A big thank you to shereelouise60, AxidentlGoddess and auroraglider for your reviews of the first chapter :) I truly do hope to gain a few more reviewing readers as the chapters increase. Well, here we go then, chapter two as promised. I look forward to your thoughts.
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Eric's POV
"Half past five and still she sleeps on." I say quietly after waking and seeing Tyra still asleep beside me. After she'd bathed and finished tying up loose ends at her place we drove back here to mine at around 1am, and she stayed up catching up with Pam until around five this morning. She then sat and loaded six memory cards worth of photographs from our lengthy vacation onto her laptop for an hour, so it's little wonder she's tired. Getting up carefully so as not to wake her, I first head into the kitchen area of my home and check that the cat has enough fresh water, finding that she doesn't. After topping up the bowl I provide her a small handful of dried cat food, and watch her come running from her spot on the couch as soon as I put her plate down.
I've never minded animals, but I never thought it'd become my routine to care for one in this way on occasion. I became used to it when Tyra was kidnapped; it became one of the routines that prevented me from going insane from being parted from her. I also never expected to devote myself to a woman in the way I have Tyra either. It was a huge conflict at first, but now it feels very easy. We're incredibly well suited after all, and utterly besotted with each other. Pam is correct when she states Tyra is the human, female version of me. In her own right though, she is someone very deserving of my affections, and I at long last hers after initially being anything but deserving of them. Although I've always enjoyed my life after death very much, I cannot deny I enjoy it even more with Tyra by my side.
By her side is where I suddenly fly to, after leaving the shower I've entered quickly after feeling distress flare within her. Stopping and sitting on the edge of the bed my suspicion over what I felt is confirmed as I see she's restless in her sleep. She's had occasional nightmares over what happened to her ever since she was taken from me. They only trouble her for a few moments after she wakes though, immediately soothed when she feels the relief of knowing it isn't real. I look down at her and stroke her head until she wakes, not wanting to shake her awake. You shouldn't do that to someone who is dreaming. She omits a little groan and then her eyes fly open, looking puzzled and scared for a few moments before she focuses on me and smiles.
"Just a dream," I tell her, watching her nod as I lean down and kiss her forehead.
"I hate that I'm over it when I'm awake, but it still gets to me in my sleep," she says, sitting up and then clearing her throat.
"Dreams cannot be controlled without a lot of practice," I inform her.
"A person can control their dreams?" she asks.
"Yes. Come and get in the shower with me now, and I'll tell you all about it." I offer, to which she takes my hand and follows me back into the bathroom and under the hot jet of water I left running. While she washes her hair, and I wash the rest of her, I tell her all about the practice known as lucid dreaming. It has no effect on me even though I can still dream, my brainwaves when I'm at rest are not strong enough for me to do that (being dead of course) but Tyra can.
It's at times like these I'm glad I'm as learned as I am. I enjoy being able to share that knowledge with her, even though again in her own right she is extremely intelligent. It's one of the things I like the most about her, this astounding woman I have come to genuinely love, regardless of the blood bond I have with her. My love for her was in place before, I know this. After we've dried and dressed we head upstairs to find Pam. It turns out though, Pam finds us first.
"We need to go to the office, now," she tells us, pointing at the door of it as she carries on walking past us. We turn and follow her, and as soon as we're inside the vicinity of said office, Pam gets right to the point.
"Sophie Anne is dead," she plainly states, folding her arms as I walk around my desk and sit down, Tyra perching her splendid form on the opposing corner.
"How and when?" I ask, not particularly grieved that the queen of Louisiana is dead, but curious to know the details of course.
"I wasn't given a whole lot of information, but Helen Carmine from the AVL will be arriving here in half an hour to speak with you about it. Her secretary would tell me no more, and wouldn't allow me to call you to the phone." Pam informs me.
"Dear Sophie Anne, she will be missed," I then say sarcastically, not able to bite back the smile that spreads to my face when I hear Tyra snort with laughter momentarily. She knows the former queen of Louisiana is no friend of mine. I'm actually quite glad the scheming little bitch has met her true death. She was nothing but a thorn in my side. Little am I to know now, but in twenty four hours from now I'll be wishing, praying even for the resurrection of Sophie Anne.
"So, our first meeting with a post-Edgington AVL," I say to Tyra, after Pam has excused herself to return to the front doors.
"You want me to be there too?" she asks me, turning to look at me.
"Yes. Of course, both you and Pam," I tell her, reaching for her hand and bringing it to my mouth to kiss. "I've told you before I consider you my equal, and because of that status you have in my eyes, I don't want you left in the dark over matters such as these. It's important for you, to be well informed." I then add, while she smiles faintly at me, looking a little surprised.
