There was not much time left until the sun rose but Eric couldn't go underground until he saw her. He'd sat on his throne the majority of the night and stared into the crowd, seeing no one. Much to his chagrin, she was quickly becoming his achilles heel. The very thought was dangerous in and of itself but the feeling left him even more disturbed.
He had encountered many foes over his long existence but none of them were as dangerous as Tara Thornton. The mystery surrounding her made things even more difficult. For all he knew, whoever or whatever Tara was could prove deadly for him.
He'd been around a long time. He'd seen may men die, been in many wars before he became a vampire. He understood tactics and military. He knew that until he figured out his vackra mysterium it would be wise to keep her at a safe distance. Yet, for the first time in his life his analytical mind preferred to listen to another more foolish organ.
He had never cared for the future when he was young and brash, even now when he was old and learned he never cared to ruminate on the consequences of tomorrow. He simply saw no point in it. He never went underground with the guarantee that he would wake to see another night. There had never been any guarantees for him, never any promises.
His approach to life had always been somewhat cavalier and laid back. Dealing in tomorrow scenarios were for the hopeful and foolish to the cynical. Eric Northman had never been hopeful. He preferred to see things as they were and not the way he may want them to be.
He had convinced himself that he lived life by necessity as opposed to exorbitant desires but he could not find the category that Tara fit into. She made him hope to see another night, something he'd never done. Even now as he made his way to her he felt exhilarated and alive.
His body was moving of its own accord to be near her as his mind protested. Humans are nothing but food, don't get attached. While his mind battled with his heart he couldn't help but offer the question. What if Tara isn't human? What then? Would his rebellious feelings be more appropriate or would it prove even more dour than their current situation?
At the moment he had no answers and had no care to find any. He just wanted to see her, to feel her. He was surprised that she was even still awoke at this hour but was glad, nonetheless. As the seconds ticked by he grew more anxious and decided to use his speed to reach her quicker.
He could feel her, although, their connection grew more faint. After he'd given her his blood that first night he could feel every emotion that passed through her, so much so, that her anger, joy, sorrow, and worries were his own. The more their connection weakened the more isolated he felt. Besides, he grinned devilishly, he loved the idea of her having wet dreams about him. He took some pride in the fact that if he, in reality, could not please her the way he craved to, at least, the dream version of him would find some type of relief and satisfaction.
He found her in the kitchen, where he left her, tiptoeing towards the fridge and he hid a smile, preferring to watch her intently. He had no idea why she was trying so hard to be inconspicuous Novella and the rest of the crew would be here any minute to tend the house and fix breakfast.
She had on a baby blue silk pajama top with matching shorts showcasing her long dark legs and enticing him from his viewpoint. Her braids were down and flowing down her back hiding her face from him as she bent down to inspect the contents of the fridge. He expected her to pause or turn around since she seemed to be the only human he couldn't sneak up on. She didn't pause for a second and continued to search for whatever it is she wanted.
"Still hungry?"
She jumped a little then closed the fridge and spun around to look at him surprised.
"What are you doing here?"
He gave her a wry look, "I live here."
"I mean, what are you doing still up? It's almost daylight."
She looked awfully concerned for someone she wanted to stake but instead of thinking of something to say to tease her he found himself at a momentary loss for words. He'd never seen a human as concerned for his well being as she was. He wanted to relax the worried creases in her eyebrows and assure her that he would be perfectly fine. She was the vulnerable one.
"I wanted to see you before I went under."
All of a sudden she looked nervous and began slowly edging her way to the other end of the island.
"Why?"
"I'm sure you know why by now."
This time she seemed to be the one at a loss for words and he took that opportunity to move quickly to her side and press her back against the island. He held her wrists in his hands delicately, enjoying the feel of her heartbeat pulsing quick and strong beneath his fingers. Her eyes were wide and unblinking and he was almost for certain that she had the ability to glamour. There was no other explanation for the hypnotic effect she was casting on him.
"Why do you always do that?"
"Do what?" he shifted his eyes to the vein in her neck wondering what she would taste like.
