In this chapter, I had steal a phrase from the SVM because it’s one of my favorite phrases for one thing and another, it fits perfectly in with Eric and Sookie’s relationship. Can you guess which one? I hope to answer all your questions as we go along, keep reading!
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Charlaine Harris, one of the best storytellers I’ve ever read! I hope to be just like her when I grow up! I had to borrow one of my favorite Sookie phrases from her books, I hope you AND she doesn’t mind.
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Eric called everyone he knew. He had kept Fangtasia closed down for the night, which was extremely unusual for him. When had finding someone become more important to him, than making money? Although, he was rich and would be able to afford to not have the club open for a few days, he just wasn’t used to letting other things get in the way of making money.
Was it only because it was Sookie and he had promised both the King and Sookie that he would protect her or was it something more?
He did have a nagging suspicion of what it could be, but he refused to think it. If anyone found out about his true feelings for her…it would all be over. She would be used as a pawn for years to come. She would be his Achilles’ heel. If any of his enemies wanted revenge, they would use her to get to him.
That was mostly why he hadn’t pursued things up until now. Because he wanted and needed to protect her. He didn’t want her to become a victim once again. Bill and Quinn had put her through enough already. Their enemies had used her in many number of ways.
Eric wasn’t stupid. He had heard the rumors that were going around the vampire world. Most knew that he had a soft spot for Sookie. He had tried pretending that she didn’t mean anything to him. But time and again, Sookie had dragged him into her own troubles and he hadn’t been able to turn her away. How could he say no? While he did get annoyed with how frequently trouble found her and made his life more difficult. It was also entertaining. She definitely kept him on his toes.
Even other Supes knew about it. He hated having any other race, knowing his deep, dark dirty little secrets. It ate away at his ego. He prided himself on secrecy and getting the job done well.
He should blame the King for this, he thought to himself. If the King hadn’t been so grateful to Sookie or valued her gift so much, this wouldn’t have happened. Eric had a feeling that whomever had taken Sookie, it was either someone who wanted revenge against the King or somebody who had a grudge against him.
Or, maybe Sookie had made some new enemies that he didn’t know about recently? She had made enemies in the past, but it was usually people who were delusional to begin with. The question was, how was he going to find answers to his questions? He did have a few contacts left who hadn’t perished during the Coup, but he had a far greater number of enemies now. Some would want the same kind of power that he held in Louisiana. Some would envy him for his long life and his powerful blood. Some would just want to have the same amount of money that he had. There were many reasons why he would have new enemies now.
He needed to call Bill, to see what he had dug up. He needed to get some outside help. Although, he hated to get others involved in these kinds of matters, he was running out of options. He didn’t know who he could trust. But Eric did think that there were a few out there who would want to him help find Sookie.
The question was…would they allow him to dictate all the shots? He wanted to have complete control over their investigation. If anything happened to go wrong…
No, he shook his head. He didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t like the feelings and images of the long, dreary future that started to form in his mind at the thought of never seeing Sookie alive ever again. He had waited a very long time for her.
He picked up his phone and dialed a number. He waited, impatiently for someone to answer.
“Hello?” The voice on the other end answered.
“Alcide.”
“Oh great…to what do I owe this pleasure?” Alcide groaned, sarcastically.
While Eric had some respect for Alcide and what he had been through during the recent months, Alcide did hold a grudge against him because he had used Alcide’s father’s gambling debts as a way to get Alcide to help him out when he had needed it. One of those times, Sookie had been involved. Eric felt that Alcide was grateful to have met her, but still resentful of his blackmailing ways. Eric didn’t blame him. He would resent it too. But Sookie was a friend of the pack and being the Packmaster, Alcide was obliged to help in finding her.
“Sookie’s been kidnapped,” Eric stated, coldly. He didn’t want Alcide to know just how freaked out he really was. It wasn’t like him to show his emotions anyways, so Alcide wouldn’t think anything was amiss.
“When? Do you know who took her?” Alcide couldn’t keep the sound of worry out of the sound of his voice.
