I know you’ve been looking forward to this all day. Unfortunately, do to personal reasons, I was unable to be home and post this until now. Your wait is now OVER and your patience has paid off!
Self-published author, Deborah Court sent us the next part in her Eric and Sookie lovin’ story called, Piece of Glass…with the emphasis on lovin’!
WARNING: Just like the rest of her updates, she leaves you with a nasty cliffhanger! But don’t worry…she’s working hard to make sure you’re not waiting too long…she knows how much we find waiting sucks!
In case you’ve missed the two previously posted parts, you can read them here; Part 1 and Part 2!
Now on with the story…believe me, you’re going to LOVE it! ♥
Piece of Glass
Part Three
By Deborah Court
Sookie awoke to the sound of rough male voices, and to the feeling of a crude wooden surface that was vibrating beneath her cheek. Not knowing where she was, she slowly opened her eyes and saw wooden boards to every side of her, reaching just above her head. The ground was shaking, and after a while she realized that she must be in some sort of horse cart that was jousting along a bumpy road.
She felt so dizzy that she wasn’t able to sit up for a while. All the time she kept trying to remember what happened. Since she had renewed the blood bond with Eric, she was now sharing his dream, lost in the world his mind had created while he lay in his self-induced coma. This was so much more intense than that sexually charged dream they had shared the last time. Everything seemed so real. The smells, the noises, the crude wagon she lay on. Even the air felt fresh and cold on her skin, very different to the warm, moist climate of Louisiana. When she looked up, the heaven was gray and clouded.
This must be a part of Eric’s memories, a world that had been real at some point in time. Now all she had to do was to find him and make him return home with her.
Nothing, however, could have prepared her for the sight she beheld when she finally felt well enough to straighten up and look at her surroundings. She was riding in a simple wooden cart, drawn by two horses. They were rattling along the unpaved, dirty road. Sookie looked down at herself and noticed the simple brown dress she was wearing. It was made of thick, warm wool, with a long linen shift underneath. Her feet were covered with ankle-high leather boots, lined with fur.
“Great! I’m dressed like a nun,” she murmured. How was she supposed to seduce Eric into coming back with her when she looked like this? Her hair was a mess, and her tan seemed to have vanished completely.
The carriage driver and two fierce-looking men riding at both sides of the cart were clad in warm clothes and furs. It was their voices she had heard, talking in a language that most likely was Eric’s Norse mother tongue. Whenever they had made love, he had whispered endearments in a strange alien language to her, and it had sounded very similar to this.
The reason for the two men’s excitement obviously was that they were approaching a small village. The muddy road led right through it. Smoke rose up from the small wattle and daub houses, surrounded by a high fence. A man with a spear stood guard at the entrance to the small settlement. The air smelled slightly salty, as if the sea was near.
“Good gracious!” Sookie said under her breath. She didn’t know much about history, but this seemed to be a very authentic medieval Viking village. Without even realizing it, she had entered into Eric’s memories of the world he had been born into. Listening to the voices of the riders again, trying to concentrate on their thoughts, she suddenly began to understand their language. Eric’s blood was truly a miracle. They seemed to be deeper connected than she had thought.
“The witch is awake, Sven,” one of the men said. “See to it that she doesn’t escape. The other one simply nodded. Sookie still wondered about whom they were speaking as she turned around and saw that there were four other persons in the cart; a scraggy young man, two women and a small boy, all of them dirty and looking downright horrified. When she tried to speak to them, they didn’t answer, but looked away.
“Hold your tongue, witch,” the man called Sven bellowed, turning to her. “If you dare to speak in front of our patrons and cast your evil spells, I’ll whip you in front of the whole village, or slit your throat.”
Sookie gasped. They believed her to be a witch! She wondered …
“Don’t talk to her,” the other one said. “It’s unsettling enough that she simply appeared on our wagon, right out of nowhere. Watch the other slaves, they are afraid of her. We’ll get rid of this woman as soon as we can, even if we have to sell her for a lowly price. No one will know that she wasn’t taken in a raid. At least she looks healthy enough for hard work and warming her master’s bed at night.”
“I wouldn’t bed her for all the gold in the world,” his companion said. “I’m sure she’ll bewitch her owner’s cock into falling off afterwards.”
Both men laughed, and Sookie fell silent, too horrified to contemplate what to do next. If she was to be sold as a slave and lose her freedom, how was she supposed to find Eric in this strange, hostile world?
