| THIRTY-THREE |
INVITATION FROM THE KING

       A month passed.

The holidays were long over and it was a new year. Yet she and Eric always seemed to be celebrating. Well, celebrating with each other. They were insatiable for one another and could not keep their hands to themselves.

Most of the month was filled with sex that seemed to celebrate the new phase of their relationship that was more intimate and physical. Eric did not seem keen to make her ache again by going days at a time or even hours so their escapades were quick bouts of lovemaking that lasted only minutes; this led them to sometimes having sex multiple times throughout the day.

Eira could not deny that they were a bit insane about each other despite being in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. She was sure that they had sex on nearly every surface inside her house now and multiple times in his office at Fangtasia. They were so bad that they were even starting to annoy Pam. But it's not like Eira wanted to stop; Eric was very good and she could never deny him when he wanted to have sex (not that she wanted to deny him).

           Currently, she was standing in the kitchen. It was nighttime and she had been baking cookies. But Eric decided to occupy her time while she waited for them in the oven. His hands roamed her curves while his lips attacked her neck, sucking and nipping at the supple skin which would only create more hickeys but currently elicited low moans from her mouth.

              His hands then moved to her shirt and she let him pull it over her head. His lips immediately attached themselves back to her neck and then going down to her collar bone, between her breasts, and to her stomach where his lips blazed a trail.

       "Eric," she panted as she leaned back against the counter while Eric removed her bra and she tried to think of what she was supposed to be paying attention to: the food. "We can't....its...they'll burn."

         "Just five minutes," Eric pleaded as his mouth pleasured her breast, his tongue flicking the nipple and making her breasts harden. She couldn't help but nod as her hands tangled in his hair.

           He took his time sucking and licking at the soft skin of her breast while he kneaded the other with his hand. Then he switched and soft moans escaped her the whole time.

           When he was done, he pushed down her shorts which took her underwear down with them. They dropped to the floor and she was now bare before him. Her body had two new scars of bite marks with one on her hip and one on the inside of her thigh. He ran his hand over the one on her hip before he lifted her a bit to set her on the edge of the kitchen counter.

          She immediately reached for him and crashed her lips to his as she clawed at his shirt. He removed it immediately and she smoothed her hands down his toned chest while he spread her legs apart.

          He unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down a bit to let his erection spring out. His lips moved to her neck while he pushed the tip of his cock into her entrance. She let out a deep moan while she moved to wrap her legs around him, pulling him closer, deeper as she moved her hands to roam his back. Her forehead now rested on the crook of his shoulder and she placed kisses on the side of his chest as he slid his cock all the way in.

            She had always loved the first plunge of his thick cock, filling her to her core, as her body conformed to fit him, stretched to the max, stretched perfectly for him. It always made her so wet to think that she was so full of him that she might burst.

         And with only the first plunge, his cock was lubricated in a slick sheen of her juices. His cock could slide seamlessly in and out, in and out. And each thrust of his cock always felt like it might split her in two with how stretched she was which only made her wetter for him. It's why it never took long for her to orgasm and after a few hard thrusts right to her core, his cock was dripping in her cum.

          Yet he continued his onslaught as kept thrusting his cock hard and fast into her cunt which built her up again. She grabbed his face, bringing it to hers as she crashed her lips to his; she wanted his tongue in her mouth. She wanted to taste him on her lips.

           She was near her climax again when suddenly he pulled out making her whine for him. His pants were back on and buttoned as he looked in the direction of the front door which was across the house and down a hallway.

            "Stay here," he commanded as he disappeared, seeing him vamp speed past the wall of the kitchen.

           Her jaw dropped as he left. What did he even leave for? And how could he leave her here a mess and wanting more?

          She clenched her jaw as she jumped down from the counter. She picked up his shirt and pulled it over her head; it was so big that it was down to her knees.

