A human who couldn't be glamoured. It was unheard of, and yet…
Eric contemplated the utility of his being here, outside this unremarkable house in the middle of nowhere. In a thousand years he had yet to meet a human who could not be glamoured. And she was, human. There was certainly no were in her, she didn't carry the scent of magic that typically accompanied witches. Her blood smelled sweet, but distinctly human. And yet, there was something about her that was…other.
There were two distinct possibilities. First, that she was resistant to glamour. Second, that she was immune to glamour. The first possibility was unusual but not unprecedented. Resistance to glamour did occasionally occur in humans. The theory was that it could arise in a human who had some element of supernatural ancestry—a trace of magic or were in their genes. Normally these humans required a more experienced vampire to glamour them for it to prove successful.
The second possibility, immunity, was absurd—unheard of for humans. And if that was the case, it meant she recalled the entire evening, but then arrived home and acted as though nothing was amiss. And yet Eric's instincts told him that is exactly what she was doing. But why? What purpose would that serve?
He considered and tossed aside the possibility that she could know he was there. Even an accomplished witch would not be able to detect a vampire presence without a ward or casting some sort of spell. There was no scent of magic in the air. Unless… Eric had only encountered one psychic in his existence and she had perished long ago. He considered the blond human in the house inside. Perhaps it was simply that tonight had gone as planned. Perhaps she did not seem phased because this happened exactly as she foresaw it. Now that was a tantalising thought.
Or perhaps he should have killed her. Queen Sophie Anne's edict prevented him from having a girl like her taken or killed in any way that could be linked to vampire down the track. If she had been a sex worker or transient that would have been another story. Eric smirked into the night. No, this girl was exactly the kind of story the AVL were worried about being tied to vampires. An all-American southern belle. But there were certainly other techniques to get rid of her. Accidental or human-caused deaths were easy enough to replicate and witnesses could easily be glamoured to confirm the story.
But if there was one thing he'd been taught it is that when there is a game afoot, not to play your cards too soon. If this girl was unable to be glamoured, she may have been sent by someone: be it witch, were or vampire. Vampire seemed the most likely. And if the girl had been sent then he needed to know who was pulling the strings. And if she hadn't been sent then…well, there was no point killing a potential asset.
The house had been quiet for over an hour. It seemed she had fallen asleep. Eric pulled out his phone and dialled a string of digits. The queen had been uncharacteristically on edge over the last few months, it was best to contact her before she heard about this through any other channels. It rang twice before it was picked up by one of her pets, "It's Sheriff Northman calling for her Majesty. There has been an incident in Area 5."
The pet murmured her understanding and Eric was put on hold. He stood silently for a few minutes listening to Queen Sophie Anne's latest choice of hold music: Voulez-vous. She discovered ABBA quite late and had been cycling through their discography for the last 18 months. On the second playthrough she picked up.
"Northman, I haven't heard from you in a while," she said conversationally. She sounded cheerful. She must have just eaten.
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry to interrupt your evening but there's been an incident. It has been contained but the Magister will be required"
"What happened?"
"It seems some vampires in my area have been skirting around your edict. Several humans contacted the local law enforcement after witnessing them force three humans into a vehicle outside a bar. After attending their nest it was apparent the human occupant there had been killed. She was a property owner but isolated, apparently." The Queen hissed her disapproval as Eric continued. "The witnesses have been glamoured and the reports will not be investigated."
"And what of the humans that were taken?"
Eric looked at the isolated, dilapidated house. "Glamoured and returned to their homes."
"Well that's something," she sounded thoughtful. "Who were these vampires?"
"Malcolm Beaumarchais and Diane Hardwicke, their nestmate Liam is also involved to a lesser extent." Eric paused briefly, considering his next words. "They claimed, your Majesty, that they were unable to glamour one of the humans and so resorted to force."
"Preposterous. All humans can be glamoured," she scoffed. "Unless she practices witchcraft?"
"No your Majesty." Eric looked at the girl's window, deciding on his next words. "I was able to glamour her with relative ease. I suspect there is some trace of magic in her heritage that afforded her some resistance to glamour," he said smoothly.
"Very well, you may refer this to the Magister." The Queen said lazily, Eric suspected she was losing interest.
"I'll have a report to you tomorrow evening," Eric waited for the click at her end of the line then snapped his phone shut. The Queen had remained relatively calm, considering her recent moods.
It was a tumultuous time for leaders in the vampire community. The American Vampire League had been breathing down leaders' necks for the last six months. Human deaths that could be linked back to vampires were being taken seriously, resulting in the true death in some cases. The King of New York had been the latest victim. He had turned a young model and her face had been everywhere for months after she went missing. Pennsylvania had leveraged the turning to take New York's throne and his model, all with the support of the AVL.
The AVL's stance was simple: public relations.
It was fast approaching the time when vampires would reveal their existence to humankind. There was only one chance at a revelation. Modern technology and a global unveiling on a live broadcast ensured the revelation would not be glamoured away and the AVL were eager for it to go as smoothly as possible. One of the recommendations they had made was for vampires to practice discretion. This boiled down to one rule—no killing, turning or taking of individuals who would be missed. Put simply, no murders or missing persons that could be tied back to vampires after our existence was announced. The AVL had limited authority, of course, but their recommendations had been implemented by the Monarchs in almost every state of America. Humans had such a short attention span that most monarchs had deemed six to twelve months should suffice. Queen Sophie Anne in particular wanted the process to go smoothly. Louisiana has one of the largest populations of vampires in America. If things went poorly it could be devastating for the vampire population. This area of the States wasn't known for its tolerance of those they labeled as 'other'.
Eric was no fan of the AVL, but the plan was sound.
There was some movement in the house. Eric listened quietly for a moment, it was some sort of animal. A cat, by the sounds of it. From the shadows of the trees, Eric gazed at the dark window the girl had closed earlier in the evening. It was a warm night by human standards. The fact that hers was the only closed window in the house didn't escape his notice.
Eric opened his phone again and quickly sent off two texts: one to his child and one to his private investigator. Before too long he would know what exactly this Miss Stackhouse was, and who she was working for.
About an hour before sunrise, Eric rose into the air and began his flight home. He wondered if he would ever have cause to return to the backwater town of Bon Temps.
A/N: So, there it is!
As I said at the beginning that this is a slow-burn prequel Eric and Sookie story. This story was only ever meant to be a prequel of sorts. I'm setting the stage for my main story. I'm not sure when I'll start posting it but my plan is for later this year. I've already started it but I want to finish the outline and at least get a good chunk of it written before I start posting.
I also have another idea for a story swirling around in my head that I'm excited about. So I may also start posting that sometime soon, I'll see where my muse takes me.
In the meantime, I'd love to hear any feedback. Comments with constructive criticism or any typos I've missed are also welcome!