"One moment you're across the room and the next you have me pinned to the counter."
"I'll move slower next time."
He heard her sigh and shifted his eyes to her lips.
"You've been anxious all night. I wonder why that is?"
"How do you-," she started then shook her head, "Right...the blood. I don't appreciate you tapping into my emotions."
He leaned towards her lips when her tongue snaked out to wet them, "It's not something I can turn on and off," he lifted a hand to finger the flimsy strap of her top, "You shouldn't wear clothes like this around me if you want to keep things platonic."
She glanced down at the thin strap in his hand, "I thought you would be in your coffin by now."
"I think you're intentionally trying to torture me."
She gave an innocent look before trying to sneak a look at his chest. He smiled knowingly at her to which she rolled her eyes.
"I thought I was the one practically being held against my will."
"You're not the only one," he assured her.
She looked confused for a moment before really taking in his restrained stance. His body was aching for an invitation from hers. A part of him hated wanting her so much. No human should have this much power over him.
She reached a hand up and pulled his head down to hers. Her lips were soft, plump, and filled with promises. Her tongue snaked into his mouth to duel with his while one of his hands grasped her backside and lifted her onto the counter. He moved between the warmth of her legs and instantly sprang to life. He let her control the tempo of the kiss for now because if he took control he wasn't sure if he would be able to control himself, it was hard enough holding his fangs back. It was damn near a science trying to contain himself in her presence when what he really wanted to do was have her beneath him, screaming his name, while he sank his teeth into her.
He still couldn't smell her blood but the smell of her arousal was mouth watering. He found the strength to pull out of her embrace and eyed the flimsy material she was wearing. Her chest was moving up and down in a ragged motion as she fisted her hand in his hair. He could see the hard pebbles of her nipples pressing through her top just begging him to tear the material to pieces.
Instead he grabbed both of the straps to her shirt and slowly slid them down inch by inch. He watched her eyes darken from black to a fathomless night. Her eyelids lowered and her long lashes hid the intensity of her eyes from him. It was just as well, her eyes always seemed to unravel the strongest part of him, leaving him vulnerable to her in a way that was completely alien to him.
He dragged the material slowly but roughly across her nipples causing friction and making her suppress a moan. He could tell by the way she had her lips pressed together that she was holding back on showing him just how much he was affecting her. That would change because he fully intended to pull his name from her lips by any sexual means necessary.
He felt relieved as the last strip of material lowered to show him the magnificence that was her breasts. This time he didn't bother restraining himself as his fangs popped out. Her nipples were even darker than the rest of her skin and just as smooth. He ran his tongue over one of his fangs hungrily and felt his cock straining against the confines of his pants painfully.
He leaned down to take one into his mouth, careful not to pierce her skin. She arched back and finally elicited a small moan. Her hand tightened even more on his hair as her legs wrapped tightly around him. His tongue swirled in a circular motion before grazing her lightly with his teeth. He could tell she loved that because she gave a small little gasp as she made small movements beneath him.
He began giving her other breast the same treatment while enjoying the soft breathy sounds that was coming from her pretty little mouth. When the urge to bite her reached roaring irresistible levels he pulled away to get himself under control but Tara grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him back down to her. He had only a millisecond to retreat his fangs before his lips made contact with hers. He quickly pulled away again and held her soft protesting body at bay.
"Don't tempt me...unless you're going to let me go all the way."
He left the option lingering hopefully. He normally didn't have sex without the bite, although, he knew that it wouldn't be a problem...at least with any other woman. With Tara he had seriously begun to doubt his self-control but he would try, regardless. He also wouldn't bite her unless she gave him one hundred percent permission. If she said yes and he could still see the doubt in her eyes he wouldn't do it no matter how badly he wanted to.
Her eyes were open and clear now but still hazy with desire, "Will it hurt?"
He tried to keep his eyes away from her breasts because they did nothing to strengthen his resolve, "You'll feel a small prick at first and then you'll feel like you're in heaven."
She smiled lazily at him, "I doubt I'll mistake a vampire biting me with heaven."
