Sophie-Anne was vague when she demanded Eric’s presence in New Orleans. Never mind that she wanted to meet on Saturday night, the busiest night of the week for Fangtasia. Her demands had become increasingly ridiculous in the last few years, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise. He landed outside her compound just after ten, and after being frisked by her security team, Eric was let into the mansion that housed his queen.

 The other sheriffs were waiting in a pool room with bright halogen lights that gave the false impression of being sunlight. Actual sunlight would have been deadly, of course. It wasn’t often that Eric found himself longing to be sitting on his throne at Fangtasia, but at the moment it sounded infinitely better than sitting through another one of Sophie-Anne’s meetings that did nothing but showcase her increasing incompetence. She had started out a strong regent but in the last few years her ability to lead the state had been called into question more than once.

Eric was smart enough to keep his feelings on the matter to himself. Trash talking the queen was an act of treason, not to mention he had no interest in taking her place. Running his area was as high up the political ladder as Eric had any intention of climbing. He stood against a wall by himself rather than joining in on the speculation of why they had all been summoned to New Orleans.

The minutes ticked by slowly and finally somewhere just before eleven, the queen of Louisiana finally made her appearance in a perfectly tailored ivory suit. There was excitement in her bright blue eyes as she approached the sheriffs. Eric put his cell phone in his pocket to give the appearance of paying attention to the queen. In his mind, however, he was contemplating the tiles from his game of Words With Friends he had going with Pam.

“Sheriffs,” Queen Sophie-Anne said as pleasantly as her acting would allow. She smiled at her officers as though she was thankful they arrived though they all knew there would have been ridiculous, even dire, consequences if any of them disobeyed. “Thank you for coming. I have some very exciting news to share with you,” she smiled.

The sheriffs were all quiet. Too quiet for her taste. Her face took on a more menacing expression, and then she repeated herself.

 “Oh…”

“What is it?”

Eric could have rolled his eyes at the forced, lukewarm response. He was certain everyone had better places to be than in that ridiculous sunroom.

The Queen smiled broadly, mostly because she enjoyed feeling the power she had over others. With a flourish of her hand, she cut off their halfhearted murmurings and continued her speech.

“As you all well know, vampires are much more accepted than we were just after the Great Revelation. There have been popular documentaries, movies, and even a band or two that have been sensations amongst the humans. Just last year our very own Eric’s maker was in a highly rated documentary on VTV,” she said, grinning right at Eric before moving along. “I have decided that it is time we cash in on this trend.”

Eric braced himself for whatever  cockamamie idea her warped mind had come up with. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.

She paused for dramatic effect, and then said, “My Queendom is going to be the center of the first vampire reality TV series!”

She had barely gotten the words out when she began to clap excitedly and bounce slightly on the balls of her feet as though she had just informed them all they were getting raises.

“Are you high on fairy blood?” Gervaise, sheriff of Area 2, asked the queen. Eric shared the sentiment but kept it to himself.

In the blink of a human eye Sophie-Anne was in front of Gervaise with her hand on his throat and her fangs down.

“Excuse me?” she asked, growling slightly after the words were out. Everyone could see her hand squeeze so tightly that her nails drew blood.

“What is the premise of the show, Your Majesty?” Leslie, sheriff of Area 3, asked to draw attention away from Gervaise.

In a sickening way, Sophie-Anne’s face contorted from menace to a fangy smile as she looked to Leslie. She threw Gervaise back slightly as she let him go and moved back to her original position in front of the sheriffs.

“Well Leslie, that remains to be seen. Each sheriff will get a camera crew and field producer. They will follow you around, film you, interview you, and ultimately decide what stories to tell. I expect you all to accommodate them properly. You will run your areas as you always have, and deal with situations as you always have. There is only one rule. No killing humans. Do not even harm them. We cannot risk the humans hating us, now can we?”

“VTV actually approved this?” Gervaise asked skeptically.

