CHAPTER 3
I open my eyes and look up into the face of my husband, which is filled with amusement.
"Good evening wife of mine" he says.
"Hmmm" I murmur and rub my eyes, "What time is it?" I ask.
"Time you were waking up, you have slept the day away and even I rose before you" Eric says playfully.
I smile at him, "I liked falling asleep with you and waking up to you" I say. That is all the encouragement Eric needs to cover me with his body and show me how much he likes waking up to me as well.
I am recovering when there is a knock at the door, Eric looks at me, "who is it, wife of mine?" he asks.
I open my mind and listen and I feel two voids and a human...I listen harder and realise its Greg, "Two vampires and Greg" I say.
Eric nods, "It must be Thalia and Pam he says and walks towards the door peeping through the spy hole then he opens the door.
"Good evening" he says as the two vampires stalk into the room, Greg follows and he looks grim.
"What's happened?" I ask immediately on alert at their demeanour.
"Felipe knows we are here," Pam says.
"We need to go now" Thalia adds.
"Explain" Eric snaps.
The two vampires turn towards Greg who starts to speak.
"During the day, I saw two men hanging around while I was guarding the floor and they seemed to walk past more times than was necessary, so I approached them and they claimed to be looking for an associate who was staying here, I asked what room they were looking for and offered to help them but they refused... quite politely, but they refused, a short while later two more men were also seen hanging around, I informed the hotel security and they were searched, they were employees of Felipe – working for the area local sheriff and if I were to guess I would say they were all Weres of some description, but I can't be certain of that. My theory is, they were staking out the rooms to see who was in here as they had made enquiries as to how many vampires were staying in the hotel."
"How would Felipe know we are here?" I ask.
"Victor" Pam says.
"It makes sense" Eric says and paces around as he thinks things over.
"It may be simply the area sheriff being nosy, but I am not prepared to take the risk, alright, well I had planned to leave tonight to return to Louisiana, and now I think, the sooner the better".
With that Pam speeds around our room and seconds later all our belongings are packed and ready to go.
Eric seems to remember Greg and turns towards him, "Thank you" he says.
"Any time Mr Northman, you know that" Greg replies.
Eric nods and pulling out his wallet hands Greg a wad of bank notes. He takes them and thanks Eric again before turning towards me.
"It was nice to meet you Mrs Northman" he says politely.
I smile at him, "And you too Greg, stay safe" I say, Greg nods and says goodbye to Pam and Thalia and then with that is gone.
I look at Eric and then at Pam and ask the question which I am now bursting to ask, "why is it a bad thing if Felipe knows we are here?" I am wondering what I am missing here.
"We didn't ask permission from Victor to leave Louisiana and enter Nevada, so if Felipe knows we are here then so will Victor," Pam says with disgust.
"You need permission to travel?" I ask incredulously.
Thalia nods, "It has always been a directive to seek permission from the area you intend to visit, but not from your home governance, until now, it would appear that a directive from Victor was conveniently made shortly after we had left Louisiana, anyone would think he was watching you and is trying to gather evidence to end you," she says looking at Eric.
He shrugs "Nothing I haven't faced before," he says dismissively.
I am horrified by this and I look from Eric, to Pam and then to Thalia and back to Eric.
"Why does he keep doing this?" I ask.
"Victor doesn't like it that he is only a regent, he wanted to be named King, he also doesn't like it that Felipe swore to protect you, as that makes life harder for him to get at Eric through you without making himself look bad, for example when he prevented Eric coming for you when Neave and Lochlan captured you, and he really doesn't like it that Eric has you as he thinks he, as regent, should have you." Pam explains.
She pauses at my expression, "you are viewed as a commodity Sookie, a status symbol, to have a telepath in ones employ is considered a great asset and so therefore it makes Eric powerful to have such an asset, that angers Victor as he also believes it elevates Eric's position and status above his own and he believes it is his right to possess you to consolidate his status and position. He was furious when Eric married you in line with vampire law and he witnessed it and he will like it even less when he gets word that you have now also married Eric by human tradition as well as vampire law, as human law supersedes vampire law which makes it even harder for him, or Felipe for that matter, to separate you from Eric, without bringing unwanted attention to themselves, and also he doesn't like it because Eric is older, stronger, cleverer and more liked and respected by the vampires of the area and that he commands their respect and loyalty effortlessly, while he, the regent, is reviled, it makes him worried that a coup could be staged and he could be overthrown and killed" Pam says.
