AN: Sorry about the cliffy, but I didn't want to change POV mid chapter.

I spent most of the rest of last night wandering about New Orleans. I knew I didn't belong here, so I tried to stay unnoticed, but for me…that's a little difficult. Even with all the modern advances in nutrition, people just weren't all six foot five inches yet. I had a wallet. Unfortunately, it told me as much as I already new from talking to that other vampire bitch. I had a Louisiana driver's license registered to Eric Northman. She had called me Sheriff. Sheriff Eric Northman didn't have too bad a sound to it. What I couldn't figure out was what was going on. I felt….odd. I know I can't remember anything before killing the witch, but I felt a pull to the North.

I went into a coffee shop and dissected a doughnut for as long as possible without drawing attention to myself. There was a paper already left in the booth when I got there so I tried to get a grasp of things from it. I was still flipping through it when I saw the sirens pass by. It was like waking up in an alternative dimension. Everything had been turned upside down. Apparently vampires are now common knowledge and living as ordinary citizens! They're even paying taxes, and trying to get the right to marry humans! They're supposedly drinking something called True Blood. It's synthetic blood substitute. Preposterous!

The young girls that were sitting at the next booth over kept giggling and gossiping as they came in. They were talking about the old Voodoo lady found dead. It looked like it was a vamp attack. This wasn't good. Why had I not thought to set the building on fire?

A second set of sirens came blaring by, but this time it was a fire truck. Maybe there were still gods after all.

I paid for my uneaten food and coffee and went outside to see what the commotion was about. There was a crowd forming in the street, and lots of whispering voices as I could see what was the witch's shop engulfed in flames. One voices caught my ear.

"I wonder if it has anything to do with the bombing of the Queen's headquarters. Even if it isn't she's out for blood. They'll be held accountable."

"I heard she got her legs blown off."

"She's a vampire. They'll grow back."

I didn't want to listen past that. If there was anyplace I didn't want to be, it was in a town with a pissed off legless vampire Queen who was sure that I had terrorized her and her compound. To make matters worse, I wasn't sure that I didn't. I didn't think I had, but I couldn't provide any alibi to myself, let alone any authority, let alone The Authority.

I took to the sky so quick that I could barely hear the oohs and ahhs of the crowd below me. I guess flying would never get old, and it did calm me down. Fear was not something I was used to. Going to ground literally before dawn somewhere in hell forsaken Louisiana was not my idea of a good time, but tomorrow would hold answers of that I was sure.

When I rose I went for a swim in the nearby creek and let myself dry for a few moments by flying around quickly then redressed in my suit that still smelled like witch. That much I knew. I flew for over an hour without realizing that I was headed somewhere. It felt like Shreveport, but once I landed, I looked around and didn't see anything familiar. I checked my I.D. again and read the name on the building. Same address. I walked in through the front door like I owned the place. I didn't know who I was, but everyone else sure would.

There were a few head bows and "master's whispered but other than that it looked like most human bars. I felt a pull towards the back and followed it down the hall. It didn't make much sense, but it was like chasing a warm fluffy cloud down the hallway. Every time I'd get closer it was just out of my reach. I came to a door and forced it open.

There was a female vampire with long blonde hair feeding off the thigh of a completely nude redhead while she slid her fingers in and out. The human was completely oblivious. The vampire was not.

"Get the fuck out!"

I turned around and walked back into the hallways closing the door behind me. I wanted to leave, but I could still feel the warm cloud beyond the door. It was only a few moments before the door opened again and the redhead now regrettably clothed walked out dazedly.

"Well?"

I could hear the same droll voice from inside so I followed it. Sadly it was my warm sensation, but it was no longer warm. More of hostile.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"I don't know." I was looking at the ground and answered without thinking. I couldn't believe I was that careless. I saw a picture on the wall that was of the two of us. "Who you think YOU are. Feeding in my office."

She looked sheepish for a mere moment. "That doesn't excuse the fact that you took off in the middle of the night to New Orleans of all fucking places, and didn't answer any of my texts! Asshole!"

She had been worried about me. "Pam?"

