Pam's POV

I am sitting in Eric's office at Fangtasia working on the piles and piles of paperwork left behind by Eric, I am quite sure he left this mess just to torture me. Torturing me seems to be the only thing that has given Eric pleasure since the night of the takeover and I don't know why. He will not tell me ANYTHING, he answers my questions with questions and when that doesn't work he just ignores me. IGNORES ME!!!!!

My boredom is broken when I hear the employee door open, before I can look up Eric is walking into his office with the new King, Felipe De Castro, in his arms, they are both bloody and must have been burnt by silver because I can smell the sickly sweet odor of burning flesh. Gross!

"Pam bring the King a meal, the new redhead, and bring me a Royalty. Sigebert attacked us at Merlotte's and Sookie ran him over with her car before I cut his head off." Thank goodness Sookie is okay, I want to know more, but I know better than to ask questions in front of the King. Just like I know not to say anything about Eric drinking a Royalty, a Royalty!!! Eric has been burned by silver and needs to heal, he needs human blood, not that half synthetic crap.

I say nothing. When I found the new redhead a week ago and brought her to him as a gift he screamed at him, threw the computer monitor at my head, and threatened to drain me if I ever bring another fangbanger to his office. Since then it has only gotten worse, he says that the fangbangers taste worse than the Red Stuff, the cheapest rot gut synthetic blood there is. He says that he has no desire to touch them let alone fuck them or feed from them. He does not want to even smell them in his office, so I have to feed in the employee lounge, how demeaning! I am his second! NOT just some employee.

The night of the takeover I brought meals to his office for him, Bill, and I. Dear Abby says that after a stressful event it is good to relax and share a meal with friends. Bill was enjoying his meal so much that I thought about asking him to ... what is that saying ... get a room. I drank demurely, finished quickly, glamoured my meal, and sent her on her way. Bill had finished feeding and was now receiving a blow job from his meal. How gross! Bill was always such a hypocritical ass. I love you Sookie, I am sooo much better for you than Eric, but I fuck everything that walks behind your back.

Eric was just sitting there, staring off into space, not even touching his meal. I look at him and wave my hand like ... I don't know ... come on already. He pulls her into his lap looks into her eyes, glamoring her, and bites her wrist. He could not have gotten more than a mouthful, when he jumped up shoved her from his lap. "I am full and I am going home" and just like that he left! He was not full, he didn't even have a snack! That was the last time that that I have seen him him drink from a human since the takeover.

I walk back in to Eric's office with his warm Royalty and with the redhead, Jessica, for the King. "So Eric please tell why you have bonded to a human? I was lead to believe that you were not the type?" De Castro says as he begins to stroke the redheads neck seductively.

Eric takes a long, deep drink. I can't tell if he is pausing for dramatic effect or trying figure out what to say. Finally he says "I was forced by Andre to bond with her. Since then I have come to appreciate the bond, Andre was right it makes it much easier for me to control and protect such a valuable asset."

The King is drinking deeply from the redhead, so deeply that I am afraid that he is going to drain her. He finally, releases her wrist shudders and says "Eric I am sorry that I feed from her so deeply, is she a favorite?" What? He really gives a shit? Right. I call Felecia to come get the redhead. She is in and out in seconds.

"Actually, she was a fresh gift from Pam. I was saving her but your need was greater." What a line, Eric was not saving her for anything, he had refused her! She was fresh, meaning that she has never been feed from before, but that is only because everyone knew that she was my gift to Eric. I had planned to reclaim her this weekend if Eric did not ... what is that saying? Shit or get off the pot.

"Ah you honor me, thank you for your consideration. Will you not be feeding?"

"I am fine your Highness. I refuse to share my meals with those who owe me fealty, I will have to make due until I can find a replacement." What a lie!!!! I know that Eric is devious and manipulative but really this is getting ridiculous. I can't figure out why he is not feeding from the humans and then lying about it, there is something else that he is hiding, I just don't know what it is. Again I remain silent. I have not said one word since Eric and the King arrived, I am so afraid that I will say something that will give Eric's secret, whatever it is away.

"Your bond with the blond human .. what was her name?"

