CHAPTER 1

Sookie took a quick breath and shook her blond hair out behind her. Her shoulders pushed back and her mouth tight with nerves she approached Fangtasia. The line was filled with the same leather-clad wannabes that were there every night. Sookie didn't spare them a glance as she walked past to where Pam was standing. She didn't notice the eyes that followed her as she moved in her ruby red summer dress.

"Sookie" Pam smiled with what appeared to be pleasant surprise. "You're lookin' well" she purred. Sookie forced a smile. A chill went down her spine as she noted the interest in the vampire's eyes. It wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't aware of how disinterested Pam usually was with everything. Sookie didn't need to read her mind to know that manning the door wasn't Pam's favorite.

"I need to talk to Erik" Sookie told her, a quaver in her voice betraying the panic she was trying to hide. She had spent the day waiting for night to fall, waiting to come here. But she knew if she seemed desperate the help she had come for would end up costing her more than she could afford.

A shapely brow rose on Pam's smooth face. She looked Sookie up and down before her smile widened and she moved to let her through the front door. "You know where to find him" she drawled, letting her attention return to the line of people waiting to get into the club.

Sookie moved through the crowd easily, making her way to Erik's throne. It wasn't a special chair, nor was it raised above the rest of the room more than slightly; it was the vampire that sat in the chair that made it a throne.

"Erik"

Just his name from her lips and she felt her heart beat faster. That he undoubtedly knew his affect on her made it worse. His presence was so overpowering that it was a palpable menace in the air. She had experienced a lot in the last month and met a lot of vampires, some of whom had wanted to eat her. But it wasn't until she had felt Erik's eyes on her that she had truly felt like prey.

His cold blue eyes seared into her and before she could blink he was by her side. It made her head spin, his speed. Bill was usually careful to keep himself in check around her and she wasn't used to what vampires were truly capable of. She opened her mouth to speak but he had already taken her arm and was guiding her to a corner table that was abandoned as he approached it. The people who left gave him anxious looks, but Sookie's mind flashed with their excited and sexual thoughts. As Erik helped her to a seat she wasn't surprised at the envy sent her way but blushed as some of them were over her and not Erik.

"You look good enough to eat" he told her with a half smile on his pale face. Sookie looked into his eyes and saw the amusement there, wondered which of them he was laughing at. "Though I am surprised to see you here again so soon. And alone...how delightful"

"I came to talk about somethin' that happened today" she told him with renewed resolve. His suggestive words triggered a flash of memory from her first visit and she missed Bill even more. She was going to get his help no matter what.

"By all means" he gestured to her to continue. And taking a deep breath, she did.

It didn't take very long to explain to Erik what had happened the night before at the bar. How the vampires had come in looking for Bill, and exactly how they had convinced him to leave with them. She told him about what she had heard the guys thinking and about staying at Bill's waiting to make sure he was safe. But when she started to describe the burnt house and the mess that the sheriff had told her was the vampires...

"Sookie" Erik's cool hands came out to clasp hers as she dug her nails into her palms. She slowly relaxed and looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"I need to know" she whispered. "I don't know who else can help me....and I need to know if he was killed"

Erik's face remained impassive as he looked into her eyes. His hands tightened on hers briefly before letting go. "Only because I know Bill so well can I do this" he told her without blinking. No emotion showed on his face and Sookie's breath caught as she was torn between relief and fear.

"So you'll help?" she asked, the hope in her voice making Erik's lips curl again.

"Isn't that why you came here?" he asked softly. "To make a deal with me?"

"A deal?"

"A deal, Sookie Stackhouse, for my help" Erik confirmed her fears as he leaned back and eyed her. "If I help you or not is dependent on you"

"What do you want from me?" she asked breathlessly, already knowing the answer.

"Everything" he answered simply eyeing her shoulders where the spaghetti straps from her dress met her flesh. Sookie was struck numb for a minute as she processed what that could possibly mean. She imagined that that best case scenario would be if he only wanted to have sex with her...she didn't want to think about what the worst case scenario would entail. "Do you know that you are wearing my very favorite color?" Erik cut into her thoughts easily, not bothering to move his eyes from her body.

"Not very original" Sookie scoffed looking down at the blood red dress she now regretted wearing. "I mean, a vampire likin' the color red and all" she finished pertly, deciding suddenly that she wasn't going down without a fight.

"I suppose not" he laughed at her as his eyes lit up for the first time since she arrived. "But to be fair, you wore it on purpose hoping that I would like it"

"Did I?" she averred not wanting to give him the point. "I suppose you're readin' my mind, are you?" she challenged, unconsciously wanting to remind him of the other uses he could have for her. She knew that Bill had filled Eric in on the details of her 'gift' after she had been here the first time. It had naturally been a point of interest after she had warned Eric of an upcoming police raid on his bar.

"No Sookie" he said as leaned forward enough for her to feel his cool breath on her cheek. "That's what I'm going to have you for" he whispered.

"That's the deal then" Sookie jumped on his words enthusiastically. "You help me and I'll read someone's mind for you whenever you want"

Erik pulled back just enough to look her in the eyes. She held her breath without realizing it. He slowly moved in until his lips feathered across hers. Her breath raggedly released and her chest heaved from the emotions crashing inside. He seemed to breathe in the smell of her breath before he moved in to repeat his soft kiss, barely meeting lips.

"I help you" he said against her lips. "And whatever I find, you come back with me". He finally put some pressure into his kiss and when she gasped in surprise he took advantage by slipping his tongue into her warm mouth. After a moment of resistance Sookie gave in and returned the kiss. She knew there was no other way to find out for sure what had happened to Bill. And without knowing that, what life was there for her anyway.

Sookie stood by her car as she hugged her sides. It was a little cold out, but she didn't feel like waiting in the car for Erik. After they had sealed the deal, Erik had been quick to fulfill his side of the bargain. He had walked, slowly for him, with her to the front door. Coming out into the night sky he had met Pam's look evenly, nodding towards Sookie and telling her not to wait up. Sookie wasn't sure what she had expected from Pam, but a knowing and somewhat excited smile was not it.

He had driven her car quickly back to the scene of the crime from the night before and without a word had gotten out of the car and vanished.

So here she was, waiting for her new 'owner' to come back and tell her if Bill was dead or alive. It wasn't more than a few minutes before he returned to her silently. She stifled a shriek as he came from behind her and pulled her into his arms.

"I'm sorry" he whispered into her hair. She knew from his voice that he didn't mean from scaring her. Anguish crashed through her as she finally faced what she had already suspected.

"He's dead" she choked it out from a throat clogged with unshed tears.

"No Sookie" Erik said as he tightened his grip on her. "He isn't"