She made her way out onto the balcony that overlooked the vast forest. Cicadas chirped and the humid air moved lazily. Despite taking a painkiller and chugging down a litre of water her head was still throbbing and she felt mildly nauseous. It felt like an awful hangover. As long as she didn't vomit again. That was the first thing she had done when she awoke as the sun was setting.
There was a creak as the door slid open.
As she turned to look she found him already by the balcony railing. Winn didn't flinch. Turning around she gave him a half-wave in greeting. As she saw him she felt like there was something at the tip of her tongue. Trying to grab onto the thought was like smoke slipping through her fingers. Finally, Godric broke the silence.
"Are you feeling better, Ms. Vik?"
She gave a soft smile and played with her hands. "I think after we shared a bathtub together you can call me Winn."
He offered her a brief smile in return, so fast she thought she had imagined it, and bowed his head slightly. "Are you feeling better, Winn?"
The smile faded. "Yeah, besides the hangover. What I drank . . . . you said it was vampire blood?"
He nodded.
Winn swallowed. "Am I addicted?"
His eyes flickered between her eyes, seeming to contemplate several responses. "Let us hope not." He finished stiffly.
She looked out over the dark forest. "Yeah, let's hope not." She muttered.
Finally she looked back at him, to find his gaze had never left hers. It made her uncertain. Why was he continuing to look at her?
"What happened . . ." She fiddled with some peeling paint on the balcony railing, "I can't really remember much, just bits and pieces. And I know you didn't do anything to me, even when you could have. But you didn't." Finally she looked up at him. "You did more than what most humans would do. What I'm trying to say is: thank you."
His face was a careful mask of neutrality. "It was the right thing to do."
She bit her lip. "I know you just - you just did it out of some sense of duty, still . . . thank you. I mean it."
He tilted his head in acknowledgement.
She wrapped her arms around herself. "If I was a nuisance -"
"You do not have to apologise for how you acted. But you have some thinking to do."
"Why's that?"
"The situation you found yourself in demonstrated your abilities of being reckless and impulsive."
Her narrowed her eyes. "Do you think I would have willingly taken that blood if I had known?"
"No. That is my point, you were not in control of your emotions. You never play into someones hand when the true nature of their intentions are shrouded."
Winn sighed heavily. "Well, hindsight is twenty-twenty, isn't it?"
He didn't look the least bit amused.
"Every situation I go into is a risk with a lot of reward in it, but also losses. But you were there, and that's what matters. Speculating alternatives is pointless."
He tensed in frustration. "Preparation is success. You could have been gravelly harmed by those humans, perhaps even murdered and you would have been wholly unprepared to attempt to defend yourself."
"Attempt to defend myself? I can defend myself just fine, when I'm not drugged. And thanks. I guess the general consensus is that nothing good came from that meeting." She muttered.
His eyes flickered across his face, taking in her pinched expression. "The drug did alter your mental state, enough that you were able to partially break through the glamour placed upon you."
"What do you mean?" She asked warily.
"You told me the vampire was male."
Her heart began racing. "I broke through?"
"That was all you could say."
Her thoughts were spinning faster than a cyclone. "So I hallucinated, but I also managed to break through. What if I take more bloo-"
"You will not." He cut her off sharply.
"Godric please-"
"This is no discussion."
She ran her hands through her hair. "This isn't about addiction," she snapped, "what if I could break through completely? I can finally warn people. I can make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else ever again."
"Glamour does not work like that. It was chance that allowed you to say something, and that was all. I am sorry."
They stared at each other unblinking. Winn pressed her lips into a tight line. Laws. That must be why he was so against it. "I know it's illegal. I won't say any more."
"The legality is irrelevant." He said brusquely.
She frowned.
"That blood you willingly took was not just old, but from a very weak vampire." Godric said. The insult in willingly was more than evident.
"I don't understand." She said slowly. Wasn't it better then, that it came from a weak vampire?
"You are human." He spoke through clenched teeth with forced restraint, as if his words explained it all.
