A/N - I've been working on this next installment for a while (hence the lack of postings) but I just wasn't satisfied with what I was turning out. Then the other day I was listening to the soundtrack of The Phantom of the Opera and heard Gerard Butler (not a Viking vamp god, but major hotness nonetheless) singing The Music of the Night. I'd never really paid close attention to the song before, but as I was drawn into the powerful music, I listened to the words and realized this is THE quintessential vampire-turning song, and I knew I had found the next installment. So, here it is. The bold italics are some of the song lyrics. There is a link on my profile page to a film clip of Gerard Butler's performance of the song. I urge you to check it out -- it's AWESOME!

My heartfelt thanks go to all of you who take the time to read and review; for those of you who choose to read and not review, but flag me and my stories as your favorites, I truly appreciate you as well.

DISCLAIMER - The wonderful characters, they belong to Ms. Charlaine. As for me, well I just make up the goofy stuff they do. The music of the song belongs to Andrew Lloyd Weber, the lyrics to Charles Hart.

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If human Sookie made my senses reel, then vampire Sookie truly rocked my world. I had been proud when I created Pam, but Sookie was truly my masterpiece. My very own Mona Lisa...only much more beautiful than that hag hanging on the wall of The Louvre. I never could understand what that da Vinci guy ever saw in her.

I glanced at the clock beside the bed – six hours before Pam would be here. Perfect. We still had plenty of time.

"Come on," I urged her as I sat up in the bed. "Get dressed and come with me. Put on something warm."

She gave me a quizzical look but did what I asked, getting out of bed and going to her closet. She returned carrying corduroy slacks and a heavy sweater. She opened a dresser drawer and retrieved a matching blue lace bra and panty set, which she quickly donned. I groaned to myself as I watched her, silently cursing the wild beast between my legs that was now interfering with the process of me getting into my jeans.

Noticing my struggle, she chuckled as she shook her head at me. I wished just once I could get into her mind, just so I could experience the awesome power she must feel knowing she could bring me to this. Not one person in a thousand years had been able to do that. I hated how much I loved it.

Once we were dressed, I took her by the hand and led her through the house to the back door off of the kitchen. After donning our jackets, we stepped outside into the crisp December night. "It's cool," she commented, "but not freezing cold like it should be."

"You will notice the cold no longer has the same effect on you as it did before," I reminded her.

Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination
Silently the senses abandon their defenses

I shut the door and we just stood together for a minute, neither one of us saying anything. She was experiencing the true nighttime for the first time, and it was my privilege to share it with her.

Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendor
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender

I watched as she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Her nostrils flared as she registered the scents that surrounded us. A few stray hairs, rustled by the gentle night breeze, flowed across her face. "Tell me what you smell," I whispered to her.

She exhaled, then took one more small sniff. "Someone has a fire burning in their fireplace," she observed. "One of the neighbors fried chicken for dinner." Her sense of smell was keener than what I had anticipated it would be. "And the Jenkins' dog took a dump in our back yard again," she giggled as she wrinkled her nose.

I laughed out loud and squeezed her hand. She was priceless...a true treasure. "Now, open your ears and tell me what you hear."

Turn your face away from the garish light of day
Turn your thoughts away from cold unfeeling light
And listen to the music of the night

She closed her eyes again and a little frown caressed her beautiful face as she appeared to concentrate. "An ambulance siren, but I can't tell how far away it is. Sounds like the Jenkins' dog is a few blocks away...maybe somewhere over on Magnolia Avenue...barking up a storm. Maybe he'll learn to crap over there from now on," she giggled again. Animal lover that she was, she never was really fond of that damn mutt. "Oh, and old Mr. Hebert is watching reruns of Gunsmoke again."

If I had breath, I would be holding it now. Sharing this moment with my bonded child for the first time was an experience unlike any other I ever had.

I watched her face as she turned it upward toward the sky. The moon was barely a sliver, allowing the stars to show off their true brilliance. One rogue star let loose and hurled itself through the darkness, impaling itself on the horizon. "Quick, Eric, make a wish," she urged. Her eyes pored into mine, full of excitement.

"It already came true, my love," I whispered and pulled her close. I buried my face in her hair and inhaled her scent. A split-second twinge of longing for the wildflowers flashed through me, but it quickly dissipated when I remembered I had gotten way more in return than what I had given up.

Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams
Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before
Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar
And you'll live as you've never lived before

"Are you ready to take a little trip?" I asked, my lips still pressed to her hair. "I would like to share something with you."

She leaned back a little in my arms so she could look up into my face. "You bet," she replied as her little smile spread from her lips all the way up to her eyes. Once again, my insides turned to jello, just from her looking at me. Shit...I was little more than putty in her hands.

I grinned back down at her before swinging her around onto my back. "Hang on," I instructed her playfully. Her arms tightened around my neck and she circled my waist with her legs. Her beautiful breasts pressed into my back and I sent a giant wave of lust to her through the bond.

"Eric..." I felt rather than heard her breathy whisper in my ear as her arms and legs tightened around me.

"Hold that thought, my lover," I chuckled over my shoulder to her as we took off into the cold winter night.

...Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind
In this darkness that you know you cannot fight...

We sailed high into the night sky over Shreveport. The lights of the city twinkled below us, mirroring the stars twinkling above. The briskness of the night air was exhilarating as we donned its icy cloak. Flying to the east toward neighboring Bossier City, we crossed over the Red River. The lights of the city sparkled on the black surface of the water like millions of fireflies winding their way toward the bayou.

