Chapter 21: Bull in the Heather

Pam didn't knock on his door before walking in, which greatly annoyed him. His progeny should know better by now, but under certain circumstances, she tended to forget. This seemed to be one of them.

"Nan fucking Flannagan is at the front door for you." She quipped, completely ignoring the fact he was in the middle of dinner.

He knew to expect her visit, especially after checking the evening news. Turns out, Olivia knew a thing or two about mass human behaviour. He still believed the story would die in another cycle or two, but he had certainly made more ripples in the water than he intended to.

Eric was about to tell Pamela to just let the AVL's Alpha bitch in when he realized why Pamela had burst through his bedroom door. She couldn't, and neither could him. Olivia owned their fucking house, and she was the only one who could invite other vampires inside like she had done with Chow the previous night.

He pulled his mouth away from the human woman sitting on his bed. "Call her, don't you?" Eric said, caressing the woman who became agitated with Pam's rude entrance.

Pam lazily walked to his dresser and dialled Olivia's number from his phone. Eric returned his attention to the woman on his bed, while Pam's gaze rested on both of them. He didn't mind her watching. After a minute, she rudely interrupted again. "She hung up."

Eric pulled again harshly from his dinner, who whined in pain and restlessness. Pam was going through his phone now, and before he knew it, she was deep in his text messages.

"The bitch apparently requested a PTO for tonight? I didn't even know we did that," her brows arched in discontent.

"We don't," Eric grumbled, losing his appetite.

Olivia Carson had epically bad timing. What could possibly be so important that she would ask for personal time off? Had she forgotten who she worked for? Or what did she for a living? There was no time off from this.

"I'll deal with her, go entertain Nan."

"You're joking-"

"Go!" He thundered, making his dinner whimper. Pam stormed out, leaving the door wide open. "You too." He motioned to the lady whose name he couldn't bother remembering. Disappointed their time was over, she quietly got dressed and left.

Eric put on a shirt and called Olivia again. It went straight to voicemail - she had turned off her phone.

"Why? Why can't everything just work smoothly for once?" He muttered to himself before calling Chow. "Find her now. Call me when you do."

And because Chow was one of the last competent vampires on earth, he did so without questions or complaints.

Eric finished getting dressed and headed down to the main floor. He could hear Nan's shrieks from the top of the stairs. When he got to the lobby, Pam was nowhere to be found, but the front door was wide open with Nan fucking Flanagan standing by it, wearing an all-white suit and holding a burgundy briefcase.

"There you are! Northman, I don't know what kind of circus you're running here, but-"

"I can't invite you inside, Nan." Eric interrupted, making his way down from the last steps.

"You're telling me you don't own the house you live in?"

"Security measures," he scanned the living room again, but no sight of his progeny. He gave her one fucking task- "At what do I owe the absolute pleasure of your visit?"

"Drop the act. You know damn well why I'm here. The press conference; I want to know who was the moron who green-lighted that TV appearance without my say-so."

"What, you own the television now?" He sneered. "It's my area, I will appear on the local TV if I want to."

"The fuck you do. Your goddamn face is plastered all over CNN," she said full of resentment. If memory served him correctly, it was the one platform that refused to have her on as a guest.

"Ah, I see. So, has my face ruined our reputation yet?"

He knew the answer, he just wanted to rub it in. "No," she squinted. "Our ratings are up. You polled favorably with most age groups, and higher than me with white men over 35."

"Wow, humans are stupider than I thought."

"Oh shut the fuck up, Northman." She grumbled, her fangs peeking out from behind her thin lips.

"I accomplished what I needed to, I'll stay off your spotlight from now on. Just wear a slutty dress or something on your next TV appearance and I'm sure they'll forget all about me."

Nan's jaw locked for a moment and her eyes were boring holes in his skull. Then she dropped the bomb. "We're 8 points higher on the polls for the Vampire Rights Amendment since this morning. The higher-ups think you are too valuable not to use. Trust me, it wasn't my choice either-"

"Too bad I am already working full time as the Area 5 Sheriff for our good Queen Sophie-Anne LeClerc."

"I know. Which is why my people and the Queen agreed on letting the AVL use you sporadically."

