Chapter 6
I lay on his desk for a minute or two, my eyes closed, trying to gather my thoughts. Eric was so overwhelming at times, so consuming and possessive, that the thought of even a month with him made me bone-weary. And danger tended to find Eric like a fleas to a dog. But I had to admit that he also brought me great pleasure, and I'd never spent a dull minute with him. He could infuriate and charm me, almost at the same time. I loved his passion for life, even if he was technically dead. Worst of all, the thought of being apart from him had become almost wrenching, just in the past day. Was that just the bond?
I groaned and sat up, then stood and pulled my skirt back down. As I commenced the hunt for my underwear, Pam walked in.
I knew she could smell the whole story, and she smirked.
"He does have his way with you, doesn't he?" she asked.
"Not always," I muttered, but she was more right than not. I spied my panties on the floor by a bookcase, and stooped to retrieve them. I realized suddenly that my soreness from our coupling last night was completely gone. Eric had sneaked some of his blood onto me, or into me, as I'd lain under his mouth on his desk. Conniving, but kind, at the same time. I sighed.
"I'll make you a drink, Sookie. You look like you need one. Come with me."
The little bit of silk in my hand was torn beyond repair, so I silently dropped it into the trashcan by his desk, and followed Pam to the kitchen.
I sat on one of the bar stools at the island as Pam retrieved a heavy glass, added a little ice, and located an unopened bottle of gin. She poured a generous amount, then took a small bottle of tonic water and splashed a bit of it into the glass. She placed it in front of me, and stood back, crossing her arms.
I took a polite sip, unsurprised that the drink was far too strong for my tastes. "Thanks Pam," I said, and had another tiny sip. A not-unpleasant burn settled in my stomach.
"So, he liked the outfit." She was pleased with herself.
"He did," I said simply. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, or re-hash what had happened.
Pam smiled at me, and then looked around, bored. "I'm supposed to entertain you, which could be a challenge, since we have to stay here… Want to watch a movie? You can't have popcorn, though. The smell nauseates me."
"What kind of movie?" I asked cautiously. I was thinking of the DVD's in Eric's room.
She gave me a knowing smile. "Whatever you like, Sookie," she said lightly. "Let's go. Bring your drink."
To my surprise, she led me through a heavy door that had a fingerprint keypad lock (a light flashed green above her thumb), down a flight of stairs, and through another door which required both a regular key (Pam fished one out of her bra) and a fingerprint.
"Are we allowed down here?" I whispered. This must be where Eric slept during the day.
"I am, obviously, and since you're with me, it's fine," she said, not whispering. "But don't come down here by yourself. Never surprise him here." She gave me a significant look. I nodded, though I figured I'd never get past the locks anyway.
"If there's an emergency during the day," she added, "get Bobby, or call the police."
We were standing in a spacious, windowless room. Built-in cabinetry lined one wall. The space felt very different from upstairs; the decor was modern, sleek, almost cold. At the far end was a large bed with a towering upholstered headboard, the linens neatly made (by Bobby, I presumed). A big white leather sofa and two low modern chairs flanked a glass coffee table closer to us. A huge TV up on the wall faced the sofa. The floor was covered with a thick pale wool carpet, with some kind of dark animal skin rug at the foot of the bed.
Pam walked over to the wall cabinets and opened one door, revealing a library of DVD's. I moved closer and peered at the titles. He had eclectic taste, and the movies seemed to be in no particular order. While I surveyed them, Pam got herself a bottle of TrueBlood from a little fancy glass-front fridge, and heated it in a microwave that was embedded in the wall. She seemed to feel right at home down here.
"Casablanca?" I asked. It was a safe choice, with nothing too violent or sexual to get Pam riled up.
"Whatever," she shrugged, and sipped her beverage.
"Have you seen it?" I handed her the movie.
"No," Pam answered, which didn't surprise me. She was hardly a die-hard romantic.
She loaded the movie and pressed a sequence of buttons on two remote controls to get the film started. We sat on the sofa, and I quickly drank about half of my gin and tonic. This all felt very surreal.
Pam took quite an interest in Ingrid Bergman, and she declared Laszlo to be a "wuss." I got all misty and sniffly when Sam sang "As Time Goes By." Pam rolled her eyes in disgust then, at me or the song, or both, but she managed to watch the rest of the movie without too many snide comments.
"You need another drink, Sookie."
I was feeling pretty numb already, but she insisted and was already heading for the stairs. We went back to the kitchen. Pam locked the doors behind us as we left Eric's day room.
I settled back onto a bar stool, and watched her freshen my drink. She handed it to me and looked expectant. I took a tiny sip and raised my glass to her. Cheers.
"Are you in love with Eric?" she asked quietly, and I almost dropped my drink.
"I don't know," I said, honestly. I felt cornered, and I hoped Eric would get back from his meeting as soon as possible.
"Lots of people fall in love with him," she said, a little coldly, "but I've never seen him like this. So infatuated with a human. Eric loves women, but I think he might be in love with you." She paused a moment. "It's very unlike him."
I offered her a tiny shrug. "He hasn't said anything like that to me," I said. Then I thought that that wasn't quite true, so I added, "He hasn't said he's in love with me." That was true.
