Authors Notes:

Just a quick little note. Many thanks to all of you who have taken the time out of your busy days to review my work. Your kind words mean a lot to me. I also want to thank all of those who have added me to their favorite lists, it means a lot to me. I would love to encourage all of you to express your opinions in reviews, be they good, bad, or indifferent, even if you don't normally review. Your words help me grow as a writer and that is the whole point of it for me. Enjoy the newest chapter.

Much love all,

Lilli

Chapter 4

-Eric

I pace back and forth across my large room, Sookie sitting on my bed with an amused look on her face. "What is so funny Sookie?" I ask her angrily. I may have been a little more brisk then I meant to be but how can she just sit there so calm and collected? I look over at her and even in my t-shirt that is so large on her that it hits just below the knees, she looks so beautiful. If I am not very careful Felipe is going to take her from me. I just can't have that.

"Just call him Eric. Stressing about it isn't going to make it easier on you. I need you to get your shit together and be the big bad Vampire that you are."

"Sookie you … you just don't understand. We haven't finished the bonding and he can still come and take you away and I couldn't deal with that." She jumps off the bed, crosses the room in three quick steps, and slaps me across my face. I snarl and grab her arms, my fangs down, and shake her the smallest bit. She just winks at me. Not a bit of fear on her face.

"Better. Now pull yourself together. I am going to call Russell and have him come with the knife so that we can finish the bonding this weekend. You are going to call Felipe and tell him about what Quinn did tonight and your suspicions that Bill is going to be entering the area. Don't forget to mention that Russell has contacted you and wants to come to a trade agreement with you on a calendar line for Fangtasia. The real trick is going to be him thinking that we met on accident and that we were instantly taken with each other without him thinking you are trying to steal me away from him. Put your head in the game and make the call. I am going to go and call Russell."

She stands on tiptoe and kisses my lips very quickly, slips my phone into my hand, turns, and leaves the room heading towards the library so she can make her own phone call. I can't believe this woman. She is so strong and yet so delicate all at the same time. I flick open my cell and dial the number to the King's personal line. "You've got me." His rich Hispanic voice comes over the line after just one ring.

"Your highness, Eric Northman here. Is this a good time?"

"Ahhh Northman how goes things in Area 5? I was just reviewing the profits for your area and it seems they are up tenfold since you have taken over."

"Thank you your highness. Profit wise things are good. It wasn't hard to clean up the mess that Compton created in his time as sheriff. But I have actually called to make you aware of an attack that has taken place against us this very evening. I would have called you sooner but I have just returned from supervising the cleanup of this catastrophe."

"What has happened Northman?"

"Quinn entered the area tonight with a large force of weres and shifters. They attacked me at the wedding function that I told you about."

"The panther wedding out in Hot Shot?"

"Yes sir. He and his forces were easily dispatched."

"Did you happen to glean why it was that he attacked you there? Would it perhaps be that Miss. Stackhouse was the cause of all of this trouble? As I understand it the tiger was quite fond of her and the last I heard he was working for Compton somewhere in Tennessee. Did he come for her?"

I took a deep breath. "No sir, he said that he was there for revenge. Something about how we killed his mother and forced his sister into servitude. Something about how my final death was supposed to be a message to you about, quote, 'Fucking with the wrong guy.' Since I have no clue as to what he was talking about I figured he must have finally lost his mind."

Filipe laughs. "What an idiot that tiger is. Yes, we killed his mother after the takeover and then we forced his sister to work in the hotel. But, why he would attack out there? It makes no sense."

"Well sir, the way he made it sound this was only supposed to be the beginning of the attacks. I think that he was trying to dispatch as much of your loyal forces as possible before he went to Nevada to deal with you. Although I think he highly underestimated me and my people. Not to mention the fact that the local were pack, as well as the panthers, lent a hand to help us deal with our would be killer."

"Really? Now why would the shifters and weres jump into the fray alongside the vampires? Was Miss Stackhouse caught in the fray? She has been known to unite the races somehow."

"Your guess is as good as mine as to why they joined in. I think it was simply because the tiger had the audacity to attack during the wedding and that all of us were there together. This was vampire business, but Quinn was the idiot that brought ninety weres and shifters to a shifter wedding. The shifters seemed to take it personally that their own would attack during such an auspicious occasion."

"And Miss Stackhouse, is she safe? I hope that she wasn't damaged during this little scuffle. I really don't want to have to bring her out here to have to protect her. She seems to be such a magnet for trouble that one."

"No, she wasn't there, and I was so looking forward to seeing her again."

There was a long pause and I could almost hear the wheels in his head turning. "Wasn't this wedding in her brother's pack?"

"Yes from what I understand this is her brother's pack, but there apparently was some kind of falling out between the two of them recently. She seemed to have refused to come. Her roommate sent her condolences on not being able to join in the activities, and that she wished them the best of luck. She just refused to be anywhere near her brother Jason."

"Oh yes, I remember now I heard about their falling out. Something about her pledging on behalf for her brother at his wedding and then having to smash the pack leader's hand because of Jason's wife's betrayal."

"Interesting. She failed to mention that to me when she told me she wouldn't be attending."

Take the bait, take the bait, I pray over and over. "So you have met our little telepath have you?" Yes, like putty in my hands.

"Oh yes, I have met her." I lace my words with innuendo.

"How did that come about then? I thought that your meeting with her wasn't for another month."

"It was quite funny actually. I sent her the summons for the meeting next month and she showed up at the club. She was … unhappy to say the least."

He chuckles softly. "Yes, full of fire that one. It is quite amazing."

I laugh loudly but my stomach churns because I can hear the lust in his words. "Yes, quite amazing. She cursed at me quite thoroughly in front of the whole club. I dealt with the situation quickly though and put her in her place. I was actually quite amazed that I was able to squelch that little fire so quickly."