She crossed her arms tightly. "I know. What does that have to do with how strong or not a vampire is? What does it matter?"
He switched gears. "You will never be strong enough for the path you are carving for yourself."
She stiffened in response. "You don't get to decide that. And who are you to tell me how to be or who to be?"
"Winn-"
"I didn't ask you to help me." The euphoria she felt from breaking through the compulsion was quickly fading. She shook her head and turned away from him. "Don't concern yourself with me."
She was inside before he could reply. Quickly she gathered her things. Yesterday night Eric had promised her the money, finally. She wasn't leaving until she got it.
-0-
She drove to Fangtasia in a sour mood, the conversation between the two of them looping in her head. She knew better than him she shouldn't have taken the blood. It had been an utter lack of control and she had been at the mercy of Godric. But she had thanked him, and she truly meant it. Why couldn't he have left it at that? Winn slammed the car door shut after her.
While the bar was closed tonight, the door was open. Winn walked over to Pam who was setting up the bar behind the counter.
Pam looked at her up and down like she was a mangled mongrel. "We really are just letting in anyone these days."
"Maybe if your face spent more in the accounting books than between someones legs you could afford to be selective."
Winn knew she should apologise before Pam ripped her head off. Inside, she stared at the vampire. The hangover continued to hit the back of her skull like a jackhammer.
"Hm." Was the reply she got. Whether Pam was pissed or entertained was something only Pam would know.
"Where's Eric?"
"In the basement."
Winn pointed to the general direction she figured it would be in. Pam nodded, but something in her expression had changed to make Winn suspicious of her intention. Hesitantly she opened the basement door, waiting for Pam to shove her down the stairs and lock the door in revenge.
As she began descending she squinted her eyes, adjusting to the darkness.
Where was he? She could hear sounds and her muscles tightened. Pam was leading her into a trap. She swore internally. But her feet continued down the stairs anyway.
Something was moving into the distant dark of the basement. She leaned forwards, and let out a yelp as she squeezed her eyes shut and raised her hands in front just for good measure.
The sounds, which had undeniably been sex sounds now that she thought about it, stopped. Oh she was going to need bleach for that. Pam had definitely lead her into this situation knowing what was going on. Winn didn't know if this was better than a violent situation.
"Evening, Winnie." He drawled.
"Can we not do this here?"
"See something you don't like?" He purred, thoroughly enjoying the situation.
"Well, yes, everything. I don't know how things were back in 'ye old days, but today we tend to view looking at family members in that sort of light as, you know, frowned upon." Her hands were still over her eyes, but she could sense Erics nearness.
Being unnerved was an understatement.
There was a soft gust of air and when she peaked out of her fingers Eric was gone. His voice behind her made her jump and she spun around to see him half-dressed. "You're so easy it's not even a sport."
He was all angles and toned muscle. Damn if she wanted to ask him what he did to get into such good shape. But all she would do is feed is abnormal sized ego and get no answer besides something sarcastic or sardonic and not at all helpful.
"What a shame." Her voice held no pity. Then she thought of something, "You haven't - . . . how long have you been down here?"
"Only six hours." He shrugged.
Her jaw dropped, and then her face transformed into horror. "Six?"
"If you think my stamina is impressive, then you should see how long Godri-"
"Stop!" She cried, face still full of horror. "Stop. I do not want to hear more. I regret asking. Pretend I never asked." Instantly Winn felt pity for the woman behind her, still chained to whatever medieval metallic wheel Eric and Pam had set up in the basement.
"Well if you're not here to inquire about my legendary sexual prowess, then I'm all out of ideas on why you would possibly be here."
"You really do have super strength if you can still manage to hold your egoistically head upright. I'm here for the money." She wrinkled her nose. The last thing she wanted to know what anything about what went on this basement, and wherever and whoever else he laid claim too. Vikings, she thought.
"Money?" He questioned.
