The wet filthy sounds of sucking was loud in the the otherwise quiet room. Her skirt was raised above her waist and her panties shoved somewhere down by her ankles as the king lay between her outspread thighs, his fangs dug into her femoral artery. The light gleamed off slick skin, not all of it blood, and Sookie silently heaved an impatient sigh as the minutes ticked by, a feeling of relief filling her as she watched Bill feast on his latest conquest, fangs snicked back and tongue now in play. It meant this portion of her night - or day if you went by vampire standards - was nearly at an end. She hated when she was required to stay at his bedside - his paranoia was getting out of hand if he commanded she stay by him even now. She rolled her eyes, though she was careful to keep her face from his line of sight.
"Are you bored, Sookie dear?"
The purring quality of his tone attest to his satiation, but it did nothing to disguise the irritation threading the words. Sookie bit back a snarky reply mostly because she knew better than to misbehave in front of a witness - even a fangbanger like tonight's meal.
Bill was King.
"'Course not, Your Majesty. I was admirin' her manicure."
She could see the sparkly shine of the girl's nails from where her hands were clenched on the headboard of the large bed. Not really a lie. It was nicely done regardless of the person it adorned.
"Join us." It wasn't quite a request and not quite a demand. There was a delicate balance between them and he trod it well most days. She deliberately didn't think upon the times when his desires overcame his will and she had no choice.
"I'm thinkin' no-" Stars no! " - but thank you for the offer."
The blood dripped from the ends of Bill's fangs when he lifted his head high enough to stare at her. Once upon a time, she'd curled her tongue around his teeth sucking her own blood from them, and felt as high as a kite on love. Now she looked at him dispassionately, ignoring the whimpering girl with true indifference. Jealousy, like her love, had faded when the blood haze had lifted and she could see truly see her Prince Charming for what he was: an opportunistic jackass who weaseled his way into her bed, her veins, and eventually onto a throne.
"It wasn't an offer."
A dangerous tone now. Sookie quelled the urge to shift at the hardening of his features at her gingerly couched refusal. She instinctively wrapped the silvery haze around her mind and carefully pushed forward until she touched the blankness she knew was Bill. If he blurred to her, she would protect herself against him as she had secretly practiced. Sookie didn't know if it would work, but it was surely better than being the subject of his ire.
Her quiet, "And I'd still decline," disguised her battle readiness. Bill allowed some sass from her despite his very thorough education on exactly how much - or rather how little - autonomy she could expect from him.
Bill cocked his head and studied her, nostrils flared a little as he sought to scent her. If Sookie didn't know better, she'd think him a were as it was a common expression among the shifters she'd met. A small smile turned his thin lips upward even as his eyes were watchful; she relaxed internally as she realized he decided upon indulging her. His whimsical nature discomfitted her as she could rarely predict his moods in their private moments together.
"Sookie, you are still a delight to me even now." He languidly stretched and slipped from the bed and she didn't turn her eyes from his nudity. The Southern Gentleman he'd always proclaimed himself to be would never have inflicted such indignities upon her, but then his humanity was a long time behind him. He chuckled as if he read her mind and then flicked a hand towards the girl as he padded to the adjoining bathroom.
"Do something about that."
Sookie nodded and turned to the discreetly placed buzzer on the wall next to the bed. Every room Bill claimed as his had them installed as it was the fastest way to call for help in the event of incapacitation. Despite her years at Bill's side, she didn't always understand the vampire court and the relationship he had to his courtiers so she had no clue as to why he didn't just summon them mentally. She knew it could be done that way as the disposed Sophie-Ann had such an ability, but she would never dare ask.
"Yes, Consort?"
Josue bowed respectfully and Sookie shook herself from her contemplations. She snapped her fingers and the court steward righted himself, though his head remained inclined. Sookie knew from experience he would patiently stay in place until he could carry out whatever duties she commanded of him, and sometimes she wanted to draw out the time he spent at her side just to see if his position would change. She never did, but the harmless mental wondering amused her.