*****
An hour later, after the slave traders had allowed their prisoners to see to their needs on a meadow near the village. Luckily, Sookie found a large tree to hide behind while she relieved herself. They were permitted to eat some dry bread and drink a cup of water before they proceeded to the main street, halting at a circular area that seemed to be some kind of market place. Several merchants were selling their wares behind small booths, and villagers were hustling by, most of them pre-occupied. After a while, a large crowd had gathered to stare at the slaves being presented to possible buyers.
“Buy Saxon thralls, good people!” Sven called, using the Norse expression for a slave. The other man – he was called Bjarne, Sookie had found out by now -, shoved the prisoners to the front, pointing out their benefits. One of the women was sold to a blacksmith first, who fortunately also took her son to help him in the smithy. The youth came next, he was sold as a groom, then the other woman. An elderly matron bought her to help her in the household. Sookie was the last.
“Who wants to buy this girl?” Sven shouted. “She’s small but strong and sturdy.” Brutally, Bjarne grabbed her chin and forced her to open her mouth. “Good teeth, and an unmarred body, fit to use as a bed-slave,” he added. Without forewarning, he grabbed Sookie’s dress, opened it at the neck and yanked it down to her waist. Desperately she tried to cover her naked breasts with her arms, but Bjarne took a grip of her wrists and pulled her arms to the side. A murmur ran through the crowd. Bared to everyone’s gaze, Sookie saw interest flaming up in some of the male villagers’ eyes. Quickly she closed her eyes, unwilling to witness her own shame.
“I’ll take her,” a deep, familiar voice said. “Cover the girl.”
Released from Bjarne’s clasp on her arms, Sookie pulled up her dress and stared unbelievingly at the Viking who had spoken. He was the tallest of all the men present, and the crowd seemed to part respectfully as he entered the market place. “Eric!” she called out, running to him and throwing her arms around his waist. Tears pricked her eyes as she buried her face against his chest, savoring the feel of his body next to hers. She expected him to take her in his arms, but he didn’t.
He looked different, with long hair that reached down over his shoulders, clad in thick, fur-lined clothes and a leather vest. His skin had a deep, golden tan that could only be achieved by spending much time outside. There were fine lines around his eyes, and he looked slightly tired. In this world his mind had created, he could walk in the sun.
His expression didn’t change when he shoved her away, not even looking at her. “I need help with the farm,” he said. “She looks healthy.” He retrieved a small leather bag from behind his belt and threw it to Sven, who thanked him enthusiastically. “Be careful with this one,” Bjarne said. “She’s as stubborn as a mule. You might have to beat her into obedience.”
“I don’t need to beat my thralls to make them understand who their master is,” Eric said coldly. Then he turned and walked away, obviously expecting Sookie to follow. Stunned, she stared at his retreating back for a moment before hurrying after him.
Her Viking would have a lot to explain once she caught up with him.
*****
Eric didn’t say a single word on their ride to his farm. On the outskirts of the village, he had tied a huge black horse to the branch of a tree. The muscle-packed stallion was snorting and rubbing his head against his master’s shoulder as Eric spoke to him in a low, soothing voice, calling the animal Sleipnir. “Eric! We must talk! Listen to me,” Sookie began, but he ordered her to be silent with a gesture of his hand, ignoring her.
When he mounted Sleipnir she wondered if she was to run after him now, but he reached down with his hand and pulled her up into the saddle behind him. Steering the horse into a fast gallop across a barren field, he left Sookie no choice but to wrap her arms around his body. She rested her cheek against his back, sighing softly. It felt so good to be near him again. How could she ever have believed it possible to stay away from him? His golden-streaked hair had grown so long that it grazed her face, and she fought against the urge to entangle her fingers in it.
She must have drifted away, because she awoke to the feeling of strong arms that gently took her down from the horse’s back. Still tired, she blinked and looked around herself, disoriented. Eric’s farm was located at the edge of a forest, surrounded by fertile crop fields. It was a small settlement of several buildings – a large long house in the center, made of timber planks, with a thatched roof. One of the smaller buildings was most probably a barn, another a servants’ quarter. Sookie saw five or six men working on the fields, harvesting the wheat with long sickles. They nodded respectfully as Eric went by. She followed him to the main house impatiently.
They entered a large, rectangular room with a stone hearth in the middle and wooden benches and tables along the fur-covered walls. A door led to a separate chamber that was probably used as a bedroom. Standing in front of the fire, Eric turned to Sookie.
“Keeping this house warm and clean will be your duty from now on,” he said. “You’ll prepare the food and feed the chicken and goose every morning. You can sleep here, on one of the benches near the fire,” he added. “Or sleep with the other thralls in their hut, I don’t care. There are only men here, so you should have company to keep you warm at night.” He looked her up and down. “What is your name?”
