Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this. And particularly thanks to those who have reviewed, or placed me on favourite or alert, considering the problems this site is having!

Hope you enjoy the next chapter.

Eric

I held my wrist to Sookie's mouth, and although she seemed hesitant to take my blood, she tentatively moved her mouth to my wrist. She poked out her tongue at first, as if to taste the flavour, before placing her hot mouth over the wound and licking at the blood, which was sluggishly exiting the wound.

"Drink, Sookie," I commanded her, and I felt her lips latch on to my wrist and pull at the wound.

I held her tight against me, the heat of her body permeating my clothes and skin. With her second draw, she gained in confidence, holding onto my arm and seemingly enjoying it. In fact, with the start of the bond forming, I could tell that she was liking it. In addition, and even more so, I was certainly enjoying it.

I could not restrain myself from moaning, and I felt myself harden against her ass, which was between my legs. I groaned in my old language as she took one last draw on the wound before it healed. Oddly, she licked at the wound in a very vampiric way to lap up any drops of blood that she had missed.

She pulled back from me, and I let her slip out of my arms. Once she has shuffled away she turned back to me, a faint pink blush on her cheeks and a certain wildness in her eyes that came from drinking vampire blood. Her eyes met mine briefly, before she dropped hers to my lap, coming across the prominent bulge in my jeans. I could feel her embarrassment, but I also detected a brief wave of lust within her. I raised an eyebrow as she continued to stare at my groin and waited for her to meet my eyes again.

"Something interesting down there?" I queried with a smirk.

She blushed more intensely. "Does that normally happen?" she whispered.

I met her gaze and shrugged. "The last human I gave my blood to was Pam, and it happened then. Of course, once she became vampire we fucked continuously for many nights."

Her blush increased, reaching down her neck, but she held my gaze. "That will not happen." She sounded like she was convinced, but I could feel otherwise.

"You tell yourself that, Sookie, but I know that you lust for me. Remember that I can feel your emotions." I couldn't resist smirking at her and raising a challenging eyebrow.

"You never told me that!" she snarled, a jolt of anger hitting me. This was going to take some getting used to and I would need to work on blocking her when necessary. It seemed that she could be quite volatile and unpredictable with her moods.

I kept my voice cool and clinical. "I told you that I would be able to know if you are telling the truth. That means I know your emotions." She looked quite horrified. "It will fade in intensity over time," I added.

"Okay. Fine. Can I go home now?" I could feel her impatience.

"Look at me." She did as I asked. "Tell me, Sookie, do you intend on telling anyone about what we have discussed, about what you have learned about the supernatural world?"

"No." I could feel her resoluteness, but also her sincerity.

"Do you intend to leave this area?"

"No," again truthful. "This is my home; I have no reason to leave."

"Okay." I was happy that I could trust her to go. "Just know that I will always be able to find you, so do not even try to run from me."

She swallowed hard and nodded in understanding.

"What do I tell Amelia, Laffy and Tara? Will they wonder where I was?" It was a good question to ask.

"They will not remember leaving Fangtasia without you. As far as they know, you left with them. It should not be a problem for you."

She let out a sigh of relief.

"What about Bill Compton? Will he not try and capture me?" I could see that she was scared of him, and probably rightly so, but I was already on the case.

"Do not worry about Compton. I have ordered my child to bring him back to Fangtasia and I intend to keep him there." I saw her relax slightly. "Pack up your belongings, I will speak to my child and then drive you home."

I didn't give her time to answer, and simply left the room. I had to admit to being surprised that she agreed to drink from me quite so easily, but she was a smart woman and obviously realised this was her only choice. Call it the better of two evils. Thinking about it, she would probably make an excellent vampire given the chance. I filed that thought away for future consideration.

Once I got to my office, I called Pam. My child didn't rise as early as I did, but I had left her a message and reiterated my demand for Bill Compton to be in my basement as soon as possible.