“Of course they did, or I wouldn’t be telling you about it, now would I?” she snarled at him. “Now stop asking stupid questions or you will become safety officer of your area instead of Sheriff, am I clear?”

He hissed at her but replied, “Yes, my Queen.”

“We are hoping for it to begin airing two months from the start of shooting. Your camera crews will arrive in a week to begin shooting,” she explained. “Eric, as your area brings in the most revenue after mine, of course, you are going to be featured the most on the show. They tell me the producer you’ll have is one of the best in the business. Be sure that she aids in the revenue you bring me rather than hinders it, won’t you? My Jimmy Choos don’t pay for themselves.”

“Of course,” he replied with a charming smile. She was out of her goddamned mind if she thought this was a good idea.

“Wonderful,” she grinned and clapped again. “Then you are all dismissed if there are no additional questions.”

“Is participation mandatory?” Gervaise bravely, or foolishly, asked.

Sophie-Anne smiled sweetly at him and said, “Yes, Gervaise. And just for your idiocy I want double the revenue from you this month. Dip into your own funds to get it if you have to. If not, your fangs are mine.”

He hissed again but kept his thoughts to himself.

“Anyone else?” she asked.

The room remained silent. Most sheriffs were probably too stunned by what they just heard.

“Good. Leave, all of you. It’s time for my massage,” she sighed as deeply as a human who had just worked all day.

Eric watched the other sheriffs depart the sunroom, but he stuck around. “Sophie-Anne, do you have any intel on the crew assigned to my area?” he asked.

She was looking at her reflection in a little hand mirror, presumably checking her makeup.

“Only the name of the producer,” she said, then snapped the mirror shut before turning to look at him. “Why?”

“I’m curious,” Eric replied with another charming smile.

Sophie-Anne smiled back and closed the distance between them. She ran her hands up his torso slowly, and then wrapped her arms around his neck like a lovesick schoolgirl.

“It’s Sookie Stackhouse.”

The name rang no bells for him, but then Eric didn’t have much time or interest in television. He watched the news, particularly the financial reports, but he had little interest in what humans found entertaining. That was more Pam’s domain.

“Thank you,” he replied.

“You know how you could really thank me, don’t you?” she asked, batting her fake eyelashes up at him.

He knew, and if she hadn’t gone raving, batshit crazy as of late, he might even be interested in taking her up on her offer.

“You tempt me,” he purred, “But I must be getting back to Fangtasia. It’s our busiest bright.” Appealing to her greed was the easiest way to put the fire out.

“Oh, how sweet you are to put my best interest ahead of my carnal desires,” she giggled and stretched up on her toes to kiss the corner of his mouth. “Go back to your bar, but know that one night I will have you all to myself, and you will never be the same.”

“I look forward to it.” It was bullshit, but it was better to play along than to challenge her as Gervaise had done. To prove that he meant it, Eric laid a kiss on her that left a centuries old vampire panting for air.

He left her standing in the unnecessary sunroom and departed the compound to return home. As soon as he was out of range of the mansion, Eric retrieved his phone from his pocket and called Reuben, the private investigator/hitman he’d done business with many times in the past.

“It’s Northman. I need you to run a check on Sookie Stackhouse,” he said and then shot up into the air to fly home.

 † † †

It was just after the dinner rush when Sookie Stackhouse pulled up to her hometown watering hole. She didn’t bother locking the door of her little Mazda before heading in. No one really bothered anyone else’s vehicles around there, and if anyone did, someone would tattle.

She smiled when she stepped into the still-busy bar and saw her boyfriend and owner of the place. He was behind the bar, pouring a drink for one of the waitresses to take to a table. What they had going wasn’t new, but it wasn’t exactly old either. She’d just gotten back from a long job and hadn’t seen him in almost two months, so at the moment it sure felt new.

When Sam looked up and saw her there he grinned just as wide and cocked his head towards the hallway where his office was. She nodded and pointed to her stomach so he’d know to bring her food when he joined her. Part of her wanted to socialize, but they were still a bit too busy so she didn’t want to get in the way. She’d talk to her friends on the staff when things died down a bit.

