Keep Me Epilogue

Epilogue:

~Five Years Later~

Sitting upon his throne at Fangtasia, Eric watched the dancing bodies on the floor before him. He had not anticipated the reception the Great Revelation had brought. Though, of course, there were zealots and arrogant people that thought vampires were an abomination, he had found his niche of individuals begging for a chance to encounter vampires.

At first, their feeding habits had only intrigued the darkest of souls that darkened his nightclub’s doorway. Eventually, “brave” people came around, and then came those who were just curious. It had taken nearly a year after the Revelation for Eric to acquire the proper licensing for his establishment, a lot of the time being reduced by healthy campaign donations, and more than a couple of blatant threats. However, once the red tape was cut, and a few toes were stepped on, Fangtasia was ready to open the second the permits were signed.

Sookie had been invaluable to him during that time. She negotiated with public servants, knowing all of their hesitations and having a palatable alternative to quell their resistances. In his club, the telepath was quick to point out cops who were looking for any means to close him down, as well as alert him of a new threat the vampires had not anticipated:

Drainers.

It had not taken long after the Revelation for humans to discover the perks of taking in vampire blood. Even some of vampires’ weaknesses had been uncovered and used against them in that short time. However, every vampire that came to display themselves, as ordered by Eric, in the club knew that they were being watched over by their Sheriff’s gifted Mate.

The role Sookie played in the club was still a mystery to the humans. They were wary of her, for many reasons, the most obvious being the sword she wore threateningly upon her hip. No one knew why the weapon was so prominently displayed, and they did not wish to find out. All they knew was that they did not wish to be at the pointy end of it under any circumstances.

A dark soul, who thought herself a greater consort to the Viking, approached his throne. Sookie had seen the girl’s intent even before she bowed before Eric, and had begun working her way to her Bonded through the crowd.

“Master Eric,” the black haired seductress, with her deep purple lipstick and Cleopatra eyeliner lilted huskily, “I wish to offer myself to you.” Her voice was practically a moan, trying to infuse as much of her devotion as possible.

“I am Bonded, and will decline.” Eric waved his hand to dismiss her.

“I have been told that my blood is exceptional,” she persisted.

“My Mate’s blood is unrivaled.” Eric refused again, not letting his impatience show just yet.

“She wouldn’t have to know.” The woman purred.

“I know everythin’.” The lolita jumped at the whisper by her ear, and spun on her knees to see Eric’s Bonded leaned over her.

Rather than wilting, the woman straightened her shoulders. “Are you even old enough to be in here?” It was true, Sookie’s aging had been stunted by the vampire blood, and in the time she had met Eric, she looked as though she had barely aged a second. The most physical change she had sustained had been a rounding out of her figure as she finally put on the weight that Dr. Ludwig insisted she needed. Had it not been for her driver’s license, her presence in the club had almost gotten it closed on several occasions.

Sookie did not reply to the comment, merely straightened up and gazed down at the woman in annoyance. Her arms crossed over her chest as she waited for the woman to back down.

She did not.

“Isn’t it past your bedtime?” she taunted, and Sookie smirked and shook her head. “Aren’t you gonna say something!?” she demanded, making Sookie’s lips quirk even higher. “Bitch,” the woman muttered and spun around, stomping off of the dais.

Eric was snarling quietly as Sookie stepped up to his throne, and his arms opened to invite her into his lap. Snuggled in his embrace, Sookie rested her head on his shoulder.

“I do not know why you insist on letting them speak to you like that,” he grunted.

“It amuses me.” Sookie was still smiling. “As much talk as they have, that’s all it is. I could take their head in an instant, but it is too entertainin’ to listen to their words and compare it to what is goin’ on in their heads.” There was a strange pleasure at the lack of symmetry between their condescending words, and the constant worry that her sword would be drawn.

“You would think that with that sword on your hip, they would be more wary.” Eric was still unhappy.

