Chapter 14 Finding Answers

"Well don't you just look like you had a good night?" Pam's mocking voice met his ears as soon as he stepped foot into his office and kicked the door shut behind him. He ignored her as he walked over to his desk and dropped down into his chair and threw his leather jacket on the floor at his feet. Pam didn't seem fazed by his attitude and simply took a seat on the couch against the opposite wall and settled into the cushions with a smile on her pink painted lips. "So what action did I miss?"

"Not now Pam." Eric said to his progeny as he sat back in his seat and glanced down at the blood still covering his clothing and hands and the image of how he had come across Allison in the woods, came back to him now.

"You're really going to say not now, when you come in here covered in blood and looking like you've been to a buffet? I don't think so." Pam shook her head, whipping her hair back behind her shoulder. "Come on Eric, fess up. What were you just doing?"

"Since you are so hard up for answers, I will tell you." Eric snapped, growing weary of his child's nosiness and slammed his fists on the top of the desk. "I had to rescue Allison Stackhouse from a demon/witch hybrid."

"So they do exist. Interesting." Pam said thoughtfully, tapping her fingers on her chin and she looked at him eying his bloody appearance. "Doesn't look like it left much to her."

"It really didn't, it was incredibly sloppy and spilled blood everywhere. I had to give her mine to revive her." Eric told her, scrapping at the blood covering his nails. "It was hiding in the woods waiting for her."

"She was walking in the woods and it attacked? That was a real smart move on her part." Pam scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Humans are so stupid sometimes. They always have to run off into the woods at night and it always gets them in trouble."

"The stupidity wasn't all on her part." Eric muttered more to himself then out loud, but Pam still picked it up and she started smirking.

"I should have known you weren't completely innocent in this whole thing." Pam got up and moved to the chair in front of the desk and sat down with her elbows on the table in front of her. "What did you do?"

"I almost killed the shifter." He responded roughly, wishing he had followed through with it and that Allison hadn't interfered, but he wasn't going to admit that to Pam. "I saw him kiss Allison and I attacked him. But he got away and she and I started arguing."

"He kissed her and you threw a hissy fit?" Pam asked, her eyebrows raised in amusement. "Gosh Eric that kind of sounds like you are jealous."

"She is mine and he was trying to intrude on my territory." Eric snapped, his fists clenching tightly in front of him. "That's all there was to it."

"Sure it was." Pam agreed, but she sounded doubtful. "So what happened after you guys argued?"

"Sookie and Bill showed up and Allison ran off into the woods and that's when she was attacked. Sookie heard her thoughts and Bill and I went out to find her." Eric explained, remembering the events in very clear detail. "I actually thought it was bullshit in the beginning."

"Yea." Was all Pam said before she sat back with a frown on her face. Eric was surprised at this sudden quietness from the younger vampire. Normally Pam wouldn't hesitate to nag him for details for hours on end, but tonight she fell silent and stared at the floor with a thoughtful look on her face.

"What's with that look?" He questioned, getting the feeling that she had something serious to say.

"The attack happened right after you guys argued and she went off alone?" Pam asked him, but it was more to clarify what he had said rather then re-ask it.

"Yea, why?"

"This may sound crazy and a little far fetched, but do you think that it was sent by someone to attack her?" Pam offered, pressing her lips together tightly.

"You're saying you don't think this was a coincidence?"

"Think about it Eric. The attack happens right after you and her were fighting and she goes off into the woods alone. And you also said that it was waiting for her. That kind of makes me think that it was on a mission for someone." Pam finished, clasping her hands together almost nervously. "I honestly don't think it was random. It was planned."

"By who?" Eric demanded, now furious that the idea had been planted in his head. He was annoyed that he hadn't come up with it first, but that wasn't the issue. "Who would send a demon hybrid to attack a human girl?"

"Maybe she pissed somebody off." His child suggested with a shrug. "I don't really think that's it, but something doesn't feel right. It just all feels so calculated. Like it was supposed to happen this way."

"You could be right." Eric told her grudgingly, not wanting to praise her too much. "We need to investigate this before we act. We don't want to have any slip ups."

"You sound like Godric when you talk like that." Pam said without thinking and instantly clammed up after she realized what she said. She looked at him with an apprehensive look on her face and cringed. "I only meant that..."

