Chapter 3

Once the presentation rite was over and Sookie didn't feel quite so much like she had been dropped into the center of a Medieval Times arena, she was able to relax and enjoy herself. When she thought about it, it struck her as particularly odd she should be having a good time at Fangtasia. She'd experienced many things here, but actual fun hadn't really been one of them.

Eric was having to spend most of his time back in his office, so Sookie had moved from the central table where she had been presented, to a much more discreet corner booth. Vampires and humans alike, from all over the bar were still stealing looks at her when they thought she couldn't see them, but at least it wasn't coming from all angles. And unlike what Sookie had dealt with all her life, no one seemed to be staring at her as if she were the village idiot, who should be treated either with great suspicion or ignored altogether.

When she lowered her guard and allowed herself to listen to snippets of the human thoughts around her, she liked what she heard for a change. The women ranged from varying levels of admiration to outright jealousy. A lot of wondering what it must be like having that gorgeous blonde vampire, who the other vampires bowed to, pay most of his attention to you whenever he came into the room. I wonder who she is? I've seen her here before, but the other vamps didn't react to her then like they are now. I wonder what's different? The Master obviously likes her very much. Omg! No one ever smiled at me like that. I'd divorce my husband and die happy if he would dance just one dance with me. -- She was an exotic woman of mystery to them. And she had everything they wanted. It was fun being this woman.

The men were pretty much the same as ever, all variations on sex. They thought of her boobs and getting her in bed or in an alley or wherever. She hot, but she's not THAT hot, some of them thought. She must be a great lay or a great blow or a great whatever in order to have that big vamp so pussy whipped. Of course thinking something and saying it out loud, where someone might hear you are two very different things, and none of these guys were brave enough to put their theories to the test, to see just how whipped Eric actually was … or wasn't. And it was a good thing, because Eric could have torn any of them in half in the middle of a business call without ever putting the phone down. -- And over riding all else, she was on the 'look, but absolutely do not touch' list of nearly every man in the room. She liked that a lot.

Every so often, Eric would come out and drift around the room to thrill the tourists and reinforce his presence. Sookie found watching this little ritual fascinating. Like watching an animal mark it's territory. And he always ended up at her side for a few minutes before returning to his office for another round of whatever it was he was doing back there.

All in all, she found herself quite contented this evening. She looked around the bar and settled on the dance floor. That's what she lacked. She hadn't danced nearly enough tonight. She sighed and wondered how much longer it would be before Eric made another round.

As soon as the sound left her a waitress appeared. "Did you need something, Mistress?"

The "Mistress" thing made her feel like a little child playing dress up, but she knew there was no point protesting. If she said anything to the poor waitress, it would only put her in the awkward position of having to decide whether to risk offending Eric by not following the instructions she had been given or offending Sookie by not honoring her request. And Sookie knew who would win that mental tug-of-war.

She also knew if she objected to Eric, he would only laugh and remind her of her recent elevation in social stature … at least in his world, which was the only world he counted.

So she just smiled at the waitress (whose nametag identified her as Mina, in a very dramatic font) and said, "I'm fine, thank you." Mina nodded and glided away, flutters of shredded lace following after her. Like most of the waitresses, she was wearing a tight Fangtasia T-shirt knotted at the waist and a skirt that looked like it came from a Stevie Nicks yard sale.

Sookie was enjoying watching people dance. She would love to dance now, but she was pretty sure if she were to go over and ask someone else to dance with her, it would be a major breech of protocol and could even end up getting that someone killed. So she simply watched … for now.

After a few minutes, loud, probably drunken, laughter drew her attention to a table almost directly across the dance floor from her. The table was occupied by four young men who probably came from a nearby college. Two of them were sporting fingernails painted black and heavy eyeliner, in an attempt to blend in with the fang bangers, but they weren't pulling off the look very well. Everything in their attitude screamed greater-than-thou, spoiled preppy.

She had no idea what they had found so amusing, but if they were saying anything like they were thinking, they wouldn't be amused for very long.

They had been here since before the presentation and they had had quite a bit to drink. They were becoming increasingly irritated by the fact that in this place they weren't the hot catch for the night and didn't rank anywhere close to the center of attention. In their minds, they were talking trash about everyone around them.

Then one of them focused on Sookie. The one who plainly used Details magazine as a wardrobe textbook. What a degenerate he was. Like the others, he was thinking only of sex, but he was thinking about sick and demented things she'd never associate with sex … and she'd had sex with men who bite.

