Part 22
I had only told two people in the whole world that I loved them, and meant it as I had meant it when I spoke it to Sookie. My mother, who had given me life, and Godric, who had given me immortality. It wasn't a sexual thing, love born on lust or desperation, but more than emotion born on admiration. My mother was the only world I knew for the first few years of my life. Till I was old enough to wield a sword and an ax, and pull a boat through the water on the strength of my arms and my oars, she was everything to me. She would wash me, and help me dress, she would braid my hair and tell me the stories of our people long before I was allowed into the great hall of my father to hear the tales as they were told by men. She sang to me, and stroked my head as fell asleep, and soothed the wounds of blade and pride that were inevitable as a child. Even as I grew I would always show that love to my mother. To my father it was respect, and it was honor, and even to the day of his death I never uttered the words to him, it was not proper. But when I bid my mother a good sleep each evening that I withdrew from her, I told her that I loved her.
Godric was the only world I knew for many years after my change. He taught me, as my father did and as the men in the clan did, but he loved me, and protected me as I stumbled through the darkness as a young one. He fed me until I learned to feed myself, and he lay beside me at night, as a mother does her offspring, until the day I came into my power, and even after that he would share the warmth of his kills with me. And we would talk, and tell tales, and gird ourselves for the battles that lay ahead; much as I had done with my men. But he was my maker, and whether it was the blood, or the commradery born on centuries, I loved him, and I knew that my life would not be the same without him, just as I had felt the loss of my mother pierce me to my very core. I had wept for two people, the same ones I had loved. One, tears of salt, the other, tears of blood, as was the custom for the both the peoples I had within me.
This isn't to say that I hadn't loved others over the past millennium. I loved Pam, as my child, and as my friend, but there was not the same depth between us, even if we had shared a bed at one point. She was stubborn, and headstrong, much as I was for Godric as a youngling, perhaps he had more patience for me than I had for Pam. I would die to protect her, and I would probably cry for her should she be hurt, but her absence did not cause an ache in my gut, nor did the unkind words she threw at me, not like they had from my mother, and Godric, or would from Sookie. On the contrary, when she questioned me I often felt ire, anger or annoyance, along with a grudging respect, because, for all her 'tact', she was often right. I had also loved my wife. I had loved her because she cared for my home, and for my children, and she ran a household as I ran the clan, which gave me less worry about it, and made me seem even stronger for having such a powerful woman in my keep. I was never cruel to her, never touched her when she did not desire it, or beat her for some perceived transgression, or internal frustration. She was a good woman, and a proper wife for a king, and I loved her for that. She had grieved for my death, of that I had no doubt, but as a practical woman, raising the future king she would have found herself another powerful man to align herself with after a suitable period of mourning. I did not begrudge her that; in fact it had given me great comfort to know that she would have done it, because it meant that my children would have been safe.
I looked back at the door to the bedroom, that I had shut behind me as I had exited, leaving Sookie to sleep. It was still quite early in the night for me to sleep, and I did not feel the mortal exhaustion that she did. Besides, Pam had pushed a thick folder into my hands as we had finally left the office, telling me that I needed to look over the month's invoices, and purchase orders. The look in her eyes said that I had better do it, as subtly as a child dared admonish her maker for dereliction of duty. Arthur had offered to drive us home, an offer I took him up on, as Sookie was in no shape to fly with me again, and I had left my car in the garage. As he departed to fetch his keys I ensured that Pam called a repairman for the door, and I asked her for the security footage for the past few days. She promised to email it for me, 'if I bothered to actually check my email'. Then she sneered at me, and wrinkled up her nose at me in mock annoyance. I had always liked her nose. It was cute. One day I would have to tell her that, and then duck to avoid whatever it would be that she picked to throw at me.
So I sat at my desk and turned on my laptop. As it booted up; the funniest expression for a piece of technology, I thought, because all I could visualize when I heard it, or though of it, was pulling on my old leather boats before going out to battle. It might not have been the true origin of the term, but it amused me. Perhaps I was just old fashioned like that? I opened the file and read through the top pile of papers.
