Hi All,

Thanks again for the reviews and favourites. They are all very much appreciated!

I'm going on holiday for the next couple of weeks (hello Miami and New Orleans!) so may not get anything at all done, unless I use the stupidly long plane journey... we shall see.

Hope you like and please review!


The sun was setting by the time I was following the sat nav from Central Shreveport to the industrial district, and Fangtasia. I guess I came away from the meeting with Sookie with a not too negative feeling. She hadn't said no, which was great as far as I was concerned, and I was hopeful for when I would see her later.

So although I wasn't on cloud 9, I had had a great sun filled day that stayed on my skin, making it tingle. Luckily it didn't quite feel like a burning tingling, just a glow you can get when you've exercised for just the right amount of time. I also took the time to include some shopping with the money Eric had given me. I did have a pang of chargrin as I remembered Bobby's comment of 'buying something pretty' but really, why the hell shouldn't I? It wasn't like I was earning anything – although it wasn't like I was paying out anything either. Pam's fridge was always mysteriously stocked with food and drink for Grace and me and we certainly weren't paying for accommodation. I was, however, nervous about spending the remaining of my trip money, hoping that we would eventually move on and spend time in another town, or preferably state, even if there was a vampire lover in tow.

Making the most of my sun time before I returned to the dark, I wound all the windows down so there was a warm gale as I drove along, and put the volume up in the car. My ipod was plugged in and I quickly found the song I had been waiting to come on and sang along to it loudly. I always used to have a song in my head and was either singing or humming along to something or other. It used to drive Grace insane. I guess I'd stopped since I started hanging out with vampires, I really didn't want to do anything that they may find aggravating but God damn it, I'd make up for it now, and I sang away to myself as I drove along.

I was surprised, and a bit sad, that a simple thing like being independent enough to drive a car where I wanted and enjoy the sun was something I found so... moving. But I guess that was to be expected when I had spent the better part of a month in the darkness. Soaking up the last rays of the richly golden sun, I found it hard to remember what was so appealing about the dark.

Eric was the little word that crept around my mind, but could he really compete with this, I wondered? I realised I honestly didn't know and so with a growing sense of foreboding I turned into the now familiar industrial park. I was hoping the chills I had were from the dropping temperature with the setting sun. I suddenly did not want to go inside the bar. So I didn't. I turned off the engine and sat back in my seat, breathing deeply. I could almost taste the sun disappearing, and suddenly I was out of the car and following the slowly retreating patch of sunlight, as the shadows moved over the car park. I ended up stood against the opposite wall to the main Fangtasia door, leaning against the warm brickwork. I must have looked like a crazy lady. When the shadow of the building enveloped me, the red Fangtasia light flickered on, like it knew there was no where else for me to go. With a sigh and a little shiver I grabbed a new jumper and pulled it on over my vest, locked the car and headed inside, feeling genuinely sad that my day had ended.

"Ginger!" I shouted as I entered through the staff entrance at the back, knowing it would travel to the bar as it was quiet and completely empty. When I heard nothing, I walked past the locker room and Eric's office into the main bar area. None of the lights were on which made me think she wasn't in yet. Another quick yell confirmed it for me. I smiled as I realised I was completely alone in the bar and started to sing the song in earnest, loving letting my hair down and singing loudly.

I started pouring myself a glass of soda water. Just reaching the crescendo of the song (and being very pleased that I reached the high note) I turned to head back to the office only to come face to face with Long Shadow.

I swallowed and felt my own throat contract at the closeness of him. I had never actually been that close to the guy and the sneer on his face reminded me why; I didn't like him. I know you couldn't really trust any of them, and Lord knows I had argued with myself that you couldn't really get to know any vampire here, but at least Pam and Eric could pretend to be sociable. Long Shadow seemed like the kind of guy who didn't like to pretend, or didn't see why he should. He was proud to be a vampire and liked to have people know that he could rip their throats out.

"You have a surprising voice" he said quietly, staring intently and although not smiling, looking like he was trying to avoid his usual angry look. It was disconcerting to say the least.

"Is that a good or bad thing?" I laughed, trying to lighten the conversation and get some distance between us. I swallowed again as he mirrored my movements, never getting out of arms reach of me.

"Being able to surprise a vampire is a rare quality."

