EPOV
The lights clicked on overhead in my bedroom. I been dreaming, something Vampires rarely did, the dreams were vivid and more like past experiences than dreams. A faded braided rug lay in front of the fire place. The fire didn't frighten me as it should have; it was cozy as it licked the air. I was swaddled in an ugly gray and green afghan my feet were bare and Sookie knelt on the rug washing me. I heard her voice echoing through my thoughts it was like a sirens song. And then abruptly the light flicked on overhead waking me from my daily death.
I had gone to my death later than I would have liked but there was urgent business I had to attend to prior to dying for the day. Sophie-Anne in her 'great wisdom' had leased out some young vampires as mercenaries to a Middle Eastern fanatical Islamic sect. The vampires, whom were recently made, had been sent to their true death by the sect, in a public display of our grotesqueness. I was privy to the exchange of money for life. It wouldn't have bothered me much if it hadn't been for her increasing demand for tribute, taxes, and outright cries for money. There were three of us who knew of the Queen's slow decent to insanity; Bill, Andre and me.
All three of us worked frantically to cover up any of the indiscretions she had made in the last year. Unfortunately we were failing miserably at it. I had been in her house for the last two weeks trying to convince her it would be best to slow down with everything she was doing. There had been several attempts on her life in the last month and it wasn't humans who were planning her demise.
Even with the upcoming Rhodes conference she was planning as normal, she felt invincible and powerful on her throne. She made no attempts of extra security but was increasingly paranoid that I was going to do something to overthrow her. I spent two nights, willingly in silver in a vain attempt to prove my loyalty to her. Thankfully Andre was told to release me and I flew home immediately.
When I arrived this morning the sun was taunting me on the horizon. I made it into my safe room with seconds to spare and had a slight scorch mark on the back of my calves. Stupidly I didn't change into pants on my near escape from the Queen. She was going mad and now was the time to act, prior to going to Rhodes. The counsel needed to know exactly what was going on, I had not wanted my life to be forfeited by her recklessness nor by her immediate hands. My phone call was brief, the Vampire I was most interested in speaking with directly was feeding. She lived in Eastern Asia and had just been given her meal for the night. The wizen Vampire was the highest Oracle; she held the ears of the counsel and would be able to communicate the undesirable situation here. As a young Vampire I had sat at her feet and listened to her wisdom. She had helped my maker Appius raise me in certain ways. I was taught strategy, patience, and my communications skills from her. Appius taught me the methods which were best for killing, negotiating which was for the weak, and the ways to torture for getting the most valuable information.
When my maker went to his true death, I was lost and sought out the Oracle's counsel. She was the one who instructed me it was time for me to become a maker, even told me where I would find the best prodigy. I made Pam a Vampire within two months after being told the prophecy. The Oracle had told me of a heart that beat for me alone would come soon. It was a very twisted and confusing foresight but I had been waiting for close to two centuries when Sookie came into my life.
I would finally speak to her in person for the first time in three months. At the end of August I had been at Bill's for a meeting. We had been discussing his computer program and the necessity for discretion with in came to some of the older Vampires. They had not wanted to be part of main streaming and I was telling Bill as his Sheriff he was obligated to leave the elders alone. We had concluded our meeting and were discussing some business ventures that would be mutually satisfying when Sookie walked into sight. She was visiting her Grandmother's grave, which wouldn't have caused any notice except she was glowing. There was a golden glow surrounding her. I stared accusingly at Bill. Meekly he raised his hands in defense.
"How long has she been glowing?" I demanded.
"Roughly three weeks." Bill was swirling his glass that held the synthetic shit he preferred to actual blood.
"Why did you not inform me of her condition?" I was furious. I had given her my heart and she had rescinded my invitation to her house. Begging had never been in my vocabulary until she came into my life.
"I didn't think you would have been terrible interested in her condition." Bill answered slyly.
"She is to be going to Rhodes with us. Do you think she will be any use in her current condition? That information does interest me… terribly." I barred my fangs at him.
"Yes, she is going with us but she is carrying the tiger's cubs. Who do you think she will give her loyalty to? Us or the shifters at this point?" Bill made an excellent point and I should have been more interested in her fidelity but I was more furious about her mating with Quinn above anything else.