I listen to all she has said and decide to point out the obvious as I see it. "So, if Eric has all these things in his favour, and Victor is obviously feeling so threatened by him, then why don't we just prove him right, why don't we just get rid of him? You know, I'm still smarting from how he sent Corinna and Bruno after us that night and I'm sick of being treated as an object! Am I missing something here? It seems quite simple to me, as far as I can see Victor has got to go, we have to end him" I say.
Eric looks at me with pride and love, while Pam and Thalia just stare at me in shock.
"What?" I ask, "I am not a commodity, asset or status symbol for anyone and if he is going to try and make life difficult for my husband because he can't get what he wants then he deserves all he gets" I add with more than a hint of indignation. I feel Eric's pride in me growing even more.
"I was wrong about you breather, you are thinking like a vampire, there is hope for you yet" Thalia says grudgingly.
I stare right back at her, "My name is Sookie, not breather" I say and I see Pam's mouth twitch with amusement. I'm not sure what possessed me to say that, I realise it must be Eric's blood and his emotions which are flowing through the bond that is making me brave, I look towards my husband.
"Well are we going then?" I ask wanting to leave before I say anything else which is likely to get me killed.
Eric is smiling widely and I am being overwhelmed by his love and pride, he moves towards me and picks me up, "hold on" he says and to my surprise he leaps out of the window.
"What about Pam and Thalia?" I ask shouting above the whistling wind around us as Eric flies through the night sky.
"If we are being watched, they will see Pam and Thalia checking out, they do not have the same target on them as I do, plus they will then follow Pam and Thalia, leaving us free to return to Louisiana" he explains.
"What about them?" I shout.
"They will be fine, as I say it's me Victor has the problem with. They will get back" he assures me and I can't help but notice the confidence in his voice.
oooOOOooo
We fly around for a while to make sure we haven't been spotted and followed, but eventually we reach the plane and climb on board, I am surprised to note our luggage is already here I stare at it and then jump violently when Pam appears.
"How?" I ask.
"We were observed when we checked out and then followed until Thalia...disposed of them" Pam says with a grin.
I watch Eric smile, "she is safe?" he asks.
"Of course I am Viking, what do you take me for?" An indignant voice says, I turn and see Thalia walking towards us.
"Lets go home then" Eric says.
We are soon in the sky and heading back to Louisiana.
"Eric, can I ask you something?" I say, once we are in the sky and flying towards Louisiana.
"Yes of course my wife" he says, as he turns towards me and gives me his undivided attention.
My stomach lurches as he says those words, it means so much more now, I look at him carefully, "How did you get everything organised so quickly, I mean the wedding and everything?" I ask.
Eric looks at me and smiles, "I already had everything planned, it was just a question of putting those plans into action. I had already planned to marry you in line with your human traditions and so I already had all the arrangements in place, I was just waiting for the right time to put it to you, but you beat me to it with your unique plan to buy us time and thwart my makers meddling" he says.
"You were planning to...?" I stop, shocked that he really wanted to do this anyway, and that our wedding wasn't just a convenient plan to stop Ocella's plot.
Eric nods, "I realised you felt deceived when I arranged for you to give me the knife at Fangtasia, the reason you refused to acknowledge our marriage or accept me as your husband confirmed that for me, I did not intend for you to feel that way and I wanted to show you that although my reasons for doing it were primarily to keep you safe and out of Felipe's clutches, I also did it because ...I love you and I wanted you to be my wife, I am proud to be your husband and I wanted you to be proud to be my wife and I realised that for you to gain that pride I would need to marry you in line with your traditions" he stops and waits for me to speak, but I am speechless.
I had no idea he loved me that much, he has just admitted he loves me which for a vampire is a huge thing, and he risks being seen as weak for just saying it. I feel bad about accusing him of tricking me into marrying him when all he was doing was trying to keep me safe. I don't hesitate I stand up and walk over to him and climb into his lap.
"I love you and I am very proud to be your wife" I say as I rest my head against his cool chest, I go over his words once more and it also plants a small seed of an idea of how I can prove to him just how much I love him into my head.
oooOOOooo
It is a race against time to get back to Eric's home before dawn, Pam and Thalia take the guest pods and I head with Eric towards his room, he looks surprised that I am doing so.