"This time last year, I'd have never thought I'd hear the following words leave my lips. You make me feel remarkably respected, Eric. I really do like that," she tells me before turning around and moving toward me in an almost feline way, crawling across the desk and resting her hands at the edge in front of me. After that, I receive a very big kiss.
"How long did Pam say until Helen Carmine arrives?" I ask her, watching as she trails a finger around the neckline of my t shirt.
"A half hour." she replies, her finger now running down the centre of my chest.
"Stay right where you are." Before she knows it, I've shot out of my seat, locked the office door and crouched behind her to pull her underwear off underneath the long grey dress she's wearing. After sliding said long grey dress up until it bunches at her waist, I have a very clear view of where my mouth is about to busy itself until my impromptu meeting with the AVL representative.
Twenty nine minutes exactly later, and we're sitting opposite Helen Carmine. It makes me smirk slightly when I notice Tyra's chest is still rising and falling a little heavily, with her cheeks flushed pink with post orgasmic glow. Helen neither asks nor cares who Tyra is, much like Pam did earlier she gets straight to the point of her visit. She's an attractive vampire, of Italian descent with a crisp New Jersey accent. I estimate she was about twenty three when she was made, and has roughly three hundred years on that now. I'm good at guessing the age of my kind, sensing it even.
"I'll get right to the point, Mr Northman. As your associate here will have told you, the queen Sophie Anne Leclerq met her true death last night. It was a tragic accident. She died at home after a rotten tree had a substantial sized branch break off and crash through the window. Unfortunately, a piece of that wood went straight through the queen too. Her remains were found this morning by her human staff," Helen begins efficiently, yet sounding genuinely moved by the death of the queen at times as she spoke.
"She was newly married before her death, so the state will not be without a royal for long. For legal reasons right now, and because the acceptance and boundaries for taking on Louisiana are still being negotiated with the new king and his party, I cannot disclose his identity. But what I can do is fly him here to meet with you, should the deal go through smoothly. He will personally want to meet the sheriff of each area, of course," she then continues.
"I'd appreciate to be kept fully informed over this, and yes, it'd be a pleasure to receive the new king in due course, providing this deal you speak of goes through," I tell her, watching her stand and take a business card from her pocket.
"My secretary and my direct office line, if all goes as planned I'd obviously like you to close the club to meet with the king here. Let me know the loss of takings that will incur, and I'll inform my secretary to write you a check. Good evening, Mr Northman, ladies." is the exit speech Helen Carmine uses.
"Well, that was all very cloak and dagger. It must be someone who takes the job seriously if he's negotiating on territory that's his anyway," Pam says as she stands from her seat.
"It sounds like he's negotiating for more than just the state regency, or why would he dwindle on the official claim to the title? Smart move if you ask me," I reply, while I begin idly stroking Tyra's arm. I close my eyes for a moment, feeling her energy still sexually sparking strongly. This is something I've not yet managed to resist since we've been bonded, and I let it pull me in for a few moments before I become alert again.
"I guess we'll have to play the waiting game for now then. I'll see you both later at some point, no doubt." Pam drawls, blowing Tyra a little air kiss before she leaves the office.
"Interesting," Tyra says.
"Very," I reply, standing up and taking her hand to lead her out into the club to get her a drink before we head back downstairs.
"He's obviously very savvy if he's negotiating further deals over control of the state. Do you have any idea who it could be? I didn't even know she'd married," she replies, sitting down on one of my big couches while I sit opposite her.
"I did not know she'd married either, and also I don't think that was a commonly known fact, since if it was Pam would have told me while we were on vacation. Oh, I've no idea at all who the new king is either, unfortunately," I reply. "Although I do find it suspicious that she was wed and dead in such a short space of time. I'm not entirely sure I buy the story of her death being accidental." I then add in afterthought.
"Do you think the new king, whoever he is, had her killed and set it up to look like a tragic accident to gain control of the state?" Tyra asks. Her mind is of course razor sharp as ever.
"That is exactly what I think he's done. Helen Carmine laid it on way too thick. Even though I do believe she was genuinely unhappy over the queen's passing, I do think she does not believe it was an accident either, regardless of the evidence presented to the contrary. Said evidence must have been substantial if he was responsible, because no charges have been pressed against him for murder." I say, thinking aloud more than anything now. In any normal situation, say if Sophie Anne was not betrothed at the time of her death, the regency of the state would then fall into the lap of the next strongest and most affluent vampire. In this case me. However, I have made it noted before that I have absolutely no desire to become the king of Louisiana.