I went and stood on the veranda. Sookie was kneeling on her Gran's grave, there were flowers covering almost every inch of the plot. She must have tended the earth daily; it was free of grass and any weeds. Gently she touched her stomach, she must have been aware of her condition. But I hear her voice as clear as if she had been standing in front of me.
"Gran I have had the most terrible stomach problems lately. I wish you were here to give me some tummy medicine. I can never remember the proper mixture of the tea." And then she sighed.
Turning to Bill who had followed me onto the porch, I asked him "She doesn't know she is with child yet?"
"No, I have been listening nightly for her. She has a continual belief that she caught the stomach flu; it has been circling Bon Ton. At this point she is blissfully ignorant of her condition." Bill's face was set in a grim line. "The tiger came for his monthly visit two days ago. I wish we could dissuade her from mating with him further."
"You and I both. Just the thought of him touching her is enough for me to do harm." I was gripping the bannister and I hardly noticed as it turned to pulp in my hands. "Is there nothing we can do from her seeing him."
"Short of killing him discretely; no. By her laws, she has the right to choose anyone she wants. She can even choose you; as much as that disgusts me." Bill raised his glass as if to salute me.
"Yeah, you lost her of your own folly. It is not my fault completely that she hates you. I can only take partial credit for that." I gave him a feral smile, letting him know not to push me any further. "As for the tiger, our laws state he has to visit her once a month to hold any claim on her. Count the days Bill. Let me know when they are up. 30 days that is all the time he needs to be gone before I can make my claim."
So when I rolled onto my side, my phone lay on the nightstand blinking in its obnoxious pattern. I open the screen to find three messages. Pam, Bill, and Bobby had left messages in the last two weeks. I had left my personal cell phone at my house in case I received any unfavorable messages which the Queen would behead me if it landed in the wrong hands.
Pam: "Bar is doing fine. Come back soon. I'm going to eat Ginger and Bobby if you don't."
Bill: "It has been 34 days. Time to make your move; I still hate you."
Bobby: "I delivered the message to Mrs. Stackhouse. All other matters have been attended to in your absence."
I chuckled darkly at Bill's comment. We may hate each other but our working relationship had greatly improved over the last year. I knew where his loyalty laid; in his pocket book. Since his maker had been put to her true death by our Sweet Sookie, he has amassed a huge debt in her name. It was tradition the inheritance from maker to child, held not only monetary value but also personal fidelity to other Vampires. This tradition was up held to keep children from making mistakes and unsavory alliances after their maker had passed. Bill had found out the way to get away from the allegiances by paying them off. The fidelity was cancelled and Bill was a free Vampire, well except for me. He since resided in my territory and therefore owed me. No matter how much money he had I would never accept it in exchange for his services.
I dressed for the evening taking care to wear a faded button down from the eighties; it was one of my favorites. It was cut in western style, solid black, with pearl inlaid buttons, long sleeves, with silver tips on the corners of the collar. I had to be quick in handling the shirt to get it settled around my body, the silver would not harm me overly but I still didn't want to look unsightly for Sookie when she showed up.
My Corvette was in my garage with the other three vehicles I own. A yellow Honda Civic, hopefully someday I can give it to Sookie, in replacement for her rickety car that she drives currently. My black Mercedes with bullet proof windows sat at the far end of the garage, I hadn't driven it lately but I could sense Bobby had washed and waxed it recently. The last vehicle was the ugly minivan Pam often borrowed. The speed machine could reach speeds over 180 miles per hour; I had rarely driven it that fast. It would have been more prudent to run if I needed to go that fast, but this car had helped me acquire many blood bags over the years. Woman would literally fall into the car, if I allowed it.
The sun had just set as I was pulling out of garage. My neighbor, an elderly gentleman, waved from his front porch. To everyone around me I was just Eric, it grated on my nerves sometimes but the animosity of being just a person who lived on the block was security. None of my neighbors were overly nosy nor did they mind a bar owner living in their small community. Everyone thought I worked nights and left me alone. The girl scouts came every year with their cookies and I bought the damn things. I was just a regular guy in the eyes of my neighbors. Pam and Bobby were the only two who knew where this house was, Pam had met the woman across the street once. I had introduced Pam as my younger sister and it was known from then on that she was family. Bobby was harder to come up with a cover story, in the end the neighbors just assumed Bobby was my boyfriend and I was gay. This freed me from the pushing mothers who all had daughters I would love to marry and any rumors of me ever having children at my house.