I wondered again if that was a good or bad thing, but said nothing as he stepped closer to me, almost touching. I couldn't look away from him but he wasn't glamouring me. Yet.

"Tell me," he said intimately as he reached his hand up. He hesitated like he didn't know whether to touch me or not, but made the decision and brushed his cold hand through my hair, pulling my head back slightly so I was even more inclined to look up into his eyes. It wasn't painful but it had the awful promise that it could become so very quickly. "Eric dominates his conquests. Do you enjoy that?"

He was definitely not glamouring me, but he wanted to see me lie to him, I just knew it. Thinking fast I knew I had to act like I was Eric's, and that I liked it. Having no actual idea what Eric did with his 'conquests' I had to make a hell of an assumption to answer the question directly. I made myself remember all of my encounters with Eric, hoping that the fact that I enjoyed the flirting showed on my face, and answer as truthfully as I could.

"I enjoy Eric" I replied simply, giving a small smile which I prayed came across as flirty and sincere. I desperately wanted to move away but his hand was still in my hair and I had images that he would just yank me back into place if I tried to escape.

"So there is nothing else you long for?" He had leaned closer to me and although I didn't feel anything on my face, it felt like his cold breath was travelling up and down my spine, into my brain and squeezing. This had to be him glamouring me right? I wish I could have controlled my heart beat but I couldn't, it raced in fear of his affect on me.

"Long Shadow."

I had never been so relieved to hear Pam. Ever. But it didn't immediatly have any change on my current situation; I remained held fast and Long Shadow was still staring intently down at me, though the tingle cold feeling had ceased as soon as his name was said. Pam moved into my vision and placed a hand on Long Shadow's shoulder, not nearly as forcefully as I wanted her to though. She might as well be giving him a pat on the back.

"Hon är hans."

"Really?" He laughed back at whatever she had said.

I finally saw a reaction from her that I approved of; disgust and disdain "Du kallade honom en lögnare?"

Whatever it was worked as Long Shadow released me and stalked away from us, only glancing back just before he disappeared through the cellar door, closing it quietly behind him.

I watched Pam who stared intently at the now closed door for a good 20 seconds before turning to me, smiling. She no doubt thought it would reassure me but she just came across as patronising. That didn't stop me from saying a shaky thank you though.

"Aren't you just the little temptress" she took the time to look me up and down before heading to the cellar door after Long Shadow. She turned and dipped her head towards me, still smiling, and then she too silently disappeared into the darkened doorway, closing it solidly behind her.

At which point a large and very cool hand suddenly appeared over my mouth as well as a rock solid arm wrapped around my waist and I was pulled me off of the floor. I pannicked, what else do you expect me to do? I had images of Long Shadow dragging me down into the cellar for him to do whatever he wanted to do with me. I tried to scream but the sound only came out as a whine through my nose. In response the arm wrapped tighter round me, close to crushing my ribs, and I felt someone else's hair against my neck.

"Shhh" as soon as he made a noise I knew it was Eric. But did that make this situation any better? My mind couldn't decide and my body held still while I tried to make sense of what was actually happening to me.

"Lets continue this elsewhere, shall we?" He said this under his breath, quieter than a whisper directly into my ear. Eric released his grip around my body, only to hook his arm under my knees and haul me up against him. His hand remained over my mouth, which meant I was cradled tightly to his chest. He looked down at me and smiled, before walking silently across the bar and through the staff only door. He didn't even put me down when we were out in the car park.

I only really started to stick up a fuss when we passed Ginger. Her greeting caught in her throat and that was bad enough; I must be in trouble if it made Ginger hesitate. He hardly paused to addressed her completely, he must have only needed the slightest of eye contact to glamour her. "You have not seen us" again, this was said in the funny quiet voice. A moments pause and a hollow 'yes master' from Ginger confirmed that for the rest of her life, she would say she had not seen either of us this night.

Ok so that meant that only vampires knew where I was?

I struggled anew but had to stop when he let my legs drop to the ground but I couldn't run as Eric trapped me between him and the open car door. He smiled down at me like he had before, patronising, mocking but I didn't see anger, which I kind of expected, or the hunger that I knew I had seen in him only yesterday. All this didn't stop my natural reaction to shrink away from him when he loomed over me and said "Get in".

