Disclaimer: I own nothing, I am simply taking these characters out to play.

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A Debt to a Viking

Chapter One:

Eric

When I rose, I found I was eager to start my night. I was anticipating a profitable evening at the bar since it was Friday, and Friday and Saturday nights were our biggest money makers. I had planned on spending most of my night on my throne in the bar, so I dressed in a pair of black jeans, my black steel toed "ass kicking" boots, and a black leather vest. Fang bangers and tourists from all around come so they can catch a glimpse of us, vampires, and who am I to deny them of their favorite spectacle. Let me tell you, I have no shortage of blood-bags offering themselves to me on a nightly basis and life was pretty sweet.

I have also been running an underground card game every Monday and Thursday night, for the last couple of months, in the basement of Fangtasia. That was proving quite lucrative. Usually, I would not get involved in such a venture. Sure there was a lot of money to be made, but the people you were forced to associate with, well, they were often less than savory. I was perfectly content running my little area, and working in my bar, but my Queen had found herself having some money troubles. It seems the attention she has drawn to herself, by being an open and prominent Vampire figurehead in Louisiana, has drawn some unfortunate attention to her by the US government; the IRS specifically. Having found herself in need of money, she has been demanding more and more tribute. I did not want dip into my own wealth to make up the difference, and I did not want the Vampires in my area to suffer the indiscretions of our Queen, times had been tough. So my only real solution was to make more money.

After some contemplation I had come to the conclusion that out of all the unsavory things I could have stooped to, to meet her demands, sucking money out of some greedy cretins was the least distasteful of the bunch. I suppose I could have sold "V", or turned out some fangbangers, higher class prostitutes can prove to be very profitable, but instead I decided to take advantage of the greedy. I can tell you there was no shortage of Were, Shifter, Vampire, or Human clientele. Most of the people who gambled with us were banned from local casinos and they were more willing to gamble the amount of money we required. There are degenerate gamblers across all species it seemed. We just exploit them.

Our games were limited to six players, a ten thousand dollar buy in for each player, which seven thousand of it went to the winning pool, and the other three thousand was pure profit for us, earning us about eighteen thousand a game. Did I mention that we double as loan sharks as well? I had quite a few prominent figures in my debt, which I found advantageous. For the time being, things had been working out quite well. The Queen seemed satisfied, at least for a while, and it took very little effort to put one of these games on. We provided the place and the ambiance, they provided the cash. Pam had set up a room downstairs to hold the games. The room was paneled in a dark wood. A small bar stocked with top shelf liquor sat in a corner, a large six man mahogany poker table sat center in the room surrounded by plush deep green chairs, and there was a small bathroom attached, since the games could go on for quite some time. It was simple but effective.

I arrived at Fangtasia at about ten o'clock and the bar was just starting to fill up. I stopped in my office to check my e-mails and make a few calls before I went to sit on my throne, and as I was finishing up Pam came into the office.

"Eric, there is a Jason and Sookie Stackhouse here to see you. They are waiting in the bar. Do you want me to send them back or would you like me to put them in your booth?" Pam asked.

"Send them back." I said waving her off. Jason Stackhouse had been at the poker game last Thursday and lost quite a bit of money, a hundred and seventy-five thousand to be exact. I summoned him here tonight to talk about how he planned to pay back that money. Normally I would have never let someone like Stackhouse in on one of our games but Sam Merlotte, a Shifter from Bon Temps, had vouched for him. I had him investigated after the game, and as it turns out, he had come up with the money to buy into the game when his grandmother passed away and left him a small inheritance. He owns a house in Bon Temps out right, and works as a road crew worker. In other words, he did not have the funds to pay back the money which we loaned him. I ordered him here tonight to discuss how he might be able to pay back such a debt. I was a little surprised when I heard he had not come alone, but I knew he had a sister, and it is common for family members to pay off such debts.

Pam returned shortly ushering in Jason Stackhouse and a beautiful blonde woman, who I assumed was Jason's sister. She was dressed in a pale yellow flowered sundress which hugged her generous curves perfectly and a white cardigan sweater. Her long blonde hair trailed down her back, and she looked like she was meeting someone for afternoon tea, not going to meet Vampire loan sharks to discuss debts. My fangs ran out as I took her in. Her smell was intoxicating, permeating the room as she entered. 'Honey, sunflowers, and sunshine.' I thought as I motioned to them that they should take the seats in front of my desk, and they complied. The beauty eyed me shyly and blushed at my stare causing the pooling of her sweet smelling blood to rise to the surface turning her a lovely shade of pink, while Jason fidgeted in his chair. They could not have been more different.

Pam's fangs where down and her eyes were fixed on the woman's generous breasts. I couldn't blame her; they were impressive. "Dibs Pam." I said in a tone so low I was sure the humans could not hear me. Pam looked at me and huffed with disappointment, but I just gave her a raise of my eyebrow. She retracted her fangs, and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her, causing the humans to jump a little at the sound.

I remained fixated on the delicacy before me for another minute when Jason finally broke the silence. "Ah, Mr. Northman?"

