
through the bathroom door to the bedroom. She felt the bed hit the back of her
legs and she put her hands out behind her and pushed herself up on the bed. He
followed her. He was astride her, looking down at her. “Do you know how
beautiful you are?” he asked, his voice husky with desire. “I have never
forgotten you and how beautiful you are.” He leaned down and kissed her more
urgently now. Sookie shifted to open her legs to him and he moved between them
and let his weight down on her. He kissed her and felt her arms go around his
shoulders.
Preston
flexed his hips toward her and she mirrored him. He slid into her and held
himself above her, looking down at her, feeling her around him and the sun on
her skin and the clean smell of soap and her own scent. He began to move,
slowly, and he watched her, watching him. He traced her skin with his
fingertips, and he blew on her skin. She felt something like sparks prickling her
skin and the tracings left warm little spots, like impressions.
Sookie
began to mirror him, tracing her fingers over his skin and she blew on the skin
of his shoulder. She did not know if he would get the same benefit she was, but
she imitated him anyway. The light seemed to change in the room as he moved a
fraction faster. It was as if there was light radiating from them, from the
bed, underneath the bed, a light brighter than the sun coming through the
curtains behind the headboard. She moaned and arched her back toward him and
felt herself moving slowly toward that place that held so much promise. He was
deep inside her and there was a fire there she had never experienced, at least
that she could remember. Perhaps this was his own faery glamour the light and
the heat and the tingling.
They
were both working hard now, each toward their own pleasure. He was still
looking at her, looking into her, and suddenly their twin orgasms were like
blinding light, a super nova pushing her up and out and away from earth and
closer to Preston who groaned loudly with his own release. She held on to him,
like a drowning person might hold onto a log and she choked out a sob of relief
and a little bit of fear that he would just be a dream and would disappear just
as she watched the light fade away.
Sookie
blinked and realized she was back from where ever the pleasure had taken her
and her arms were tight around Preston’s neck and he had her in one arm around
her waist, holding her off the mattress and his other arm was holding them up, his palm
flat on the bed. He was looking at her. “Are you okay Sookie?” he asked.
“Can
we do that again?” she asked. “Soon?”
Preston
laid her on the bed and laughed as he kissed her again.
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