The limo ride was tense. Pam sat adjacent to her progeny. A thin fang banger on her lap with her neck arched fed the young vampire. Her hunger being satisfied filled the otherwise silent limo. They avoided looking at each other directly. Their feelings could not be denied however. The silence made them feel every bite of shame—the hammer of anger pounded in their ears. And the gentlest emotion they both felt, ignoring it resolutely as the catalyst of the other sentiments.
Lee looked intent to skin Tara alive with silver before she came to her progeny's rescue. The French man lived to be entertained and meeting Pam's childe, in the circumstances, he considered amusing. Not interested in vampire gossip, which Lee subscribed to religiously, Pam stated she let Tara make a town of New Orleans. It wouldn't do that anyone else knew Tara was so headstrong. She would unfit as a maker.
"She is stunning. Darker than I expected for your tastes, but stunning," he picked up Pam's hand. The man was a riddle of outbursts that could threaten the peace one minute and settle it the next. He inspected Tara with an adoring eye. Not because he found her adorable, it was the exact opposite. She belonged to Pam, an unlikely vampire he never would seen become maker with so many lifetimes to live.
With a firm grip on Pam's hand he kissed it gently. He showed his fangs repeating his ritual with teeth and tongue to celebrate the night and her events. Tara was weak, but she took a threatening step forward Eric halted with a hand on Tara's shoulder. The movement didn't go unnoticed by their host.
"I am no danger to your mistress," he narrowed his eyes at Tara's glare. His back stood straighter entertaining the idea of provoking Pam's baby vamp.
"Tara," Pam warned. She returned her gaze back to Pam resting them there until they left.
When Lee offered one of his to feed the wounded vampire Eric accepted the gift graciously. Eric went to collect his earnings encouraging his progeny to go ahead without him. Pam usually would have refused, but Tara was a pressing matter to be taken care of. When they arrived at the limo the scantily clad woman was waiting.
The ride would have gone without trouble if she hadn't seen a nail caressing Tara's cheek. Cool ices noted the tacky fuchsia finger nail polish. Later Pam wouldn't claim that the world went dark for her. Instead she, of sound mind, ripped the stupid cow from Tara's eager mouth. The former club owner barely registered they were still moving when she tossed the girl out into the street.
Tara's eyes widened pushing off the seat slightly to see how the poor girl landed. The human yelped from surprise and the scream seemed prolonged as she flew out into the street. She saw a head rolling. She heard the cars honking at the unidentified object, later identified as human. Pam deftly shut out the noises of the street or the human's pain.
Pam handed Tara a napkin to wipe her mouth. Wrenching her hand away as soon as their finger touched on accident Pam crossed her legs impatiently. Their eyes met for a withering second because neither of them could hold it for much longer.
They rode the rest of the ride in silence.
In the company of thoughts of one another they knew tonight's events needed to address. Betrayal, on both their parts, was an easy to commit. They were born from good intentions. Neither woman considered them guiltier than the other for reasons that their suitemates, the staff of the luxurious hotel, and all of New Orleans would hear tonight—or rather early morning.
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When Pam unlocked and stormed in her suite she let the door swing back. Tara caught it before she was locked out. Pam went straight into the bedroom climbing the single step that separated the room from the vast living area. Tara was a mess.
The hotel was vampire friendly. The fridges were stocked with bottles of true blood. The sun could be blocked out with metal shields. Tara used a discreet side entrance that led to all the floors away from guests' eyes. Lee had offered that information when he noticed she wasn't presentable to walk the halls covered in blood and vampire.
Tara's resentful eyes ran over the expensive room. Pam and Eric's host spared no expense to make them comfortable she noted. She started undressing. She needed a shower. Tara didn't bother asking and stormed in the bedroom as Pam was taking off her earrings. She placed them on the night stand delicately watching Tara undress.
Tara met her eyes with tired movements that didn't begin to illustrate how aggravated she was. The suite phone rang. Tara took her time with her clothes wondering who would be calling.
"What?"
Lee smiled at the greeting.
"I hope you haven't made too much a mess in that room," he chuckled being very familiar with Pam's temper.
Turning her back to Tara and positioning the phone to her right she worked on her other earring. "The room is pristine."
"You sound agitated. I offer my company for the evening," he drew out the invitation cautiously.
Tara had stopped undressing standing in her underwear too interested in the conversation to about her state of undress, or the shower she'd been craving. Leaning her right shoulder on the door she clenched her left fist at her side. Through the reflection of the window she saw Pam's face brighten with a smile. And she was speaking French. Though, she didn't need the conversation translated formerly. Her maker's body language said it all. She was flirting.
Turning the knob to the shower she adjusted her water how she liked it. Hot enough not be scorching. Getting in she left the bathroom door open.
Pamela with the phone to her ear walked out into the living area to investigate a curious buzzing. In Tara's sprint to the shower she threw her jacket haphazardly on the floor. She checked the jacket pockets. By the time she reached the desired object, the vibrating as stopped. The buzzing came from the phone vibrating against the jacket's zipper.