"The money you promised me." Winn wasn't sure what game he was playing. "I'm beginning to wonder about your memory . . . and as your only surviving family member, it really is my duty to put the old and senile in a nursing home."
"I am naked to pole, I am five second from orgasm, and Eric you choose this time to speak with little girl?" Clearly the woman was Eastern European was non to fond of the interruption. "If walking into basement was all it took to get your attention then I would have done that long time ago."
Winn pursed her lips. "She's right you know. I mean about the being tied to a pole for six hours, not the getting your attention part."
Eric looked over his shoulder, "Shut up Yvetta."
"Or do I need to learn Scandinavian to keep your attention?"
The Viking looked up at the ceiling in loathing. "Upstairs. We'll discuss this further in my office." Then he turned to Yvetta, switching back to English. "Stay or don't, I don't care."
Yvetta shot him a searing glare. Winn went up the stairs first, Eric following closely behind. For a moment she was close to telling Yvetta she should've known Eric Northman was not to be trusted with anything. Then she decided against it. If someone decided to get into bed, or shackle, with Eric Northman knowing his personality all following consequences really couldn't be pitied.
"Pam?" Eric asked.
"Oops." Was all she answered with, not looking the least bit sorry. Pam threw her a victorious look and Winn's eyes went heavenward. So that was the petty vengeance she received for snapping back at Pam. Still, it could have been much worse.
The door shut behind them. Winn took a step back to distance herself from the vampire in front of her.
Just as he opened his mouth to say something he closed it as a strange expression overcame him. And then he yanked her forwards.
He turned her head to the side and ran his nose along ear and into her messy hair. Eric inhaled deeply, gripping her tightly.
"Just because we're in the south doesn't mean I'm interested in incest. Let me go." She snapped, attempting to wrestle out of his tight grip.
"His scent is all over you." He pulled away from her, put kept his hands wrapped around her shoulder and bicep. "Up to no good, Winnie?"
"It's nothing."
"Oh I certainly wouldn't say so." He murmured. Winn didn't need to be friends with Eric to know the gears in his brain were turning so fast there was bound to be steam coming out of his ears soon. "Interesting."
"You can ponder it further after you've left me go."
"I would like to know why I can smell him . . . on your arms . . . your back . . . your hair . . . your neck." His gaze slid slowly over her with each emphasis of her body parts.
Self-conciously she placed a hand on her neck. "Does it matter?"
Eric crossed his arms and leaned against the desk. "I'd like to alter our deal."
"No."
He ignored her. "I'll triple what you were already getting if you let him feed from you."
"Jesus Christ. Eric, the money. Just the money you owe me. Nothing more or less." There was no one she was going to be paid to be some fangbanger. "Get one of your strippers to give him blood."
He glanced at her and sighed. Eric made no sign he had listened to her last sentence. Taking slow strides as he moved at his own leisure pace he made his way around the desk. Opening it up he searched around and came back with dollars. He pushed them into her hand.
As she began counting the money the crease in her forehead deepened. She looked up at him. "This is only five-hundred dollars."
"It is."
"Where the hell is the rest of the money?"
"With me." He drawled.
"Then give it to me."
"All in due time, Winifred."
"That wasn't what we agreed upon!"
"I don't ever recall agreeing upon how the money was going to be given. So I decided you'd have it in set sums throughout the upcoming weeks."
Her eyebrows shot up. "You're joking."
"Always read the terms and conditions, Winnie." He smirked.
She wanted to shoot him right in his smug face. Bastard. "Then I want you to double the amount for the pain you've caused."
"Look at you getting more confident. Mm, we can agree on that." He began, until his eyes darkened between the time it took her to blink and he lunged forwards, grabbing her wrist. "What a fucking plot twist. It is always the most vocal ones who turn out to be the biggest hypocrites."
"What the hell are you on about?" She tried to rip her wrist back.
"Blood. Old blood, too. Looks like someone might've missed the due date on when to throw your cheap V out. You really should have a word with your dealer."
