I wake gently to the feeling of someone stroking my hair, and when I roll over, I am face to face with Eric. He smiles, and pulls me closer against him. Looking down at the foot of the bed, I see the tattered remains of what had once been a lacy red and black corset, and laugh. "What a shame, I know you liked that one on me." I commented, and he followed my line of sight with a chuckle.
"I most certainly did…but I especially liked when you had it off." He trailed a hand down my side, and something popped into my mind.
"What time is it? Shouldn't you be asleep for the day by now?" He laughs at my for a second, before putting up a straight face.
"Darling, you slept through the entire day with me. It's almost nightfall again." My eyes bug out, and I can't believe that I have slept for so long. We lay here for a long time, just holding each other, until I remember what I had learned the previous night in the kitchen.
"Do you remember the woman that you had show me to the kitchen and take care of getting me something to eat?" He nods, and waits for me to continue. "Well I got into her head, and her and Stan are dating now. He seems to care a lot for her." Eric doesn't say anything, and I can feel him pondering over this new piece of information. "In her thoughts I could see that he hasn't even slept with her yet, and I could tell she has never been glamoured."
"Well, given Stan's track record of brutality to anyone and everyone, I'm surprised that he would start going with a human. Perhaps he found someone who will calm him down after all his years of hatefulness towards humans. I know that in the early years, it's easy to be cruel, and that fades for most vampires but it has never seemed to fade for him." He stewed in his thoughts for a few more minutes, before pushing them aside, and coming closer to kiss me.
When we went downstairs for the evening, I was surprised to see only a few vampires around, and only a single human. Stan had given Eric a spare room to use as an office, and I accompanied him as he took his laptop there to get started. He worked while I read a book for over an hour, when a knock came at the door, and Stan walked in.
"Good evening Mr. Northman, I wanted to speak to you on a business matter. Could we do this in private?" Obviously he didn't want me in the room while they spoke, but Eric shook his head.
"She is alright to stay. You can say anything you want without worry." He nodded and looked at me again before speaking.
"I have decided what I would like to do in return for my assistance. If it is not a problem, then I would like for your telepath to read all of the human staff here, as well as the companions of the multiple vampires who reside here." Eric nodded, and looked at me. I just shrugged, and sent him acceptance in the bond.
"That would be fine. If you would arrange for the use of one of your spare rooms to do interviews, then she would be happy to do so for you." Stan looked at me for conformation and I nodded my consent. He smiled, and stood to leave.
"I'll have everything prepared soon." He left without another word, and two hours later, he returned to tell us that he was ready for me.
"You can stay here if you want to; I'll just be reading people." I told Eric, and he frowned.
"Are you sure?" He asked, and I reassured him with a smile.
"This is something that I'm good at; I think I'll be okay." A smile lit up his face, and he just nodded as I followed Stan out of the office and down the hall to a door that was marked as a conference room. When I went inside, he had me sit on the other side of a desk, where a stack of papers with names was already waiting. Each name was in big bold letters, and had space between them for me to make notes. He gave me a pen, and a clipboard.
"Just put a check next to anyone that is okay, and an 'x' next to anyone that means us harm." Stepping behind me, he tapped on the mirror glass wall, and brought it to my attention. "I'll be back here the whole time listening, so ask any questions that will give you what we want to know. I should be able to read what you write from my angle. There is a list of suggested questions on the last page. If you feel like you're in danger, lean far back in your chair, and stall whoever it is."
"Alright, just send them in one at a time, and I'll send them out when I'm done." He left, and I studied the questions provided until the first human came in, and sat down across from me.
"What is this?" He asked slightly nervous, and stared at me. I let my shields fully down, and delved into his thoughts while started with a lie.
"Just an employee evaluation… we want to see how your adjusting to working with vampires, and if you have any concerns. Do you have any more questions?" He shook his head, and I started. "How has working here effected the schedule of your life?"
"Well, I worked in bars for a long time, so I'm used to the late nights, and they pay well here. Some of the vampires are rude to me, and I know they don't see me as an equal, but I'm okay with that." Maybe I'm being considered for a promotion or a raise, I hope so. My V habit is expensive, but I can't go without it. I need the stuff.
I immediately put an x next to his name. As I let his thoughts keep going, I found that he wanted to quit, and wasn't a drainer himself. Writing down the name of the dealer that popped into his head, I pressed further. "Have you ever attended a meeting for the Fellowship of the sun?"
"No way." He answered quickly, "Those people are crazy." That Reverend Newlin guy is nuts to think that he can fight vampires. Besides, I like vampires; I wouldn't be working here if I didn't.