Oh hell fucking no. "Define sporadically."

"While your political capital is still high, you are going to represent vampire interests at a fundraiser gala for a Governor campaign in Baton Rouge this Friday."

Just when he thought things just couldn't get any worse. "Well, aren't I the luckiest girl in school?" He stared at her resting cold bitch face. "Yeah, I don't think so. I'll be busy sawing off my own arms this Friday, see how long it takes for them to grow back."

She tilted her head and gave her a sour look. "I don't remember giving you a choice, Northman. If you can't make it, I can easily make you not Sherriff any longer. Would that clear your busy schedule?"

The two stood in the doorway, stuck in a stalemate. Eric had to rethink his strategy: would he be willing to be a double slave in the short term, in order to not be Nan Flanagan's pitbull long term? He knew what the answer was, and he was regretting ever going on television right about now.

Nan took his cold silence as compliance. "That's what I thought," she smirked, pleased at bending Eric to her will. She opened her briefcase, pulled out a thick manilla envelope and shoved it on Eric's chest. He grabbed the heavy papers reluctantly.

"Are we done here?"

"We sure are. And make sure to bring a human date. Someone classy, but not a prostitute. Your accountant or your lawyer would do."

Bringing Olivia to this was adding salt to the wound. "What does she have to do with it?"

"My PR team thinks it will play better than if you show up as a couple. Everyone loves a little love story. We already paid TMZ to be there, you'll be on the tabloids come Saturday morning as America's newest love story."

Eric blinked slowly, unsure if this was all a bad dream. "I am over a thousand years old, do I look like America's newest love story?"

"Hey, I didn't make you get in front of the camera," she waved her arms. "You wanted the glory, now you gotta pay for it. Why did you hold that press conference anyway?"

To get the cops off the trail of an arsonist who was paid by the vampires of Arkansas to take him out partially for revenge, partially because he was the Queen's strongest ally and they wanted to see her fall.

"I have my reasons."

"I'll pretend that I care," Nan sighed, then gave one last eye roll before making her way back to her car parked in the driveway. "Be there Friday night. And it was five thousand dollars a ticket, so dress like it. Read the briefing, I'll keep you in the loop."

"Or don't," Eric called out as she got in the car.

She glared at him before she closed her car's back passenger door. He just knew Nan was giving him the finger behind the black tinted windows as her driver drove off. Eric held the heavy envelope in his hands. He wondered if Nan just didn't take no for an answer, or if this assignment was really worth the entirety of Area 5. And the worst part is now he had to drag Olivia into this.

It seemed that the more he fought his way to stay alive in this world, the tighter the Authority held his grip on him. There was no way to outrun them, to outmaneuver them, to be free. He paid a steep price last time he thought he was above Nan Flanagan, and he was not willing to pay it again. He couldn't afford to.

"PAMELA!" His voice shook the empty walls of the house.

In response, her voice called from the backyard, which he followed marching with disdain at every step. Pamela disobeyed him all time. Her insubordination was a luxury he gave her, he realized because he himself couldn't. One step out of line, and he would lose it all. Eric found her comfortably sprawled on the patio sofa deep inside the garden gazebo. She was feeding Debbie Pelt blood from her wrist like a renaissance painting. The werewolf woman was on her knees, suckling on Pamela's wrist as if life depended on it, irregularly breathing between sips. Pamela stroked the woman's hair with the other hand, enjoying the total and absolute control she had on the woman.

Eric approached watching the scene, his fangs ached with anger. How could she be so reckless as to feed a werewolf junkie her own blood with the AVL breathing down their necks? Even if Debbie Pelt was their mole and she had crucial information, this was not the time and this was not the fucking place.

Pamela noticed Eric approaching and gave him a dangerous smile. "Oh, you won't believe what little Debbie just told me."

Chow dropped Olivia off in front of Eric's humble abode and drove off without a word. In fact, he said nothing all ride long. She could tell he wanted to by the way he avoided looking at her - dead woman walking. Olivia felt butterflies scratch her insides as she stood alone in the dark sidewalk, peaking at the house's dim yellow lights behind the overgrown trees. She took a deep breath. He cannot hurt me, she reminded herself. The worst he can do is feed her his blood again. The thought of having him coursing through her veins again made her shiver.