“They think it is for show. They do not realize how much blood it has tasted these past years.” Sookie smiled, and then laughed as she felt the pommel of the sword vibrate against her side. “Speak of the devil.” She stood up and kissed Eric’s cheek. “I have to go to work, Lover.”

“Be safe.”

“Always.” Sookie left the dais and went outside the employee entrance. There were wards in the building to prevent teleporting, and Sookie walked through the parking lot until she was no longer governed by them before *POP*ping to the graveyard.

A male fairy with long blond hair stood just outside of the portal. He jumped when the Gatekeeper appeared suddenly before him. “Shit, don’t you ever sleep?” he demanded.

“Not often. Do you have papers?” Sookie held out her hand expectantly.

“Yes, yes.” He sighed, reaching into his pocket and producing a thick envelope. “The Queen of Elfyria wanted to give you a heads up. She is prohibiting use of the portal for the next few hours… Er, days. There was a large quantity of precious gems stolen, and she does not want them getting into this realm and sold. She has asked that any that use the portal, other than myself or Colman, be dispatched without warning or hesitation.”

“That’s always easy for me to agree with.” The Gatekeeper was quite fond of “dispatching” fairies, and had even taken to beheading them so that she could drain and sell their blood afterward. Claudine was aware of Sookie’s prominence as the only known vender of fairy blood, and had laughed at her cousin’s ambitious entrepreneurship. Though, Sookie was certain that if it had not been her duty to kill those that passed through the portal without proper documents, Claudine would not be so entertained.

Sookie tucked the envelope into her bag without taking her eyes off of the messenger. Her arms were crossed over her chest once again, and she was staring at the man expectantly, “Well? Aren’t you goin’ back?”

“Oh! Umm…” The fairy trembled slightly, looking at the sword of the Gatekeeper. He had been warned by the Queen long ago when he took the position that the blade was merely for show, and that her new Gatekeeper did not need to use it to do her job. “Yes…” He bowed and turned back to the portal, which was still swirling open at the presence of Empyrodite. “Have a good evening, M’lady.”

Sookie waited a moment before putting her sword in her bag and teleporting to Merlotte’s. Eric hated that she went to the dive bar, but she told him, it was a good place for her to go when she had Fae business to attend to, as well as wait off the lingering fairy scent with which she became infused.

“Evenin’, Sooks!” Sam called from behind the bar as the blonde walked in and waved at him. Several waitresses waved at her cheerfully when they heard Sam acknowledge her.

“Evenin’, Sam.” She nodded and went to her usual booth. “My brother been in?” she called to him.

“Not yet, still early, though.” Sam brought her over a gin and tonic; setting it in front of her as she reached into her bag for the envelope she had been given. She read through the documents quickly, asserting that she might be looking at killing a couple more fairies in the next week or so. Colman was excellent at navigating Elfyria’s underworld, and he would probably have little difficulty apprehending the culprits. The stolen gems were not anything that could cause harm in Sookie’s realm, mostly it was just opal. The telepath had been surprised that opal was an Elfyrian mineral, but its hypnotic blend of colors seemed befitting a mystical world’s resources. “Work?” Sam asked when he came with a fresh drink a little later.

“Yes. New orders from my cousin.” Sookie folded the thick parchment. “You might be seein’ me around a lot the next couple of weeks.”

“Lucky me.” He laughed, sitting across from her. “How are things at the club?”

Sam had become a fast friend once Sookie was regularly stopping into Bon Temps and checking on the portal. When she dealt with a hostile fairy, Sam’s trailer out back had given her a place to shower and change clothes on several occasions. The Shifter liked the girl. She was friendly, but fierce. He had to admit that he never thought he could enjoy the company of someone so involved with vampires, but she told great stories of adventures and intrigue. It was like listening to an old radio program, where you had to visualize the scenes being described, and Sookie was an amazing storyteller.

