Mallory Reads "Dracula Night"

We have arrived at the second short story, Dracula Night. This takes place right before the events of Dead as a Doornail. This is an odd little tale that shows a different side to Eric.

The story begins when Sookie gets a fancy invitation in the mail.

Eric Northman

and the staff of Fangtasia

Request the honor of your presence

at Fangtasia’s annual party

to celebrate the birthday of

The Lord of Darkness

Price Dracula

On January 13, 10:00 p.m.

music provided by the Duke of Death

Dress Formal          RSVP

Dracula? He’s real? Regardless, Sookie is happy about being invited to a party. She drives to work feeling good. Sam is there behind his desk beginning the work on his tax papers (as he does every year and always ends up calling a CPA at the last minute). She shows him the invite and asks if he got one. He didn’t. But he figures they wouldn’t invite many shifters. If they did it would be pack leaders and the like.

According to Sam, Halloween and Dracula’s birthday are the only holidays vampires celebrate. Interesting. She isn’t sure if she is going to go or not but decides to call Pam for the details. The female vamp says Dracula is real.

Vlad Tepes. A Wallachian king who liked to execute people by impaling them on wooden stakes. Local vampires admired him and when he was dying, they brought him over. This began a new era for vampires. Up until this point, vampires had lived in cemeteries and on the streets. But Vlad would have none of that. He was used to living like a king, after all.

Bram Stoker was excited to meet Vlad and then concocted extra stuff for his story about the vampire. Vlad wasn’t too happy but liked everyone knowing who he was. Every year at Drac’s celebration, rumor has it that he shows up at one of the vampire parties in the world.

Sam warns Sookie to be careful if she ventures off to this party. After work that night, Sookie drives to Dillard’s to find something to wear to the big event. She finds a nice dress on sale for $25. At Dillard’s? I’m not sure I believe that, but anyway. 

It was rose pink, with a sequin top and a chiffon bottom, and it was strapless and simple.

Hmm…

Three days later is the party. Pam compliments Sookie’s dress when she arrives at Fangtasia and also thinks Eric will like it and hopes Sookie can cheer him up. He’s been all stressed out apparently. Every year he is convinced Dracula will come to his party and he has to make sure everything is perfect. This is weird and not at all Eric-like. Also Pam has chosen to wear a silver tuxedo.

Magazines say Dracula prefers Royalty, a type of bottled blood that is part synthetic, part real blood. And it’s the rarest and most expensive type. Eric only managed to track down two bottles of the stuff and it cost him a war pension. Pam says that Dracula will drink from unwilling humans and no vampire is allowed to kill him. Or even hit him. The punishment is death. Also, if Dracula shows up on your doorstep, you are required to assist him financially.

Sounds like a load of crap to me. Eric comes into the room, looking dashing in his suit.

I had to gape. He looked positively edible. Eric is very tall, very broad, very blond, and tonight he was dressed in a tuxedo that had not come off any rack. This tux had been made for Eric, and he looked as good as any James Bond in it. Black cloth without a speck of lint, a snowy white shirt, and a hand-tied bow at his throat with his beautiful hair rippling down his back…

The long hair thing throws me off, but other than that… he sounds hot.

Without a word, he dipped me as though we were dancing and planted a hell of a kiss on me: lips, tongue, the entire osculate assemblage. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. When I was quivering, he assisted me to rise. His brilliant smile revealed glistening fangs.

Kinda jealous here.

He explains there will be music and dancing and waiting for Dracula. He tells her he is glad she came because she is the only telepath. Little bit of a mood killer, Eric. Lyle, Eric’s intern (really he’s a vampire who’s trying to learn about running a bar), comes in with the cooler of fancy blood.

Eric seems very sure this will be the year Dracula visits their bar. He apparently spoke with the prince’s handler and bribed him. Sookie tries to look excited about the prospect. The décor in Fangtasia is much fancier than usual, with banners and a big throne. I think Eric is taking this a little too seriously. Transylvanian music is playing in the background. There’s food for those who eat it and a fountain of blood.

Sookie recognizes some of the guests, one being Bill. Colonel Flood and Calvin Norris are also in attendance.

Behind the bar was the newest member of the Fangtasia staff, a short, burly man with long, wavy dark hair. He had a prominent nose and large eyes, and he was taking everything in with an air of amusement while he moved around preparing drink orders.

She asks Pam about the new bartender and all of the vampires she doesn’t recognize. Vampires who are traveling are supposed to check in with the nearest sheriff and attend their party. The bartender is Milos Griesniki. Pam does not like him because he’s nosey. Sookie goes to talk with Flood and Calvin while Eric mingles with his guests. Calvin wants to take Sookie fishing or something. She also sees Pam yelling at Milos.

Sookie dances with Calvin a few songs and then once with Eric, who promises that one day it will be just the two of them. He doesn’t know what all they’ve already done together. Sookie has to have an ice cold drink after that.

Around midnight, Eric makes a toast to Dracula and then:

“My loyal son. I shall reveal myself.” Milos Griesniki leaped from behind the bar, pulling off his tux jacket and pants and shirt to reveal…an incredible jumpsuit made from black, glittery stretchy stuff.

Who does he think he is? Bubba?

Eric bows before Milos and Pam whispers in Sookie’s ear that she thinks he is a poser. Dracula announces that his week stay in Shreveport has convinced him that he would like to stay for a while. They must treat him like a king and he will require one woman a day…to eat. Bottled blood is not acceptable. He decides he will start with Sookie. Flood and Calvin jump up to protect her. Bill just has no expression. She can’t read Eric’s face, which is disconcerting.

Dracula indicates Pam will be his servant (yeah…right). Pam passes something to Sookie as Dracula calls for her. Flood and Calvin try to stop her but she tells them it will be okay. They seem to realize there is a plan. She approaches the “master” and asks him how he escaped from his tomb in Targoviste. He says that story must wait and talks about her neck but then…Sookie shoves a stake in his chest.

Gasp! Eric helps her shove it all the way in and he flakes away. Did they just kill Dracula? Wasn’t there a serious penalty for that?

Sookie announces then that he was an imposter. But some of the vamps in the bar aren’t listening and want to kill Sookie on the spot. Pam reminds them that only vampires who kill Dracula are to be meet the true death and also Milos was not actually Dracula. When Sookie asked about where he was buried, she mentioned Targoviste. Dracula’s tomb was in Snagov. Well, obviously.

Someone says they must compensate his maker for killing him though. If they can determine who it is. Bill says he will search his database but no promises on results. Eric tells everyone in the club they better keep quiet about this. They agree.

Pam pulls Sookie off to the side and compliments her bravery. Also tells her there’s blood on her dress. Good thing it only cost $25. Then the vamp says that according to some legends, Vlad was decapitated before he was buried, in which case he could not have risen as a vampire. So really, there might not even be a Dracula.

I was watching Eric, his golden hair falling forward as he looked down at the rapidly disintegrating remains of the self-styled Prince of Darkness. The thousand years of his life sat on him heavily, and for a second I saw every one of them. Then, by degrees, his face lightened, and when he looked up at me, it was with the expectancy of a child on Christmas Eve. “Maybe next year,” he said.

Well, that was an odd little story, wasn’t it? We learned about Dracula and then that he may just be a legend. It was okay, I thought.

Now, on to Dead as a Doornail. What is in store for Sookie? More trouble, you can bet.