"I don't have a dealer." She snapped.
"Then how did you end up with V, little breather?" He hissed.
"By accident."
"When Godric was missing I thought they were stealing his blood, selling it on the black market. Is that why you joined, Winnie? Hoping to get my Makers blood?"
"What is wrong with you, no!"
"I always did wonder if it was fate or coincidence that made you walk into my bar that night. Perhaps it was very intentional on your part."
"You're more delusional than I was. Why does his blood matter so much?" She snapped, futilely wrestling to get free of his grip.
"He is over twice my age. His blood is very valuable."
"I don't want his blood, I don't want to drink anyones fucking blood - let me go!"
He sneered at her again, then released her. She stumbled into the wall.
"And yet, you did." His whispered words were sharp as a knifes blade.
"I didn't know, alright? I didn't know what they had given me. Do I look like a V addict to you?"
He tilted his head. "Humans do tend to numb their pain through very stupid means. Or perhaps, you secretly just wanted to get really close and personal with vampires."
"Fuck you." She hissed.
"V in your system. Godric all over you? Even you can see the coincidence."
"He helped me, alright? Apparently he has some moral obligations to humans or something like that."
The words seemed like news to Eric, but he quickly masked his expression. "You better tell me how you got that V then, little human."
She didn't answer him. He grabbed the lapels of the jacket and pushed her against the wall. A lazy smile appeared on his face. "Come on, teacup. Just a name or two."
Teacup? What the hell was she, an inanimate object? Her hands wrapped around his wrists, struggling to get rid of him. It was futile. She swallowed. "What will you do to them?"
"Just pay them a visit." He said with a charming smile, one that sent the hair rising on the back of her neck.
"I won't tell you if you're going to murder them."
"Of course I won't."
"Promise me."
He rolled his eyes.
"I'm not giving up anything until you tell me what you're going to do."
"Make sure they're not selling or creating any products they really shouldn't be, and having a friendly little chat to make sure they know the consequences if they decide to ignore my threat. Happy?"
Her eyes flickered over his face, trying to gauge how genuine his words were. "Fine. It's called the Woodrich Institution."
He released her. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"Since I know you'll go back on your word and kill them all because you have zero morals, I'm going to give them a warning."
He took a step closer to her, his sheer height a physical intimidation tactic. His eyes flickered up and down her in feigned disinterest. "You do not know the first thing about me."
"And I don't want to." She shot back.
Eric ground his teeth once. "He hasn't fed in too long. Give him your blood, and I'll forget your little run in with our laws."
"You really strike me as someone who cares about laws, Viking." She said with sarcasm.
"As the Sheriff it is my duty to report anything illegal to my queen. It'll be less painful for you if I say nothing at all."
"So you're blackmailing me into giving my blood to your Maker in order not to be turned into some vampire authority?"
He hummed in agreement.
"Well you can take your blackmail and shove it up your ass. I will not be forced to give up my blood. It is mine. So if you're going to be a rat, go for it." She hissed. The only way she was giving anyone blood was being forced into it.
He narrowed his eyes at the insult and rose from the desk. "Just think of it as a blood donation, one which you will survive. You owe him for saving you when you were stabbed."
She rubbed her temple. "And I protected him in Dallas so I'd save we're even."
"Why does it matter so much whether your blood is extracted from catheter or fang?"
Winn crossed her arms, glaring at him. "I haven't agreed to get my blood taken by needle either, don't get ahead of yourself."
"That wasn't my point, Winnie."
She licked the back of her teeth. "If you aren't going to give me anymore money right now, then I'm leaving."
As she turned to leave her gripped her unbruised arm. Her head whipped around to glare at him. "He needs blood, Winn. Give it to him. If that little vampire you're chasing decides to take a U-Turn and heads straight for you, then you will have Godrics protection at full strength."
"I'm not going to begin trading my blood for protection. I can defend myself just fine on my own."