"He is secure," she answered as soon as I called her.

"Good. I am taking Miss Stackhouse back to her home, so I will take the time to search his property."

"You're letting her go?" the surprise was evident in her voice.

"Yes. Are you questioning me, child?"

"No … but…"

"But what, Pamela?"

"How can you be sure that she will not disclose what she knows about us? She cannot be glamoured."

"I am quite aware of that fact. And it is why I have given her my blood." I had to tell Pam, she would have realised eventually, and certainly smelt it on Sookie.

"You've given her your blood? Eric, that's crazy!"

"You are forgetting yourself!" I hissed at her.

"I am sorry; I do not mean to question you. But have you thought about this? Why give your blood to a human?"

I was not used to explaining myself to my child, but on this occasion, I would indulge her. "There is something about her. I tasted her to confirm that she is fairy, and she must be at least one-eighth Fae, if not a quarter. Her blood is strong and potent. And more than that, I suspect that Compton was assigned here to procure her for the queen."

"Shit. How?"

"It seems the Queen's new child, Hadley, is Sookie's cousin. I can only assume she told the queen about what her cousin could do."

"The Queen will not be pleased."

"I don't care. She is in my area and she has had my blood. The bond is already in place and is forming. The Queen cannot take her from me." I was sure that Pam was itching to say something else, but she wisely kept quiet. "I will be back to deal with Compton later."

I hung up the phone and thrust it into my jeans pocket. I checked on the bond to see how strongly I could feel Sookie, and was pleased to know that our bond was strong. I felt a slight impatience from her, and, chuckling to myself, I went back to her room to find her pacing.

"You wish to leave?" I asked her, making her jump from my silent entry into the room.

"Yes. If that's okay," she added.

"Come with me. You can bring all the things bought for you. Unless you intend on coming back, that is?"

She immediately picked up the products that had been purchased for her and shoved them into one of the bags. "There is still food in the fridge…" I appreciated her thoughtfulness.

"It will be removed." She didn't need to know more than that. "Come."

I led her out of my house and towards my garage where I headed to the Corvette, opening the door for her to climb in before folding myself into the driver's seat.

"Isn't this car a bit small for you?" she asked once we were leaving the garage.

"Maybe, but it is an extension of me. And I like fast cars." To prove my point I flew down the road, going well over double the speed limit. I looked over at her to see that her eyes were closed and she had a tight grip on the seat and car door handle. I laughed at her. "Do not worry, Sookie, I do not intend on crashing."

"I'm glad to hear that, but I am a damn site more damageable than you are!"

"I would not let anything happen to you," I told her, and I surprised myself by meaning it as well.

"You must have a million speeding tickets if you drive like this!" she said with a laugh, lightening the atmosphere in the car.

"They'd have to catch me first. And anyway, I can always glamour the police officer!"

She rolled her eyes, and then frowned a little. Curiosity filled the bond. "Can you glamour weres?"

"Some," I admitted honestly. "It is much harder to glamour a were or shifter than a human."

"And you know Alcide?"

"Yes."

"You said that he had worked for you … How? I mean, what sort of work did he do?"

She really had no idea about her former boyfriend was. "How long were you with him?" I asked her, dodging her question.

"Around four years."

That surprised me. "I have used him on occasion when I have needed work done during daylight hours. A lot of vampires employ weres for muscle work during the daytime."

She looked deep in thought. "You know, a lot of this makes sense now." She paused and I waited for her to continue. "I suppose that I always wondered whether there was more to this world. Let's be honest, normal people can't hear other peoples' thoughts. In some way it's pleasing to know I'm not the only freak out there."

I slowed the car slightly so I could concentrate on her. "You are not a freak. You have a rare talent, and one which would be highly prized in my world."

She sighed. "And I get the feeling that vampires tend to take what they want?" I could feel her resignation.

