A/N:All original characters from the SVM series belong to Ms. Charlaine Harris. Please don't sue me, I'm broke.
A/N:Thanks as always to my outstanding beta, txone, Tammy, whose life has quieted down, and returned this chapter to me before I awoke.
Chapter 14
Pam's POV
Eric held the door for me, but as soon as it closed behind us, he stretched his long legs and walked rapidly towards the residence. I had no trouble keeping up, but I was concerned about Eric's and Sookie's moods. When we reached our rooms, instead of going to my own, I followed Eric into his. He threw off his jacket and started unbuttoning his shirt, I put my hand on his chest to stop him.
"Eric, what happened? When we switched partners, everything was fine. It took less than five minutes for you two to go from dancing to not speaking. Spill!"
"She dismissed me like a child! She told me to 'go to my room!'
"What else did she say, Eric?"
He told me what was said between them, and I could hear the stress that Sookie's under, and the misconceptions that Eric had about his lover.
"Eric, I don't know if I should get into this between you, but at least let me help you understand Sookie's position. Will you sit and talk to me for a while? It's not that I'm not sympathetic to you, but you are new to our world, and there's a lot you haven't been told."
"I need a drink. Aren't you hungry?"
"I can wait, I want to help you. Call for a drink, and get me an RB, then we can talk. It's OK, I'm expected to drink from you, but I wouldn't want to take too much."
Drink delivery was in under three minutes, I kicked off my heels, and curled up in one chair, while Eric stretched his legs out in front of him, in the other.
"There's a basic truth to being a vampire; everything is life or death. Yes, there are punishments, some slight and some that last for years. But every time there's a challenge to a ruler, there's usually a final death resulting from it.
"Sookie has a big problem. If she is overthrown, and Felipe sends her to the North to 'live out her days', Eric, it's a euphemism for death. You don't know that, but we do. She has lived so long because she is smart, she plans, and she's very good at vampire politics. It is such a big production to travel from one state to another, that receptions, parties, balls, any social event, are all means to network and keep an eye on both insiders and outsiders. Traitors appear, new alliances are formed and this is the venue. She is working. 'Queen' is her job description, not just a title, like the human English Queen. If she loses to Felipe, there's a very good chance that most of us will die too. Not just defending her, but because every new regime doesn't want to find a loyalist to the previous regime in it's midst. I know you love each other. I know you want to fuck each other's brains out every night. But she is responsible for every vampire in Louisiana, and you are distracting her from her work to keep us all alive.
"I don't know if your networking could help. I can't imagine any vampire telling anything important to a human. But just as easily, you can be underestimated, and something can slip. Even if you talk with a human who belongs to another vamp, something may slip. So schmoozing has it's place, it's called 'espionage'." I sat back, drank my RB, and waited for Eric to respond. He sat, thinking, for quite a while, then let out a big sigh.
"I think I need to apologize to the Queen," he said, grimly. "You're right, Pam, I didn't understand the seriousness of it. I'm used to elections where losers concede, or overthrown dictators take the GNP of the last ten years and move to a better climate. That doesn't seem to be an option in your world."
"I'm glad you understand, Eric. Sookie will still love you, if you don't learn the game and help her. It will just put her under more stress, and she might miss something important, or it might be you or me who learns something crucial."
"How long shall we wait until we go back to work?" he grinned, now that he had a clear way before him, he was back to his old cocky self.
"Well, 10 minutes to feed, plus 5 minutes for the first fuck, 10 minutes for the second, 5 minutes to get dressed, that's a 30 minute break. We've used about 15 minutes of that, so we have the same amount of time to wait. So what do you want to do while we wait? We can have sex..." I smirked.
"With my sister? That's incest! Not on your life!" he smirked back, "Have you seen anyone you fancy tonight?"
"No, but Sookie left me a present in my room, and I haven't seen her yet," I was happy that things were back to normal.
"How does that work? Are the 'gifts' the kind of person with whom you would want a long term relationship, or fangbangers?" Eric wasn't afraid of asking questions.
"Normally, she would just be a feed and a fuck. But Sookie picked out someone special for me, so she may be more," I smiled to think of Sookie's thoughtfulness.
"Do you want to go meet her?" he offered.
"No, it's the middle of the night. I'd rather wait until the party's over, so I can pay full attention to her, and I don't have to go back to work," I said, happy to have dinner waiting at the end of the night.
