For those who have read The Healing Heart, you will recognize much of this chapter as an expanded version of part of the Epilogue from that fic. It just fits in to this story at this time.

Dark Desire – Chapter 4

New Orleans, three months later.

Nine months to the date after Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton were married, Eric Northman, Vampire King of Louisiana, sat beside his child, Pam Ravenscroft, the new Sheriff of Area 5. The two sat with a small retinue of vampire attendants at a table in the back of a large ballroom in one of the most exclusive hotels in the French Quarter of New Orleans. They were attending a charity dinner dance that was being given to help U.S. military men and women who had been wounded in hotspots around the world, especially Afghanistan and Iraq.

As the Vampire King of the State of Louisiana, Eric felt it was his duty to attend these human functions, and he did so on a regular basis. He always held polite conversations with the human politicians and businessmen who were also in attendance. He always danced with human females who were their wives or girlfriends, ignoring the obvious lustful looks that many gave him.

Of course, the humans thought he was only a very wealthy vampire businessman and a great philanthropist. With the Vampire Rights Act so much in the news right now, he felt it only wise to support these charities, and put up a good front. He wanted to be seen as an important businessman and a pillar of society. So far he had been doing a good job, Eric was nothing, if not a consummate politician.

It was mid-September and New Orleans was under a hurricane warning. It was the third hurricane to threaten this part of the Gulf Coast this season. The storm was expected to be relatively mild, no more than a category three. As usual, the intrepid people of New Orleans decided to hunker down and ride out the storm. Even after Katrina, it would take more than a Cat 3 wind to blow most people out of the city. Although many homes and businesses were boarded up, in the French Quarter and elsewhere in the city, the nightlife of New Orleans went on as usual.

The human band was taking a break from their music, and Eric was taking a break from networking with the humans in the room. As he sat nursing a Royal Blue, he began to review his short reign as king. The past year had been one of the busiest of his life. He had been a good king for his vampire subjects. Politics at court level far surpassed anything he was used to as the former Sheriff of Area 5. Just keeping on top of what was going on in the other kingdoms and queendoms in the country kept his spies busy. He ran his vampire kingdom more like a business than a medieval realm. All in all, he treated his subjects fairly, and they gave him the loyalty and support he deserved.

Unlike Sophie-Anne and Felipe de Castro, Eric held monthly meetings at court with his sheriffs to keep on top of what was happening in his own state. He wanted no surprises; so he stayed in the know. Since the arrangement he made with Bill Compton three months ago, he spent at least one or two nights a month at Fangtasia in Shreveport meeting with both Judith and Bill to discuss their joint ventures.

These face to face meetings were not necessary since a video conference would have done the job, but they gave the overworked vampire king a regularly scheduled break from the demands of court life. Eric began to look forward to these meetings with Bill and his sibling. On occasion, he visited Bill and Sookie at home.

His reign had been good for the human population of Louisiana as well. He was a good king, and an even better businessman. He actively supported the business community in Louisiana. He spent a lot of his own personal wealth helping the human population of New Orleans recover from Katrina. His efforts in this regard were not made from any sense of concern for humans, but from a need to become an integral part of New Orleans.

His many business interested included a new bar in the French Quarter called Fangs II. Eric felt more at home at the bar than anywhere else. The bar was a cover, of course, but it was a big tourist spot. Because of that, Fangs II made money hand over fist. In fact, any business venture he put his hand to, seemed to prosper.

Eric Northman had been recently recognized by the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce as one of Louisiana's newest and most prominent vampire businessmen. Business Week did a five page spread on him for their August issue. He made several appearances on local evening business television programs, but tonight, all of of that meant little to him. He was suffering from boredom and mental apathy. Nonetheless, he went through the motions.

During the last few months, the ache in Eric's heart slowly began to heal. He began to forget about Sookie and went for days without thinking about her. He sometimes thought of Bill Compton and was envious. It wasn't because Bill had Sookie; it was because it was so evident that Bill was happy and content.

