Neither woman had broached the option to stop. They were immortal this could go on for days. The prospect of this pleasure being drawn out excited Pam, but it also filled with her a sudden reserve. She stiffened slightly, but it was enough for Tara to pause and question it. The blond shook her head claiming she needed a break.

"Can't hang?"

The blond glared.

"I've hung, and been dangled, and crashed and slipped and fallen. Now I'm knee dip in you Thornton and I have no idea how to get myself out," she bit her pinky as she contemplated how quickly they had progressed.

"I like the way you say my name."

"Thornton?"

The dark head damp now shook, "the other one."

"Tara," Pam confirmed.

The immortal claimed the vampire's lips. Pam's hands ran along the back pulling Tara to her. Her legs widened on their own volitions as she felt fingers trailing south.

"Say it," Tara sandwiched Pam's clit between her thumb and pointer finger rubbing it gently.

Pam stubbornly moaned instead. She didn't want to give in that easily and if she held out long enough Tara's efforts would double until she soaked her hand, the sheets, everything. The immortal sped up. Pam's legs stayed up in the air while Tara's mouth closed around her nipples. She sucked and ever so slightly grazed them with her teeth. She felt one hand on the back of her head encouraging while the other hand rubbing Tara's back. Her eyes were closed and her head went back into the sheets.

Tara flicked her tongue along a nipple, "say it."

Pam wanted to. She bit her lip to stop herself from obliging her pleased lover. Tara, for her part, loved to watch the vampire struggle. She was close and she could feel it. Pam moaned when she rubbed sped up barely registering the speed only the pleasure the supernatural pace brought her.

"T…," she tried to get out between moans, "Tara," she managed. She screamed her name again over and over and over as she lost herself in a pleasurable stupor.

The immortal grinned dropping down to kiss Pam as she rode the last waves of her release.

Pam's phone rang. She paused pulling away from their kiss when she realized who the ringtone belonged to. She moved from under Tara finding her phone easily before closing the door to the bathroom.

Tara stared at the wall that looked so odd after what had been shared between them. She didn't like the secrecy of the phone call, but she didn't make a point to listen so she swallowed her first instinct. She would wait to hear Pam's explanation. The blond stayed in there for a full five minutes. Tara knew because she counted. She stood up and looked around the room for something to put on. She went to the closet and found some clothes she wouldn't mind wearing a selection that she assumed had been especially picked for Pam.

Dressing herself in jeans and a t-shirt she found a jacket on the side she designated as Pam's that she liked. She tried the leather coat on and it fit well on her. She was adjusting her arms when Pam returned from the bathroom. She frowned when she found Tara had dressed, but it didn't stay long when she looked passed the dark immortal to the closet full of clothes.

"Eric," she smiled knowing no one shopped for her like he did.

Tara watched her face brighten from excitement, but it didn't stop her from questioning the blond. "Who was that?" she asked.

Pam concentrated on each outfit knowing that while she would have liked something extremely flashy she needed to be comfortable in case something bad happened. Tara waited impatiently for an answer getting frustrated by Pam's lack of attention and her purposeful silence.

"Pamela," she ground out. The use of her full name caused a brow to rise, but Tara had succeeded to get Pam's full attention.

"What?"

"Who the fuck was that?" Tara phrased the question wrong and her tone didn't sit well with the sometimes ornery blond.

"Business," she stated.

Tara clenched her jaw, "is that you're final answer?" she asked as if she knew something the blond didn't.

Pam placed her hands on her hips. Still naked and horny, she kept her impulse in check to glare at the dark immortal. "Is there another answer?"

"I know you," Tara stalked toward her, "I've been inside you. We're bound together for an eternity so consider what kind of insight that gives us if were happened to look."

"The sex was great, but you don't know shit about me," Pam held her ground.

Tara closed the distance between them, but the vampire stepped back until her back hit the post of the bed and Tara stopped inches from her. "I know you," she stated firmly. "The only shortcoming you have is being a vampire, but you can't tell me Sophie was all a lie."

"If this is a fucked up librarian fantasy I don't know what is," she bit back. "I own a club where vampires and humans suck and fuck all night up until an hour before the sun comes up. Sometimes I watch and sometime I participate, does that sound like some cookie cutter housewife to you? Take your fucking ring," she tried to pull it off, but it still wouldn't budge. "I don't know why you gave it to me in the first place, you didn't know me."

Tara lowered her eyes as Pam still couldn't get the ring off. The image calmed her and a knowing smile replaced the distrustful line that lingered when she attacked Pam. The blond noticed the smile. If she wasn't so focused getting the ring off of her finger she might have slapped it off.

Then the immortal distracted her with what seemed like an asinine question, "do you believe in love at first sight?"

The blond offered her bored as eyes as she continued to pull.

"Neither do I," she answered. She took Pam's hand in hers and brought it to her lips holding the hand with the ring as she eyeballed in. "Anything's possible I've learned, the hard way," she mused darkly then Pam's questioning gaze brought her back to the present.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"That night I gave you the ring,"

"When you tricked me into putting the ring on to spend eternity with you…if you're going to tell a story say it right," Pam challenged.

Tara kept a firm hold on the hand the vampire tried to tug away. "I'm telling it right. I used you that night to make Sookie jealous. She knows what the rings mean and I knew as soon as she saw them she'd flip the fuck out."

