So, here is the next chapter. I am not alternating POV's every chapter but rather allowing the story to "flow" using what feels like the right POV so here is some more Viking for you all…
Thanks again for all of your reviews, alerts and favorites, They really do mean so much.
Thank you Northwoman for being the awesome beta that you are. Any remaining mistakes are of course mine.
As always, the SVM and these wonderful characters belong to the brilliant Charlaine Harris. Not to me…
Unexpected – Chapter 3
I did not understand the effect this woman had on me and normally I would have been concerned but it felt so right holding her in my arms I could not bring myself to doubt it. I did not survive for a thousand years by letting my emotions dictate my actions but my existence was not devoid of emotion either. I have always relied on my instincts when it came to assessing potentially dangerous situations and they have never led me astray.
As a being animated purely by magic I knew there were forces, which I could not see or fathom, driving the world around us and controlling certain aspects of it. My instincts were not telling me to be wary of Sookie, on the contrary, I could not help but feel that she was somehow important to my well being. I knew I was far from understanding whatever was happening between us but I knew I wanted to be close to her, to get to know her.
Flying always helps me clear my mind and tonight was no different. As I landed in front of my building and punched in the code I still had many questions but I was calm and in control again. It was a few minutes after 21:00 when I entered the apartment, left my bag on the floor and crossed the living room into the kitchen to get myself a blood. I dialed Pam while the blood was heating and she answered just as I took the warm bottle out of the microwave.
"Good evening Eric, I hope all is well?"
"Of course Pam, I hope the same is true for you?"
Some makers do not act so familiar with their children but we are closer than most. Pam is not only my child but also my right hand and business partner. She is very loyal to me and I am very protective of her. It is quite unusual for a vampire child to stay this close to their maker after the first hundred years or so but Pam is free to choose her own path and go when and where she wishes, she usually prefers to stay and work with me and I admit that pleases me.
"I'm well Eric, I forwarded a few e-mails that I would like for you to look over and Cataliades sent over some papers he needs both of us to sign, I'm express shipping them tonight, they will be at the apartment tomorrow at sunset."
Pam was nothing if not efficient and I trusted her to take care of things while I was away but certain things still required my personal attention.
"That is fine, any news from Louisiana?"
"The Queen is on board with our suggestion of auctioning the bar off to the highest bidder; she just asks we inform her of the highest offer before we accept so she might approve the transaction."
In the months leading to the great revelation Pam and I worked on a new business venture. We decided to open a bar, or rather a tourist trap, dedicated to all things vampire. We didn't want to test our new idea in one of the popular tourist destinations because we wanted to be able to assess its potential in a neutral environment. After some research we chose Shreveport, Louisiana as the site of our "experiment".
"Fangtasia" proved to be extremely lucrative. On top of encouraging local tourisms the bar seemed to attract a more regular clientele of humans, usually described as "fang bangers", who are fascinated with vampires and are willing to do practically anything to "be" with one. Most of these pathetic creatures aspire to become vampires themselves, but this is obviously something they can never expect to achieve. Fangtasia was entertaining for a short while, making it absolutely unnecessary to go anywhere else for a feed and a fuck, but neither Pam nor I could stand the vermin, as Pam so aptly calls them, or the gothic persona that was expected of all vampires in attendance in such an establishment.
A trusted vampire named Felicia has been running the bar for us for the past few years but we have recently decided it was time to sell as we have been getting very appealing proposals from several interested parties that wish to purchase the bar, and especially the idea behind it, and turn it into a nationwide chain. We decided an auction would be the easiest way to handle the sale and needed Sophie Anne's approval as the bar is in her territory.
"Good, let's proceed with the auction as planned then; I think three weeks from now will give us sufficient time to prepare. Ask Cataliades to send a formal notice to everyone interested in participating and start working on the paperwork."
"I will get right on it Eric, are you enjoying yourself? Oh, I can't believe I forgot to ask you, how was the fairy?"
"I haven't had the fairy, Pamela, but I certainly wouldn't mind. She is the most interesting creature I have encountered in a long time and if her scent is any indication she must be delicious."
"You mean you haven't had the fairy yet, andif you wish to, which seems to be the case, then you most definitely will as we both know that no woman is able to resist you. Oh, and what did you "Pamela" me for? I was on my best behavior."
"Very well, I will leave you to attend to the matters that we discussed."
