GUYS I REALLY AM SORRY I HAVEN'T BEEN UPDATING AS MUCH AS I NORMALLY DO... BTW HAPPY LABOR DAY TO THOSE IN THE STATES... I'M NOT SURE WHEN I WILL GET TO UPDATE AGAIN BECAUSE IM GOING TO NEW YORK THIS WEEKEND BUT I SHOULD BE ABLE TO UPDATE BEFORE THEN... :-)
I pulled up to Fangtasia about an hour later. The parking lot was still full so I parked my car around back where only Pam's silver jaguar and Eric's red corvette were parked. I walked through the back door and went straight to Eric's office. After giving a soft knock I heard someone say 'enter' grumpily, then I walked in.
Pam was standing to the side of the desk, wearing some nice black slacks, a pastel pink sweater, and some nice black pumps. Eric on the other hand was sitting in his desk wearing some tight dark wash jeans and a black tank top. I hadn't seen either of them as dressed down at Fangtasia as they were right now. But then again I couldn't really complain. I was still wearing my 'Generation Kill' tank, blue jeans and flip-flops. I heard Eric take in a huge breath of air, then he looked at me and his face suddenly turned into a frown. I could feel his anger through our bond even though his facial expression said otherwise. This was the first time in a long time I had used our bond to feel and understand how Eric was feeling.
"Look at what the cat finally dragged in." Pam said with an attitude. She crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes.
Eric quickly said something in their common Scandinavian language with an angry tone and turned his head over to where the couch was located. Before that moment I hadn't realized that there was another person in the room.
"It seems as though your progeny does not like your little relationship with the human, Eric. And she smells of other men?" Andre said smugly in English. "The queen will have her sooner than later apparently." A smile spread over his pale face. He was wearing a white button down shirt with a silver vest and black slacks.
I had to try and keep my composure, which was hard with Godric nowhere around to calm me down. I wanted to waltz right over to Andre and smack that smug look off of his face. And as for Pam, well she was completely on my shit list. I could really care less who she was trying to protect. With Andre here I had to put all the problems I was having with everyone in this room aside. It is time to get down to business.
"Pam and I have our differences, yes, but that has no bearing on mine and Eric's relationship." I cut Pam a quick glance and she was staring past me towards the door not saying a word. "And I went to a bar so both of you get over yourselves."
Andre let out a soft chuckle. "We shall see soon enough." I heard Eric let out a low growl that only made Andre laugh more and made me get more frustrated.
Looking back at Andre I started talking again. "Something important has to be happening for the Queens right hand to be here." I said flatly trying to get Andre to say the real reason he was even here.
"Yes Andre, why has the Queen sent you?" Eric said regaining some composure.
"The queen is requesting your presence and services at her marriage ceremony to the King of Mississippi." Andre said through gritted teeth. It was quite clear that he was against the marriage.
All three of us, Eric Pam and I, looked at each other to make sure we had heard Andre right. This must have been the big news that Jeanette was talking about. But a marriage didn't seem like a bad thing per say. I really wanted to ask about how that marriage was even going to work out given the uh… sexual orientation… of the king of Mississippi. But I could almost be positive that vampire marriages didn't work the same way that human marriages did. That was something I was just going to have to ask Godric later, since I wasn't really talking to Eric. I was however skeptical about going, especially after what Jeanette had told me, but I could never tell the people in the room that.
"Well I do have to make a living Andre. I can not afford to just up and leave whenever the Queen believes she needs me." I said putting my hands on my hips. "Plus I have explained how my powers work. I can not guarantee anything."
Another smile slipped across Andre's face. "Godric and Eric are not taking care of you? I would have thought that with such signs of affection they would not have you working." He would only pick up that part of what I said.
"I like to work to keep my own sanity, and to have my own money. I do not want to rely on anyone including Eric and Godric for anything. Therefore I have to work." I said quickly. That was also a little jab at Eric for his comments earlier. I still had the money left from my grandmother's will, but I didn't want to spend that month all willy-nilly.
Andre let a look of confusion pass over his face momentarily, but in a few seconds he was back to his normal look of boredom. "The queen is willing to pay you $5,000 for your services that night. I am sure that is ample compensation for the work you will miss." He said rising gracefully off the leather couch. I gave a slight nod. "Plus the queen is a smart woman Miss Soderberg. Clearly you are more powerful than you let on."
