Adele POV

"I am told you are an honorable man. I came hoping you would help me." The powerful, handsome, vampire across from me gives no sign of reaction but I can sense the spark in his interest.

"What is it you believe I can assist you with, Mrs. Stackhouse?" he asks with much more patience and politeness than I expected.

"Please call me Adele."

"Of course Adele, and you may call me Eric." he smiles as if amused by my manners.

"I am not long for this world, Eric. I have spent the better part of the last 20 years protecting my granddaughter and grandson. You see when I was much younger; I fell in love with a fairy and we bonded. He was very handsome and very romantic. Neither of us thought of the consequences of our union. My lover, it turns out, was a prince of fae. His family is very powerful and still rules, as I understand, however royal relation came with royal enemies. Fintan and I did our best to protect our family but we lost both of our children and their spouses to the water fae. The war in Faery has only grown more brutal over the last two decades. Fintan was killed this morning….. I never met Prince Niall Brigant but Fintan was very insistent that his father never have power over our grandchildren, particularly, our granddaughter. She is very special. My bloodline has carried powers of the mind for centuries. Not everyone or even every generation was blessed with these gifts but my granddaughter not only contains the powers of the mind but she also has an essential spark brighter than Niall's, if Fintan's assessment is accurate." I can tell the perfectly composed vampire in front of me is anxious to know the rest. "I fear Eric, with my grandchildren unprotected that Fintan's relatives may whisk them away, and I cannot even fathom what may happen then. I understand that you are one of the oldest vampires in North America, respected by the supernatural community, feared by the fae, petrifying in battle, and wise in political and business matters. You Mr. Northman are just what I need for my grandchildren. They are educated, trained in combat, cautious, and so many other wonderful things, but for all that I could give them, I cannot give them experience. They have been raised on a remote homestead in Bon Temps with little contact to the greater world and no contact with the supernatural world except for what we taught them and the brief brushes through breeches of security over the years. You and I both know naivety and inexperience will get you killed quickly in our world." His eyebrows are raised. I know he understands what I am asking and that I am not finished. "I understand I will not be around long enough to repay you personally for the favor I ask of you and I am told that you are in no great need of financial compensation therefore I offer something that can never be bought; my granddaughter's hand in pledging." His eyebrows are going to pop off of his forehead any moment. "Please, I understand you have questions, but let an old lady finish." His smirk has returned. "A pledging with my granddaughter could be very beneficial. My grandchildren will have the protection and guidance I seek for them and you shall have two brilliant allies, as Jason goes where Sookie goes. I have had Mr. Cataliades prepare a pledging contract. I will allow you to meet my grandchildren; if after you meet them you are amenable to my request then we can discuss the details of the contract. Now, please ask away."

Eric POV

Ask away? Where do I begin? Mind powers, fae, enemies, a Sookie, pledging?

"Mrs. Stackhouse, let me make sure I understand this correctly. You are joining your bonded in the Summerlands and are afraid to leave your grandchildren behind, alone, because they are descendants of the ruling prince of fae and you fear he may put them in harm's way. Your solution to this problem is to pledge your granddaughter, who is a powerful part fae with mind powers, to me a powerful vampire. I am correct?"

"You seem to have the gist of it. Before you decide, I know you can taste the truth of my words, so you know to believe me when I say, while I would be very grateful for your help it may be you in the end thanking me." She is correct I can taste the truth of her words and I cannot recall ever being more intrigued than I am right now. It cannot hurt to meet this young fae and I wonder what she is capable of?

"For your honesty Adele, I will return the courtesy and admit that I have never been more curious than I am right now. I agree to meet your grandchildren. Is tonight agreeable?" I hope she agrees because I am wrought with interest.

"It is. I am going straight home from here. You may follow me if you wish or you may meet me at this address." She hands me a piece of paper that has an address and small map drawn on it.

"I will meet you there in one hour and I must say that I feel rather honored that a fine lady such as yourself would consider me for such an important task, whether we reach an accord or not." I bowed and kissed her hand then had Pamela escort her to her car.

I really had other plans this evening, hell, the club has not even opened yet, but this situation has captured my attention. It is mere chance that I met Adele in the parking lot when I arrived. She arrived just as I was getting out of my car and I was unable to refuse her the audience she requested.

I have not heard stories of individuals with mind powers in centuries. Dealing with the fae could prove very dangerous but it may take them a while to notice I have two fairies hidden in my retinue.

Sookie POV

I have never been so scared or unsure in my life. Grandpa died and Gran will leave us soon. We have always known about their bond and knew that one would join the other if anything should happen to one of them. It is romantic in a way but my heart does not hurt the less for the loss. What I had never thought of before is what we would do if Grandpa and Gran ever left us. Gran told us today that she had hoped she would not need to leave us so soon. She also asked us to trust her. We have never had reason not to but then she told us her concerns and plan. We had never considered being snatched away to some other realm and we had certainly never considered an alliance with a vampire. I have never had a boyfriend before so a supernatural marriage to a powerful vampire seemed like a big jump for me. Kinda' like going from never riding a bike to jumping on a Harley and attempting a cross country ride at top speed. It seemed and still seems out of my league. Jason is more worried than I am. He is just sure Gran's friend will end us or abuse us.

I hear Gran's car pull up the drive and I run to greet her. I will do whatever she asks of me and be grateful that she has been considerate enough to make arrangements for our protection and happy that I have had time to say all I would have regretted not saying had she passed suddenly.

Right behind her old car, is the sleek Cadillac I recognize as Mr. Cataliades's car. He emerges more quickly than my dear Gran and rushes to assist her from the car. I would have done so myself, had he not rushed to do so; I am pleased to see such nice manners in people.

"Mr. Cataliades how nice of you to visit; I am so pleased to see you." I am not sure if his presence is good or bad.

"Do not worry my dear. Your grandmother invited her friend here to meet you and your brother. If you all feel favorably about entering into a contract, then I will be available to prepare a legally binding agreement tonight." I understood what he did not speak but said so clearly; this needed to be done as soon as possible because our time is nearly out. The thought brought tears to my eyes.

We climbed the steps to our family home and proceeded into the kitchen. All of our most important talks have taken place in the kitchen and it was only fitting to continue this way. The four of us had just sat down with our preferred refreshment when there was a loud knock on the front door. Gran, Jason, and the demon all looked at me. I was so nervous, but I forced myself to move to the foyer. I opened the door slowly but proudly; greeting our guest with as much decorum as my Gran's sense of hospitality demanded.

"Good evening, please come in. You must be Mr. Northman." I spoke kindly as I opened the door then closed it behind him when he entered.

Eric POV

I took care of a little business then flew to Bon Temps. I found Adele's home easily with my view. The house is backed by a swamp and surrounded on the other sides by dense forest. A long drive way leads to a well-manicured lawn, flourishing garden, and a well preserved, large, early 19th century farm house. I approached the house, listening to the movement inside, and knocked on the door. After a few moments, the door was slowly opened by the most gorgeous creature I have ever seen.