EPOV

We clean up and are dressed quickly, ready to head to Fangtasia to deal with our mate's would-be stalker. Pam has texted me, informing me the bar is closed for the night and that the vampire in question has been apprehended by Thalia. He's currently chained by silver down in the basement. I grin at the thought. I hope the fucker is squirming in pain already. It's nothing compared to what he'll feel once I get my hands on him. No one fucks with a vampire's bonded mate.

The three of us climb into my black Mustang. It isn't my favorite car, but it is roomier than the Corvette. Godric and Sookie are snuggling in the backseat and the sight brings a smile to my face. I'll do anything to keep my mates safe. They're everything to me.

I'm excited by the thought of teaching Sookie about the fine arts of torture. I know she wouldn't be able to handle this sort of situation if she were completely human like I had first believed her to be. But now, with her new instincts surfacing, she's quickly transforming into a ruthless warrior. There's a good reason for the reputation of the Valkyrie, they've damn well earned it. I grin in anticipation of seeing her in action. My pants are becoming tight at the thought. Fuck, this woman is amazing.

We pull into the lot behind my bar before quickly making our way inside. Pam is waiting for us in my office, casually sprawled across the leather couch with a huge grin spread across her face. "Good evening, it seems fun follows wherever you go, Sookie," she purrs to my mate.

Sookie's grin matches that of my child's. "Are you helping out with my training too, Pam?"

Pam looks confused by this. "Training?"

Sookie sniggers. "My Valkyrie warrior training of course! Eric says my training starts tonight with interrogation techniques," she answers excitedly. Pam looks absolutely giddy.

"Fucking fabulous. I'll gladly teach you all you need to know," she purrs. I'd been looking forward to aiding our lover this night, but I know my child will make for an excellent teacher. Her methods are always creative and ruthless. Picturing my two girls in action makes me grow hard once again. This will make for a good show.

"What do we know of the intruder," asks Godric, bringing me out of my fantasies.

"He's a pitiful little weasel of a vampire. His name is William Compton and he hasn't stopped his wretched whining since Thalia brought him in. Pathetic," she answers with an eye roll. I growl in response.

"Come," I motion to the door, "Let's see what information we can procure from this Mr. Compton." The group follows me through the bar and down into the dungeon that is the basement. I see the vampire in question limply hanging from his chains, a pitiful look of pain etched over his face. I smile at the sight; he hasn't even begun to feel pain yet.

"Compton, you are in my area without my permission. What is the meaning for your insolence?" I ask him harshly. He whimpers at me; pathetic indeed.

"I recently inherited my ancestral home. I am here in an attempt to integrate myself into the community; I am working at mainstreaming," he tells me in an annoying southern drawl that makes me cringe.

"That does not explain why you did not check in with your Sheriff," says Godric, coolly.

"But, I have just arrived! I don't even know why I am here; I have done nothing wrong!" he whines.

Sookie, who has been quietly taking in the conversation, steps forward at this with anger clear on her face. Her eyes are once again shimmering silver, this time with her anger, and I can hear the rumble of thunder around the bar. I grin in anticipation of my lover's actions.

"You shifty little liar!" she fumes at him, "You've been staking out my house! You better tell us what you're really doing here!" I see her claws curling at her exasperation with him. He's staring up at her, a mix of awe and fear on his face. I feel pride for our mate and a mirroring emotion is coming through the bond from Godric as he smiles over at her.

"I told you already, I am here to mainstream. I don't know who you are or anything about your house! Now, let me go, you have no right to hold me here!" I can smell the fear rolling of him. Good, he should be scared.

Pam steps forward, placing an arm around Sookie's shoulders. "Are you ready to begin your lesson, Sweetness?" Sookie grins at her. "Fabulous, let me show you where we keep our toys," she purrs.

Pam stalks over to a set of metal lockers spanning along the back wall, opening them to reveal the gleaming instruments. She reaches up pulling out a familiar wooden box. "These are one of my favorites," she says with an evil grin. She opens the box, displaying the box of long, silver needles. She holds one up by the rubber grip and it glistens in the light. Sookie is watching her with apt attention.