I looked at my watch, "OK, Eric, let's get ourselves ready, and we can return to the party."
Eric's POV
Looking appropriately mussed up, Pam and I returned to the party. It was still early,which was good, because I needed time to prove myself to Sookie. She shouldn't have spoken to me like a five year old, but it was in response to my whining, so maybe I deserved it.
When we walked in, I looked for Sookie and found her talking with some vamps at her table. Immediately, I asked Pam to dance, and we moved quickly to the dance floor, and continued from the middle of the slow song the band was playing. While dancing, I looked around and determined what to do. I decided to start with the Alaskan vamps, at least I had a reason to introduce myself to them. Walking over to the table, I looked them over, aside from Michael, there were nine males and only two females. I thought vampires were equal opportunity employers, but it seems that some are way behind the times. I walked up to them and introduced myself. They were spectacularly uninterested. Even the females were uncharmable. That was unusual, I can usually charm the pants off anyone. Literally. I thought there must be something going on that we didn't know about, after all. I asked one of the females to dance. She didn't look very happy sitting there while everyone else was having fun. She was a pretty woman, with soft brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. Maybe she was young enough to be tempted. She started to stand, when a look from Michael made her sit again, and she regretfully refused my invitation. I turned away to see Sookie looking at me, I turned away, and walked over to Leif, to restart to our earlier conversation. I asked something about celestial navigation. I thought since he was a Viking he would know about it. He did, so I asked him to show me in the night sky. We walked to the end of the patio, and sat on the low stone wall that surrounded it.
"Leif," I whispered, "are we alone?"
"Yes, Eric, we are. What is wrong?" he questioned.
"There's something wrong with the Alaska vamps," I replied. "Michael has pledged loyalty to our Queen, just short of fealty. And they are staying together, not socializing at all. I asked one to dance, but Michael stopped her. Cyril said someone on the council advised him not to continue with negotiations, so I'm not sure if the trouble is from him, but I'd bet that Michael is mixed up in it."
'Have you told the Queen? Leif asked me.
"No, I haven't had the chance yet. I wanted to tell you. I thought you may be able to investigate. They won't even politely socialize with me. I'm sure you can win over the women," I grinned at him.
He grinned back, "I'll see what I can do."
We entered the ballroom together, Leif went back over to his table and sat down. I looked for Pam, saw she was with Sookie, and sauntered over. I asked permission to sit, and took the chair next to Pam, but looked directly at Sookie.
"I'm sorry, love, I didn't fully understand the seriousness of the situation. Pam explained it to me. Can we talk about it later?" I spoke to her with my mind.
"Of course we can discuss it later, Eric. Perhaps, I haven't told you enough about our world," Sookie gave in a bit.
"I do have some information," that caught her attention, and I told her about my encounter with the Alaskan team, and that I set Leif on them.
You could see the wheels turning in her mind, "Good work, Eric."
She smiled and spoke aloud, "I'm going to make the rounds, after that I'm going to retire to my rooms. You two are free to do what you wish."
I didn't realize her rounds would take so long. Sookie stopped at each table, and spoke with everyone who came. When she reached the Alaska table, she treated them the same, but I could almost see her posture stiffen. If Michael, or the entire Alaskan team were working with Felipe, we ought to know, as should Cyril, if he was not in on it too. I started to think of ways to find out the truth. I asked Pam to dance so we could watch more closely. Having the shifter spy on them, would be a great help. A big problem was whether or not Cyril was involved. Children usually don't go against their makers, and the entire team seemed to be involved. But Cyril was a friend of Sookie's, and she thought she could trust him. Right now, I was too tired to concentrate on the problem, I just wanted to go to bed with Sookie in my arms.
At last, Sookie walked towards the double doors, and turned to address the assembled vampires, "Thank you for coming tonight. I hope you all had an enjoyable time, and that the visitors from Alaska feel welcome to our state. I wish you a 'good morning', and I'll see you when you rise." Then she left the ballroom, with Pam and I following.
The three of us entered Sookie's rooms together, and Pam turned quickly through the door to her own. Sookie and I just stared at each other. I sat on the sofa and opened my arms to her. She came to me and sat next to me, not on my lap as I would have preferred. I put my arm around her and drew her close, so she could lean on my shoulder. We just sat, renewing our connection, for a long time. Sookie spoke in a quiet voice, "There are a lot of opportunities for misunderstanding. I'm glad we have Pam for a translator. You know so little about our world, it's dangerous."