Becoming vampire regent of your state puts you up on the kind of pedestal I have no desire to stand upon. For many reasons, reason number one being it gives you little room to have much of an existence of your own. It strips your privacy, and holds your finances under a microscope. Being a discreet and secretive vampire is one of the reasons I have come so far, and stand out from the rest in a lot of respects. I am not prepared to have that kissed goodbye.
Being king also leaves you far more open to attack, and with Tyra's safety a paramount concern with me always now, because of what she is, I just would not have accepted if the title had been handed to me. Any consort of a vampire has a price tag upon their head, as it is the fastest way we can be got to. The same is said for our vampire children. Any consort of a king or queen becomes even more of a prize target for attack.
"She didn't mention my position of sheriff was under threat, I was glad to note. Usually in state takeovers by another regent they like to bring vampires from their own team in. This kind of exercise causes upheaval, I witnessed it in that period I lived in Miami in the mid 1800's. It shows efficiency on the new kings behalf that he wants to leave the hierarchy intact," I reply, while Tyra nods.
"When you put it like that, I suppose it does, yes," she replies before sipping her wine. Just then, we're interrupted by Pam.
"Tyra, you have a delivery. From Morocco!" she announces to my lady, while I watch both females look a tad excited at that news.
"Sorry, you're going to have to lose me for a little while. I need to sort through all of this." she tells me, getting up off the couch and giving me a kiss en route to the door.
"You enjoy." I say before she closes the door behind her. While we were in Morocco, Tyra shopped. Then, she shopped some more, and shopped a bit more after that too.
To be precise, she brought half of the contents of the Marrakesh open air markets and then to avoid the exorbitant charges for overloaded luggage, decided to send most of what she'd brought back here by Fed-Ex. It cost her about three hundred dollars to do that, which is not bad when you take into consideration just how much she brought. While she's busy fawning over what she brought I take the opportunity to make a phone call, to someone who is going to be tasked with putting his ear to the ground very shortly.
"Ahhh, the wanderer returns," Fabien says, answering his cell on the ninth ring. The giggling female in the background alerts me to the fact he's not alone.
"Lose your play toy for the rest of the night, Fabien; you've got work to do. I want you to find out as much information as you can on the recent marriage of Sophie Anne Leclerq, and also her true death. Put your ear to the ground, I don't buy the reason for her demise on what the AVL have been told for one minute." I tell him.
"I'm on it right away, I'll stop by as soon as I know anything, hopefully that'll be before sunrise." He replies before hanging up. The more information I can gather about this situation, the better. I'm not prepared to wait until the king, whoever he is arrives here. I want to know as much as I can, as soon as I can. Yet when Fabien gets here four hours later, I know what he's going to say before he sits his tall form down opposite me.
"Nothing," he laments, frowning heavily.
"You of course asked amongst all the usual circles?" I question.
"Of course I did, Eric. I'm not incompetent. Whoever this new king is, and whatever terms he's negotiating, and whether it was him responsible for the demise of Sophie Anne, all information is on lockdown," he replies, giving me a slight glare.
"Okay, I accept the details are being well hidden then if you could not find them," I reply with a nod. Fabien's frown vanishes after that.
"Whoever he is, he's keeping his cards close to his chest. Anyway, how was your vacation?" he says.
"Pleasant, and relaxing also. It was enjoyable not to have anything other than feeding and fucking to worry about," I reply, watching the corners of Fabien's mouth twitch into a smile, and a deep laugh rumble out of his throat.
"I can imagine it was," he replies.
"I'd rather you didn't," I reply, making him laugh once again.
"I've left an attractive woman in my bed, excuse me but now my work is done for you I'd like to get back to her." He then tells me as he stands.
"If there's still no news by sundown tomorrow, cast your search net further." I tell him before he leaves. As ever, it is of imperative importance that I try to remain one step ahead of everyone else, the AVL, kings, queens, whoever. Yes, you're absolutely correct; I do have a problem with authority. I have a problem with not knowing enough about them.
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Tyra's POV
"I just cannot believe the quality of these silks, and the price you got them for!" Pam exclaims as once again she goes through the fabrics I brought out in Morocco and had sent back. I got beautiful coloured silks for the equivalent of twenty dollars a metre. That's crazy cheap. I even chose a few colours for myself, since Pam has offered multiple times to make some items of clothing for me.
I didn't just have fabric sent back, oh no. Small carvings and statues, one big iron candelabra I couldn't resist, wooden vases, herbs and spices (that I intend for Lafayette since I hardly cook), jewellery and other little bits and pieces were all boxed up and sent home. I did the same with things I purchased from Australia, which arrived back here two months ago now. I still have those to sort through. Needless to say, my bank balance and credit card are both suffering at present.