"King William requires this young lady to be escorted from the premises and...helped...home."
Bill hadn't requested anything of the sort, of course, but Sookie was just glad this one would leave under her own power. Sometimes, and more often than not lately due to the uprisings, the girls would be hefted in body bags and taken out for covert burials so not to arouse the suspicions of the human police who lived near the court.
"Do you require my services, Consort?"
The subtle emphasis didn't go unnoticed. Josue was weirdly attentive to her in a way she noticed he wasn't for Bill whenever the king summoned him. It was another strangeness of vampiric behaviors she added to the mental list she kept. Some day she hoped to find someone to explain the unknowable because it drove her quite mad at times to not fully understand her surroundings.
"Josh -" she contained the chuckle that threatened at his slight wince of the Anglicization of his name - "I'm fine. Just help her."
Penetrating hazel eyes peered at her for a second as he determined if she told the truth. Sookie refused to blanch as memories of the last time she'd needed his help threatened her equilibrium. Instead she allowed her amusement to show on her face, the grin as natural as Bill's was false. Josue seemed relieved and his gaze diverted to just above her shoulders again.
"As you wish."
Sookie winked. "Have you been watchin' human movies again?"
Black brows twitched in a haughty manner and she hid a giggle behind her hand. For all that Josue looked like a young twenty-something, she'd learned he was past his first century and didn't approve of newfangled technology that polluted the world. He preferred to spend his time reading books and refused to acknowledge anything newer than vehicles, which had gone into production soon after his Making. He was her chauffeur on the rare times she was allowed to leave Court.
Taking pity on him, Sookie turned towards the now unconscious fangbanger and attempted to right her dignity by drawing her silky underthings back up her legs and pulling down the microscopic skirt from her waist. She proficiently determined girl wouldn't need stitches and was thankful Bill hadn't torn her skin as he'd done to others - at most she would need one of Dr. Ludwig's tonics and some iron pills for a few days. Sookie quietly spoke her conclusions aloud, confident Josue would follow her instructions to the letter.
Long red hair trailed over Josue's suited arms as he picked the limp girl up and Sookie shut her eyes for a moment against the image. She's alive! Sookie sternly reminded herself and waved Josue away, listening for the quiet shush of his departure. Sensing Bill returning to the suite, Sookie debated the wisdom of leaving without his dispensation. Her skin prickled at his closeness and she knew she'd run out of time.
"Was there anythin' else you needed, Sir?"
Strong hands clamped down on her shoulders from behind and Sookie automatically tilted her head sideways so her throat was on display. She could feel her pulse beating beneath the fragile skin and she closed her eyes again as she awaited her king's pleasure.
"One day I will stake Josue's heart and place his head on stick to put beside my throne," Bill murmured, his fangs lightly tracing her superficial cervical artery. Naming the artery calmed her beating heart and she didn't stiffen. Bill was older and stronger than Josue, so she didn't doubt he could follow through with his threat, but this wasn't the first time he'd used this particular one against her. He was jealous of the dark-haired vampire for reasons Sookie didn't understand. Josue never made a move or even intimated he held any desire for her - vampires weren't subtle in their appreciation for Sookie - so it bewildered her why Bill chuckled at guests and growled at his own Steward.
"He's loyal to the court and carries out his duties admirably."
Admirably was her word of the day and Sookie was glad to find a way to fit it into conversation, even in this tense situation. The slide of fangs through her skin was painful and Bill's hands held her in place as he punished her for her impertinence. He could make it pleasurable for her, yet he hadn't, not since she fully understood her place in his retinue. Consort in name, slave in truth.
His fangs withdrew and ripped through the already furrowed flesh surrounding the holes in her neck. Sookie's hand automatically raised to put pressure on the bleeding so it wouldn't drip over her white blouse. She waited for him to step away before opening the drawer of the nightstand beside the bed so she could take out a handkerchief conveniently placed there. She knew Josue kept them stocked for her, but she would never betray the nicety to Bill and knew the king thought she put them there for these times. It saddened her a little, and made the hard kernel of banked rage glow sullenly in her breast, that he would expect her to need pseudo-bandages at any given moment. Too bad she couldn't write the "and then" to explain what happened in the aftermath of "happily ever after." It probably wouldn't sell as many romances or fairy tales to dreamy girls, but it would be a dose of the truth they deserved.