"Hmm… and how did you manage to put her into her place so quickly?"

"Your highness, she is a beautiful woman. I used my charms on her and she seemed … agreeable."

"Oh yes, she is quite beautiful. I would imagine that she is even more beautiful without all of those bothersome clothes on. Would you agree?"

"Very nice indeed your highness. I find her to be a welcome distraction from my daily intrigues. And since it seems that I can handle her fairly well, and keep her in check, I have made it a personal mission to get the little telepath to heel nicely for our great kingdom. She is much more pleasant now I must say."

He laughs one loud bark. "In other words, she just needed someone she felt comfortable with, that had a ton of charm, and was a good fuck to bring her to heel. Very interesting Viking. From what I hear Compton tried for two years to get her to complete the bond and she would have none of it. As a matter of fact from what I hear she was downright obstinate when he tried to get her to heel."

"She really is an amazing little creature your highness, but perhaps Compton wasn't doing something right because, believe it or not, the little minx initiated the bonding while we were in the middle of our session."

"Amazing! Well this really is a boon for the kingdom. With you as her master I know that she will be kept well and truly safe. I know that you are loyal to me Northman. I will send Victor soon to check on the progress of your area as well as to meet your lovely bonded. Have you considered the final bonding?"

"Hmmm…well no sire I have never really thought that it would be necessary, for she is well in hand, but now that you mention it I think it would be most wise. Don't you agree? From what I hear New York has wanted to snatch our little Southern Belle away from us so perhaps I will do this. Yes. You know now that I think of it, Russell will be here tomorrow night and I can have him witness and perform the exchange."

"Russell is coming to your area? When was this decided?"

"He called me shortly before the wedding out in Hot Shot, something about a trade negotiation for the new calendar line that I am making for Fangtasia. I intended to call you tonight and tell you about it but I was understandably distracted."

"Of course. Tell you what Northman. After Russell has finished your little ceremony there why not bring Miss Stackhouse out here and we can perform a second ceremony with all the pomp that it deserves. It's not every day that someone manages to marry Fae royalty and a telepath to boot."

"Fae royalty? Wait. What? Sookie's fairy royalty?"

"She didn't tell you?"

"No, we haven't spent a lot of our time talking if you understand me."

He chuckles again. "Yes, I have heard rumors of your prowess. But yes, she is Fae royalty. I believe her great-grandfather is Niall Brigant."

I hiss. Just great. "Are you sure of this?"

"Quite sure. He was a lot of the reason she was not brought out here to Vegas when we took over. She called him the night of the takeover. I am not really sure how much contact the two have but I am quite positive that she is his kin. From what I understand though she had no clue as to her origins until recently. She doesn't even really understand the whole thing of being part fae, and what that might mean for her. If she awakens her spark she will be a force to be reckoned with. Although if everything I have heard about her is true she is already a force to be reckoned with."

"The stories are true. I have seen the scars myself."

"From what Niall would tell me she has a great destiny ahead of her. He said there is a prophecy, not only by our own Pythoness but also from some great oracle of their own."

"Have you managed to get a hold of the prophecy?"

"No, the Pythoness refuses to tell me. She says she will reveal it to Sookie but refuses to say when that will be. As her bonded I am sure you can try and persuade her into finding out what these prophesies are. A vampire married to a fairy. Who ever thought that would be possible? If you knew before you bonded to her that she was a fairy, would you have done it differently?"

I pause for a long time thinking that over. If I had known Sookie was a Brigant would I have still bonded to her? What if her spark comes to life and we can't be together any more? The thought of that breaks my undead heart. No matter how much time we may have together I love this woman, and even if I may lose her I have to be with her now. "No, I don't think I have a choice in being her bonded. I find myself drawn to her. Before I even took her blood I knew that she was mine."

"Hmmm, well I guess Brigant was right then. Damn that means I owe him for loosing the bet."

"Wait, what?"

"Brigant told me during the takeover that you were Sookie's destiny. Or at least a part of it. He told me that the two of you are meant to be bonded, and if I hindered that process in any way he would rain fairy hell down upon my head. You were not even a part of my retinue at the time but he knew just where to find you, and what I had to do to bring you into my fold, so that you and Miss Stackhouse would meet. I told him there is no way you would bind yourself to her, that you have never had a blood tie, and that you certainly would not risk the chance of angering your king. He assured me that you two wouldn't have a choice; you would meet and it would be like magic. You would have to bond to her and she would have to bond to you. When the third bonding is complete, the two of you will be something indeed if Brigant is right.

"Take this warning though Northman. You have my blessings in this union, but you should not have lied to me about how it came to be. And watch out for Victor. I know that you have only done the first exchange, but let Victor think that tomorrow he is witnessing the third. He is most taken with Sookie and wants to turn her. If he thinks that you have done the third exchange I do not think he will be foolish enough to attempt it, but still be cautious. The sooner you can get to Vegas the better. I will arrange for the two of you to fly out here on my jet not tomorrow but the next evening right after sunset."

"You honor me sir."

"No I honor your destiny with that girl. Besides you are one of the oldest Vampire in the U.S. Do you really think I have been king as long as I have by not choosing my enemies and allies wisely?"

"Of course not sir. I thank you for your blessing and warning."

"See you soon Northman."

"Until then your highness."

I click my phone shut and sit down on the edge of my bed just as Sookie is walking in from the library with a huge smile on her face. "So my little fairy princess, I think you have some explaining to do don't you?" I watch her freeze instantly as all the color drains from her face. I can hear her heart pounding in her chest and can smell the stink of fear rolling off of her in waves.