His fangs slowly reappeared, "You'd be surprised."
Her eyelids lowered again and this time he could see that she was carefully thinking over her choices before looking at him and nodding her head, sharply, once. He watched her carefully waiting for a flicker of uncertainty or fear to show but she was resolute in her decision and it caused a primal shift in him. With his vampire speed he laid her down on the counter and grasped one of her thighs in his hand, kneading her flesh.
He saw something shimmering off in the distance but paid no attention to it as he had become single-minded in his mission to give Tara pleasures she'd never experienced. He covered her body with his and began nibbling on her neck wanting to save the bite for last. Somehow he knew tasting Tara's blood would satisfy him like none other.
He found his lips on hers again and grimaced. He felt hot. He felt like the skin was melting from his body. He grit his teeth not understanding until Tara pulled away and began screaming. The pain was nearly incomprehensible but even worse than that was the horror on Tara's face.
"Eric! It's the sun!"
Now he could see what he had been ignoring only moments before. The sun was rising and blazing through the naked window leaving him a clear target. He tried to move but the heat had nearly zapped all of his energy and the pain compounded the problem. The last thing he saw was Tara's tear streaked face before everything went black.
Eric's eyes opened and he pushed roughly on his steel coffin. Once he saw everything in the room he took a moment to get his bearings. His dream had been incredibly vivid and real. He could still feel the heat from the sun burning away his skin. He could still hear Tara's screams ringing in his ears. As a vampire he rarely dreamed and when he did it certainly wasn't like what he'd just experienced. His dreams were usually only memories of his life as a human. Sometimes he'd wake up remembering things he'd long forgotten but lately those had been replaced by fantasies of he and Tara, they'd just never ended so tragically.
He quickly left the room and went into one of his spares to shower and get ready for the night. As the water streamed down the dream became nothing but an afterthought. His connection to her was growing more faint but he could tell that she was asleep and as much as he wanted to disturb her he decided to take care of other pressing matters.
He went to Pam's lavish pink room, that always managed to give him a headache, and waited patiently as she tended to what he was sure was grooming in the bathroom. He had no idea why Pam's room was a pink abomination when she rarely ever wore the color. After standing for a few minutes on a plush, furry, pink carpet he knew that Pam was intentionally keeping him waiting. She was obviously still upset at his dismissal of her yesterday, something that she would have to soon get over as it would, most likely, start to happen more frequently.
She hadn't spoken to him much at the club last night but he hadn't paid her any attention. Just as his dream had mimicked he had been preoccupied with thoughts of Tara all night but he had gotten back too late to do anything about it. He saw no point in her being jealous she was his child and Tara was...He didn't exactly know what Tara was yet but the two were completely separate in his mind.
Pam finally graced him with her presence by exiting the bathroom wearing a black dominatrix get up. She ignored him and fluttered by as he followed behind. He would give her a few more minutes to throw her tantrum before he got down to business.
She ended up at the front door and made a move as if she was going to open it before he called out her name. She paused for a moment before turning and giving a surprised look.
"Oh, Eric, I didn't even see you there. Is there something you wanted?"
"If you're through playing games I would like for you to get in contact with the guy you hired. He should have more than enough information by now."
She crossed her arms while lifting her head and he knew that she had an ace up her sleeve it was the only time she truly got cocky with him.
She opened her mouth but before she could speak he interrupted her, "Whatever you have say it now and it better not piss me off."
She seemed to deflate a bit before her trademark smirk resurfaced, "If you weren't so concerned with cupcake I would've told you that I already had the information."
His jaw tightened in annoyance, "You're walking a thin line Pam."
"I left the information in the living room, something you would have known if you weren't letting this human wrap your brain in-"
He was on her before she could finish her sentence. He pinned both of her arms behind her and his fangs popped out. He didn't enjoy reprimanding Pam but moments like this were necessary when she forgot her place.
"Mind what you say Pam before you say something that we'll both regret," he tightened his hold on her, "Regardless of who I'm concerning myself with it doesn't change our relationship. You are my child, not the other way around. Whatever jealousies you're harboring now that Tara is here is irrelevant and I suggest you start treating them as such, otherwise there will be a lot of problems in the future between us."