"You are right, they do. As I have done. But believe me when I say you could do a lot worse than me. I will allow you your freedom as much as possible, but if I feel you are in danger I will bring you closer to me."

"I want to stay in my own home," she argued. "I will not be forced away by the likes of Bill Compton."

"I am doing this for your own safety," I said, my voice louder. "And idiots like Compton are not who you should be worried about. I have marked you as mine, Sookie. Any vampire will realise that you have had my blood, but I still would not put it past any of them to take you if they knew what you can do. A telepath is a useful asset."

"Great, so I'm an asset," her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Well believe me when I say that when I was younger this was nothing but a curse. I have become better at using my shields, and I have tried not to use it for my financial gain."

That surprised me as well. I knew that if I had that kind of ability, I would certainly be using it for my own gain.

"Whether you like it or not, your life is changed now." I didn't mean to snap at her, but she needed to realise how things were going to be. "And it would have changed whether you met me or not. And in all honesty, I feel you should be grateful you did meet me. If not you would certainly be the in-house telepath for the Queen of Louisiana by now."

She felt a little shamed. "I'm sorry. I guess I should say thank you."

"I will admit that it's not solely for your own good; I am more than aware that having a telepath in my retinue will look good on me. I understand that you are between a rock and a hard place, but I am the better option."

"I'll take your word for that!" Her tone lightened the mood in the car considerably. "So, you mentioned that I can't tell the muggles about vampires and stuff, and I won't, but can I at least kick Alcide's ass for not telling me that he's a freaking werewolf?"

I chucked at her terminology, and laughed aloud at the thought of her kicking the werewolf's ass. I had a feeling that she probably would as well.

"Alcide is part of the Supe community, so I see no reason why he cannot know. Just be careful what you say, it is very likely that the wolf will not like your connection to me."

"Why?"

I smiled. "That, I cannot tell you."

I could feel that my answer only made her curiosity stronger, but I was aware that Alcide would not disclose his father's debts to her.

The rest of the journey back to Bon Temps was in a comfortable silence, but I kept track of her emotions. She was an interesting being, her emotions flitting often. I could tell that she was smart and logical, but had an almighty spirit in her.

"You know where I live," she stated as I pulled up her driveway.

"Yes. I followed you home after our meeting at my office." I stopped the car and opened the door for her to climb out.

"I don't remember seeing another car."

I smirked. "Who said I drove?"

"What? Did you fly or something?"

"Yes."

"You flew?"

"Yes."

"You can really fly?"

"Sookie, I have just said that I can."

"I know, but … wow. I mean, that vampires and werewolves are real is odd enough, but flying vampires? That's a little too much to take in."

"Says that part-fairy." I leaned down to her, inhaling her pleasant scent once more. "I must go. Pleasant dreams Sookie."

I gave her a fangy grin before climbing back into the Corvette and tearing off down her drive before she had the chance to respond to me. I knew perfectly well that because of taking my blood, she would have some very pleasant dreams, and my only regret was that I was too busy to witness her dreaming about me.

I only hoped that her dreams were as good as reality would be.

I drove the short distance round to Compton's house and entered, not needing an invitation as the house was vampire owned. I could see that some of Compton's furniture was overturned, and I could only assume that it meant there had been a struggle when Pam and Thalia came to collect him. I smiled at the thought of his face when the two of them turned up with silver chains.

I quickly searched the place, and after not too long looking, I found a folder that included many cuttings and photographs of Sookie. Someone had obviously done their research, and I took the file to use both as evidence against him as well as to read through for my own interest. I found little else of use in his house, but upon finding that his computer was password protected, I unplugged it and carried it to the trunk of my car for closer inspection. There was a young vampire living in Bossier City who had done some hacking for me in the past, and I was keen to see whether there was anything of interest on Compton's computer.

