Meet the Ancients: Chapter 11
As I drove back to Fangtasia Magan told me, "That wasn't very nice of you, in fact I would call it childish."
I tried to look innocent, "What did I do?" I do not do innocent well.
She let out an exasperated sigh, "For terrorizing the waiter like that when we left. I could hear him; he was thinking that maybe waiting on vampires wasn't so hard, the Sherriff seems nice enough. Then you had to smile at him with your fangs out and he nearly peed his pants."
"If I say I am sorry am I forgiven?"
"It's not me you need to apologize to, and I doubt that you are going to go back and apologize to him."
"In that you are correct."
She snorted, "You're incorrigible, you know that don't you?"
"It is one of my most endearing traits." I joked.
"If you say so." She sighed.
I turned into the Fangtasia parking lot and asked, "Is there anything you need out of your truck?"
"Yes. Some clothes, pet supplies and bottled water."
I parked next to her truck, and then helped her collect what she needed before entering through the back door. Pam met us as we walked in. "I did not expect to see you so soon tonight." She looked at what I was carrying questioningly.
I informed her, "I needed to feed Magan. I will most likely be late the next couple of nights. We will be staying here during the day." I handed her what I was carrying, "Take this downstairs for me while I check my messages and the receipts from last night."
To Magan I said, "I will be down in half an hour. Will you be joining me upstairs?" She nodded, "Then go and change." I felt a brief flash of anger and then annoyance from her, but she did not say anything and merely headed for the door downstairs. So she remembered what I asked her last night. I better tell her that if it is just Pam and we are in a private area she does not need to act out of character. A voice carried up the stairway. "I heard that." I wish she would quit reading my mind.
Pam stated, "There are cats down there."
I smiled at her, "A concession in order to keep her here with me for the weekend. There will be a dog too when you arrive tomorrow night."
She rolled her eyes and said in a bored voice, "It is good then that Bubba is in Memphis for the rest of the month", before following Magan downstairs.
I entered my office and turned on the computer; then picked up the mail and started going thru it. I put the bills over in my inbox and started sorting thru the remainder. Most went in the wastebasket next to the desk. One envelope was from the company I had hired to oversee the Halloween Ball that I was hosting at one of the local hotels. Hhmmm, they want to meet to go over details on Tuesday night. I quickly called and confirmed, then opened up my e-mail program – my preferred method for my vampires to contact me. There was not much in it. I sent summons out for Sunday to those I needed to deal with. Picking up the invoices for the days deliveries I saw that Pam had ordered more than usual. Good, we have been almost running out of some items for a few weeks now. I heard a knock on the door.
"Enter."
Pam walked in and closed the door behind her. From her actions I knew she had something to tell me. "Sit."
She sat down in one of the chairs. Without preamble she asked, "Are you really going to do this?"
I nodded.
"I do not understand."
"It is just time. Meeting Magan was only a catalyst. I have wanted to move North for a while, but I did not want to be far from Godric. He is gone now and I have found a new direction."
"When are you leaving then?"
"We were too busy last night to talk about it." I smiled to myself as I remembered just how we were busy. "She plans to be down here for the next 3 ½ months so perhaps we will leave then." I paused – I knew Pam well enough to tell she was worried. "She is my perfect match. Alric plans to turn her when she tells him to."
"Will that make her stronger than you?"
"I do not know. I am supposed to drink from Alric also – so maybe not." That piece of information surprised her.
"Treating humans as equals – I just do not get it. It does not make sense."
I realized I had never told my child of my conversations with Godric that last night. Nor had she heard the story that Wolfram had told me about Godrics' years before I met him; or the history Magan had just told me. I find that I am getting a better understanding of how he thought and what experiences shaped him. For some reason I started feeling bored and annoyed. Glancing at the clock I realized forty minutes had gone by since Magan had gone downstairs.
"I will explain what I am starting to learn later when there is nothing to interrupt us. Now is not the time."
She looked as if she was going to say something, then merely nodded and got up to follow me out. Good thing she said nothing, I am getting very angry. We separated – as I went down the stairs, she entered the bar.
When I got downstairs I knew I was right about what I thought was causing my mood changes. Magan was lounging on the sofa looking absolutely delectable in a white suede corset topped dress. The mid-thigh full skirt was hiked up on one side. And she had that damn silver torque on again. Stretched out alongside her was Domino, he looked up at me and glared. Kali lay on the back of the sofa. Magan was studiously ignoring me as she concentrated on reading what was on her iPad, yet every fiber of her body said she was fuming.
