Back In Time

Chapter 15: In Which I Seal the Thracian Deal

Moments later, Godric came through the door. He dusted his arms off, smiling amiably at Eric and me.

"Have you come to any conclusions in my absence?" He looked between the two of us as he sat on the edge of the chest he'd brought in earlier, reminding me that I hadn't looked at the clothes inside it yet.

"I want to bond with you," I answered in a rush, surprising everyone. Including myself. I had certainly picked a fine time in my life to become Blurty McBlurtenstein. He smiled at me, with just the faintest hint of a flirt behind it.

"I would like that as well," he returned. "I think it will be a significant help in determining your reason for being here."

"As do I," Eric said, standing up and heading toward the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked, slightly panicked at the prospect of him leaving. He turned and smiled down at me.

"As much as I enjoyed taking your blood, I'm afraid I require further sustenance. I have sufficient time to have a nip and make it back before first light," he informed me. I looked at him sceptically, wondering if that were really true or if he was discreetly trying to give us some privacy to complete the bond. I wasn't necessarily afraid of being alone with Godric, it was more like I was scared of the reaction I might have to bonding with him.

Just then, Godric spoke quietly to Eric in Swedish and Eric answered right back in the same language. I narrowed my eyes, not liking that one bit. Before I could rebuke them for their rudeness, Eric leaned in and kissed my cheek. "I will see you when you wake tomorrow. Sweet dreams," his eyes sparkled and I remembered that I'd been saying his name when I woke up that night. I spluttered a bit as I watched him disappear through the door. Godric chuckled softly from his perch on the chest. I shook my head slightly and had to smile.

"I don't mean to rush things along, but we haven't a great deal of time before you'll be needing sleep," he prodded gently. I nodded, perturbed by the fact that I wasn't in control of my body anymore. I hated that I had to sleep when it wanted to or pay the price of the bleeds. I knew he was right though, as I felt the first tell-tale signs of sleep stretching their fingers into my mind.

"That's ok, you're right. Would you like to sit on the bed as well?" I asked, not sure of the proper etiquette here. He gave me a wide smile, the adorable lines showing themselves on his face. I couldn't understand how I expected myself not to be attracted to him. I mean seriously. True, he was the polar opposite of Eric in looks, short and dark where Eric was tall and blonde, but that only meant I was stuck smack in the middle of The Hot as Hell Spectrum.

"We can complete the bond in this room, if you prefer. Eric, I'm afraid, has a slight flair for the dramatic," he confided, earning a genuine smile from me.

"I've always thought so, too," I told him. He nodded, relocating to the chair that Eric had vacated. Before he sat, he removed his jacket and loosened the ties of the shirt he was wearing under it. As he pulled it off altogether, he sat across from me. I tried to sneak a nonchalant peak at his chest, fascinated by his tattoos once again.

"Our warriors were archers," he told me. Apparently, I was nowhere near as discreet as I'd thought. "I started training as soon as I could walk. I was given this tattoo the year before I was taken to Rome," he absentmindedly traced the collar of arrowheads around his neck. "This," he said, running his hand across the bands on his right bicep, "This is the prophecy told when I was born. My people believed in their gods very strongly, and at the birth of each intended warrior, our wise woman would deliver a prophecy for the babe. These runes record that prophecy and are tattooed when the child reaches the age of five." I wanted so badly to ask him what it read but I didn't want to interrupt his train of thought. "These represent the waves of the sea that gave us sustenance," he motioned to the jagged lines covering nearly all of his left bicep. He began to shift in his seat, the muscles of his torso flexing as he did so. In the space of a heartbeat, I was standing behind his chair, not wanting him to be uncomfortable as he explained the tattoo on his back. He chuckled at my eagerness.