It was a quick five minute drive to Fangtasia. I could feel my child rise for the night. Pulling into the parking lot I could hear her voice issuing commands for the music, food, entertainment, and all mundane things which must be decided nightly. She must have slept in the coffin which was reserved, in the back office, for guests. Briskly I walked into my office.
"Pam!" I didn't have to yell for her to hear me but I was shocked by the appearance of my office. She must have made it her own in the last two weeks while I was court. There were panties, boxes, and shoes littering the floor of my pristine office. Disgustedly I smell urine in the corner of my office. This was completely unacceptable.
She was at the door before I could complete my inspection. "Maker, you've returned."
"Yes and it appears you made yourself very comfortable in my absence." I kicked a small box out of my way and hear glass shatter within. "Why is my office in this state?"
"I have been busy. We had two humans quit in the last week. They were to put the entire inventory away. The two new humans whom I hired never made it past the bar. They fled in fear." She tried undetected kicking a pair of underwear under the sofa. It didn't work.
"How long until my office can be back to the way it was?" I knew it would only take her minutes to clean up the mess, without me even asking.
"Give me five minutes." She began her whirlwind cleaning while I sat in my leather chair and went through the mail on the corner of my desk. The annual taxes on several of my properties were due, along with a few annuities which had been paid in my two week absence. Most of the mail held little interest for me and I shredded most of it, after I memorized a few key facts.
"When did this arrive?" I held up a large manila envelop with just my initials on the outside with an old address from nearly 30 years ago. No return address was in the upper corner, it looked like it had a rough time getting to my desk it had been forwarded through three addresses prior being forwarded to the bar.
"Tuesday of last week, who do you know that wouldn't put a return address?" Pam had several panties dangling off of her forearm as she posed the question.
"More Vampires that I care to discuss. What are you going to do with all of those?" I nodded to the underwear.
"I think I may put them in the feminine hygiene dispenser. You wouldn't believe how often a good pair of panties gets ruined on the dance floor." She laughed at her own wit.
"Do whatever with them, as long as they don't end up on my floor again." I cut the edge of the package open with a narrow letter opener and slid the contents onto the clean corner of the desk. There was an amulet, a folded paper, and gold nugget. I opened the paper and read the message. I had to read it three times through before I realized what was being offered to me. "We will be having a guest tonight. Pam, ready the bar once you are done in here." I stood without offering her any explanation, placed the amulet under my black collar scorching my inner wrist in the process, and slipped the gold nugget in my pocket before going to the backroom. It was lucky the Queen had not sent a reagent to run the bar while I was gone. Otherwise everyone I knew would have gone to their true death. If I was inclined to panic, now would have been the time to do so.
Bill, Thalia, Clancy and a few others were enjoying their evening meals in the dimly lit backroom. For good measure I smacked Bill across the back of his head as I passed. He raised his head, barring his fangs in a bloody grin. In the place where I feed there was the ugliest woman I had ever seen standing there; but you know what all the good people say, inner beauty is the only beauty. This is actually true with blood. Once my fangs pierce her skin she is beautiful to me, her blood is exotic and highly coveted. She bucks back toward my face, smashing my nose to the side; I readjust and pin her head to my shoulders preventing any further damage to me.
There is a commotion in the front of the building and I raise my head listening if Sookie is here yet. She isn't; Pam is dealing with some fangbanger whom has drunk too much even though we have technically only been serving the humans for an hour. I lower my face again, allowing the moist air flow into my nasal passages coating them like a very expensive perfume. Flicking my tongue against her skin, I hear a deep throaty moan escape from her face. From across the room Thalia is smiling at me, she knew my tastes and always acquired the most pleasant of meals. This blood bag I am currently draining is highly desirable, she is delicious but not in a fae way. Rather rare and covenanted for Vampires with allergies to regular blood, unusually but it did happen.
