A Bit of Warm Comfort (A True Blood - Sam/Tara Fic)

Chapter 6 - Puppet on a String

Tara stared up at the red neon sign that read "Fangtasia" in big fancy letters over the dimly lit nightclub.

Jesus Christ! Could they have picked a cheesier name?

Tara had no problem finding Eric Northman's place of business. Once she arrived in Shreveport, which was approximately a forty-five minute drive from Bon Temps, she pulled into a gas station and asked the clerk where she could find the nearest vampire bar. Fangtasia happened to be the only one in town and was a big draw for many tourists visiting the area.

Techno bass filtered outside through the open entrance. A tall blonde woman, clad in a black leather corset and long flowing skirt, stood as gatekeeper at the tinted-glass double doors. Her hair was pulled back in an elegant chignon and her lips were painted a bright red. Tara waited patiently behind a gay couple dressed in atypical goth-vamp gear: black leather, spiked collars, and dark makeup. One of the men, a bit on the pudgy side, actually had on a pair of strategically ripped fishnet stockings. Something her cousin Lafayette, wouldn't be caught dead wearing.

When it was Tara's turn to enter, the blonde woman eyed her with open interest.

"My, my," she said, looking Tara up and down. "Aren't you a hot little number?" The woman gave her a sardonic grin, revealing white, slightly elongated canines.

Tara nervously fidgeted with her hair. It was swept into an updo hairstyle with a few braids hanging loosely to frame her carefully made-up face. Considering the predatory look in the vampire's eyes, Tara was now wishing she'd wore her hair down to conceal what this vamp probably considered serious neck cleavage.

"I-Is Eric Northman here?" Tara stammered, trying to regain her composure. "I need to speak with him right away."

"You and every other fangbanger here. I'm sorry, honey, but Eric's busy. You'll just have to wait like the rest of them."

"My name's not 'honey.' It's Tara Thornton from Bon Temps, and I have important information for your boss. Something that could seriously affect his business, and I don't mean in a good way."

"Fangtasia is quite profitable as you can see, and we operate everything on the up and up."

"I ain't talking about Fangtasia," she said. "I'm talking about his other business."

The woman gave her a long, appraising stare. "You do look familiar," she said finally, then sniffed the air in front of her. "You smell familiar, too."

Tara didn't know what to say to that.

A flash of recognition appeared in the woman's unnaturally blue eyes. "You're Sookie's friend, aren't you? The bartender at Merlotte's?"

"Yes," Tara answered cautiously.

"I assume you know Lafayette?" the blonde vampire asked.

"He's my cousin."

"Interesting. And how is my pretty little pet?"

"Your pet?" Tara asked with a raised eyebrow. The vampire smirked. "Lafayette is so adorable. I wanted to keep him for my own, but Eric wouldn't allow me. He thought your cousin was too valuable for what I had in mind."Her grin grew wider, giving Tara an unobstructed view of her sharp fangs. "It's a pity. I could've had a lot of fun with that one," she said.

Tara frowned. This bitch is really starting to piss me off.

"Last time I checked it was illegal to own people."

"So I've heard."

"Look, I drove all the way from Bon Temps to talk to the vampire who owns this bar, and I ain't leaving 'til I do."