After deciding there was little else of use within Compton's shabby home, I drove back to Shreveport. I called James, the computer hacker, on my way back to Fangtasia, and was pleased to see that he was already waiting for me by the time I arrived at the bar. I instructed him to get set up while I went down to meet Pam and Thalia in the basement where Compton had already been placed in silver chains. Thalia nodded to me once as I arrived before she left leaving me with Pam.

"You can't keep me here!" Compton complained almost immediately, shaking at the chains, which were tight above his head.

"Yes, I can. I am your sheriff and I can and will do what I want while you are in my area."

"The Queen will hear of this! You have no grounds to keep me here."

"Ah, yes, the Queen. Want to tell me all about your interest in Sookie Stackhouse?" He didn't answer me, but I saw a flash of fear in his eyes. "No answer? So you weren't here to procure her, then. To take her hostage from my area."

"I don't know anything." He was a lousy liar.

"So you didn't have a folder of cuttings of Miss Stackhouse in your home?" I pulled out the book to show it to him. "I won't have you lying to me. I have impounded your computer and you will be held in silver and starved of blood until further notice."

"You can't do that!" he repeated. I got the distinct impression that there was something that Compton did not want me to see on that computer.

"Watch me."

I put on my gloves then helped Pam move him to the silver-lined coffin he'd been in before. It didn't allow the silver to touch his skin directly, but had only a thin layer of cotton separating the vampire from the silver and therefore keeping him weak. It had been quite expensive, but worth it when it came to keeping the likes of Compton out of my sight.

After gagging him, I kicked the lid shut and tightened the clasps on the outside. I chuckled to myself as I heard him struggling, but it would do very little good.

"It's well protected," James informed me once I returned to my office. "I will need some time."

"Fine. You can stay here until you have access. I will pay you well for your work."

The young vampire nodded and carried on working. I appreciated vampires that were keen to please, and this one in particular had proven to be useful in the past. All to do now was wait.

.

Sookie

I wake to a tapping at the window, and see that Eric is floating outside. Unperturbed by the short pink nightdress I'm wearing, I go to the window and immediately open it wide.

"Aren't you going to ask me in?" he says with a smile.

"Won't you come in, Eric."

I stand aside to let him float through the window, and he lands with the grace no man of his size should have. He's dressed in a pair of black boots, tight black leather pants that leave very little to the imagination and a black wife-beater that displays his delicious and well-defined arms and shoulders. When I reach his face there is a distinct smirk in his eyes as he realises I've been ogling him.

But his eyes are also taking me in, his gaze lingering over my barely-covered breasts and down to my legs. His fangs slide fully gracefully into place, and I can't resist stepping towards him and reaching out to run my finger along the length of one. He shudders as I do so, a look of intensity in his eyes as he closes the minimal distance between us so our chests almost touching.

He runs a finger down my arm, and although his skin is cold, I feel like his touch is burning me. "I want you, Sookie," he whispers into my ear as he brings both of his large hands onto my back and starts bunching up the material of my nightdress. "Tell me you want me to."

"I want you, Eric," I moan, lifting my arms so he can pull the material over my head.

I move my own hands to his chest, running my fingers along his pectoral muscles and up to his mostly bare shoulders. I run a hand down each arm before going for the bottom of his vest, trying desperately to remove it. When he realises what I want, the vest is shredded into pieces, and he's left stood shirtless in front of me.

He is perfect and delicious, and, not caring that I am only wearing minimal panties, I take a step back to admire him. Never had I seen a better-defined specimen of a man, and the power emanating from him almost consumes me. I have to have him; I need him.

I step towards him once more, meeting his blazing pale blue eyes while undoing the belt of his leather pants with ease. Surprisingly the pants fall to the ground quickly, but I am not concerned about how he got them off so quickly, all I care about is that they are off. And what's more, he's not wearing anything underneath.

He runs an ice-cool finger along my chest to the swell of my left breast before rubbing his thumb over my nipple and causing me to moan loudly. His other hands moves to my lower back to pull me closer to him and I feel something large sandwich between us.

