Pinpricks - Chapter 1

Prologue

This is Charlaine Harris's world, I just play in it. All characters are her inventions and everything here is written for fun NOT for profit. I publish by the grace, goodwill and generosity of Charlaine Harris. Thank you, Mrs. Harris, for creating this fantastic world. Please don't sue.

The vampires in this story have requested that they not be domesticated. They have informed me that while reasonable and self-interested, they are not benevolent, sweet creatures who can be toyed with or who forgive easily. After all, they suck blood. I will try to keep it from getting to inappropriately sexual or too violent, but I think flirtation with darker temptations reminds us why we love vampires so much.

More chapters will be forthcoming. As you can see dialog is my strength; I'm less confident about descriptions. Reviews welcome.

"Morning grumpy," Amelia offered cheerfully. "There's coffee."

"Hmmmph."

"Why the bad mood?"

"Eric has appetites," I said as Amelia poured me a cup of morning coffee.

I didn't look like I had slept much, even though no vampire had entered the house last night. I was always more sore two days after we had sex. Last night I had worked and tonight and tomorrow I had the day off. So, I was due to meet Eric at his house for a date at 7:00PM. In a way, I was dreading it.

"Appetites that he can indulge when he's not here? You two have some blood bond." For once it was Amelia's turn to raise an eyebrow to me as she sipped her coffee. Usually I was the one asking the questions about Amelia's sexcapades and then regretting it.

"That's just it. He can't indulge them," I said looking down at my hands.

"What do you mean he can't? Don't tell me vampires have erectile dysfunction. Hahahahaha. The mighty Viking has been bested."

Suddenly, I was offended for Eric. "Amelia that is sure as heck not the problem." If anything, I was having trouble keeping up with him in sex department. We had a ton of chemistry Eric and I, but he was a vampire and I was mortal. The speed and strength of our activities wore me down sometimes.

"Then what is it?"

"Sometimes I feel like I'm getting beat up when we have sex. It's not him," I said to her look of alarm. "Just if I'm worn out or depleted from feedings, I feel like I'm being hit with a two-by -four. Most of the time I love our ….passion, but sometimes that vamp is too much for me. "

"You need to take control in the bedroom."

"Fat chance. Somehow I can't imagine anyone taking control from Eric." In the bedroom he was particularly dominant. Last night he had ripped a hole in his wrist and wiped a streak of blood over my stomach. "My woman," he had yelled as he entered me. Subtlety was not his strong suit.

"Don't you know the bottom is the one with the real power," she said.

"Amelia!" I didn't know what a bottom was exactly, but it sounded dirty.

"Who's usually on to?"

"I will not answer that."

"That's what I thought. Eric is the dominant partner. I mean, it's obvious."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. Unless it's hard on you physically to always be on the receiving end. You have to take control while still letting him think he has the power."

I sighed. Amelia was too much. "Eric loves me. When we're together it isn't some power grab against the king of Las Vegas."

"I know he does, sugar, but you need to step up your game. You've got a good head on your shoulders. Use it. You both will end up enjoying it more"

"Love is not a game," I admonished.

All's fair in love and war," she countered waggling her eyebrows.

I laughed. "OK. I'm listening," I said wondering if I would regret it. Amelia was a good, if unorthodox friend, and in truth many of her crazy ideas were wonderfully creative. She truly wanted me to be happy, and I knew it because she was broadcasting loud and clear. I needed titanium shields when Amelia was in the room.

"Listen I have an idea," she said her eyes brightening

"I don't know if I want to know what it is."

"There's this new thing. Some people call it pricking, some call it jabbing, but don't call it cutting. That has too many bad connotations," explained Amelia.

"A lot of the fangbangers cut." I said already regretting this. "They're all about I hate myself and I'm crazy for blood. Bite me, bite me. That is not for me."

Some of them were calling it pinholing, but now it's pretty much accepted that everyone calls it pinking." she went on ignoring my disgust.

"What's pinking," I asked.

"Well it's kind of like tattooing, in that it's done with a needle gun, but there's no ink."

"So, it's permanent?"

"Well it can be. But it doesn't have to be. If you have a vampire, which you do, then it won't be."

"I don't understand"

"Basically the pinking artist uses a needle gun to punch holes in your skin. The holes are done in a decorative pattern. I saw some of the designs in a tattoo magazine and they were beautiful. Those pinkers call themselves artists for a reason."

"OK, I'm listening."

"After the holes are punched, they're bandaged. The bandages are designed to rip off any scabs that have formed when they're removed. So that means that a pattern appears in blood on your body when you take off the gauze. Your vampire is supposed to lick off the blood and heal the wounds. But, I've heard that some people are into the patterns and are letting the holes scar over."

"My lord, what will people think of next?" I said.

"Don't act so shocked. People have been decorating their body with ink and piercings from the beginning of time."

"I know but this is so…" I thought for the word. "Extreme."

"Girlfriend, you date the undead. We have people who sprout fur and howl at the full moon on speed dial. YOU READ MINDS. Your life is extreme. Our life is extreme. Personally, I don't see the harm if all parties consent."

"But who punches holes in their skin and thinks it's pretty?"

"People who love vampires. Do you wear makeup?"

"Yes."

"Do you have pierced ears?"

"Yes."

"So what exactly is the difference? It's all body art."