He was thinking of her. Ways he could have her and humiliate her, make her beg and say she liked it. Disgusting.

Sookie was about to shake him out of her thoughts when she caught one last thing from him … he thought it would be fun to put her in her place by pouring Ouzo between her breasts and threatening her with a lit candle. Good god, what a twisted creep, she thought.

Then she heard the rising clamor from the crowd which announced Eric's entrance.

He wasn't alone this time. He was talking to the man who walked with him and completely ignoring the throngs of admirers who made way for him as he passed them.

When they reached the booth where she sat, Eric's attention turned to Sookie. He gave her a lovely smile, picked up her hand and raised it to his lips. "I hope you have not been too bored, my love," he said. His lips were like the wings of butterflies against her fingers.

"Not at all," Sookie answered. "I've been entertaining myself listening to the crowd."

Eric laughed softly and glanced quickly around the room. "Probably good they don't realize just how amusing they can be for you," he said knowingly.

"Probably," she agreed with a giggle.

Eric gently returned her hand to the table and turned to the man. "Javier, may I present my bride." And to Sookie, "Dearest, this is Javier Ortega-Aznar. I'm thinking of having him paint a mural, on this wall." Eric gestured to the wall between her booth and the DJ stand at the opposite side of the dance floor.

Javier bowed deeply, with a great flourish and extended his hand.

Sookie lifted her hand and placed it in his. When he spoke, it was with great formality and a thick Spanish accent.

"The Sherriff does me great honor with this private introduction, Lady Northman," he began, and Sookie could feel herself begin to blush as he kissed her hand and quickly released it. "You must forgive me if I stare. Reports of your beauty were unforgivably inadequate. I shall have to take care not to fall in love with you myself."

What a line of horseshit, she thought. Her face was full red now. She could feel it and it made her want to hide. She scooted further into the booth and said, "Please, sit."

The moment the two of them sat down, Eric beside her and Javier across from them, Mina appeared. It was amazing. Sookie wondered if she was even human. Maybe she was some sort of supe who just magically sprouted wherever and whenever she was needed.

As Javier ordered a True Blood and asked to have someone retrieve his briefcase from the coatroom, Sookie caught a random thought from one of the guys sitting with the sick creep across the room. One of the ones with nail polish and eyeliner was wondering if they had any decent cognac in this place.

When Eric asked her if she needed anything, she was smiling and staring at the other table. He followed her gaze to the four men. He saw nothing of particular interest and looked back at her curiously. "What is it?"

Sookie put her hand on his and squeezed, to indicate he should wait.

She addressed Mina. "Nothing for me, thank you," she said sweetly. Her gin and tonic was still half full. "But I'd like to send a round of drinks to the table across the dance floor." Mina looked across. "The four men there," Sookie directed. "Take three glasses of your best cognac and for the one with the blue tie, take a shot of ouzo and a lit candle."

Sookie couldn't keep the evil grin from spreading across her face. "Right away, Mistress," Mina said, and was gone.

"Do you intend to share, or is this a private amusement?" Eric inquired with a smirk. Javier was also intrigued now. He was looking toward that table with anticipation.

"Watch," was all she said as she stared at the table.

A couple of minutes later, Mina was making her way to the table across the bar. The three in the booth followed her every move. She stopped at the table and began placing the three cognacs in front of three of the men.

The men looked surprised and obviously asked where the drinks came from. Mina nodded in the direction of the booth. The men now noticed the attention they had. Two of the men looked stupidly grateful and even went so far as to wave. The man who had thought about the cognac looked at the glass in front of him and then at the booth with trepidation.

Eric looked, expressionless, in their direction. Javier was clearly expecting something to happen … and Sookie's grin widened to almost painful proportions.

And then came the part Sookie was waiting for. Mina set the Ouzo and lit candle in front of Blue Tie. He immediately jumped back from the table, knocking his chair to the ground … and he looked directly at Sookie.

She met his stare, lifted her glass as if she were toasting him, and took a sip.

Eric turned to her. He did not look amused. "Sookie, would you like to tell me about this?"

She leaned in a little closer to him, as if to whisper in his ear. She knew Blue Tie was watching. "You don't want to know," she said.

"You mistake me, my dear," Eric replied coolly. "I very much want to know."

"I don't want him to die just for thinking something," she said, and looked over Eric's shoulder at Blue Tie, who was watching her conversation with great interest and staring daggers at her. Two vamps had taken up positions on either side of him, but were waiting for instructions before they touched him.