"My Lover, I have never known a female to be ready on time." And felt searing anger – Shit, I definitely said the wrong thing if she is this mad. I covered the space between us as quickly as I could and gathered her tightly against me – being careful of the silver around her neck.
"I meant that as a compliment."
"You're late." Is all she said to me.
I thought for a moment. I am already ready to tear that dress off of her – it has the advantage of exciting me into wanting her now badly. The only emotion I have been able to make her feel so far is lust, and I am more than willing to delay going back upstairs. So I started focusing as much of my excitement and desire and lust at her as I could. I felt the tension leave her, and she smiled and laid her head against me. A layer of calm settled over me. Well that is her I thought. She reached up and kissed me, slicing her tongue open on my fang. I kissed her back deeply. When the bleeding stopped she broke the kiss, "Shouldn't we be going upstairs?" I reluctantly nodded. I had put off going up to hold court for long enough.
I led the way upstairs and down the hall. At the door I paused, "Ready?" She nodded and I opened the door. We walked thru and I told her, "Head for the chair next to mine." I paused at the bar to talk to Chou briefly, and then headed for the dais. I settled myself into my throne and surveyed the room. Just another normal Friday night – how boring.
"So you just sit here and look mysterious all night?"
"Among other things. I usually pick out my meal too."
She smiled enticingly at me, "So, now you have less to do."
"Yes, at least for tonight – although I guess that is your job now."
She glanced around the room. "They all want to know who I am since I entered with you instead of being picked out."
"Does that bother you?"
"No. It really is none of their business."
"Would you like anything from the bar?"
"A glass of the Futzbolt Shiraz if you don't mind."
I summoned a waitress over and told her to go back to my office, get a bottle for Magan's use and to put it behind the bar after pouring her a glass. She went and did as she was told, returning soon with the wine.
"Well now everyone knows for sure I am human."
"Some thought you were vampire?"
"Some of the humans did."
"So tell me, what do you hear from the masses?"
She got a little smile on her face.
"The guy over there in the red t-shirt lost a bet with his friends and is supposed to find a vampire to bite him. He's homophobic but deep down he is drooling over you."
She looked around,
"That couple are tourists and thought that coming here would be a thrill. The husband has figured out that he is really uncomfortable about being in the same room as vampires. The wife is lusting after the vampire over there dancing."
She glanced over at a pair of girls sitting in a booth.
"They are trying to work up the nerve to proposition you together. A friend of theirs bragged about how good you are in bed and they want to find out for themselves. Neither have been with a vampire before. They have been waiting since Fangtasia opened and are not quite sure what to do since we walked in together. They are thinking of just doing so anyway to see what you say. And they want you all to themselves."
"Jealous?"
"Not particularly, I can feel what you are feeling right now, you are interested, but not enough to ask me to leave. And you do not want them without me also tonight."
She looked around some more,
"The two guys at the end of the bar are here to see what the enemy looks like. They are part of something called Fellowship of the Sun."
That got my attention, "Are they here to cause any trouble?"
She closed her eyes, "No, but the couple who just entered are after a supply of V."
"Are they drainers?"
"Yes."
I started texting Pam with the information.
"What are you doing?"
"Telling Pam to have them taken to my office for a little chat."
She became still for a moment, "At least you aren't planning on killing them. . . You're going to give them each a drop of your blood, why?"
"I want to keep track of them. How did you know that?" I asked, even though I already knew what the answer was.
"Sorry, I wanted to find out what you planned to do."
"Can you read any vampires thoughts, or just mine?"
"Just yours. We need to figure out how to teach you to be able to read mine. Maybe that little blonde telepath can help. Wasn't her name Sookie?
Bill is going to just love this. He is going to think it is all my idea. I may not still want her, but Bill does not know that and it is so enjoyable to torment him. This could be fun. I answered her, "Yes that is her name. She works for me as a telepath when I need her to. If you think it will help I will have her come in."
"It would be a lot more secure way for us to communicate than speaking Swedish." She looked over at me and smirked. I remembered how she had turned the tables on me the night we met.
"You understood everything that was being said didn't you?"
"Yes – everything."
I thought about what I had said, and what Pam had said as well. I am surprised she did not go running for the door.
Then a realization hit me, "That was how you figured out I had run a background check on you."
She nodded her head.
"But why did you not leave when you heard what I was saying?"