He released her and headed into the living room ignoring Pam's wounded look. She would get over it and he'd let her foolish comments slide. There had never existed a democracy between them and things would not be changing anytime soon.
He found a thick manila folder laying on one of the couches with a note attached to it with the phone and address to the man he'd hired. He could still feel Tara resting and sat down on the couch to preview the information. He was looking to find some piece of the puzzle that would answer some questions for him.
After he opened the folder he read through all of the information carefully before calling the number on the folder. He could feel Tara's senses becoming alert as she was waking up and forced himself to focus on the sound of the phone dialing instead of racing upstairs to meet her. On the fourth ring a flirtatious young girl's voice came over the phone.
"Gris Maury's Private Investigation Services. How may I help you?"
"This is Eric Northman put your boss on the line."
"Mr. Northman?" she sounded surprised but then her voice turned sultry, "Oh yes, Gris, I mean..Mr. Maury has been expecting your call," her voice lowered, "Is it true that you're a...vampire?"
"Put him on the phone."
His tone was all business and he waited patiently as she told him to hold on. Finally a man who didn't sound as old as he expected him to answered.
"Mr. Northman?"
"With the amount that I payed I was expecting more information."
He heard Gris clear his throat nervously, "It was very short notice and I got what I could find. That's why I wanted you to call me, I'm still looking."
What he'd just read didn't tell him anything other than the fact that Tara wasn't born in Bon Temps and although that was interesting it didn't tell him anything groundbreaking.
"It says she was born in Rome, Georgia. Why don't you fly there with the money I gave you and do some research."
"Mr. Northman -"
"You claim you're the best so prove it."
"It's not that I don't think I can do the job," he laughed nervously, "It's just that these things take time, especially with someone who has as little recorded about them as this woman."
He wasn't hearing any of the man's excuses, "I want to hear from you in a week with substantial information."
"Sir, I can't guarantee a certain amount of information. I can only give you what I find."
"Then find me something that's actually worth my time and money."
The information was mostly her educational history, which any amateur could have found out, work history, a record of a lot of domestic disputes that involved child services being slightly involved, and a copy of her birth certificate.
"There was one little tidbit that I caught."
"And what was that?"
He hadn't found anything worthwhile in this pile of nothing that had been compiled.
"The birth certificate."
Eric shuffled through the papers and lifted the certificate up to view it and found nothing out of the ordinary, although, he knew little to nothing about birth certificates as they were unnecessary for his kind.
"What about it?"
Gris spoke with a little more confidence now that he felt he actually had something to offer, judging by Eric's interested tone, "I've been in this business for a while and even though you can't get the original copy of a birth certificate the copy is pretty reliable. That birth certificate is a fake."
Eric studied the certificate once more but still could not discern whether it was authentic or not.
"So where is the real one?"
"I have no idea. Do you know why she would have a fake certificate? Are you sure she's an American born citizen?"
"That's what I hired you for."
"It helps when you can give me a little something to go on."
Eric studied the paper in his hands. And the mystery grows.
"Try looking into her mother's background, she's not the most innocent human I've met. I'm sure she has a history."
He heard papers being shuffled on the other end before Gris spoke again, "Lettie Mae Thornton," he mused, "I got a little on her but I guess I'll have to dig deeper."
"Dig as deep as you can I want everything you can find. No matter how small or insignificant you think it is I want to know about it."
"I'll get right on it."
After hanging up with Mr. Maury he placed all of the papers back in the manila envelope and put it in a safe place. He needed real information on Tara because she grew more complex by the second. When they had been in the kitchen arguing he could have sworn that for a split second the color of her eyes changed. If it had been anyone else he would've thought he was mistaken but knowing how little he knew of Tara he was most likely valid in what he'd seen. Whatever mystery Tara posed he would have unraveled soon.
Tara woke up feeling a bit hazy. The covers were sticking to her flesh and she lazily kicked them off. She felt a bit drained and weary as if she could sleep the rest of the day away but she pulled herself out of bed anyway.