The noise of the chatter and silverware scraping on the plates died down when she closed the door almost all the way. It was nice to get away from all the research she’d been doing, especially since using her brain all day had lowered her strength a little. It’s hard to be around large crowds when you can read minds.

It was better to be alone with her own thoughts, even if there seemed to be a million of them floating around in her head. She kicked off her shoes and took a seat on the couch in Sam’s office. She had to tell him about her new job tonight, and knew he wouldn’t be too pleased about her working with vampires. Even though Sam was a shifter and knew all about what it was like to be different in a world full of judgmental humans, it was just in his nature to be wary of vampires.

She waited around ten minutes before he finally joined her with two cold beers and a plate with a burger and pickle chips on it. The smell hit her nose and made her stomach growl as soon as he set it on the little coffee table in front of her.

“I’m starving,” she grinned and popped a pickle chip in her mouth without bothering to kiss him hello.

“Hello to you too.” Sam leaned down to kiss her head.

She finished chewing and swallowed before responding.

“I’m sorry sweetheart,” she laughed. “I’ll kiss you good and proper once I eat. I didn’t have lunch today.”

“Busy day?” Sam took one of the bottles of beer and sat down in his regular chair.

“You have no idea. I’ve been doing research all day for my next project,” she said as she shook ketchup out of the bottle that was always on Sam’s coffee table. “You’ll be happy to know this one will last about six months, and I’ll be home for it.”

“That does make me happy,” he smiled. “What’s it about?”

“It’s uh…” she said, and quickly dipped a pickle chip in the ketchup and popped it into her mouth before answering. Sam gave her a strange look while she obviously stalled, but she knew she had to just spit it out. “It’ll be a vampire reality show.”

It sounded ridiculous when she said it out loud, but the pay was good and it kept her home for the foreseeable future. His beer bottle stayed frozen at his lips for a moment before he spoke.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said.

“I knew you weren’t going to like it, but I promise you I’ll be perfectly safe. I can take care of myself, and I had Hadley put into the contract as my personal bodyguard just in case,” she explained. “And while I appreciate your opinion, it won’t change any of this. So I’d also appreciate your support.”

Sam chuckled and said, “Sook, you never truly want to hear my opinion on anything if it differs from yours.”

“That’s not true,” she mumbled, then took a huge bite of the burger.

“Yes it is,” he shrugged.

But I love you anyway.

She was glad she had food in her mouth when she overheard that particular thought. Neither of them had said it out loud yet. Sam knew she could read minds, but he also knew she had it under control most of the time. Rarely was there a time anymore when she couldn’t block people’s thoughts. She was particularly careful to do so around people she cared about so as not to invade their privacy.

“It’s not… completely true,” she said after swallowing the bite. “I mean I liked hearing your opinion when you were helping me pick out lingerie, right?”

“Because it was what you wanted to hear,” he pointed out.

“But I did listen, didn’t I?” she offered with a flirty smile. “And the results were awesome.”

“Lingerie isn’t anywhere near the same thing as intentionally walking into the lion’s den.”

“It’s not really the lion’s den. I’ll just be working with the vampires who run Fangtasia, that club in Shreveport,” she said, but the expression on his face didn’t change. “Would you happen to know the owner? Eric Northman?”

“I know his reputation, and not what’s been made public,” he sighed.

“Why the sigh then? Is it bad?” she asked as she grabbed a couple more pickle chips.

“Well you have a pulse, so that makes you his type, for one thing.”

Sookie rolled her eyes and said, “Just because I’m his type doesn’t mean he’s mine.”

“He’s very convincing. Northman has a way of getting what he wants,” he said.

She reluctantly got up and abandoned the rest of her food so she could go sit on her boyfriend’s lap. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pressed her lips to his to give him the kiss she owed him.