"But you want him to think he's going to die, correct? " Eric asked.

"Yes," she answered without hesitation.

"Then you are too subtle," he said with a wink.

In one graceful movement he stood and looked at Javier. "If you'll excuse me," he said as he leaned into the booth and kissed Sookie's hand, making sure this gesture was in full view of Blue Tie and almost everyone else in the bar. "Observe," he purred.

For the second time tonight, Fangtasia fell silent as Eric slowly strode across the dance floor. He stopped about four feet in front of Blue Tie and simply stood there for several seconds, his left profile to Sookie, his face fixed in a murderous glare. Eric could be positively terrifying with very little effort.

"I …", Blue Tie muttered, but Eric cut him off.

"Do not speak," Eric growled fiercely. "You are allowed into my establishment on a night of celebration … and you insult my bride?"

"No! I …"

Eric closed in on him by one step and bared his fully extended fangs. "And now you accuse her of deceiving me. Which I take as a personal insult."

Blue Tie looked as if he was about to lose control of all his bodily functions. Sookie could barely keep from laughing out loud.

"Get him out of my sight," Eric ordered. Then he looked down at the three others and added, "You get out as well."

Blue Tie was protesting hysterically as he was being dragged out by the two vamps, with his three friends scrambling after them. He clearly thought he was going to die.

Eric walked back to the booth grinning happily. "And now, Lady Northman, would you oblige the man who so valiantly defended your honor with a dance?" and he offered her his hand.

"How can I refuse my hero?" she laughed and laid her hand in his.

They crossed the floor to the DJ. "After Dark", he said and within seconds Tito and The Tarantulas came slithering through the speakers.

Eric led her effortlessly in a very sensual rumba, oblivious to their audience. His gaze was fixed on her and kept her eyes locked on him like tractor beams. They could have been the only two in the room as they strutted, whirled and undulated their way around in ever widening circles.

Sookie had to keep reminding herself to breath. She considered herself a fairly good dancer, but Eric was spectacular. They danced in flawless unison. He lifted her so effortlessly and bent her into positions she didn't know she could attain, his strong arms always in complete control and perfect rhythm. They were all but publicly making love, right there on the dance floor of Fangtasia.

With the ending crescendo, he tossed her into the air, catching her in exactly the right position to bring her into his embrace for a long, passionate kiss. The bar erupted into wild applause.

"Are you ready to leave, My Lover?" he whispered to her before opening his arms wide, flinging her to arms length, but keeping hold of her hand. He bowed to the crowd, then gestured to Sookie and nodded in her direction. She felt tomato red. She bowed with much less drama and he pulled her back to him.

She buried her face in his chest. He laughed, kissed the top of her head, and wrapped his arms around her tight. "Yes." she answered. She was too out of breath and too embarrassed by the onlookers to speak more.

Eric walked her back to the booth but did not indicate for her to sit. Javier's briefcase was sitting open on the table and he held a sketchpad in his lap. His right hand had been moving furiously as they approached, but now his pencil stopped and he turned the pad so Eric and Sookie could both see what he had been doing as they danced and made out for the crowd.

"Oh my god," Sookie gasped. But polite as he was, Javier was looking for Eric's approval.

On the page were seven sketches. A perfect image of Sookie's face looking lovingly up at them from the center, surrounded by six smaller sketches, five different views from the dance and the last just before she took her bow. Eric was not in any of them, unless you counted his arms in a couple.

Sookie noticed that in four of the sketches she was looking up. Every feature captured as perfectly as if Javier had used a camera. In each of those her face was an expression of pure joy, lost in rapture. It took a minute for her to soak that in. This is what she looked like when she looked at Eric. Wow.

Sookie shook her hand loose from his and wrapped one arm behind his back and stepped closer to him. He responded in kind, draping his arm around her shoulders and giving her a light squeeze. His eyes had not yet left the sketches.

"Min vackra älskade," he finally whispered from his trance.

"You have me at a disadvantage sir," Javier said with a slight chuckle. "I do no know these words."

Eric's head seemed to shake, just a bit, and he looked at Javier. "Lovely," he said. "My wife and I will be retiring for the evening. You and I will talk again soon."

"Of course," Javier said. "It was intoxicating to meet you, Lady Northman," he said to Sookie. And then again to Eric, "You have acquired a treasure, Sherriff."

"Yes," Eric answered him and they left.