I hung up before she could respond, effectively preventing her from harassing me further about Sookie. Pam never tires of "messing with me" as she likes to put it and I am too fond of her to deny her the pleasure. None beside her and my maker can claim to know the softer side of me and neither of them will ever wish to hurt me by revealing to anyone else that I have such a side. Vampires are strong or they are finally dead.
I went to the office to check my e-mails. I quickly reviewed and handled the matters that Pam had referred to me. It was mostly financial information concerning our many investments and holdings with the exception of one or two new business opportunities that I intended to review again at a later time. The part of the night dedicated to business was over but the night was still young. I was expected at an establishment named "Etienne", a club of sorts, owned and run by Etienne De Lambert, the vampire sheriff of Paris and an old friend.
After a quick but refreshing shower I chose a fitted dark grey suit with a crisp white shirt underneath. I decided to forgo the tie and left the top two buttons of the shirt unbuttoned. Since the club was not far I decided to fly, the cold did not bother me obviously and I did not enjoy driving in Paris, it really isn't made for cars. In less than a minute I was at the entrance, an unimposing door in a small street guarded by a large vampire. I nodded at the guard and he opened the door to let me pass.
The "Etienne" was not a new establishment; it was founded in the late 1800's to provide a safe place for the vampires of Paris to convene in private. As I walked in I could see much has changed since the last time I was here. The club has, of course, been updated many times over the years, but although it was every bit as elegant and tasteful, I could hardly recognize it. The club was much larger than I remembered it, the dance floor had been expanded and a bar was added, serving not only blood but alcohol as well for the human patrons. This in itself was another major change. When I was here last, about a decade before the great revelation, the only humans allowed inside were trusted pets and glamoured meals.
As I looked around the room now I could see that although this was definitely an invite only establishment, there were quite a few humans on the dance floor and at the tables. Etienne greeted me on the stairway leading down to the club's main floor.
"Eric, it is good to see you, old friend."
We were both fluent in many languages but we preferred to use English, out of habit mainly, as we were both residing in England at the time we formed our acquaintance, around 350 years ago.
"And you as well, I am very happy to be here. I can see that you have been keeping yourself busy. The club looks wonderful. It is very impressive how you managed to expand and improve it so much while preserving its authentic feel and look."
"I am glad you like it. The renovation took longer than I had hoped. I had to shut down the club for a while, but I am quite pleased with the result. We bought the adjacent building and used the space inside for the expansion, the façade was left untouched. Beside the dance floor and the bar we expanded the restrooms, added some much needed office space and an urban garden retreat on the roof which I am told will be very sought after in the summer."
"What brought on this change, Etienne? Not that I disapprove, I'm merely surprised, as you were always wary of allowing humans access to our world."
"That is still true to a certain degree, Eric, but after the great revelation I felt it was appropriate that I, as sheriff, tried to integrate more fully into the human world. The club is still very exclusive and only those humans who appear on our list are allowed in but I found that there is a lot to be gained by cultivating some human connections. Here, let me show you the bar, I believe you will find it interesting."
We walked down the exquisite work of art that was the staircase in the "Etienne", inspired by the magnificent staircase situated in what is today the Jacquemart-Andre museum and created by the same gifted architect. The club had a timeless, classical design with white marble and stone accentuated by black ornate metalwork and colorful and sumptuous textiles. It was elegant and impressive without being gaudy or overwhelming. Etienne, not unlike me, took great pleasure in beauty and the club was his greatest achievement in that respect.
Etienne led me to his table which was of course perfectly situated and allowed him, and his guests, to survey the club in its entirety without leaving the table. Once we were both seated a waitress appeared, wearing a simple but elegant black dress.
"Would you like something to drink?" she asked in a heavy French accent.
"We will have the tasting menu, Claudette." Etienne answered and proceeded to explain, "I thought you would enjoy a demonstration of some of the rare and unique bloods that we now serve. Besides having a very large selection of the finest brands of bottled blood we also stock some bloods that are nearly impossible to procure elsewhere."
Etienne's vampire ability was his exceptionally acute sense of taste. The amount of information he could gather on a person just by tasting their blood was astounding. As a result he was also very concerned with the origin and quality of the blood he consumed.
"Now I'm intrigued old friend, to hear you this excited about bottled blood is quite unusual…" Just then the waitress returned with a large platter holding three sets of two small and exquisite long stemmed crystal glasses filled with what I could already tell was not synthetic blood.