Eric didn’t know the whole details, but the friendship between Alcide and Sookie had declined in the last few months. He wasn’t sure if Alcide would be wanting to help locate Sookie, but he needed all the reinforcements that he could get…even if they were Weres. He shuddered at the thought of working with those beasts.
“No,” Eric replied, coldly. “All I know is that she was taken just outside of her home and it was last night after she left work.”
“That’s a long time,” Alcide replied, surprised. “Have you called the police?” he asked.
“Why would I want those incompetents helping?” Eric replied, angrily. “They don’t understand our world. They won’t be able to find her.”
“Maybe if all of us worked together as a team, it might help find her quicker?” Alcide pointed out.
Eric ran a hand roughly through his hair in frustration. Which was really not like him. He was usually composed and in control of his emotions. “You have a point, but not yet. I want to do my own investigating first,” he explained.
“What do you want me to do?” Alcide asked, sounding like he was in agreement.
“Does that mean that you’ll help?” Eric countered, relieved to have someone else who had many connections. Alcide might be able to come up with some more suspects, since most of the enemies that he knew that Sookie had made, were Weres.
“Yeah, yeah, tell me what you want me to do.” Alcide grumbled.
I heard the drip, drip, dripping of water from somewhere in the basement. I wasn’t sure where it was coming from, but it had a rhythmic beat to it. I began to hum along to the beat, songs that I knew would go along.
“Pop, pop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is,” I hummed and sang to myself in my head. Of course, all I could think of was jingles from commercials. What the hell, I was bored. It’s amazing what you could think up to pass the time when you’re all alone and bored out of your skull.
I almost wished that I was back working at Merlotte’s on the busiest night, listening to everyone’s thoughts. My feet would be tired, my head would ache until it wanted to explode, but that’s how bored I was now.
No TV, no music, no books…hell, I wouldn’t even mind watching paint dry. Did I say that I was bored?
I had no idea how much time had past. A few hours? A few days? A few months? It seemed to go on endlessly. I almost wished that Eric would try to connect with me again, making me feel aroused. Even being horny and no way of satisfaction, was better than this. I hoped that he would find me soon.
I could hear someone walking around up above me. Some dust from the exposed floorboards, came down on landed on top of my face. I tried turning my head away and closed my eyes, so that it wouldn’t fall into my eyes.
I tried listening inside his head, but again I was getting nothing. I wondered who I had managed to piss off this time? I still found it difficult to understand how people managed to think the worst of me when all I tried to do was keep to myself. I didn’t go purposely out of my way to antagonize them. They usually came to me. If I happened to overhear things in my head that I shouldn’t, I tried to keep my face immobile or vacant, as if I hadn’t heard what I had heard.
It had always been that way. That was why it had been a refreshing relief when I had started hanging around with Supes.
Now, there’s nothing that I wouldn’t give to be able to hear one person’s thoughts. I didn’t care who either. It was way too quiet, when I was used to hearing noise. It made me feel like I was absolutely alone.
Unbidden, I could feel tears begin to form once again. I started to cry. I felt so pathetic, crying because I was lonely.
I did feel a wave of comfort wash over me. I wasn’t sure where it was coming from exactly, but I think I could figure out the who. Eric. He was sending me some sort of feeling because he could probably feel how hopeless and alone I was. Thanks Eric, I thought to myself.
I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep. It was the only thing that kept me sane right now. It helped to pass the time too. In my dream world, I could picture that I was on a beach somewhere exotic and imagine the sun and the waves crashing down around me. I would have the perfect tan, of course. My bikini would look great on me too.
The only thing missing was a man, oh but wait…the sun has just set and there’s one walking towards me now. He had long blond hair and was wearing only his red Jockey’s. Yum. It was too bad that he faced me because I knew that he had spectacular buns. (Having seen and touched them up close and personally.) Although, the front wasn’t bad either. I could see the bulge of his “gracious plenty” in the front of his Jockey’s. Yikes. Yahoo. Yum.
The door to the basement flew open, chasing my exotic dream right out of my mind. I glowered, at my prison guard, because that’s how I thought of him now, he had ruined what might have turned into a great dream.