As I finish, I nod to Thalia letting her know she did well.
"Do you wish to keep it?" Thalia mumbled in her childish voice.
"I have other plans for her. Bathe her, dress her to complement her complexion and bring her back this evening before the scheduled meeting." I had found willing donors mostly boring in the past but now it was the norm. I missed the hunt; I was never the type to catch and release. That was frowned upon in recent years by the counsel. There were still remote regions where free hunting was legal, even for Vampires we have rules to follow. The penalty for killing a human was not severe but more of an inconvenience to attend a trail.
I dismissed Thalia and the woman from my thoughts as I reentered my office. Long ago I had taught Pam the native tongue of my youth. If I wanted privacy at all costs we would speak it. Tonight our tongues would be exhausted from all the speaking we both needed to do.
"Pamela," I was a quiet command for her to come to me but we needed to be quick if we were going to be successful. As she entered the office I told her to only speak when spoken to this evening and answer no personal questions about me. I commanded her so. This would bind her tongue encase she momentarily forgot herself. "There is going to be a Cu. I am taking over the state, Sophie-Anne will be out of power before Rhodes. Until she has either stepped aside or been put to her true death we must act as if nothing is out of the ordinary. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Eric." Her face heavily covered in makeup visibly blanches as she realized the great danger both of us were in.
"Furthermore, I am claiming Sookie tonight so we will have the tiger to deal with shortly too." I watched as her eyes flashed, she wanted to say something but my command held her tongue still. "With her Grandfather Niall's approval, we will be wed shortly. Have the bar opened for a short period of time tonight; I do not want any suspicion about what is going to happen. My guest who is coming tonight will be a Yenchie, his dress will be quite obviously foreign as well as his accent. I met him long ago and he is to be treated as royalty. Set in my throne if I am unable to greet him immediately. Do you understand everything I just told you?"
"Yes." Her one word answers pleased me and I dismissed her in our normal English language.
I picked up my small phone book, it held all the numbers of friends and foes with in the small leather pages. There were few names listed under Q but the one that held my interest tonight was half way down the page. John Quinn, Shifter, and COE of his own entertainment business; what an ass.
Dialing the number and extension left me bored. I did not want to speak with the animal but it had to be done.
"Quinn here, who am I talking to?" Quinn's voice rasped through the phone, I could hear squealing in the background and it made my resolve even stronger.
"Northman. Calling to confirm everything is on schedule for next week." I paused, the squealing turned into sobs.
"Yes, everything is running like clockwork, you are still doing the ceremony right?" He had put his hand over the receiver but I could hear him yelling at someone.
"I am honored to be doing the ceremony. Yet I have some regretful news for you. I am calling also to claim Sookie. You have not been around her in over 30 days, your claim has expired. She is mine now. All of her." I thought to the child that grew within her womb, it would be mine too or I would destroy it. "We will be at the conference but you will not make any contact with her. Am I making myself clear?"
"What the fuck." A scream pierced through the phone, "You really think that shit is going to fly with Sookie? I doubt it will. I know she makes her own decisions, so fuck off!"
"I doubt you would be so uncouth if we were not on the phone but face to face. Just remember to stay away from her or there will be a challenge issued. She is mine; now and forever."
"We'll see." Click. Staring at the phone I realized he did not cower with regard to my command. His insolence was appalling. I was used to having the last word. It did little to improve my rapidly growing black mood.
I left my office to find someone to amuse me, I found Pam with new day guy in the back store room. She had pinned him up against the wall and was feeding off of him erotically. The new day guy's name is Jahir he has been training with Bobby and from all accounts he is quite handy with mundane task plus in he won a stupid amount of money in the lottery a few years past. He confined in Bobby he would like to be made Vampire soon before he goes completely bald.
Pam is currently running her tongue along his jugular while rubbing his crotch with her palm. The tent in his pants is visible from across the room. Quickly she sinks her fangs into his throbbing vein and he releases all of his bodily fluids for her.
"Clean up in here when you're done Pam, your pet made a mess." I know where the urine came from that is stinking up the corner of my office. Great, she has a wetter for a pet. Shaking my head I leave my prodigy and her meal. A man in roughly hewn jacket, wool pants looking as if they spun and woven by hand was standing at the door way arguing with Ginger about his need to see the Norseman.