"Sookie, you do this to me. I want you. You are mine."

In a flash, he has flown me over to my bed and my panties are ripped from my body so that I am completely naked. He's on top of me and my hands run over any skin I can reach as he kisses along my jawline before finally finding my eager lips. His kiss is skilled yet gentle, but it only manages to stoke the intense fire that's burning inside me for him.

He kisses further down my body, and my hands go to his long blond hair; my moaning increasing as his lips go further south. I open my legs instinctively as he reaches my core, and he settles his large body in between my legs, blowing cool air on the inside of my thighs and then inhaling my scent.

"You smell delicious; I can't wait to taste you."

With utmost precision and skill, he starts to lick and tease at my bud, his ministrations driving me wild with desire and causing a large hand to pin me to the bed. With his other hand I feel the tip of his finger beginning to tease me, until he pushes his long finger inside me and immediately finds that elusive spot.

I can't withhold my moans, and my cries fill the room as he works on me. I knew it wouldn't take long, and within minutes, I can feel that I'm close to coming.

"Come for me, Sookie. Come now!" It's a command that I cannot deny, and I come hard onto his tongue.

Not giving me any chance to recover, he leans back over me, his arms on either side of my head and his knees straddling my hips. I take the opportunity to look down and inspect him, intimidated by the sheer size of him.

"I want you," I tell him, to which he growls and moves a hand between us to line him up with my centre.

He pushes in gently, allowing me the time to get used to his size, but it doesn't hurt at all. He stills once he's all the way in, kissing down my neck while I claw at his shoulders. I move beneath him to encourage his movement, and he begins to slowly thrust his hips in a perfect rhythm, hitting that spot inside me every time and rubbing against my clit.

"Oh god!" I moan, and I feel myself get close to another orgasm. "Please bite me," I beg of him. "Please!"

I feel his smile against my neck and his fangs slowly sink into my neck…

.

I was woken by the annoying alarm of my cell phone, and I roll over to see that it's already six-thirty and time for me to get up. I roll over in bed and lie face down into the pillow, remembering all too well the dream I'd had of Eric, and feeling very unsatisfied in the knowledge that it was only a dream. With the aching I had in my loins, I was fairly certain that that dream the dream was particularly hot and steamy, and I'd no doubt woken to quite the state of arousal. Maybe I was going to have to do a little internet shopping, after all, to quench that hunger.

I'd been having dreams of Eric for the six nights since I had taken Eric's blood, but I'd hoped that given time they would begin to fade. But as last nights had been hotter than any of the others, it seemed like they were only increasing in intensity. If I hadn't been so embarrassed to admit it, I might have considered asking Eric about them, but I got the distinct impression that confessing to having such steamy dreams about him would make him insufferable.

After getting ready and making a quick breakfast, I drove the distance to Shreveport for the meetings I needed to attend. I'd been pleased that I had been able to slip so quickly and easily back into normality considering the weekend I'd had, and I relished the routine that working brought about.

At lunchtime, just as I was about to pop out for a bite to eat, my secretary called through to say that I had visitors. I looked up to see Amelia and Tara stood in the doorway of my office.

"Hey, what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from my two favourite ladies?"

They came in and took a seat without waiting for an invitation. "We just wanted to come up and say hi. Oh, and to kidnap you for the rest of the afternoon and evening!"

"Amelia, I have work to do." I gestured down at the files I had open on my desk. It was nothing urgent, but it at least looked like I was busy.

"Right, so that's why your secretary confirmed that you had nothing on this afternoon and had been considering leaving early." I was going to have words with Maudette when I had chance.

I sighed, closing down my laptop and shoving it inside my case. I knew there was little chance in successfully arguing with them, and in all honesty, I was up for a little girly action since I'd not spent much time with them the weekend before.

"So what did you have planned?"

"Well," Tara started, "we thought a little shopping is in order, dinner, a few drinks and then onto Fangtasia. Tray and JB are going to meet us there."

