CHAPTER 3

I woke the next morning still wrapped in Eric's arms. It was a wonderful feeling to wake up next to the man you loved, even if he was dead for the day. Eric and I still had a lot of stuff to work through but last night was a good start and I knew we would work it out. This felt right, like I belonged here. I lay there for a while thinking about where my life had taken me since Bill walked into Merlotte's that night.

The vampires had definitely turned my life upside down. They introduced me to a whole other supernatural world that existed along side ours. I also discovered that I was a part of that world. Not only was I telepathic but I was also part Fairy. My boss Sam was a shifter and my roommate Amelia was a witch. My brother becomes a werepanther on the full moon and of course I was in love with a vampire. I have accepted that I can never return to a normal human life and to be honest I don't think I'd want to. I have accepted who I am. I no longer think of my telepathy as a curse. I accept it as a gift. I just wish I wasn't always getting beat up or nearly killed. I hoped things would settle down now.

Deciding that I needed to get up and find the bathroom. I kissed Eric and untangled myself from his long arms and legs. I stood and looked down at this glorious man and realised that he was all mine. Smiling to myself I went to find the bathroom.

There was a light on behind a door to my left so I went to check that door first. This was the bathroom alright. It was huge. There was a large Jacuzzi tub and a separate shower that could fit four people. I thought about how Eric and I could enjoy that later. There was a long countertop that was bare except for my overnight bag that I had packed just in case. I don't know when Eric got it from my car but it was nice to have it.

I quickly showered and dressed and then went to explore the rest of the house. The only other room down here was Eric's office. This looked just like his office at Fangtasia's. I went upstairs to the main floor. I opened the door and was standing in a large modern kitchen. The sun was shining brightly through the window. Sitting on the counter beside a coffee maker and some muffins was a single red rose and a note.

Lover

I look forward to waking up to your beautiful face. Make yourself at home.

E

I quickly turned the coffee maker on and went to explore the rest of the house. The living room was large with leather couches and a very large Television. There were two other bedrooms up here, furnished but not used. The third bedroom was being used as a library. There were hundreds of books lining the wall to wall bookshelves. I could spend days in here. I enjoyed reading and went in search of a book to fill my day. I found a book that might interest me and headed back to kitchen.

I sat at the kitchen table with my coffee and thought I would call Amelia and let her know how things went with Eric. The display on my phone showed three missed calls. There were two from Amelia and one from an unknown caller. I wondered what was so important and called her right back.

"Sookie, where have you been I tried to call you twice this morning." Amelia answered.

"I just got up. What's up? Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure but you had a call from Quinn this morning. He seemed pretty anxious to talk to you. He left a number that you can reach him at. I wonder what's so important that he would risk pissing Eric off?"

"I don't know Amelia," I answered, getting that familiar twist in the pit of my stomach. For Quinn to risk Eric's wrath, it must be important and most likely more trouble.

"I'll call him right away. Thanks."

"No problem. How'd it go last night?"

We talked for a few minutes more as I filled her in on what happened last night. I got Quinn's number off of her and after promising to call her later and let her know what Quinn wanted I hung up.

Quinn and I had dated for a while but when he helped Victor during the takeover I had felt betrayed. He was not entirely to blame since they had threatened his mother and sister. I broke up with him because I felt he had too much on his plate and because I wanted to come first in someone's life.

I took a deep breath and dialled the number Amelia had given me.

"Hi Quinn"

"Hi Sookie, I'm glad you called back. Are you all right?"

"Yes Quinn, I'm fine. What's wrong? Why did you need to talk to me so badly?"

"I wanted to warn you that DeCastro and Victor are up to something. I overheard the end of a conversation last night and it involved you and Eric. There is a vampire here visiting from Greece. He brought them something and whatever it is it has them concerned. They have connected it to you and they want you here without Eric."

"How can they do that?"

"I don't know, but they will try. I believe they'll even kill Eric if they have to."

"Okay, Quinn, thanks for telling me."

We hung up and I took my book into the living room and tried to read for awhile but my thoughts were wondering what I was getting into now. Ever since vampires discovered that I could read minds I had become a hot commodity to them. I didn't trust Philippe De Castro or Victor, not one little bit. I did trust Eric though and I knew he would protect me. I just wished he didn't always have to. I would leave this up to him and this time I wouldn't fight him. I would do what he asked to help him keep me safe.

After a while I put my book away and headed back downstairs to wait for Eric to wake up. I undressed and crawled back into the big bed beside my Viking. I must have dozed off because I awoke to Eric kissing my neck while his large hands explored my body. I opened my eyes and looked up into his radiant face. He leaned down and gave me one of his amazing kisses. For the next hour I forgot all about Quinn and his warning.