We arrived late, neither Sam nor Arlene was very happy about, but we got there before the dinner rush so it wasn't a complete disaster. I was able to stay inside, though Sam did pull me aside when Sookie was away to tell me not to feed on anyone on the premises. Which was fair, I supposed. If smokers could avoid smoking while they were here then I could keep my fangs in my mouth. Blood wasn't as addicting as nicotine after all. Well, I hoped it wasn't.

'That's strange…' I didn't have a chance to get a proper whiff while talking to him but I thought Sam might've been considerably more delicious-tasting than the average human. Not as good as Sookie, of course, but up there. I was tempted to investigate further but he was too intimidating for me to just go up and smell him. Not to mention I'd look ridiculous if someone caught me at it.

The rush wasn't as intense tonight so I skipped out on helping clear tables so as to avoid drawing any more of Sam's attentions. Instead I happened upon a newspaper that someone left behind. It was frustrating to read it more than it was entertaining, but it kept my interest for hours. There was so much I didn't recognize or understand. I'd actually done well in my history classes covering the pre-zombie apocalypse world but it was clear they'd left out a lot. So many inscrutable idioms and references that I'd be ages in figuring it all out. There was also a cartoon at the back about a place called Iraq that was completely inscrutable.

"Well hello there, little lady." A man sat down opposite me in the booth. He looked older than Sookie but still somewhere in his twenties. He was extremely handsome and under other circumstances I might've been flattered that he even bothered saying hello to me but the bottle of True Blood he brought with him had me wrinkling my nose.

I was curious if he shared my opinion of the drink. "You actually drink that stuff?" Him being another vampire explained why he'd given me the time of day. We might be the only two vampires in town, plus Bill of course. Unless he was Bill? My claws tensed at the possibility but with effort I kept the irrational rage I felt from reaching my face.

"What? No. It's for you!" He pushed the bottle to my side of the table like he was doing me a great favor.

"Umm, thanks." I took a sip to be polite and with great effort. It was bad even when I was starving. Nearly full as I was, I had no incentive at all to drink more of it. Their poor taste had to be part of why they were so readily available everywhere. I had yet to actually buy a single bottle but everywhere I turned free ones were getting shoved at me. Either that or it was a desperate campaign by humans to keep vampires from snacking on them. More investigation was required.

"So you're that little vampire I heard Sookie brought home with her."

"Err, yep. That's me." Now that I wasn't caught off guard it wasn't hard to tell that he was human. I could see the vein pulsing in his neck and the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Strangely he smelled… not right. Like a prime steak that had been left out just a little too long. There was a sourness to him that would make me reluctant to feed on him even if I was hungry, like he was sick somehow. The nervous sweat on his skin and the pinched look of his face confirmed it. Perhaps he wasn't quite so handsome after all.

"So I was wondering if you could hook me up with what I'm looking for."

"I'm not actually from around here, I really wouldn't know."

"Yes you would," he affirmed. "You know, it's the juice. The dark stuff."

I'd let my vampireness give me too much confidence. The man was a creeper and it seemed wise to get to a more well-lit area of the restaurant. I started to rise, saying, "I really don't -"

"V," he said, cutting me off. "Vamp blood."

I was even more alarmed. After seeing the strength it gave Sookie I could see why someone might want it but giving my blood away to strangers freaked me out. Sharing my blood was such a personal experience, I didn't want to do it with just anyone. Unless… unless he was after it for the healing effects. I'd feel awful not giving some to him if he had a terminal disease that only my blood could cure.

"I'll give you a hundred dollars for an ounce. No, two hundred!"

He looked like he was ready to raise the price even higher but I was thoroughly done with the conversation. I used my vamp speed to race out of Merlotte's at thirty miles an hour. Then, with a little difficulty, I jumped up and pulled myself on to the roof. I got situated just in time to see him come running out as well. He looked around briefly and cursed before heading to his car.

"Wow… maybe it's not as safe being a vampire in this dimension as I thought."

The man genuinely seemed like a junkie for vamp blood, the very thing running through my veins. It was troubling, albeit hypocritical, to think that people I met on the streets might be eyeing me up and thinking about drinking my blood. I wondered if all of them were decent enough to pay for it instead of resorting to other means.

Another worry came to mind in the form of Sookie. If V was really that addictive then after the massive dose I'd given her this afternoon there was no way she wasn't hooked. She'd depend on me to keep from going into withdrawal, perhaps even more than I depended on her own sweet blood for sustenance. But if we both depended on each other and were always there for each other when we needed a pick-me-up then was that really so bad? I hoped not, because I wasn't sure I could give her up.