New Blood Part II- Eric's point of view

[ericsvalkyrie]

It was the night before Thanksgiving and the entertainment wanted a meeting in my office. I couldn’t fathom what was so amusing that Pam felt I had to meet with them personally. She normally handled all of the staff, some more so than others. But whatever demands they had, she assured me I would want to deal with it my self.

There was a knock on the door and I called out, “Enter!” The dancers filed in, one by one, looking like recalcitrant school children facing the principle’s justice. I noticed that only the youngest vampires were present. None of the older ones were among the crowd. That fact alone peaked my curiosity. Angelina, the youngest at 6 months, was the one to speak.
“Mr. Northman, we understand the club is scheduled to be open tomorrow on Thanksgiving. Some of us need the night off sir.”
I thought about the word need. I couldn’t quite conceive what a vampire would “need” to do on Thanksgiving, a holiday that could have easily been held in a Roman vomitorium. I waited for further explanation.
With my silence, Angelina began to look nervous.
She stammered on. “It’s just that some of us have family who are still alive and we want to be with them on Thanksgiving.” I could see faint spots of color on her cheeks. She must have been quite the blusher in life.
“I see,” I replied. “Are you sure of a warm welcome?”
A few of the dancers found it an appropriate time to study their footwear. I considered refusing their request. However, I decided if they wanted to put themselves through that sort of torture, who was I to stop them? After all, I knew all about self flagellation.
“Fine,” I finally spoke, “but I expect each of you back on Friday evening. It’s the busiest night of the week; especially after a holiday.”

They all gave their grudging assent and filed out just as they had entered, one by one. Pam was waiting outside the door. She came in and closed it behind her. Her smile split her face from ear to ear.
“Isn’t that just precious? They want to go home for Thanksgiving. God, was I ever that stupid…and young?”
A brief montage of Pam’s first year as a vampire flashed through my mind. “Yes, actually you were much worse.” She stuck her tongue out at me. She was spending too much time with Katie.

If I wanted to be honest with myself, not that I had any particular desire to do so, I had to admit that I was the one spending too much time with Katie. Since she had moved in almost three months ago, we had rarely spent a night apart. I had grown far too used to her presence, and the sense of….comfort, that it seemed to provide.

I wasn’t fool enough to send her away simply because I didn’t yet understand her place in my existence. But I had found myself withdrawing from her. And she was aware of it. Twice in the last week she had slept on the couch. A meaningless gesture that still managed to annoy me. The bed didn’t smell the same without her in it. I didn’t smell the same. At least she wasn’t fool enough to try and force me onto the couch.

I had received a call two nights prior from the Queen of Louisiana, Sophie Anne LeClerc. The time and place for this year’s Enclave had been announced. The vampire hierarchy was to meet in New Orleans on December 15th, at the private estate of the Regent of North America. Her name was Tituba, and it was widely believed that she was THE Tituba of Salem, Massachusetts fame. She was one of the few creatures in the last thousand years that had given me nightmares. What a pleasant holiday surprise. I had to attend of course. Everyone the level of Sheriff and above was expected. There were certain dire circumstances which could offer an excuse not to attend, but luckily I was not in such a situation this year.

The only dire event I dreaded was Katie finding out. I hadn’t told her about the announcement, but I knew Frankie would be calling her soon. They spoke at least three times a week. It was exceedingly irritating. When he called she would drop everything to talk to him. And the way she would squeal, “Frankie!” every time was simply nauseating. I hadn’t met the man and already I disliked him.

Frankie would be attending the Enclave, as would JD McCandle, Prince of Atlanta, Katie’s former boss, and self appointed “father figure”. Apparently he was bringing both Frankie, his Toreador primogen, and his Nosferatu primogen, Oil Slick. Didn’t he sound like a lovely individual? Once Katie got word that they would be in residence, she would insist on going. And I would have to insist she not go. We had yet to suffer a serious argument, but I felt one looming ahead.

