❪ 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 ❫ ﮩـﮩﮩ٨ـ🫀ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ
𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚗𝚎 🥀 𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛
𝚓𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚐𝚊𝚍𝚘 × 𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚌 𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚖𝚊𝚗

❝ ERIC ❞

‧₊˚🖇️✩ ₊˚🩸⊹ ♡ JOSIE SAT AWKWARDLY IN THE BACKSEAT OF BILL'S CAR, the glass from Merlotte's still in her hand with amber colored whisky sloshing about in it. She wore the same maroon dress she'd worn the other night and her black heels. Sookie had curled her hair for her and she'd even put on a little bit of makeup, though the marks on her neck still stood out against her tanned skin. She looked good, at least she thought so.

She groaned a little as she leaned up between the front seats, "I get that you're old, or whatever, but can we listen to something from his decade?"

"Josie!" Sookie scolded.

"What?"

"Sorry," the blonde smiled apologetically at the vampire. "She tends to not think before she speaks, especially when she's drunk."

"Hey, I do a lot thinkin'." Josie mumbled, reaching forwards to mess with the radio only to have Sookie smack her hand. "Ow!"

"Sit down."

"Yes, mom." Josie muttered, rolling her eyes as she plopped into the seat and raised her glass to her lips. "And I'm the rude one? Just wanna listen to somethin' good. I'd even settle for not so good stuff as long as it's from this decade." She ranted to herself as she moved across the seat, her back against the inside of the door and her legs stretched across the seat.

"Sorry," Sookie told the vampire again, but he merely waved her off, a kind smile on his face.

"No need."

"So, Billy-Bob," Josie said, then she took a drink. "What's goin' on in the undead head of yours?"

"Joanna Grace!"

"What'd I do now?"

"I'm cutting you off," Sookie reached back and took her cup, then the bottle she had stashed at her feet. "I should've left you at home."

"See how mean she is to me, Billy-Bob?" She huffed, her arms crossed over her chest and the vampire merely chuckled, glancing back at the girl in the rearview mirror.

"Don't call him that," Sookie nearly hissed and Josie huffed, sinking into the seat as she closed her eyes. And silence fell over them again, Bill and Sookie stealing glances at each other, until the blonde finally spoke, "penny for your thoughts."

"I thought you liked not knowing what I'm thinking."

"Most of the time I do," she told him, a smile on her lips and he glanced at her for a moment before looking at the road once more.

"You won't care for it."

"That doesn't mean I don't wanna know."

"I wanna know," Josie raised her hand, her eyes still closed.

Bill glanced at the brunette in the rearview, then over at Sookie before his eye traveled towards her dress, "you look like vampire bait. Both of you."

Josie merely hummed, hoping she'd catch the eye of one vampire in particular.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sookie asked with a small laugh.

"I promised your grandmother no harm would come to either of you at Fangtasia tonight." She told her. "I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to keep that promise with you dressed like this."

Josie groaned, "damnit, Billy-Bob, just tell her she's hot."

The two in the front seat merely shared a glance, Sookie's cheeks flushing a little as they fell into silence, but to Josie's relief, Bill had changed the radio station to something more modern.

‧₊˚🖇️✩ ₊˚🩸⊹ ♡ JOSIE FOLLOWER AFTER SOOKIE AND BILL, her shoulders back and her steps sure. No one around her could tell that was tipsy, bordering on flat-out drunk. Her heels clicked against the pavement as Bill led the two girls towards the doorway, both girls drawing the attention of those that lingered in the parking lot.

And though Josie seamlessly blended in, Sookie did not. What with her white dress that had pink flowers all over it.

Bill, noticing the attention, slipped his arm around her waist tugging her into his side, then he looked over his shoulder at the brunette, who had plastered on an award winning smile, "stay close." he whispered and she rolled her eyes, but quickened her steps, so she was right behind the two and they stepped through the door.

"Bill, haven't seen you in a while," a blonde woman mused upon seeing the vampire and Josie recognized her as the woman who had checked her I.D. just the other night.

"I'm mainstreaming," he told her, his eyes scanning the packed room as music blasted from the speakers.

"Good for you," she stated, not sounding all that interested. "Who's the doll?"

