Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They are the property of Charlaine Harris. I just want to play with them

Seeing Quinn on his knee's like this must have pleased Felipe to no end. As for me, I'm totally sick. He asked for Victor to come in front of him, and I am curious as to what will Felipe do to him.

"Victor, you failed to your duty, Miss Stackhouse was under my formal protection and you didn't send any help to area five when asked. The situation was serious and you took it lightly. You are revoked from your duty as sheriff of area one for six months. Your duties will be handled by Jonathan and who knows if he's efficient he might keep the place. For this period of time I won't need a second. Keep in mind, if anything happened to him you will be the first to be staked. Meanwhile you will have to take care of my new childe; she is annoying, wild and not very obedient. I forbid you to hurt her too badly without my consent. Being with a new one and teaching her will remind you of your place. You are my underling and nothing else. You can always be replaced. Now my dear Frannie, you will go with Victor. Listen to him for he is your master for now. If you give him trouble, you will be back to my side." I can't be really sure but I think I saw her shiver; but she obeyed.

After the meeting was over, Quinn followed the king out looking like a broken man. His thoughts didn't even register; his mind was totally blank. I didn't know what to say. I felt like it was my fault, even if I was not the one to break the rules. You can always count on Felipe to destroy others life. Once they were gone, Eric searched his office and found a little bug- probably placed there by one of the Nevada minions before they got out. We search the bar completely and found three more. Even the cars were bugged. We decided to have our PC and Blackberry investigated later tomorrow and we went home.

"Eric, how can that creepy bastard have done a thing like that to Frannie? It's not her fault if Quinn didn't follow the rules. I thought forced turning were over with the revelation...."

"Sookie I can sense your guilt, but it's not your fault. No one could have known what the king would do, not even me. At least I wouldn't have imagined that. As you said so often, you are not a psychic, you're only a telepath. If humans learn about this, we might be forced to go back hiding. Honestly I'm surprised by his choice of punishment; no sane vampire would have done such a thing. As for Victor, he will be even more dangerous now than before. He might be out of the power structure for a while, but he is not out of friends. If he wants revenge, he can go as far as use Frannie as an ally because of her hatred. I think maybe I should call the council for advice." Eric is now deep in thoughts. I leave him in peace for about an hour, but I have too many questions spinning in my head.

"What is exactly the council? And what can they do?" I'm not sure if he heard me. But finally after a few minutes, he turned around to look at me. He look so serious, I never saw him like this.

"The council is composed by ten of the most ancient vampires around the world. You've already saw one of his member in Rhodes, the Ancient Pythoness. They are there to make sure the equilibrium in maintained and the laws are respected even by the kings and queens around the world. Otherwise chaos might take place rapidly in the supernatural world. Each species has his own council to rule them, and there is a great council which every species has representatives. Now to have that start an investigation, a formal complaint must be made. Unfortunately it's not anonymous. If I do that, I will be forced to take over the state of Louisiana to ensure our safety." He is looking at me expectantly.

"Great! Is it worth the price? What is done is done. Even if De Castro is found guilty and condemned, Frannie will still be a Vampire, that can't be undone. Did you see the hatred in her eyes when Quinn looked at her? She knows she is his punishment, no one deserved this, neither Frannie nor Quinn." Eric was about to talk, but I lifted my hand to show I am not finished. "I know the supernatural world is hard. I learned it the hard way when I broke Calvin's hand. But Calvin and I were involved in this willingly so we knew what we were doing. But this young woman never had any choice. Before the takeover they abducted her to make Quinn do their bidding and give them information about Louisiana and us. After that it seemed that her life was taken by force. I talked to her in the hospital in Rhodes, and she was a good person. I gave her money to buy some clean clothes and she even lends me her car so I can get home safely. She even risked her life to warn us of the takeover, and even if she was too late she tried at least. When I saw her tonight, I felt I let her down. I should have done something to help her." Eric is looking at me, and I think he doesn't know what to think about my little speech.

"Lover, you are right. We can't do anything about Quinn's sister, what is done is done. But have you seen her reaction when De Castro threatens her? She is terrified by him. Maybe if he is condemned, she will find peace knowing he will never be able to hurt her again. If we let all of this happened without saying a word, we are as guilty as him. And I don't want to be involved in that kind of shit." Always the surviving type, I rolled my eyes and admitted defeat. I don't want to be queen, but if it's the only way to have peace...

"Do you want to take all of De Castro territories?"

"No. The only territory I want is Louisiana. Nevada is too far from Louisiana to be properly controlled and as for Arkansas; actually its needs are too high to be a productive state. It will only be a pain in my ass and I don't want that kind of trouble. Louisiana will be hard enough to rebuild, and I don't want to use my energy elsewhere. Almost everything is already in place for me to become King. Two of the four other sheriffs are behind me. I have all the vampire of this area behind me. And since Katrina there is about twenty vampires left in New Orleans, so with Victor gone for a while they will take more time to organize themselves so we will be able to put them down. Unfortunately Frannie will be trapped in Nevada for a bit longer; I can't go against the pull of her maker. She will be free when he is dead. I hope she survives until then." Eric seemed determined, so I do the only thing I can in these case. I simply love him.

"Alright I'm behind you. I cannot say I like the Idea of you becoming King, but if it is what it takes to keep us safe, go for it." Eric's face lit up; suddenly he looks like a kid on Christmas Eve. The prospect of a good battle seems to improve his humor and his libido. I can feel his lust actually.

"You know I never wanted to become King. But since the Queen's death, it's a thing I consider more and more often. I'm tired to be ordered around like a servant. Besides, I will not be alone to rule the kingdom; you will be by my side as queen." His determination is visible now and I know he will not go back.

It's about four when we end up in the basement. Eric gave a blood to my 'experiment subject' and the rest of the tests are reported until tomorrow. The young vampire doesn't seem to realize where he is. He is disconnected from reality in a way. I search his mind to find out- only blank. I try to talk to him, but no reaction. Is it possible his brain is no longer working? Can a vampire be able cut himself from the world? There are so many questions I don't know where to start. Now that I am a vampire myself, I can answer a few of them but not all. But if my guess is correct he might just be in downtime and not wanting to come back. Time is my enemy today, and I must go back to my bedroom with Eric before sunrise. Sometimes being a vampire sucks- literally.