Greeting and salutations. So, Chapter 8 here is not really an update but more of a re-posting. I had originally posted this seperately, but I've decided against that now. The story will flow smoother this way, going back and forth as needed between Sookie and Eric.
This chapter is Eric's POV. Not Beta'd
Mysterious. Graceful. Courageous.
These were a few of the words that came to mind as I thought about the woman who entered my bar tonight.
Sookie Stackhouse.
Who was she? Where did she come from? What was it about her that affected me so?
I recognized her name, but Rasul had never gone into too much detail about the police detectives he worked with, aside from the fact that the male was a werewolf. It made me wonder what else he was keeping from me.
Settling into the large leather chair behind my desk in the back office of Fangtasia, I pulled up the security playback on my computer. Switching between the surveillance cameras, I found the video feed I wanted. Leaning back, I watched the petite blonde sitting at the corner table, innocently sipping her water as she watched the crowd around her.
It had been just another boring night of answering emails from Vampires in my terroitory and doing the payroll. It was right at the moment I was debating whether to go out onto the floor and entertain the rabble with a rare appearance that the security monitor caught my attention.
A woman of incomparable beauty walked into the club and for the next hour, I found myself entranced, unable to look away. When it appeared that she was leaving, I had been overcome with something akin to panic at the thought that she was going to leave and I would never know who she was.
Sookie Stackhouse.
I smiled as I thought of the events that proceeded our introduction. The evening began quite differently from what I had initially planned. It was a pleasure to be in the company of a woman who was intelligent and beautiful wrapped within a package of strength and daring. She was a rare find, a perfect combination of hard and soft.
And it may have been over a millennia since I've last seen the sun, but I could see the blue of the sky in the color of her eyes...
My musings were interrupted by a quick knock and the opening of my office door. Pam entered and came striding towards my desk. She looked quite pleased with herself.
"For you," she said, tossing a pair of fangs onto the desk. They were small and sharp, covered with blood and pieces of flesh from where they'd been embedded into the gum line.
"Not that those will pay for the damage caused by the police raid," Pam continued, smiling evilly, "but I sure did enjoy meting out the punishment for what could have been a hefty fine."
"I assume Tarin is contrite?" I asked, amused by my progeny.
Pam licked her lips. "Oh yes, I made sure of it. Long Shadow is none too pleased, but perhaps if he kept a better eye on his child, incidents like this wouldn't have to happen."
"I agree," I said, pushing the fangs to the side.
"We may very well lose our insurance now, due to this fiasco. This is the third police raid since we have opened this bar. It is beginning to become expensive and they will view us as a liability." Pam groused, crossing her arms over her chest.
"True. But we can't be held responsible for the acts of the Shreveport Police Department. Thanks to Miss Stackhouse, we dodged a bullet tonight. If anything like this happens again within my bar, the pulling of fangs will seem like child's play in comparison to what I have planned for the one responsible. You can pass that along to the others."
Pam quirked an eyebrow. "Miss Stackhouse? And how did that pan out?"
"Quite well, actually. I'm still at a loss of how she knew about Tarin, but I will learn her secret in the end. I have nothing but time." I said determinedly, rubbing my forefinger and thumb together. I could still feel the touch of her petal soft lips.
"I don't know what was more fun this evening," Pam crowed, truly delighting in Tarin's humiliation, "pulling Tarin's fangs or watching her tasered by a human. It just adds insult to injury."
I decided to keep the fact that Miss Stackhouse was glamour-proof to myself. Until I knew what she was, it was better to err on the side of caution.
As Pam made to leave my office, she paused by the door and looked over her shoulder at me. "Rasul is here. Shall I send him in?"
"Please do," I answered, nodding my head at her in thanks.
Another knock came moments later and Rasul entered.
"Master," he said, bowing his dark head.
"Anything to report?" I asked, sitting up straighter in my chair.
"There has been another murder in Bon Temps. From what I have been told, the victim was killed in the same fashion as the first," Rasul explained, taking a seat in front of my desk as I gestured for him to sit. "In addition, the female detective has been removed from the case. She has personal links to both of the deceased and the Lieutenant felt it best that she be reassigned."
"That is...unfortunate." I responded, truly concerned about the death of these two women. Vampire relations with the human populace were worse at best and with crimes like this, idiotic people might take matters into their own hands and deliver vigilante justice to Vampires who were innocent of any wrong doing.
I had enough problems to take care of within my territory; I didn't need a human uprising against Vampires I was sworn to protect.
"Indeed," Rasual sighed, "To make matters worse, tracking the killer might be next to impossible. Herveaux has informed me that the scent has been dampened by soil. The werewolf was unable to pick up any pheromones, just the smell of freshly dug earth."
"And the first crime scene? Was he able to discern anything there?" I asked, frowning.
Rasul shook his head. "The first crime scene was compromised and the scent was lost."
It would be, wouldn't it? Just the same, it was prudent to pay a visit to these women's home and see if I could detect anything.
Staring at Rasul, I decided to broach the subject of Sookie Stackhouse.
"On a different note, I received the most intriguing visitor tonight," I said, carefully choosing my words.
"Oh? And who was that?" Rasul asked tilting his head curiously.