"...he would always know what to do and how to act in situations like these. If only he was here to offer guidance." Eric murmured as his thoughts turned to his maker who he still often thought about, even after he had met the true death. Even though he and Godric had been polar opposites when it came to dealing with others, and they never agreed on appropriate behavior, Eric still sometimes tried to imagine what his maker would say if he were standing in this room. Eric shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts and looked at his child again. "Godric is not here and we have to figure out how to proceed."

"So what do we do?" Pam questioned, letting the Godric subject go.

"Dawn is approaching, so we have no choice but to rest until nightfall. But once we rise, something is going to be done about this. That creature is going to pay..."

Later that afternoon

"Sookie, what are you doing home?" I asked in surprise when I saw my cousin walk into the house and drop her bag on the floor. I sat up on the couch and tossed the book I had been reading on the table in front of me. "I thought you had to work all day."

"I was supposed to, but Sam let me leave early so I could watch over you." She replied, running a hand through her disheveled hair and sat down on the opposite end of the couch from me and sighed. "I told him about what happened and he said that I could take the rest of the day off."

"He did?" I frowned, ignoring the fact that she had spoken to the man who had started off last night so wrongly. "I thought you guys weren't really speaking."

"We weren't, but after last night and all the craziness that has happened, I figured being mad at Sam was one less thing I would have to worry about. So we talked about everything and he sees where I am coming from now and I think we are ok." Sookie explained with a nod, twisting her blonde hair. "He thought it would be best if I stayed with you, rather then try and work when my mind was elsewhere."

"That was nice of him." I said, biting the inside of my lip as I thought of Sam and his part in the events of last night. "I assumed he was freaking out when you told him."

"Kind of. He couldn't lose it too badly considering we were at work, but I could tell he was worried about you." Sookie answered back, looking uncomfortable while she spoke. "He told me to tell you, that he's thinking about you."

"Oh boy." I sighed, shaking my head and pushing back the hair that fell in my eyes.. "I can't even deal with that right now."

"He just cares about you." Sookie offered with a shrug.

"I think he cares a little too much." I frowned, trying not to think of my friend. That's how I thought of him, as a friend. I couldn't seem to look passed that image. "Tell me honestly. Do you think Sam cares about me as more then just a friend?"

"You really want me to answer that?" Sookie asked with a grimace and when I nodded, she continued. "I think he does. I mean, I know he has reservations about it considering he's never thought about it before. But that aside, I think he is feeling something for you."

"That's what I was afraid of." I groaned, covering my face with my hands and fell back against the cushions while picking at my cousin through my fingers. "Is it wrong of me to wish that what happened with Sam last night had never happened?"

"I don't think it is wrong at all. It's just how you feel, you can't help it." Sookie pointed out, propping her elbow up on the back of the couch and brought her knees up to her chest. "Just be gentle with him. He takes disappointment very hard."

"I know, that's why this is so difficult. Because I know he won't like what I have to say." I finished with a heavy sigh, blowing a piece of hair off my forehead. "I don't want to make things awkward between us, but I can't lie and say I feel something if I don't."

"Sweetie, you don't have to explain that to me. I know first hand what you're going through." She reminded me, reaching over and patting my hand. "I went through the same thing when Sam was interested in me."

"He still is, he might just be crushing on me to try and forget about you." I chimed in truthfully and nearly laughed when Sookie's face turned a bright red. "Sorry but you know I am right."

"And that doesn't bother you?" She questioned as she sat up. "That he may just be using you to get over me?"

"Not at all. If I felt the same about him then I would be upset and hurt. But I'm not interested in Sam the same way he is about me. That's just fact, so it doesn't bother me." I said, running my hands through my hair. "It only bothers me when it starts affect my situation with Eric."

"I knew you would eventually bring his name up in this conversation." Sookie exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. She looked bewildered for a moment but then she regained composure. "It just baffles me how you can care for that guy. Eric is just such a handful."

"I know, but it's like you said before. You can't help how you feel..."

2 hours later

"Hey Sookie, can I talk to you about something?" Allison asked her later that day as the two girls gathered in the kitchen to make a snack. Sookie was surprised to hear her cousin speak because for the last couple of hours she had been pretty quiet and distant and Sookie had begun to wonder if something else beside the demon attack was going on.

"Sure. What's on your mind?" She responded with a gentle smile and a wave of her hand to beckon the younger girl in to the room. Allison moved from her place in the doorway and sat down in one of the old wooden chairs at the circular table with her chin in her hand and a vacant expression on her face. Sookie frowned when she looked at her and stopped what she was doing and came over to the table to join her cousin. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, just thinking about something." She murmured, tapping her fingers on the table top. "Sookie, when you first started using your powers, did you ever feel like it was too much? Like you had too much strength?"