"Yes," I said, reluctantly taking my eyes off of the Aphrodite to look at her pathetic brother. "Are you not going to introduce me to this darling young lady you have brought with you?" I said sliding my eyes back to hers, they were a light blue-gray that held a depth that one so young should not carry.

"Yeah, sure... this here is my sister, Sookie." Jason motioned to the woman nervously and she stood, holding out her hand to mine.

"Sookie Stackhouse." She said with her sweet southern accent, and my night seemed to be looking up. Obviously she had not been around Vampires or she would have known that we do not shake hands, but I was not about to miss the opportunity to touch her sun-kissed skin, so I did not point out the faux pas. Instead, I stood and pulled her hand to my lips and laid a soft kiss on the back of it, flicking my tongue just a little, unable to resist the chance to sample the taste of her skin. I was not disappointed and smiled broadly at her when she did not pull her hand back.

"Eric Northman. It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Stackhouse." I purred, knowing full well it would be her pleasure if she yielded to me. We stared, locked on each other's eyes for a moment, when her annoying brother chose to interrupt by clearing his throat. Sookie seemed to shake herself and pulled her hand from mine to sit back down in the chair and unfortunately the moment was over.

"Let us get down to business." I said brushing off our little moment. "Do you have the money you owe me?" I asked knowing full well that he could not have gotten the money together that quickly. I sat back down behind my desk and turned my attention back to Jason.

"Uh, some of it." Jason said and nodded to his sister. She reached in her purse and pulled out a plain white envelope. She hesitantly leaned over to place the envelope on my desk, giving me a perfect view of her luscious cleavage. I licked my lips as I quickly reached over my desk, my finger tips brushing hers as I took the envelope from her. Her skin was soft as silk, and I found I wanted to touch more of it.

"There is fifty thousand dollars in there, Mr. Northman." Sookie said holding her back straight and her head high. She was a proud woman, I could tell, courageous too. 'Walking into a Vampire bar dressed like that...courageous indeed.'

"I suppose that will do for now, and please call me Eric...Miss Stackhouse." I hoped to hear my name come from her lips. Preferably, while she was underneath me, or on top of me, either way.

"What do you mean "that will do for now"?" Sookie said startled, looking over at her brother, "Jason, how much do you owe Mr. Northman?" Obviously Jason had not fully informed his sister about his predicament...interesting.

"Aw Sook, this is why I didn't want you to come with me." Jason looked regretful. "I should have handled this myself," he scowled.

"Jason, you know I would not just hand you that much money!" Sookie scolded, then looked back to me ."Mr. Northman, how much does he owe you?" she asked and her eyebrows came together as worry crossed her face. I found I did not find it enjoyable as I did with most people.

"Minus the fifty thousand, he owes a balance of one hundred and twenty five." I said as gently as I could.

"A hundred and twenty five...thousand?" She asked the blood drained from her face, for a moment I thought she might faint. I nodded slowly as I studied her reaction, ready to catch her if she did faint, and hoping a little that she did. She sat as still as a Vampire for a moment and closed her eyes. She took three long deep breaths, mesmerizing me with the rise and fall of her bountiful breasts as she did so.

A flush of color came back to her face as I watched the anger in her build, she gritted her teeth and said, "Jesus Christ Shepard of Judea, Jason! How did this happen? Where are you going to get that kind of money? Gran has to be rolling over in her grave!" Her hands had balled into fists and she glared at him.

"I told you. I lost some money in a poker game and don't worry about where I get the money from." He said stubbornly.

"Jason Stackhouse you wouldn't!" Sookie exclaimed. I was a bit confused, 'He wouldn't what?' Normally I would have ceased a conversation as this one, but I found I was interested.

"Mind your business woman. Don't be all up in mine. You have Gran's place and Momma and Daddy's house is mine."

Tears welled in her eyes and she seemed to fight to suppress them. "Jason, Momma and Daddy's house is only worth about seventy-five thousand. How are you going to get the rest?" Her voice cracked and I could see the strain on her face as she tried to keep her emotions in check. Jason gave her a hard look, then she hopped up as if someone had shocked her. "Oh NO! HELL NO JASON. We talked about this! I will not sell off Gran's land! You can't be serious! I already gave you my life's savings along with the money Gran left me!"

"Sook, you don't need all that land! You're out there all by yourself." Jason said indignantly as I watched Sookie wince. 'So she is all alone?' I found myself feeling a little elated at the thought, although it mattered very little if she had a significant other as I could glamor her if I wished.

"Enough Jason! We will talk about this later. Now go out in the bar and get me a gin and tonic. Let me talk to Mr. Northman alone for a moment, please." Her tone brokered no argument. Watching her take command of Jason, like a maker would his child, was proving to be fucking hot, if the tightening in my jeans was any indication. I wanted to throw the little southern belle over my desk. I ruthlessly suppressed a growl.

As soon as Jason was out of the door, Sookie looked over to me, "I apologize that you had to see that, Mr. Northman. My brother is a bit of a...well he's an asshole. But he is my brother and the only family I have left." She said slumping back in her chair. "I can't believe this is happening." She said so low, I was sure I was not meant to hear it. She began to rub her temples, her face strained. After a moment of seemingly composing herself she looked up to me and said, "Mr. Northman..."