Eric knew that Bill still had many strong friendships in the vampire community, and was respected by many of his kindred. However, Bill had informed him on one occasion that it was Sookie and his human family that made his life worthwhile. Eric didn't envy Bill's entanglements with humans; he could not imagine himself willingly involved with a group of such petty, inferior beings. It was Bill's happiness and contentment that Eric coveted.

In more than a thousand years, Eric had never given much consideration to being happy and content. As a newly made vampire, all of his efforts were involved in feeding and staying alive. Today, life was much easier, but happiness and love were just not on the radar for most vampires. These were emotions vampires just did not concern themselves with. Yet every time they met, Bill fairly glowed with contentment; it was like he just couldn't help himself. That irritated the hell out of Eric; he wanted to feel that way too.

Before falling in love with Sookie, Eric had never really believed a vampire could fall in love, but now he wasn't so sure. One thing he was sure of, though: he had been hurt bad by Sookie. He was determined never to let any female, especially a human female, get close enough to hurt him again.

His sexual needs were still exclusively serviced by willing female vamps, but he was getting tired and bored with them too. The female vamps at court and at his bar usually sucked up to him because they wanted some favor, or another. He wondered if there was really any difference between them and the human fangbangers that wanted sex with him or wanted him to drink their blood. Nothing seemed real about the vamps who serviced him.

He preferred to entertain himself with females vamps who were visiting, or just passing through the city. At least these females had nothing to gain from him, and usually didn't try to ingratiate themselves with him. Even so, he knew something was missing in his life. He had tasted love, and even though he was afraid to be hurt, a huge part of his heart wanted that feeling again. He didn't think that was very likely.

One night recently, he jokingly made another pass at Judith Vardamon; she was in New Orleans to visit her telepathic friends. Judith was a beautiful woman, but she wasn't his type, and he wasn't at all serious. He sometimes thought that that Bill's sibling was a self-righteous prig; sometimes he would do anything just to get a rise out of her. The look of sheer disgust on the small vamp's face was priceless. He kept the joke going while she just got huffier and huffier. Finally, she had enough, gave him the finger, and left.

"When hell freezes over, Northman." she spat at him before she walked out of his office. He had laughed so hard that bloody tears ran down his face. It was the first real laugh he had since he lost Sookie.

As she sat beside him tonight, Pam Ravenscroft was worried about her sire. She managed to see him for several days once a month, but she had seen very little improvement in his mental attitude these last few months. There were nights that she positively hated the blonde telepath that she once considered friend. She had seen the ungrateful human only twice since they split; she had attended both the human and vampire weddings as Eric's guest.

On occasion, Bill Compton brought other vampires into Fangtasia, but only to conduct business. Except for the few times he met with Eric, his visits were never long, and he rarely spoke to her. That was just fine with Pam. Both Sookie and Bill had hurt Eric badly; she had never seen him in such emotional pain. Pam didn't know if she would ever forgive her former human friend, Sookie Stackhouse, or Bill Compton, for that matter, either.

A stir at the table in front of theirs caught Eric's attention again. He had watched and listened disinterestedly to the conversation going on at that table all night. Unless required for business purposes, he generally had no interest in humans, so he didn't know why he even bothered. Later when the dinner was almost over, a tall good looking human male joined the party and sat down in an open chair next to a redheaded human female who sat with her back toward the vamps' table.

She didn't seem too happy to see the new guy. They whispered fiercely back and forth. They were clearly quarreling. The woman had a low husky voice. Suddenly, she slapped the man across the face and demanded that he leave her alone. When he made a grab for her, she dumped a glass of red wine on his head, stood up to leave and turned around.

She's too tall, and she has no breasts! Eric thought as he saw what the woman looked like for the first time. He was suddenly deeply disappointed. It was if her height and small firm breasts were a deep character flaw. Her face was pretty, but average. Her mouth was too wide; she had freckles across a pert nose. He hated freckles; they made a woman look like an unsophisticated farm girl. As far as he was concerned, that was a character flaw too.