"Pam, this is Sookie. Sookie, this is Pam." He introduced the two.

Sooke smiled and held her hand out, "pleased to meet you." But Pam merely looked at her hand before the human let it fall back to her side before she reached and tugged Josie forward. "And this is-"

A sort of smirk tugged at Pam's lips, "Josie Delgado."

The brunette merely smiled, then her eyes landed on the bar, "I need a drink. You're buying, right?"

"Yes," Bill nodded and she patted his shoulder with a wide smile before she disappeared into the crowd, leaving behind a very confused Sookie and Bill.

Eric sat upon his throne, his eyes scanning the crowd. He'd never admit it, but he was hoping to see a familiar brunette, he'd done the same thing the night before. He searched for her, only to not find her. He assumed that it would be no different, but that didn't stop his eyes from scanning the crowd thoroughly. And just as he shook the thought of her out of his head, set on giving up ever seeing her again, he saw her.

She stood at the bar, her back to him and her hair was curled this time. But he knew it was her. Hell, she wore the same dress, which he had become very familiar with. She wore the same shoes, which despite being heels, meant nothing when he stood next her - she was still so small compared to him. Her legs looked just as smooth as he remembered, perfectly tanned and bare. Then she turned her head, just the slightest bit, and he caught the purple mark on the underside of her jaw.

He sat up a little, ready to push himself up and cross the room. He had to be next to her, to hear her laugh, to breathe in her intoxicating scent, but before he could, a blonde human and vampire Eric knew very well joined her at the bar.

"You've been here before?" Sookie asked, her voice low as she stopped next to Josie, who was already sipping on her bourbon - courtesy of Longshadow, who had also remembered her name and her drink of choice.

"I may or may not have come with Dawn."

"What? When?" Sookie asked.

"Night before last."

"Josie," Sookie nearly groaned.

"What? I'm fine. We drank, we danced, I fucked the literal definition of sex on a stick."

"It wasn't Eric, was it?" Bill asked.

Josie shook her head, "maybe." She answered and he sighed, blowing out a breath. "He's a six-foot, blue-eyed viking, of course I let him fuck me. Sue me."

Sookie shook her head, her nose scrunched up, "stop."

"He asked." She shrugged, sipping on her drink as Longshadow neared them.

"How's it going, Bill?"

"Very well," Bill nodded, leaning against the bar.

"I'll say it is." The bartender nodded, his eyes to the two girls at his side. "These two your meals for the night?" He asked, and Josie choked on her drink, the amber liquid burning her throat as she coughed.

"These are my friends." Bill corrected, and Josie stopped herself from correcting him, after all, he was buying her drinks for the night. "Sookie, Josie, this is Longshadow."

"That one I've met," he mused, nodding towards Josie, who was using a napkin to wipe her face.

"They like me here," Josie shrugged, raising her glass to her lips, but she only took a small sip this time.

Sookie smiled, "it's nice to meet you." When he just looked at her, she ordered a drink. "I'll have a gin and tonic, please."

"And I'll have a bottle of O Negative." Bill added.

"And I'll have another one of these," Josie shook her glass a little, getting a nod from the bartender.

"Londshadow, Sookie here would like to know if she could ask you a few questions. Would this be acceptable?" Bill asked the bartender as he prepared their drinks and Josie turned, her eyes scanning the room. People danced, some on platforms, others milled about, drinking and talking. Then her eyes landed on the bluest eyes she had ever seen, he merely tilted his head to the side, his way of silently asking her to join him but before she could even think of a response, Sookie spoke.

"I just have a couple of pictures I'd love you to take a look at." She told him as she pulled them from her purse and Josie turned, watching as she laid down a picture of Maudette, then a picture of Dawn. "You recognize either of these women?"

Josie's eyes watered at the pictures. The one of Dawn, she had taken when they had gone camping just the year before. A picture that she kept on her vanity mirror. But she blinked back the tears and downed the rest of her drink. She couldn't cry, not in the middle of a bar, most definitely not a vampire bar.

"Yeah, I've seen 'em both here before." He answered.

"Great, thank you. And do you also happen to remember who they hung around with?"

"That's something we don't notice here, you won't either."