"You want to sleep with me in here?" he says.
I nod, "Of course I do, you are my husband," I say.
I feel his joy at my words as he leads me into the bedroom then he turns and locks the sturdy door, he looks at me carefully and hesitates a moment then he seems to come to some sort of decision, I am surprised when he slides under the bed rather than getting into it and he is still watching me closely.
"I am placing a great deal of trust in you my wife" he says. I realise with those seemingly simple words that this is monumentally huge, he is about to show me his resting place, a closely guarded secret for any vampire. I follow him underneath the bed and watch as he disappears under the floor, as I also drop down I am shocked to see I am in yet another room with a comfortable bed and all the creature comforts anyone would need.
"If you wake before I rise, feel free to leave this area and make yourself at home in the main house" he says as he replaces the floorboards and shoots the final heavy bolts across to secure them, "it is your home too now" he adds quietly.
I nod and climb into the bed, Eric slides in beside me and pulls me into his arms.
The next time I open my eyes I have no idea what time it is, the windowless underground room not giving any indication of the time of day. I detach myself from Eric and make my way out. I struggle slightly with the floorboards but eventually I manage to get out. I secure everything as much as I can before making my way into the main part of the house. The house is still and silent, as I look around I see the sun is shining and I go in search of a clock. I find what I am looking for and discover it is nearly midday, I am now at a loose end until Eric rises and I wonder what to do, I head into another room and I find my purse, I dig around inside and find my phone, I check it and call Sam and Jason to make sure they got back from Las Vegas ok.
First of all I call Jason, "Hello" he says by way of greeting.
"Hi Jason, you got back ok then?" I ask.
"Oh hi Sookie, yeah I'm good, look I didn't like to say anything with all the vamps around but you know if things don't work out with Eric I won't judge you because you decided to hitched to a deader."
I stare at my phone not sure what to say to that, "Thanks" is all I can manage and this seems to be enough for him.
My next call to Sam is likely to be more uncomfortable, I have no idea what Eric has done about my job, do I even have one now? Plus the obvious hostility between Eric and Sam at the wedding points to the fact words have been spoken between the two, I dial Sam's number and wait.
"Sam Merlotte" he says and I smile at his familiar voice.
"Hi Sam, its Sookie I was just checking in, letting you know I'm back and checking that you got back ok" I say.
"Oh hello cher yeah I got back fine," he says and then there is a brief moment of silence.
"Do I still have a job?" I ask.
"If you still want one then you have one" Sam says kindly.
"Thank you Sam" I say with more than a hint of relief in my voice.
"Look, take the rest of the week off, talk it over with...your husband and let me know what you want to do, but if you still want to work here then I would be more than happy to have you," he says.
"Thanks for being so understanding" I say sincerely.
"No problem" Sam says, there is another brief silence then he speaks again. "Look I have to go" he says awkwardly.
"I understand Sam, and thank you once again for coming to Vegas, I'm glad you came" I say.
"No problem... look, if things don't work out with Eric or if you ever need me, well you know where I am" he says.
"Thank you Sam, I appreciate that" I say.
We say our goodbyes and despite the obvious awkwardness, I feel much happier now I have spoken to him, I wonder if my belongings have been brought here, Eric said that they would be, I head into the kitchen and find a clip board with a checklist, its an inventory of all my belongings, I go upstairs and into the bedroom I normally stay in when I am here, and I the first thing I see is boxes of my belongings in here, seeing everything here like this brings it home to me what I have done and I glance down at the rings on my finger and I smile, yes I made the right decision.
I wonder briefly what happened after my rant at Niall, I wonder if he did as I asked and collected all the abandoned Fae who had gathered at Hooligans. I pause and out of curiosity I call the club. I get the answering machine which I find strange as there is always someone there to pick up. Perhaps they have all gone back to the Faery? I look outside and see my car parked in the driveway, I decide I need to head back to Bon Temps, I think about the wisdom of going alone during the day, there are no vampires awake to hassle me but Victor is bound to have humans and probably Weres working for him so I don't want to risk it, plus because I left Eric's resting place, he isn't as secure as he would be had I slept somewhere else. I realise that I am effectively a prisoner here until Eric wakes and I can discuss with him how my days and nights are going to be from now on.
