Disclaimer: C. Harris owns SVM, TrueBlood is not mine

Chapter 11

The wind was flying through my hair as Eric almost recklessly sped down the road. Except from my worry about his speed, which kept my hand clenched around the door handle at every turn, I was uncharacteristically relaxed in Eric's presence. I suspected he might have a small part in this, but I decided to let it go for the moment and only tightened my shields.

I didn't want to go in there completely unprepared, so I asked Eric curiously, "So what exactly will I be doing?"

He glanced at me, which was frightening, as he was going over a hundred miles an hour.

"I need to make sure my employees are trustworthy, first of all. Then, if you can, you will need to find who has been handing over private information to the Sheriff of Area 2 and trying to discredit me. The information is quite valuable, and the sheriff threatens to turn it over to the Queen of Louisiana to discredit me. I need to find the human who did this."

Boy, somebody had a death wish. Then something else caught my attention, and I started laughing.

"Did you just say, 'Queen of Louisiana'? Y'all have royalty?"

Eric looked offended, and answered stiffly, "Yes, every state has a king or a queen. I am sheriff of Area 5 of Louisiana, and Sophie-Anne is Queen of this state. We used to call the areas kingdoms, but we figured that is too medieval, so they are now areas."

I didn't want to offend him further, so I changed the subject. "How do you know the culprit was human?"

Eric was scornful. "No vampire would be stupid enough to cross me." Then he seemed thoughtful. "But, if none of the humans turn out to be guilty, I suppose I will have to look at Pam and Longshadow, as they are closest to me. They will be sorry if either has done it." There was a dark, cold sort of energy around him now, and I shivered. I never wanted to be on the receiving side of Eric's anger. Right then I was mightily glad he wanted me for my gift and my irresistible appeal, such as it was.

While we had been talking, the ride had passed without me noticing, and we were at the Fangtasia parking lot. Ever the gentleman, it seemed, Eric once more opened the door for me after blurring out of his own; or, he thought that human women were incapable of managing such tediously mundane tasks. I rolled my eyes at him, thinking it was highly likely for him to think just that; he was that much estranged from humanity. I stepped out into the cool night air, and we headed towards the back exit. Eric held my elbow and had his other hand on the small of my back, propelling me forward lest, God forbid, I get lost or escape.

I could hear the music in the bar, the pulse pounding heavily; Fangtasia must still be open. Eric led me down the corridor to his office, where Pam was waiting for us just outside his door. When she saw me, a devious expression crossed her face and she leered at me.

"Well, if it isn't our delicious little waitress." She looked me over like I was a piece of meat; to her, I was probably as close to a steak as you could get. Pam took in my tight jeans and pretty blouse and affected a pretty pout. "I must say, your attire last time you visited was much more pleasing to me," she said, referring to the night I had tried my hand at being a nudist after being attacked by a drugged Were. Then she brightened. "But I suppose we can remedy that soon." She smiled lustily at me, showing a hint of fang, and laughed in delight at my embarrassment. Pam would have continued her teasing had Eric not simply raised an eyebrow and said her name in a calm voice, "Pam." She looked surprised for a second, like a spoiled child being refused a small fancy, but stepped aside and let me in the office.

Inside the office, I saw the bartender I had glimpsed on my first trip to Fangtasia. He was a Native American Indian, with a straight line for a mouth and dark eyes. He smiled sharply at me when he saw me enter, and I caught a glimpse of a half-distended fang. I thought to myself that I liked his mouth better when it was a straight line, but put up my nervous smile and suppressed my shudder. I guess this was the Lusting After Sookie Night on the vamp calendar. I didn't know what to do with all this sexual preoccupation those vampires seemed to have with me; I was certainly not used to it from human men, because of my disability.

Eric introduced us.

"Sookie, this is Longshadow, the bar-tender at Fangtasia. Longshadow, this is Miss Stackhouse, and she will be reading the human staff tonight." He'd moved closer behind me and looked threateningly at Longshadow; he apparently didn't appreciate another male vampire threatening what he considered his. Longshadow got the message, though, because he just nodded at me politely and said, "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Stackhouse." I nodded at him too; clearly, not all vampires were as touchy-feely as Eric.

A new thought then entered my head and I turned to Eric, asking, "What do you usually do in such situations?"