"Sookie"

"Is very deep, I have never heard of a human that could feel the emotions of her bonded from such a distance. My last bonded ... Allison ... she was my favorite." De Castro says with a far away wistful look in his eyes. I have seen this look before, many vampires get it when the remember their human children from their first lives. Suddenly he shakes his head and continues "We exchange blood daily, she could only feel my emotions from a very short distance, maybe 100 meters, no more. I wonder if this is a result of her telepathy?"

Again, Eric pauses "I am not sure, I have never been bonded before, but it would stand to reason that she will be more gifted with the ... mental attributes, if you will, of the bond. She cannot be glamoured. I just do not know."

"I do not know either, nevertheless, I am extremely happy that she not only felt your emotions but came back and .... and ... and saved us. Oh my God, I was save by a short, blond, human female." De Castro is shaking his head in disbelief. "I attempted to glamour her to remove the memory, but it did not work, I thought I was just too weak, but your telling me that she cannot be glamoured by anyone of us?"

Eric becomes instantly wary. I am sure the King has not noticed this but I have. Eric is my maker, I didn't need to be telepathic to recognise the very, very subtle shift is his stance or the very tiny twitch at the corner of his right eye, he is ready to go to battle. Why? Eric answers slowly, never taking his eyes from the King's eyes "To my knowledge, no, she cannot be glamoured by force, but when she was staked in Jackson she allowed me to glamour her while the stake was being removed."

Wow that is something that I didn't know. I knew that Sookie had been staked but I had no idea that she had allowed Eric to glamour her. More than that he had released her! Why? Once she allowed him in he could have kept her under his control forever. I know that he wanted her from the moment that she walked in to Fangtasia with Bill, but by the time she went to Jackson he had already begun to act funny when it came to her, like he wanted her for more than just a fuck and a feed.

Eric has wanted this woman ... craved this woman in a way that he has never wanted or craved anything before in the hundreds of years that I have known him. Then it hits me, she is the reason that he will not feed from the vermin. Since the takeover he has not said anything about his missing memory. Oh God, he has regained his memories! What does he remember? Even though we are ... friends ... Sookie has refused to discuss the time that Eric lost his memory. Even before the takeover when I asked her to have mercy on him, she refused to discuss it.

My memory suddenly goes back to Mickey, the vampire that was taking advantage of her friend, Tara. Eric, with the help of Shalome, Mickey's sire, forced him to leave saving Tara's life, not to mention the endless torture that sadistic prick would have put her through. In exchange Eric made Sookie tell him about the time he was without his memory. Neither one of them would tell me what was said. This was about the time that he had just stopped fucking the vermin.

I never mentioned it, I assumed that he was taking care of his needs more privately, maybe seeing Sookie on the sly, at least I hoped. I love that crazy, blond, telepathic human. She saved me in Rhodes, never once thinking about herself. After about two weeks I was sure that he was not fucking anything but his own hand, he was such an ass. So I talked to the other girls and we decided to invited him to join Felecia, Indiria, Thalia, me and our pets for a little fun but he refused. Orgies have always been one of Eric's favorite things, especially when he was the only man in attendance.

When I pressed him he told me to "go have your fun I am going home". I pressed further "Eric we need a man to make this party perfect, you don't have to fuck any of us but you are more than welcome to any of our pets, I know that Indiria's pet Samantha has always caught your eye, now is your your chance."

Suddenly he grabs me by the throat and slams me against the wall "Woman if I want to fuck I can find my own piece of ass I do not need my child to act as my match maker. I will fuck who I want to fuck, when I want to fuck, where I want to fuck do you understand me?"

What can I say. I am not Bill, I am not in love with my maker, but I want to make Eric happy, like he was before he lost his memory. I said the only thing that I could "I am sorry Eric I was trying to help ... I am sorry ... I don't know what to do but I am worried about you." He released my throat "I am sorry Pam. I overreacted. Now please go have your fun."

Now he is not feeding from them either, something must be done. This is not the Eric that I have come to know and love, something is wrong.

I turn my attention back to Eric and the King. I can tell that Eric is still tense. I have no clue what the King is thinking when he speaks " Eric do you remember your sire?"

"Yes" This is not good, first no contractions, when Eric stops using contractions, it is a sure sign that he is unhappy and now one word responses. This is really not good Eric is getting angrier by the second.

"Did you know Akakios's maker?"

"No, I did not."

