| TWENTY-NINE |
DELICATE

          It was days later when Eira opened her eyes next. Eric had tried to heal her with his blood and her physical injuries healed but she still would not wake. It seemed whatever happened in the forest where he found her could not be healed by his blood.

              So Eric took her to a hospital after consulting Dr. Ludwig (who was useless) hoping they'd have a cure since his blood was not. He waited for five days pacing her hospital room; all of the staff were too afraid to tell him that he was staying past visiting hours.

          When she did open her eyes, he was too busy pacing to notice. But it didn't take long before she drew his attention because once her eyes landed on him, it was like she had all the energy in the world. She had leaped out of bed as she called his name with a wide smile, "Eric."

           In an instant, he was holding her off the ground as she hugged him. She had her arms wrapped around his neck while she rested her head against the crook of his shoulder. His arms were wrapped around her and held her tightly like he was afraid she'd vanish if he held her any differently.

           "You're not supposed to be out of bed so quickly," he lectured.

            "Since when do you care about rules?"

           "When it's about your well-being, I do," he said as he walked before setting her down on the bed.

          She smiled a bit before she smoothed a hand down his chest to linger over his undead heart, "You have no idea how much I missed you."

           His lips quirked, "I think I have an idea."

           "How long have I been...gone?" she questioned.

              "Over a month," he informed before his eyes became guarded. "I searched for you...endlessly. I couldn't feel you."

           "You wouldn't have. There was a spell," she said before she moved her hand to caress his cheek.

            "You wouldn't wake when I found you," he said. "You've been here for five days. I thought..."

               That you might never wake up. But he didn't voice that. Instead, he shook his head as he swallowed, "That doesn't matter now."

         Eric placed his hands on either side of her. He leaned a bit closer towards her and his eyes were dark, protective like he'd kill anything that took her out of his sight. It made her heartbeat quicken.

               "How do you feel?" he asked curiously; his mind waiting for some horrible side effect to present itself.

            "I'm fine, Eric. I feel fine," she drowned in his sky blue eyes that were staring at her with such intensity.

          "Are you sure? Because..." she went to cut him off by kissing him but they were both interrupted.

          "Eric! Isn't it about time you got back to Fangtasia?" Eira was surprised to find Bill entering her hospital room in a fancy suit and an entourage of guards waited outside.

           Eric glared at Bill as he turned his head to the vampire. Eric could only guess why Bill was here: he had designs to somehow get Eira's blood. It would explain why he only got a simple lecture about his methods to find Eira. Now that Sookie had disappeared, it left Bill free to go after the blood that was so special in the veins of his human.

        "I hardly think that's appropriate right now. She's only just woken..."

          "Now, Eric," Bill commanded.

          Eira was speechless at the way Bill was addressing Eric. She was even more surprised when Eric actually did what he said.

          Eric clenched his jaw before turning his head back to her. His eyes softened before he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I'll be back."

           And then he was gone.

          _____

          Eira was very confused and Bill was very pleasant as he explained things. She learned that he was now king of Louisiana. He had asked her questions about where she disappeared and she explained but she did it in vague terms. She didn't say anything that would make Bill think she had the power to kill all vampires. She just used the truth which is that she had a crazy grandmother.

            He seemed to believe that and then he left. But then she had a whole entourage of people visit her soon after. Jason, Arlene, Sam, Tara, Lafayette.

           "Man, we were so worried about you," Jason said as he gave her a tight hug.

           Then she also had a visit from...Ethan.

         He looked banged up with bruises and cuts but he had a cheerful spirit. He came in with the brightest smile.

          "Thank god you're awake," Ethan joked. "Didn't want you to think you were special enough for me to die a martyr or anything."

          "Ethan!" she smiled and he leaned down to give her a hug.

           She didn't notice Jason glaring at Ethan. Nor Tara whacking him on the shoulder to knock it off. Everyone had liked Ethan (except Jason) when he came to the hospital waiting room asking about her very nervously.