"I'm sorry sir but all we got here is Eric Northman. We ain't got any Norseman here, their on the other side of the ocean. Maybe you're looking for some other Vampire bar." Her foot high blond bangs bounced around as she spoke. The little Yeniche man spotted me across the room as I stride toward him.
"That is Norseman." He pushed the skinny blood bag out of his way. "We go to your office."
He was short but incredible strong for his age and size. The little man was the official runner for the counsel; he had part troll and shifter in him. They lived long lives if allowed to do so in the wilderness. He was so old I didn't know his birth name. The only name I had ever known him as was 'Runner'.
We spoke in Romanian for the remainder of his visit, "Runner I am honored with your presence."
"Yeah, yeah that is what they all say, cut the flattery. I have known you too long for that crap Norseman. You received the package?" I nodded and he continued. "Good, the Oracle does not send them out to every member of the royal court, so count yourself blessed. Sophie-Anne has many spies, I would recommend leaving before she realizes what is really going to go on at her trail. Up until now she has been granted special privileges because she had shown some remorse but no longer. The counsel found out about the killings of her prodigy. That was no good. Did you help cover it up?"
I could not lie, "Yes, I helped but she had already made such a mess of it by the time I was told and called there was little I could do. I spoke with one of the Oracles hand maids this morning and informed her of the insanity that has gripped the Queen. She is going to end us all if she has the chance."
"I do not doubt that. It has been amazing she has stayed sane this long with her prodigy dying all around her. She took very little interest in the lessons the Oracle tried teaching her when she was young. If a prodigy dies, it takes some of your soul with you. She did not heed the warnings. It seems she has created many in the last few years. Hadley, that was one of her favorite pets turned prodigy, was she not?"
"Yes, and she was part fae to make matters worse. The three that were killed had only been made a few months ago, I did not know them personally."
"Who were they before they were made?" Runner sat in the leather chair behind my desk. I smiled inwardly at his boldness. He knew he was protected by the counsels' authority.
"I believe they were rift raft from the French Quarter. They came from nowhere to go nowhere. I highly doubt anyone will miss them much. There are three of us whom were trying to keep the Queen under control. Her lover and prodigy Andre, Bill Compton who recently lost his maker and myself were the ones who watched for the safety of the community. Andre has come to realize it is going to be her or him. But he will not be able to end her, as no Vampire would be able to send their maker to the true death."
"That is a shame, when did you lose your maker, I have forgotten. There have been so many beings I have known over the centuries. Appius passed recently, no?"
"Not so recently, it has been close to 200 years."
"Yes, now I remember you came to the Oracle; you were grieving for him at the time. Do you recall what she told you?" He propped his dirty feet on my newly cleaned desk. He was testing me in more ways than one but the lessons the Oracle taught me had not faded over the centuries.
"To wait for the one with the honeyed tongue, follow the sun into the light, do not fight all that is right, open my heart so it may not be torn apart and remember the tales I have forgotten with my brain that is rotten." I smiled with the last stanza; she always had to remind everyone their brains were rotting out of our ears at night. Even young Vampires would believe the silly daytime story told to frighten Vampires into submission.
"Have you found your honey tongued woman?" Runner smiled from across the desk, his shoes were covered in dung and there was cracks in the soles showing filthy skin within.
"Yes, it can be sweet but also quite sticky when she wants. She is the Granddaughter to Prince Niall, so I would most definitely believe I could follow her into the light, and as for opening my heart. I will do so when the time is right. I care for her deeply. Plus my brain is not completely rotten yet, I still have quite a few of faculties left." Grinning, I stood and went to the door. I had hear Thalia approach with a steady heartbeat. "I have a present for the Oracle, I had heard she developed an allergy of the years. She may find this young woman able to soothe her some."
"Hell Fires Eric, the woman could scare the lice off of a beggar. Her teeth almost stick straight out! What is that stench, she smells worse than any whore house I have been to." Runner stood up and walked towards the exotic blood bag. He looked her over like a rancher looking over a steer. Touching her breasts a little roughly enough to make the woman flinch, pinching her cheeks and hips. "She is skinny I doubt she will last a fortnight but if you say the Oracle will like her I will take her across Asia."