"Pam walk Andre to his car." Eric said. I stepped to the side to let both pass. "Andre we will call with our answer." He also rose out of his seat and stood near me.
Andre turned around with an amused look on his face. "Northman, the queen was merely being polite by asking and offering your human money for her services. We expect to see you and her a week from tonight… Sheriff."
With that said Andre and Pam walked out of the medium sized office closing the door behind them. I instantly walked away from Eric and sat on his couch. I really didn't want to be anywhere near him. He sat back down in the chair behind his desk and began staring at me.
"Where is Godric?" I asked trying to break the silence. I needed him to calm me down. I was getting more upset the more I thought about this whole wedding situation.
"He was keeping an eye on you since dusk actually. Probably out on stage now I'm assuming." Eric said in a bored manor. "You did very well tonight by the way."
"Oh fuck you Eric." I said just as casually as he had said his previous sentence.
"I believe last time I applauded you for how well you had done you said the same thing." He said with a chuckle.
"Last time I believe you were acting like an ass too." I said smartly. "Only this time you managed to take it way too far."
"So you are still angry then?" He leaned back in his chair with his gaze still held on me.
I didn't even give him an answer. Instead I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I missed the days when things were simpler, when I lived with my grandmother and went to school and was focused on life after college. Somewhere along the line I had gotten wrapped up in life with vampires, found out I was a seer and somehow was now vying for the queen and kings attention. Suddenly I yearned for some type of normalcy in my life. I felt the stress piling up in my shoulders. I was more than tense. I wanted, no needed, a massage right now. When I opened up my eyes I saw Eric kneeling in front of me holding a bouquet of tulips a few inches from my face. The movement of my eyebrow raising was the only gesture that Eric got. There were white cream and red tulips in the bouquet. I wasn't sure about flower symbolism but I'm sure, knowing Eric, he didn't just get those colors for the hell of it.
"Isn't this what human males do when they are apologetic for something they have done?" Eric asked as he started easing the tulips into my hand.
"This is your way of apologizing then?" I asked grabbing the tulips from his hand. "You probably don't even understand why I'm mad." I shook my head. I really didn't think that Eric would ever really understand why I was really mad at him.
"I insulted you." He spoke gently, and held onto my right hand as he rose off of his knee and sat next to me on the leather couch. "In speaking to Godric, he informed me of certain emotions you might be feeling that I had not taken into consideration when I spoke to you the way I did." He leaned over slightly and touched his soft cold lips to my hand. He seemed to be truly remorseful but I couldn't accept it.
I waved him off. "Now really isn't the time or place to be having this conversation. Do I need to work tonight?" I wanted to jump up accept his apology and move on to doing some more inappropriate things (I mean Eric did look really good tonight) but I knew I would never forgive myself if I had. I am not letting anyone talk to me or treat me the way Eric did today. And he needed to know it.
Once those words came out of my mouth I saw a quick change of mood from Eric. He straightened up his posture and his whole face turned cold. He looked angry.
"No, I wasn't sure if you would come back tonight so I told Felicia to come in and work your shift."
I stood up hastily and looked back down at Eric. I think he was more in shock that I hadn't accepted his apology right away, than actually mad. I lifted his head and kissed him quickly on the lips. He didn't react like he normally would. His lips were lifeless under mine until the very last second before the kiss broke. He stood up, cupped my small face in his huge hands and kissed me back gently.
"I will not be long here. We will sit down and talk about everything then." All the anger had melted from his face. What happened to the big bad Eric that I had first met? "By the way, I would appreciate if you stayed out of any other bar besides Fangtasia. The men you were around, teir scent has rubbed off on your own, tainting it." He said casually
I gave him a small nod instead of arguing and his large hands fell from my face. I picked up my flowers and turned to walk out of his office. When I was walking out of Fangtasia, all I could think of is what a decent night this would be. I would treat this night like my personal night off and not worry about any of the vampire stuff until Eric and Godric got home. By the time I got to my car I was even thinking as far as to giving myself a manicure and a pedicure… It had been a long time since I had painted my nails.
"Leaving so quickly?" I heard someone purr just as I touched the drivers side door handle.
Looking up I saw Pam standing on the opposite side of my car with her hand on her hips. "Yep I am. Is there something you wanted?"
"Actually yes. I wanted to talk to you about my maker." She said directly.
