The Guily Ones

Godrics Home

Eric bit into his wrist with a detached expression and held out his arm toward me, blood dripping down the sides. I recoiled instinctively.

"What are you doing?"

"Tending to your needs. You've lost blood. I'll replenish it."

"What? I'm not drinking your blood!" I almost shouted, stepping back as if he had pointed a weapon at me. The lingering effects of the last time were still too fresh in my memory, thank you very much.

Eric rolled his eyes, took a step forward, and pulled me closer, his bleeding arm now mere inches from my mouth. The way he held me somehow dulled the throbbing in my shoulder. He was almost gentle.

"Don't make me force-feed you," he warned quietly, his arm steady beneath my face. I pressed my lips into a thin line and shook my head.

"Don't make me redislocate my shoulder and break your ribs as well," I hissed through clenched teeth. We stared each other down for a tense moment before he finally released me with a rough shove and stepped back. I stumbled slightly.

Without another word, Eric turned and left the room, much like his... yes, his father, I guessed, had done earlier. Over his shoulder, he called back, "Better hurry up. We've got to go," before disappearing out of the church.

I hadn't realized how tense and uncomfortable I'd felt inside until we were finally outside, where I could breathe in the fresh night air. I sighed. It still hurt like hell, but I'd been through worse.

"I'm not running after you just because you said so!" I grumbled, running after him precisely because he said so. Pathetic. Eric let out a knowing grunt.

"Sure."

Why did he have to look so damn adorable when I wanted to hate him with every fiber of my being? Why did my heart flutter when we argued? The gods must be playing tricks on me. I rubbed my forehead, as if trying to erase the thoughts from my mind. A wave of dizziness hit me, and then Eric stopped abruptly, causing me to bump into him.

"Jeez, give me a heads-up, you big lump of muscle," I muttered, which made Eric raise an eyebrow.

"How much blood did you lose?" he asked incredulously. I snorted.

"Enough. A lot. Not too much. I've been through worse."

Eric grunted but didn't move. Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow.

"So..."

"So?"

"Can we keep going?"

He looked at me like I was dense."Where to?"

Did I hit my head and forget something? Didn't he just tell me to hurry so we could get to Godric?

"Aren't we leaving?"

Eric smirked. It was never a good sign when he twisted his mouth like that. I knew I wasn't going to like what happened next. And I was right.

I was in his arms and ten feet off the ground before I could protest.

"Oh God, not again..."

Eric laughed. I was beginning to fear his laughter more than his grin. The man had a twisted sense of humor.

"We can snuggle again if you prefer, but I thought this might be easier on your shoulder."

He held me like a bride being carried across the threshold, my injured shoulder carefully nestled between us. I pressed my lips together as if my life depended on it. I was sure that if I opened my mouth, I'd scream. And that would be the final nail in the coffin of my dignity, which I'd already completely and utterly lost.