By the time I went upstairs for the evening, I knew my fears had been realized. Katie was sitting on the couch with her hands folded in her lap. She was perfectly still and silent, signs I had come to know as the calm before the storm.

As I entered she glanced up. The look in her eyes was one of anger and disappointment. I couldn’t contain the sigh that rose within me.

“When were you going to tell me?” she angrily demanded. I didn’t need to confirm what she was speaking of. Her cell phone lay on the coffee table in front of her. Her color was high and I was momentarily struck by the sight of her. I had seen much more beautiful humans in my time; but whatever quality it was that she had about her, it sometimes took my breath away. So to speak.

“Perhaps the night I left,” I replied. If I had thought to win points for honesty, it didn’t appear to be working.

“I shouldn’t have had to learn about it from Frankie! You should have told me! You knew he and JD were going and you didn’t even mention it! Why?” She had a pleading, hurt look on her face. I preferred her anger.

Again I sighed. “Because I knew you would react like this. You cannot go and you know that.”

She froze in place. Her anger rapidly returning. I could feel it from the doorway. “You’re forbidding me to go?”

I closed my eyes and hoped for patience. “It’s entirely possible that certain individuals who want you dead will be attending the event. It could place you in harm’s way. Unnecessarily, I might add.”

Katie looked at me through narrowed eyes. She was composing her rebuttal. An extremely intelligent human, I knew it would be a good one.

“So let me get this straight,” she said in a conversational tone, “my life is in danger, and the three people on this planet who are most capable of protecting me, will all be in one place, at one time; some place where I am not. If I were an ‘individual’ interested in harming me, that would be the chance I was waiting for!”

It was a good argument, but I already had my answer. “Pam will be here. She will make sure that you’re safe at all times.”

Katie’s face scrunched up like an infant’s, and her wail wasn’t much more age appropriate, “But I could go and just stay in the hotel. I wouldn’t have to go to Court or be seen by anyone. JD and Frankie could some see me there.” She looked like she was about to start begging. It wouldn’t do any good, and I didn’t want her to resent me later.

“No,” I cut the conversation short. “That’s my final answer. If they want to see you so badly they can come here.”

“You know they can’t go on walkabout! Especially JD.” Her teeth were clenched now, her jaw line set. “Eric, think carefully, is that really your final answer?”

When she phrased it that way, it made me pause. Was she giving me an ultimatum of some kind? I couldn’t control her like I could other humans. I started to doubt my reasoning. But what mattered most was that she get used to obeying me. I was her protector. How could I do that when she wouldn’t secede to my wishes? When had women stopped listening to men?

I looked down upon her from above. It was easy to intimidate someone when you towered over them. “Yes, that is my final answer.”

Katie turned on her heel, marched over to the counter and picked up her purse. Stomping back over to the coffee table she snatched up her phone and headed for the door.

“It’s 3:30am, where are you going?” I snapped.

Her reply was to slam the door shut behind her. Well, I thought, that went better than I expected.

Seventy two hours later I wasn’t so sure about that. Katie was still not speaking to me and had slept on the couch the last three nights. She wasn’t being vindictive or rude; she simply ignored me for the most part. If I spoke to her directly she would respond, but she didn’t initiate contact in any way. I missed her body. I missed her blood. I had grown used to talking with her.

I had heard her on the phone earlier with Lafayette. She probably wished to discuss how long she should punish me. He had become her confidante. That meant he would be coming to the rescue. Perfect timing, I needed to collect his latest list of buyers. The Queen was ready to do further investigation.

I was in my office when I heard Katie clomp down the stairs. As I had for the last three nights I strained to hear her voice. I had to know her whereabouts if I was going to watch over her.

I heard a few syllables, including ‘Lafayette….Krispy Kreme’. Ah, of course; the fried dough place. Every time she became upset she fled there. I couldn’t imagine being so comforted by something external. Then I had a flash of memory; myself in my father’s mead hall, after my brother was killed. For three days I was so drunk that I simply stayed on the floor. I ate there, I slept there, I drank there, surrounded by my father’s hunting hounds for comfort. Perhaps I could understand after all.

