A/N: Not exactly a fairy story, but I'd take this over one of those any night of the week...

As I lay in bed beside Eric later that evening, tracing the contours of his chest with my fingers, I asked him about the Brigant family.

"I know Niall Brigant, your great-grandfather," he said. "I've never met Fintan, though I know of him. He's half human, half fairy; so unless there's something else in the background, that makes you an eighth fairy." He smiled, curling a lock of my hair around his fingers. "It goes some way to explain why you smell so utterly delectable."

"Fairies smell good, then?"

He chuckled. "Oh, yes. Fairy blood is intoxicating to vampires. One whiff of Eau de Fae and we can't help ourselves."

"You don't seem to have that problem with me," I said, a little anxiously.

He traced idle fingers up and down my spine. "You smell and taste better than a normal human would, though not of fairy, exactly; and your fae nature probably enhances your already very great attractions," he replied; a glance at him showed that his fangs were down, but I'd long since stopped feeling threatened by that. "I can barely be in the same room as you without wanting to fuck you and lick you and bite you and kiss you and rub myself all over you." I shivered pleasantly against him, and he grinned. "But I don't want to drain you."

"No?"

He shook his head, and captured my wayward hand. "No, though I love the way you taste. I prefer to have a little sip as a treat, rather than gorge myself. And you…are… a very… tasty… treat," he murmured, punctuating it with a playful suck at each of my fingers, before lowering my hand back down to his chest. I gave a tiny hum of contentment.

"What are they like, then? Fairies, I mean."

"Tasty," he replied with a quirk of his eyebrow, and laughed softly when I made a tsking sound. "Like humans, they're all different, some better than others. They tend to be very beautiful, but they can also be vicious as hell. They have a very different view of life, of morals, than humans; if you ever meet any, bear that in mind. They may seem like beautiful, ethereal creatures, but in their way, they're every bit as dangerous as vampires. Some of them even more so," he said with a shudder.

"But the Brigants – what are they like?"

"Niall's okay, as far as the fae go," he said. "He's a very old, very powerful fairy – the prince of the sky fae. Not someone you mess with."

"How do you know him?" I asked curiously.

"Our paths have crossed a time or two, in matters of business," he said with a shrug. "I don't know him that well."

"No, I guess wanting to make him your dinner probably makes that difficult," I said dryly.

"Oh, that's not an issue, Niall can mask his scent," he said absently. "The older fae can do that."

I sat for a long while, taking all this in. "Okay, so, vampires and fairies do actually exist. What other things exist? Dragons, unicorns?"

"No, sorry," he smiled. "Neither of the above, that I'm aware of. Weres and Shifters do, though, of course, but I suppose you already knew that."

I looked up at him in shock. "Why would I know that?" I asked.

He looked confused. "You mean… he hasn't told you?"

"Who hasn't told me what?" I asked, annoyed.

He gave me an uncomfortable look. "It's not really my place to tell you. If he hasn't told you, then… he should be the one to tell you."

I scowled. "Eric, you can't say something like that and not tell me what you mean!"

"It's not my secret to tell," he said gently.

I huffed, but I actually thought all the better of him for not betraying someone else's confidence. "Well, tell me about Weres and Shifters, then."

"Are you sure you want to talk about them?" he enquired archly. "I can think of much better things to be doing."

"So can I, but this human is still resting." I smiled quickly up at him, "and enjoying playing."

He chuckled, watching as my fingers grazed one of his nipples. "And if you keep that up, I may not be able to let you rest much longer," he twinkled.

"So little self-control?" I asked, with feigned innocence.

He grinned. "Minx. Have it your own way, and I'll prove to you how great my self-control is."

"Tell me about them?" I asked, as I peppered kisses on his chest.

"You'll be the final death of me," he grumbled good-naturedly. "Fine. Weres with a capital 'W' are Werewolves, and consider themselves leaders of the pack, so to speak. Above any other type of were, of which there are many. Were-panthers, were-tigers, were-pretty much anything you like. They have to change into their allotted animal at full moon, but can change at other times as well. Shifters, on the other hand, can turn into any animal – usually the last animal they saw."

"They have to change at full moon as well?" I asked.

"Mm-hmm. Mm… keep doing that," he murmured. "Feels good."

I nibbled a little at his nipple. "Like this?"

"Yessss… like that," he said, fingers massaging my scalp. "So good." I bit, fairly gently, and was rewarded, by him rolling on top of me. "Please tell me you've rested enough."

I gave a breathless giggle. "I think so."

He purred. "I'm very glad to hear it." To my surprise, he paused, and smiled. "What are you doing on Saturday night?"

"Umm… I don't think I'm doing anything," I said. "I'm not on the rota for it, anyway, so I'm not working."

"I've been invited to the evening event of… well, it's a sort of trade fair for supernaturals. As a rule, none of the different types of supe really like each other, but we tolerate each other when we need services, rather than using human ones – so, for example, the builders and decorators I use are all Weres, because they're good workers, and once you've used a firm you stick with them…" vampires were big on that, I'd heard, "so there's an annual trade fair. Obviously, I can't go during the day, but as the local vampire sheriff, I get invited to the party in the evening. It's strictly supes-only, but as you're part fairy, that's not a problem."

"What kind of thing is it?"

He shrugged. "Music, drinks, dancing, catching up with people you know, meeting people you don't. It's usually pretty lively and a lot of fun. I wasn't going to go this year, but I wondered if maybe you'd like to come with me."

I grinned at him. "Are you asking me on a date, Mr Northman?"

He chuckled. "I do believe I am, Miss Stackhouse."