"Okay, then," she nodded. "Thank you. I appreciate you taking the time."

Longshadow then held up a picture of Maudette, "This one, she wanted to die."

Josie swallowed the bile that rose in her throat, "how do you know?" Her voice shook a little, which Sookie noticed, so she grabbed her hand.

"Everyone who comes here does, in their own way," he told her. "That's what we are: death."

Bill held up a few bills and Longshadow took it, then they grabbed their drinks and Bill led them to a tall table, Sookie pulled herself up into the seat, but Josie merely tossed her head back, gulping her drink down whole.

"I'm gonna need another one," she pointed at the glass, looking over at Bill.

"Jos, I think you've had enough," Sookie told her softly, only to be met with a teary glare.

"You stole that picture from my room."

"I'm sorry, I-"

"I'll be back," she muttered, leaving the table with her empty glass.

"Josie," Bill stopped her and she turned to see him holding out some money. "It's on me."

"Thanks, Billy-Bob," she hummed as she took it and made her way back to the bar.

"She's back," Logshadow smirked.

"She's empty," she placed the glass on the bar and he simply nodded, pouring her some more into the glass. "Do y'all do tabs?"

"You wanna start one?"

"Bill does, he's my benefactor," she hummed, a smile on her lips but it barely reached her eyes. He simply nodded and pushed the glass towards her. She raised it to her lips as she turned to scan the crowd just in time to see Eric kick a man across the bar and into a table. Then a female vampire offered him her hand and pulled him to his feet, before leading him away.

Josie sipped on her drink, which Longshadow had over poured, as she made her way back towards the table Sookie and Bill were at, only catching the tail end of the conversation.

"All anyone's thinking about here is sex, sex, sex." Sookie huffed, she wasn't getting anywhere with this.

"Duh," Josie mumbled.

"One needn't be telepathic to pick up on that," Bill smiled at the blonde.

Josie's eyes flickered between the two over the rim of her glass, "if this was supposed to be a date, why did you drag me with you?"

"It's not a date," Sookie shook her head, her cheeks pink.

""Course it's not a date, I'm here. That'd be weird."

"Yes, 'cause that would be the weirdest thing you've ever done," Sookie stated flatly, giving the girl a pointed look.

"Probably not, but no thank you. He's not my type." She hummed, letting her eyes drift around the room, but she couldn't stop the rush of memories of Dawn as the two danced, so she downed more of her drink.

"Uh-oh."

"Don't say uh-oh." Sookie told the vampire. "Vampires are not supposed to say uh-oh."

"What now?" Josie groaned.

"It's Eric," Bill stated and she turned, her eyes meeting his. "He's scanned you twice," he told the brunette. "He's going to summon us."

"He can do that?" Sookie asked.

"Oh, yeah," Bill nodded and just as it left his lips, Eric raised his hand and motioned for them to join him.

"Well, I like him." Josie hummed, making her way across the room with Bill and Sookie in tow.

A barely there smirk rested on Eric's lips as Josie stopped before him, his eyes scanning her head to toe, momentarily lingering on the marks on her neck and a possessive part of him hummed with satisfaction.

"Hi," she wiggled her fingers, raising her glass to her lips as Bill and Sookie joined her.

"Bill Compton. It has been a while." He looked up at the vampire.

"Yes, well, I've been-"

"Mainstreaming." Eric cut him off, a smirk tugged at his lips. "I heard." Then his eyes moved over to Sookie, then to Josie, where they lingered. "I see that is going well for you."

"I have to stop standing next to you," Josie mumbled, moving to stand on the other side of Sookie.

Bill cleared his throat, "Yes, of course. Uh, sorry, Eric, these are my friends, Sookie Stackhouse and-"

"Josie Delgado."

"Hi, handsome," she winked, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"It's nice to meet you," Sookie spoke.

"Well, aren't you sweet?"

"Not really." She replied and Bill tugged on her arm, a simple warning and she shut her mouth.

"Awe, my drink is gone," Josie mumbled, a pout tugging at her bottom lip, making the blond vampire smirk, a breathy laugh leaving him. Then he turned his head ever so slightly and Pam leaned down as he spoke in a different language, to which she responded.