Sookie was doing her best to keep up. Eric practically dragged her to his corvette. When they reached the side he pivoted, grabbed her up like you would a toddler, lifted her over the passenger door, parked her on the roof … and attacked.

He kissed her with a hunger she had never experienced. His right hand entangled in her hair, his left arm threatening to crush her spine. She felt her heart hammering against her chest with such violence that surely it would explode any second. She couldn't care. The desperate urgency of her need for him was too much.

She returned his kiss with a ferocity which matched his own, and his response was immediate. He groaned something she couldn't understand and his mouth traveled to her neck. She encircled him with her legs and squeezed. "Now," she gasped.

His fangs penetrated hard and deep. She let out a low moan as he suckled from her. She seized his right hand in her left and pulled it to her face. When she bit his wrist, she felt a shudder ripple through his body. Then she drank.

His rhythmic groaning became a roar. He wrenched his wrist from her grasp and covered her mouth with his. He kissed her again. Gently this time as their blood mingled again in their mouths.

"Enough," he whispered after a minute, and laid his face down between her breasts.

"Never," she replied, and kissed his hair.

"If only you meant that," he said with a touch of sadness. He lifted her off the roof of his car and installed her inside. "Never is a long time, my lover," and he closed her door.

There was little traffic between Fangtasia and Eric's house. It took less than fifteen minutes, but to Sookie it seemed like hours. Corvettes were beautiful, but damn their bucket seats. She wanted to feel him beside her. Needed to know if he was pulling away from her. Once she tried to speak to him, but the minute she spoke his name, her eyes welled up and a sudden knot in her throat assured her she would choke if any more words attempted to escape.

Eric had smiled at her and held her face in his right hand. He said, "No tears tonight, Sookie," and brushed her left eye with his thumb. Every time he touched her, the warm, contented feeling she had when she was close to him grew. She wondered how often he would need to touch her before she was completely filled by it? That would be lovely, she thought.

They got to his house and he pulled the car into the garage. Sookie's car was in there as well. Pam probably put it there.

Eric walked around, opened Sookie's door and lifted her out. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He didn't put her down. He carried her into the house … into the bedroom … into the night.

"I have to go back to Bon Temps tomorrow," she said faintly as they entered the bedroom.

"Then Bon Temps can have you tomorrow," he purred. "Tonight, you are mine alone." He kicked off his shoes.

He had one hand on the back of her neck. As he placed her on the bed, that hand traveled down her spine bringing the zipper of her dress with it. Somewhere behind the cloud of lust engulfing her mind she wondered how many of his thousand years had been spent in perfecting that one move.

He pulled off his T-shirt and tossed it somewhere behind him. She reached for his belt, but didn't make it in time. He had her down against the pillows, kissing her frantically. He had one knee on the bed and one foot on the floor, but he didn't seem at all awkward. His movements were confident and sure, and driven by wanton desire.

His fangs grazed against her lips, but they were not the target. His tongue began to trail downward. It carefully avoided the tempting veins in her neck, leaving them to continue trying to pulse their way through her skin. He lingered at the delicate space between her collar bones, his lips examining every millimeter as if the answer to some great secret lay just beneath the surface.

His hands found the shoulders of her dress and pulled. When it hung at her hips, she reached down to try and help, but he dropped the dress and returned her hand to his back.

"Hurry," she managed between heaving gasps.

"And if I don't?" he teased.

She snorted a short laugh and said, "I'll punish you," as she dug her nails into his back.

One quick yank and the dress was gone. Not to be seen again before daybreak. Then he stood. "And if I stop?"

"I'll kill you," she almost growled.

She heard his jeans fall to the floor. "But you've already done that, my love." And he was back. His arms enfolding her waist. One bite between her breasts and her bra was split in two.

She started to ask what he meant, but her words were halted by a sudden urgency for air. For once she envied that vampires didn't need to breathe.

Eric set a maddening pace and didn't let up until they were both utterly spent. Then he held her near until her trembling stopped and she was breathing at a slow steady pace.

This was why there were no sex Olympics, she thought. Someone, somewhere knows there would be no point. Eric would win every event. She snuggled into him and pushed thoughts of everything else from her mind.

"Min vackra älskade.", he murmured into her hair.

She turned her face to him in the dark and asked. "You said that earlier tonight, when you were looking at the sketches. What does it mean?"

"My beautiful beloved," he whispered. And he kissed her again.

Sookie woke up alone. Definitely the downside of having a vampire boyfriend, Sookie thought.