He looked away, but for some reason, he felt a funny sensation in the pit of his stomach. He recognized the feeling immediately; humans call the sensation "Butterflies in the Stomach." He shook his head in disbelief; this was not happening to him! He turned his eyes to her again and continued his mental inventory of her appearance.

The redhead looked about thirty. He could tell that red was not her natural color. Her hair was cut too short for his taste. She had small, shell like ears and her complexion was flawless, fair and creamy. From the low cut, red gown she wore, he could tell that she had a graceful long neck and a well shaped back. She clearly worked out and took good care of herself. When she stood, her movements were quick, but graceful. He could see softly rounded hips and a long, slender leg peeking out from a slit on the side of the dress.

Suddenly, the air-conditioning vent over their table blew her scent to him. Eric jerked back in surprise as her smell filled his nostrils. Her scent was unique. It was wonderful and sweet, like orange blossoms, honey and some undefined heady spice. It was better than any human female scent he had ever smelled before, better even than Sookie Stackhouse. His eyes opened wide at that realization. He deliberately inhaled he scent again just to make sure; the second whiff was just as good as the first. The woman had his full attention now.

As she started to walk toward the door, an strong gust of wind, exploded through the ballroom's large front windows. Water gushed through the openings. Glass, dishes and tableware and food flew everywhere striking the attendees. Everyone dove for cover. The redhead woman was thrown backward into his table with cuts on her face, throat and arms. Another gust of wind, brought part of the roof down on top of some of the guests. Most of the lights went out and confusion reigned.

The redhead had been knocked unconscious, and she was lying on the floor in front of him. He felt a sudden strange urge to protect this unknown woman and moved to cover her body before another vamp did. The two of them were partially covered by the vamps' large table which made a kind of tent over most of their bodies.

She had a lot of small cuts and blood was smeared all over her face, neck and arms. A few of the cuts were open and flowing. The smell of her blood drew him; it intoxicated him. Eric did what comes naturally to vampires; he began to lick the blood off of her. He lapped at the open wounds then closed them with his saliva.

The taste of her blood was heady; it was just as wonderful as it smelled. He did something else that comes naturally to vampires: he became very aroused. He could feel his erection straining against the fabric of his trousers. He hadn't felt this sexually excited since Sookie. He began to lick some more.

Her blood drove him wild; he could feel it as it coursed down his throat and it aroused him to the point of orgasm. The front of his pants became damp with his effluence. He was glad the that the suit he wore was dark so the wet stain wouldn't show.

His fangs were automatically extended to their full length, but he was so careful as he licked more blood off of her face. He was fully aroused now, and he wanted her badly, but he wanted her to want him just as much. He wanted to tease her until her body quaked with need. He wanted to bury himself into her so deeply that she screamed out his name. He was taken aback by the strength of his desire for her. The thought that this stranger could provoke such strong emotions in him was embarrassing and confusing.

He could smell and feel her hot blood pulsing in a strong rythm against his lips. Instinctively, he wanted to sink his fangs deep into the pulsing artery and drink his fill of the heady nectar that flowed there, but he knew he didn't dare. It took every ounce of self-control not to give in to the urge to bite into her precious flesh; bloodlust flared strongly within him now. Some part of him knew that if he gave into that impulse, he may not be able to stop drinking until he drained her as completely as he would a fairy.

Eric prided himself on his self-control. He had never completely lost that control, except for the first few horrible years as a newly turned vampire. Appius had trained him well, and except for the few times that the two of them managed to capture a fairy, he never totally drained a victim unless that was what he intended to do in the first place. The thought that this unknown woman could so easily make him lose control now shocked him. It made him feel both resentful and awed at the same time.