I had to concede, what would be the point in making a run for it? And I shuddered at the thought of what Eric would do if I tried. So I dropped into the passenger seat of my car and watched Eric make his way round to the driver's seat, wondering where Eric's 'elsewhere' would be.

It would have been a squeeze for him to get into the small car in normal circumstances, but he struggled with the seat that was adjusted to my much slighter frame. If he wasn't being such a vampire I would have laughed, but he was, so I didn't. He quickly won the battle with the chair and we were soon hurtling out of the Fangtasia car park. Again, I found myself in a speeding car with Eric, holding on to the door handle to stop me from sliding on the leather seats into him.

I watched as we made a turn away from the normal route to Pam's. But maybe we were heading into town? When we drove straight over the next intersection, rather than turn left, I knew we weren't.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere private" He replied coldly.

My breathe caught in my throat, what did he mean by somewhere private? His cold reply and essentially kidnapping me made me remember how things had been left last night. He had said 'nothing without my permission' but really, if he wanted something how could a puny little human like me stop him. Was this the Eric that Bill knew, and the same one he had warned Sookie against? Earlier today I had defended him, saying he was my protector and although I could see Sookie's point, and indeed used it to convince her to help me, I was pretty confident that he wouldn't truly hurt me. Surely if he wanted to he would have done so by now?

Sat in the car with him now, I was definitely beginning to doubt myself.

I tried to stay cool but I'm always conscious that he can hear my heartbeat and how fast I'm breathing, so he must have known how nervous that one simple statement made me. I glanced round and he was still just looking ahead into the road.

Knob.

I wanted to know where we were going, how long would it take and why he was acting this way (!) but I didn't trust that my voice would hide my growing fear. No wonder Sookie didn't trust him, I shouldn't trust him half as much as I found myself doing.

Luckily I didn't have that much time to humour the crazy voice that was whizzing around deathly scenarios in my head. Not even 5 minutes after he had spoken the car drove through some town which quickly came to be a suburban neighbourhood. I took in the well-lit streets of neat, perfectly cut lawns and the mixture of big, shiny people carriers and sports cars and wondered where the hell on 'curtain-twitcher-road' Eric was going to find somewhere private? To my utter astonishment we pulled into the drive of one of these houses. It was exactly the same as every other house on the street except it had a slightly different front lawn, a few square foot of grass had been made into a small flower garden under the front windows. I looked over at Eric and watched him get out of the car. I honestly didn't move because I thought he was playing a joke on me but he walked round to my side and opened my door for me.

"This is your private place?" I said as I got out, my eyebrows raised to the sliver of moon in the sky. This could not be Eric's house. No way in hell.

"This is a private place" he clarified. It made me feel marginally better. He just wanted a place to talk about Sookie. I really really hoped that was all it was."I own several properties in the area. Great investment and useful, on occasion." I followed him to the door, which he simply opened, as it wasn't locked.

I hesitated on the threshold, watching him walk in casually and take off his jacket. If he walked straight in it meant that this place didn't have a human occupant. So it really was just him and me here. I took a deep breath and walked in after him. It must have been the excess oxygen in my system that made me feel dizzy. I opened my eyes to see Eric watching me strangely. His eyes didn't linger long though and he strode out of sight to a room to my left.

I took my time to follow him, treading carefully and waiting for my head to clear so I could take in the new surroundings, as well as continue to quietly panic about this place. It wasn't a huge and traditional house like Pam's, but it wasn't exactly small. It had a generous landing with the staircase following the right angles of the walls up to the second floor. From the outside I knew it must be a pretty new house and the altogether neutral creams of the walls and light wooden floors went with that but there was nothing else furniture wise and it looked and smelt like it needed a damn good dust and hoover. I stepped further inside and peaked round the open archway to where Eric had disappeared. It was a large living room, practically empty except for an old sofa and coffee table in the living room, opposite one of those modern fake fire places. Eric had flopped down onto the sofa, taking up all the seating room and more as his feet hung over the armrest.

Although he looked like the epitome of relaxation on the little couch, my gut was still telling me to beware and without really realising I had made my way to the other side of the room, pressing myself against the wall. I was facing the sofa but it meant he wasn't in my way if I wanted to bolt. My own instinct frustrated me. Why was I wasting my time and energy worrying about it when there was nothing I could do? I slid down the wall with a huff and sat cross legged on the floor waiting for him to speak, like a bitter little pet.