"These are my latest creations, Artisanal bloods if you wish, all 100% human blood procured from willing donors. The blood is drawn and bottled under the strictest sterile conditions to insure it doesn't come into contact with any kind of contaminant. No preservatives are added so the taste is pure and untainted. There are three different vintages – Organic, which is blood from humans who maintain a completely organic, pesticide free diet; Antique, which is blood from humans who only consume food and drink that existed in the old world before the colonization of the America's; and finally Citronierre, which is blood from members of the famous Citronierre family, known throughout the vampire world for their unique citrus flavored blood. Now we should drink, while the blood is still warm."
"Etienne, I am impressed with your talent and ingenuity." I said while lifting the first glass from my side of the platter and proceeding to taste Etienne's creations.
They were all quite good, a far cry from the offensive synthetic crap that usually passes for bottled blood. I was surprised at how different the Antique blood tasted from that of the average modern day human. I was aware that a difference existed, with the extensive changes in human eating habits but the change was gradual and happened over hundreds of years so it was hard to remember what exactly had changed. My favorite of the three was the Citronierre which was really quite unique. I was of course aware of the existence of the Citronierre family but never had the opportunity to taste any of its members.
"So, old friend, what do you think?" Etienne asked after we both finished our glasses.
"You have outdone yourself Etienne, this really is unique, I especially like the Citronierre, it actually tastes of citrus, quite remarkable."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it Eric, you know I value your opinion very much. I'm especially glad that you liked the Citronierre since tonight's entertainment is not quite over."
When I lifted a questioning brow at him he raised his hand at the direction of the bar.
"I wouldn't be a very good host if all I could offer you was bottled blood, regardless of its quality, would I?"
"I have never known you to be anything less of a gracious host Etienne."
I turned around to look at the two elegantly dressed women approaching the table.
"Eric Northman, these are Jacqueline and Josephine de Citronierre."
"Good evening ladies."
The two petite blondes nodded at me and I returned the gesture. They were both very attractive and they both had a fresh, citrusy scent.
"Jacqueline is my pet," Etienne gestured at the slightly older sister and patted her knee "and Josephine is her younger sister."
"Very nice to meet you both, are you both involved in Etienne's artisanal blood project?"
"Oh yes, we both donate blood regularly. Did you like our special vintage?" Josephine was the one who answered my question.
She smiled suggestively and made no attempt to hide her interest in me. Normally I would not hesitate to fuck her and feed from her, especially with the added allure of her unique blood, but tonight I was obviously not quite my normal self since I found the girl slightly repulsive. She was very pretty but her beauty was artificial and paled in comparison to Sookie's.
"I am afraid I must bid you goodnight Eric, I must take care of an urgent matter that requires my attention as Sheriff but we will see each other again soon enough. You are obviously welcome to stay as long as you like and enjoy yourself."
Etienne excused himself and left the table. I stayed for a few more minutes surveying the club and its patrons while my two companions made futile attempts at capturing my attention. At last I had had enough and decided to leave.
"Ladies, I apologize but I too will have to take my leave as I still have some business to attend to tonight."
I was up in the air as soon as I stepped outside the club's door. I was frustrated in more than one sense and slightly irritated at the direction my evening has taken. I did not fully understand my own motives for leaving the club as I did and I was not used to feeling unsure about anything, not to mention feeling that way about my own behavior.
When I reached the apartment I reviewed the e-mails Pam wished me to comment on, sent a quick e-mail to my day man with instructions for tomorrow and finished everything else I needed to do tonight before I rest. I then decided to take a long relaxing shower. I let the hot water wash over me for a long time, allowing myself to slip into the vampire equivalent of day dreaming. I ran the night's events and my encounter with Sookie in my mind, trying to make sense of everything that happened to me tonight but instead of helping me relax this only served to heighten my frustration. I got out of the shower, toweled off and headed to the bedroom, locking the door securely behind me.
I slipped under the thick soft duvet covering the bed and I thought of Sookie's luscious body and velvety soft lips to help me release some of my frustration. I rarely needed to do this as I had no difficulty in finding willing partners but my body was screaming for some kind of release. Feeling slightly more relaxed and with Sookie's scent still lingering in my mind, I allowed the sun to pull me into rest.
Author's note –
The Jacquemart-Andre museum is very impressive and the staircase truly is a work of art. I do not imagine "Etienne" looking exactly like the museum but the atmosphere is similar. Here is a link to the museum's website if you want to take a look (pictures 14 and 15 in the interior sights gallery feature the magnificent staircase although they don't do it justice) –http:/www(dot)musee-jacquemart-andre(dot)com/en/jacquemart/607-pictures/