Aghast, she simply stared at him. She wasn’t sure if he just teased her, or if he really didn’t remember anything. This vampire definitely had a serious problem with his memory.
“Sookie,” she said. “As you very well know.”
He threw back his head and roared with laughter, his face so handsome that her heart skipped a beat. “What a ridiculous name. Su-ki? We’ll have to think of a proper Viking name for you. If you work hard, in time I’ll grant you your freedom. Now let me take a closer look at you, slave.” He came nearer and narrowed his eyes, the stormy blue of his gaze piercing her.
Circling Sookie, he stopped behind her and bowed his head. Slowly, he raised his hand and stroked her hair aside so her neck was bared to his lips. A fire raced down her body, right into the center of her womanhood. For a moment, she thought that he’d kiss her there, but then she noticed that he was taking in her scent.
“You smell … delicious,” he murmured. “How can a woman smell like that?”
Unable to resist, she closed her eyes and leaned back into him. He growled deep in his throat before he closed his arms around her, pulling her against his body. A soft moan escaped her lips when she felt his tall, muscular frame molded to her curves. His large hands began to explore her, wandering from her waist up over her stomach. Her nipples tightened against the crude linen of her shift, aching to be fondled and rubbed. Ever so slowly, he caressed the sides of her breasts. She arched her back, expecting him to cup the soft mounds in his hands; but instead he laughed with male satisfaction and continued to tease her with his long fingers, gently stroking, never fulfilling her need for a firmer touch.
“Are you craving my hands on your naked skin, Sookie?” he murmured into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. “You respond to my touch so easily. Do you remember when you gave yourself to me, how you sighed when you felt me deep inside you for the first time? How could you ever deny what was between us? We fit together perfectly. You were made for me, fairy princess.”
Sookie turned around and backed away from him, still panting with unfulfilled desire. “You!” she shouted as she faced him angrily. “So you did remember who I was! You made me believe that you’d lost your memory again!”
He shrugged. “Just a tiny falsehood. And why should I bother? You’re not real anyway.”
“Pardon me?”
“I am well aware that you are just a figment of my imagination. It was foolish of me to think that I could simply forget you.”
“Eric!” she said anxiously, grabbing his hand. “Can’t you see that I’m real? It’s me, Sookie. I came here to bring you back with me. There’s a death sentence on your head, and you commanded Pam to stake you at dawn. We have to return to reality and find a way to hide you from the Authority.”
He smiled, pressing a kiss into her palm. “Of course you’d say something like that if you were the real Sookie. I’m grateful if I’ll meet the true death by Pam’s hand. It’s long overdue.”
“Have you gone mad?” Sookie cried out. “I’ll not give up on you. And what the hell do you mean by ‘it’s long overdue’?”
He averted his eyes and stared into the flames, seemingly lost in the past. “When I still was human, I should have died from a wound inflicted in battle. Odin had decided to take me to Valhalla to join the bravest of his warriors. But Godric turned me, and I foolishly chose life instead of accepting my destiny. It was my own decision. Maybe the Gods will grant me entry to Asgard if I die honorably. I am an outcast, Sookie.”
“You are not!” Sookie said. “You belong to me. Please come home with me, Eric.”
A single tear rolled down her cheek. Eric caught it with his finger and raised it to his mouth, tasting it on his tongue. “So sweet,” he murmured. “I might be trapped in this purgatory forever, but at least I’ll have your lovely vision to accompany me. Now you’ll be finally mine.”
“But I am already yours,” she said, despair in her voice. “I love you. Only you.”
He smiled sadly. “Another proof that you are just a part of my dream. The real Sookie would never say that.”
Sobbing, she threw herself into his arms. She buried her fingers in his hair and pulled him down to her, kissing him desperately. “I love you,” she whispered again.
“Then show me how much you love me,” he answered. Still not believing her, his mood had shifted, and his eyes were darkened with lust. Groaning, he cupped her backside with his large hands and pressed her against his body so she could feel his massive erection. His mouth wandered down her neck, licking her to get a first taste. She moaned softly when she felt his fangs slide out and graze her skin.
“Show me, Sookie.”
*****
To be continued…
© All characters are the property of Charlaine Harris and True blood HBO. No copyright infringement is intended. No monetary compensation is gained. Used for entertainment purposes only.
Thanks once again for not leaving us in suspense for too long, Deborah! Now, hurry up and finish the next part, so we can read some Eric and Sookie lovin’! This is SO GOOD!
Now it’s your turn to tell Deborah what you think! Share your thoughts below!