At first, the use of Merlotte’s had been out of necessity. Sookie had to wait for Eric to send for her before she could return home, so that she would not appear beside him in front of the humans with whom he was in business. Of course their telepathic link had made it easy for them to communicate their needs, but sometimes she was called away while he was in a meeting, and she had been left for a time in the backwater town. Not that Eric would not have excused himself from the meeting long enough to call her back to him, but Sookie liked the idea of being stranded in Bon Temps. It gave her an opportunity to meet up with Jason, or even hang out at Merlotte’s, making friends with some of the staff, or just talk with Sam. Sometimes Jason would swing by the graveyard and pick her up, taking Sookie to the bar to wait, and never asking why she always ended up stranded in the town’s cemetery.

Now that Sookie could teleport of her own volition, thanks to a power coma she went into around the time that she turned twenty, the fairy hybrid now went to Merlotte’s out of habit, or just the occasional meet and greet with Sam and Jason.

Jason and Dawn had long ago split up. Sookie had even seen the girl a few times at Fangtasia, hanging off one vampire or another. However, Sookie had introduced him to Angie, and the pair had hit it off. They had been dating for a few months now.

Despite losing his girlfriend to the vampire culture, Jason had been aware of vampires several years before the Revelation. He knew Eric was a vampire, and really had not put up any resistances to it since he knew how well he cared for his sister. The knowledge of vampires, as well as his Sookie’s own differences, had made him quite accepting of Angie’s Witch-iness, and left him open minded to the supernatural world.

A Witch girlfriend, a telepathic sister, a vampire brother-in-law, for lack of a better word, and eventually he had been told of his own supernatural connection. Sookie was surprised how bummed out Jason seemed when he found out he was part Supe, but had no gifts. She had laughed at his pout and ruffled his hair childishly then.

“Hey, Sooks!” Jason came and sat beside her at the booth. “What are you readin’?”

“Just work stuff.” Sookie placed the papers back in the envelope and shoved them in her purse. “You seein’ Angie tonight?”

“Nah, we have to work tomorrow mornin’, and I couldn’t convince her to come out. Most of my work’s in Shreveport, too, and it would make sense to move out there, but…” Sookie could see in his head that he did not want to give up their parents’ old home.

“Why don’t you just spend the night at her place then? You got to be in Shreveport tomorrow anyway…,” Sookie pointed out.

“You know she ain’t let me stay at her place since I left a beer on her altar.” Jason frowned. “Seriously, it’s a damn table. You’re s’pose to set stuff down on it,” he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Sookie laughed. “This comin’ from the guy who ranted about Angie washin’ his Saints jersey durin’ the playoffs?” The girl grimaced mid-laugh.

“Eric?” Sam guessed.

“He’s really annoyed.” Sookie nodded. “Darlin’, what’s goin’ on?” she asked her Bonded telepathically.

“That bitch you would not let me throttle is trying to offer herself again,” Eric answered her.

Sookie’s eyes narrowed and Sam leaned back on automatic, just in time to avoid getting splashed with gin as Sookie’s glass blew up. Jason was not so lucky, but he did not seem to really mind it. “Uh…” Sam watched her expectantly.

“I need to take care of somethin’,” Sookie grounded out, rising from the booth as Jason stepped out to let her pass. “I don’t think I’ll be back tonight.” She threw down more than enough money to cover her drinks.

“Gotcha.” Sam actually blanched at her expression.

Sookie was just past the backdoor of the bar when she teleported to the Fangtasia parking lot. Pulling her sword from her bag, she had it fastened quickly at her hip. She stomped her way back into the bar, through the crowd, and once more to the dais. The self-proclaimed temptress was again kneeling before a sneering Eric, and this time Sookie was not amused. The whore had already gotten her warning.

Reaching the platform, Sookie grabbed a fistful of artificially black hair, and yanked the woman to her feet. “Get. Away. From. My. MATE!” she howled in the girl’s face before reeling her arm back and sending her sliding across the dance floor. “Eric is MINE!” she announced to the club. “If anyone challenges my claim again, I will have their head!” As if to emphasize her point, Sookie’s hand fell to the hilt of her sword, grasping it firmly.