Her hours were all screwed up now that she was living with Eric, not that they were that great working for Sam. She didn't know if she should be awake by day or night and he still hadn't explained to her when she would actually start working for him. She was almost positive she wasn't here just so she could work off her debt. He wanted her for something else, mostly her body, but after he'd told her about how different she seemed to be from everyone else it had to have something to do with that too.
She'd lain awake for hours thinking about everything that had happened lately. Vampires existed and not only did they exist she was living with one. The latter was what she was still somewhat shocked by. Here she was at public enemy number one's mansion practically falling apart every time he so much as glanced at her while all of the cards lay neatly in his hands.
She had to start coming up with a plan to get out of here without getting bitten or jacked up for life. She didn't truly believe that Eric would ever intentionally hurt her, not after what he'd said about wanting her permission, but she didn't think he had any intention of releasing his hold on her either. He came off as very assured and possessive, which, at the moment, didn't bode well for her in the future.
She took a quick hot shower hoping it would dispel some of this fatigue she felt but was surprised to feel even more tired afterward. She carefully put on her clothes and put her hair in a ponytail so she wouldn't have to deal with it in her face and decided to go over the papers she'd gathered about college. She had made up her mind and she was definitely going back to school for a business degree she just needed to work out the when, where, and how.
She gathered the papers and laid them on her bed before she went in search of a pen. Somehow, no matter what the situation, she always managed to lose pens, they just seemed to disappear around her. She wondered if Eric had a stash of them somewhere in the house, if he did she'd ask Novella.
She went to the door and swung it open surprising herself. Eric was standing in the doorway looking casually handsome in a white shirt and khakis with his hair slicked back and still looking slightly damp. She couldn't deny the fact that he looked good enough to eat but she would damn sure try to ignore it.
"You're already up."
His eyes roved over her body before answering, "The moment the sun goes down I'm up."
He looked her over again this time with more concern than lust and seemed as if he was about to say something but changed his mind.
"I was just about to go looking for Novella."
"Were you hungry? I'll have to get used to having you in the house, I've never had to think about human food much before."
"No, I needed a pen."
"I have some in my office. Come on, I'll give you the tour, assuming Novella hasn't."
She stepped tentatively out of her room, "No, she hasn't but that's mostly my fault. She promised me one when I got here but I fell asleep."
He began walking down the hall and she followed behind, "You're free to go anywhere you like except for when I have guests."
"Why?"
He glanced at her as if surprised she'd ask, "Most of my guests will not be your kind, besides it's business."
"Didn't you bring me here to be a part of your business? So that makes me a part of the process."
He stopped walking and turned to her, "No, you are not a part of the process, there is no process that involves you. You are my human and will obey me."
"Your human?" she scoffed, "What the hell does that even mean? Last I checked, I'm not your anything. You don't own me and the only reason I'm here in the first place is because you forced me too. The moment I'm through with my so called 'debt' I'm out."
She continue walking down the hallway pissed at his attitude. He was domineering in the worst kind of way and obviously thought that because he was a vamp he was somehow superior to her and any other person who was unfortunate enough to actually be human instead of a blood-sucking creature. She had no idea where she was headed but as long as it was away from him she would be alright.
He suddenly appeared beside her striding casually and she sped up. She could see him looking at her out of the corner of her eye but she ignored him.
"You're going the wrong way."
"I'm just trying to get away from you so I'm headed in the right direction."
"You can get mad Tara but you are my human and you will be working for me soon. In a manner of speaking I do own you. So why the agitation?"
She stopped and stared at him dumbfounded. Did he really not get it? Were humans that low on the totem pole to him and other vamps?
"Do I really have to break this down for you?" when he said nothing and stared at her expectantly she continued, "Just because you are fast and strong does not make you better than me or any other human. You vamps seem to forget that you can only get up at night whereas we can go out any time of the day! You have vulnerabilities just like anyone else. And just so you know we are the normal ones you are the aberration!"