He shrugged carelessly. "Death or torture, although that is a waste-- which is why we would prefer to use you." He said 'death and torture' as calmly as anything, as though it were a trifle matter. I shivered thinking about what kind of existence must have produced such casualty, and resolved once again never to allow myself to be turned.

I questioned further, "And what will you do if I find the culprit?"

Eric looked at me closely and said carefully and smoothly, "Turn him over to the police, of course." He looked very sincere and innocent; I didn't trust him for a second.

I put my hands on my hips and looked him in the eye, knowing I was taking a gamble.

"Tell you what. You really give me your word that you will actually turn the guilty over to the police without harming them, physically or otherwise, and I will do this again for you, anytime you like."

Eric raised an eyebrow at me, but said nothing. I sighed. "Yeah, I know, you can probably make me do it anyways, but isn't it better for both parties if I were willing and did this voluntarily?"

He thought it over, and for an icy second, I was in his mind. It was like suddenly being dipped into a pit full of cold, calculating snakes, and it scared me like nothing else.

He was thinking how he could make me do anything, anytime, just by threatening my family or friends; he had seen how loyal I could be. But, he tried to keep his dealings as legal as possible, as he didn't like the police snooping around. Besides, he added as an afterthought that actually contained a bit of emotion in his otherwise cold mind, he wanted to bed me, and I was more likely to 'yield' if he played nice. He wasn't sure why he was so attracted to me or why I was so fascinating to decipher, but in case it was just lust, he wanted to get me out of his system. The only way to do that, as he couldn't glamour me, was by seduction. If it wasn't just lust, he would deal with that later. He honestly didn't think he was capable of love, so he wondered what else it could be.

The rest of his thoughts were in another language, and just as quickly as I was in his mind, I was out. More confused about things than ever, I was terrified he would find out I had heard his thoughts. No matter how much he might like me or be interested in me, he valued his privacy more, I was sure. I didn't want to find out which he valued more, so I quickly interrupted his musing before he found me out.

"So do we have a deal or not?"

He came down from his downtime, looked at me, and nodded once in agreement. "Deal," he said. Satisfied, I turned to the human that Pam was leading in through the door.

It was a poor, balding old man, and he sweated profusely. He seemed terrified to be in the presence of vampires, and his thoughts were full of fear.

Eric gestured to the human, and explained, "This is Bruce, our account manager. Pathetic creature, really; not nearly bright, ambitious, or brave enough to have done it, but listen to him nonetheless."

Unsure of how to approach this, as I had never done this on purpose before, I decided to touch his hand, as physical contact always enhanced my ability; then thinking it was too intimate, I moved my hand up to his wrist. Then I closed my eyes and listened.

Who is this woman why is she holding my hand why did Eric bring her is this going to ruin my chances with him he is so beautiful but he doesn't know about me but now I am so scared I don't know what they will do to me gotta stop dealing with the bloodsuckers even if they do pay well just let them glamour me into forgetting and go away another company offered more money gotta take some of the better employees oh but now I'll never get the chance I wonder who did it maybe I could have caught them and gotten reward maybe He would give me some of his blood I need another fix if I can leave I'll take as much money as I can its not like they pay much attention to humans around here anyways think we're all scum…

I pulled away, gasping. I had never spent so much time in another's head, and the thoughts almost made me sick. I took a few seconds to steady myself, and waited until Bruce was escorted out of the room. Then I turned to Eric.

"That man, Bruce- he isn't the spy, but he did some other stuff. He is a blood addict, and deals with some Drainers. He is also planning to leave your employment rather soon, taking some of your best staff with him. Another company has offered him a better payment, and he is thinking about embezzling some of your money before he leaves—apparently, y'all don't pay much attention to humans around here." Eric got stiller with every word I said, and I was starting to regret helping him. I decided not to tell him about Bruce's little crush, and was thankful for that decision now. This job went against all my principles, but it was work that I owed Eric, and I'd be darned if I didn't do my best. I could, however, make it easier for the poor human.

As Eric started to get a dangerous look in his eye, E went on, looking at him, "I would suggest glamouring the man into forgetting about vampires and planting some illegal drugs into his car since vampire blood isn't yet illegal. He had stashes of cocaine and heroin at his house, so the police can get an anonymous tipoff from someone. Remember, no torture or killing," I added sternly.