The big man walked down the stairs and then reached the bottom. He turned to face me. “It’s time,” he told me, in a no-nonsense voice.
My eyes widened as he walked towards me. What was he going to do?
Eric had formulated and had started to put his plan into motion, when he had felt a wave of loneliness and depression wash over him. It almost buckled him to his knees. He knew that what he was feeling belonged to Sookie. It was the blood-bond that tied them together that was making him feel what she was feeling. His heart ached for her, in more ways than one.
This only made him more determined to find her quickly. But first things first, he had to help her feel better. He imagined that he was holding her and giving her a hug. He wanted her to find some kind of comfort. He wished that he could smell her scent. Wherever she was, she was too far away for him to pick up anything more than her feelings.
Forcing her from his thoughts, because he still had no way of finding her, he dialed Bill’s. He wondered what he had found out, if anything.
“Hello?” Bill asked, after he had picked up the phone.
“Anything?” Eric asked. He had heard once that he was famous for his one worded questions and answers.
“No, sorry…still looking,” Bill replied. “And you?”
“No, but I did get Alcide to help.” Eric said it, as if he was regretting it.
“That’s something at least,” Bill replied back, trying to think optimistically. “Have you tried using your bond?”
Eric smiled slightly. He could tell by the sound in Bill’s voice, that it bothered him greatly, that Sookie had bonded with Eric and not himself. “I’ve been trying to, but there seems to be some kind of interference. I’ve only been able to detect her emotions so far,” he explained.
“I thought blood-bonds were supposed to be able to find each other anywhere?” Bill pointed out.
Eric shrugged, but then realized that Bill couldn’t see him. “Yeah, well, that’s why I think someone is purposely trying to interfere with it. They’re trying to make it harder on me to find her.”
“Somebody must want to get revenge against you bad,” Bill commented.
“Maybe,” Eric replied back, not caring for it at all. That made it worse than it already was. He didn’t want to give up hope yet. It had only been twenty-four hours since she had gone missing. Another twenty-four and he was going to lower himself and seek out the help from the police. He shuddered at the thought.
Sookie’s friends were planning on doing it anyways, he just wanted to wait until the police wouldn’t be able to say…wait awhile, it hasn’t been forty-eight hours yet. For all he knew, Sookie didn’t have forty-eight hours, period.
At the thought, it forced Eric to return to the subject at hand. “Keep me informed,” he replied, then promptly hung up.
He gazed around his office deep in thought. He had to figure out who was behind this. It had to be someone with connections too. If his bond was Sookie was being tampered with, then whomever was behind this could be very powerful. He got up from behind his desk. He needed to do some more leg work.
The big man approached me, I began to squirm, but quickly realized that I had no where to run. I was bound to the bed. Nothing was going to save me now. My eyes widened as he neared.
The man reached down and untied the ropes that held my hands and legs to the bed. He dragged me up to my wobbly feet.
“Come with me,” he said, half-dragging and half-carrying me towards the steps that led me out of the basement.
Where was he going to take me? Who was I going to meet? I began to panic, almost wishing that he would’ve left me tied to the bed, even though I had been bored out of my mind. Anything was better than this. My fears rose up to choke me, making me start to fight him.
“No!” I cried out, trying to lean back towards the bed. He kept dragging me towards the steps, ignoring me. I tried to get out of his grasp, but he kept a firm hold of me.
“Quit fighting,” the man scolded me. He picked me up and carried me up the flight of stairs.
Tears sprang to my eyes, once I realized that there was no way I was going to get out of this. He reached the top of the steps and walked into a hallway. He continued carrying me until we reached a room with double doors at the end of the long hallway.
The hallway was dark, lit only by torches, every few feet away. I had no clue as to where I was. It looked like some dungeon or something. I couldn’t really tell. It kind of freaked me out. Spooky, would be a good word to describe it.
He put me back on my feet, opened up the double doors and pushed me into the room. I looked around my surroundings, wondering where I was now.
“You must be Sookie Stackhouse,” a voice greeted me from across the room.
Erika's Not-So-Secret Diary 