Katie had been gone for 5 minutes when my cell phone rang. It was Lafayette. A tiny frisson of alarm went up my spine. My senses, honed as a warrior, told me that something was not right. I picked up the phone.
“What’s wrong?”
“Eric,” Lafayette’s voice shuck, “you better get up here to the Krispy Kreme. It’s Katie….”
I dropped the phone on the desk and blurred out the back entrance.

I arrived at the place in a matter of seconds. Katie’s car sat in the back parking lot. I saw Lafayette on his knees near the vehicle. He knelt over a prone figure. I knew instinctively that it was Katie lying motionless. As I got close enough to make out details, my mind reeled back. I was seeing something I hadn’t witnessed in almost five hundred years. A human, on her back, with a two-handed great sword stuck in her gut. I sank to my knees beside her. Her eyes were closed and blood was running in a tiny rivulet from the corner of her mouth. I was thankful she was unconscious. I would have to remove it.

I had done this countless times on the battlefield, but it had been almost a thousand years since I’d done it for someone I cared about. I tucked that revelation into the back of my mind for later consideration.

I grasped the hilt and wiggled the sword. It moved easily back and forth; it wasn’t caught on any bones. I slowly pulled it out of her, checking the wound with my hand as I did. The lack of foul smell told me that the assailant hadn’t punctured her bowels. They obviously hadn’t known how to use a sword. They had simply stuck it straight in, instead of making an upper cut thrust. Thank Odin they had been unskilled.

Katie’s pulse was weak but steady. It wasn’t a life ending injury. But she was hurt very badly and needed blood. A small part of me was pleased to have an excuse to give her mine. Perhaps then I could sense her emotions, thus knowing when someone was alarming her.

I bit into my wrist to start the flow of vitae. Propping her up I parted her lips and let the liquid slowly trickle into her throat. She coughed once, and then started convulsively swallowing. As she slowly came around, she clamped onto my wrist and truly began to feed. She sucked eagerly and I felt myself grow hard at the site of her mouth, overflowing with my blood.

I could sense when she’d had enough. I had to pry her loose from me. Then she passed out again. I stood up, taking her in my arms. I also picked up the sword. It might be possible to trace it back to its source. I turned to race back to Fangtasia, but as I made to leave a figure stepped out of the bushes.

A woman stood there, a very beautiful woman with long ebony hair and pale skin. She looked like a vampire, but I knew she wasn’t one. She did have an otherworldly quality about her. I wondered briefly what kind of supe she was. I growled and turned Katie in my arms, shielding her with my body. The woman put both hands out, palms upward in the universal signal of I have no weapon, I mean no harm.

“Please, do not be afraid, I did not hurt your lady. I did, however, see who assaulted her. I wanted to tell you.” Her accent was strong, eastern European.

“Why?” I asked, suspicion I couldn’t hide lacing my voice.

“I come to your club to dance. It is a nice place, no hassles for me.” She gestured towards Katie, “She is a good DJ, I have a lot fun there. I thought to help.” She shrugged her shoulders.

I gritted my teeth, hating to be in debt to anyone but unable to pass up the information. “I would be in your debt if you would tell me what happened.”

“It was a vampire. A Nosferatu I believe. He came out of the shadows. She pulled in here,” she gestured to the parking space. “He crept up behind her car. When she got out, he made a noise. She turned around and when she did, he ran her through. Then he cloaked himself again and disappeared. I don’t feel him here anymore,” she said, looking around.

“What are you?” I asked.

“I am a magus, a Cultist of Ecstasy.”

I knew little about mages, Dr. Ludwig being the only one I dealt with on anything resembling a regular basis. If she was any indication, the information would eventually cost me greatly.