"This story gets better and better—"

"Shut the fuck up and listen," Tara growled gently.

Pam glared, but she remained silent.

"The ring wasn't supposed to bind us. When I put it on I didn't think for a second that it would," Tara paused struggling to explain it the best way she knew how.

Pam was curious and growing impatient.

"Magic saw something I didn't that night. I was putting the ring on a stranger for purely selfish reasons. It saw," she stopped to correct herself, "or rather sees you as my mate."

The vampire pursed her lips, "what the fuck are you saying."

"I'm saying along the way you fell in love with me as much as I fell in love with you."

"Because of a ring?"

"A magical ring," Tara helped.

Pam began to pull at it vigorously. She wouldn't let magic dictate whom she was going to spend her life with. Tara was great in bed, but she was going to be a hairy, stinky monster. Why would she want to be tied to that?

"I don't love you."

"Then take off the ring," Tara said without challenge or smugness. She had only stated facts.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx

Tara left the room to let the news marinate. She started toward the stairs and stopped her descent to hold onto her stomach as she felt her body begin to change. Clenching her eyes and her fist she groaned in pain, "not yet," she breathed, "not fucking yet." She tried to delay the change as much as she could. Her break with Pam may have been fun, but it was ill timed.

Using the wall for support she started out hunched over gradually standing upright until she trained the pain to the back of her mind, a trick she had picked up during her apprenticeship.

"Any good news?" she asked as she saw Sookie standing at the top of the step leading to the basement.

"Maybe I got bored. It was more interesting listening to you and Pam fuck." The blond reached a comforting hand out. "You look better by the way," she noticed.

"A shower does wonders."

"I'm thinking that glow has less to do with a shower and more with a hot blond vampire who hates my guts."

"She wouldn't hate you if you played nice."

"You've played with me before," she shrugged, "would you describe it as nice?"

Tara shook her head knowing that it was a stretch for the blond. On the exterior she looked very innocent and unassuming. Who knew that she thrived in thrills and danger most people spent most of their lives running from? Tara liked that about Sookie. The danger she invited and for a time they worked well together, so well Tara mistook that chemistry and excitement for love. Love put her in this foolish predicament. She wanted immortality badly not enough to read the fine print or listen to the warnings that followed her whenever she shared the object of her search.

The amulet she found gave her immortal life, but it to give it she had to take on a sustaining life force to remain young and virile. The Lansing happened to be the beast the amulet chose for her. When she changed so did the amulet and there was no reversing her immortal life. How could she win Sookie over as a hideous beast? The answer was simple—she couldn't. She had fallen for a handsome vampire why would she return to a jaded, now immortal, lover that fit every stereotype of monster to make children shy away from the dark.

Bill took pity on her. She couldn't hate the vampire even though she wanted to. He helped her find a witch to restore her form. The amulet bound the beast. She would live as an immortal, but inside she would carry a reminder of the foolishness of love. Binding her true self as a mortal she had only half the supernatural prowess her true form provided.

"How did Harold get the amulet?" she asked suddenly.

Sookie frowned as if she didn't understand the question.

Tara repeated looking pointedly at the blond now. There were only four people that knew Tara's amulet existed. Harold wasn't one of them. Out of the four only three knew where it would be at all times. Out of the three there were two who were sensible and invested in keeping Tara in her human form.

"What the fuck did you do?"

Sookie tried to speak, but Tara slapped her to the floor needing no more explanation than the guilt dancing in the blonds' eyes. She expected Bill, and while he kneeled to help her up he made no move towards Tara.

"That hurt!" Sookie screamed holding the side of her face. It looked like it would swell if left unattended. He would give her blood later, for now he let Tara enjoy her handiwork.

"You know."

Tara glared, "you fucking knew," she accused.

"After the fact," Bill stated holding up his hand to stop Tara from spiraling.

"Somebody bitch slapped you and I missed it, damn," Pam lamented as she sauntered down the stairs to the unfolding volatile tableaux.

Sookie glared at Pam.

"What the fuck was going through your mind Sookie! Do you have any idea you've done?"

"I saw the monster and I still loved you. You think she'll do the same thing when she sees what your really are?" She turned to Pam. "You don't want the ring don't strain yourself with taking it off. She's got a few hours before she turns and then taking that thing off'll be as easy as you opening your legs."

Tara felt a headache coming on. She held her head and happened to look at her reflection on a nearby table. Her eyes...they were yellowing. She could taste blood and as her teeth grazed her cheeks and gums as they came out. "Fuck," she growled. She held on to the sides of the table as she tried to calm down. If she didn't would turn. She needed more time.

She focused on her breathing. She felt some of her sharper teeth disappear. She closed her eyes and hoping she yellow had gone. She opened her eyes and they were still there. She held the table so hard the maple snapped into two pieces.

"Bill," she groaned as fell to the ground her head lowered and her back pressed against the wall that held up the stairs. "Get your wife outta here before I kill her."

"I did you favor Tara," she tried again.

Tara sped forward her left eye completely matured to yellow and the size of her iris changed. Bill wouldn't let her harm Sookie any more than she had. He would protect her and she would expect no less. She turned her slightly normal eye even though it was tinted yellow to Pam. Then she sped out into the night.