The home wrecker was clambering back in her nine inch heels, stumbling slightly as she held her head where her hair had been pulled so roughly. Sookie could hear all the things the woman wanted to say, but was now too terrified to utter. With a snarl, Sookie squared off her shoulders, “Get. Out.”

After the tramp had scampered for the door, Sookie climbed the stage and went to Eric’s throne. He was sitting with the same posture as when she had first arrived, only his annoyed expression had transformed into one of passion and amusement. Sookie straddled his hips without a word and crushed her mouth to his as Eric’s hands grasped fistfuls of her bottom. It only took a few moments of kissing before Eric stood from his chair and carried Sookie into his office.

“I love when you become territorial,” he growled as his office door slammed shut.

“I love how hot it gets you,” Sookie grunted as her chest was pushed roughly against his desk, and Eric yanked her panties off from underneath her dress. The woman spread her legs as she reached back to flip her skirt up over her rear. Her vampire did not hesitate to ram his thick rod deep inside of her at that, and pound his flesh against hers with all of his strength. She had claimed him, now it was time to mark his territory. His fangs pierced her neck without warning, and Sookie mewled beneath him, bucking wildly at the familiar hurt that made her climax.

“Yes, Sookie,” Eric growled against her neck, “come for my fangs.” He grunted as his hips continued to crash into her. Even as she began to go limp from the intensity of the swift orgasm, Eric kept pushing harder against her backside. “Mmm, not done yet, I hope?” He was grinning now as his hand reached in front of her to play between her folds. Sookie jerked at the attention he played to the hyper sensitive spot. It did not take long for him to pull another climax from her, and then a third, before finally filling her with his own essence. “Ah!” He pushed in as deeply as he could before succumbing to his release, her internal walls flexing around him aggressively.

Sookie lay panting, half sprawled on his desk. She moaned as Eric lifted her by her hips and laid her out flat across the surface of his desk. Her breathing was harsh as her Bonded pulled the straps of her dress from her shoulders down to expose her heaving breasts. Crouching beside the table, he watched her body tremble, her chest gasping for air, and those marvelous tits beckoning towards the ceiling. He could watch her breathe all night.

As she began to calm, Sookie looked to the side, smiling at seeing her vampire watching her. Reaching out a weak hand, she stroked his cheek, eyes hooded with satiation. “I love you.”

Turning his face into her palm, he kissed it before answering, “I love you, too.”

With a feline stretch of contentment, Sookie began to sit up. She gave another long, luxurious stretch before hopping off of the desk and heading toward the small bathroom annexed off of his office for her use.

“Where are you going?” Eric asked as he rose from his crouch, straightening his pants.

“To wash up.” She giggled.

“No.” Eric shook his head, zipping between her and the washroom. “Stay just like this…” He emphasized his enjoyment at her state by taking a long inhalation of her post-sex perfume.

“Can I at least have my underwear back? Your stuff’s goin’ to be drippin’ down my leg without them.” Sookie reached up to wrap her arms around his neck.

“No. Let it.” He nuzzled her throat. “You showed your rights to me, I wish to display mine to you.”

Sookie could already feel his spendings trickling down the insides of her thighs; it did not take long for the trail to reach her knees, “Eric,” she complained softly, “you come a lot. It’s goin’ to look like I wet myself if I sit down in this dress.”

Eric growled, as he reached under the hem of her skirt, his hand delving into her recently plundered hole. “Ah!” She grabbed his upper arms to support herself as his fingers worked her.

The action only lasted a short time before his hand was in front of her mouth, coated thickly in both of their fluids. “Lick it clean,” he demanded, and her tongue made quick work of lapping up the sticky mess, even drinking down the remnants that had pooled in his palm. Eric repeated this action several times before she had swallowed down most of what he had left behind. “There.” He nipped her earlobe. “Now it will not be dripping down those sexy thighs, but you will still smell like you did not clean up.” He seemed pleased with this ultimatum.

