Spellbound

I know that I have too many stories going but my mind is going rampant with imagination.

All characters belong to Charlaine Harris. The story is mine. This goes for any and all chapters that I may forget to include the disclaimer with.

Update: I've gone through the chapters and edited a few of my mistakes ...missing words, shortened sentences. I didn't realize that I'd made so many errors until I started rereading the story. I've also decided to change the title of the story to Spellbound because of the other story that has the same title as my story. I haven't changed it just yet in the description because I want to let everyone know first. Thanks everyone for their time and patience.

Sookie sat up in bed and waited for Eric to get out of the shower. Only minutes ago, they'd made love. No, they never made love. They've only ever fucked. She had to keep reminding herself over and over again that she and Eric never made love. Though she didn't want to, she had to see it for what it was. She had to stop saying that they make love. They'd never made love; not once in the many years since they've been married.

With her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs, Sookie rested her cheek against her knees. She was thinking about what she was going to say to him when he walked back into their bedroom.

She closed her eyes and shook her head no as she sighed. She had to stop saying those things; their bedroom, they make love. They shared a room and they fucked. That was it; nothing more, nothing less. She'd waited months to say what she wanted to say. When she'd believed that she'd built up the courage, she found that she couldn't do it.

She's always been in love with him. She's loved him since her grandfather introduced them. Even though it was an arranged marriage, she'd fallen in love with him. She couldn't resist him. She wanted him and at one time, he wanted her; or so she believed. It has always been so hard for her to resist him; that is until tonight. The click of the bathroom door interrupted her thoughts.

When Eric came into the room, he had a towel wrapped around the lower half of his beautifully sculpted body. It is the body that she loved running her hands over; the body that she wanted to hold, the body that she wanted holding her because he wanted to hold her and not because he was horny. In his hand, he was holding another towel to dry his hair. He didn't even have the decency to look at her. Not now and not even when they made ... fucked. Not even when they fucked.

"I'm leaving you," she said softly.

Eric dropped his towel on the floor as he looked at her. She could see every muscle in his body tense. "What did you say?" he asked.

"I'm leaving you," she reiterated.

"No, you're not," he replied.

She swallowed and repeated her earlier sentiment. "I am leaving you, Eric."

Eric started laughing. "You're kidding me. That's what you're doing. You are by no means leaving me. You love me, remember?" He spat the word love cruelly from his mouth. He knew that she loves him. He could feel it. He's always been able to feel it.

Sookie winced as he mocked her but instantly found her backbone. "Love doesn't mean anything anymore. It doesn't matter. Just know that I have every intention of leaving you."

He stared deeply into her eyes as he bent down to pick up his towel. He then slowly rubbed it through his hair. "You're not going anywhere. You love me."

"Not anymore. I don't love you anymore." She prayed against hope and hoped against prayer that he wouldn't see through her lies. She knew one way to keep him from knowing what she was feeling. She did what she said she'd never do. She hid her feelings behind her pain and let her true nature take over. And from the look in his eyes, it worked. He believed that she was telling the truth.

"So you lied?" he asked accusingly. "You said that you never lie. You always tell the truth. That's what you told me. Are you lying now or were you lying then? Did you lie when you said that you'd love me forever?" He mocked her as he waggled his finger at her. "You're a very bad girl, Sookie."

Looking him in his eyes, she spoke tenderly but with conviction. "I'm not lying now."

Eric laughed as he'd never laughed before; loud and maliciously. "Well, Mrs. Northman, when did you settle on this bit of realization?"

"I've known for quite some time. Tonight after we fucked …"

"What did you just say?" He sounded taken aback and almost hurt.

Sookie stared into his eyes and repeated her statement. "You heard me. Tonight after we fucked, I decided that I am no longer in love with you. I'm no longer in love with you and I want out. I'm not happy with you. I deserve better than this. You misled me, Eric."

His body stiffened. "I never misled you."

A frown took up residence on Sookie's face. "Liar," she whispered. This time, she didn't try to hide her pain. She let it appear in her eyes, on her face.

Eric couldn't bear to look at her so he looked away as he rubbed the towel through his hair; never saying a word.