He inhaled deeply again as he tried to place the woman's scent. Unlike Sookie Stackhouse, he could not detect even the slightest amount of fairy or supe blood in the woman he held in his arms. Her scent was totally human, and yet, there was something so completely different about her. That difference was unique and totally her own. It intrigued him; it drew him like a magnet.

For some unexplained reason, he knew that could not stand to drain this woman; he could not stand to see her die. He wanted much more than her blood. He wanted much more than sex. For a split second, he wanted to own her body and soul. For a split second, he wanted to claim her as his human. Those feelings both confused and shocked him, so he pushed them out of his mind.

The feel of her soft, silky skin under his lips, tongue and hands was like nothing he had ever felt before. He used his saliva to heal the all small wounds caused by the flying glass. He did not want scars to mar the perfection of her creamy complexion. He moved his mouth toward the base of her throat and laved the hollow there tentatively with his tongue. As she felt his slightly rough tongue moving over her sensitive skin, the woman moaned lightly and automatically pressed herself against him.

Her eyes were still closed; his vampire instincts told him that she was not aware of what she was doing as her arms surrounded him in a welcome embrace. She boldly kissed him back with a hot passion that matched his. Her natural response to him was like an aphrodisiac; it inflamed him until his blood felt like it was as hot as molten lava. He was lost in the sensations that her sweet mouth and tongue gave him. He forgot that they were lying under a table in a hurricane damaged ballroom. His breathing became ragged and harsh, deep shuddering groans escaped his throat.

He could feel her body quiver as his lips and his tongue explored further along the hard bone of her clavicle. Her heart was racing as she gasped in delight. She was just as aroused as he was and that knowledge gave him an unexpected thrill of pleasure and happiness. He laughed softly into her ear and nibbled at her earlobe. He could feel the silvery frissons of pleasure as they rippled through her skin where ever their bodies and mouths touched.

"Mmnh!...hanh!...hanh!...mmnh!" Excited mewling moans echoed in his ear. For a moment he wondered who was making such a silly noise, until he realized it was coming from his own mouth. She started singing her own song of desire, answering him back, moan for moan. The sounds of her pleasure only turned his flame up higher.

He moved his lips softly over her brow and eyelids. He suckled lightly on her lower lip, then trailed his tongue once more down her jawline and over her luscious throat sucking softly against the tender skin.

She shivered uncontrollably as his mouth, tongue and hands brought her to the peak of arousal. He backed off a little until she began to calm, then quickly brought her back to the summit and held her there for what seemed an eternity. She was panting; her heart and her pulse was pounding loudly lilke a jackhammer. He skin was heated and she was starting to sweat. It was clear that she wanted him, but in his excitement, he wanted to hear her beg him to take her.

Wanting even more, his hand slipped under the top of her strapless evening gown and cupped a breast. The small swollen bud came alive in his hand as his fingers gently pinched and abraded it under her clothing. Pushing the top of her dress down to expose one small breast, he teased the rosy bud with the tip of his tongue and began to suckle lightly, scraping it gently with the tip of his fangs.

The suction of his mouth and the touch of his fangs against her delicate flesh sent fire roaring through her veins, her womb spasmed as she reached orgasm. He could feel the waves of liquid heat spreading through her belly and thighs. He was lying fully on top of her now; his pelvis grinding against hers. He felt the tension building again in her lower abdomen seeking release as he moved and rubbed against her until she cried out softly against his bare throat.

The feel of her breath against his bare skin and the sweet heady scent of her arousal filled his nostrils. From the ardency of her response, he realized that she had not been with a man in a long, long time. That thought excited him so much; he could not remember the last time he had wanted a woman this much, not even Sookie. He felt more alive than he had in months. The feeling was so good, and he didn't want it to stop.

He wanted to give her the release she needed again, so he moved his other hand down to draw her skirt up. He found the slit in the side of the skirt and slid his hand under her dress. Slowly, tenderly, he moved his hand up, caressing the soft, silky skin of her inner thighs. Her legs began to open for him. Shuddering once more, she arched against him, welcoming him. His large hand neared the leg of her panties. He slipped his fingers underneath the thin lace searching for her secret sweet spot, searching for the entrance to her inner channel. He was almost there.

