Still reeling from the last chapter, or have you moved on, and are ready for more? Why am I asking you that? OF COURSE, you are!
*FACEPALM*
You’ll have to excuse me…the fact that this chapter is SO GOOD, has made my brain somewhere lost in space. Hehehe…I won’t give you any hints, but let’s just say that Eric and Sookie take the next step in their investigation and it leads them…where exactly? I’m not going to tell you…you’ll have to read to find out!
The good news…there are not one, but three polls to cast your votes! The bad news…you will still only have 48 hours to cast your votes! Uh-oh, you better start reading and voting!
But before you do…we want to remind you of a few things first.
- Order Deborah Court‘s novel, “Bound To The Prince” – through Amazon.com BEFORE she finishes the next book in the trilogy!
- She has a new novella, just released – titled, “House of Pleasure”! You can only order it for electronic devices such as; Kindle and Smashwords! Here’s the description of her new novella!
Jane Eden inherits an old Victorian mansion on the outskirts of Boston. She soon discovers that it’s a magical house which has fulfilled the sexual fantasies of all her female ancestors who lived there before her. Losing herself in fantasies that take her to exotic places and delightfully sensual historical eras, she never considers what will happen if she ever loses her heart …
Lastly…ENJOY!!
Now on with the next chapter of…
The Dark Queen
By Deborah Court
Chapter Eight
Although he wasn’t the king of Louisiana, Gervais Civrac was practically the ruler of the vampire underworld of New Orleans. Born soon after the founding of the city at the dawn of the 18th century, he was the bastard son of a French nobleman who had crossed the ocean to become one of the richest merchants of the city, and his mistress, a black woman he had freed from slavery.
Gervais soon followed in the footsteps of his father and multiplied the wealth of the family, always striving for admittance into the highest circles. However, his peers never ceased to remind him of his heritage, and of his caramel skin which gave proof of his Creole blood, no matter how exceptionally azure his eyes were. Turned vampire shortly after his thirtieth birthday, his newfound abilities to glamor and control humans, combined with his strikingly good looks, enabled him to rise to power quickly, holding interest in practically every major company in town.
No one of importance, vampire or human, came to New Orleans without paying him their respects first, and his share of their business earnings later. However, he had never demanded anything from Eric due to the Viking’s prerogative in the vampire hierarchy, and Eric didn’t press his luck, wisely limiting his business in New Orleans to his hotel.
Eric had informed Sookie about all of this while they had changed into more formal clothing. Now they stood before Gervais’s 19th century mansion that was one of the grandest along St. Charles Street, its huge white columns glowing in the darkness like the long-forgotten bones of a giant. Eric wore a dark gray Armani suit while a long red dress hugged Sookie’s curves, complete with gloves that reached to her upper arms, and a diamond collier Eric had taken from a safe that was built into the wall of his closet.
The size of the stones took her breath away, but she stubbornly chose to believe that he had just borrowed them from a jeweler and would give them back tomorrow. She had swept up her hair, leaving a few curls to frame her face. After seeing her in this attire, Eric had surprised her by being actually speechless for a few moments. He had offered to remain at the penthouse tonight and love her until she begged him to stop. Sighing, she’d declined this time – even if the suit looked so good on him that she only wanted to strip him out of it, starting with the buttons of his silken shirt.
After all, they had a case to solve.
“Are you ready?” he asked before offering his arm to her.
“Don’t you think we are somewhat overdressed?” she whispered, suddenly feeling like turning on her heel and running.
“No. We need to blend in,” Eric answered, cupping her chin and raising it to his lips. He kissed her in a slow, seductive way that made her forget all of her fears. “Believe me, my Sookie,” he whispered, finally releasing her, “if I knew it was safe, I’d take you back to Bon Temps and lock you into your house, keeping an army of vampires to watch over you day and night. But as long as we don’t know who our enemy is, we can trust no one, and you’d better stay with me.”
“Do you really think I’d want to leave you alone with this?” she said, brushing her lips over his cool cheek. “You need me, Eric Northman,” she added, reminding him of her telepathic powers. “Admit it.”
He laughed, quickly kissing her again. “Never.”