"Akakios's maker Sophos had one other vampire child, Decimus, who was my sire." My head is spinning, in human terms Eric and the King would be cousins. In the vampire world they are nothing that they do not choose to be, unless their sire's say otherwise. Vampire "siblings" and "cousins" do not have the same relationship as human siblings and cousins. Nevertheless, the knowledge that they are "related" gives Eric a powerful insight in to the gifts, attributes, and motivations of De Castro. This is some type of offering, De Castro already knew these things, is this a sign of .. respect?

"I am sure that you were aware that our sire's were closer than normal?"

"Yes it has been said that before Decimus met his final death, before I was turned, that he and Akakios were inseparable. Akakios spoke of him, but not often as it caused him pain. He said that when he was human your "brothers" were the warriors that fought by your side, Akakios brought this with him to his undead life. He and Decimus fought in the Elven wars and in the first war with the Fae, his memories of the battles were the only memories that he would speak of at any length." Eric rarely speaks of his maker, it causes him pain, I am surprised that he is being so open. "Is my maker the reason that you have allowed me and mine to remain alive?"

"In part ... I know that you are loyal, pragmatic, and that you were ... raised if you will ... in the same way that I was ..taught the same values. I am sure that we can learn to agree how to proceed with the work that must be done in the wake of Katrina. Your loyalty and the loyalty of your bonded to the crown have been proven tonight. Therefore, I will be removing you from Victor's supervision, you must still work with Sandy, but she will know that you are a ... special case. I will also extend my personal protection to your bonded."

Personal protection granted by a vampire King to a human, this is almost unheard of. This means that every vampire and other supe that owes fealty to De Castro must protect Sookie with their life. This is even bigger than her "friend of the pack" status with the various were packs.

"Pam please bring me a brunette, I am still hungry and I am not as picky as your Sheriff anyone will do, bring Eric a Royalty and get .. whatever for yourself, we have much to discuss."

"At once your Highness" I say as I curtsy on my way out the door. I will grab the redhead's sister, she was also a gift to Eric that he has not been using, so what the hell. I will also drink a Royalty. I must show the King that I stand with my Sheriff and sire.

"Jennifer, you are needed in Eric's office. Felecia, two bottles of Royalty, what happened to the redhead?"

"Clancy gave her a transfusion of the Red Stuff and she is resting. What's up with Eric, I have never known him to drink so much."

"That wasn't Eric, he gave her to the King, now keep your mouth shut. What is normal and not normal for Eric is not to be discussed, understand me?" The last thing we need right now is for De Castro to think that Eric has lost it. Not feeding and not fucking are too much as it is.

When I return to Eric's office I find the brunette, Jennifer, lying across De Castro's lap. He has already finished feeding and thankfully did not come close to draining this one.

"Pam would you please return .. Jennifer, to her sister's side. It is my understanding she required a transfusion, is this the case?"

"Yes your Highness, she is resting comfortably. Would you like me to insure that she remembers your visit, your Highness?" I am asking the King if he wants me to glamour the girls to insure that they do not remember him. I am sure that he does not want anyone saying that he almost drained a girl at Eric's bar, this would indicate that he is weak and cannot control himself.

"Yes that would be lovely, please hurry Pam. Eric has told me that you are not only his devoted child but his loyal and trusted second, I would like to speak with you." Now this is scary, what does he want with me?

When I return the King and Eric are deep in discussion regarding Sigebert, the former Queen's bodyguard.

"I still do not understand how he escaped from Victor. Victor was told him in no uncertain terms that he was to capture Sigebert. He told me that there was no choice but to stake him. Now I not only have to worry about treason from my new subjects, now I have to worry about treason at home."

"Your Highness," Eric says as he kneels before the King, I immediately join him knelling at the Kings feet "my child, my bonded, and I are loyal to you. If you ever feel the need to call upon me or mine please do not hesitate, we will serve you with honor."

"This I am sure of. I know that you were close to Sophie Anne when she was Queen, it is this knowledge that made me wary to extend my trust to you, but after tonight I know that you are the loyal, pragmatic warrior that Akakios raised you to be. I am also sure that you were not aware that Andre was the one that left Akakios to meet the sun, tied to a tree. I am only sorry that he was already dead, I would have loved to have tortured him every night from now until the end of time. I knew Akakios, he saved my life the night that Decimus was staked by the Fae"

"Your highness I am glad that Andre was dead before this knowledge was given to me, I would have committed treason against Sophie Anne without a second thought just to get to Andre and I would have ruined your trust."