"Not really, my powers always seemed to be at the same strength as they always were." Sookie replied, thinking back to when she had first discovered that she could do things without touching them. She supposed it all started when she had used the chain to choke out Mac Rattray in the parking lot at Merlotte's, but she always felt like whatever force she exerted was suited for her. She looked at Allison and said. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that lately I have been using my abilities and I never really used them before. And last night when Eric was attacking Sam, I used my powers to throw him clear across the yard and..."

"That's why we have a 30 foot rut in our front lawn?" Sookie interrupted with a giggle and the tension on Allison's face lifted and she too smiled.

"Sorry about that." She said with a shrug and a roll of her eyes. "I guess I didn't know my strength."

"I guess not." Sookie agreed, leaning back in her seat. "Is that what you're worried about? How strong you seem to be?"

"That's exactly it. I mean, we are from the same family, so why are my powers stronger then yours?" She questioned, her eyebrows raised in worry. "It scares me a little. I sometimes feel like I can't harness all that strength."

"It takes practice and even if you are stronger, the more you use your abilities, the easier it will be to control them." Sookie assured her, grabbing her hand in comfort. "And the next time you get mad at Eric, and there will be a next time, you will be able to toss him away without ruining our yard."

"It's funny how I first started using my powers when I was around him. He pissed me off and I took him off his feet. It's kind of funny to see the expression on his face when he realizes I momentarily over powered him." Allison mentioned with a slight giggle.

"Oh I am sure he loves that." Sookie said sarcastically. "Eric never likes to be outmatched, especially by a woman."

"At least I know I can protect myself if he ever gets to be too much." Allie murmured, setting her chin back in her hand with a frown. "How is it that I was able to put Eric in his place but when I get attacked by a demon, I nearly die?"

"You have to remember that it was also part witch, so it could disappear and reappear in any place it wanted." Sookie pointed out, pressing her lips together. "Besides, you were caught off guard and when that happens, its like you're defenseless."

"Good point." Allison nodded, a far away look in her eyes. "It's weird, but I just have this feeling that a lot of stuff is going to happen in the next couple of weeks."

"I've been feeling that way too."

At Fangtasia

"We have to talk."

"Apparently." Eric said, sitting back in his desk chair and looking at Bill Compton who had just abruptly walked into his office without so much as a knock and a greeting. He had been expecting the younger vampire's arrival ever since the sun had gone down. "What do you want?"

"I want to know what our plan of action is. After what happened 24 hours ago, I figured you would plotting some kind of revenge." Bill retorted, dropping down in the chair across from him and leaned back. "You do have a plan, don't you?"

"When have I not ever had a plan?" Eric smirked, leaning forward and placing his elbows on the desk. "It's simple, we're going to capture the demon and kill it."

"Not so simple, you can't kill something until you know where it is." Bill pointed smartly with his eyebrows raised.

"No shit." Eric snapped, glaring at Bill from across the table. "Don't be a smart ass."

"Just stating the obvious." Bill said, holding up his hands. "So are we going to do this any time soon or what?"

"Oh we're not doing anything just yet. First we have to track it and figure out where it is going or if it is still around here. And that's where Pam and Chow come in." Eric explained and then sat back and yelled in the direction of the door where he knew his progeny and Chow were milling about in the hallway. The two came in as soon as he called for them and stood side by side in the middle of the room, waiting for his orders. Pam for once had come in obediently and without complaining like she usually did. Eric smirked and addressed the two arrivals. " I have a mission for the two of you."

"Let me take a wild guess. It has something to do with that whole demon situation, right?" Pam questioned, crossing her arms over her black silk dress that she wore when she worked the main floor of the bar. She glanced over at Bill and nodded to herself. "That's why he's here, I assume."

"I'm not in the mood for your backtalk tonight Pam." Eric warned, sending a look over her way that she took in and fell silent. "I need you and Chow to head to Bon Temps and scan the area and any neighboring town for traces of the demon. I want to know where it is headed or where it came from."

"Absolutely Mr Northman." Chow agreed without moving his body in the slightest.

"So do you actually agree with my theory that it was purposely sent by someone?" Pam asked, turning her attention from Bill and back over to him. "Because you know I'm right."

