Melanie:
“Mel, phone! I’m wiping!”
Tara yelled from across the room. I leaned the mop against the wall and walked behind the bar to answer it.
“Merlotte’s this is Melanie.”
“Hey, Melanie. This is Mike Spencer. Is Tara in?”
“Yeah, give me a minute.” I covered the mouthpiece with my hand. “Tara, it’s for you.”
“Well who is it?” She asked, approaching the front and taking the phone from my hand.
“Mike Spencer.” I shrugged, taking a few steps back to let her talk on the phone.
Her attitude disappeared after a few seconds and tears filled her eyes. She hung up and looked over at me.
“What is it sweetie?”
“Eggs, they’re burying him today. I have to go.”
“Terry! We’re leaving! Tell Sam I’ll be back!” I yelled in the back before taking Tara’s hand. “We’ll take my car.”
It didn’t take long for us to get there. Tara running out before I even put the car in park. I followed behind shortly and saw her talking to Mike. Only he and a couple of his employee’s surrounding the casket. Tara stared down at it before turning her attention back to Mike.
“If I’m the only one here, who paid for all this?”
“I did.” Sookie came through the trees. “Look, I get if you don’t want me here. But I thought at the very least, Egg’s deserved a real funeral.”
“No, come on.” Tara waved her over pulling her in for a tight hug. “The casket’s nice. You didn’t have to.”
Sookie hugged her, resting her head on her shoulder. “None of this makes me feel better about anything. But maybe it might help you.”
“It doesn’t. I know you mean well, you always have. But there ain’t anything anyone can do right now.”
“Well at least you got somewhere to come see him now.” I walked over next to her.
“Might not seem like much.” Sookie added. “But I like having a place to go when I wanna see Gran. Every time I visit her, it hurts a little bit less.”
Tara laid her head on my shoulder as she watched them lower the casket. Sookie rubbed her back as I held her close to us. As much as I disliked my sister, this was for Tara. Our bickering could wait.
“Will you come back home?” Sookie asked. “I’ll be in Jackson for a couple of days. I got a lead on Bill. You and Melanie can watch out for each other while I’m gone.”
There it was. She couldn’t got a minute without mentioning Bill. I rolled my eyes and she saw me, but I would not mind spending some time with Tara while she was gone.
“You’re not going with her?” Tara looked up at me, a hint of surprise in her tone.
“No, honey. And I’d love if you would come back and stay with me.” I nodded.
“Lafayette’s making me so crazy. I wanna eat the wallpaper.” She laughed through her tears. “Of course I’ll move in.”
OOO
“Get your goddamn hands off of me!” Sookie screamed from downstairs, causing me to drop the laundry basket in my hands and run down. “You’re a werewolf and I’ve had vampire blood! I’ll kick your ass!”
“Listen!” He held her still. “Eric Northman’s the one who sent me.”
I stopped mid run down the stairs after hearing Eric’s name. Sookie stopped struggling and looked from me to him.
“My name is Alcide Herveaux. I’m here to look after you.” He explained letting her go.
I walked down the remaining steps and Sookie backed away from him to stand next to me.
“He said that one’s off limits. Damn shame.”
I heard him think as he looked between the two of us.
“How do we know you ain’t lying?” I stepped forward.
He laughed, his deep voice sounding like more of a roar. “Because if I wanted you dead no amount of vampire blood would’ve helped you by now.”
Sook and I looked at each other. With his size, there was no doubt that was true and he certainly didn’t look like the junkie from last night.
“Take off your shirt.” I commanded, reaching for the heavy silver candlestick on the end table.
“Excuse me?”
“I said take off your shirt.” I repeated myself holding the candlestick tightly.
He held his hands up to calm me down before he removed his shirt. His muscles slightly distracting me as I approached him. I examined his chest and neck before circling around to check for any branding on his back.
“He’s clean.” I told Sookie. “You can put your shirt back on.”
He smirked, watching as I walked back in front of him, putting the candlestick on the coffee table.
“Smart girl.”
“I’m Melanie.” I shook his hand after he had his shirt on. “This here’s Sookie.”
“I’ll make us some coffee. Why don’t we sit down in the kitchen and you can tell me why Eric sent you.” Sookie motioned for us to walk to the kitchen.
Alcide took a seat at the table, his massive size made the chair he sat on look miniature. I leaned against the counter as Sookie moved around to make us the coffee.
“The house is in no shape for guests, I know.” She placed a cup on the table in front of him and one near me. “I’ll tell you about it in the car.”
“I hear you read minds is that true?”
He thought as he looked at Sookie.
“Yes, it is.” We both answered simultaneously.
He looked between her and I, bewildered. “Son of a bitch!”
“How’d Eric rope you into taking me to Jackson?” She asked, sitting across from him.
“My old man.” He sipped from his mug. “He’s got a construction company in Caddo parish. Came up a little short on a project. Went to Northman for a loan.”
