Back In Time

Chapter 27: In Which The Thracian Steals The Mic

GPOV

"Heels nicely, does she not?" I asked Cabral, keeping my tone conversational. I made a point not to look at him, allowing my eyes to scan the assembled crowd instead. It was imperative that he not suspect Sookie's gift. After all she'd told us about this Edgington and his love of collecting, I certainly did not want him to set his mind on acquiring her.

"Whom?" he asked, affecting nonchalance. Whom indeed. I was perfectly aware that he had seen the entire exchange between Sookie and myself, and not only because she had relayed his thoughts immediately. I'd noticed his interest, seen his body tense slightly as he began to think through what he was seeing. When his thoughts abruptly changed to exports, it was clear that he believed she could hear his thoughts as well.

"Oh, I do apologize. I presumed you'd noticed her responding to my call," I answered, looking over at him. He schooled his features into a politely interested mask and I had to give him credit for his efforts. He, after all, wasn't aware of my age or experience. In this instance, those two factors rendered unnecessary my gift of intuition. Which he, obviously, was ignorant of as well.

"Your call?"

"Yes, I called her attention only a moment ago through my blood," I explained. He could not know that Eric was in fact Sookie's Maker and since she had ingested such copious amounts of my own blood of late, the scent she carried resembled mine closely enough to support the ruse. "I am her Maker, after all."

That revelation caused one perfectly arched eyebrow to raise ever so slightly. "I wasn't sure if she was yours or the Vikings," he admitted. I nodded slightly.

"Mine. They are both mine," I confirmed, glancing across the room at them as I spoke. Sookie was clearly agitated, though attempting to hide it. Eric, on the surface, appeared calm and quite collected. I, of course, saw the signs of his distress; tightened eyes, the way his fingers curled into the palm of his free hand as he moved slowly through the crowd, the muscle bunched in his jaw.

"You have exquisite taste," he complimented me. I shifted my eyes back to his face, noting the appraisal he was making. I didn't need to follow his gaze to know he was looking at Eric. I allowed myself a small smile at his words of praise.

"The packages they came in are quite beautiful, I agree. However, it was the contents of those packages that piqued my interest. They both have a zest for life that I find irresistible," I explained, stopping myself before I revealed too much. Before I told him how appealing I found their strength to be. Or the fact that in them, I saw the warriors they truly were. Of course, that was obvious in Eric, one need only look at the man to see it. With Sookie, the signs were much more subtle but there nonetheless. He nodded, as though he understood what I was saying. "Have you sired any children yourself?"

He shook his head at my question. "No, I have not. I have not had the desire to do so, though I am close with my Maker," he told me. I nodded, knowing that already from the information Sookie had given us.

"Then you understand the pull of your Maker's call," I started. When he nodded, I continued. "When Anne arrived, I wished for my children to be aware. They know that I desire an early audience with Anne this evening, if at all possible. I require sustenance and would prefer to find off of the castles grounds," I added when he looked at me questioningly. "I indicated that Anne had arrived and she immediately informed Eric so that we can hopefully gain that audience," I finished in an almost bored tone. It was a stroke of immeasurable luck that Sookie had chosen to relay my message to Eric verbally as I was quite certain Cabral had seen. Had she chosen to communicate it to him mentally, this entire fabrication would have failed.

"The Viking does not heed your call?" His tone remained merely interested, and so I did not take offense.

"Indeed, he does. However, I did not wish to interrupt his discourse with the Lady Wentworth," I explained, indicating the aged countess with a slight tilt of my head. He nodded, apparently accepting this explanation of events. I was not naïve enough to believe that he would not mention the exchange to his Maker or even to hope that my version of events erased all doubt in his mind, but it did remove us from immediate danger. With even a slight doubt, he would surely postpone any action until Edgington arrived. I focused on pushing assurance toward Sookie. When I caught her attention this time, she did not turn while I informed her that I had covered the situation. I did not wish for either of them to worry more than necessary about the situation.