But not with fear, no. With fucking anger.

Olivia raised her chin up high and strode up the path to the house, both fearless and pissed off. To an outsider looking in, Olivia looked like she got pulled out from a not-a-date to a not-a-booty-call. She was about to knock, but the door swung open before her knuckles hit the door. Eric stood in the doorway looking taller and sexier than usual, his icy blue eyes staring her down. He wore his usual black jeans and tight black crew neck which showed every chest, shoulder and arm muscle he had. The Viking motioned for her to come inside, and she followed. After closing the door behind her, he locked it. The last time the two were alone in this house, things got… Unpleasantly heated.

"Why don't you have a seat?" His cold voice spoke behind her.

"No." If she said it once, she said it a million times already. "I am here, now what do you want?"

"Sit down, Olivia!" He hissed, his fangs showing through the corners of his mouth.

Slowly, she entered his living room and sat at the edge of the armchair closest to the door. She crossed her leg, letting the slit of her dress cascade open. Eric paced calmly around the room, looking directly at her with the intensity of the sun. But he said nothing. He knew where she was, he knew who she was with. But did he know why? Did he care?

You know what, she was tired of having to explain to him how their relationship was supposed to work. She was tired of being treated like a child, of having to walk on eggshells and having to factor in Eric into every fucking choice she made.

The vampire stood perfectly still behind the opposing armchair, hands grabbing the high back like a macabre portrait. He was studying her, thinking about what to do. She came all this way, so he could think?

"So? What do you want? I am busy." She barked.

"Are you? Thought you were having some personal time off."

Olivia burst with anger. She stood up and hurled her clutch on the chair she jumped out of. "I've been busy working for you every fucking waking moment for months-"

"And you spend your one night off on a date with Alcide Herveaux?!"

She clenched her jaw, trying to hold a howl of anger inside. She knew their blood bond had faded, so she didn't understand how Eric got under her skin so easily. Liv was about to tell him it wasn't a date, but maybe it was safer for her to tell him that it was. "Who I date is none of your business."

"For someone who claims to see our enemies coming from a mile away, you surely disappoint me. Unless of course," he let go of the chair and walked around it, getting closer. "You know exactly who Alcide Hervaux is."

"There are aspects of my life that I simply do not have to explain to you."

Eric raised his brows, surprised at her reaction. "Why were you meeting a federal agent, Olivia?" He tucked his hands into his pockets, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Olivia felt her nails dig crescent moons on her palms. She internally argued with her own pride and ego on whether or not to tell Eric Northman, vampire Sheriff of Area 5 that she had immensely fucked up. That her actions caused the DEA to open a case on him. She feared saying it out loud would make it real, but the situation she was in was already very, very real. She was about 5 minutes from swallowing vampire blood or worse.

"I was on a date." She told him but Eric chortled, not believing her bluff. "What? Is that so hard to believe?"

"You are an excellent liar, Olivia." Eric smiled, untucked one hand from his pocket and gently stroked a strand of hair off her face. She felt a cold shiver run up her stomach as if she plunged hip-deep into arctic cold waters. "But I know you got my house by bribing my lawyer with a car and it made the wolves rather suspicious."

And suddenly the arctic cold waters were up to her neck. "How do you-"

"You think you can make moves around my back?" He asked in deadly a whisper, his smile suddenly vanished. If looks could kill, she would be dead. "There is no behind my back."

Eric had this gift of making everything sound like a threat. She was beginning to wonder if that was just how he spoke. Olivia knew she was all out of cards to play, a feeling she wasn't used to at all. How in the world could Portia Bellefleur have snitched on her? And why would she do so? She hates vampires, she would never - wait a second… There was someone else who would know about the car.

"Debbie Pelt," Olivia muttered. "She works for you. She works for Portia and knows Alcide. You knew the DEA was coming for you this entire time."

He smirked at the question, pleased she figured it out. "What does my good lycanthrope friend Alcide Hervaux want? Other than rearranging your insides."