"I know, my love. But I don't even know what questions to ask," I answered, "let's go to bed. Things will be clearer in the morning." Off we went, like an old married couple, no longer needing words between us, and content just to be together.
The next morning, after I ordered breakfast, I called to see the night's records on Victor. After he left the office, he went home, but returned and was hanging about outside the ballroom. He didn't seem to have met anyone, nor pick up any message, it was curious, and a little sad. On the outside looking in, Victor had no place here, in either the human or vampire world. That made him bitter and dangerous.
After breakfast, I showered, dressed and went to the office. I decided that since I was living on premises, I could go in to work whenever I wanted. I want to make sure my work is done every day before I return to my bed and Sookie. As I walked past the accounting clerks section, I saw Justine, who had thoughtfully told me about the snack policy. I stopped to speak with her, "Good morning, Justine," how are you today?"
"I'm fine Mr. Northman, how are you? I heard that you're staying here now. That's really convenient, isn't it?" she was a little flustered, but sweet.
"Except that I'm a workaholic, and may never leave," I laughed. "Since I'll be working longer, how is the coffee here?"
"Oh, it's real good, Mr. Northman. Just like in New Orleans. Shall I get you some?Would you like a snack too? This week we have donuts, a different kind every day" she asked eagerly.
"That would be very nice of you, Justine. No snack, just coffee. Dark with one sugar, please," I ordered.
"Just a sec," she said as she stood up, "I'll be right back."
I walked through the busy clerks, saying, 'G' Mornin', as I went to my office. Victor wasn't in his office, and I wondered where he was. As I removed my laptop from my briefcase, Justine came in with my coffee. "Thanks, Justine. How long have you worked here?" I asked. I motioned to her to sit, and she nervously perched on the edge of the chair.
"Just under two years, Mr. Northman," she replied.
"Do you like what you're doing?"
"Oh yes, Mr. Northman. I'm taking Accounting at UL-Shreveport. They've always been real good here about accommodating my classes, and the Queen is paying half my tuition as long as I maintain a B average. If I stay here for another two years after I graduate, I'll get another 25% back, and after two more years, I'll get the remaining 25%. That's more generous than any human company that I ever heard of."
"That's a good policy, Justine. Are any of the other clerks taking advantage of it?"
"Just a couple, sir. The ones who are married, don't have time, especially if they have babies."
I sat and thought for a minute, kids having kids was all too common here.
"Mr. Northman?"
"Yes, Justine."
"I was thinking, if we had babysitters for the girls who needed them, maybe more of them would go..."
I looked at her. Not a flashy idea, but a kind one that benefited others, not herself. "Thank you, Justine. That's a good idea, I'll bring it up to the Queen... Now, I think I'd better start work," I said, as I opened my computer, "If you need any help with classwork, come see me."
She blushed, "Thank you, sir."
Both of us would be working here for a long time. Once she got over her nervousness, I'd be able to evaluate how smart she really was, and where I could use her.
My first call from the office was to Gracia, the Queen's daytime assistant, to ask if Victor had called.
"No, Mr. Northman. I haven't heard from him this morning," she replied.
I'd find out later, from the shifter, what Madden was up to. Meanwhile, I had work to do. After an hour plus of steady work, I took a break. As I sat there, wondering what our accountant was up to, Victor walked into the office, ninety minutes late. The surprise on his face was worth going in early for. He dropped his bag, and hurried over to my office, deciding that offense was the best defense, "Mr. Northman, I didn't expect to see you in so early."
"Why not Victor? It's almost noon, the time I officially start work," I let my voice have an edge to it, "Did you have an emergency this morning?"
"Yes, sir. I blew a tire on my way in, and had to wait for AAA," he nervously answered, "Sorry, I didn't even think of calling in, I kept expecting they'd be right there."
"In the future, Madden, if you're going to be late, I'd prefer that you notify Gracia, as the rest of us do," I looked down at my computer in dismissal, and after a moment of hesitation, he walked out.
I worked steadily until the day workers started leaving. Vampires took over at 6 PM, and the accountant in charge of the night office, was a competent, trustworthy woman vamp, who had worked for the Queen for many years, and came with her from Florida. I stopped at the door of her office to catch up, and then left for the Residence. I worked later than I had intended, and wouldn't have time to eat before I rested.