“First of all, I’m a professional. I don’t get involved with the subjects romantically,” she said. “Secondly, I don’t have a thing for guys with no pulse. Haven’t so far, don’t plan to. And thirdly, the last time I checked, I was in a relationship with a really great guy who I have no desire to cheat on. Can that put an end to this?”

“What’s the show really about?” he asked in lieu of answering Sookie’s question.

She placed another kiss on his cheek and then got up off his lap to go back to her food as she explained.

“We don’t really have a story yet. Every vampire sheriff is going to have a crew following them. We’ll just record their day to day, and then it’s my job to figure out where the stories are.”

“And if there isn’t a story?”

“Then it’ll probably be dead in the water. But I’m really good at my job. I’ll find one,” she shrugged and picked up the burger again. It was starting to get cold.

“I don’t like it,” Sam said.

“Can I ask why exactly?”

“Because it’s dangerous. You know damn well that vampires aren’t the cute, cuddly, harmless creatures the AVL has made them out to be.”

“I know that,” she agreed. “But I can handle myself. We’re going to be filming them the whole time, what can they really do to hurt me?”

“You’d be surprised,” he muttered.

It could be Gran they go after…

That thought sobered her a little. She knew that vampires were scheming, conniving creatures. They wouldn’t give a second thought to getting to her through Gran if they had to. But she couldn’t think of a reason they would need to. She’d worked with them before and nothing bad had happened.

Sookie was quiet until she finished her food and once she took a good, long drink of her beer she joined Sam by sitting on his lap again.

“Can you support me in this?” she asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” he answered.

She visibly deflated a little and nodded her head.

“I think I’ll head on home for tonight then,” she said.

“Sook…” he sighed.

“I’m not trying to bribe you into fake-supporting me, Sam,” she sighed right back. “If you can’t support me then I don’t feel much like spending the night with you. I’ll just sleep on it and see if we feel differently in the morning.”

He inhaled deeply and said, “I love you, Sookie. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Even though she was a little mad at him for acting the way he was, hearing him say he loved her warmed her heart and softened her disposition more than she would have liked to admit. She didn’t quite feel it back yet, so she didn’t respond in kind.

“I care about you, a lot,” she told him, bringing her hands up to run through his hair, coming to a rest at the base of his neck. “And I really like that you love me. I promise that if things get dangerous, I will take every necessary precaution.”

“I still don’t like it, but we both know you’re not going to let that stop you.”

She grinned and said, “You know me well, Sam Merlotte.”

“I do.”

“How soon can you get out of here?” she asked, and then added. “Before you answer, you should know that I bought some very fancy underwear while I was away.”

“Ten minutes,” he answered.

“Good man,” she grinned and gave him a kiss that very much served as a precursor for what he could expect. “I’ll sneak out the back and wait in your bedroom.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

She got off his lap and Sam hurried back out to the bar to get his work done. Sookie snuck out the back door and grabbed her overnight bag from her car before making her way to Sam’s trailer with a smile on her face.

So he didn’t like her new job. She expected as much. But he was going to support her, and he’d told her he loved her. Life wasn’t too bad, and Sookie planned to enjoy as much of the next week with her man as she could before having to go meet with the vampires. And from the images she gleaned from his head as she’d kissed him that last time, there would be plenty of enjoyment to be had.

 † † †

Eric was less than pleased when cameras were installed in his office and around the bar to capture activity a live camera crew might miss. It was one thing to have a field producer follow him around but it was something else to have the cameras constantly rolling everywhere. There were certain vampire rituals or protocols he didn’t feel comfortable having filmed. A mass email had been sent out from the queen herself, informing the vampires in the state that a reality show was going to be filmed.

Her rationale for the show was the supposition that it would increase tourism, thereby boosting the state’s economy. Perhaps that was true, but Eric suspected it was more about padding the Queen’s own bank account. Her spending was off the charts, as was obvious by his recent visits to the compound. Every visit Eric made proved there was something different.