"I look forward to seeing what you can create with them," I reply to my friend as I pack away everything I excitedly pulled from the boxes like a kid at Christmas, ready to transport up to my car before I head to bed later this morning.
"So, I want to see these photographs you took in Australia and I want to see them now. I've always wanted to visit, for so many years." Pam replies as she pats the space on the couch next to her, and picks up my laptop that I went and retrieved from Eric's apartment about half an hour ago. I saw Fabien on my way out of there. I wonder if he's still talking to Eric, or off harassing poor Sookie again? I get myself up from my cross legged spot on the floor and sit down next to her, leaning over and finding the file full of photographs, and flicking the folder marked (funnily enough) Australia.
"Hell on high heels, Tyra! Is that a real crocodile?" Pam exclaims when she sees the first picture of me sitting on an adult crocodile's back, my hands on his head.
"Yes, and he isn't stuffed either. But notice his jaws are taped up so it was just the claws and tail I had to watch out for. If they strike you hard enough, their tail can break your bones," I tell her, watching her widen her eyes a little and then look back at the picture, and click to the next.
"Now that's just being silly," she snorts, witnessing a picture of me taken as I had a go at croc wrestling. They let me have (under heavy supervision) a little ruck with a baby croc, since I was so enthusiastic to try it out. The croc I'm lying with my arms and legs locked around in the picture was eleven months old and about four feet in length. He was still a strong beast though, despite him being virtually a baby. I was tired after ten minutes of pitting my strength and wits against his, even though at every step of the way, Paul, Richie and Des, were all telling me exactly what to do.
"Pam, you're not a worrier or someone who isn't intrigued by danger either," I comment, moving on to the next pictures, of me doing the same thing under floodlights at night. Eric didn't believe me when I told him what I'd done, so after calling and arranging it with the nice guys who owned the crocodile sanctuary (Des living there on the property) we arranged to go back that evening.
"I am with you," she says, patting my hand and smiling and looking very un-Pam for a few moments. She can be very tender when she wants to be, when it's with someone she cares about. Admittedly, that only really extends to me and Eric, but still…
"That one there was the biggest, and the meanest. His name was Satan, and he was sixteen feet long, and weighed about two thousand pounds. He can't be released into the wild because he's missing an eye, that's why he's there," I tell her as she flicks through the pictures taken from various angles of the huge reptile. She then bursts out laughing when she gets to the one of him and Eric.
"How predictable, he has to find the biggest and most pissed off one there and prove to it he's superior." Pam laughs as she looks at a picture of Eric holding Satan's jaws between his hands and kissing his nose. The noises that crocodile made at him as he was doing that were frightening, but in the end something so amazing happened in that pen. Satan of course tried to attack Eric as soon as he stood in there with him. It was only because he was a vampire that the guys agreed he could go in there in the first place, and because of that fact after a while the croc began to calm down.
'Eric mate, I reckon he's confused as hell because he's never met anything a rung above him in the food chain. Look at him, trying to work you out.' Paul shouted over the fence at the time, as Satan stood low, staring and hissing at Eric as he moved closer to him. I remember the scene like a video playing in my head, and narrate the whole thing for Pam when I do actually locate a video clip of it I took on the camcorder. Sadly because I fucked up, there's no sound in the clip. It does show the end result of Satan realising he couldn't get one up on Eric though.
'I need pictures of this to show me wife! The old girl will never believe me otherwise, Jesus Christ would you bloody look at him! Sitting like a lamb, he is!' Richie exclaimed as he took a photograph of Eric sitting on Satan's back scratching his head, the croc sitting there as happily as a gargantuan, agitated crocodile with a vampire on his back can be. I narrate that part for Pam too.
"You Swedish, you're all crazy," she says, flicking through the photographs some more and landing on the ones of me doing a bungee jump of a huge bridge. I did spend a few days here and there going off on my own exploring in the various areas of Australia we travelled to. I have six hundred pictures from that beautiful country alone. I took the liberty of buying massive photo memory cards before we went away.
"I had to do that, to get me over my slight fear of heights. That bridge is three hundred feet high so I think it did the job nicely. I was more scared of jumping off that than I was of the crocodiles," I inform her as she continues to flick through the pictures.
"Of course, you're more than used to handling large, temperamental beasts with a taste for human blood." she chirps, making me laugh softly. It's so good to be home, catching up with the people I've missed. It's a shame that under twenty four hours from now, I'll be wishing Eric and I are far away from here.