"No, I'm the mother fucking tooth fairy! Get out there and enthrall the vermin. I'm supposed to be shopping with Sookie right now!"

I did as she asked. I hated having a master that was still alive. How had a survived this long and not killed her already? She led me to a throne on the center stage and had me sit down. "Stay! And you better still be here when I get back, and you better have an answer to why you reek of magic, and it better be entertaining." Then she zipped out the door and I could feel her pulling further and further away from me. It made me want to tug on the string, but I knew better. It wouldn't due to piss my obvious master off today. Not before I told her what I had been up to and learned about what was happening in New Orleans.

I sat and experimented with these "inner strings" while I observed some down time. The vermin were not enticing, and I wondered how I was able to do this regularly. Pam's string was strong and felt….grey….steely….and as I kept feeling it rather irritated. "Stop it! Eric, I will not turn around again for you. Sookie and I are going to have some girl-girl time tonight."

Shit! I didn't know that she could communicate to me!

"Quit freaking out, I can feel it, and it's ruining my mood."

So she could feel my emotions but not my thoughts? Interesting, I tried to communicate again. "I wasn't meaning to. My apologies, Master."

I could feel a gleeful sensation, and was pleased that my apology had pleased my master.

"You need to get yourself under control. This whole blood bond issue is so last night's news. I'm tired of hearing about it. I'll talk to her for you if you don't."

Pam was right. She also seemed sympathetic. Maybe Pam was a just master? I felt a slow feeling of dread flow through me, then panic. "Pam?"

"It's not me. Get to Sookie now! I'll try to meet you there!"

I was more relieved to leave those putrid humans behind, and took to the skies again. I could feel that string almost humming inside myself. It seemed a deep purple like a vein bleed. Was this Sookie? Why would I have bonded to my master's human? Fuck, why did I just start a possible war with witches in another town? I tried to dampen the string like you would press your hand on a dulcimer, but it was getting me no where. The hum was getting stronger and I hoped I was getting closer. I landed behind a huge warehouse. There was a strong scent of Were and I could hear commotion coming from inside. This wasn't good, but I slid in undetected. Inside I could see a large pack of Weres and they were all fixated on the ritual in front of them. There was who appeared to be an Alpha about to perform a mating ritual with a blonde human girl in the center ring that was the other end of my "string." Fuck! And he was about to. That wouldn't do.

I used my vampire speed to grab him by the back of the neck, but there was another wolf in midair leaping towards the girl, so I flung the first Were into the side of the arena, and snatched the other Were out of the air and twisted him into two like twisting a dish towel and then swung it into another naked Were. No Were would disgrace my bonded! No Were would commit an offense to my bonded! Or my maker's human.

The human was splashed with a heavy amount of blood and looked down to the contorted now human limbs of the dead Were then over her shoulder and started screaming. Her fear vibrated so loud in my chest that it hurt my ears. "Stop that! I'm saving you!"

"You're not saving me! You just killed him!" I could feel anger, and fear, but way more anger flowing toward me. "How could you?" Then the other Were was lunging for her.

"It's okay. I'm okay, Sookie. He saved you." The Were stopped short of touching her this time, and looked concerned.

So this was Sookie. I could feel her start to calm. "Get me out of here, please." She was looking at the Were but he looked to another and that bastard shook his head no.

"Fuck this!" I grabbed the human and pulled her to me before taking to the air again and exiting the building through an unused vent space.

I tried to dampen the string again. She was humming so loud in me that I couldn't hear anything else. She smelled intoxicating, and was beautiful….and was a virgin? How the hell had I managed that? Then again Pam obviously swang that way, so maybe she had been a lesbian previously too? I pulled her closer to me than I had to. I now knew why I had disgraced my master in such a way. I'd do it again. This human felt worth it. "What do you want me to do?"

She tucked her head into my chest. "Take me home, please."

"Of course, but do you think that's safe?"

She gave it a bit of thought. "No. You're right. They'll never let me rest. Is there somewhere else you could take me?"

I knew that there had been another address on my AVL I.D. than on my state license. That seemed like as good a place as any.