Our flight continued eastward until the lights of the city were behind us. The dark landscape below us now was dotted with the lights of small towns as we passed over them: Sibley, Gibsland, Simsboro...until we finally reached Bon Temps. I searched for the familiar plot of ground just outside of town, and set us down deep in the woods behind her childhood home.

She turned her face up to mine, her eyes filled with unspoken questions. Her uncertainty and apprehension touched me through the bond.

Let your mind start to journey through a strange new world
Leave all thoughts of the life you knew before

"Why are we here?" she queried nervously. "Why did you bring me to my old home?"

How could I explain to her that she would never again feel or think the same as she did in her human life? That nothing she would experience from here on out would ever register the same way? Words were too lame – I had to show her. "Because I wanted you give you the experience of sensing something familiar for the first time," I explained to her. "I know you think you know this place inside out, but tonight will feel like you are seeing it again for the first time."

Let your soul take you where you long to be
Only then can you belong to me

I took her hand and we leisurely strolled through the dark woods. Our footsteps were silent as we tread on the carpet of leaves that had fallen from the red oaks and swamp maples. After walking for a few minutes, I squeezed her hand and brought us to a stop. Leaning close to her ear, I whispered, "Now...close your eyes and tell me what you can sense."

Her face was calm as she tilted it upward and inhaled deeply. Her blonde hair, made more golden by her new existence, cascaded down her back. I longed to wrap my fingers in its lengths -- to pull her lips to mine -- but I checked these emotions before she could sense them through the bond. Tonight was all about her.

"I can smell the dampness of the leaves on the ground," she observed. "The cedar trees smell so sharp, it's almost as if I'm running my fingers over the rough bark. I can even smell the pungent moss growing on a dead tree laying on the ground over there." She held out her hand and pointed to the decaying trunk of a fallen oak tree about twenty yards ahead of us. "There's a rabbit hiding inside. I can feel its little heart hammering away in its chest. I can smell its blood..." her words trailed off and I could sense her growing hunger.

"Do not be afraid." I tried to soothe her with my words. "Your hunger is an instinctual reaction to a living creature. You will learn to control it and, in time, it will diminish. For now, when you feel these urges, if you think of something unpleasant it may help distract you from your hunger."

"Peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches," she blurted suddenly.

"What?" I wanted to make sure I heard her correctly. What in the hell did peanut butter and mayonnaise have to do with blood?

"Peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches," she repeated, her voice tinged with exasperation at having to repeat herself. "When I was in school, Jeremy Miller always brought peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches in his lunch, and they really grossed me out." She shivered a little, as if she were truly repulsed by the memory. "If I think of that, I'm sure nothing will seem appetizing."

I laughed out loud, my voice echoing through the timber. If we lived another ten centuries, I was sure she would have no problem keeping me entertained.

My laughter earned a scowl from her beautiful face. I pulled her into my arms and hugged her tightly. "No, I am not making fun of you," I chided, knowing what she was thinking by the look on her face. "I love it when you make me laugh."

Floating, falling, sweet intoxication
Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation

I released my hold on her enough to bend down and capture her lips with mine. She moaned into my mouth, and I was gone. All coherent thought left my mind as our kiss deepened, tongues and fangs dueling in their urgency. I quickly stripped off my jacket and spread it out on the ground beneath us. Hers followed, and I lowered her onto the makeshift pallet on the woodsy floor.

Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in...
To...the power of the music of the night

Her fingers found their way under my shirt, caressing first my back, then my chest, leaving trails of fire in the wake of each touch. I could take this woman a hundred times a day for the next thousand years and it still would not be enough. I rained kisses on her face and neck, letting my fangs graze against her skin before pushing her sweater up and kissing the tops of her breasts above the blue lace of her bra.

Her hands made their way down my back until she was grasping one butt cheek in each palm, grinding herself against the bulge that was now straining against my zipper. "I think we are a little overdressed," she whispered suggestively against my shoulder.

"It will be cold if we take our clothes off here," I warned her.

"I don't care," she gasped. "I need you...now."

I needed no further encouragement. In an instant, my clothes were strewn across the ground, followed quickly by hers. With nothing between us but the cool night, we fell back down onto the pallet of coats. She reached out her arms and drew me to her, raising her hips in invitation. I moved forward, my hardness slipping easily into her softness as my lips crashed down onto hers. We moved together, writhing and riding in the woodsy darkness until we could no longer hold back. I sank my fangs into the soft flesh of her shoulder just as she bit down on the side of my neck. We drew long and hard from each other as our coupling reached its crescendo. Her muscles tightened and pulsed as she found her release, milking my hardness as I spilled inside her, our cries echoing up through the bare trees into the night sky.

I rolled to the side and cradled her under my arm, making sure she stayed on the pallet. I was lying naked on twigs, acorns, and decaying leaves, but I didn't care. I could have been lying on a bed of silver spikes and would not have noticed. Nothing else existed at this moment but us.

We lay there in the joy of each other's presence; no conversation was necessary. After a while, I stood and took her hand to help her up. As we were collecting our clothes, she came up behind me and laughed as she brushed the twigs and leaves off of my back and backside. "You won't be very comfortable if you put your clothes on over all this mess," she said as she cleaned me off, giving my award-worthy butt (her words, not mine) an extra pat for good measure.

"Tonight, my dear, I do not think it would matter," I replied as I turned around and kissed the tip of her little nose.

When our clothes were set to rights, I took her arm and swung her onto my back. We would make it back to Shreveport with a few minutes to spare before Pam's arrival.

This was, hands down, the best night of my life.

You alone can make my song take flight
Help me make the music of the night