"Do not tempt me so, Sookie," he smugly cautioned. "I have need of your services in Court, not in the bedroom."
Sookie was glad her back was to him because she couldn't mask the fury etched across her face. She hated how he made little digs at her and made it sound like she was some sort of streetwalker instead of a manipulated woman who didn't understand her fate until it was too late. She breathed slowly through her nose as she fought to wrestle her temper under control; in the early days she would've fired back, but the years had taught her how to restrain herself to avoid further problems. Her mind trick wasn't tested and she couldn't rely on anyone in the court to protect her if Bill retaliated. Josue's face flashed through her mind and she thrust the temptation away; he was the Steward of Louisiana first, her friend second.
"Don't keep me hangin', Your Majesty. What do you wish of me?"
"Face me when you speak to your king and stop your incessant mumbling. You know how I hate when you do that. Speak like the lady you wish you were."
Hurt struck and Sookie battled against tears as well as anger. She white-knuckled the bandage at her throat until she was able to turn with a facade of calmness, all traces of the toxic brew of emotions shoved well below the surface. Sookie was never so glad Bill couldn't read her mind as now. He often vacillated between needling her with poisonous darts and honeyed lies designed to tempt her into his bed, as if she were still the virginal idiot he found in Merlot's Bar.
Sookie managed to dredge up a smile from deep within, even as her life's blood sullenly wet her slightly trembling fingers.
"I apologize, Your Majesty. What do you wish of me?"
Bill, now dressed in his customary black suit with the subtly blue-striped tie, sat in one of the overstuffed chairs situated in front of the empty fireplace across from where Sookie stood. He hadn't wiped his mouth and he smiled at her with red stained lips. Sookie fought the upheaval of her stomach with rigid discipline. It wasn't the first, nor would it be the last, for him to test her this way. She would limit his victories as best she could.
"I need you to work as Emissary of the court. Radcliffe is...indisposed...right now so you are the only other I trust to do my bidding."
Hope rose and she fought to keep from showing it. She hadn't left New Orleans in nearly a year and she ached to explore other places. In spite of her humble beginnings, Sookie yearned for new experiences with the same thirst for adventures that propelled great explorers of history, and it seemed as if Bill was answering her heart's desire. Caution reared its head as soon as the thought crossed her mind: Bill rarely did anything to please her. She was useful to him because she was able to further his ambitions. Bitterness was a sour taste in her mouth as she remembered her first trip to Louisiana and the stripping of her naiviety.
"Your will is mine own," the well-practiced words tripping from her mouth without volition.
"Of course it is, my Sookie. You are aware of the uprisings in Shreveport and how I need a strong presence there to maintain the peace."
Sookie nodded. Bill's rule since he'd taken the throne in a bloody coup from the former Queen hadn't been peaceful. While many had delighted in the overthrowing of Sophie-Ann, that didn't necessarily mean they accepted Bill in her place. Bill was Louisiana-Arkansas, which meant he was needed in all parts of his Kingdom; the vampires knew this and ran rampant the moment his back was turned. Bill had come down harshly on all those he could capture or quell through threats, but Shreveport was the original site of the Louisiana Court and the vampires living there were among the oldest in the state. Bill needed an enforcer, which he lacked since he'd beheaded Andre the minute before he did the same to the Queen.
"Unfortunately Radcliffe failed at the task I set for him and returned missing a few body parts as he angered those I courted. You, on the other hand, have the wit to understand when to speak and when to talk."