"I did give some thought to it and perhaps you made a point." Eric scoffed, rolling his eyes when Pam lit up happily. "Don't get too full of yourself though, you have a job to do."

"Right away boss." Pam heckled and she and Chow turned and disappeared from the office in a flash, leaving him and Bill to stare at each other.

"So that's what you're going off of?" He questioned, frowning in thought as he spoke. "You really think it was sent to attack Allison?"

"Yes, it makes sense if you really think about." Eric responded with a frown of his own. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew his progeny was right. The attack was too soon after his argument with Allison for it to be coincidental and that's how he explained it to Bill. "So we wait till we know where it is."

"And until then?" Bill stood up, preparing to leave.

"We go to Bon Temps and stand guard at the house until we know something. Pam and Chow will know to find us there." Eric told him, standing as well and grabbing his jacket. "We don't know if this thing will attack again and it's best if we are there in case it shows."

"Well look who is getting all protective." Bill taunted with a smirk on his lips. "Are you getting soft in your old age?"

"Say that again and I will break off the leg of this chair and stake you with it."

15 minutes later

"Oh boy."

"What is it?" I asked Sookie, looking up from the book I had been reading and saw her standing in the corner by the window and peeking through the curtains out at the yard. She had been doing that on and off all day and now that it was night time, she had been practically camped out there all the while trying to convince me that it was nothing. I wasn't fooled for a minute, but I let it go because I didn't want to waste energy trying to pry information out of her. Sookie may look sweet, but she could be very stubborn when she wanted to be and fighting with her when I was at my best was an exhausting thing. And even though I had Eric's blood, I was still regaining my strength after the attack last night.

"Well, I don't know how up you are for company, but we have two visitors coming across our lawn right now." Sookie sighed, pointing through the glass and I jumped up from the couch and went over to where she was standing to look.

"This night is about to get more interesting." I groaned, dropping the curtains and ran my hands through my long hair. The sight of seeing Eric walking towards the house with Bill made me want to run and hide. I wasn't sure how to act around him after everything that had occurred last night but I didn't have time to think it out because the front door swung open and the two vampires sauntered in and shut it behind them with a loud bang. Sookie went to greet them while I simply walked back to the couch and sat down and waited for them to join us.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sookie asked, leading them into the living and taking a seat next to me while Bill sat across from us and Eric stood in the corner by the window with his arms crossed. It didn't bother me that he was being distant but it didn't mean I didn't sneak a peek at him every once in a while. Despite the pissed look on his face, he still looked good.

"We just came from Fangtasia and Eric had Pam and Chow go out to track the scent and see where it leads. And it seemed like a good idea to come here and wait for their findings, so here we are." Bill explained, sending an assured smile at Sookie and I which I appreciated. "As soon as we can tell where it is going, we can kill it."

"Do you know how to kill it?" I asked, tugging on my hair and looking at Eric who had turned to look at the rest of us. His eyes avoided me but he did answer.

"We're in the process of figuring that out." He muttered, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he leaned against the wall.

"So we just wait?" Sookie looked between Bill and Eric for confirmation. "We sit here and do nothing?"

"I wouldn't say nothing." Eric turned his head with a smirk. He glanced at Bill and said. "We could pass the time by having extremely rough and loud sex, together."

"Eww." Sookie looked disgusted and sickened and I tried not to groan out loud at Eric's one track mind. So I rolled my eyes and stood up.

"I'm just going to go disappear into the kitchen to escape the craziness." I told my cousin, stepping passed her and hightailing into the other room after motioning for Sookie to stay there and leave me in peace. As soon as I stepped through the doorway, I breathed a heavy sigh of relief and felt myself relax. There was too much tension in the other room and it was nice to be away from it. I walked over to the cabinets and reached in to grab a glass so I could get myself some water. I flipped the faucet handle and watched as the glass filled to the brim and then I shut it off and stood there in front of the sink drinking and staring out into the darkened back yard. I was just about to turn around and sit down at the table when I heard heavy footsteps entering the room and I looked up expecting to see Eric, but instead it was Bill. I smiled gently at him and walked over to the table. "Hey Bill."

"Hey Allison." Bill replied, sitting across from me and placed his hands on the table top. "How are you doing?"

"I'm ok. Not back to my full strength, but I'm getting there." I said with a shrug, running my fingertip along the rim of the glass. I nodded to the other side of the house and asked. "You really left them alone together?"