Boyfriend? Husband? No, Eric just didn't strike her as a husband. Not hers, not anyone's. Of course, boyfriend didn't really suit him either. She couldn't imagine ever calling him boy-anything within his earshot. He was all man.

She wondered what word he used to describe himself to himself when he thought of his relationship with Sookie? Lord and master, she thought. No, that's three words. He introduced her to others as his wife, his Lady, his bride. When he spoke to her, what did he call her? Mine and mine alone, my lover, my love, my dear, he even called her my life, in the alley behind Fangtasia. Mine, mine, mine, my, my, my … but then he called her Dearest. That was very sweet. She liked that one. She smiled.

He made all the other vampires bow to her and kiss her hand. That must have been very distasteful to many of them. He lavished her with gifts. He seemed to be amused by her. He indulged her whims. He defended her, both jokingly and literally, more than once. Niall had told her *the vampire loved her*, but he hadn't told her which one. Had he meant Eric?

Well, whatever he was, she didn't have time to worry about it right now. She wanted to get home in time to spend a little time with Amelia before she had to go to work tonight.

She went to the closet to get something to wear. This may be a Shreveport wardrobe, but she hadn't brought any clothes with her and the Merlotte's uniform she wore here was dirty. So one pair of jeans and a T-shirt were gonna have to be a Bon Temps outfit.

Eric, or someone, had picked up the clothes both of them had been wearing last night. Well, she didn't have time to search for them. Whoever picked them up can worry about them. She took a shower, got dressed and left.

Her car had been washed, inside and out. And when she started it, she saw that the gas tank had been topped off as well. She wondered if Bobby Burnham had gotten it done or if Eric had made Bobby do it himself. Poor Bobby. He was addicted to Eric and probably vampires in general and he worked for them. But he was also afraid. When she thought about it, she really hated that he was afraid of her too now.

She'd have to make a point of being particularly nice to him next time she saw him.

The ride home went by quickly and without incident. Before she knew it, she was home.

She went in the front door and collapsed on her couch. It was good to be home. Amelia came running in from the kitchen, she had been cleaning, as usual.

Amelia hugged Sookie, they exchanged greetings, and then she got right to the point. She stripped off her latex gloves and perched in a chair opposite Sookie. Amelia's eyes were wide with anticipation when she started, "So tell me everything!"

Sookie took a deep breath and poured her heart out. It felt good to get it off her chest and Amelia was such an eager and appreciative listener. But after fifteen or twenty minutes, Amelia's expression had changed from excitement to incredulous concern.

"So let me make sure I have this right," Amelia said as she repositioned herself in her chair. "There is a rich and powerful man … who is ohmygod gorgeous … who is great in bed AND on the dance floor … who showers you with credit cards and expensive gifts … who proudly introduces you to everyone he knows as his bride … who has nursed you back to health … who has literally fought to defend you, more than once … and who has willingly endured physical torture on your behalf, and your big problem is you're wondering if he likes you? Sookie, honey, are you insane or just slow?"

They both laughed and Sookie dropped her face into her hands, then wiped at the tear that had welled in her eye and sighed. "It does sound kind of stupid when you put it like that," she agreed with a giggle. "I guess what I'm really wondering about is how I feel about him."

"I'm afraid that's something you'll have to work out for yourself," Amelia said seriously. "How do you feel right now?"

Sookie thought about that. "Now that I'm home? I miss him. But it's broad daylight. I'd miss him if I were there too. And no matter where I was, I wouldn't know if I was really missing him or if it was only the blood bond making me feel it."

"OK", Amelia offered. "Consider this … a blood bond is a permanent thing, right?"

"Always," Sookie answered. "That's the way they put it."

Amelia's face brightened and she smiled wide. "Well that's it then!" she exclaimed. "You can take the blood bond out of the equation."

"I guess I am slow," Sookie said, looking at Amelia as if she had just turned into a cow. "I don't get it."

"Simple. If the blood bond is always going to be there, then it's part of your normal now. It's part of what makes up your reality for now on. So you don't need to give it any special consideration or factor it into anything. It's just a given now."

Sookie's blank stare spoke for her. She still had no idea what Amelia was talking about.

"Alright," Amelia sighed. "How about this. You like the color blue. Right?"

"Uh-huh."

"And Eric has beautiful blue eyes, right?

"Yeah."

"Do you think his eyes are beautiful just because they're blue? Or would they be just as beautiful if they were green or grey or hazel?" Amelia appeared very pleased with herself.