Humans drank a great deal of beer, and wine coolers, whatever the appeal in those was; either choose wine or a soda, but not both. Ah whatever, they made me money just the same. There was also an order for something called Clamato juice, apparently for a tomato and vodka based drink. I supposed the humans thought it looked like blood and so it amused them enough to pay $7.95 each. Again, who was I to question such tastes? Profits were holding steady, despite the recession, and there seemed to be a few opportunities to renegotiate some contracts, seems that there were a number of reputable companies that wanted to work for us now. I jotted a few notes for Pam, ran them up to her living room, and then returned to view the footage on the computer.
I found everything from the night Arthur had found Sookie until just before we had returned that evening, Pam had been thoughtful enough to send the footage of Bill, sulking at my bar, drinking his vile TruBlood, watching everyone around him with a scowl that said that he was just as prepared to feast on them as the warm bottle in his hand. At least he looked like a vampire.
I watched the footage in reverse chronological order, that is not to say backwards, but going back in time, to see who stood out; besides Bill of course, and what faces continued to appear. I watched the night that Diantha and Sookie were at the bar with particular interest. The image of her in that blue shirt, shocked me again, it was so unlike the Sookie I had known, not really in a bad way, she was still beautiful, but I wasn't used to seeing her so overtly sexual. It made me hungry and upset, all at the same time. Perhaps it was worse watching the other men watch her? I'd seen a few in person, before Pam had dragged me off the dais, metaphorically speaking, but to see all the ones I hadn't known about before, leering at her, especially when her back was turned, nudging their comrades and no doubt making lewd comments about 'getting into her pants'. It was wonderful to watch her dance again though, she moved without inhibitions, possibly because she didn't remember any reasons to have them. It wasn't that she was spectacular at it, she just looked happy, and the grace came from that. No one in the club was going to win any contests, that was for certain, kids now a days just gyrated to the music anyways, and Fangtasia always played music with a beat. The dancers insisted it was much easier to plan their routines. I had my doubts but it wasn't worth arguing over.
I tried not to be fixated on Sookie, and forced myself to look around at the others who were watching her. A growl rose in my chest as one reached out to touch her, and put his hand on her arm as it leaned on the bar. I saw Arthur's eyes flick to him briefly, but Sookie simply acknowledge him with a smile. I knew she was trying out the telepathy with the human contact, because soon enough she pulled her arm away and turned back to Arthur who had maneuvered himself closed to the girls to keep watch. I don't know why I was feeling jealous. Sookie was perhaps fifteen feet from where I sat at my desk, in my bed, surrounded by the evidence of our lovemaking, and our blood. I could feel her in my mind, and she could feel me. It would be my arms that would enfold her as soon as I was done watching the video, and my body she would push herself against for comfort. She wasn't with touchy guy from the bar. I shook my head for no one to see, still a little uncertain how I had turned into the Eric that was presently in my chair, scrolling on my laptop.
My attention was drawn away from my introspection when a woman came into the bar, the woman Sookie must have been talking about when she asked me about whether or not my employees slept with customers. If she hadn't meant to disguise herself from the patrons, then happenstance had fallen in her favor. Her hair was long and dark, and fell straight around her face; she made no move to tuck it backwards behind her ears so it was very difficult to make out any features. She was wearing gloves, as Sookie had mentioned, opera gloves by the look of them, as I could not discern a cuff. Her coat was long, and dark, more of a cloak, and I could have sworn there was a large hood to it, though it lay flat against her shoulders. The fashion seemed gothic, which would not have been very out of place in a Vampire bar, as much as I hated it. It was not beyond the realm of possibility that Arthur had a girlfriend who liked to play vampire with him. She didn't have a drink, only standing at the end of the bar, speaking with him over a few minutes time span; which technically didn't make her a customer, so Arthur was free to see her as he wished. They did seem quite familiar with each other, and Arthur seemed a little smitten with her, his expressions softened when he spoke with her, losing the generally suspicious nature that I was growing to appreciate in a bartender. The woman reached out and stroked his face in a very intimate kind of gesture, and then departed, and almost immediately Arthur went back to work.
I watched the interchange over and over again a few more times. Each time I did I felt something odd about it, but nothing I could put my finger on exactly. I scanned the rest of the footage but saw no one but the weekday regulars, a few tourists, and a group of college students. The woman never appeared again, and neither did anyone else sinister looking.
With another human sigh I shut down the computer. The sun was going to rise soon, and the business had made me weary. I made a note to ask Arthur about his friend the following night, and then I retreated to my bed, and to the arms of my beauty.