Sookie groaned as his fingers went back between her legs to play with her again. “You are ready to go again, already, Sookie?” Eric asked with amusement before whispering into her ear, “Do you still enjoy my taste so much after these past years?”

“Yes…,” she hissed, clutching the front of his shirt.

“Then undo my pants. You can clean my cock, too.” He gave her a slightly rougher push to encourage Sookie to her knees. She fell happily to the floor, opening his pants back up and taking his semi-hard staff into her hands. Her mouth enveloped him without any more insistence, and Sookie licked and sucked him with the same enthusiasm she had since the first evening she had met him. “Uh! Min vackra brud! Din mun känns så bra!” [My beautiful bride! Your mouth feels so good!].

Sookie loved when he spoke in Swedish, not just because it sounded sexy to her, but because there was a prideful pleasure she felt when she made him forget how to speak English.

His native tongue was all he could speak in as her mouth did all sorts of wicked things to him, and Sookie found her fingers venturing between her thighs to play with herself. Rubbing her clit frantically, Sookie was bucking into her own hand as Eric was bucking against her face. A few minutes later, she was swallowing more of his essence as her hand became coated in a fresh wave of her juices.

“I cannot ever get enough of you,” Eric growled hungrily as he lifted Sookie back to her feet and flung the girl onto his leather couch. His hands yanked her thighs apart as his mouth dove down to lick and his fingers came to plunder once more.

Sookie was a wriggling, panting mass of limbs by the time he let her rest, and she was elated that he did not let her go for a long while. Every moment he spent with her like this reinforced Sookie’s belief that he would always want her.

“Of course I will,” Eric said softly, kissing the inside of her thigh gently. “I will want you for the rest of eternity.” He licked the space between her legs clean, as well as his own hand before he helped Sookie set her dress back to rights. “There will never be another more suited for me.” He kissed the top of her head now.

“I didn’t realize I was projectin’ that thought,” she replied shyly.

“Even if you had not, I know what you are thinking when you feel hope during sex.” He held her tightly. “My Sookie, I cannot wait for the day when you finally believe that I will not leave you behind.”

The telepath could feel a deep sadness in Eric as he spoke. “I’m sorry.” She shook her head firmly. “I’m bein’ ridiculous. You’ll never leave me. I know you won’t. And you’re not my past. You’re my present and future. My forever. My past is never goin’ to catch back up again. My past is dead; I made damned sure of that.” Eric laughed at the declaration and nodded in agreement.

“Yes, my Bonded, you definitely did.” He kissed the top of her head as they took one another’s hands and went back onto the main floor.

Soon, the pair was back on Eric’s throne, several vampires looking at them hungrily as the smell of sex and blood fragranced the air of the dance floor. As the pair sat, overlooking the bedlam of the Fangtasia dance floor, Eric wrapped Sookie’s tiny hand into his large one and brought it to his lips to kiss.

More had changed in his existence in the past six years than in the past 200, since after making and training his Child. Gazing at his Bonded, he saw the future as something so much more than acquiring wealth, or just existing. When Sookie entered his world, he had begun to live.

The ancient vampire thought of all of the things he wanted to give to Sookie, all of the places he wanted to take her, and all of the experiences he wanted to share with her. Yes, share. It would not be like with Pam, where he had felt a pleasant nostalgia at her wondrous adventures. He would actually get to experience the same awe and excitement that Sookie would, as if it were all new again to him, too. He would be able to look upon the wonders of the world in the daylight with her. He would be able to make love to her on every continent, in every country, in every city in the world. She had not aged a day since he met her, and he knew that she had a long, young, vibrant life to live before he was forced to turn her so that they could live out their forever.

“My Bonded, how did I ever get to have a miracle like you?” Eric whispered in awe of her.

Looking in to Eric’s eyes, the woman smiled brightly, and she arched upwards and captured her Viking’s lips with her own. Kissing him as he poured all of his hope, love, and passion into the Bond, and having it reflected back at him. As she pulled away from the breathtaking kiss, she whispered against his parted lips:

“You decided to keep me.”

~The End