My stomach grumbles and I head back downstairs, I wonder if I will need to head to the grocery store, Eric bought a toaster and coffee machine for me to use while I am here, but more than once he has failed to have any coffee or bread in the house, I look in the cupboards and fridge and I step back in shock, all my favourite foods are in here, stacked neatly beside his stock of bottled blood. I open another cupboard and find all my cooking utensils from my kitchen at home and my heart almost bursts with love at Eric's thoughtfulness. I quickly make myself an omelette and sit at the kitchen table and eat it. When I have finished I clean up and then resume my exploration of Eric's ...our home. As I look around the lounge I remember finding Eric here after Alexei went on his rampage, dejected and in pain. I go back upstairs and start to unpack my boxes of belongings. The next thing I know I feel Eric rising and as I go to greet him I turn to see him standing in the doorway completely and unashamedly naked.
I stand and walk towards him, "Hi" I say as I wrap my arms around him.
"My wife" he says and he kisses my head.
He leads me over to the bed and I know exactly what he has on his mind, I undress slowly and watch as his fangs descend as he gets more excited.
"I want you" I say as I reach for him, he closes his eyes briefly and then in seconds he is on me.
"This is best" he growls and I have to agree with him, it really is.
When we eventually emerge from the upstairs bedroom and Eric has sorted himself out and got dressed I warm him some blood and give it to him, he fed from me when we made love but it feels like the normal thing to do for him.
"What do you want to do tonight?" Eric asks me as he accepts the bottle and then drains it.
"Well, I was hoping to head over to Bon Temps, I need to talk to Sam about my job and I want to check my house is ok, we need to talk about both of those things, I mean I've always worked and I don't see me being happy if I'm not working" I pause, watching Eric's reaction and I see him consider what I said.
"Come and work with me at Fangtasia" he says.
I think about that and nod, "I'd like that" I say.
I watch as Eric smiles at my easy acceptance. "Shall we go to Bon Temps?" he says.
I nod and grab my coat, and slip my hand into his.
"We shall take your car my wife" Eric says and I stare at him in surprise, I was expecting us to go in the Corvette, and immediately I realise he is up to something as a sly smile plays on his lips.
"What are you planning?" I ask.
Eric says nothing but leads me outside, and where my car was parked earlier there now stands a brand spanking new Camaro I stare at it and run my fingers over it.
"Oh my god Eric" I gasp, "this isn't for me?" I ask totally overwhelmed.
"Indeed it is, do you like it?" he asks.
"Like it ...I love it! But I can't accept it, it's too much" I exclaim.
Eric's demeanour hardens and his eyes turn to flint and I realise immediately I have insulted him, but it goes against everything I am and everything I know, but on the other hand I realise he wanted to do this for me, because he loves me, I take a deep breath and try and salvage the situation.
I turn towards him and hug him and kiss him. "You are spoiling me, I don't need gifts Eric, I have the greatest gift of all and that's you" I say.
"I need you to be safe when I cannot be with you and your old car was… unacceptable" he says and in that moment when I hear those words I swallow my pride and graciously accept the gift.
"Thank you Eric, I love it and I'm sorry if I offended you, it was just a bit of a shock that's all, it's not every day someone buys you a flashy new car" I say.
I feel him bombard me with love as he hears my words and I know I have managed to make things right.
Eric pulls the keys from his pocket and hands them to me.
"Shall we go my wife?" he asks.
I nod and climb in to the car, Eric climbs in beside me and we head off to Bon Temps.
oooOOOooo
We go to my home first and look around, all my furniture is still here but the house has been gutted of all my personal effects.
"All your belongings are at our home" Eric says carefully.
I nod, "Yes they were all there but there are also some items of furniture I would like to keep too" I say.
Eric nods, "just say what you want and I will have it moved for you" he says.
"Thank you" I say.
"Can we keep this house too?" I ask.
Eric nods, "Of course we can, this house and area is part of who you are Sookie" he says.
"I wonder if Niall took all the Fae back to the faery?" I ask absently, almost to myself.
"Yes he did" Eric replies.
I spin on the spot and look at him questioningly.
"I made enquires after your... discussion with Niall, they have all gone and the Faery has been sealed, you won't be troubled by them anymore" he says.
The sense of relief I feel at these words is unbelievable, but I also can't help thinking of all the trouble, the heartache and death caused by my grandfather just to satisfy his selfish need to meet me.