Eric looked at me like I had started to spout ancient Greek philosophy in the original language. "Sookie, you have unexpected depths," He said thoughtfully, looking at me with something akin to pride. He then looked at Pam and Longshadow meaningfully, as if to show them what a bright little human I was. I wondered if I'd get a golden star.

"All right, we will do that. Pam, bring in the next human." Pam brought in a dark, thin waitress, and I repeated the process with her.

By the time I was nearly done, I was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to go to bed and sleep for a week. The culprit was nowhere to be found, though I had found two more drug dealers, a blood addict, a human with AIDS, and a waitress who had gotten pregnant by a passing truck driver and now wanted to quit. All were dealt with legally, more or less, and under my supervision.

Next up was Ginger, the waitress whose mind had been glamoured into a puddle and who bore her scars with pride. When she walked it, she was foolish enough to smile at Eric, and confident enough to sit down and cross her legs in what she hoped was an elegant fashion. "You wanted to see me, Master?" She asked, batting her eyelashes. Eric looked annoyed and was curt. "This is business, Ginger."

The fact that this was serious must have filtered through the fog of her brain, and she affected a serious expression, uncrossed her legs, and waved her hand at me grandly, as if to say, 'you may begin, fellow vampire servant."
I rolled my eyes and took her hand. Her reaction was surprising, though. She jerked away from me violently, and hissed, "Don't touch me!" I stared at her, stunned. Eric said calmly, "Pam."

Immediately, Pam was there, gripping Ginger's shoulders so she couldn't move. I came up again and grabbed her wrist. I tried to look into her mind, and it was walking on a bombsite. Ginger started to whimper, moving her head back and forth because her body was immobilized by Pam's tight grip. I looked into her crazed eyes and asked, trying to make sense of her befuddled mind, "Did you give away the information?" She screamed then, long and hard, but I'd gotten a glimmer of something.

"She didn't do it, but she knows who did." I looked further in, ignoring my headache. "It's a vampire, someone local. He's bitten her," I gestured to her scars, as if it needed any more illustration. I stepped away, knowing I wouldn't get any more out of her.

"Bring in her closest coworker," I commanded to Pam, and she obeyed without question. A second later, a brunette with the sexiest pouty mouth I had ever seen entered the room. She looked a hell of a lot more alert than Ginger, and recognized the fact that she needed to answer seriously and honestly. Eric asked her, "Belinda, who has had Ginger in these past few weeks?" I held her wrist as she answered promptly, "Anyone that would have her."

Concentrating hard, I breathed, "Which one from here?"

A glimpse of something—there, I had it. My eyes sought his corner before I said his name, and in the next second I was being hurtled through the air by a murderous vampire. My arm came up automatically to guard my face, and that was what saved me; instead of ripping into my throat, his teeth connected viciously with my arm, ripping into the flesh. I screamed, and then things happened very quickly. Longshadow slumped against me, and a stream of blood came up from his mouth. Mine was opened in shock and directly under his, so most of it went down my throat. As I was gagging, I saw his eyes turn to puddles, and he sort of caved in on himself. His hair started falling off in large clumps, and his skin turned waxy and gray. I pushed the quickly disintegrating corpse off of me, and saw Eric standing over us, looking the same as ever except very bright eyes and a mallet in his hand. Huh. I guess those myths about wooden stakes was true, I thought, staring at the one in the pile of ashes that had been Longshadow.

I wiped my mouth with my hand, and realized that the wound Longshadow had inflicted was very nearly healed. Eric asked me, taking a step towards me, "Did any of the blood go down your throat?"

I said in disgust, "Yes, probably. What does this mean?" I scrambled to stand on unsteady feet.

Eric's eyes looked distant. "That remains to be seen." Another step. "How do you feel, Sookie?"

Now that I thought of it, everything looked…clearer. I heard distinctly the music in the bar—Frank Sinatra was crooning 'Strangers in the Night'. The room seemed brighter—and Eric's eyes were darkened in a look by now very familiar to me. I realized I had a problem as he took yet another deliberate step towards me, as a lion stalking a gazelle. I shivered at the comparison.