          Now that she wasn't preoccupied with Eric and his beautiful blue eyes, she remembered the cookies and turned the oven off. She was going to take them out but then she heard voices talking in what sounded like the entrance hall.

            "As she is your human and out of respect, Eric, I'm asking your permission," she heard a voice distinctly like Bill. "But as your King, I can command you to release her to me for the evening."

             "No."

             "You're willing to disobey a direct command?"

             Eira didn't listen to Eric and followed the voices. She found Eric and Bill in the entrance hall and Eric looked close to murder while Bill looked prideful. She was only in Eric's shirt but she didn't really care; she didn't really care what people saw anymore or if they desired her because she only cared that Eric desired her as her body was only for Eric and he was the only one who could touch her. 

           "What's going on?"

            "Ah, Eira," Bill smiled. "I was informing Eric that I've requested you dine with me tomorrow."

           "It's not much of a request if you're forcing her to go," Eric glared.

            Eira quickly got in front of Eric in case he decided to do something while she asked in confusion, "A dinner? But why?"

            "Just to chat of course," Bill said politely. "But we can get into that tomorrow. I'll be here to collect you at eight 'o clock sharp."

            She went to protest in confusion but Bill left. She turned around to face Eric who had his fists clenched at his side before she asked, "What's going on? Why do you I have to go with him?"

           "Since you are my human and he is King, he can order me to release you to him for the evening as he just did," Eric clenched his jaw. "I should've saw this coming."

          "What? Why?"

           "Eira, he wants your blood," Eric explained. "He's going to try to manipulate you. He's hoping that if he plays it right that you'll like him more than me so that way you'll choose to be his."

    "But that's impossible," she furrowed her eyebrows. "Because I'm always going to love you."

           He looked at her carefully as he said quietly, "You know it won't be always if you don't let me turn you."

            Eira stared at him for a moment. They had already talked about this. She didn't want to be a vampire yet because she wanted to actually enjoy being a couple with Eric first; if he turned her she'd be a vampire that was a crazy about blood and she didn't want to deal with that yet. Also, they had no idea if she'd be some special vampire that could walk in the sun; she might have to lose that and if she did it was likely Eric and Pam did, too. She wasn't ready to give up being in the sun with Eric quite yet.

           "I will be a vampire one day," she promised. "But vampire or not, it's still always. I'll love you till the day I die. That's always."

          "I'd never let you die," Eric said fiercely like she was silly for saying such a thing as his hands went to cradle her cheeks. "How could you ever think that'd be an end for you that I'd allow?"

           "Eric...everyone dies," Eira stared at him in bewilderment; death was just reality even for a vampire who could live forever.

            "No," he denied simply as he kissed the top of her head ever so softly and her eyelids fluttered close at the light touch of his lips as his thumbs caressed her cheeks.

             When his lips left her skin, she blinked her eyes open slowly. She looked up at his sky blue eyes that were a bit angry.

         She stared at him a bit in confusion before it dawned on her that Eric would never accept the possibility of her dying; he could not accept that there was a chance she could leave the world with him still in it. Maybe he was a realist with everyone else but not with her.

             "Eric..." she said carefully.

            "Don't."

            "I love you."

           "I know."

            "Then you know I won't leave you. If you say I won't die, I believe you. We'll spend forever together and I'll be madly in love with you," she smiled at him and her pretty green eyes stared at him with devotion as she stepped into this fantasy with him. "Alright?"

            He nodded slowly and she sensed there needed to be a subject change. She quickly gave him a pretty, pleading smile as she spoke in exasperation, "And before it drives me completely crazy, can you please finish what you started?"

He smirked as he picked her up, making her wrap her legs around him, "Like I wasn't going to finish you off."

"Well, please do."

____

Tomorrow came rather quickly and she had requested that Eric not be here when she had to leave. She knew Eric was rather impulsive and already wanted to murder Bill; she did not want Eric to do anything drastic that could justify Bill ordering an execution.