"So" he breathed out, extending the word but not giving me the courtesy of looking at me, or even opening his eyes to address me, "how goes our telepathic venture?"

Instead of answering his question I asked my own; I wanted to know why he was acting the way he was. First off, he all but kidnapped me from the bar, takes me to a strange place (so normal it was freaking me out) and now he acts like everything is ok? "Why are we here?"

"For you to answer my questions" he replied firmly.

"Well you need to answer mine first."

"I don't need to do anything you ask" his slightly raised voice just angered me more; who did he think he was speaking to me like that? I was about to respond in the same tone but thought better of it. This could escalate as quickly as I made it. Eric reacted, rather than responded, to my questions, especially when they undermined his authority, so as much as it pained me to do so, I needed to take that into consideration before I shouted my mouth off at him.

"You're right. You don't. But you need to remember that whatever you think of the insignificant little human you're lumbered with, it's my neck on the line." He raised his eyebrow to that comment and my heart sank a bit, maybe I was a bit too on the mark with the 'human lumbering' for my liking. "You're losing money and I'm not disputing that it's a lot of money that we're talking about here. But I just want you to remember that as a temporary being on this earth, I can guarantee that I value my life more than you do right now.''

"The danger is minimal while you-"

"-While I'm yours?" I interrupted him and continued before he could do the same to me "That's fine in Fangtasia but there is a human killer on the loose that likes to get rid of fangbangers. And if you're such a high and mighty vampire, what better target could there be for the bon temp killer?"

I know I was ranting, and only really came up with the argument on the spot but it seemed to make painful sense now. And from the look on Eric's face he hadn't considered it either, until his mouth stretched into a very toothy grin.

"What?" the fact that he was looking at me like I was a snack unnerved me.

He laughed at the caution evident in my voice but composed himself to say "You yourself pointed out that the thief could be a vampire. We are therefore here to discuss you day's events without interruption or prying ears" he bared his teeth slightly when he said the last part. I guess I could understand that, but I was still a bit shaken by the look, and wanted to know what had run through his mind to make him smile at me like that. "I trust from the singing that your day went well?"

I had to blush at that; it must have been a regular full house at the bar when I thought I was completely alone. I reminded myself to always remember vampires are preternatural sneakers. This time I was happy to answer his question to cover my embarrassment.

"It hasn't gone anywhere yet" I replied honestly. He stared at me dead pan, definitely losing his somewhat light-heartedness he had a second ago, but I tried to ignore it. "We only spoke briefly but arranged to meet later on tonight to further" I tried to think of an appropriate word, "negotiate the terms."

When I blinked Eric was sat up, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees and staring across the room at me intently, and making me jump. The intensity reminded me of when he glamoured me.

"The meeting?"

"At her house, around 10pm"

"Why so late?"

"She has to go to a meeting of some historical society. Bill's speaking so it's taking place after dark."

"And Bill will be at her home?"

"I doubt it." I was going to go on and say about the fight I thought they had but hesitated; does he really need to know this? Of course he caught my pause instantly, and raised his eyebrow. I raised mine right back at him, "He's a speaker. He'll probably have lots of questions at the end. And if he's mainstreaming he'll want to get along with the locals" I tried to put contempt in on the comment on the locals to take him in another direction.

I was more shocked that it actually worked than I was that I had thought it up so quickly

Eric gave a small smile and leant back on the sofa, arms behind his head and legs splayed out in front of him, why did I have to be at perfect eyelevel with his… "Your thoughts on the locals?"

"I didn't really have any expectations…" I trailed off, desperately thinking of what to elaborate on "her boss was a nice guy-"

He interrupted me, just as I was thinking about how well Sam filled out his shirt and jeans and being disappointed about his behaviour "Was?"

"He wasn't a fan once he knew that Sookie had met me in Fangtasia. He didn't like her going there either."

Eric's only response was a deep 'mmm' sound as he contemplated that fact. I guess he'd have to get rid of more than Bill if he wanted Sookie all to himself. Though I was perturbed that he had picked up my meaning of 'was'. When Eric remained silent I continued.