The door with the golden knocker opened, and a human servant bowed his head before them, asking them to come in. When they entered the house, Sookie gasped at the grandeur of the entrance hall which was dominated by a large double staircase that swept down from the upper floors. The butler brought them to a parlor as large as the Bon Temps community hall. It was lit by huge silver candelabra, and crowded with vampires who were dressed in haute couture, drinking champagne and talking. Some of them were making out, obviously not needing any privacy. One couple was even about to have sex, their partly clothed bodies entwined on a designer couch in a darkened corner. Sookie looked away and opened up her mind, but there weren’t too many humans apart from a few servants, whose thoughts were so clouded that they had to be glamored by their employer.
“There seem to be many vampires in New Orleans,” she whispered.
“Oh yes,” Eric answered as he wrapped her arm around his and guided her through the crowd. Sookie winced when she saw vampires turning their heads into her direction, distracted by her alluring fairy scent. She clung tighter to her Viking’s arm. “There is no other city that has so many undead citizens. And they all answer to Gervais Civrac.”
“Does he approve … this, in his own house? It’s almost like an orgy.” She threw a quick glance to the passionate vampire couple, who now rolled around on the couch in erotic positions. Sookie blushed.
Eric grinned. “Oh, yes, he even encourages it. He’s known to have a very hedonistic lifestyle. Don’t let him sense your anxiety, Sookie. He needs to know that I’m protecting you. I’ll do most of the talking if possible, so just try to keep calm, my lover. Ah, there he is.”
Suddenly the crowd parted, and they saw a male vampire standing at the huge fireplace, his hand holding a glass of crimson liquid – somehow Sookie doubted that it was True Blood – that stood on the mantelpiece. Gervais was nearly as tall as Eric. His face was averted, as if he was lost in thought. Then, unexpectedly, he turned his head and saw his visitors. There was no doubt that he had been informed of their arrival, but there was open astonishment in his face as he laid eyes on Sookie, staring at her with an awestruck expression.
He was one of the most exquisite males she had ever seen, with a café-au-lait skin that looked as smooth as velvet, dark wavy hair that was neatly combed back, and eyes so light they gave a sizzling contrast to the rest of his coloring. Those eyes betrayed his true age while the rest of him looked young and flawless. He briefly closed them as he inhaled deeply. Sookie didn’t even have time to think what he was smelling before he was standing in front of her.
A small cry of surprise escaped her. She hadn’t expected this. Gervais had moved so quickly that she hadn’t had time to react. Then everything happened at the same time. Eric was moving to draw her behind his back for protection, but despite his supernatural speed the light-eyed vampire had outrun him. Without forewarning, he grabbed Sookie and pulled her towards him, pressing her against his hard body. Before she knew what had happened, she felt his fingers running through her hair as he gently bent her head to the side, his lips grazing the skin of her neck.
*****
To be continued…
© All characters are the property of Charlaine Harris and True blood HBO. No copyright infringement is intended. No monetary compensation is gained. Used for entertainment purposes only.
Okay, now it’s finally YOUR turn to choose what happens next! Here are your questions:
1) How will Eric react to Gervais’s “attack” on Sookie?
- He won’t refrain from using raw violence.
- He’ll drag Gervais away from Sookie, but will play nicely in order to question him.
2) What will Gervais do next?
- He’ll invite Eric and Sookie to dinner.
- He’ll have another go at having Sookie for dinner.
3) Will Eric and Sookie take part in a vampire orgy?
- Good Heavens, no!!!
- Hell, yes!!!
Cast your votes to decide what happens next – in the polls below! Remember, you have ONLY 48 hours starting…NOW!
<a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/5819529/">View This Poll</a><a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/5819533/">View This Poll</a><a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/5819536/">View This Poll</a>Thank you so much Deborah! This Gervais character is very intriguing to me! I’m not sure what he wants with Sookie, but I’m dying to find out! I voted that Eric will play ‘nice’, because that’s the kind of guy he is. Gervais will invite Eric and Sookie TO dinner, after a lot of teasing, of course. And the erotic reader in me (this isn’t surprising to those who know me) wants to invision an orgy with Eric and Sookie in the way YOU would write it! 
Plus, it’s been SOOOOO long since Eric and Sookie have been a part of one, and since we were robbed of it on True Blood…I would love to read what it would be like!
Now it’s your turn…Deborah LOVES reading all of your comments and would love to know what you think! Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