Suddenly, she became fully aware of her surroundings and opened her eyes. She felt his arousal straining against his clothing and pressed hard against her stomach. She dropped her hands to her sides, and stopped moving. "Stop!" she ordered.

Moving quickly, she pushed his probing hand away with one of her own. Her other hand was placed firmly across his mouth as he moved up to kiss her once more. She moved to cover he exposed breast. "What are you doing?" she said.

Eric automatically stopped and looked directly into her face. Then he saw her eyes. Even in the dark, he could see her large eyes were ringed with long dark lashes. They were the the most amazing shade of gray and they were flecked with lavender. She was staring wide-eyed straight at him; confusion and curiosity filled her wonderful eyes. She knew what he was, but he did not see an ounce of fear or disgust on her face. She didn't seem to be upset or insulted that a strange man was kissing and caressing her in such an intimate manner, and he wondered why.

They continued staring at each other for a long moment as she struggled with different emotions: confusion, embarrassment, shock, surprise, curiosity, interest, even amusement rippled like waves in her eyes. Like most vampires, he was an expert on human emotions; he had to be in order to survive. For a thousand years he learned to understand the subtle nuances of expression on the human face: a widened eye, a small frown, even a hint of a smile meant different things in different situations. He didn't think any human alive could surprise him now.

Still, he watched her face in utter fascination as the struggle played out across her face and eyes. He wondered which emotion would finally win. Finally, she seemed to think the situation was funny, and her eyes crinkled up at the edges. Clearly, amusement won the battle. She has a sense of humor. He thought.

"Are you having fun, Mr. Northman? Yes, I know who you are." she said in a dry voice, but it came out almost as a laugh.

"Oh, yes! I am having such delicious fun, and if you let me, I can guarantee you will have delicious fun, too." he said in a soft seductive purr.

She actually laughed at him. "I bet you could, too, but I have to get up now."

"Are you afraid? Are you angry" he asked.

"No." was the quick reply. "I'm not afraid because I don't think you want to hurt me. I really can't be angry either, since I was clearly having a good time." She blushed and almost giggled when he laughed out loud at her bold statement. "But alas, the fun is over. As I said, I really have to get up now."

"Why? Don't you want to stay with me? I could glamour you and make you want to stay." he whispered softly blowing into her ear once more. He felt her shiver a little at that very suggestion. He pushed his influence at her, but he didn't try very hard. He didn't want to glamour her, not yet anyway.

If she was affected by his influence, she sure didn't show it. "No, your glamour won't work on me. I can't be hypnotized." This time she did laugh. Her laughter was throaty and husky too. He didn't want it to stop.

"Why not? Are you a telepath, or maybe a fairy, perhaps?" He couldn't help himself, so he kissed her jaw just under her ear, and she quivered again. He raised his head to smile at her reaction. She threw back her head and laughed even louder; it made a wonderful sound.

"A fairy? A telepath? Hmm. Mr. Northman, I think you are one weird dude. I am neither of those things. What I am is a doctor. I have to get up to help these people. Will you help me?" she asked. Her head moved to the side and he followed with his. They could both see people moving around moaning in pain. Some people lay quietly in pools of blood. Part of the roof had caved in and covered almost half the ballroom. Screams and moans emanated from under the debris.

Eric moved and arose. His vamps were getting up too. "Help get those people out from under that roof." he ordered them. "Don't drink any blood from these people. Make sure you don't do anything to disgrace me or our kind."

He and his vamps moved toward the caved-in roof. The vamps easily moved pieces of the caved-in roof and pulled people out; their efforts probably saved a lot of human lives that night. For hours as he worked, Eric watched as the redhead move among the victims, doctoring them, helping them. She took charge; she was self-confident and clearly knew what she was doing. She seemed to be the only doctor there and was in control of the situation, ordering people here and there. He liked what he saw.