He snorted, eyes going to the shoulder where the wound was still healing beneath her clothes. Winn narrowed her eyes. "Let me go." She shrugged out of her grip. He didn't stop her.
His eyes followed her as she left. Her arm was throbbing dully as the bruise began forming, outlining five distinct fingers.
-0-
Back at the house she headed straight upstairs to take a shower. As the room began filling with steam she lifted up her arm and inhaled. All she could smell was herself. With a shake of her head she discarded her clothes in the corner and stepped into the shower. Taking her time she was sure to lather the soap into every part of her skin.
It was true she couldn't remember everything during her hallucinatory stage. But she had remembered feeling safe. He hadn't bitten her, that much she was sure about. That much Eric was sure about too. She knew he hadn't taken advantage of her. What she couldn't figure out, is how she had gotten close enough to him to apparently smell of him. Part of her didn't want to ask.
She turned off the water. With a sigh she stepped out, goosebumps instantly rippling across bare flesh. She threw on sweatpants and a tank top before heading downstairs.
Winn found Godric in the living room, reading a book.
When he looked up he didn't seem to have held onto any emotion from their last conversation.
"Is it a good book?" She asked, nearly timidly.
"I would be turning the pages much faster if I did not already know the ending."
"Well if you're re-reading it, then it must be good."
"Yes." He placed the book in his lap. "Were you having a good night before the Institution?"
Slowly she sat down on the couch, gathering her wet strands around one shoulder. "I guess." She said. She was still waiting for him to lecture her again, or scold her. Maybe his question was some sort of trick to lead her back into a defensive argument. But he remained silent, prompting her to continue. "I met a new vampire."
His face was so neutral she had no possible idea what he was thinking. "How did you find it?"
She shrugged. "It was . . . unexpected."
He waited for her to elaborate.
"Jessica Hamby. She was nice. She was - its as if she was human."
"The closer to turning a vampire is, the more human traits they show."
Winn tugged her legs up and placed her chin on them. "How are vampires turned?"
He didn't answer her question as he closed the book. "Jessica Hamby was turned against her will."
Winn hadn't expected that. Her brows shot up. "But she seems so happy."
"She has a kind Maker."
Bill had seemed more like an apathetic maker more than anything. If that constituted as good, she wondered what was considered bad. "I looked her up. It says she's been listed as a Missing Persons."
He gave a short nod. "Fledgings have difficulty controlling their impulses and their heightened emotions. One second they may feel an intense lust they are wholly unprepared for, then a split second later they can feel an all-consuming rage as a human memory is triggered in their minds. They are a slave to their instincts."
Jess hadn't seemed that way. "So they're just killed off in the human world, then."
"It is simpler, this way."
"Sounds lazier."
"Jessica Hamby nearly murdered her father in a fit of rage after recalling his abuse in her human life. She was going to do it in front of her human sibling and mother." He said, then saw her reaction. "The fledgling appears fond of you. While it is highly unlikely she would ever harm you, it is a possibility to entertain."
Her brow furrowed. "How do you know Jess?"
"I know every vampire who surrounds a territory I reside in." He answered.
Winn shook her head, circling back to his explanation. "Taking someone agains their will and turning them isn't right."
"No." He whispered. "It is a good thing Jess relishes the newfound freedom and gift she had received."
She stared at him, dumbfounded. "Gift? She was turned when she didn't want too, and then she's denied connecting with the things that are familiar with her? That's no gift. That's barbaric." She spat.
"If Bill Compton had not controlled his progeny, how do you think it would be for her remaining human relatives to see the blood splattered everywhere - an act committed by their own kin? Or perhaps, fuelled in bloodlust she would have taken their lives too before even realising that atrocity she committed."
Winn bit her lip.
"How do you believe she would feel once she had committed the act, when the overwhelming flood of emotions rolled back like the tide?"
"Yeah, I understand." Her throat felt dry.
"The act of separation is done for the good of all involved. A vampire like Jessica cares about her family, and to have to live with a terrible act done merely on impulse for eternity is quite a long time."