Pam was looking at me with a cat's watchfulness.
"If you fuck with his head," she said slowly and quietly, "I will personally remove your head from your body."
I nodded, and took a quick sip of my drink. Pam gazed at her sparkling shoes for a few moments, which seemed to calm her.
"Sookie, you have to understand that he's my maker, my master, and I would give my vampire life for his. My fate is tied to his. If he… loses focus… on the business at hand, on the things he needs to do to keep us all alive -"
"I didn't ask to be here," I said, a little defensively. "I'd be real appreciative if you'd just drop me off in Bon Temps." And that wasn't quite true, either, though I was already missing the routine of my home, and even my shifts at Merlotte's.
"He wants what he wants," she sighed. "And I know you don't want to go, quite yet. He's too charming, isn't he?" She gave me a conspiring smile. Charming meant a whole lot of things, the way she said it.
"He makes me… confused," I said, after a few moments. Having a heart-to-heart girls' talk with Pam struck me as a dangerous idea, but who knew Eric better than Pam?
She moved to sit on the bar stool next to mine. "What's so confusing?" she asked, her voice low and silky.
"I don't want to be… owned, by anyone. I really care about Eric, I do. But after Bill… and now Eric, I think that dating a vampire… might not be the healthiest relationship. You know?"
Pam raised her eyebrows. "Healthy relationship? Sookie, you've got to stop watching Oprah. Vampires ain't nothing like that."
Her voice turned gently mocking. "A relationship with a vampire is based on blood, and sex."
"And love," I said in a small voice.
"Not the kind of love you're thinking about… the fairytale with a couple of kids and the white picket fence out front? Growing old together? That's not gonna happen with any vampire."
"I know that," I said, a little sulky. There wasn't anything wrong with wanting a husband and kids and a nice house. I sipped my drink.
"So vampires don't fall in love… with humans?" I asked. I thought of Bill, who had done a pretty good impression of being in love with me… for a while, anyway. And Isabelle with her treacherous human Hugo.
"I never have," Pam declared, archly.
She paused, and said more gently, "Eric might find you adorable and beautiful… and tasty… but you're human, mostly. So I don't understand how he's acting like this. It doesn't make sense." She frowned, mulling this over.
"See?" I said, feeling a little bold from the gin, "He makes you confused too."
She gave me a quick sharp look. Pam definitely didn't like being on equal footing with a human.
"Why do you think he… might be… in love with me?" I asked, and realized that I was actually holding my breath.
"I'm his child," Pam said. "I just… sense it."
"Maybe I'm his… pet?" I asked, feeling apprehensive. Bill had mentioned pets in a disdainful tone, once, but at the time I hadn't thought much of it.
"Eric's not real big on pets."
"Why not? What is a pet, exactly?"
Pam pinned me with her eyes, but finally answered, "A human pet is a reliable source of blood and sex. A vampire shares blood with their pet to have a bond, keep the pet closer… and obedient. Some vampires spoil their pets, others abuse them. Pets are glamoured as well, and too much so, eventually."
I couldn't be glamoured, but the rest of it sounded frighteningly similar to my current situation.
"But Eric's never had a pet?" I asked, hopefully.
"Oh, just once," she said in a reassuring tone. "And it was a long time ago. Maybe 50, 60 years after Godric released him? So we're talking ancient history. Godric had never let Eric have a pet, but in his new freedom, I think Eric went into what you might call an experimental phase. His pet was some woman."
"What happened to her?" I asked.
"He accidently killed her," Pam grinned, but added quickly in a stage whisper, "Don't ask him about it. It's still a touchy subject."
"Did she die when he… Did he try to turn her?" I asked.
Pam froze for a moment, then opened her mouth into a perfect O of surprise. "I should have guessed it… Eric wants to turn you vampire?"
I thought I probably shouldn't say anything more, since I was unsure if Eric's wishes were meant to be secret. I wasn't even totally sure what Eric wanted. I stared down at my drink and felt the urge to gulp the rest down.
"I'll take that as a yes," Pam drawled. She didn't sound displeased. "You know, he does have good instincts about these things."
"I told him no."
She waved that thought aside with a manicured hand. "Honey, you'll be a good vampire. And Eric's a great master, I must say. When's he gonna do it?"
"He's not going to do anything!" I said urgently.
"Mm-hmm," Pam murmured, clearly skeptical.
I took a big swallow of my drink. "Do you really like being a vampire, Pam? Would you do it again?"
Pam's face softened. "I love it. It's fabulous. Of course, I didn't sit around and discuss it with Eric beforehand. He just did it. But I was very happy about it. I've never regretted it."
"Never regretted what?" Eric walked into the kitchen, and his expression looked both amused and wary.
"Becoming vampire," Pam purred.
"Ah," said Eric, and moved behind Pam's chair to give her a light kiss on the top of her head. He narrowed his eyes at me, gauging the situation. "Pam, thank you for regaling Sookie with your... thoughts. You're free to go."
Pam stood gracefully and gave Eric a big lascivious smile. He rolled his eyes and nodded his head toward the door.
"You kids have fun…" Pam said as she walked out, her heels clicking away.