“She was surprised to see him standing there. She knew what he was I think.” She shuddered slightly, “She looked to the neon sign as he moved to strike her.” Under her breath, almost to herself she added, “Apparently this one is not a haven.”

“What is your name?” I asked brusquely.

“Gheta Trumo,” she replied.

I half bowed to her, as much as I could with Katie in my arms. “I am in your debt.”

She smirked then, the look I had been waiting to see. “Yes, you are. Do not forget.”

I turned then and left Lafayette standing in the parking lot. I would deal with him later.

Once home I laid Katie on the bed. I stood over her, watching the color return to her face. I knew she would awaken soon and feel the full effects of my blood. I allowed myself a small moment of relief.

Someone had attacked her. Her nightmare had come true, and I had not been there to protect her. Because of a juvenile fight and my need to assert control. When had protecting her become so important to me? Was it the first night? The sex between us had been incredible, but the main thing I remembered is how she had mourned Godric. She had known him and sometimes just touching her was like a link to him.

Katie’s eyes opened; they were glazed with fear. Her hands clutched her stomach as she pulled at her tattered shirt. Feeling underneath she began to realize that there was no wound; that she was whole. She started to sob, big gulping breaths that shook her body. She held out her arms to me, something I had been waiting for, and I climbed onto the bed. As I held her I realized with shock that I could feel her emotions. Not just superficially, the way most people would empathize with anyone in that situation. I could really, truly feel what she was feeling.

As my mind began to process the information, I heard Katie hitch in her breath on a hiccup. She was calming down. Then suddenly, she sat bolt upright in bed, knocking the underside of my chin with her skull. As I closed my eyes to clear the stars, she said in amazement, “You’re feeling me. How are you….?”

I gave her a sardonic stare, “Think. What would have made you whole and allowed me to sense you?”

“Blood,” she whispered, “you gave me your blood.” She slumped back onto the bed, still in my arms. I took that as a favorable sign.

“Yes, I had to give you my blood. You would have died without it.”

Her eyes locked onto mine, the glazed look slowly clearing. She put her hand to her forehead. “The Nos, oh shit I remember now!” Her fist struck the bed. “That fucker! He ran me through with a fucking claymore!”

I relaxed a bit at her profanity. She was definitely feeling more herself. “Technically he ran you through with a two handed great sword. But as someone who has been on the receiving end of each, I can well understand how you could confuse the two.”

Katie’s eyes shot daggers at me, but I could see the corners of her mouth curving upward, ever so slightly. One thing you could count on from her was appreciation of humor. She even considered me amusing.

She sighed, settling deeper into my arms and playing with the buttons on my shirt. “Do you know what the worst part about all of this is?”

I was breathing in her scent, enjoying the purely visceral sensation of having her beside me, hale and hearty. “Hmmm?” I could imagine quite a few negative things that could arise from the incident.

“The very worst thing is, now I’ll be scared to go to Krispy Kreme. That freakin’ sucks! Too bad this one isn’t a haven…I wondered about that, now I know.”

Haven. That word jogged my memory. The mage had mentioned something to that effect. Now I was the one sitting bolt upright in bed as Katie fell to the side. “What do you mean by that?”

She lay flat on her back, staring up at me with an exasperated look on her face. “What, the haven thing? The Krispy Kreme on Ponce in Atlanta is a haven. You know, a free safety for supes. If you’re in trouble, if you can get to it you’re home free. There is NO FIGHTING at the Krispy Kreme. It’s owned by a pack of Garou and you do not want to fuck with them. Actually the Varsity is one too…it’s really convenient depending on which side of Peachtree you’re on…..” her voice trailed off as she realized she was rambling.

“The mage who was there, who witnessed the attack, she said you looked to the sign before you were struck. She made some comment about this location not being a haven.”

Katie’s face took on a look of total surprise. “There was a mage there? What?” she struggled to grasp the implications. She looked at me, a truth taking hold of her mind. “She has to be from Atlanta! Or at least have been there! Krispy Kreme is not the world’s supe hangout,” she bounced up and down on the bed, “How else would she know that?”