She wrapped her arms tighter around her legs. "I . . . guess it makes sense."
"There is a reason to the things we do. Most vampires do not act out of malice, but without training and rules in place, they regress to reactionary instinct." His eyes were gentle as he explained.
All she could do was nod. It was more information to take in, and she was already exhausted tonight. The maker-progeny relationship was beginning to make more sense.
"Makers create vampires. But what are Masters? Do they exist?"
His eyes grew distant. "The only official term is a Maker, or Creator depending on the culture. A master, think of it as an unofficial term. They force the progeny to do a host of things by force they would otherwise not do. It is not merely a relationship between Maker and Progeny but Master and Slave."
The bond between Maker and progeny. That bond was stronger than she had initially thought. Godric picked up the book again, snapping out of his thoughts.
Her head rested against the sofa pillow. She tried to keep her eyes half-lidded with sleep open. He flipped a page.
"Did you have a nice Maker?"
"I grew up in a different time." He didn't look at her.
"Is your Maker still alive?"
There was such a long pause she was sure he was never going to answer. "It's getting late."
She forced her eyes open and saw him looking at her with an expression she couldn't decipher. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you."
"Curiosity is no cause for offence." He replied. Godric didn't elaborate. She heard another page turn. She didn't want to disturb him further.
There came the nagging feeling again, like there was something she had to tell him, something that was at the tip of her tongue. But it wasn't coming to her. In the silence that ensued Winn was lulled into sleep, heading lolling against her elbow propped up on the pillow. Strands of hair obscured her face.
In the darkness her dreams were filled with a sun, high in the sky despite standing in a field in the middle of the night. It warmed her face as the suns rays fell only on her. In the distance, coming out of the forest was a figure. Before the figure could come closer she awoke.
She stirred and then opened her eyes. She looked questioningly at Godric who was kneeling right in front of her. Winn blinked sluggishly, still caught in the web of sleep. Her brow drew together questioningly and she made a small sound in the back of her throat.
"You were cold." He replied, pulling up the knitted blanket around her shoulders. His knuckle brushed her exposed collarbone.
"Thanks." She breathed with a small smile, hands going up to secure the blanket wouldn't fall down again.
Godric stood up.
"Where are you going?" She asked, beginning to sit up a little straighter.
"Nowhere."
She pulled the blanket tighter. "What time is it?"
"Five."
"Hm." She closed her eyes again as he went back to sit in the leather chair.
Somewhere between consciousness and dreaming, she began speaking again. "Is there a debt?"
Winn didn't need to open her eyes to know he was looking at her with confusion. "Debt?"
"When I stepped in front of you."
It sounded as if he breathed a laugh. The book closed and was placed on the table. "There is nothing for you to settle - on the contrary."
"That's why you saved me when I was on the influence of V, wasn't it?"
"No, Winn. It has nothing to do with the perceived debt you keep imagining."
"I don't understand." She sighed. "I don't understand why you're here at all."
"Life is vast and makes little intrinsic sense."
Her lips twitched, threatening to tug downwards. "I mean with me. Eric's in Fangtasia."
"I have chosen to spend the evening here to make sure you felt comfortable."
"Do you want to leave?" She asked.
"Do you want me to leave?"
She tugged at a loose thread on the blanket. "I - not if you don't want too." Finally she looked up. She hadn't even heard him stand up. He moved lighter than a cat. "Do you ever want to be human again?"
He sat on the couch next to her, maintaining a polite distance. "There is no use in pondering the impossible."
Winn moved around so that her whole body faced him. "Would you, if you were given the possibility?"
"With the difference of being able to feel warmth again, then it is unimaginable a transition."
The familiar grinding sound of the sunblocking blinds began descending down all windows and doors. Sunrise was only minutes away.
"You feel cold all the time?"
"That is why we seek humans whether it is a subconscious decision or not. We can never expierence the sun again, but for just a small while we can remember what heat feels like. But it is mere speculation. There are some things about our existence in which we will never get an answer."