When Eric said this De Castro raised his eyebrows and looked very surprised. "How would you have ruined my trust?"

"First no ruler can trust a subject that has been treasonous to his ruler, once a traitor always a traitor. Secondly, if Andre had not already met his final death I would have had no choice but to fight you to the death for the pleasure of torturing Andre each and every night until the end of time. Hell, I might even have paid the weres to insure that he was tortured day and night."

De Castro began to laugh "Oh Eric! Andre would have eventually been a gift to you, but even before I was ready to give him to you I would have shared."

Eric begins to laugh a deep true laugh, oh how I have missed hearing him laugh. My phone rings it is Felecia, Thalia is at the bar demanding Sookie's home address. What the fuck! Can this night get any worse. I am moving to the door when Thalia starts knocking. I am sure it is her but Eric and the King are both unaware. Eric leaps in front of the King as I rise to answer the door. The moment the door opens Thalia grumbles "Pam where is Eric? I need to speak with him immediately."

"I am entertaining a guest Thalia, what is so important that you would interrupt me even after Felecia told you that I was unavailable?"

"I went to the Shifter's bar to see Sookie and I smelled you and your guest, a vampire had been killed, Sookie's car was wrecked, and the Shifter was not there! We must got to Eric! Why are you just sitting there smiling at me? You are really pissing me off."

Thalia is worried about Sookie? What an odd turn of events, Thalia does not like other vampires, let alone humans, but Sookie is special, everyone likes her.

"Thalia, Sookie is fine. Sigebert attacked us at the Shifter's bar, Sookie ran him over with her car, which allowed me to get the upper hand and send him to his maker. It is the full moon so it does not surprise me that the Shifter is not there. What I do not understand is why you were at the Shifter's bar?"

"I went there to find her and swear fealty to her, I did not realize that human bars closed so early." Thalia states defiantly. "She sheltered you when the witch Hollow attack, she saved both you and Pam at Rhodes, she never worries about herself she has proven her loyalty to you time and time again. She ... she ... makes me smile." Thalia does not smile, or laugh she is like an angry poorly mannered pit bull most of the time. "I want her to understand that she has my fealty and protection given of my free will, not just because of you, but because of her."

"Thalia you honor your Sheriff and his bonded, it pleases me greatly that they both inspire such loyalty."

"Your Highness" Thalia drops to her knees at his feet "I did not realize that you were Eric's guest, please forgive my imprudence."

"There is nothing to forgive. Eric I would like to speak with Pam for a few moments to coordinate a time for a celebration here in Louisiana so that Thalia and I may announce our grants of personal protection to your bonded. In the meantime Thalia please do not mention that you have seen me here, Eric may be the only Sheriff that can trust. Eric would you go check on that little problem from earlier and insure that the danger has passed. We will join you in the bar shortly." Eric did not like being dismissed by the King, I think that he liked it even less that the King asked me to remain.

The second the door closes the King leans forward and whispers "Pam please tell me of the relationship that Eric has with Sookie."

Oh fucking great, if I don't answer I am committing treason, if I do answer I am committing treason, what was it that Eric said once a traitor always a traitor? What the fuck! "I am not sure how to answer your Highness, I feel that no matter what I do I will be stepping on toes."

De Castro laughs deep in his chest and then becomes serious and reflective "Things have changed for our kind so quickly in recent years, things that were never possible before are now possible. During these extraordinary times our kind must be now only wary but willing to allow ourselves to accept change at an extremely accelerated rate. My sire and Eric's sire were very good at this, the training that Eric and I received was identical in all ways but one. My sire believed that taking a bonded was important to our survival and helped to keep us in touch with humanity. Eric's sire please the opposite, he believed that feelings for humans were a liability. I have been bonded many times over the years and have known many bonded vampires, Eric and Sookies's bond exceeds all of them a thousand fold. I believe that they are not only bonded by their blood but by their very souls. I can also tell that they have not accept that to live they must be together, they are slowly killing themselves with this separation. I have had plans for Eric since I discovered who is maker was, I had planned to steal him from Sophie Anne but when I discovered that Andre killed Akakios with her blessing for leading a battle as a human that killed Andre's human mother, I decided that I would just take her out and take Eric that way. I need a second that I can truly trust, I hoped Eric could fill that position before tonight and after tonight I am sure that he can, but before I move forward he must resolve this matter so that he can focus. Why are they fighting the bond and each other?"