I asked him a few more unsubstantial questions before sending him out, and another came in right after him. The six people after him were honest workers, but when I got to the next one after them, it turned out to be the girl that Stan was dating. Her name was Crista Hartbrook with her age listed as 21, and when she sat down, I gave her a friendly smile.
"Hi, nice to see you again." She greeted me. "What's this all about?" I wonder if someone is in trouble.
"The Sheriff just wants to do employee evaluations to make sure that everyone who works here is ok with what they're doing." She nodded, and I moved on to the first question that I decided to ask her. "Has this job effected your personal life in any negative ways?"
Oh no, I hope nobody found out about me and Stan. I know he worries that someone might try to use me against him if it got out that we're together. "Not really. My family doesn't have any problem with vampires, and they know I'm able to pay for my own schooling with the money. So their jus happy that I'm making my own way in the world." Caleb wasn't very happy when he first found out that I had decided to work for 'fangers' as he calls them, but he knows it's what's best for me unless I want to work half naked in a bar 'uniform'. I got a flash of the uniform she had worn at her last bar job, which included an extremely showing low cut shirt and a mini-skirt that hid almost nothing. She'd only worked there for a few weeks until she got tired of drunken and rowdy men grabbing at her, and when one tried to rape her in the parking lot after her shift, she quit.
"That's good to hear. Have you had any problem adjusting to the late hours?" Her schedule flashed through her head briefly, and I could see that she was well settled.
"I do a lot of it online, and the classes that I do have on campus are in the evening when the sun is still up, so I don't have any trouble keeping things managed. Actually I prefer being able to sleep in in the mornings." She said, and I laughed lightly.
"Yea, I enjoy that about my job as well at home." After finding out some more about her background and what she hoped to do with the future, I let her leave and a young man came in next. His name was Brence.
He looked familiar, but I couldn't figure out where from. But as soon as he sat down, his mind was flying with anxiety. Oh Jesus H Christ, I hope she doesn't recognize me. This is that fangbanger whore that was in the church when Mr. Newlin was going to fry that 2000 year old vampire. Oh God if she knows who I am then I'm dead…I can't let them kill me. Not before I get deep enough to plant the bomb. I've only worked here for a few months, how could they suspect something already? "Hi, I'm just going to ask you a few questions about how you're adjusting to this job. It's nothing to be worried about, just an evaluation." I tried to calm him down, before he decided to do anything dangerous. Then the face of a dying vampire flashed through his mind so fast that I almost didn't catch it, and decided to dig for information.
After glancing around nervously, he nodded his head sharply, and tried to smile but failed. "Have you had any problems with any of the guests or residents here?"
Brence shook his head, and I waited for a verbal answer. Oh hell, I thought they had stopped looking for that bloodsucker we killed two months ago. I watched the scene play through his head as he and several others had caught a vampire in one of the alleys nearby close to dawn, and put a silver net over him. Then they had staked him, and left the remains to burn away in the sunlight. The vampire had been the child of one of Stan's closest allies, who had then left on a vacation right after he felt his child meet the true death. "No I get along fine with all the vampires and people around here, they're really nice most of the time." His voice shook as he spoke, giving away his lie, but I smiled as though I had accepted it.
"How long have you lived in this area?" I asked, hoping to figure out how he had gotten started with the fellowship.
"All my life…my parents owned a grocery store on the edge of town for a long time." His mind gave me a completely different story. When he was young, he had an older sister who was attacked by a vampire on her way home from a friend's house one night. It was before the great revelation and when she tried to tell the hospital what she'd seen, they put her in a mental hospital. He managed to get her out of it after the vampires announced themselves to the world, but the damage had already been done.
The hate he held for all vampires was overwhelming, and his temper was starting to turn as I continued to question him.
After several more inquiries, he got frustrated, and stood up suddenly. "Who are you? Why are you asking me all these questions?" He demanded, and I learned all the way back in my chair, hoping that Stan was still around. His temper shot through the roof. I can't have her telling them who I am. I can't. I have to get revenge. I pulled on the bond for Eric's help as Brence took the first step to get around the table.
Just as he reached to grab me, the door burst open, and he was suddenly being held up into the air by his throat by Stan.
Eric came in less than a second later, and they escorted the man out together. Then Eric came back in, and I assumed that Stan had returned to the room behind the one-way glass. "What happened?" He asked me, and I handed him my notes.
"He's here working for the fellowship to try and get rid of all the vampires. A few of his friends and he ambushed a vampire a couple of months back in a nearby alley, and staked him just before dawn. When I started to ask him questions, he panicked, and all he could do was think about revenge for his sister, who was attacked by a vamp back before the great revelation. He thought something about planting a bomb here in the new Sheriff's house, and that's what he had planned to do once he got access to the lower levels where all the most important vampires sleep for the day." Eric sent a few text messages, before returning his attention to me.