She played with the fringes of the blanket and breathed a sigh. "I just don't understand how you can be biological definition dead, and yet you're alive. You're Schrödingers species."
"To humanity's understanding, we have never been more dead. To our understanding, we have never been more alive."
Winn recalled some stories she had seen on blogs about ingesting vampire blood, about being full of energy and euphoria, about feeling alive with the same adrenaline rush that came from extreme sports. "Is that why humans become addicted to vampire blood?"
"They feel better than they've ever felt before."
Winn wrinkled her nose. She had felt terrible.
"The fresher the blood the closer to the feeling what I have only heard as being filled with life." He elaborated.
Right, Eric had said something about Godrics blood. There was something about him being an older vampire.
"What would happen if I drank your blood?" She asked. Immediately she regretted as she felt a sharp change in the atmosphere and a piercing gaze that seemed to go straight into her soul.
And then she heard a familiar sound, saving her from the situation. A ringtone. Her phone was ringing. And she didn't have long to answer it. She sprinted out the room, yanking the door wide open. Skidding into the kitchen she dove for her charging phone by the kitchen island. Her fingers hastily jammed Accept.
"Ms. Vik, I hope this isn't a bad time." A prim voice asked. Winn was lucky to be awake at six in the morning.
"No, not at all." She tried to hide her laboured breathing. Her eyes flickered up to see Godric already standing by her, looking at her curiously. Quickly she glanced away. Whatever look she had caused from her previous question was masked for the most part, but it was still lurking in the depth of his eyes.
"We spoke last week, if you recall."
"Of course." She answered.
"We enjoyed your motivation and feel you would fit well with our sacred library. Still, we need you to answer something for us." The womans voice said.
"Anything." She replied quickly.
"Ultima ratio regum?" The woman asked. Winn froze. It was Latin, that much she recognised. But her mind was failing her, and the sentence had seemed to hit a dead end in her mind. It was a question, that much she was certain of with the inflection. Her hand tightened into a fist.
"I - I - " She stuttered. No, she couldn't fail now. She was so close to getting a step further to finding the Vampire. She rubbed her face harshly with her hand.
"Tormento." Godric answered gently. Winn immediately repeated it.
She knew the female was smiling on the other end. "Thank you Ms. Vik. You're the fastest reply we've had yet . . . if we ever get one, that is. Be at the library this Thursday at six P.M., don't be late. We will send you the address."
And then the unnamed woman hung up.
The library had given her a riddle, and in Latin no less. So that had been the surprise phone call. She wondered how many failed.
Then she turned around to face Godric. "Tormento?"
"Cannon. The last resort to kill a king is by cannon, so the saying goes."
"Pulveri pyrio." She murmured, "Gunpowder. Always the last resort."
The corners of his lips were threatening to tug downwards in a frown.
"What?"
Then he shook his head, as if dismissing the idea that had formed. "It is nothing. I have just experienced that it is wise to be wary around those who use riddles."
"It's just a library."
"Would that the world were always so simple."
"Sometimes it is." She fired back, not liking the tone he was using, as if she were naive.
"Why would a library ask you to answer a riddle, in Latin no less?"
"They say it's a library filled with books on the supernatural. Maybe they just want to keep people who aren't serious about the literature away. Some of the books are bound to be old."
His eyes lit up with interest. "A library on the supernatural?"
"Apparently so."
As fast as his interest had flared, it gave way to skepticism. "Here in Louisiana?"
"I didn't choose the location."
He paused before replying. "Winn, you are not going alone."
"What happened at the Institute was just bad luck . . . and fine, I shouldn't have trusted them, I get it. But those people at the library aren't the same as those at the Institute."
"And if it turns out they are keen on harming you for your interest in this supernatural library, what are you defences?"
She looked up at the ceiling in acute frustration. "What is with you and my ability to defend myself? I have a gun and a knife. I am more than fine. If this is about that one time I bled on your - or Erics - carpet, then I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
His jaw tightened again. "This is about you recovering slowly from one injury, and throwing yourself into a new situation without having properly assessed it from all angles."