It was a valid point and as I thought about it, I realized it was more than coincidence that Gheta had been there. I needed to confirm my suspicions, however. “Katie,” I said contemplating the facts I had learned, “Have you ever sensed a mage here, inside the club?”

She scrunched her forehead together in thought. I reached out instinctively to smooth her brow. She smiled at me and my cock began to stir. “No, mages have a very distinctive feeling to them. They’re…..like, muffled somehow, their emotions are wrapped in gauze. Trust me, I’d know if one came in. Why?”

I didn’t want to discuss it any longer. I needed to think about the revelations of the evening, and didn’t want to voice my thoughts just yet. Also, I was so hungry for her that if I didn’t take her soon, I’d have to leave the room.

I leaned forward and kissed her. “Just a stray thought. Forget it. How are you feeling now?” I inquired.

She gave me a seductive smile and I knew the blood had taken hold of her. I could feel her desire, her eagerness and something softer underneath that I didn’t care to dwell on at the moment. I just wanted to be inside her. Needed to be inside her. I didn’t dwell on that either.

Leaning down I put my mouth to her neck. I loved how she smelled. It was like blood and sex and magic. Maybe I was thinking of the music she had played for me, but the sentiment was true. She smelled like life.

I licked her neck and taking her ruined shirt in my hands, I slowly drew it up and off. Her light pink nipples were already hard and presented too much of a temptation to be ignored. I leaned down to lick one, skimming the other one with the back of my hand. I didn’t think I could wait too long this time, and it didn’t feel like Katie wanted to either.

She grabbed hold of my shirt and pulled. She looked at it in disappointment when the buttons didn’t fly off. She pouted and I grinned at her. I yanked it over my head and a few buttons did pop off. She was struggling out of her jeans so I got off the bed to help. I grabbed the bottom of each leg and whisked them off her. She was lying on the bed in front of me, splayed out in a wanton position. All she was wearing was a pair of black satin panties. My cock twitched at the sight. Leaning down I slowly drew them down her legs, tossing them over my shoulder.

I unzipped my pants and drew them slowly over my erection. Off all the modern marvels I do appreciate, I could have done without the zipper.

As I was stepping out of my pants, Katie was on her knees, scooting toward me across the bed. She ran her hands over my chest, then back down to clench my ass. She squeezed hard and pulled me toward her. Looking up at me with a beatific smile she sighed, “My hero,” as she slid between my legs to sit on the edge of the bed. She reached out and took me in her hand. I watched her rosy mouth fold around my penis. I leaned my head back and groaned. She had the most fantastic mouth I’d known in hundreds of years. Thank the gods for women who love to give head.

She cupped my sac in one hand, rolling my balls back and forth between her fingers. She took me as far into her mouth as she could. I felt my cock buck against the opening of her throat. Her actions were turning her on as well. She was moaning deep in her chest. She relaxed her throat and took me in, all the way down to the base. I could feel my legs begin to shake and knew I wouldn’t last long.

Katie pulled me onto the bed and straddled my hips. Her aggressiveness delighted me. One of the best side effects of the blood that I’d ever encountered. I realized I needed to be inside her; I would die if I didn’t get in soon. I started stroking myself while I used my other hand to delve into her heated wetness. She put her hands on my shoulders as she slid onto me. Her head fell back and a guttural sigh escaped her lips. I heard myself moan, “So tight, so tight.” My head fell back on the bed and she started to move over me. I could feel her sense of wonder at what we were doing. How entranced she was, how she loved the feeling of her muscles stretching around me. I leaned up on my elbows and started sucking on her bottom lip.

