Back In Time

Chapter 23: In Which I Begin To Understand

I woke up burrowed into the blankets like a groundhog, completely covered from head to toe. I stretched out, relishing the familiar ache in my body. I knew that there would have to be a discussion today regarding the events of last night and can't say I was totally looking forward to it. I couldn't stand the thought of Eric being with any other women even though I knew I had no right to ask him not to. I had just dropped into his life a few nights ago and couldn't expect him to drop everything because we'd had sex. I could, though, ask for names and addresses and start up with my vigilante work.

I could have stayed hidden in my little wormhole of blankets for the rest of my life if that's all we needed to talk about. However, I was dying to know if Godric had gotten any more information about Mr. Cabral. Not to mention the fact that I wanted to ask about the whole sky god/Sky Fae connection and see if that was just a coincidence after all. Plus, I planned on asking their opinion on me talking to Niall. Making love with Eric was a fine way to pass the time but it wasn't really gonna get us any answers, so I had to get down to business sooner or later. I heaved a sigh and started blindly tunnelling my way out of my safe haven. When I finally popped through, I was startled to see Eric sitting on the edge of the bed looking down at me with the ghost of a smile on his face.

"Finally decide to come out?" he asked, amused.

"Took a little deliberation. I had a lot to think about," I answered, smiling at him.

"Seems to me that you do a lot of thinking," he returned, still playful.

"Somebody has to," I shot back, fighting a chuckle.

"Hm. And I enjoy this overthinking? In the future?" he seemed unconvinced.

"Most of the time, no. Sometimes, you think it's funny," I answered him honestly. His grin was huge and genuine, the corners of his eyes crinkling and his cute little overbite making an appearance.

"I adore your candor," he informed me, still smiling.

"That's not gonna change," I told him, smiling back. He nodded and gestured toward the foot of the bed.

"I've set out a gown for you for the evening. It's much simpler than those you've worn to the palace. Godric and I need to feed tonight as well and so we thought we could go into the city together," he trailed off, not exactly asking.

"That would be lovely," I agreed. "Of course, we do need to discuss Mr. Cabral and what his presence means," I added. His eyes flashed at the name but he nodded calmly.

"Of course. I'll leave you to get dressed. If you need assistance, simply call out my name," he said, his mouth tilting up in the corners as he stood. "I do so enjoy the way it sounds," he added, his eyes burning into mine. I couldn't even arrange a coherent response to that before he kissed my cheek and disappeared from the room. I tried to be embarrassed but mostly I was just turned on. Which sucked because he'd know it through our bond. Damn, so would Godric. Double damn, that meant Godric would've felt us last night! I closed my eyes briefly, cursing those bonds from here to Kingdom Come before pulling my big girl panties up (figuratively of course, since I was stark freaking naked) and reached for the gown.

I was shocked by how quickly I was able to get dressed. Since he hadn't set out most of the undergarments I'd been wearing lately, I took that to mean they weren't required. The gown really was quite different than what I'd been wearing and it sort of reminded me of the outfits that girls wear at Renaissance Fairs. It consisted of a light beige coloured linen dress with long, loose sleeves. Next, I pulled on a dark chocolate coloured velvet overdress. The linen was exposed at the sleeves and through the split in the front of the overdress. Since there weren't any undergarments to speak of, the dress wasn't as pouffy as the others and therefore I was able to move around much more easily. I assume that had as much to do with the wardrobe choice as the fact that we weren't going to the palace. I wasn't sure exactly how Godric and Eric typically found a meal. If they were hunters, I would need to move swiftly. If they were planning on going to The Little Rose, I would need free range of motion to whoop a ho's ass. So, the dress was perfect either way.