“Wouldn’t be my first choice.” She shook her head.
“That’s why he was your first stop when Bill went missing?” I pointed out, taking a sip from my mug.
Alcide let out a quiet laugh hearing the bitterness in my voice. “Well you take what you can get. Only reason I’m here is to help him get out of debt. I don’t do favors for vamps. Plus I know the pack is sniffing around. You ain’t gettin nowhere without an in.”
“Are you friends with them?” She asked hopefully.
“I wouldn’t call them friends exactly. My ex is banging their leader.”
“Damn.” I mumbled.
“That pack is a cancer to our kind. Weres have lived in Jackson for almost 200 years without a single human knowing it. Now these son’s of bitches come into town and there’s a crime streak a mile wide. Not to say the rest of us are above violence, but you shut the barn door behind you.”
“One of them came after me last night, in here.” Sookie let him know.
“Yeah, Northman mentioned that. Looks like a hell of a fight. You going to be ready for more of that in Jackson?”
“They took someone I love from me.” Sookie looked at the ring on her hand before looking back up at him. “I don’t know about you, but I was raised to fight back.”
“Great.” He finished his cup. “You’ll get us both killed.”
“Yeah, don’t think for one second she cares.” I put my cup in the sink.
“Shut the fuck up, Melanie!” She turned back to Alcide. “I’ll pack light.”
She walked upstairs and I grabbed a beer, handing one to him before he followed me outside on the front porch. I watched as squirrels played on the dirt road. The leaves blowing in the soft wind as I took a pull from the bottle.
“You don’t like her very much do you?”
“Yeah, well you stay alive long enough and you won’t either. That girl will be the death of all of us just for Bill.” I sighed, placing the bottle on the banister before resting my hands on it. “I love my sister very much, but at some point you realize you can’t keep chasing her into a losing battle. Sookie has gone blind since Bill came into her life. There’s not a single life that has any worth to her when it comes to getting to him.”
I looked back to hear her footsteps coming down the stairs. “You be careful Alcide. Good luck.” I patted his chest before grabbing my beer and going inside.
Eric:
“Jesus Christ, what’re you doing out there?!” Melanie opened the window to her bedroom.
“Can I come in?” I asked out of courtesy, floating above it.
She looked down at the ground outside before looking back up at me. “Can all vampires fly?”
“Can all human’s sing?” I retorted.
“You wouldn’t think so if you heard me in the shower.”
I laughed, climbing through the window as she stepped aside, shutting it behind me. I looked around the quaint little room. Simple and uncluttered. Old furnishings added character while a few pictures of her family hung on the walls.
“What are you doing here?”
I stepped in front of her, placing my hands on her hips as I lifted her into my arms, her legs wrapping instinctively around me again. My mouth took hers, devouring her lips as I pinned us against the wall. Her hands made quick work of my shirt while I trailed my tongue down to her neck, her moans sounding like heaven. She kissed my bare shoulder, before biting me softly, causing a growl to escape my lips.
“I’ve missed you.” She moaned against my skin.
“I haven’t wanted anything this much in my entire life.” I breathed against her neck, resisting the urge to drink myself into ecstasy.
“You want more or I boring you?” Yvetta broke me out of my thoughts and brought me back to reality.
Melanie was nowhere in site. Only Yvetta dancing in front of me at Fangtasia. “That’ll be all.” I waved her off.
She scoffed, looking offended as she got off the pole and disappeared into the crowd. This was getting bad. I couldn’t think straight without my thoughts somehow going back to her. Whether she was okay. What she might be doing. Who she was with. I never understood what Bill Compton saw in Sookie. I never got what that connection was, but then I met Melanie.
I had to see her. I stood from my seat, ignoring Pam’s knowing looks of disapproval and walked to the front door only to see Melanie approaching from across the lot. She froze momentarily as she saw me before a warmer smile crossed her face.
“Melanie. To what do i owe this visit?” I asked meeting her halfway.
“I came to say thank you – for Sookie.” She shoved her hands in her back pockets, looking up at me.
“Well you’re welcome.” I nodded, sensing she had more to say.
She bit her lower lip, lowering her head to look at the ground. “And-”
“And?” I asked.
Her eyes returned to me, I could hear her heart pounding. It made her veins only look that much more delicious. What was strange was the emotion she was feeling inside. I’d felt every feeling she’d had but I wasn’t sure what this was. It felt uneasy almost like she was unsure of herself.
“And I came to figure out whatever this is between us.” She said after taking a deep breath. “What you said last night – about not understanding what this is – I feel it too. I have this urge to be with you at all times and I know it’s more than just having drank your blood. I -” she paused, trying to find the right words. “I care about you. More than I want too and more than I should but I do. I don’t know if it’s love. I pray it’s not what Sookie feels for Bill because it would end in utter and complete disaster, but I want to find out.”