             "I know she's here. Her name is Eira. She has the prettiest green eyes but...but we're just friends, though. Please tell her vampire boyfriend that. Not the green eye part, though," Ethan started to panic. "Oh god. I'm gonna die, aren't I?"

          "If this one hasn't died, you won't, either," Tara pointed to Jason to make a point.

         "Hey!" Jason took offense.

          But they all thought Ethan was rather hilarious with his nervous antics. He and the rest of the entourage had stayed with her for quite awhile.

           Eric had come back to find her laughing among her friends. He watched her for a moment as he lingered outside a bit away from her room. She was happy and safe.

        He had only ever brought chaos to her life. Her mother died because her involvement with him. She got kidnapped by her grandmother because Eira had to save Pam from the dangers of his world.

          And he didn't want to ruin this moment here. She was laughing, she was happy, she was safe. That was all he cared about. So he left, disappearing in an instant to return in the morning.

         After he left, Eira glanced outside her room wondering when Eric would return. Even though she was happy now, she was always much happier to be by his side.

_____

Eira was to be discharged the next night. Her entourage that visited her in the night had left. And Ethan actually told her he was going to find his real family he had been taken from. She had wished him luck.

Eric returned in the morning, found out when she was to be discharged and then left again before returning again at night. His demeanor gave her whiplash. It was so different from last night where he held her so tightly in his arms.

Now he barely looked at her and he hadn't even kissed her yet. She thought he would even refuse her holding his hand as he brought her home. He had even looked down at it, considering, but let it stay.

When they got to her house, she simply could not take it anymore. She didn't know what was wrong with him but she was going to fix it.

"Alright, you should be..." he started to say as they got inside.

She interrupted him as she asked, "Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?" he answered with a question of his own but he still didn't look at her at all.

"Look at me then."

He slowly turned his eyes to her. She studied him for a moment before she reached up and caressed his cheek. He leaned into her touch before she stood on her tiptoes to press her lips to his.

           His lips quickly responded to hers which made her smile as their lips molded together. As with every kiss, she felt butterflies and felt like her blood was buzzing. They kissed slowly like it was the first kiss they shared all over again imprinted with a thousand little delicate beginnings. But the kiss quickly turned passionate and hungry as they kissed each other desperately to make up for lost time.

          Eric walked her backwards until she was pressed against the wall. His hand crept under her shirt to press against her stomach. Her heart galloped in her chest.

        Eric felt the warmth in his chest like he became alive in her presence and he felt the ache. Not an ache like the one he'd felt for months while she was gone but a new one, one that ached even fiercer. An ache born out of need. A need to hold her, kiss her, love her...forever.

         He wanted to devour her in this moment. He was selfish and he wanted to possess her mind, her heart, her body and even her very soul. He wanted to haunt her in such a way that somehow her heart would form a brand with his name on it; he wanted to haunt her in such a way that even Shakespeare would have to rise from the dead to write a new play.

         He wanted everything from her in this moment. To turn her. To fuck her. Everything.

         But she had the biggest heart that would only be crushed by the sins of the world. By the sin of him. And why would she want to be held in his cold arms forever? She was a being of light and warmth and all good things. And he was not. What could he do but smother all that he loved about her? But, still, he could never let her go.

        He'd didn't trust anyone to hold her so delicately or treat her as well as she deserved. But he felt like somewhere out there in the forever, he'd fade in her heart from a lover to a friend. The thought made him feel dead inside yet he'd still choose it because at least she was by his side. And yet he knew she was not ready to accept such an offer of forever nor to let him share her bed. Not tonight (even though he would've begged for it). And he felt like if he stayed now he'd end up pressuring her into something because of his own desperation.

         So he quickly stepped away from her, still looking at her with eyes that wanted to devour her completely. Then he mumbled about needing to be at Fangtasia and he left her there with a burning desire for him to kiss her until her lips turned blue.

AN: I want to give you fair warning that the next chapter and most future chapters will be very spicy. That mature tag wasn't for nothing