"Do you want to keep going with the humans?" He asked, and I nodded, ready to finish the job.
After he left, I had a minute before the next human came in, and I started questioning again.
The rest of the people were normal, with no criminal activities against the vampires, and nothing that Stan would have to worry about. He was pleased when I gave him my findings in his office, with Eric standing beside me.
"This is some of the greatest intel I could ever get on my staff, and I see why Eric covets you so much." He turned to Eric, "How much?"
"Excuse me?" Eric asked, when he didn't elaborate on what he meant.
"How much do you want for her? I'd be willing to pay millions." He eyed me possessively, and Eric growled, putting an arm around me.
"Sookie is not for sale. She is my wife and my bonded, and I would never accept any form of compensation for her life." His body went rigid as he stood tall and firm, unwilling to move on the subject.
"Bonded? Well…aren't you lucky, to have procured a telepath in such a way." Stan continued to stare at me for a moment, before sighing. "Then how about a deal? I would like to employ her to come back every six months, and read my staff."
Eric was about to answer, but I shook my head. "No. I am only committed to one vampire, and that's all I want. I'm not going to be rented out like a machine to every vampire who asks." Stan raised an eyebrow at my outburst, and Eric's grip tightened on me slightly, warning me to be careful with what I said.
"Human, I will take your services by force if I have to. Do not force my hand." Stan threatened, and I smiled, ready to pull my trump card.
"You might be all high and mighty, with all the power of a Sheriff in Texas, but what about Crista? She wouldn't be able to do a thing if I asked a friend of mine to come and…visit her." Through the bond, I could feel Eric's shock at my full on threat, and I stepped forward away from his protective grasp. My emotions were running on high, and I wasn't going to be stopped. Stan thought I was just some pet to be bought and sold at any time, and he was wrong. "Not you or anyone else will ever own me, whether you like it or not, so give it up."
Stan stood, and leaned forward to put his hands on his desk. "Listen to me, little girl. You are nothing. I could snap your neck and you wouldn't be able to stop me, no matter how tough you think you are."
"Oh really?" I asked, and raised my left hand. It started to glow, and I could feel the power surging from my stronger fairy blood. It occurred to me in the back of my mind that the strength of my sparks was probably stronger, and I wondered if I could actually kill a vampire with my hands alone now.
"What are you?" Stan questioned, suddenly wary, and Eric grabbed my hand before I could shoot.
I looked at him, and nodded, letting my power return to its dormant place inside my body. "I'm someone who won't be controlled." I spat at Stan, and turned to walk out. Eric followed me to our room, and as soon as we were inside, he started.
"What were you thinking back there? Now he's knows your something other than human, and I can't fix that. He could kill you, Sookie." Feeling the bond, I could tell he was slightly angry, and frustrated. But under both of those ran a streak of pride from watching me stand up for myself.
"No he can't. I'm stronger now Eric, and if you think I'm going to stand around while other vampires insult me, then you better stop now. I will not sit around like a pet for other vampires to stare at and appreciate as a good view. Nobody is going to act like they are better than me, and it's time that they know that. I'll defend myself when I have to, and I won't show mercy to anyone that tries to hurt me." A large array and mixture of emotions swirled through him, until he finally settled on acceptance and pride.
He pulled me into his arms, and leaned down to whisper into my ear, "You would make a deadly vampire." I chuckle, and so does he, until finally turn to look him in the eye and speak.
"But more than anything right now, I just want to go home. Can we do that? Because you know just as well as I do that no one will ever drive us apart." He nodded, and left me in the room while he went downstairs to speak with Stan about transportation. By the time he got back, I had all of our stuff packed, and was ready to go.
"We're leaving in an hour. He's having a car brought around for us, and then we are free to go. You paid our debt for staying here, so there's nothing left for us to do here." I followed him as he took our luggage to the bottom floor, and set it by the front door. A car pulled up for us a while later, and when we got in, Stan was there to say farewell.
"It was a pleasure to have you both here, feel free to return any time." I smiled politely, but knew that if I had any say in it, then I wouldn't be doing so any time soon.
The driver loaded our suitcases, and we got in the back seat as he started down the road. We would be home in just a few hours.
I fell asleep after only half an hour of driving, after listening to Eric complain about his phone dying. Mine was in my suitcase in the trunk, since I didn't think I'd need it.
When we arrived at Fangtasia, and felt a sheer panic coming from Eric. I woke up fully, and looked out the window, only to fall into shocked silence.
The pride of Eric's area for a long time had been his bar, and now I stood outside the car by his side, and watched as it was engulfed in flames.