"The bar was pretty basic but busy, all full of locals so I stuck out like a sore thumb but, like I said, the boss, Sam, was lovely until he found out about my association with vampires. In fact, by the end of my talk with her, Sookie said I should leave cos I was recognised as yours" I swallowed at the words. I wasn't actually his, so what was the big deal. But again, Eric seemed to latch on to my turn of phrase.

"And what did she think of my pet?"

Whatever angry look I gave him, I knew it wasn't enough. "I told her I was not your pet" I said through gritted teeth, "I was honest with her. If I wasn't she would distrust me even more by association."

"And what exactly has young Billy been telling our friend?"

"She didn't say anything specific. Just that she didn't think she could trust you-" I was about to continue but he interrupted me.

"And your response?"

"That she was right. But for better or worse I have to, so if she didn't trust you, then she could at least have faith in me and my word to help her in whatever way I can to find the Bon Temp killer before her brother is arrested."

"Her brother is implicated?"

"Yes, though I don't know the details."

I could almost see the clogs in his head spinning away as he took in the details and thought of his next move. All I was left to do was sit and wait.

"Find what she needs. I will make my resources available to you as and when you request them, within reason." he raised his eyebrow and stared intently to emphasise the fact that apparently, not all of my requests may be within reason. "In return I want her to visit Fangtasia within the week to start questioning the human staff." He was silent for a moment and then said "I want the thief found". He said this quietly but it was like he was trying to keep from shouting it or as if he was thinking about all of the things he would do to the thief once they were found. He was scarily intense about this.

I could see the physical change when he got over himself, a relaxing of the shoulders, face muscles and a softening of his look at me, he then closed his eyes and took a deep breath, lifting his chin as his chest expanded with air. What the hell was he doing?

"Now", he breathed as he scooted over on the sofa and instead of continuing speaking, he simply patted the now free space next to him. I raised my eyebrow to him, cautious of him now wanting me so close to him.

"Why?"

"I wish to smell you."

"Sorry?" did I really hear that right?

Instead of repeating himself, which I half expected, he did me the courtesy of actually elaborating. "Of course I can smell you from here but there is one particular scent which peaks my interest" He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows, oh he was on 100% flirt mode now and I had a very sudden image of him nuzzling against some very interesting areas of my body, and panicked slightly.

"Where are you going to smell me?"

He smiled that wolfish grin again, like he was imagining the exact same thing. "From the car journey I would say right side, most likely your arm." I watched him and he didn't move, neither faining innocence nor trying to hide how much he was obviously going to enjoy this. He was actually being himself with me. With what I know must have been a shocked look on my face, I stood up and held out my arm for him. What could I say? He had peaked my curiosity too.

He rose fluidly from the sofa and slowly walked to me, taking my arm lightly in both of his hands and dipping his head to smell my wrist. He took a deep breath which tickled the sensitive skin there. He looked up at me to gage my reaction, and smiled against my skin when he must have seen the blush he had brought out in me. He pushed the sleeve of the loose jumper up my arm, following the material with his nose. This was just stupid, how could I find this hot? He was smelling me for God's sake. When he reached my elbow I swear to God he brushed his lips there on purpose. He confirmed my suspicion when he caught my eye again just afterward.

"It would help if you took your clothes off" he said with a smile, releasing my arms and stepping back, like he was going to watch a show.

"I will take my jumper off" I said firmly, and thought if he was such a superior being why couldn't he smell through a friggin jumper. I pulled it over my head quickly, not really wanting him out of my sight for too long, and tossed it over on the sofa. I held my arm out to him again and he took a breath just below my shoulder. I turned my head away so I wouldn't succumb to the annoying urge to smell his hair, or see how muscles disappeare under that black wife beater he was wearing. Why did he always have to wear those with his stupid sexy leather jacket...

I was brought out of my frustrated inner musings by his deep "mmm" sound he made when he straightened up to look at me.

"Well?"

He was only slightly more serious, an amused look still on his face. "You smell of shifter. Male -"

"Shifter?"

"Shapeshifter."

We just looked at each other while that sunk in. First vampires, then a telepath, and now shapeshifters.

"There was a shape shifter in the Merlotte's?" Yes, the slow human had to clarify that point.

"Not just in the bar, very close to you, lover,"

I ignored the lover comment, it was easy to do when he was stroking my arm where, apparently, a shapeshifter had been nuzzleing up to me. But there had been no nuzzleing, no touching of anyone at all accept Sookie. "Are you sure? I mean, Sookie's the only -"

"I am." He interjected, then walked back to the sofa, saying when his back was turned "Sookie has her own distinct smell". When he sat down and faced me he had on his poker face.