I looked down at her, hands shoved in my pockets. I knew this was a horrible idea. I knew she could get hurt. Almost everyone around me had but I wanted to be selfish. I wanted her to want me as bad as I did her. Maybe it was just the blood or the sex that drew her here or maybe it was the fact that she actually loved me. There was a stronger bond there than just blood.
She hadn’t abandoned me at the church in Dallas, she’d stuck up for Godric, and came to console me after, and those were all on her own terms. There was something deeper with Melanie Stackhouse, but as she said, I too prayed it would not go about like Bill Compton and her sister.
I took her hand in mine, stepping closer to her as my free hand rested on her neck, gently brushing my thumb against her jaw. She relaxed at my touch, leaning into my hand as she looked up at me.
“Then be mine Melanie. For as long as you want to. For as long as you’ll have me. Be mine.”
I could see her thinking about it. Her independence meant a lot to her. I’d never had to ask before and I have made my mind up long ago about her but no matter what I had said, she wouldn’t have agreed unless she wanted too.
“I’m yours.” She whispered. “For as long as it takes for us to realize how batshit crazy this is – every part of me is completely yours.”
The look in her eyes told me how serious she was. I hadn’t expected those words to come from her mouth, not anytime soon, not ever. I pulled her in for a kiss. As much as I wanted her body, as much as I had been craving her blood – right now all i could think of was kissing her. Claiming what was mine.
Her lips pressed against mine. Soft and tender her tongue brushed against them, her hands sweeping my hair back as they wrapped around my neck.
“And I am yours.” I whispered as she pulled away, leaning her head on my chest.
“I like the sound of that.” She smiled.
OOO
“We definitely need to work on redecorating this room.” Melanie let out a satisfied sigh as she curled against me, her arm draping over my stomach.
“If it means having you in here more often then consider it done.” My fingers traced the curve of her back as her head lay on my shoulder.
She pressed her lips against my chest, tracing kisses along my neck until they reached my lips before they curved into a smile. I was putty in her hands. Never in my thousand years had I felt anything as strong as this. Her smile almost bringing my dead heart back to life.
“Eric!” Pam banged on the door. “We’re being raided!’
Melanie sat up concerned, the sheets barely covering her exposed breasts while I lay back and enjoyed the view.
“So? Call the AVL. They’ll get their lawyers on it. I’m busy.”
I leaned in closer to her, sniffing her neck before kissing along her shoulder causing her to giggle from the tickling sensations.
“It’s not the police… it’s the magister.”
I sat up quickly, putting my clothes back on. “Get dressed. Hide.” I looked at Melanie as she was already up following my lead before I walked out the door.
“They’re here for the V, Eric. The Queen set you up.” Pam told me as we walked into the main room. People already ripping everything apart.
“Take her.” The Magister ordered as his security grabbed Pam.
I dropped my fangs and hissed as they pulled her away from me. I watched as his nose sniff something in the air.
“Do you smell that? It smells like heaven. What is that smell?” He walked around trying to follow the scent. He disappeared out of my sight before coming back pulling a screaming Melanie with him by her hair. His security held her still while the Magister sniffed her neck. I could feel her fear as she tried to get out of their grips.
“Let her go!” I screamed as he dropped his fangs to bite her. “I am who you want. But I have been framed.”
The Magister licked her neck, desperately wanting to taste her sweet smelling blood but he pulled away and brought his attention to me.
“Oh, you’ve got the wrong man. My dog ate my homework. I saw Goody Osburn with the devil. Excuses are one thing I can assure you do not get better with age. Do you deny the blood being sold in your area.” He motioned over to his goons who were holding small coolers filled with vials of V.
“Not on my orders.” I answered truthfully.
“Then on whose? The Queen’s?” He motioned for his guards to wrap Pam up with Silver, her screams filling the room. “What shall it be, sheriff? Desecration of the blood or treason against your regent? Both the amongst the most dire of crimes>” He looked at Pam, a sadistic smirk on his face as he took the silver end of his cane and ran it down her chest, peeling off the skin.
I stepped forward, powerless to help in any way as Melanie looked on horrified, screaming “Stop!”
“It was Bill Compton!” Pam screamed out in pain and looked at me.
“It’s true!” I went with it. “He’s gone missing. You’ve seen yourself how easily he betrays our kind for personal gain. I believe he is behind this and I am gathering evidence to bring him to you. Now let me finish my work.”
I could feel Melanie’s anger with me but I could also feel Pam’s pain and fear. If it took framing Bill Compton to release both of them, then that’s what would have to happen. He noticed me looking at Melanie and approached her, his hand stroking her cheek before she pulled it away.
“They say the loss of a loved one is almost as bad as the loss of a child. Both of the deepest of despair.” Both women looked at me as he spoke. “Two days, Mr. Northman or they both die.”
Special thank you to Sydney for her donation! I will post the new chapter of Poetic Justice by tonight! <3