Grabbing the remote control laying on my desk, I turned on the plasma televison mounted on the wall next to my desk. After a few clicks of the mouse on the computer, I redirected the video feed from the security camera to play on the stretched screen.
The image of Detective Sookie Stackhouse caused Rasul to rise halfway out of his seat, his eyebrows shooting up towards his hairline. "Sookie." Her name was a whisper on his lips.
I was surprised by his reaction. Rasul never showed any emotion and that he did so in my presence meant only one thing; he had feelings for her. I felt a surge of possessive anger at the thought.
"Sookie came here tonight?" Rasul asked, his eyes glued to the image on the plasma.
"Yes, she did," I responded, watching as Rasul settled back down into his chair, trying to affect an air of calm he obviously was not feeling. "You never told me that you worked with such a delightful creature."
"I did not think it relevant," Rasul responded, his eyes tightening.
"I will give you quarter on that, but imagine my surprise when a woman like her comes into my club and I recognize her name as the detective who works with you."
Standing, I came around to the front of my desk and stared down at Rasul. I did not like surprises. Granted, the surpise Sookie Stackhouse presented was a pleasant one, but I always wanted to be ready for anything that came my way.
"I apologize, Master. It will not happen again."
Watching Rasul, I noticed how unsettled he was. His eyes strayed to the screen behind me, his hands clenching the armrests of his chair. He did not like that I knew of this woman's existence.
"You care for her, don't you?" I asked, another bite of anger causing my hands to fist.
"I do not care for humans," Rasul scoffed.
I smirked. "Neither do I, old friend. But she is not truly human now, is she?" Rasul's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to speak, but I continued talking. "She was sitting with me when she became quite agitated and said that a police raid was going to storm Fangtasia at any moment. She then proceeded to tell me that Long Shadow's progeny was draining a human in the ladies restroom. How would she know that? Is she psychic?"
Rasul shook his head. "No, she isn't a psychic. If she was, she would know who was going to be killed and when it was going to happen. What explanation did she give you?"
"She told me that she recognized a colleague from work to explain the police raid. She had no answers though when it came to what Tarin was doing in the restrooms. When I tried to glamour the information from her, she was immune to it. You know as well as I do that only the supernatural can resist our influence."
"Yes," Rasul sighed, "she resisted me as well when I tried to glamour her when we started working together."
"You knew she couldn't be glamoured and didn't feel the need to tell me?!"I thundered, my fangs snicking down in my fury. "What else have you been keeping from me, Rasul?"
Rasul tried not to cringe from my wrath. "I am loyal only to you, Eric. I would never keep anything of importance from you. Sookie is not a threat and has proved her worth to me. I just want to keep her safe and off the radar. She is a genuinely good person. How was I to know that she would catch your eye after all these years?"
Considering his words, I felt myself calm slightly. I would normally deal out severe punishment for such a violation of trust, but as I mulled his words over, I re-evaluated the situation. I only trusted a handful of Vampires. And there were only two that I trusted implicitly; Pamela and Rasul.
I had found Rasul three centuries ago, a young Vampire abandoned by his Maker and at the mercy of his blood lust. He had been reckless and out of control without the guidance that a Maker gave to their child.
When I saw him for the first time, covered in blood and almost wild with animalistic hunger, I had considered leaving him to his fate; that was until the thought of my own Maker's cruelty changed my mind. I taught him how to control the gut wrenching pain that only blood could satisfy and gave him the knowledge that would secure his survival. In doing so, I had gained a powerful ally that was loyal only to me.
"You have disappointed me, Rasul," I said, leaning close to his face. "Do it again and Tarin's fangs won't be the only ones sitting on my desk."
With a tight nod, Rasul looked at me with apprehension is his eyes.
Straightening, I returned to stand by the chair behind my desk. "From now on, you are to report any new information about Sookie Stackhouse to me. While I do not like that you kept this to yourself, I do agree with your reasoning. She is in danger if the wrong sources find out about her. She is a rare supernatural. I have never smelled anything quite like her before. She smells like...sunshine."
"Yes, Master," Rasual said, standing.
Turning, he headed toward the office door, our meeting at an end. Sitting back down, I looked up in surprise when Rasul called my name.
"Before I go, I need to know...are you interested in her for what she is or for who she is?" Rasual asked, his question catching me off guard.
For the first time ever, I found that I was truly interested in a woman purely for the sake of getting to know who she was. It was a strange feeling. My interest almost always benefited me in some way; whether it was to feed or to inherit wealth and power. But it was different this time. This woman was different.
I wanted her in ways I couldn't describe. It was foreign to me.
"While I'm indeed curious of what she is, I find myself more captivated with the idea of learning who she is."
Rasul seemed satisfied with my answer. Leaving me to my thoughts, he left my office with a soft click of the door.
Returning my attention once more to the computer screen, I continued to watch the security footage. I mentally added another notation to the growing list of words that described Sookie Stackhouse; Mine.
So, almost a whole year, no update. I know, I suck. But hey, RL. Lot new things happened and I had to focus on other stuff. I will try to start working on chapter 9 when I have the time, but I do need to refresh myself with my notes and such I wrote for this story. Hopefully you won't have to wait a year. (Ok, lame joke)