I paused to note that but quickly turned back to the more shocking part of our discussion; the fact that there were shapeshifters. I walked over to the sofa and plonked down next to him, since he had left room for me again. "What is it going to be tomorrow? Zombies? Aliens?"

Eric gave a small chuckle and seemed to relax into the sofa, I followed suit and so there we were, slouched on an old, and smelly sofa in an empty house, talking about telepaths and shape shifters and thieves. I had another moment of thinking, how the hell had I gotten into all of this? Two years ago there were only human beings, and then a whole other race of beings was revealed to the world. It was scary to think that they had been hidden for so long, and would be still if it wasn't for a multi billion dollar lab in Japan, no doubt funded by a vampire or two. What else was out there that I had no idea about? Frankly I was scared to ask the question of Eric in case he followed his recent and very strange behaviour of telling me the truth.

To break the silence, the more logical part of my brain took control of my mouth and blurted out "Sam's a shape shifter." I looked over at Eric who probably wore the same surprised expression as me. Then I took the time for the rest of my brain to catch up and spoke out loud like it was a revelation to me, even though I had said it. Yes I am that strange. "He brushed against me. It has to be him." I sat up on the sofa and twisted to face Eric, even though I wasn't looking at him, more focusing on my thoughts than anything in the room. "So it wasn't the chef."

"The chef?" Eric asked lazily. The change in tone made me look at him, catching him staring at my chest.

Thrilled and annoyed all at the same time I crossed my arms, which made him look me in the eye and smile unashamedly at me.

"The chef didn't appreciate my form as l much as you do"

As if my flirting was an invitation, Eric's eyes wondered over my exposed skin "How so lover?"

"He um" I had to swallow. It's like I could feel where his eyes looked, giving me tingles down my arms, up my legs and making me feel suddenly very warm. "He just looked like he hated me from the minute I walked in. But Sookie said he was fine."

"Do you trust Sookie?"

This time he had his crystal clear eyes directed straight into mine. "I kind of have to don't I?"

Still staring straight into my eyes, he reached his hand out for my knee, the rest of my leg being tucked under the other which was hanging over the edge of the sofa. He slipped his cool fingers over my smooth skin (thank God I had shaved that morning) and held it there. He was probably taking in my rapidly escalating body temperature and the pulsing that was steadily increasing in certain areas of my body. I saw a hint of a playful glint just before he yanked my leg from underneath me and was instantly kneeling on the floor in front of the sofa and filling the space between my now open legs. He pulled me down towards him with a decisive jerk, making me lie almost flat as well as bringing us snuggley against each other in a very intimate way. I was breathing hard through the shock of the movement and the position that I found myself in. There must be no hiding the heat of me from him now (even through the shorts - which, thank God, I was wearing instead of a skirt). His smile did nothing to disprove that thought.

I sat up, trying to get some dignity back but that only meant there was even more body contact. Was this it then? This was him making his move after I had refused him last night? Did he think he could have me whatever I said or, perhaps even worse, he knew that it was hard enough to refuse him last night and that now, completely alone with him I was fighting the urge to press myself harder against him, to roll my hips and feel him even closer against me.

He smiled wider down at me like he was reading my mind. I started to move my legs to try and hitch myself up the sofa but he leant towards me. Unnerved, I moved away from him until I was laid back almost horizontal again, and he was pressed against me. He glanced down at my lips and then to my neck, and moved slowly there, taking a deep breath before finally speaking.

"Do you trust me?" he murmured.

Oh God the way he felt against me, the feel of his breathe against my neck, he may as well have been glamouring me; I might as well be brain dead to everything else except for him.

"Yes" I sighed and upon my answer he pressed his lips against my skin which instantly brought me out in goose bumps. He moved his body upwards over me, grinding our hips together and reaching further over the curve of my shoulder to kiss me harder, using his teeth and tongue to tease my skin. My body automatically reacted and arched against him and I only just managed to stifle a moan into his shoulder. Eric was not so controlled and he made a loud, approving and very sexy humming noise against my skin.