"You don't want me to be here?" Eric questioned in bewilderment.

"I don't want you doing anything drastic."

His jaw ticked, "He's practically courting you. I should do something drastic."

"Eric, please," she pleaded as she placed her hands against his solid abdomen before fisting her hands in his shirt.

He stared at her and her worried expression. Those green eyes. He couldn't help but nod.

So Eric wasn't here when eight in the evening rolled around. Eira came out dressed in some jeans and a t-shirt when Bill knocked on the door.

He looked at her attire, "You don't think it would be appropriate to change?"

She gave him a glowering look and stomped off to the car. Bill sighed before joining her in the backseat before the driver started to pull the car forward.

"I understand that Eric may have told you that I..."

"I know what you want," Eira interrupted him. "And you should know that you're out of luck."

Bill frowned, "Eira, I do not want your blood despite what Eric claims. I merely have a proposition for you that could help the vampire race settle into society if you would hear me out."

Eira gave him a look, "If you had some business you liked to discuss, you could have told me at the house and not take me to dinner. It's obvious you wanted to make Eric mad probably hoping that he'd attack you."

"I'll admit that I do not particularly like Eric. In fact, I may daresay that I dislike him. But my intention with asking you to dinner was merely to treat you with the respect that I thought you deserved," Bill explained.

She looked at him, considering him. She had to hand it to him; he was very well-worded. But she wouldn't fall for that; she trusted Eric. She merely crossed her arms, "I don't believe you."

Bill frowned, "Eric really has manipulated you so mercilessly."

She glared at him, "Don't ever talk about Eric!"

"Of course," he smiled politely and they spent the rest of the car ride in silence as she stowed in her anger.

_____

When they got to the fancy restaurant, she giggled a bit at the fact that she might embarrass him with being so underdressed. At the booth they sat at, she refused to eat or order anything and ignored Bill.

Bill sighed, "If you're to spend the night in silence, I suppose I'll get to the point. You see, Eira, I believe the vampire initiative to become apart of society will be greatly helped by a champion among the humans to show that humans can be friends with vampires or...even more."

Eira squinted her eyes at him, "And you want me to be this champion because?"

"Why wouldn't it be you? You're very beautiful, you're kind, and you've shown you have no problem with vampires. There was no other person I could think of that was better suited for this task."

"And what task is that?"

"As King, I have a number of public relations events. I would like to showcase you and a significant other to prove that human and vampire couples can work."

"Significant other?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Meaning me," Bill said and her jaw dropped. "Now this would only be for show..."

Eira took the water that had already been sitting on the table and threw it at him. He was drenched in water and his jaw was clenched as he wiped the water from his eyes. But she glared at him harshly, "Like I'd ever fake a relationship with you. You can go to hell, Bill Compton."

And she left the table.

"Eira, you need someone to drive you home..."

"I'll walk!"

_____

Eira power-walked all the way home; she was still livid. When she got home, she found Eric waiting for her on the porch. He immediately vamp sped to stand right in front of her, seeing her look of rage.

"What did he do?" he tilted her chin up for her to look at him. "Do you want me to kill him?"

"You were right. He wants to get close to me and it's not for his stupid vampire initiative," she ranted before she sighed and muttered quietly. "He asked me to fake a relationship with him."

"He fucking did what?"

"Eric, it's okay. I took care of it," she stated. "I told him to go to hell. Literally."

"You told the King of Louisiana to go to hell?"

"Yes."

He smiled proudly, "That's my girl."

She beamed at his encouragement before she reached up on the tips of her toes and kissed him, reveling in their small little victory. Their lips molded together as his hands came to cradle her cheeks before tangling in her hair.

She muttered against his lips as she took a moment to breathe, "You think he'll leave us alone now?"

"Probably not."

She pouted and kissed him again to make her feel better because kissing him always had that effect. Eventually, after he carried her inside, she forgot all about Bill Compton.