The problem with Amelia's bluntness is that she was often right. "I've never heard of anything like it before."

"Really Sookie. I know you play up this backwoods sweetheart thing, but you're going to have to open your mind a bit here if you want to have things go your way in the bedroom."

"Are you saying I should do this?"

"Why not try it. Just a small pattern, on your back where no can see it but Eric. Anyway, if he licks it, it will heal that night. You want to be a little adventurous, don't you?"

"No. I want to not feel like I've just done battle after we … we make love." I was a little ashamed to say it.

"Well the solution for that is to make love with the mind as much as the body. Come on. Let's go check it out. What do you say?

8888888

Amelia drove us to a street in Shreveport that was seeing new activity. A café had just opened up and an art gallery as well beside it. It was definitely an area for the under 40 set as pairs of what I like to call the young, the beautiful and the savage were walking up and down the street. I recognized one of the fangbangers from Fangtasia. We nodded politely at each other as we walked by. Since Eric and I had officially bonded, everyone was nothing if not civil. At least on the outside. I knew what they thought of me underneath.

The shop looked respectable enough from the outside. Only the name "Markings" gave it away. Below that a small sign advertised tattoos, piercings and body art of all sorts. I gathered that pinking wasn't exactly illegal, but that was only because the authorities didn't know about it yet. Once they did the department of health was going to do be all over this shop like a hound sniffing for squirrels.

"This place is known for being clean, using only sterile instruments and putting out some real pretty designs and it's right here in town"

"Amelia, what do you do with your time when I'm not around?"

"I keep myself busy."

As we entered the shop I could here a series of clicks and gentle woosh of what sounded like water spray. A young man covered in tattoos sat at the counter. Despite his appearance he looked up at us with a friendly expression.

"Welcome to Markings. How can we help you?"

"Well," Amelia began. "My friend here is interested in getting pinked."

"Amelia!" She was too blunt for her own good.

I was ignored. "She's interested in getting a small design on her back. She's got a vampire in her back pocket, if you know what I mean, and she wants to inject a little spice…"

"Enough. Amelia!"

"I'm Travis he said holding out his hand to me. You are?"

"I'm Sookie Stackhouse and this Amelia Broadway," I offered extending my hand. That was one of the nice thing about humans. Greeting them was not confusing.

"Nice to meet you both," he said and shook Amelia's hand as well.

"And you," I said relaxing.

"Did you have a pattern in mind?" he said looking at me.

"No. I was hoping for a little advice in that department."

"Well you've come to the right place. Delilah, that is the owner of this shop, is a talented artist. She's almost through with her client now. Please have a seat over there. Would either of you like a coffee or water? We also have lemonade."

"Lemonade would be lovely," said Amelia. "Hey, do you have any books that we can look through while we're waiting?"

"We have tattoo books, but we have no pinking books. People who see those pictures tend to get too upset." Travis laughed nervously.

I shot Amelia a horrified look.

"A lot people come in here to get pinked hoping to attract a vampire for the first time. They don't have much experience with the blood. We recommend pinking only for clients in a long term, committed relationship with a vampire. Those clients tend not to be so squeamish about a little trickle here and there. Still, pictures for the unitiated can be, how shall I put it,… a turn off."

Amelia and I looked at each other.

"The pictures in the magazine didn't show any blood," she whispered

"What am I getting myself into," I glared at her.

"We're real happy to take a picture of it when you're all done though. It's a little souvenir for your vampire sweetheart to keep in his wallet when you're far away. He's gonna love it. I assume it's a he, am I right about that?"

"Oh yeah," Amelia replied rolling her eyes. "Northman's nothing if not all man."

"Eric Northman?" Travis asked.

"That's right, I said Eric Northman."

"Eric Northman owner of Fangtasia?"

Travis jumped up from his chair had caught on fire. "I'll be right back ladies. You just sit tight. Delilah honey. Are you through?" he said as he walked through the curtain to the back.

"You know I can't be rushed," we heard from a female voice in the back. "This is not jab and jump design back here." Then, we heard the sound of hushed voices in the back and then silence from the machines.

Suddenly a tall woman appeared through a curtain followed by Travis.

"Hi, I'm Delilah Marking. Nice to meet you."

She had red hair done in small beaded braids around her head and dark eye-liner, but her face was young and there was a sweetness to her expression. She was wearing a t-shirt and a leather vest with blue jean shorts and cut off cowboy boots. She looked tough but feminine. I only saw one tattoo. It was an ornate T and it was on her forearm. She radiated a get down to business aura. I decided to probe her mind. If this woman was going to be sticking needles in me, I felt perfectly justified in taking a looksee.

The blond is quite a canvas. She's so plushy, like a 19th century Venus. I wonder if she's a bleeder? I have the perfect rose stencil for those boobs. She looks scared. Eric Northman, My god. I've been trying to get to him for months. Don't let me lose my nerve. I'm a good artist. What I do is beautiful. I could feel her building up to say something.

"I'm Sookie Stackhouse and this Amelia Broadway," I said eyes narrowing. If anyone was trying to get to Eric Northman I wanted to know why.

"So you're here for pinking. We don't get too many of those clients."

"That's right," I said confidently.

Amelia looked at me noticing the shift.

"Well in that case. I have a business proposition for you," said Delilah.