A gourmet kitchen had been renovated and a personal chef had been hired. That stupid ass sunroom was an addition onto the already mammoth residence. At last count, the house contained fourteen guest bedrooms, eighteen bathrooms, a library, solarium, billiards, three English gardens, two dining rooms, a ball room, movie theater, sewing room, music room and a grand trophy room dedicated to the artifacts from Sophie-Anne’s home country of France. She had furniture that once belonged to Louis XIV, paintings and sculptures.

It was true that most vampires her age had amassed a large personal fortune, but it was no secret that Sophie-Anne was using state funds to bankroll her lifestyle. Each month the sheriffs collected ‘taxes’ from the vampires in their retinue as a tribute to the state. The money was supposed to go toward the boosting of the human economy, providing safe places for abandoned newborns, events hosted by the state, reimbursement of sheriffs if they were required to travel, compensation for the spies planted out of state… The money wasn’t for Sophie-Anne to keep a personal masseuse on staff.

So because of her shitty accounting practices and out of control spending habits, the entirety of her retinue was being forced to participate in this shit show. The title, according to the email, was Game of Thrones. It wasn’t a title that inspired the hope that this was going to be a simple fluff piece on vampires in order to boost their image among the humans.

There was a knock on the office door to get Eric’s attention. He looked up to find Ginger, their faithful waitress standing in the doorway.

“Yes, Ginger, what is it?” Eric asked in his usual, deep monotone.

“There’s a delivery from a boutique downtown,” she replied.

Pam had gone shopping the night before. As soon as Eric had told her about the show she was plotting their wardrobe. Eric was the casual sort. Black jeans, t-shirts, black boots and a leather jacket was all he needed. Pam, on the other hand, was a little more… complicated. There were shoes, accessories and a bunch of other stuff to coordinate that Eric knew nothing about.

“It’s for Pam,” he said.

“Well unless you started wearing pink suits and five inch pumps, I figured that out,” Ginger replied. Her sass was proof of how much time she’d been spending with Pam lately. It’s”Then why are you bothering me?”

“Because she’s not here and they need a signature,” Ginger explained.

Right.

“I’ll be right out.”

Ginger sashayed away from the door. Eric saved his progress on the payroll he had been working on and stood up to attend to the delivery person out front. Of course that was when his phone rang in his jacket pocket.

“Northman,” Eric answered.

“It’s Reuben. The girl you called about is as clean as a vestal virgin’s twat. She was born Susanna Stackhouse on July first, 1987. Parents are deceased due to a flash flood in her hometown, Bon Temps. She has one older brother, Jason Mitchell Stackhouse, born November fourth, 1983. The kids were raised primarily by their grandmother, Adele Hale-Stackhouse, who still resides in the family home in Bon Temps. Susanna attended Louisiana State University and graduated in the top five percent of her class with a degree in communications. Her brother works for the Renard Parish Sheriff’s Department. She’s never been married and doesn’t have children. Currently she’s been seeing Sam Merlotte, owner of Merlotte’s Bar & Grille in Bon Temps. She has a passport and not so much as a parking ticket on her record,” Reuben said.

“Anything else?”

“She’s got a cousin registered with the AVL. Hadley Delahoussaye is eight-years-old. She was abandoned by her maker four months after she was turned. Currently she’s listed as a resident of Tennessee where she owns two restaurants,” Reuben concluded. “Basically, you’re getting the girl next door. There’s nothing controversial about her history.”

“Good to know,” Eric replied.

“Will there be anything else today?”

“That’ll do.” Eric hung up and tucked his phone away as he left the office.

A middle-aged woman dressed in khakis and a twin set, like the ones Pam wore in her off hours, was standing near a full rack of new clothing. Bag after bag of God knows what had also been brought in. One look at the receipt had Eric rolling his eyes. What Pam had spent in a matter of hours was more than some humans would spend in a year on housing. He signed the receipt and handed it back to the woman.

As soon as she was gone, Eric pulled his phone from his pocket to call his child. The clothes and bags of whatever needed to be moved immediately.