I am in shock, if I had a beating heart it would have stopped. De Castro is not only aware of my Master's bond but is aware that the bond is doing ... strange things to Eric ... he also seems concerned about Eric and his well being. Is this some kind of trap? What do I do? Do I trust De Castro??????????

"Pam I understand that all of the information that you have received tonight must be mind hard to process. I also understand that your loyalty to Eric, your Sheriff and your sire, is greater than the loyalty that you feel for me. I would have it no other way, every leader needs a second just like you. Nevertheless, I must convenience you that in the end we have the same goals. You want Eric and Sookie to be together. You want this for no other reason than their happiness. I want this as well, but I want this so that Eric will be free, willing, and able to become my second, not only here in Louisiana, but MY SECOND in all of my realm including Nevada, Louisiana, and Arkansas. I need Eric, I need his assistance, without it I will have no rest or I will become sloppy, being sloppy means that I will meet my maker or I can just retire. Sookie is the key to Eric and she is a key that I must turn and turn quickly. I took over two kingdoms for him and I cannot allow this to continue in this manner"

"Sookie does not want to be turned your Majesty. Eric will not support anything that does against her wishes or anything that makes her unhappy."

"Pam you silly child, I was not speaking of making Sookie a vampire, I was speaking of her feelings for Eric. Those feelings must be released and released as quickly as possible to resolve their current conflict. The conflict must be resolved for Eric's safety, he cannot concentrate on the various plots against me until he is no longer worried about making Sookie his. That being said, I want to insure that I will turn Sookie before I allow her to die and take Eric's soul with her. I mentioned my bonded Allison earlier, I loved her and I respected her wish not to be turned. Now I am alone and I miss her more and more as each day passes. I will not allow Eric to endure what I have endured. I owe his maker Akakios."

"I am not sure that is a good idea, but there is pleanty of time to discuss the turning of Sookie another time. If you believe that you owe a debt to Akakios that can be repaid through Eric why has it taken you so long to find him?"

"A very good question. Decimus meet his finally death when I was six hundred and twenty-seven years old, I had not seen Akakios since I was two hundred or so years old. Akakios was there the night that Decimus meet his final death and stated with me for fifty years after. Akakios spoke of his for drengr barn, warrior child, Eiríkr of Northumbria, often, he had such pride in Eiríkr. Akakios left to return to Eiríkr and on his way Andre ambushed him and sent him to his final death, he never returned to Eiríkr. There was no way for me to find Eiríkr until your Bill Compton created his date base."

"Eric loves Sookie and Sookie loves Eric but they are both too wrapped up in their own prideful stubbornness to acknowledge their true feelings. Eric believes that a relationship with Sookie will weaken him and Sookie believes that a relationship with Eric will rob her of her independence. Sookie was also betrayed by her first two and last two boyfriends, not to mention the hurt that Eric caused her when lost his memory of their time together, I am just not sure that she is ready to give her heart again. I have no clue what Eric has been thinking ... he becomes violent when I ask any questions. I know that they just need to spend time together, without their egos present."

"This is going to be more difficult than I had hoped. Has he stopped feeding and fucking yet?"

"What do you mean yet?"

"When Allison was alive I refused to have sex with anyone but her. I found her blood the sweetest and had there been synthetic blood I may have only feed from her. My soul was not bonded to her's the way that Eric and Sookie have bonded, when any two beings souls become bonded they are not only drawn to each other they begin to find other repugnant. It is a gauge to the strength of the bond. It really doesn't matter any way, nothing can be done until after the weres come out of the dog house. In the meantime please think about what we can do to put them in to positions that will allow them to resolve their feelings for each other. If there is anything you need or feel that I should know please call me, I have programed my number into your phone as Your Highness it appears that Bubba is already listed as "The King". Now come we must join Eric."

My head is spinning! Eric, second to one of the most powerful Kings? "The King" wants to play matcher maker? I have always heard that De Castro is a real clod hearted bastard, but then again so is Eric. I am going to have to think about this turn of events long and hard, but knowing Eric and Sookie I am also going to have to think fast."