"Surprisingly yes." Bill chuckled, the amusement evident in his face. "But I mostly left to make sure you were alright. Eric can say inappropriate things in the worse possible moments, so you shouldn't take it personally."

"I'm not." I answered back, but the sharp tone in my voice suggested that I was carrying a grudge for what he had said. Bill could tell because he opened his mouth to speak but I shook my head. "It's ok. It's not a big deal."

"I think it is to you." Bill replied with a knowing look. "I can tell by the look on your face that his comment rubbed you the wrong way."

"It doesn't matter." I muttered, turning my focus away and stared at the table and it hit me that, not only did it matter, but it mattered more then I ever could have expected.

1 hour later

"I think I'm going to go out on the porch. I can't really take this silence anymore." Allison whispered to her as she glanced around the room at the two silent vampires but it was really Eric she was directing her comment at.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Sookie asked her cousin as they both stood up and headed out of the room. She felt bad for Allison because for the last hour, Eric had completely ignored her and the younger Stackhouse girl had grown more fidgety. Sookie guessed she had reached her breaking point with the viking vampire and instead of yelling at him like she should have done, she was taking a different route and walking out of the house.

"No, I'll be fine. I promise I won't go any where if that's what you're afraid of." Allie said loudly, announcing it back to the living room so both Bill and Eric could hear even though she could have said it in a whisper and they still would have known. Bill nodded in understanding but Eric didn't even turn his head when she spoke. Allison just rolled her eyes and pulled open the door. "I'll come back in a little while."

"Alright." Sookie said, patting her cousin on the shoulder and shutting the door before turning to go back in the living room. She paused in the doorway and watched as Eric continued to stand motionless in the same spot as he was in when he first arrived and she just lost it. "Are you that much of an asshole?"

"Sookie, relax." Bill called out from his spot on the couch. He was watching her with hyper-observant eyes to catch any move she might make.

"Bill, don't take this the wrong way. But please shut up." Sookie told him with a wave of her hand. "I have a point to make."

"I haven't done anything." Eric huffed, uncrossing his arms and drawing himself up to his full height.

"That's kind of my point. You're standing there, doing nothing when you could be using this opportunity to make nice with my cousin. And instead you are just ignoring her, like she was the one who offended you." Sookie shot back, narrowing her eyes as she walked around the side of the couch and over to him. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Maybe your annoying cousin did offend me, did you ever think about that?" Eric growled, his eyes flashing so much that Bill actually stood up to get between them.

"Oh please. It was just a kiss, Eric. Get over it already, it didn't mean anything to her." Sookie protested, looking past Bill's shoulder and into Eric's face. "But for some reason that I can't make sense of, you mean something to her. So stop being a jackass and go make up with her."

"I have nothing to say." Eric replied with no emotion in his voice.

"Of course you don't. You never have anything to say." She said sarcastically, turning away from Bill and started walking across the living room. She looked over her shoulder at Eric and said, "With the way you treat her, maybe she is better off with Sam."

"That will never happen."

"We'll see about that." Sookie grumbled and stomped away into the kitchen to be in peace.

Out on the porch

"It's so peaceful out here." I said out loud as I stood by the railing of the porch and leaned my head against the pole and looked out into the darkened yard. I had been outside for the past 20 minutes with no desire to go back inside and face the three people waiting for me. Especially not after I heard Sookie yelling at Eric for ignoring me, so I stayed out here and enjoyed the relaxing stillness of the night. It wouldn't be long until someone came out here to get me so I might as well enjoy the time I had left before something happened that needed my attention. The wind blew my hair lightly over my shoulders and a few of the strands tickled my cheek when they moved. I closed my eyes for a minute but my solitude was interrupted by a heavy pair of footsteps that came from the direction of the front door. I turned my head slightly to look over my shoulder and I groaned. "Eric, please, I'm really not in the mood for any more of your crap tonight. I just want to put it behind me."

"That's why I am out here." He said, walking around behind me like he was pacing so I turned around and pushed myself up on the railing and looked at him. He had discarded the leather jacket he had been wearing when he arrived here and he was standing before me in his usual black tank top and black slacks. But even in those familiar articles of clothing, he still looked amazing. "It wouldn't do our situation any good if there is tension between us. So we're dropping it. Right now."

"Gee that sounded almost like an apology." I muttered, crossing my ankles over each other and wound my hair around my fingers.