Oh my goodness, it felt like I was going to explode any minute, I could not believe that I was so turned on and he was doing so little to me. He was going to make me cum by necking me and that was completely unheard of in my sexual history. Yet here I was, like an animal in heat, begging him with everything accept my voice, to touch me more. Honestly? I wanted him to rip my clothes off and take me on the skanky smelly sofa. I didn't care as long as he did it. And soon.

I pulled his head from my neck so that I could kiss him but hesitated when I saw his fangs. But they weren't a bad thing. Couple them peaking out of his slightly parted lips with his completley unnecessary heavy breathing and the intense way he was staring into me and it made the kind of sexy that I thought was only in my imagination. I was about to kiss him again, and let him know how much I didn't have a problem with his fangs when I heard a ringing coming from between us.

As I looked down towards the noise, he lifted himself off of me, back to his kneeling position between my legs, and reached into his jeans pocket for his phone.

"Yes"

I could only hear the tone of the voice from the other end of the phone but no words were clear enough to recognise. I watched his face for some reaction but saw nothing. He wasn't even looking at me and I wondered was this really happening? We had been a pair of shorts away from full intercourse and no he was chatting on the phone?

"Jag ska gå tillbaka nu ." He ended the call and only looked at me once his phone was securely back in his jeans pocket.

"I get it" I sighed, and propped myself up on my elbows. "Its pay back for last night."

He smiled at my words and started to rub my bare legs up my thighs and back down to my knees, like an intimate massage. I put a heel in his butt to get him to stop but he ignored it. "I'd be lying if it didn't give me some satisfaction thinking of you suffering as I did."

I really doubted he was suffering for that long: he must have been able to take anyone from Fangtasia home with him to release whatever pent up frustration I gave him.

With that thought I smiled right back at him. "Well maybe I'll relieve myself like you had to."

His hands stopped on my thighs and though the pressure on my legs was the same, the fact that his hands were no longer moving made it uncomfortable.

"That would be foolish after tonight" he hissed at me, suddenly the scary vampire I had met a few moments before.

Why did I let this kind of thing happen to me? A few kisses to my neck and suddenly I thought he was Prince Charming. I had to keep in mind he was just as likely to be that as he was to be the Prince of Darkness. His words also made me think of what had happened earlier…

"You were there, with Pam and Long Shadow? And you didn't do anything to help me?" I sat up completely to face him squarely, accusatorially. My sudden outburst must have surprised him because he suddenly didn't look that angry anymore, more taken a back – well, as much as Eric could be.

"Why would I intercede when Pam was there? There was no harm –"

"No harm? The guy was glamouring me and could have done anything he wanted and I wouldn't have known. He could have made me want to…" it made me feel sick to think how much power Long Shadow could have over me if Pam hadn't of turned up.

"You are mine" he said with force.

"If I'm yours then why did Pam have to get rid of him?" I returned with equal verve but I found I knew the answer before I had even finished that sentence. "It was a test. Wasn't it?" I pushed my hand against him angrily but he didn't shift which was just annoying as hell. "You used me as a test to see if you could trust him?" OK so I had raised my voice and pitch so I was on the verge of sounding hysterical but I just kept on having images of what could have happened if Pam had done nothing, or if Eric had told her to do nothing. I scrambled up the sofa and headed towards the front door, wishing to get as far away from him and every other vampire as possible.

If only I was so lucky.

Eric was in front of me, blocking my path towards the front door. In the moment it took me to get over the shock that he was instantly there, he grabbed my arms, painfully, awarding him my full attention as he bent his head down close to mine.

"Be still" he said.

And I was, but it made me seethe internally. I was going to hit him so hard when I came out of this glamour that I didn't care if I broke my hand.

He watched me for a moment or two, no doubt taking note of my clenched fists and the glare I was giving him. "It was an opportunity that I took advantage of." He paused, I assume to make sure I got the message. Yes, yes, I knew perfectly well how expendable I was to him now. "I will not apologise for that."

He let me go but I still stood there unmoving, just as he had comanded. I watched him put his jacket on as he continued "Get Sookie to Fangtasia, I don't care how. Then we can be rid of each other." And he was out the front door and gone.

I dropped out of the glamour, literally, and crumpled to the floor. I am ashamed to admit that I let out a frustrated scream and actually banged my fists against the floor, but soon stropped that cos it actually hurt.