"Please send my humble thanks to her." I bowed as Runner left my office grasping the frightened woman by her upper arm.
My phone vibrated in my pocket as Runner left Fangtasia. I looked at the number a split second before answering it. Sookie had impeccable timing. Yet she should have been here close to an hour ago.
"Sookie, where are you? My instructions I relayed to Bobby was for you to be here at sunset. I am already here where are you?"
"I just turned off the highway and should be there in like five but-" She sounded strained, I wondered if she knew she was pregnant yet.
"Good. Hurry up." I did not want to have any pregnancy conversation of the phone plus I needed to find Niall's phone number so I could ask for Sookie and me to bond.
Quickly I walked into my office and began searching for the short list of people who I occasionally needed to speak with. My phone vibrated in my hand again, Sookie had called back.
"Help! There has been a car following me and when I say following I mean right on my ass pretty much the whole way from Bon Ton. I slowed down; they slowed down. I sped up; they sped up. I turned off for Fangtasia and now they are still following. Should I still come there or what? Crap." Pam had walked in on the middle of Sookie's tyrant and muttered
"Fuck." Was all she could manage because I still had yet released her to speak.
"What? What is Crap?"
"The light is turning," I could hear her pressing her foot to the brake as the grinding of metal on metal began.
"Run it." I command. Pulling Pam to the front of the building I motioned for her to find Sookie; Thalia took off running as well.
"Eric!" She screeched but I hear her take her foot off of the brake.
"Run it. I will be in the parking lot waiting for you." I took to the sky for a better view of where she was at. The only light from the highway to my bar was less than three blocks. As I rose in the air I could see the yellow beater cruising through the yellow/red light. "You will stay on the line until you get into the parking lot. So make small talk."
There is a brief pause as she gathered her thoughts, "I'm pregnant. How is that for small talk?"
"I know." I really did not want to have this conversation considering who the father is.
"What," She pierces my ear. "How could've you known, I have only known for like four hours."
"I smelled your hormones the last time I was at Bill's. He had been keeping your health a secret. I assume it is the tiger's." For once in a long while, I wished I were able to have children by my own seed. I had not been able give a child a name in close to 1500 years.
"What's that supposed to mean, you assume? You have better tabs on me than my own brother. Of course it's Quinn's."
"I see you, continue to the bar. Just exit the car as you normally would." I end the call as she parks her jalopy.
She struggles with the door of her car but I lose interest when the second car with Thalia perched on the roof rolls into the parking lot. Pam points to the license plate as she hustles into the lot. "GODISSN" blazes across the plate. This day is getting worse by the second. Crap, has been the correct word of my last fortnight. Fellowship of the Sun has never been an organization I wanted near my bar. It just pisses me off they were following Sookie.
Thalia has a creepy smile on her face, she is so small and unassuming that people often mistake her for a small teenager. Pam has a feral grin on her face, but it causes me pride rather than fear.
As I descend, Sookie emerges from the wrong side of the car. It is a little too late for me to change my landing point. Unfortunate for her, my down draft tosses her to the pavement. The crunching I hear is a bit sickening as she lands on her face but my focus is on Thalia who is getting ready to pounce and Pam who has her fangs descended; waiting for the men to exit the vehicle.
Two burly looking men about the size of Quinn get out of the car. I have my protective stance over Sookie now. They will not be harming her tonight or ever. Pam has the passenger on the hood of the car before he even realizes she was there. The driver stood looking at his buddy being eviscerated. Blanching for a second he realizes he must make a move either to leave or die. Stupidly he chooses die. As he takes a step from the car, Thalia with one hand grabs the man by the back of the neck and pulls him to her mouth. His scream wrenched the air for a moment before she silenced him with a quick chop to a nerve bundle.
"Pam, Thalia take them to the basement. I want no trace of them left. Thalia; get rid of Sookies' car in the process. Make it look like an accident. I need to buy her some time." Gently I sweep Sookie up into my arms and watch her eyes flutter close as she listens to my dead heart.