She was breathing hard after her little speech and Eric's eyes were so intense she could practically feel the burn from his gaze. She felt a bit light headed too. She hoped she wasn't coming down with a cold that would make her even more vulnerable in vampire central.
"I see your passion tires you. Stop fighting me."
"I'm not gonna let you control me and stop telling me what to do!"
She turned to walk off and he grabbed her arm and slid her hand into his.
"I'm supposed to be giving you a tour."
She was feeling too weak to argue further so she followed behind him as he showed her all around his huge palace. She was amazed at all the rooms and the layout but was too tired to really appreciate it. He would explain where certain things were and how to get there but she was only giving him half of her attention. On one hand she was furious and excited at having her hand in his, no matter what the situation her body always responded on cue, on the other she was feeling so tired it was becoming harder to keep up with his long strides.
He must have been able to tell because he slowed down considerably and kept staring at her. Their last stop was his office but she didn't feel like he'd given her the ultimate tour. There had to be other rooms and maybe even secret areas in the house that he didn't want her to know about for whatever reason.
The office was the last stop and it was plain and ornate in a business fashion. She had yet to find anything in this house that mirrored what she'd seen of his club, it was practically night and day. Not that she was complaining she preferred this to the gothic look of Fangtasia.
He grabbed a pen off his desk but didn't hand it to her. He put it in his pocket and grabbed her hand once more before taking her out. He seemed to be trying to keep the conversation light by only explaining to her how to get around. She knew everything she said hadn't sunk in. He was over a thousand years old and she wasn't about to change his view about humans in a day but he was definitely walking on egg shells, maybe he could really feel her and tell how tired she was.
He stopped and lifted her hand to his mouth. He laid a soft kiss on the pulse point of her wrist. She ignored the butterflies going crazy in her stomach.
"Are you ready to go back to your room?"
"Why? Are you having guests tonight? Do you need to hide me away like some dirty secret?"
"I'm not the enemy, min sköna."
"Then who is?" she asked sincerely.
A world where vampires didn't exist seemed much less crazier than the one she was in now. Not that her life had ever been sane but still...
"Mr. Northman?"
They both turned to see a stoic straight faced Novella.
"Your Queen is here."
Queen? All of a sudden he dropped her hand and his entire demeanor changed. His eyes had went hard where they were soft only moments before and his form had become as rigid as someone as laid back as him could get. He looked like he was ready for murder or war, depending on the situation.
"Novella, escort Tara back to her room."
Novella pursed her lips as if she was about to say something that she knew would displease him, "She said to bring your human with you."
She could see his jaw tighten but only because she was watching him closely and was beginning to notice things about him that she might otherwise miss. His back was to her and she knew that the last thing he wanted was to take her to meet this queen person but for whatever reason he would obey.
"Follow me, Tara."
She followed him to the living room where there were three people she'd never seen before. The first thing she noticed was the woman. She was pale and beautiful with ice blue eyes and shiny red hair. She looked like she'd just stepped off the pages of Vogue with an attitude to match. This was his 'queen'? What exactly did that mean? Was she his chick or was she really some vampire royalty?
The guy on her right side was pale with red hair too and looked really out of place. Whatever the reason they were here for it was obvious he didn't want to tag along. The guy on her left was dark and very handsome with gray eyes. The moment their gazes met she had to take a breath. Her entire body seemed to heat up and the light headache she had before grew infinitely worse. Eric abruptly turned to her and looked her over. He completely ignored everyone else in the room, including his 'queen'. She couldn't quite read his expression and with how she was feeling she wasn't putting much effort into trying. He finally turned away from her and addressed his guests.
"My Queen."
The woman placed her hands on her waist and gave him the most snooty look she'd ever seen. Who was this hoe?
"I heard that you contacted the magistrate about an issue. Why wasn't I informed?"
"I wasn't aware that I was supposed to report to you every mundane thing that happens in my territory."
The Queen looked at him coolly, "A vamp dead is mundane?"
"It was a matter for the magistrate."
Tara tried not to look at the black guy but it was hard when he was staring at her so intently. Her skin was growing hotter and she couldn't help but wonder who the guy was. Was he a vamp too?