Great. I suppose that I should have guessed that we would end up there again, and I wouldn't have been too surprised to learn that Pam had glamoured this suggestion into their heads when she had her way with them, if that was the case.

"I don't know. I don't mind us getting food, but I think I'll head home afterwards. I don't want to encroach on your evening with your boys." In all honesty, it was quite true that being the single girl with two friends in happy and loving relationships was difficult, and although I really liked Tray and JB, I didn't enjoy spending time with them all when they were all over each other.

"Nonsense. You know they both love you. And we want you there. Please?" Tara was giving me the puppy-dog eyes, a look I had always struggled to say no to.

"And anyway," Amelia continued, "the tall blond may be there."

I felt a chill come across me. "The tall blond?"

"Yeah, the hot one you were dancing with last weekend?"

I didn't normally, but I lowered my shields to take a peek into the minds of my friends. I could tell from each of them that there were blanks and spaces where they had obviously been glamoured, but I was surprised to see their new memories were so clear. And they both did have memories of me getting down and dirty with Eric on the dance floor.

"Right, yeah," I said a little unconvincingly.

"Come on, Sook, please?" Tara begged. "I don't mind driving so you can have a drink." Normally, Tara never offered.

"Okay," I relented, "but I don't mind driving. I probably won't stay too late so you guys can travel back with the boys."

Both girls squealed and jumped up to hug me. I had to admit that there was a small part of me that was quite interested to see Eric again, particularly after the week of dreams I'd been having. But it also nerved me to be around vampires, particularly considering that he said they would be able to smell that I'd had Eric's blood.

The truth was that Eric had done little to prove he wasn't trustworthy. He had spared me my life when he certainly wanted to kill me at first, and he had kept his promise about dealing with Bill Compton, as his home had been boarded up in the week since I'd last seen him at Fangtasia.

After packing away my work, I went with the girls to the mall where we got a light lunch and then spent the afternoon shopping. I ended up with a gorgeous dark purple cocktail dress. The bodice was strapless and skin tight to just past my ass, where the short skirt flared into pleats. I paired it with some fishnets and a new pair of black patent pumps. A girl could never have too many pairs. The outfit certainly looked more Fangtasia than my previous dress had done.

Before getting changed into our new clothes, we got some dinner and then piled into the rest rooms to get changed. I was glad that I'd taken the time to wash my hair that morning, and I always carried around a face powder, mascara, eyeliner and lip-gloss. Those things were my essentials.

Once ready, we stopped at a bar in the city centre for a quick cocktail so Tara could let JB know we were ready to meet them. She was surprised to learn that they were already at Fangtasia, and after finishing our drinks, we decided to go over and meet them.

I couldn't deny that I felt apprehensive about being there again, but I too had kept my promise to Eric in not leaving the area and not telling a soul about his secret. And to be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure that anyone would believe me. In fact, if I ever admitted to anyone that not only were vampires, werewolves and fairies real, but that I could also read minds, I'd no doubt find myself in a padded cell with one of those cardigans that does up at the back! No, there was not a chance that I was going to say anything to anyone if it would get me committed.

I parked my car in the parking lot, which wasn't too full, and we got out to see only a small line was outside the club. As we walked past the entrance, my name was called, and I turned to see Pam again stood at the door. I'd thought before that she was an odd choice for a bouncer, but in knowing what I did now, she was actually an excellent choice.

"Sookie," she said in a tone laden with sarcasm, "so pleased to see you back here so soon. Why don't you all go on in."

Amelia squealed and grabbed onto my arm as I took a deep breath and headed to the door. I heard some of the people in the queue complaining that we were being let in when they weren't, but we ignored them and walked in.

The club wasn't too busy, and I got the distinct impression that it was not properly open yet as the music wasn't as loud as it had been the previous time. A quick scan of the room told me that the majority of the people in the room were either vampire, were, or something else altogether. The only other human minds being Tara, Amelia and JB and some of the waiting staff who appeared to be very heavily glamoured.