Picking up the phone she noticed several missed messages from Naomi.
She absently agreed to join Lee tomorrow night for an outing to catch up. She gave him her apologies and said she was too tired to continue their talking. Pam wanted to save her strength for Tara. Returning the phone to its hook she sat Tara's phone beside it.
Tara came of the shower grabbing a towel to dry her.
"Naomi's attractive. As much as meat can be considered attractive," she answered bitingly.
Tara focused on drying. It wasn't until she stood in her birthday suit that she realized she had nothing to change into.
"Lee's handsome," she returned. She opened a closet. Grabbing the complimentary cotton robe with the hotel emblem on the chest, she put it on. "And considerate to call just to make sure you got in ok."
Pam leaned back on her arms sinking in the soft bed a little. "Naomi left five messages. I haven't listened to them, but I wouldn't be surprised if she was curious where you were sleeping tonight." Tara found her phone near the hotel's scrolling through them and a text message in all caps.
CALL ME
Pam chuckled.
Tara didn't see where there was room to.
"Aren't we a pair," the blond mused. Rising in a fluid movement she bent over far enough to reach her shoes, but she didn't remove them. Tara got to one knee. Holding her by the calf she brought the shoes to her upright leg to unfasten them. The dark skinned woman made quick work of the shoes, but she kept her hands on Pam's legs. Rubbing the smooth skin she studied the paleness as it contrasted with her rich color.
She looked up hearing pleased whimper from her attention. Tara looked up. Warring emotions bubbled to the surface. Pam couldn't let things rest. They could put a band aid with polka dots over what was broken, but what did the band aid have to do with something that was fucking broken. She tried to move her foot away.
"No," she whispered.
Tara held onto her ankle tightly, unwilling to relinquish the limb, when all she wanted to do was confirm that Pam was real. And in that confirmation know that what she felt for Pam was real too. They sat like for some time.
The top of Tara's head was a submissive view that was so unlike her progeny. She enjoyed and resented it. "Did you sleep with her?"
"No."
"You wanted to."
Tara glared up, "I thought about it."
"I guess we're even," the remark left a cold burn in Tara's chest. Tara didn't know anything about this Lee person. He had come out of nowhere. Pulling away she didn't care how indelicately her maker's foot fell.
"Who the fuck is he?"
"A biblical acquaintance," Pam answered honestly. "And a powerful ally if we go to war with Bill."
"Seal the deal with a kiss right?"
"That's too PG-13 for Lee's tastes."
Tara took in her maker's outfit. It was too sexy for just business.
"Old habits die hard huh?" It was a low blow, but this was what the night built up to.
Speeding toward Tara she held her childe by the throat. Her back hit the corner of the opening to enter and exit the room. Sookie's porch seemed so far away now. It was only a few minutes sprint. It was only yesterday. Now, it seemed too far away to recover the bridges they ruined in one night.
Tara's phone buzzed. Pam sped to the phone. Another phone call from Naomi, anger deflated she threw the phone at Tara who caught it.
"The room's yours," she wouldn't sleep comfortably with Tara's scent invading her nostrils when she tried to sleep. "I'll be in Eric's room."
Tara clenched the phone the screen cracked under the pressure of her fist.
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Eric answered the door in the nude. He half expected a visitor, either Pam or Tara. Familiar with Eric in all forms of nudity she ignored it too angry to see straight. She wanted to rip Tara apart slowly. Though, after her outburst with Fangtasia' burning she couldn't justify that kind of violence again.
Fortunately, Eric didn't ask questions or offer council. She didn't feel like talking about tonight or Tara or what she may have had with her progeny. She walked away, uncharacteristically, handing Tara the reigns, not entirely uncaring if Tara and Naomi became a couple again.
She sat on the couch staring into the quiet hearth.
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"You should have told me."
"I know."
"Are you safe…the sun will be coming up soon."
Tara smile slightly at the unexpected caring in Naomi's voice.
"Yea."
"How?"
Tara knew what she was asking. She retold the story as best she could remember with Sookie and Lafayette's accounts filling the blanks. Now, she was one of the undead. They talked into the day. The rays of the sun were blocked out by the remote controlled metal window shields. Sitting in the dark she felt more comfortable telling the story with nothing to rest on her eyes on.
Silence was Naomi's reply.
"I can't—."
Tara interrupted, "I wasn't asking. I just wanted you to know."
A heavy sigh on the other end, Tara anticipated the rejection. She didn't anticipate how fine she was with it however.
"Yea… I gotta go."
She felt like they should be saying more, or at the very least saying goodbye face to face. It was an imperfect situation. But it cleared up one thing she knew was uncertain about for the longest time. She loved Pam. Perhaps, at first sparked the progeny and maker bond, but with time it developed into something more concrete. Something she understand and pin point as honest reaction to the Pam she'd been getting to know on Sookie's porch. She wanted to jump up and run to Eric's room, but the sun made that impossible. She'd been fighting rest long enough, so she slept hoping that Pam made a similar epiphany.