"Now, we have a little chart here to get you started," Pam explains, opening the next door and gesturing to the poster hanging inside. "The different sensitive points are indicated here and the pain levels are indicated by the legend here," she points to the box in the corner of the chart. Our mate is nodding, studying the chart with attentiveness.

Pam walks up to the already blubbering vampire before slamming one of the long, silver needles deep into the muscles of his thigh. He screams out in pain as spittle runs down from his mouth. Pam lets out a wicked chuckle. "Are you ready to talk yet, Miscreant?" she asks the sad excuse for a vampire. He shakes his head. Fucking idiot.

Sookie studies the chart for a moment and then takes up one of the needles. Godric and I grin to one another. She fearlessly walks up to Pam and nods. She brings up the needle and swings her arm through the air at near vamp speed, slamming it directly into Bill's right eye. He squeals like a stuck pick and Sookie grins over at Godric and I. We're both sending our pride and love to her through the bond and she sends her love right back to both of us. Our little Valkyrie is incredible.

"I can't! You don't understand! She will kill me!" screams out our captive. So, we're getting somewhere, it seems. That didn't take long.

"Who will kill you?" demands Sookie.

Bill is still crying pitifully. "The queen," he whispers. Godric and I tense at this admission. The queen sent this spy into our midst to investigate our mate. That spoiled fucking brat queen has been a thorn in my side since the first day I took up post here. I'm not looking forward to dealing with her childishness. Godric looks at me with concern written on his face. Fuck.

"What was your mission from our queen?" I demand of him.

He lets out a shaky sigh. "She sent me to procure the telepath," he says softly, nodding his bleeding head to Sookie. She gasps at this discovery.

"What does she want with me?" she asks.

"She wants to use you for your gift. She knows of your fae origins and plans to make you her pet." Sookie is shaking in anger and I hear thunder crack loudly outside, making the bar quake above us. Bill takes in her gleaming eyes and looks utterly terrified.

"And how were you supposed to lure me?" she asks through gritted teeth.

"I was sent to seduce you, we were unaware you were bonded to these two," he whispers fearfully.

She throws her head back roaring with laughter. "What a stupid bitch! She actually thought that would work? How naïve does she think I am?" She sobers her laughter and demands, "How did she find out about me?"

"Hadley," he whispers. Sookie gasps in surprise. Who the fuck is Hadley? Godric gives me a questioning look and I shrug, looking to our lover for answers.

She must notice our confusion through the bond, because she turns saying, "Hadley's my cousin. She ran off years ago, addicted to drugs. I haven't heard from her in years." Ah, that explains things.

"What are you planning to do with me," Bill whimpers to Sookie.

She shakes her head at him, "Nothing. As far as I'm concerned, your queen can deal with you when you show up empty handed."

I nod to Pam. "Put him in one of the silver lined coffins. We'll await his fate from the queen."

Bill is still crying as he hears this. "Stop your sniveling," Pam sneers at him, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"We'll be leaving here soon; I will see you tomorrow, my child. I trust you will enjoy your night with your new pin cushion," I wink at her.

She laughs. "Billy boy and I will have a fun night, indeed, Master." She turns to Sookie then, saying, "Oh, and Sookie, congratulations on your first training session. You've impressed me, Valkyrie," she declares to our mate.

Sookie grins at her and nods, "Thanks, Pam. I have an excellent teacher, it seems." Pam beams at her. Sookie turns then, heading back upstairs and we trail her back to my office. Godric and I set her between us on the couch as we begin to contemplate what our next move should be.

"We should confront her, Eric. She is reckless and impulsive. If she does not get what she wants, she will do something rash. If we are the ones to approach her, we can keep the upper hand in this." I nod at his assessment. He's right. Sophie Anne is selfish and childish and will not stop until she gets her way.

"I could slap Hadley for telling the queen about me!" Sookie fumes. "What the hell was she thinking? I'll never be some queen's blood whore!" Once more her eyes are shimmering silver and her anger makes her even more beautiful.

"Do not worry, My Love. She won't be able to touch you. To take us on would surely mean her final death," Godric reassures her. I seriously hope it doesn't come to that. I've never been interested in being king. I'm content with where I am now, relatively cushioned from the majority of politics.