“What?” Pam purred into her phone.

“The fall line you purchased is sitting in the middle of my bar. Make it go away,” he replied.

“I’m on my way. I needed a good feed.”

Of course she did. The humans that came to the bar rarely passed muster. There was a big difference between drinking blood to survive and having a good feed. A good feed wasn’t just about the blood, but the sex that accompanied it.

“Don’t we all,” Eric said wistfully. It had been awhile since Eric’s last good feed.

“I’ll be there in five,” Pam said quickly before hanging up.

In addition to the cameras already installed in the bar for security purposes, four more had been added to catch the action in the room. Fangtasia was closed on Monday to give him time to handle the paperwork side of running a business, as well as to deal with his duties as sheriff. Eric had a reputation for being a good and fair sheriff. Unlike some, he didn’t have a laundry list of rules.

It was pretty simple: Don’t feed on humans in public, no abandoning your newborns, violating a vow of fealty was grounds for nothing less than banishment and all vampires in his retinue were required to make two four hour appearances per week at Fangtasia.

The front door of the bar opened and Eric was surprised to see Indira walk through it. She’d been a resident of his area for just over thirty years. He was a firm believer that the only vampire he could trust was a vampire he made, but Indira was on his list of allies. She had proven her usefulness and fealty in the past during an attempted takeover of the state back in the late seventies shortly before Eric was promoted to his current position.

For the vampires that abided his rules and had earned his respect, Eric was willing to do favors or be lenient during troubled times.

“Indira, what brings you in?” he asked as she took in the vast collection of new clothing and accessories littered around the bar.

“Pam is preparing for the reality show, I see,” she commented.

“That’s an understatement,” he muttered.

“I’ve come to ask you about it. What will this mean for us?”

“It’s business as usual, minus the camera crew. The producer that has been assigned to us may ask you a few questions,” he replied.

“About what? What could we possibly say that humans would want to hear? We’re not characters,” she complained. “I only want to do my job, serve you, and live my life quietly.”

“This wasn’t my choice. I don’t want cameras here either, but the queen in her infinite wisdom, has decided to use us to boost the state’s economy. When the producer arrives just glamour her to stay away from you,” he shrugged. Short of leaving the state, there was little else to be done.

“Consider it done,” she said with a small smile. “I will say that I am glad I am in your area, Eric. At least the queen fancies you.”

More than he’d like.

“It’s a double edged sword. Her fancying me means she’s pushing for our area to be a larger portion of the program,” he told her.

“Wonderful,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “I trust that you will keep the shenanigans to a minimum. We can also trust Pam to hog the cameras as much as possible.”

“That’s a safe bet,” he smirked.

“Is there anything I can do for you before I leave?” she asked.

“No, you’re free to go.” Eric nodded respectfully to her.

“Thank you, Master,” she nodded back, and then sped out of the bar.

Eric returned to the office and picked up where he left off with the payroll.

† † †

Sookie pulled up to Fangtasia behind her crew just after sunset. The parking lot was sparsely filled, mostly with what she assumed to be the cars of people who had gotten too drunk to drive the night before. There was, however, one very gaudy looking red corvette parked near the back of the lot. She assumed it belonged to Eric Northman based on what Sam had told her about him.

 While the crew began to unload equipment Sookie headed into the bar to get started with the owner. The front door was unlocked and she knew that any vampires inside would hear her as soon as she stepped inside.

The immediate interior of the bar surprised her a little. It was decorated in a palate of dark reds, which amused her, but it also suited the atmosphere. To her left there was a small area set up for souvenirs. T-shirts, mugs, key chains, and novelty miniature license plates had their own displays, but there was also a rack of what seemed to be a racy vampire man-of-the-month calendar. She wondered just how much money the bar made selling these things, and why anyone would really want to buy them.

When she stepped further into the bar the thing that caught her eye was the stage. There was one very ornate throne covered in what looked to be furs, and a couple of smaller thrones on either side of it.