"It's a library!" She cried, throwing her hands up in the air. "What is there to assess?"
"You will not know until you begin. Is there a reason you are being so obstinate?"
"I am not being - look, I can handle myself just fine." She sighed. "And what happens to me, it doesn't matter anyway, I don't care. As long as I get what I need."
His eyes hardened. "The end only works if the means keep you alive until then. And how will you transport yourself out there?"
"I'll take a taxi."
"And if you do happen to need to drive away in a hurry, are you expecting the taxi to wait for you?"
Winn sighed heavily. "The place I'm going isn't overly fond of vampires. So-"
"It would not be the first time I have dealt with humans who do not like our kind."
She chewed her lower lip. She supposed she did owe him for providing her with an answer to that lady's question. "Can you drive?"
"Naturally." He answered smoothly as his shoulders relaxed. So smoothly she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Sitting in a metal box with someone who didn't know how to operate it was uncomfortable.
Then again Jess had figured out how to use the car. Winn didn't prod him further on his 'natural' understanding of cars.
She looked down at her watch and then up at him in surprise. "It's six twenty-seven. The sun's already up. How are you still here?"
He gestured to the blinds. "As long as the sun does not penetrate those blinds, it is no cause for concern."
She looked at the blind and them back to him. "I thought you had to sleep when the sun went up."
"Age and training allows me to stay up past the sun rise."
"Huh." She shook her head. "Well, I need a driver, so if you want to drive on the condition you don't keep scolding me for having average human response times, then you can come if you want."
Winn just stared at him. Her head couldn't keep up with his mood switches he had been issuing her today and she couldn't understand why he was voluntarily staying, something that had been nagging her for the past few days. Winn had to stay until she got the money, but he could travel anywhere he wanted. He raised a brow. "I am not scolding you, merely-"
"Stop right there. I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but I don't want to be a part of it, alright? I'm too busy being bad at assessing my environment and other such fallible humans activities. So if you can just tell me what you're doing? "
He seemed deeply amused, eyes glittering with light. "Patience is a virtue, so I've heard. And I am not pretending, Winn. I am much too old to play games."
"I'm printing you a notecard that says 'Vague'. You can hold it up anytime I ask you a question and you ignore it." Winn grumbled.
Godric took the keys for the car and dangled them in front of her - it appeared to be a peace offering. "Forgive me, I am not used to being as direct as you."
She didn't know whether that was an insult or not. Deftly she took the car keys from his outstretched hand. "Well you could start now."
He threw her a apologetic look.
She sighed. "Alright, well, I guess I'll see you here when the sun goes down then."
Then it was time to go to the supernatural library who's staff wasn't keen on vampires. That shouldn't trigger any rash responses.
A/N:
Guest 1: thank you kind guest! Slow burns, so satisfying when something happens . . . and yeah Winn is going to go further down the rabbit hole and likely drag a certain vampire(s) down with her as she goes.
Guest 2: Thanks! :) I'm doing my best to really show the divide between human and vampire. When I was rewatching the Dallas nest scenes I noticed he seemed so far removed in his responses when interacting with Jason it was simultaneously awkward and comical. With Sookie it was basically indirect contact he had with her, speaking on her behalf. And when it comes to Isabels human he speaks to Isabel directly, but not to her human lover. So it's been my interpretation he's as vampire as they get - although wise and calm and all that. I will neither confirm nor deny he wants her ;) And yeah I think in this chapter we see them start to clash over her being very human and very vulnerable in his eyes. We'll see more trust developing between them in the next chapter and onwards.
Answer: Just weak in comparison to Godric's own. We know Godric thinks of blood as sacred, so a) Winn drinking random blood (ergo without meaning/weight behind the actions) and b) Winn drinking weak blood is going to peeve him.
Guest 3&4 thanks for the reviews lovely readers!