"It's the closest you're getting to one, so take it while you can." He growled, sitting down on the bench against the wall and stared at me intensely, so much so that it made me nervous and I stared fidgeting anxiously. He seemed amused and smirked at me before speaking. "Do I make you nervous Allison?"

"Yea, you do actually." I told him, turning my head to stare at him full on. "I never know when you are going to freak out and throw a hissy fit over something as ridiculous …..."

"It wasn't a hissy fit and it wasn't ridiculous." Eric shot back, his eyes growing narrower the longer he looked at me. "You were kissing the shifter..."

"He kissed me! Not the other way around." I snapped, jumping down off the railing to my feet just as he flashed forward and met me in the middle of the porch. I glared up at him with my hands on my hips. "And it didn't mean anything to me. I didn't feel anything when he kissed me because I do not care about him the way he wants me to."

"You're lying." Eric grumbled, starting to turn away but I reached out and wrapped my hands around his arm to stop him and he actually paused. "What?"

"Let me make one thing clear to you." I stammered, pulling my hand away and crossing my arms over me. "I'm not going to deny that Sam and I shared a few kisses. It happened, it's done and it is over with. It's not going to happen again, because I do not want it to. And the reason I don't want it to is because I feel nothing for him. The only man I'm interested in kissing is you. Because despite your bad attitude and your tendency towards violence, I actually care for you. And it's important to me for you to know that I don't want anyone else. Sam is my friend, but you're the one that I truly want."

"Is that right?" Eric questioned, raising his eyebrows in doubt.

"Yes." I nodded and sighed heavily. " Now can we just let this go for good?"

"As long as you realize something." Eric retorted, coming towards me at lightning speed until he had grabbed me by the arms and pushed me back against the railing. His grip wasn't tight, but it was firm. "We have shared blood, and part of me is running through your veins at this very moment. Therefore you are mine. And no one else is allowed to touch you except for me. Otherwise I might have to kill them."

"Are you always this possessive?" I asked, my lips breaking into a smile and I felt a sense of ease wash over me for the first time in days.

"Only when it really matters." He smirked, his hand moving up to my face and moving my hair out of my eyes. "So you want to prove how much you want me?"

"Shut up." I said and wrapped my hands around his arms and pulled him towards me so out faces were closer together and when he was near, I pushed myself up on my toes and kissed him. His lips were even more wonderful then they had been the last time we kissed, which felt like years ago when it was really only a few days. But this made it so much more intense and better. His touch was electric and his hands seemed to be everywhere all at once which made my stomach do flip flops as we stood there kissing. His body was pressed against me and I could feel every part of him, including his lower half and that only made the rush of his kiss even more exciting...

"Sorry to break up the moment, but we need to speak to you all." An amused female voice spoke from the bottom of the porch steps and I turned my head to see Pam and Chow standing there on the front lawn with mud covering their ankles and feet.

"I...uh...I should go get Sookie and Bill." I dropped my hands from Eric's body and scooted around him until I could walk easily across the porch and over to the front door. I slipped inside and headed through the house towards the kitchen where I found Sookie and Bill sitting at the table talking. I waved them to get up and follow me. "Come on, Pam and Chow just got here."

"Did they say anything?" Sookie asked, the first to get out of her seat and follow after me.

"Not yet, they wanted to speak with us all at once." I told her, going back out the door with Sookie at my back and Bill bringing up the rear. I moved back over to the railing where Eric stood and the moment I reached his side, I felt his hand move toward the lower part of my back and stay there. I glanced up at him and thought I saw the smallest hint of a smile on his lips. "Ok, we're here."

"Pam, Chow, what did you find?" Eric commanded, his fingers dragging across my skin as he spoke.

"Nothing. We found nothing." Chow answered first with a shrug to which I saw tense up at. Pam must have saw this because she immediately took over and spoke up next.

"What he means is that we caught wind of the scent at the sight of the attack in the woods, but the demon was no where to be seen in the surrounding areas. So we tracked the scent all the way to the state line, but then it just ended." Pam explained, pressing her lips together tightly when she finished. "Do you remember what we talked about?"

"About the attack not being random? Yes I remember." Eric answered, his grip on my waist tightening. "What's your point?"

"If this demon was indeed sent to attack Allison by someone, then we should have been able to find out where it was coming from. But as we said, the scent disappeared at the state line and there was no where else to take it from there."

"So...what does that mean?" Sookie asked, putting her arm around Bill and looking at him nervously.

"It means that, whoever sent the demon has to be living out of the state..."