Tara, JB and Amelia seemed completely oblivious to what was going on around us, but I could see that Tray wasn't too happy that we were there. I tried to keep up appearances, however, hugging the boys and ordering a diet coke from the vampire at the bar who somehow looked a damned site more sinister than the last time he'd served me.

"Sookie," a voice said behind me. "I'm surprised to see you here."

I turned to see Alcide walking towards me, a serious expression on his face and a mood that seemed to match Tray's. I didn't want to delve further into his thoughts or emotions, but I had the feeling something was up. There certainly appeared to be a great number of weres in the bar that night.

"Hey, Alcide," I said, keeping my voice light. "How are you? I haven't seen you in ages!"

I had seen very little of Alcide in the time since we'd split, but I understood from Tray that he was still seeing his bitch girlfriend Debbie. In fact, thinking about it, bitch was probably a very accurate term for her. I tried to resist the doggy jokes while we were in public, but I was determined to get Alcide alone so I could lay into him. I was still very pissed at him for not telling me that he was a werewolf.

"I'm good," he said flatly before moving closer to me and bending down to whisper into my ear. "You shouldn't be here, Sook. Please, just go. I'm not going to ask you for much, Sookie, and I know that I don't have the right to, but please just take Amelia, JB and Tara and get out of here."

His voice was pleading, and if I hadn't known why he was asking me to leave, I'd have been quite scared. "What's the matter, Alcide, want some space to run around chasing your tail?"

He stepped back from me, a startled expression on his face. "You know?"

"Yes," I hissed, "I know."

He grabbed at my elbow and led me to one side of the bar. "You have to know that I couldn't tell you. But how?" he had a look of confusion in his eyes before the realisation got him. "Fuck, Sookie? He's already got to you, hasn't he? Sookie, you have to understand that Eric Northman is a dangerous man. Please, Sookie, stay well away from him. I will protect you as much as I can, but please leave."

I wanted to tell him that there was no point in that, but I wasn't sure how much the vampire would want me to say. "Alc, I appreciate your concern, but I'm okay. I promise."

"No! Please don't say you owe him anything! Sookie, you have to get away from here. Leave the state if you have to, but please go!" Alcide seemed desperate for me to leave, but I knew that wasn't an option.

I placed a hand on his warm arm. "Alcide, I'm fine. And I can't leave, I–"

I was interrupted by Debbie Pelt coming between us, her face filled with anger and a feral look in her eyes. "Stay the fuck away from my man, whore!"

She was literally spitting in my face as she spoke, and I stepped back a few paces from her to get some breathing space. Alcide, in turn, pulled her further away from me, whispering something in her ear, his back to me and an arm around her front.

"No!" she yelled at him. "She's a fucking bitch and she shouldn't be here!"

"Calling me a bitch? That's rich coming from you!" I just couldn't stop myself from saying it, and I really wished that Amelia could understand my joke, as I knew she'd laugh right along with me.

She growled at me, and I did a quick search of her thoughts to see that her mind was full of hatred towards me. What I didn't see until too late was that she had a small handgun hidden in her purse, and was pointing it at me. I could see from the wild look in her eyes that she was intent on shooting me, and with Alcide facing in the other direction there was little he could do to help me.

I met her eyes briefly, and I saw her smile an evil grin as she went to pull the trigger. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, although it had only been seconds.

I heard the bang and I waited for the pain, but instead of the sharp pain I expected, I found myself falling sideways onto the floor as I was knocked off my feet by a large blond vampire.

Eric Northman had pushed me out of the way and had taken the bullet.

Thought I'd change the whole shooting thing a bit! Though Debbie is still crazy?

So, Eric has just saved Sookie's life. Will she owe him? What will it mean?

I'd love to know your thoughts.

~drumbjo