"Let's go home. We'll discuss our next move tomorrow night," I tell my mates before leading them out through the bar and back to my car. The tension is thick in the air on the car ride home. We're all anxious about the plot we've uncovered this night. I thank the gods that Sookie was not at her house alone when Bill showed his slimy face. I wouldn't put underhanded schemes below the vampire. He'd be only too eager to please our queen in her demands in apprehending our mate.

We need to find a way to ease some of this building tension. I smile as an idea occurs to me. We arrive home and I vamp to the back door, scooping Sookie into my arms. She squeals her surprise into the night as I fly her into the backyard before playfully tossing her into the pool. She pops above the water with shock clear on her face. I laugh loudly before diving in to join her. I hear another splash as Godric cannonballs into the warm water.

Sookie splashes water in my face, "Ass!" she yells at me, but her huge grin and emotions through the bond tell me she's in high spirits.

"You love my ass, admit it, Lover," I call to her across the water, proceeding to shed my clothing before flashing my bared backside at her.

"Eric!" she screams at me. Godric is laughing loudly at our bantering. He swims to Sookie pulling her into his arms before swirling her through the clear water to eliciting gleeful shrieks from our little mate. I grin at their merriment. Sookie is beautiful in the moonlit reflections from the water. I swim to her with a wicked grin on my face. She sees me approaching and tries desperately to swim away. The chase is on I think to myself with a smirk.

I catch her quickly before throwing her high into the night air. She flips in midair and lands a perfect dive into the crystal water. Godric and I share a look of amazement. Our beautiful mate is full of surprises and her newly acquired abilities and reflexes are developing quickly it seems. She pops to the surface laughing loudly. "Did you see that?" she calls excitedly. "I think I could make the Olympic swim team," she jokes and we join in her laughter.

Soon, she is shivering and Godric scoops her up before we rush her inside for warmth. I turn on the hot water to fill the tub as Godric removes our shivering mate's cold, wet clothing and places her in the filling bath. We join her and her shuddering finally subsides. She smiles up at me, "Thanks, I needed that." I nod down at her and kiss her forehead lovingly.

We sit, enjoying the feel of the warm water and closeness of one another. "I haven't eaten anything today," says Sookie suddenly. I'm immediately upset with myself. I didn't even think to make sure she had food. Godric is grinning at me and I look back at him in confusion.

"Do you feel hungry?" he asks her. She shakes her head at him. "That is because you no longer require food, My Love. Valkyrie are sustained by the lightning itself, you can still ingest nourishment, but it is not necessary." Ah, I had forgotten this little quirk momentarily. I feel better now, knowing I'm not failing to provide for my mate.

"Wow, cool. Guess I'll be saving a ton in grocery bills from now on. But I'm not willing to give up my coffee or ice cream. They are essential!" she says with a giggle. She yawns then and I lift her from the water, drying her quickly before bringing her to our bed chamber. I lay her in the middle of the bed. She gives me a thoughtful look.

"The queen is like, your boss, right?" she asks.

"She is, Lover."

"So, can she command you to give me to her then?" she asks with slight trepidation in her voice.

"No, Lover. You're our bonded mate. Even monarchs do not have the power to separate us from you."

She smiles at this. Godric leans down, kissing her pink lips. "No power on this earth could ever separate us from you, My Love." She grabs his neck and hugs him tightly to her.

"Ditto," she whispers with a wicked grin. I know she means this and the thought makes me smile.

We crawl under the covers and I whisper lightly against her ear, "Sweet dreams, my Sookie. l love you." She turns and I see a tear in her eye at my declaration.

"I love you too," she whispers, placing a soft kiss on my lips.

Godric is smiling softly at our exchange. She turns to him. "I love you," she tells him, kissing him as well.

"I love you too, my beautiful mate," he tells her softly.

Sleep takes her quickly before I find myself smiling down at her. I then look up into the bright green eyes of my Maker. I feel his love through the bond. I lean across Sookie, placing a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you, Godric."

"I love you to, my child," he tells me, running his hands through my hair, causing me to sigh in contentment. I lie back and know tomorrow we'll need to formulate a plan to confront my queen. I send a quick prayer to Odin, asking for help in keeping my mates safe and protected. With that thought, the darkness takes me to my dayrest.