I interrupted her, "Eric." I stated plainly, still wanting to hear my name on her lips.

"Yes of course, Eric," She said politely. 'Ahhh, there it is.' "how much time are you going to give him to pay you back?" Her face was a stone mask now. I was a little surprised when I realized I was not the first shady loan shark she had dealt with. Jason, it seems, had a bad habit.

I thought about this for a moment, 'The longer I give him to pay back the money, the more chances I have to interact with this intriguing creature. But I do not want to seem weak either, if people believed that I would let not paying back a debt slide, it could cause future problems. I have a reputation to uphold.' "I require five thousand in thirty days." I stated flatly.

"What happens if Jason can't make the payment." I saw the fear flicker cross her face. I found that I was not happy seeing it there.

"Then we will have to come to some sort of other arrangement." I said giving her one of my winning smiles. "I am sure I can come up with something." I gave her an unmistakable leer.

"I do not appreciate what you are implying Mr. Northman. I am a lady and you will speak to me as such." She said defiantly. 'Oh the fire that burns within her. Delightful.'

"I am not sure what it is that you believe I am implying?" I said as innocently as possible, giving her a questioning look. It got the reaction I was looking for, she blushed from head to toe.

"I well... I though you were implying that... ummm... never mind." She said looking away from my face.

"No, really I am interested in what you think I was implying." I cocked my head to the side giving her and inquiring look. Of course I was implying what she thought I was, but since it was obvious it was not going to work, I took it in another direction. Sookie began to fidget, looking anywhere but at me and I decided I wanted to play with her just a little. "Were you thinking I was propositioning you for sex?" I said as if the idea had just come to me, as if I was oblivious.

"Well I...ahhh...yeah." She said looking up at me through her long eyelashes. She looked completely edible. I could not help but picture her strewn across my desk, completely nude, her legs spread wide and her core glistening with her wetness as I devoured her. I shifted uncomfortably in my chair.

"I was not." I said while thinking, 'Yes I was.' I was pleased when I saw a flash of disappointment on her face, before she looked relieved. "I was merely saying that we would cross that bridge when we came to it."

She nodded and looked like she was going to say something but I interrupted, "Not that I am opposed to having sex with you Sookie, my dear. I find you quite enchanting." Her blush deepened, and I wanted to close the space between us. I moved at Vampire speed and was in front of her before she could blink. I was inches from her face, but she didn't move, and I inhaled her sweet scent, shocked to find she was innocent. 'A virgin. How is that possible?' "Lover, when I take you into my bed,"I said and my voice came out husky, laden with lust, "you will be there because you want to be."

Her breath hitched and she swallowed hard, making her neck move in a alluring way. "You sound so sure." She paused taking in a small breath. "I don't think that would be such a good idea." I heard her say, but her body did not lie. I could smell her arousal, and I had to clamp down on my own growing lust, before I threw her down on my desk as fucked her like I had fantasized just minutes earlier.

"I think I am going to go have my drink and get Jason home before he can get into anymore trouble." Sookie said breaking into our intense moment. I stepped back, restraining myself from taking her in my arms and tasting her luscious lips. "Good Night Mr. Northman." She gave me a nod of her head and turn to walk out of my office.

"Good night Sookie." I called and she paused at the door, but didn't look back. "I look forward to seeing you again."

She nodded and walked out. As much as I wanted to follow her out to the bar, I choose to stay in my office. I was so wound up, I would probably damage one of the blood-bags right now. I rubbed my straining member absently through my jeans in an attempt to ease the ache there, when my child came bursting through the door.

"Well?" She said impatiently. She sniffed the air, and then frowned. "You didn't fuck the Stackhouse woman?"

"Sookie." I said ignoring Pam and thinking about Sookie's sweet smell and tempting body.

"Sookie...whatever..."Pam said sounding annoyed.

"No."

"Well you at least tasted her right? I mean she smelled...delicious." Pam said and she looked wistful.

I growled at her. "No, and neither will you. She will be mine." I ordered knowing the next thing out of my child's mouth would be something about sharing. Although we did so on occasion, I would not allow that with Sookie. I wanted to possess her. There was something about her that I could not put my finger on. I felt an unfamiliar connection to her that I wished to explore.

"Fine. I don't know why you're being all possessive over a blood-bag. Sure she smells sweet and comes in an inciting package, but she is still a blood-bag."

"Enough Pamela." I was not in the mood.

Pam eyed me for moment before she asked, "You don't like the human...do you?" She was working hard to suppress a smirk, but the light lilt in her voice gave her away.

"Don't you have something to do." I said completely ignoring her, looking over my desk for a distraction. She giggled, fucking giggled. "Do you need to be reminded that I am the master and you are the child?"

"No, Master." She said looking down in submission, but I could feel her amusement in our bond. I waved her off then and she left. I spent some time thinking about my southern belle that night and I couldn't help but look forward to our next encounter.

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