I could see Sookie, still dormant, through the open door between our rooms. Quickly, I stripped off my clothes, lay down next to her, and pulled her to me, so we could sleep curled around one another. Before a minute passed, I was out.
I awoke from my nap with Sookie still cuddled against me. Every day I want to wake like this. The riches of her body assaulted me. Her scent was sweet, her skin, smooth as a newborns. Breasts like a goddess, soft and firm at the same time. Her hair matched mine in color, and cascaded and swirled around her. When we were together in Spain, she was always contained and covered. But the days of restraint were over, and we could do the things we weren't allowed to when she was alive.
The sun was setting, and I could feel her gentle movements against my chest as she started to wake. Sookie was like a flower unfolding. My hand searched for her center. She was not yet wet for me, but would be soon. I pressed both of my hands to her breasts and caught her nipples with my fingers. I massaged and rubbed until she moaned, that was my signal to turn her to me. Her hands went around my neck, and her lips started kissing up my chest to my mouth, happy with it's destination. My love's sweet mouth locked onto mine and we started our evenly matched duel of tongues. Both of my hands were busy teasing and massaging other parts of her body. I wanted to taste her and fuck her, and make her come so loud she would be heard past our door, despite the sound proofing.
I released her mouth, and slid down the bed. Pushing open her thighs, I felt her hands become entangled in my hair in anticipation of what was to come. Looking at her center, where every night our connection was confirmed, I dipped my head to lick the juices that my kisses and touches created. Licking her folds from the back to her nub, flicking my tongue on it, as I reached the top. She squirmed and pulled my hair and pleasure sparked through her body. My lover, not yet, slow down. My tongue circled her nub, and flicked randomly, then removed itself to her center again where it probed her folds and cleft. Her movements started to bring her off the bed, and I released one of her thighs to hold her down with my hand. I moved back up her body to take her breast in my mouth, sucking on her nipple, and nipping at the soft flesh. Moving to the other, I remembered how I made her climax just by my loving attention to her breasts. But that wasn't what I wanted tonight either. I wanted her screaming, and needing me, more than ever before, so after a fair amount of time I left them, sat back on my haunches and looked at her. I flipped her over, spread her arms wide and bent her leg up at the knees, bring her dainty toes to my mouth for sucking and nipping, each in turn. She started to move against the bed, but I stopped that. I put a pillow under her stomach so her nub was free from friction and told her to stay there, lightly smacking her bottom to enforce what I said. I started kissing and nipping my way up her legs. By the time I reached her core again, she could no longer keep her body still. Her hands gripped the sheets, and even her toes stiffened. The moans and cries coming from her mouth were sweet music to me, but I wanted a crescendo. I turned her over again, and licked the soft crease where her thigh met her body and her soft curls started to tickle. When I moved back over to her center, I knew she was close, I started to lick her softly and she started to beg, "Eric, please..."
"Please what, my love?" I asked.
"I'm ready."
"No, my sweet, not yet," I teased. She growled and I laughed. I crawled up her so my cock was over her mouth, "Sookie, suck me!" I ordered. I was already nearly as ready as she, but I had the control tonight, and would keep it. As she sucked my cock, I got longer and harder and was ready to finish, but I wanted more for her. As hard as it was, I pulled out of her mouth, and moved back down her body to gently lick her nub again. She was trembling, and I thought I had succeeded in my goal.
"Sookie, my love, what do you want? I asked her, teasing her with touches by the head of my cock on her clit and over her folds.
"You Eric. I want you!"
"You just want me, Sookie, is that all?"
"Dammit Eric! I want all of you! Inside me! Fuck me, Eric! Now!"
That's what I was waiting for, and I thrust into her as deep as I could. I put one hand under her cheeks to tilt her so I could reach her sweet spot more easily, and rammed into her as I felt her frenzy growing. She screamed my name over and over, and came with such wildness that I would have lost her if not for my size. Her sheath gripped me, and I felt my own release coming. I plunged further into her, if possible, clutching her tightly with both arms so she couldn't ever leave me, as I called her name in return. We continued as white lights flashed, and the world disappeared, leaving only the two of us on an island of bliss, unknowing and uncaring about anything else at that moment.