I let out a small sigh. And I was so looking forward to giving myself a Mani Pedi without being upset about any vampires. I walked over to the other side of my car where Pam was standing. "What exactly did you want to talk about?"
"You are quite worrisome Emilie. Ever since you came into the picture I have noticed quite a change in my maker. He isn't even drinking from any other human besides you. He drinks that True Blood, until he can suck you up." She said sarcastically.
That made me smile a little. "Yea so have I, only he obviously hasn't changed enough for my personal taste. Why are you telling me all this Pam? You haven't spoken a word to me for the past 2 days and now all the sudden you want to have a full on conversation?" I said giving up on the nice talk.
"Obviously Eric has not spoken to you about this wedding yet, human but let me make it clear for you. All of our lives hang in the balance at this ceremony. Eric has to play his cards right to make sure that all of the vampires in his area escape this unscathed. Whatever has been going on with the two of you has changed him to the point where his decision-making is being compromised."
Pam spoke with venom in her voice. Although she looked like a life size pinup doll, her attitude told another story. Things were starting to come together as to why Pam was holding such animosity towards me. She thought that I was liable to get her and her maker killed.
"Well I haven't been doing anything to affect his decision making." I said stubbornly. "So I don't know what you really expect me to do about it."
In an instant Pam was very tense. She seemed like she was trying to keep control of her anger. "Don't argue with him and let him do his job!" She gushed. "I want to survive this, and I'm not dying for some human Eric has decided to fall for." She let out a big breath of air and calmed herself down. "But if I am going to die for a human, I'd rather it be you than Sookie. You do have a better fashion sense." Then she gave me a once over, and I smiled as I saw her lighted up to the Pam I had grown to care for. "Just not tonight." A smile slid over her face as a frown crept over mine Remember what I said Emelie." I watched her walk away and enter Fangtasia's back door. So much for a relaxing night, I thought to myself, and shook my head silently.
By the time I got back to Eric's house, both he and Godric were walking through the door approximately 10 to 15 minutes later. I had put his the tulips Eric gave me in a vase with water and laid on the couch, waiting for them to come into the living room with me. Once we all got settled on the couch, with me in the middle, they began talking about the ceremony.
"I have a feeling that something much more serious is going on here than a simple marriage between vampires." Godric started. "Vampires marry to acquire more wealth. But I cannot grasp why out of all the prospects for the Sophie Ann to marry, why she would marry Russell. Mississippi isn't the richest state out there, the two vampires don't like each other, and now that they each have something the other wants… I can only imagine that they would fight over you and Sookie."
"So you both think that vampires would start a fight over two little humans?" I said not really believing they would. "That doesn't make much sense. Why not just steal us or something?"
"You are underestimating your powers alone Emelie." Eric stated. "If either the king or queen turned you and Sookie and you both were able to retain your powers, that would give them an unbelievable amount of wealth. Plus the king can not steal you away from both Godric and I, it is against vampire law and he can be brought up on charges with the Magister and the AVL."
"Not to mention if, perhaps, the queen were able to kill the king somehow she would acquire his land, all the vampires in his territory, and Sookie. This would make her in an extremely lucrative position. " Godric stated figuring more things out in his head as he spoke. He looked tired and weary and that scared me. He was beginning to look the same way I remembered him when I first met him in Dallas
My head was swimming with all of this new information. "Sookie is okay then…" I asked as I began leaning on Godric's shoulder.
"I doubt Russell killed Bill after he acquired Sookie, since Bill is the only one who can really control her because of their…love… for each other. But if what we are thinking is true, she is in just as much danger as you are."
"But they want us alive... wouldn't they try and keep us alive by almost any means necessary?" I said rather worriedly.
"I'm afraid you are not thinking like a vampire lover." Eric said smoothly. "Why keep someone for 70 years when you can have them and their powers for hundreds or thousands of years?"
I stood up quickly and backed away from the two vampires. Everything that they had said and things that Pam had said were beginning to sink in. "Your not saying what I think your saying right? Tell me that you're joking."
"If things happen this way, the king or queen will try and turn you and Sookie." Eric said softly. He got up from the couch and pulled me into a hug. "Just trust me lover. I will not let them touch you. If anyone is going to turn you it will be me."
Although I didn't like just the thought of being turned, what Eric had said eased my mind. I guess I had completely forgiven Eric now. Times like these warranted forgiveness.
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