Taking a step back even as Eric approached, I said nervously, "Now, Eric, remember our deal. Id did my part, you did yours. Now we all go home now, no funny business, right?"

He didn't answer, but came closer still. I looked in desperation at Pam, but she was in her own trance, and was staring at Belinda's pouty mouth in a way that would have made me distinctly nervous. Belinda, incredibly, was preening.

Meanwhile, Eric had reached me, thrown aside the blood-specked mallet, and started to inhale deeply, rubbing his cheek against mine like some great cat. Desperate to distract him, I asked him, "Whose bartending tonight?"

Eric skimmed his sculpted nose along my neck, eliciting another shiver from me, this one of pleasure. He answered absently, "We have a substitute."

He started licking the blood off my chin, cheeks, and lastly, mouth, in long, lazy strokes. He purred into my lips, and the sound echoed down below. I couldn't help but respond to his intense kiss—you don't just stand there when a master of the art is laying one on you. But when he started to move his mouth down my oversensitive neck, I gathered the rest of my wits and said sharply, "Pam!"

Distracted from her own bloodlust, Pam shook herself and quickly assessed the situation. She came to the door and called, "Ginger! Master wants you."

The waitress came in, her face lit up like a kid's on Christmas Day. She sidled up between us with surprising ease, shoving me aside unceremoniously. She ran her hands up and down Eric's body, rubbing against him. Eric seemed to snap out of his haze at the contact with her, and looked at me as he leaned down to kiss Ginger. I felt an unfamiliar surge of something like annoyance, and looked away. Whatever repelling effect Ginger had must have worked, because he shuddered in disgust and swatted her away as if she were no more than a fly. Where I would be mortified at such treatment, she merely pouted and crossed her arms. I vowed, once more, to myself that I would never let myself become like her.

Eric looked over at me, his eyes assessing. Suddenly, he was right there in front of me, and kissed me with passion. Involuntarily, I moaned, and parted my mouth. Some part of my mind that was still conscious cursed my treacherous body as his tongue slid in my mouth and along my tongue. Just as suddenly, his lips were off of mine and I opened my eyes to see him standing in front of me, thoughtful but pleased. "Yes, incomparable," he murmured to himself almost inaudibly, but I was too vexed to pay attention to that then.

Annoyed at his casual treatment of me, and with myself for responding so eagerly, I asked testily, "So can we go now?"

His eyes glittered with amusement, but he simply said, "Yes", and followed me outside. The ride home was quiet and filled with extreme tension—both sexual and emotional. We were at my house in about 20 minutes, and Eric was opening the door for me. I glanced at the windows, and noticed that the lights were off; clearly, Gran was giving me a message I didn't intend to listen to.

Eric walked me to the door in silence, obviously stuck in some deep thought process. He said abruptly, "I don't know why, but I feel I should apologize—something, you should be sure, I have never done to a human. But Longshadow was an old and trusted friend and employee for a long time now, and I had no idea he would do what he did. Had I known the risk to you, or even suspected that it was a vampire, I would have dealt with the problem myself." I shivered to think how many maimed humans that would have resulted in. But he seemed sincere, if very surprised at himself for apologizing to a mere human, and oddly enough, I believed him. I could only imagine how difficult it was for a thousand year old vampire to apologize to plain old me. I still had to ask, though.

"Why did you kill him, though? I am sure that one of your own race is more important to you than a human, even if telepathic. After all, I am nothing special, aside form that; just a plain old boring, uneducated barmaid from Louisiana."

"No," Eric said simply. "No." And he was off, and in the next second, the corvette screeched out of my driveway at Eric's reckless speed. As far as exits go, his was a pretty good one.

Thank you all for reviewing, and please continue—remember, the more reviews, the quicker I update, and the more Eric/Sookie action there is. Let me know what you think should happen next—the plot is pretty much set in my head, but I am always open to suggestions.

One question—when do you think Gran should die? Before you groan and cry, I have been planning her death from the beginning, probably something akin to what was in the book—I just don't know if she should have some more interaction with Eric or at least just Sookie, or if she should just be gone after her cryptic remarks and leave Sookie to figure it out. BTW, I know that Eric and Sookie will probably only hook up after her death, so keep that in mind. :k

Review, let me know what you think! Thank you, -vihnngaih :k