It wasn't a compliment so much as an observation. Sookie hadn't always held her tongue and had scars to prove the stupidity of such decisions. A thrill went through her as she realized the situation unfolding before her - Bill couldn't draw from a loyal nest nor did he bring anyone other than Sookie with him when he first returned to Court. Even Josue came with the crown as Stewards, like Emissaries, were inherited responsibilities. Sookie wasn't too clear on how exactly they were entailed, as the information was already known by those who attended and no one would think to instruct someone who was a mere Pet. Only Josue treated her with a modicum of respect, but she wouldn't ask him questions that might get him in trouble with Bill.
"Who are you tryin' to get?"
"Eric the Vikingr."
The distaste curling Bill's lips could be heard in his tone and Sookie caught herself before she raised her brows in intrigued surprise. She'd never heard such disdain in his voice before as he always tried to look like a benevolent king rather than a greedy and grasping vampire who snatched a throne through trickery and guile rather than the might of his fangs.
"What's he like?"
"Strong. Independent. Old." The breathy emphasis of the last word underscored the importance of the other vampire's age. The few times she was allowed in Court, she'd observed the intricacies of hierarchies among the vampires who danced attendance on Bill. Bill wasn't the oldest vampire, not by far, but he was definitely stronger than the sycophants that plagued the court. The Louisiana King was thirty when he fought against Northern Aggression and frozen at that age when he was Made - which made him nearly two hundred years old now. It boggled the mind that he was considered relatively youthful.
"Why would he bend his head to you?"
A small growl announced Sookie's misstep, but she was too curious to heed the warning. Age didn't necessarily equal strength, though the older ones tended to be wily and dangerous, so how would he entice a vampire who sounded like he was out of his league?
"I have something he wants," came the smug response.
"What do you need me to do?" Anticipation started to build as Sookie realized this trip might actually come to fruition. She'd never worked as an emissary before, but surely if Radcliffe could do it, a vampire so dumb sometimes she wonders how he didn't walk into the sun by accident, she could too.
"My informants tell me Eric is enjoying the hospitality of Nevada. I will send you to him with a sealed letter and you will avail yourself for his every comfort."
"Every...comfort?"
Dark brown eyes captured hers and pressed Bill's will upon her. She wasn't susceptible to his Glamour like most humans, but Sookie knew the extent he would go for her unwilling consent.
"Whatever he needs, you will give him. I want him to be my sheriff of Area 5 and you will get him for me."
Sookie dumbly nodded. She didn't like Bill's jealousy and sought ways to avoid it, but she didn't realize how much she'd depended on it until now. Unlike other Pets she'd met, Sookie wasn't forced into group situations as Bill didn't share his possessions. Now, however, the implication was clear: if this Eric wanted sex or blood, she was to provide it for him, even if it meant personally.
"If I fail?'
"You won't fail."
The confident proclamation made cold sweat trickle down Sookie's back and she bit her tongue to prevent any further questions. The thinly veiled irritation made her wary of stepping any further across the drawn line in the sand, and she decided against pushing for tonight. She had every intention of seeking out information on the Viking vampire, if only to ensure she really wouldn't fail in her task.
"Excellent! I'm glad we came to this accord. I have drawn up your itinerary and switched the plane tickets into your name. You will leave on Thursday so it's best if you go pack now. Follow my list of instructions and soon enough you'll return to Louisiana."
The unconvincing heartiness in Bill's voice did nothing to convince her of her impending success, but Sookie was used to working under trying conditions. Besides, she got to go to Nevada on a plane! Heck, she'd only ever seen Louisiana from a car window, and now she was getting the opportunity to see the land while flying across. Excitement joined the trepidation and suddenly Sookie was glad of the trip in spite of the reasons behind it. She might end up in a body bag like plenty of girls before her, but at least she'd get a free plane ticket out of it.
A/N: This story was written for a month-long challenge which crossed The Sentinel with any fandom of my choice. I didn't get it done in the time limit, but I decided to continue it anyway because I liked what I started; just so you know, this is a fusion as Blair and Jim do not exist in this 'verse. Also, to help eliminate confusion, some of the characters and events are taken from the books as well as the show and mixed together.