“Well that’ll come in handy,” she muttered to herself, and then jumped when another person startled her with a very loud “Hello there!”

She turned to see a very skimpily dressed blonde behind the bar with an almost dopey smile on her face. There were clear vampire bite scars on both sides of her neck, and up her arms. A quick dip into her mind showed Sookie that the poor girl had been glamoured more times than she probably should have been. She was definitely harmless.

“Hi,” she smiled politely. “I’m Sookie Stackhouse, the field producer for the show we’ll be shooting. Can you tell me where I can find Eric Northman?”

“He’s back in his office. I’ll take you,” she said as she came around the bar.

Sookie followed her through a door that led to a hallway. There were a couple of open doorways that led into what seemed to be a break room, and one door for an employee bathroom. The girl led her to a closed door at the end of the hallway and knocked before letting herself in.

“Eric, the show girl is here to see you,” she said, but didn’t move from the doorway, so Sookie couldn’t see who she was speaking to.

“Send her in,” a deep, smooth baritone voice said.

The girl stepped aside and let Sookie move past her. She said a small thanks to the girl, who nodded and left the office, closing the door behind her. When Sookie looked forward she saw a man sitting behind a very large desk. The first thing she noticed about him was his gorgeous hair. It was long for a man, coming down to just past his shoulders, and the coloring of it made her a little jealous since it was the same shade as her own. Perhaps it was because he was a vampire, but his seemed to shine with health and it looked so soft she nearly had the urge to ask him what products he used.

The second thing she noticed were his cerulean blue eyes. He was looking at her with a mix of annoyance and feigned politeness, but she didn’t really care. She was there to do a job and he was under a contract.

“Mr. Northman?” she asked as she stepped closer to the desk with her hand out for him to shake. She knew that vampires didn’t really do the hand shaking thing, but his annoyance pleased her a little, and she wanted to see how far she could push him.

He ignored her hand and said, “Miss Stackhouse, I presume.”

“That’s me,” she smirked and took her hand back without a hint of embarrassment. “I didn’t get the name of the girl who brought me back here. Will she be involved in the filming?”

“I doubt you’ll find anything of interest with Ginger,” he replied. “Sit,” he gestured to a chair.

She raised an eyebrow at him, but took a seat and pulled out the file of papers she had for him to sign.

“I’m afraid what’s of interest will be for me to decide,” she said. “I have a lot of things here for you to read and sign. Mostly just release forms for your employees, but I’ll need your signature on them as well once they’ve read and signed them. Tonight we’ll just do some atmospheric shooting, maybe a few talking heads.”

His face remained expressionless as he said, “I want you to know that I’m not enthusiastic about your presence. I think this entire project is a terrible idea. However, my queen has handed down an edict and I will abide by it. I cannot guarantee the level of participation by the vampires in my area. Most of them are as thrilled as I am by your presence. There will be occurrences that I will not allow you to film or be present for.”

Sookie wasn’t surprised at all by his statement, but he was about to be in for a rude awakening with his queen if he kept her from filming some things.

“Don’t think you’re the first reality show subject to be unenthused by the process. I am the best in the area to handle this show, and my camera crew is excellent. Our goal is for you to not remember we’re here most of the time. Given that you’re vampires, I know that’s impossible, but we will do the best we can,” she said. “We’re not looking for trash TV here. We want to get the very real experience of running a vampire bar, and an area, on film. Because of that, there may be things we film that you are uncomfortable with, but your queen has given us complete access. I understand the occasional occurrence, but if there are too many you’ll have to deal with the higher-ups.”

“You’re not in charge here, Miss Stackhouse. You’ll do well to remember that,” he said in a flat tone.

“I may not be in charge of your business or your subjects, but I am in charge of this production, and you would do well to remember that,” she replied just as flatly.

“If there’s nothing to shoot, you have no story and no show. Vampires are excellent at moving in the shadows.”

She smirked and said, “You are correct, but we’ll see what happens when my company cancels the queen’s paycheck because her subjects aren’t cooperating.”