"I want out. I don't want to be with you anymore. I don't love you anymore."

He moved closer to the bed and stared down at her. "You loved me yesterday. What's changed, Mrs. Northman?"

"Me," she said simply. "And who said that I loved you yesterday? I didn't. I haven't told you that I love you in a very long time. A person can only take so much rejection and I can't take anymore. My heart can't stand anymore. I'm done." Her voice was unexpectedly stronger.

Eric reached over and brushed a wisp of hair from Sookie's face. He studied her eyes before speaking again. "You look the same. You sound the same. You remind me of the woman that said she'd love me eternally. You said that you needed me. It may not have been yesterday but you promised me forever." He gripped her chin and his mouth was thisclose to hers. "You owe me forever."

She was almost tempted to kiss him but she held ground. Sookie took her chin from his hand and said, "As I said before, I lied. None of what I said before matters anymore because it's over. We're over."

"You're not leaving me. I won't let you."

Sookie decided to speak the words that she was always afraid to say aloud. "You don't love me, Eric. I'm not going to keep believing that you're only acting this way because you're a vampire. I'm not going to keep making excuses for your behavior anymore. There's no point in doing this any longer."

"When we married, I told you what I am and what it is to be a vampire. You didn't come into this blindly. You knew that things had changed between us before we married. I can't love you or anyone else. It's not in my nature to love anyone. It's not in my nature to be monogamous. This is an arranged marriage. That's the way we have to think of this because that is what it is. We will be married for the required amount of time. And don't play coy, lover. You knew what this was when we went into this. Until that time is up, we are stuck with each other."

Sookie flinched. She hated when he called her lover. He didn't mean it. Plus, he was wrong. She married him not because it was an arranged marriage. She'd actually grown to love him and she believed that he loved her. She felt that he loved her. Her family had made it a requirement that they spend time together; to get to know each other and that's what they did.

They shared. They laughed. They talked. She didn't marry him because her grandparents wanted them married. She married him because she wanted to. She really loved him. She's always loved him. That's why his words hurt her so. He told her things. He made her believe that he wanted to be with her. He loved her.

Or so she thought.

"Not necessarily," she said. "I've done some research and I've found out that we can have the marriage ended. We don't have to do this anymore. You haven't been doing as you were supposed to anyway, so what does it matter?"

Eric looked as if he hadn't a clue to what she was talking about.

Sookie looked at him and said, "Don't act as if you don't know what I'm talking about. We're supposed to make the rounds as a couple when it comes to functions that our families and people have. You never go with me when my grandfather has those huge soirees. I always have to make excuses for you and I'm tired of it. You never take me with you when you go to the gatherings of your kind or your friends. I go to that bar of yours every single time that it is required of me. I make an appearance. I'm social and I'm cordial. I did those things because I wanted to be a part of your life, Eric. I enjoyed it. I actually like some of your associates but I hate that bar. Do you want to know why?"

He knew why. He could always feel her pain and heartache.

She sat tall and looked at him as she spoke. "Do you know how it makes me feel when you go to your office and 'meet' with those other women … those fangbangers? Do you think that because I never speak up to you that I'm stupid? Do you think that I don't know what's going on in there?"

Eric didn't know what to say. He just stood there in the middle of the bedroom floor and held his towel.

She looked at him with sad eyes. "Of course you don't and of course you do. I've chalked it all up to one simple answer. You don't care about me or my feelings. You don't care about the pain that you've caused me, the embarrassment. What have I done to deserve that? I'll tell you what I've done. Nothing," she whispered. "I've only ever loved you and you've punished me for it. And I'm tired of this, Eric. I'm not doing this anymore."

Sookie stood up from the bed. She didn't bother covering herself as she walked across the room. She stood tall with her head held high and her will stronger than before. She could feel his eyes on her with every step that she'd taken. Sookie went to her underwear drawer and took out a manila envelope. She walked over to where Eric stood with the envelope in her hand.

"I talked to the Ancient Pythoness and she told me what we could do to end this marriage of inconvenience." She thrust their freedom into his hands.