Suddenly the Queen turned to her and smiled much in the same way that Pam did but with a sinister touch behind it.
"Were you going to introduce us?"
"No," Eric said plainly.
"Is she your new toy?"
Despite how uncomfortable she felt in her skin at the moment, due to how odd her body was acting, she still managed to find herself irritated with this woman.
"I'm not anybody's toy."
She didn't have as much strength in her voice as she'd like but she hoped the look she gave the woman more than made up for it. The look the woman gave her in return was nothing short of murderous and she didn't miss the fangs that popped out either. Like she gave a damn. If this woman wanted it she would give it.
The woman didn't jump on her as she felt she wanted to instead she smiled with her fangs still out, "My name is Sophie-Anne. Queen Sophie is what you'll call me."
She opened her mouth to say something else when she was interrupted by the black guy who also interrupted something Eric was about to say.
"I'm Israel and this is Greg. It's nice to meet you...?"
The guy was obviously fishing for her name and since she didn't know jack about either of them she looked to Eric who was studying the man before him. Queen Sophie who'd just earned herself the title 'royal bitch' was now looking at Israel murderously. Who were these people? It was clear that they probably didn't hang out in their free time.
She decided to be an adult, "My name is Tara."
Israel nodded in acquiescence. It was not lost on her that he hadn't stopped looking at her since she came into the room. From the way Eric was eyeing him it wasn't lost on him either.
"She is my human."
This time she kept her mouth shut to see everyone's reactions. Sophie looked her over again and gave her a cocky, "Interesting," she turned back to Eric, "Back to business."
The Greg guy didn't seem to care about anything that had been said so far but Israel seemed to be seriously contemplating the entire situation and most especially her. He frowned when Eric proclaimed her his human and was now sizing him up. She hoped this meeting or whatever the hell it was would be over soon because her head was starting to pound.
"I want the details. Word is someone sucked him dry."
Eric looked bored as usual but she was dying to know what he was thinking, "That's what it looked like but I doubt that was the case."
"And why do you think that?"
"The magistrate didn't tell you anything so you decided to come here?"
"Answer the question, Eric, I don't have any fucking time to waste."
"You know as much as I know. The only thing on the scene was a bloodless Marco and a terrible stench."
Sophie and her two associates seemed to perk up at that. She on the other hand had no idea what they were talking about. A vampire had died? He was sucked dry? How was that even possible? Her head was swimming and she wanted to sit down but she refused to do so while they were still here.
"What kind of stench?"
Eric shrugged, "Hard to explain. Sort of like rotting flesh and toxic waste mixed together."
Sophie seemed to marinate on that for a moment before asking, "Where's Raquel?"
"Ask the magistrate."
Sophie rolled her eyes, "Of course, the silver chamber. He has to be the most dull and predictable vamp on the planet," she turned to the one known as Greg, "Let's go."
"Novella will show you out."
"We know the way."
She sped past them and her head throbbed from the quick motion. She took a steadying breath and looked up to find Israel staring at her. What was it with this dude? Granted, he looked almost surreal. He looked like he was sculpted from God, that was the only description that would fit any human being looking like that. He looked as if he was a king from bygone days.
Greg followed dutifully behind Sophie and Israel lagged behind still watching her and shooting a quick dangerous look at Eric. As they were leaving the room Tara sat down on the nearest couch and
tried to will her headache away. It felt like her head was about to explode. She took several huge breaths but to no avail.
Eric appeared in front of her cupping her face, "You're burning up. I can feel it."
She looked up into his sea-green eyes. He looked more than concerned which scared her. Her eyes fluttered shut and Eric jerked her.
"Tara, what's wrong?"
She tried to move her mouth to speak but found she was too overcome with fatigue. She looked into his eyes again. They were the last thing she saw before everything went black.
(A/N) Hey guys. I hope you all had fun over the holidays. Feel free to point out mistakes and, of course, share your opinion. Your reviews are always welcome and I look forward to them. I hope you all enjoy and sorry for the wait. :)