"Is that Swedish?" Josie asked, curiously. She remembered the few times he muttered something under his breath the other night, but each time it had been in a different language. And she so wished that she knew what he had said - it was the insecure part of her that wanted to know whether it had been good or bad. She hoped it had been good. "'Cause you should teach me, if it is."

Bill gave her a warning look, to which she just smiled, a lopsided, drunk smile. Eric smirked, even more enthralled with the woman that shifted on her feet, her dress riding up her thighs. His eyes tracked the movement of the silky material, wanting nothing more than to rip it from her body, but he had things to discuss with the other human that stood before him.

Though, he much rather would've preferred to have that dress on the floor and Josie's legs wrapped around him. He merely pushed the thought to the side, not completely away, but far enough away that he could focus on the matter at hand.

"Miss Stackhouse, I understand you've been asking questions about some of my customers." Eric stated, his eyes roaming the room before they rested on the blonde.

"Yes, I have." She nodded.

"If you have anything to ask, you should ask it of me." He told her and she swallowed hard under his gaze.

Fuck me, please. Josie thought to herself, chuckling a little. The action pulled Eric's attention to her as Sookie looked at her with her nose scrunched in disgust. When the brunette noticed, she merely smiled at the blonde, an interaction that had Eric's eyebrow arching in curiosity.

"Alrighty," Sookie mumbled, digging in her purse for the pictures. "You recognize either one of these girls?" She held them out, and Josie looked down at her empty glass, wishing it wasn't empty.

He merely hummed as he looked at the pictures, "well, this one offered herself to me." He pointed at the picture of Maudette. "But I found her too pathetic for my attentions." Then he pointed at the picture of Dawn, and Josie glanced at him curiously. "Now, this one, however, I have tasted."

Josie couldn't help the laugh that left her, ignoring the wide eyed looks she got from Bill and Sookie, "of course. Makes sense. We always had the same taste in guys."

"Josie," Sookie scolded lightly, getting a shrug in response.

"I remember them both," Pam stated, her eyes lingering on the two humans - Josie wore a smile as Sookie looked like an annoyed parent. "Never had either of them, though. They weren't really my type."

Her eyes panned down Josie's body, making the girl blush, her smile growing as she swayed her shoulders just a little and batted her eyelashes, the interaction made Eric smirk.

"Well," Sookie mumbled, reaching for the pictures. "Thank you very much. That is all your time I need to take. Come on, Josie." She grabbed her hand and turned but before she could take a step, Eric's stern voice stopped her.

"I'm not finished with you yet," he told them, though his glacial eyes bore into Josie's. She let out a breathy sound, he'd said the same thing the other night after she'd had her second orgasim and right before he had gotten a third out of her. Her tongue darted out, wetting her lips and his eyes blazed as he followed the movement. Then he smiled, "please. Sit." He waved towards the velvet seats on either side of him.

Josie was the first to move, sitting to his right, with a smile as she crossed her knee over the other. Her dress moved up her thighs, and he hummed in satisfaction as he eyed her legs. He could see the bruises he'd left behind poking out from under the maroon fabric and the possessive part of him hummed again, this time stronger.

Reluctantly, Sookie sat to Eric's left, though his eyes were mostly focused on Josie, as she shifted in her chair, her knee brushing his, not-so-subtly, as she tilted her head, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. It was clear she was feeling the alcohol.

He hummed in amusement, slowly dragging his eyes away from her and over to Sookie, who sat a bit stiffly, her shoulders back and her spine pin straight, "so, Bill... are you quite attached to your friend?" He asked, for no other reason than to bug the other vampire.

"She is mine," Bill stepped forward, his teeth clenched and Josie scrunched her nose at the statement, raising her empty glass to her lips in hopes of getting at least a drop.

"Yes, I am his," Sookie nodded, and Josie rolled her eyes.

"What a pity." Eric merely mocked, then his eyes fell on the woman that sat to his right, her knee pressed against his, though her eyes were on her empty glass, a distant look in her eyes. "And Josie?" She jumped a little at her name, having been lost on her thoughts.

"Well-"

Josie merely held her hand up, stopping the vampire from answering as she met Eric's gaze, "definitely not. I don't belong to anyone."