"I'm pretty sure they would be beautiful no matter what color they were," Sookie conceded.

"Exactly! The fact you like blue and that his eyes will always be blue has exactly nothing to do with the fact you feel they are beautiful.

Think of the blood bond as the color blue. It's always going to be there, so you can't give it any special consideration. You'll never be able to know how you would feel without the blood bond. So how you feel with it IS the way you really feel. Because it's part of your reality."

"Wow," Sookie said. "You think I should just ignore it? Even if that's the only reason I feel anything?"

Amelia looked stunned. "Sookie. Look at him. Or look at the way other people look at him, if you don't believe your own eyes. He hasn't given everyone blood. I don't know what all a blood bond can make you feel, but believe me, it's not the *only* reason you're attracted to Eric."

"He's a traffic stopper, that's for sure," Sookie laughed and Amelia joined her.

""That's a great place to start," Amelia said. "You think he's good looking and you miss him. What else?"

"Well, I guess I have to confess that I feel weak whenever I think about him in bed. Does mind bending lust count?"

Amelia laughed and assured her, "It absolutely does! In fact I think we'll move that to number one. What else?"

"He makes me feel safe. When we were in the hospital and Breandon came, it was terrifying. I was so weak and he had just given me so much of his blood. I was afraid I had weakened him too much to defend us, but even so, he was so calm and confident. So in control … it kept me from being hysterical. He comforts me."

"Comfort is a big deal, Sookie. Do you have any idea how many of us would have gotten a 'shut up and stand in the corner!' from our men, in a similar situation?" Amelia asked. "And that's only the ones of us lucky enough to have men who would have actually stayed to defend us against unknown odds. For all Eric knew, Breandon had a hundred others with him. But he stayed with you, even though he only had two with him and one of them was already half dead."

"Bill," Sookie said sadly. "How is Bill?"

"He's stable. And a little better, but he's not healing as quickly as Oliver thinks he should," Amelia answered.

'Who's Oliver," Sookie asked.

"Don't you remember? You mentioned him earlier. He was at the Presentation." Amelia went on. "When he came last night, he said he was your servant and Eric had sent him here. I sent him to Bill's house and told him you would approve of him looking after him. I also figured Bill would have a place to put him. I wouldn't have felt comfortable letting him stay here with just me."

"My servant?" Sookie questioned. "And Eric sent him here? And when did I mention him?"

Amelia looked exasperated. "You saved his life last night. He pledged fealty to you."

Sookie's eyes grew wide with realization. "Oliver Mayer!?", she nearly shouted. "From the Presentation? You have GOT to be kidding me."

She jumped up from the couch, but without any kind of real destination, she merely circled the room as she ranted. "This is too much! This is beyond ridiculous. Eric sending vampire bodyguards was one thing, but vampire servants? I don't think I can stand it. All I wanted was one night with Eric without any murder and mayhem. Amelia! What am I going to do?" Sookie sank into a cross legged heap in the floor and dropped her face into her hands. "uhhhhhhhhh", she screamed into her hands.

"I don't think there's really anything you can do about it, Sookie. He pledged himself to you personally and to your safety. If he leaves your proximity, or your service, the penalty for him would be death. Any vampire who came across him would be obliged by law to carry out that penalty and report his death to Eric."

Sookie looked up at Amelia. "How do you know all that? You know more about what happened to me last night than I do."

"Oliver told me, of course. When he came here last night."

"I wish someone had bothered to tell me," Sookie pouted. "Did he tell you anything else I should know?"

"A lot of vampires, including him, were really shocked when they heard Eric had married a human, because he'd always shown such contempt for them before. They were even more shocked you were presented to them. Oliver thinks it may be the first time that has ever happened. A human being presented as the mate of a high-ranking vampire. On the few occasions when a powerful vampire has taken a human mate, they have always withdrawn from vampire society until either the mate died or was turned."

Amelia had Sookie's undivided attention as she went on. "That breach of protocol was why he objected and said what he did to Eric. He had fully expected to die instantly. When that didn't happen, he knew right away it was your influence. Even before you said anything. That tiny hesitation on Eric's part spoke volumes. Oliver said Eric's eyes were savage … but when you touched his hand, his eyes softened … and he turned to look at you … and Oliver saw a man who would give you anything … a man who would do anything to please you, including spare the life of someone who had committed a death penalty offense in front of over a hundred vampire witnesses … a man who loved you desperately."

"Oh", was all Sookie could manage.