"It was just a date, Eric, which you ruined by the way. And ew-"

"Is that so?" He smirked again. He didn't look particularly sorry. "Did he at least offer you immunity?"

She shifted the weight on her heels feeling hyper-aware of how close they stood. Eric was getting exceedingly good at making her body wish they were closer. "I would never-"

"Answer the question."

Rule number 10: if you are going to bluff… "I know this may surprise you, but we didn't talk about you. Not once."

"I have other ways of making you talk," his voice was threatening in a dark and perverted way.

"Oh, I'm sure you do," her gaze dropped to his lips. She could feel her heartbeat against his chest.

But he had other plans. "When I call you I expect you to answer me, have I made myself clear?"

Oh hell no. She snapped out of it. "No. I won't be at your beck and call like a trained dog." She grabbed her clutch and pulled out her phone to call a cab. "Now can I go?"

"I'm not done with you."

She sighed, trying to relax her shoulders. Her whole body was jittering. "What else do you want, Eric?"

He faced her head on, his body touching her front, sending goose bumps everywhere. Their eyes were fixed on each other, and she was never so thankful he couldn't read her inner emotions as he could weeks ago. Because being this close to him awoke something in her much bigger than anger.

"You."

Her heart missed several beats. "Goodbye, Eric."

And she forced her feet to take long strides away from the vampire before she did something monumentally stupid.

"Oh, come on Olivia!" Eric called out, his frustration bouncing off the walls of his big empty house.

She was two feet away from the front door, but she whipped her body around to look at him one last time. "You do not summon me!"

But Eric was right behind her, his large cold hand slipped around her arm and pulled her closer. She tangled into his arms softly. "You do not walk away from me!"

"Let me make something very clear," she glanced at his fangs which were glistening two inches away from her lips, then back up at his dark cold blue eyes. Maybe it was the unexplainable heat coming off her skin making her delirious, maybe she just ran out of lies for one day; because what came out of her mouth was the raw and indisputable truth. "I am not a toy for you to play with when you're bored, or lonely, or horny! I am not a prize for you to show off to your friends, or an asset for you to use! If you want me, Eric, then EARN ME!"

He looked at her again with that look she didn't quite understand, then retracted his fangs. Any emotion he showed her suddenly disappeared as he let go of her and stepped back. His whole demeanor changed as if he suddenly were speaking to someone else entirely.

And when he spoke, he was talking to his accountant and nothing more. She didn't know why that hurt some deep part of her, but it did. Eric Northman was not interested in earning her in any real way. No one was. "The American Vampire League was pleased with my television performance and wants me to use my newfound influence at a political fundraiser this Friday, and I need a human date."

He stiffly reached for a large manilla envelope on the sideboard table by the stairs and handed it to her with his long arm, keeping a healthy distance. She felt her body moving in slow motion as she accepted the heavy package from him. "Please tell Portia Bellefleur to be ready at 8."

Then the world flung itself forward a bit too fast. "What?"

Eric approached her and she swore he was going to touch her again, and for a split second she yearned for it. But his hand reached for the door's deadbolt, unlocking it and pushing the door open for her to leave. He was done with her. She didn't understand her own disappointment at his cold reaction, but she felt an invisible hand twist her gut sideways.

"Sure."

Olivia gathered her broken pride and walked out. It wasn't often that she made herself vulnerable like this, but Eric was a master at jumping over the walls she had built to protect herself. Clearly, she had to build them higher.

She was halfway down the path out his front garden when his voice called out through the dark night. "Did she?" Olivia turned around and saw the Viking studying her from the top of his porch. For a moment he looked saddened for letting her walk away. "Did she earn you?"

It took her a full moment for her to realize who he was referring to. "Yes," Liv said, avoiding his gaze. "But I wish that she hadn't."

A.N:

Ooof God, I love writing spicy chapters!

I was re-watching True Blood this week and I honestly forgot how unbelievably hot Alexander Skarsgard is. Seriously, how is it even humanly possible to be THAT attractive?

And thank you everyone from the bottom of my heart for the lovely comments I've received so far, especially from the last chapter. It means the world to me that you love my little story.

Til the next chapter! Much love