When she could, she watched the tall, blonde vamp as he worked with the other vampires. She smiled at him several times as he looked back. Every time she smiled, he felt his heart catch in his throat; her smile was contagious and he smiled back.

He looks like a silly fool. Pam thought as she worked along side her maker.

The sound of sirens screamed through the night as ambulance after ambulance pulled up to the hotel and sped off carrying the injured to various emergency rooms through out the city. A few dead bodies were lifted and put to the side. When the last injured victim was treated, the red head came over to him; she held out her hand to shake his and thanked him for his help. Vampires don't like to be touched, but apparently this woman didn't know that. He could tell by her scent that she had never been with a vampire before. He shook her hand and told her she was most welcome.

She started to move away. He didn't want her to go, not just yet. "Why don't you come to my bar, Fangs II, tomorrow night? I would like to see you again." Once more his voice was sultry, seductive and alluring.

The redhead only shook her head. "No. I don't think I would like that place very much, but why don't you ask me out, instead? I'll go out with you if you ask me." She smiled up at him again. Her smile blinded him.

"Ask you out? You mean like on a date? But I don't date, ever." Eric was dumbfounded at the thought. He was the Vampire King of Louisiana, and he didn't date. Another thought occurred to him at the same time: this woman was refusing him. He felt a hole opening up in his stomach. With the sudden clarity of a lightening strike, it hit him: the redhead was interested in him, Eric Northman, the man, not Eric Northman, the vampire, or Eric Northman, the Vampire King of Louisiana, but Eric Northman, the man. What a truly heady thought that was.

"Your loss then." the red head simply shrugged and started to walk away, but he touched her on the arm, and she turned around to face him. "Wait! Okay. Tell me your name, first, so I know who am asking for a date." he said.

She just laughed at him. "If you are really interested, Mr. Northman, you'll take the time to find out for yourself." She got into the last ambulance, but the back door was still open.

He felt a funny quiver go through him. He felt butterflies in his stomach again. He hadn't had these feelings in more than a thousand years, and he was amazed. He felt giddy like a young human male getting ready to court a woman; he felt very strange, indeed.

Pam came up beside him. She had observed him under the table with the redhead and afterward. "Oh, Eric. Why don't you just glamour her, fuck her and get it over with." she said in a bored voice.

He remembered Sookie's words as she danced with him on her wedding night. "You may not believe it Eric, but you will find a human woman that you will love, and you will be happy. Just one thing; if she's meant to be with you, you won't have to glamour her or trick her into taking your blood. Let her come to you on her own. It will be worth it, you'll see."

"Not this one, Pam. I don't want to glamour her. I want more than that this time. I want her to come to me on her own." Eric saod tp his child. He looked a little puzzled as the words came out of his mouth.

Pam was shocked to hear that. "Oh, no! Here we go again!" she said, but she was happy for her maker. Eric looked happy and more alive than he had in a long, long time. More than that, he looked like he had hope. The two vampires flew off into the night.

When he reached his palace, Eric called Daniel Brady, the handsome male vampire who was in charge of palace security, to his office. He was introduced to Daniel a short time after his coronation, and he liked him from the befinning. With Daniel, what you saw is what you got; in that respect, he was unlike most vampires, Eric had ever known. Daniel soon became his trusted second in command and was one of the vamps who accompanied him to the charity function tonight.

Daniel had only been a vampire for ten years. Before he was turned at the age of thirty two, he had been in the FBI and also served as a respected homicide detective for the NYPD for five years. He was the most accomplished investigator that Eric had ever met. Daniel still had a lot of contacts in law enforcement, including the FBI. He could find anything or track down anybody. Eric had a mission for his underling.

"Find out who that woman is." he ordered. "I want to know everything there is to know about her by the end of this week."