"I'm glad" I say, somewhat lamely. I look around "this could be our get away home when we want some time alone away from it all" I say.
Eric nods, "I've always liked this house, it has this...feeling about it" he says.
"Niall always said it was because of the Fae magic in the land" I explain, "Dermot and Claude liked it here too" I add.
After a few moments I take Eric's hand and we make our way to the car when I hear a noise behind me, I spin around and look towards the woods and Eric is immediately on alert.
"Show yourself" Eric demands.
A figure steps out of the trees and I relax, "It's only Bill" I say, as I recognise the figure.
Bill walks closer but doesn't say anything.
"Hi Bill, you are looking much better, is Judith still with you?" I ask politely.
Bill shakes his head, "She has gone, I sent her away" he says.
"Oh I see" I say, somewhat lamely as I'm not sure what else I can add to that.
"She assumed that there could be more to our relationship" he says.
"And you didn't?" I ask.
"No, I cannot love another, while I am consumed with feelings for you" he says, this was obviously not the right thing to say, especially in front of Eric and I wonder what Bill is playing at. Eric bears his fangs at Bill and actually growls at him but Bill ignores the threat and continues to stare at me like a lost puppy. I realise he is purposely goading Eric and it pisses me off.
"Bill, you know we are just friends, we can never be anything more than that, not after the way you used me, in fact you should consider yourself lucky to even be considered a friend by me after what you did. I love Eric, I'm married to him for gods' sake" I say. This seems to provoke a reaction in both Eric and Bill, Eric calms down and Bill get more agitated.
"You gave him a damn knife which he tricked you into doing, that is not the basis for a marriage" Bill insists, I can feel Eric's anger rising again I reach for him and touch his arm sending him my love and trying to calm him. I turn to Bill and the anger on my face visibly shakes him.
"Eric and I are married, I am Mrs Northman, and I am proud to be Eric's wife, we married in a human civil ceremony, and I now live in Shreveport" I say holding up my left hand so Bill can see my rings.
Eric sees the pain on Bills face and holds up his hand displaying the wedding ring he too proudly wears, Bill makes a strange sound and turns and disappears back into the woods.
"He bothers me sometimes, he almost seems obsessed about me" I say.
"He realises he lost the most beautiful, wonderful woman in the world, he used and betrayed you and he knows that nothing he can do can forgive that treachery" Eric says as he pulls me close.
"Let's go" I say. I feel a little bit guilty for upsetting Bill, after all he did come after me when I was captured by Neave and Lochlan and got poisoned by silver for his trouble, but I repaid that debt by finding Judith and getting her to come and give him her blood so he could heal.
We head to Merlottes and it is once again abnormally quiet, I look around before heading out the back to find Sam.
"It's a bit quiet in here" I say.
Sam nods, "I just hope that the novelty of the new bar will soon wear off and they will return" he says.
"Fangtasia is also suffering, Victor has opened a Vampire bar in Shreveport" Eric says.
I try not to react, I didn't know that, and I had no idea that Victor was behind the bar taking Merlottes clientele although I should have realised 'Vic's Redneck Roadhouse' was kind of obvious. It makes me all the more determined to get Victor out of the picture, he is not only hurting Sam's business but he is also hurting Eric's. I wonder if Felipe knows what games his regent is playing and I wonder if he would approve of his regent effectively damaging the income for the state. I pull myself from my thoughts and get to the point of my visit.
"I've talked things over with Eric and I have decided to hand in my notice here at Merlotte's" I say watching Sam's reaction carefully.
He rolls his eyes, "Well I didn't see that one coming" he says sarcastically.
I feel my anger rising, "And what's that supposed to mean?" I snap.
Sam laughs humourlessly, "Oh come on, he has you right where he wants you, he has separated you from your home, your family and now your job, can't you see what he is doing?" he says.
Eric hisses and steps forward menacingly but I place my hand on his arm.
"Now you hang on one minute, Sam Merlotte, you have no idea about me and my life I may be married to Eric and I may love him but I make my own decisions, I will still be coming to Bon Temps regularly to see Jason and I am keeping my house, for us to stay in, I made a decision which was right for me, and it makes sense that now I live in Shreveport that I work in Shreveport too, I hoped you of all people would understand and be happy for me" I say.
I can see Sam struggling with what to say and I take a peek in his head, the usually snarly thoughts of a twoey are clear at this moment, Sam doesn't think Eric is good enough for me and he thinks I am heading for disaster.