Eric took the envelope from Sookie's hand and looked at it. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. She'd gone behind his back and she'd done this. A faery had gone to speak to the counsel about ending a political marriage. She had no right. She was supposed to take all of her concerns to him for his approval. She wasn't supposed to meet with any vampires without him being with her. Whether he loved her or not, she was his. He looked at her and for the first time, he could see that she was serious about ending this marriage.

"We have to go before the counsel in six months. There, she will destroy the ceremonial knife and break the bond. There will no longer be a marriage between us and we will have no ties. There will no longer be an alliance between our two races. As you know, ending the marriage early ends any obligations that we've made with our people. When the marriage is over, I may be going back to Faery and if I do, I will never return to this realm. You won't have to worry about me or my so called love any longer."

Eric couldn't believe what he was seeing or what he was hearing. He was the one that was supposed to leave. No woman, human or otherwise, has ever left him of their own accord. He was the one that did the leaving. He was the alpha male. How could she fucking do this to him? He's Eric Northman. No one blindsided him; especially not his faery wife.

Another reason the marriage couldn't end early was because the alliance would be broken. They had to stay married the required amount of time. Everything that they've worked for will be null and void. They've come so far, too far. Their people were coming together as one. They'd made so many changes in the supe world. Why would she want to destroy everything that they've worked so hard to build? She said that she wanted this and now she's backing out? Because of some fucking feelings?

"When did you do this?" he asked her in his most menacing voice.

"On one of the many nights that you were ignoring me," she answered. She started to laugh. "And why do you care? You didn't even notice that I went to Las Vegas for three days. You didn't call me while I was away. You didn't even say anything to me when I returned." She gave a short laugh and shook her head. "And you don't want to end this?"

He did notice. He noticed that his wife wasn't in their chamber when he'd risen. She was always there when he'd risen. She always had a blood waiting on him. He knew where she was but he didn't know who she was with. He'd sent Clancy to find her. He realized now that he'd made a mistake by sending Clancy. Pam had offered to go but he needed her here. He realizes now that he'd made a mistake. Clancy didn't tell Eric who Sookie was visiting. Maybe he didn't know. She must've left during the daylight hours to go to the Pythoness's house. Even if she had, he still should've been made aware. The Weres would've had told him. Why hadn't they told him who she'd been meeting with?

"I want nothing from you. I don't want alimony; if that's even an alternative in this type of marriage. I don't want this house. I sure as hell don't want the memories that come with it." Looking at her finger, she added, "I don't want this ring. I'll use my grandmother's human name while I'm here in this realm. I have to stay here for couple of months after the marriage is over but when I return home, I'm going back to the name Brigant. There is only thing that I want from you and that is my freedom."

Eric was at a loss for words. No woman has ever done this to him.

"You can read it over if you want. It won't take you too long. It's only one page." Sookie chuckled. "Andromeda, laughed at me when I told her that I didn't want anything. She said that I should take you for everything that you have. She said that you are the one that has destroyed this alliance with your misleading ways. She said that you are to blame but I don't agree," Sookie said. "Anyway, she doesn't realize that there's nothing that you have that I want other than my freedom."

Not anymore, she thought.

Eric knew that he was up shit creek. No one has ever called the Ancient Pythoness by her given name. It was punishable by death. They all knew that. For Sookie to be able to, she and the AP must have become close in those three long days. Eric opened the envelope and pulled the piece of paper from it.

With her perfectly manicured finger, Sookie tapped the bottom of the paper. "As you can already see, I've signed it."

He didn't need her to point that out. He saw that she signed it with the last name Brigant. He also saw that everything that she'd said to him was true. She wanted nothing but her freedom.

"Andromeda kept the original copy. She gave this one to me because I asked her for a copy to give to you. I wanted you to know what I have planned. That's only fair." She didn't wait for him to respond to anything that she'd said or what was written on that piece of paper. She turned away from Eric and went to the bathroom to shower.

Eric watched her as she closed the door behind her. She then did something that she'd never done before. She'd locked the bathroom door. He looked from the bathroom door to the paper and back to the door again. This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't supposed to happen at all.