Finally she got a small smile from him when he said, “Trust me when I tell you that if the Queen’s contract is canceled, it’ll fall on your head and not mine.”

“Is that so?” she asked. “Because I’ve been asked to give daily status reports on the cooperation of the subjects for a reason, Mr. Northman. Every producer has.”

“I didn’t survive for more than a thousand years by being a fool, Miss Stackhouse. And you’re a guest in my house. Try using some of those manners I’m sure Adele taught you,” he suggested.

The mention of her grandmother’s name got her blood hot, but she did her best to calm herself. He could hear her heartbeat, and she knew it.

“Don’t patronize me, Mr. Northman. I’m here to do a job, and I will do it well. If you want my manners, you’ll treat me with respect,” she said firmly.

“If you want respect, Miss Stackhouse, you’ll earn it.”

“I plan to. And you will earn mine. Mentioning my grandmother’s name isn’t a good place to start,” she said as she gently laid the file of release forms on his desk.

“Neither is attempting to throw your weight around with someone who could end you before you blink next,” he pointed out as he took the file. “I’ll get these to my employees and have them signed by tomorrow night.”

Sookie chose to ignore the first comment. She wasn’t afraid of him, even though she knew what he said was true. It was written into hers and all of the crews’ contracts that they were not to be harmed. If anything happened to them, there would be severe consequences for the queen, and her subjects.

“I would appreciate that,” she nodded. “Would you mind showing me around the bar so I can get the crew familiar with where we’ll be shooting? We need to find a good spot for the talking heads as well, so I’ll need your help with that.”

Eric picked up the phone and spoke briefly in another language before hanging up again.

“Pam will give you a tour. She’ll be your liaison if I’m unavailable,” he told Sookie.

“Is she here?” she asked. “And does she have the authority to make decisions for you? I only need to know who I can trust.”

“Pam is my child and second in command. If she gives an order it’s as good as coming from me.”

Sookie nodded and said, “Understood. I’d like to get started then. If all goes well tonight we can get some initial interviews done.”

“Miss Stackhouse, let me be clear on something. My queen may be comfortable selling her subjects for whatever reasons, but that doesn’t mean she speaks for all vampires. I’m participating in this project because I have no other choice in the matter, short of vacating my position here. Vampires have their own protocols and ways of doling out justice. The manner in which we deal with disciplinary matters is not the business of humans and I have zero intention of allowing humans into what we consider sacred. I’m asking you to respect that,” Eric said.

Sookie listened carefully while he spoke, and she considered every word before she replied. He was being sincere. She knew it would be wise to get along with this vampire, and as long as she could still do her job she didn’t see why any of what he was asking of her would be a problem.

“I understand that you’re being put into an impossible position. Frankly, I wouldn’t enjoy being beholden to someone else’s will. When it comes to vampire protocol, I will defer to you on what you think will be appropriate to put on film, and you have my word that my crew and myself will respect that,” she said. “In return, I hope that you will respect that I am here to earn my living. I would personally appreciate it if we could have your cooperation.”

Eric nodded just as a statuesque blonde entered the office in a pale pink suit with five inch pumps and her fangs proudly on display.

“Miss Stackhouse, this is Pam Ravenscroft, my child. Pam, this is Miss Stackhouse, our wrangler,” Eric said.

“You smell like spun sugar,” Pam purred at Sookie in a quaint southern drawl.

Sookie stood and extended her hand for Pam to shake – another test- and said, “I’ll take that as a compliment. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Pam felt her pulse and then kissed her hand.

“You’re a charmer,” Sookie smirked. “So then, how about showing me around so we can get this show going?”

“I’d be delighted.” Pam added something in another language that made Eric chuckle.

Sookie looked back and forth between them and said, “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that it’s rude to speak a language your guest doesn’t understand?”

Both vampires replied with blank stares, but Pam looped her arm around Sookie’s and led her from the office to start the tour.