"I love Eric and it was my idea to marry him in a human ceremony" I say, Sam looks at me sceptically and my patience evaporates, "Look you know what, just forget it, if you can't be happy for me then its probably best I won't be working here anymore."
I look up at Eric, "come on lets go" I say. I feel hurt by Sam's reaction and Eric can feel it as he wraps his arm around me and kisses me tenderly.
As we walk towards the car I look up at Eric, "You didn't tell me Victor had opened a club in Shreveport and that it was affecting Fangtasia" I say.
"I didn't feel it was important" Eric replies.
I shake my head, "Eric, anything to do with that slime ball is important, I need to know exactly what he is doing so we can work out the best way to get rid of him" I say.
Eric beams at me, "You make me so proud" he says.
I shrug off his words and climb into my car.
On the way back to Shreveport an idea comes into my head, I have been thinking about everything, I remember what Greg said about Eric training him, and Thalia's caustic comments keep playing over and over in my mind that I am a liability to Eric. The more I think about it the more I realise I am and I could potentially be the cause of Eric's demise, yes I have killed vampires and other supernatural beings, but every single time was a fluke and not because I was trained to do so, it has always been pure luck rather than intention and I'm not stupid enough to realise that I will need more than blind luck to help overcome Victor. This has made the seed of an idea which I first had on the plane grow a little bit more, and it has also lead me to make another decision and I turn towards Eric.
"Eric I want you to train me" I say.
"Train you in what?" he asks.
"Everything, I want to be as strong a fighter as you, Pam and Thalia, I don't want to be your weak link" I say.
Eric beams at me, "You have an impressive kill record my wife you are already an accomplished killer" he says.
I shake my head, "Everyone I have killed has been done with pure luck, I want some proper skills and proper training, I need to be able to know what I am doing, I don't want you risking yourself to keep me safe, I need you to be confident in the knowledge that I can handle myself and not put either of us in danger," I say.
I watch as Eric thinks about this and nods. "I will train you" he says.
oooOOOooo
We head to Fangtasia and Pam greets us warmly she is working on the door tonight, as we enter all the vampires turn and stare, I slip my hand into Eric's and wait. I am not sure what is going to happen, but I realise this could go either way, then something interesting happens Thalia drifts towards Eric and nods, she hands him a bottle of blood and me a glass of soda. I realise this means something and I thank her. Eric leads me to a booth and ushers me in.
"What was all that about?" I ask.
"There is unrest" he says.
"Because you married me?" I ask.
Eric nods.
"They think you are weak because you married me in a human ceremony?" I say.
Eric nods.
I feel my anger rising and I stand and march up to the bar where all the vampires are gathered. Pam is back on the door and I see her watching me.
"Hi y'all, I just want to say something, something real important, Eric is my husband, but he is still Sheriff of Area 5, and he is still the same brave vampire who survived the take over and who you all owe your lives to, if you had been in any other area you would all probably be dead now, you need to stop with this prejudice, just because I am with Eric doesn't make him less of a vampire, if anything it makes him more of a vampire, as you all know I am a telepath which gives me a significant advantage with dealing with humans, what you may not know is I am also part Fae my great grandfather is Niall Brigant" I purposely don't mention that the fae have retreated to their own realm. "So I am not just a weak dispensable human and I am committed and loyal to Eric and I swear I won't hesitate to end any one who betrays him," I hear the angry hisses and I just glare at them. Then something amazing happens. Thalia walks up to me and bows to me.
"You have my word, I swear that I will not betray Eric...Sookie" she says.
Pam appears at my side, "I believe you are an asset to my maker and I will not hesitate to stand shoulder to shoulder with you" she says.
I glance at Eric and a wave of pride hits me through our bond, he stands and walks towards me.
"Sookie is my wife, we have married in line with Vampire law and human law, we are blood bonded and my wife has agreed that should the need arise, she is willing for me to bring her over, my wife has asked me tonight to train her in combat but as you are all aware she already has an impressive kill record, killing many of our own and she also killed a full fairy who was tasked with killing her, she survived being tortured by Neave and Lochlan who as you know are infamous, I expect every one of you to show my wife the loyalty she deserves". Eric looks around and the atmosphere has suddenly changed, instead of hostility there is now a grudging respect being projected towards me.