"Interesting," he hummed, his head tilted to the side.

"So if you wanna go at it again, I'm all-"

"Josie!" Sookie squeaked, her eyes wide in horror as she looked over at her friend, who giggled as she leaned back in the chair she was perched upon, her empty glass still in hand. Eric merely let his eyes drift down her body, drinking her in. She looked the same, the same dress, same shoes, same wide smile, only this time, her eyes were burdened with a sadness that hadn't been there when they met.

It lingered in her dark, whiskey colored irises and though he rarely got involved in human affairs or emotions, he was curious, "so, Miss Delgado..." She sat up a little, her eyes meeting his with that drunk smile on her lips as Bill sat next to Sookie - they didn't seem to be leaving anytime soon. "How are you finding my club?" He merely waved his hand motioning towards the room and she let her eyes scan the place and the people.

"It'd be better if I had a drink," she mused and Eric merely met Longshadow's gaze across the room. He only nodded his head in Josie's direction and in the next second, a fresh drink was held out before her. She grinned, handing over her empty glass and taking the fresh one, "thank you." she hummed, then the bartender was gone and Eric watched as she took a rather large gulp of the amber liquid.

"Eric, I apolo-" Bill started, only to be waved off, the viking not once looking away from Josie as she smiled at the drink.

"Jonnie Walker," she mused. "More of an Angel's Envy girl, myself, but I do love me some Jonnie Walker."

"You know your alcohol," Eric mused and she merely nodded, taking another sip just as someone's thoughts slipped in, it was harder to keep them out when she was drunk. Her brows pinched as she turned a little, her eyes searching the crowd, which Eric and Pam both noticed.

Where the fuck are they? My backup was supposed to be here 15 minutes ago. I can't handle the raid on my own. These fucking vampires...

Josie met Sookie's panicked gaze, but before she could even register what was happening, Sookie turned to her left, her eyes on Bill as she gripped his arm. "We have to get outta here," she blurted, her voice a panicked whisper.

"Sookie," Bill shook his head, not wanting her to share her little gift with Eric. Sookie met Josie's gaze, biting her tongue, like she wanted to listen to Bill but she knew she shouldn't.

"Well, handsome, the cops are comin'," Josie told him, getting a confused look from him and Pam.

"There's gonna be a raid," Sookie nodded, hoping he'd believe them.

"Tell me you're not undercover cops," he nearly demanded, looking from the blonde to the brunette. And a strange part of me felt betrayed by the mere thought of it, of Josie having lied to him.

"No, but I'd be really good at that," Josie mused.

"We're not," Sookie rushed out, "But that man in the hat is." She nodded towards the man that wore a ball cap, a black sleeveless shirt with a fishnet shirt under it and a pair of dark jeans. He was dancing, but his moves were stiff as his panicked eyes shifted around the room.

"Even if you're right, we do nothing illegal here."

And Josie picked up more thoughts, though they were muddled, most mixing together but she heard a bit of it in Sookie's head...

Open me up Taryn... make me feel something.

"There's a vampire named Taryn in the ladies' room with that man you kicked before," Josie stated casually, still sipping on her drink. "Which was kinda hot by the way."

"She's feeding on him." Sookie finished and Eric looked from her to Josie, Pam doing the same as Bill visibly sighed.

"How do you know this?" Pam asked, her hand on her hip but before either of the humans could answer the door was kicked open.

"Police! Freeze!"

Panic washed over the room, people and vampires alike rushing to get away from the cops.

Eric rose from his throne, pulling Josie to her feet, "follow me." He quickly made his way off the platform, Josie stumbling a little after him but she steadied herself as the vampire pushed open a door that led outside. "Lovely meeting you again, Miss Delgado. Hope to see you again soon."

"Maybe," she mumbled as she looked up at him, her drink still in hand then he and Pam seemingly vanished. "And I'm keeping the glass!"

ﮩـﮩﮩ٨ـ🫀ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ nova speaks

slowly working this book and my others, but i really love the dynamic between eric and josie already and i'm so excited to dive deeper into it.

anyways, thank you for reading! i really hope you are all enjoying this book as i enjoy writing it!!

thank you so much for 5.3k reads! it's honestly so amazing!

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