I plundered her mouth. I didn’t know anymore where hers stopped and mine started. It was the most cliché thought I had ever had, but it was true; we were both like shooting stars, racing each other across the sky.
She moaned into my ear, “My lover, my man, harder, harder….”
I picked her up and laid her on the bed, wrapping her legs around my waist.
I put my mouth to her ear, “You will scream for me.”
Then my world went hazy and I started sinking into her, in a frenzy of need. She was trying to hold herself in place. I snaked my hand across her body and started stroking her hard clitoris. I rubbed my thumb over it in small, tight circles. She was panting like she was running a marathon and I wondered if she would hyperventilate. If I had breath I would have.

I felt her hands on my ass as she moaned my name. The wet slapping sounds of our joining had my stomach tied in knots. The colors behind my eyes were rivaled only by the feelings rolling back and forth between us. I licked the side of her neck before I bit into her. Her orgasm exploded as I stroked into her as hard as I could. I was right behind her and she was still screaming her pleasure as I spilled myself inside her.

Eventually we pulled apart, my wetness running down the inside of her thighs. Without a word we went to the shower and washed each other. It was a strange moment, much more intimate than what we’d shared before. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the new closeness, but for the first time in days I knew she felt safe. I felt absolved. I felt like a warrior again.

[Aaine]

Wow.
That's fantastic! You write him really well
Thanks for sharing it.

[sjbin73]

Wow that was great! I hope you keep them coming, at least unitl TB Seacon 3 starts.

[ericsvalkyrie]

Thanks guys, chapter 3 is up now.

[eternallybills]

Really enjoying the story, EV, and that's a tribute to your writing, because I'm a Bill fan. You channel the Viking very well, and I really like Katie.

Again, a few priceless lines:

"Leaning down I put my mouth to her neck. I loved how she smelled. It was like blood and sex and magic. Maybe I was thinking of the music she had played for me, but the sentiment was true. She smelled like life." (very poetic! And you have a great ear for the rhythm of the words.)

"She moaned into my ear, “My lover, my man, harder, harder….”
I picked her up and laid her on the bed, wrapping her legs around my waist.
I put my mouth to her ear, “You will scream for me.”"
OK, that last line got me wet! (Am I sharing too much, again?)

Oh, and I loved Eric comment about when did women stop doing what men told them to!

[ericsvalkyrie]

Thanks so much for the lovely feedback. It's great when other good writers enjoy your work. Especially because you're a Bill fan! I really do like the character of Bill. I think he's maligned and I hate the whole online fight between "Bill's fans" and "Eric's fans". I just personally prefer Eric because, to use your sentiments, he rates higher on my wet-o-meter I'm just grateful that Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball have grown and developed these characters for us to run with!

[eternallybills]

Thanks so much for the lovely feedback. It's great when other good writers enjoy your work. Especially because you're a Bill fan! I really do like the character of Bill. I think he's maligned and I hate the whole online fight between "Bill's fans" and "Eric's fans". I just personally prefer Eric because, to use your sentiments, he rates higher on my wet-o-meter I'm just grateful that Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball have grown and developed these characters for us to run with!

I know what you mean about the on-line nonsense. I go to one particular Bill-friendly site, and most of the posters are "refugees" from sites where they felt persecuted and attacked by "the rabids," as they call them. They are now quite bitter about Eric fans, and unfortunately, have tarred all with the same brush. One told me that Bill and Eric fans couldn't peacefully co-exist on the same site. I wrote about how civil, but lively,the debate is here, and mentioned several very coridial conversations I've enjoyed with lovely members of the Viking hoards. I quoted your story, because I thought that you gave a very positive portray of Bill as a kind (and sexy!) vampire, who just didn't happen to be your (and your character's) particular . I will also quote your message her, just to show them how different it is, here.

Lovely chatting with you.

I read the next chapter, but haven't had the chance to post a comment yet - I will revisit. Will you be returning to Katie's POV? She's a real firecracking, and very, very funny.

[ericsvalkyrie]

Yes, absolutely. The next chapter will be back to Katie. I had to write about Pam because I love that character so much and my best friends (who are mostly gay men) were like, you have to represent the gay community! At some point I'll do a Lafayette story. He's my fav character on the show. Thanks again!