The Prey in the Night

Chapter 5

  There was a knock on the coffin I was in and I could hear Thalia asking if I was up. Popping open the lid, I smiled at her and slid out. Getting out and having a good stretch, I saw the woman was back to being chained up with a gag in her mouth. This was an interesting turn of events. If my memory was correct, they said all they got was a small sample of her blood and that she escaped but yet, here she was in the flesh. Mr. Northman was hiding this giant secret here in his basement. "So, she's the cure huh?" I made a head motion towards her. "Yes, but you saw nothing. No one is to know she is here unless they pay the right amount." Nodding in agreement we went to head upstairs when Eric came down the steps freshly showered and changed. "Ah, glad to see you're awake. How'd you sleep?"

 "A little stiff." I couldn't help but chuckle at my own innuendo and thankfully Eric and Thalia laughed as well. "I bet you're hungry?" "Is it that noticeable?" yet again I couldn't help but snicker as I looked at my body. He made his way down the stairs and in-between Thalia and I. "Come, have a drink. Best part about it, is you'll be immune to Hep-V." Eric said, waving a hand at the lady chained up and winking. You didn't have to tell me twice as I headed for the now shaking woman. I was in no mood for her shit and grabbed her by the hair, forcing her head to the side and drank my fill. 

"Thank you, Eric, I appreciate your hospitality." Nodding he responded, "My pleasure, thank you for having our backs. Although I'm proud and a bit headstrong, I will say that if you weren't here the situation might have ended differently. Come." Thalia and I followed behind him back up the stairs and out into the bar. The bar was now damn near spotless and didn't even look like a fight had broken out. "Pays to know the right people I suppose." I muttered, taking a seat at one of the bar stools. "How much longer until you're open for the night?" I asked, taking another look around. "Another hour or so. Why?" Eric responded, standing handsomely at the end of the bar near his stage and chair. "Well I needed to know so I could go. Don't want another repeat of last night." Just then, all eyes turned to me. "You're leaving?" Thalia asked, coming to stand by my side with a small amount of worry. Did they really think I was going to stay? I already told her my plans.

"Honestly, did you think I was going to stay? I already told you Thalia, and Eric, I'm not sure how much you heard of our conversation but I'm sure you heard at least that. I plan to travel around a little bit more before finally calling it." Thalia's eyes were wide, Pam looked anywhere but me, and Eric...well, he wouldn't look at me. He seemed to be off thinking. "Well I refuse to do it. My darling, there are many things I'm willing to do for you but to end your life is not one of them." She said softly, caressing my cheek. I just sat there, a little stunned that she downright turned me down. "I should have known better. I'm sorry to have intruded on you all. I believe it's time I take my leave. You all take care and it was such a great pleasure to meet you. I only wish I would have met you all sooner." Standing to make my leave, the silence was deafening, and you could cut the tension with a knife. I had almost made it to the door when I heard Pam call after me. Surprised I turned around to meet her. "Just stay, can't you see that it's killing her on the inside knowing that she will never see you again? Because I can tell you one thing, I know that if the roles were reversed, Eric would have told me no as well."

"I'm sorry, I really am. Pam, although you've been around for quite some time, add another thousand years to what you already have. I have fought in many battles. Learned what I could and studied everything I ever dreamed. Then what? Sit around and watch as the vampire race decimates itself because of absolute nonsense? Because I can't. To put simply...I'm tired. I have loved every second of my vampire life, but I just want to be done. Thalia is the only thing that has kept me around for this long."

"Darling, our lives are all about learning whether we know or not. It doesn't matter how old we get, there will always be something to learn. As humans evolve then so do we." Thalia said, taking a step forward.

"She's right Ahti. What I have with Pam, there are no words. If she were to come to me with the same request, I would have downright denied her the moment those words came off her lips. I care very much for her as Thalia does for you. That's just something her nor I could ever do. I'll make you a deal though." Eric replied softly, catching everyone's attention with his last sentence. "If you stay and help me train my security and teach me things that I myself may not know, then I will give you the true death myself." Thalia gasped and shook her head crying out: "You can't!" My strong, careless, tough maker was not happy. She had a mix of confusion, hurt, and anger written all over her face. I'd almost say that she was shaking, whether from being upset or angry that I was unsure of. But then again, the only time emotion ever came from that woman was anytime I was around. Her eyes were pleading, and I have never, in my two thousand years, saw that come from her...she was desperate to keep me around.

"Please let me think about it? I'm going for a ride and I will return later this evening with an answer." And with that I took off for my bike. People were already lined up the moment I stepped out of the doors and some of the security guys were getting out of their cars and headed for the club. Mounting my bike, I took off out of the lot and back to Bon Temps...for reasons unsure to me at the time. Maybe it was because I needed to talk to someone who was unbiased. Maybe it was because I just needed to ride. Bon Temps wasn't too far away that I couldn't make it back to Fangtasia before the sun came up. 

I had lived a harsh life before being turned, and it wasn't that I wasn't thankful for Thalia's gift. To put simply; I was over it. I never wanted to join the Authority and looking back I'm glad I never did. Politics weren't for me. The human's military was laughable to some degree. I've learned what I could of religions that fascinated me, learned of old cultures and the people who still stick to those ancient customs, traveled and saw things I was never able to before. The list of all the things I've accomplished just go on and on. I was lonely and tired. Tired of always watching my back. Tired of making sure that if I did drink from a human that they weren't infected. And tired of being lonely. Most of the great people I did get the chance to meet had passed long ago. Thalia was legitimately the only person/vampire I had in my life.

Eric did pose a good idea however. He was younger than me by about 1000 years give or take and there were definitely some things that he had no knowledge of. His security needed help as well when it came to how they were handling his bar. Just maybe, I could stay for a short time and help him in what he has asked of me before I finally do decide my fate.

Soon, I was out of my thoughts and was riding down the familiar dirt road that led to Jess's.