Charlaine Harris owns the characters, not me.

A/N: I originally had this as two chapters, but it seemed to flow better as one. Sorry I left you all so long before updating, but you know how real life gets in the way sometimes... Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

A huge shout out to jdcoke for all your editing skills, suggestions, comments and encouragement! Thank you so very much!

Chapter 34

I knew the moment the sun set in Shreveport because my phone started ringing. I was glad that I was already alone in the bedroom because I knew that Eric was going to be extremely upset.

"Hi, Eric," I answered. My body was flooded with relief at being able to talk to him.

"Sookie, love, you called but did not leave a message. What is wrong? The distance makes the bond weak, but I can still feel your fear," he said, talking so fast that I had a hard time understanding him.

"I'm okay, Eric. I'm sorry I didn't leave you a message. Eric, yesterday, someone left a letter for me at the front desk to let me know that Damarion is in Las Vegas. The letter was from Preston," I said.

"Damarion is there? Are you sure that the letter was from Preston?" he asked tensely.

"Yes. I, uh, recognized his signature," I said, feeling the familiar shame and embarrassment that now accompanied any thought of Preston, Niall, or Christmas.

"I'm on my way back to Las Vegas. I will be there as soon as I can, lover," Eric said, following it with a string of profanity said under his breath. I heard a loud crash in the background.

"Eric, are you sure you won't be in trouble?" I asked. "Felipe ordered you to leave." I wanted him with me but I wanted him to stay out of trouble at the same time. I decided not to fight him about it because the desire to have him with me was stronger.

"I am coming for you, Sookie," Eric said with a firm tone. I knew from his voice that he'd already made up his mind and it was no use trying to fight him on it.

"Okay, Eric," I said. I sighed, both in relief and in dread. I was afraid that he would meet his final death over this, but I missed him terribly.

"I'm not at the casino anymore. They moved me over to Felipe's estate," I informed him. I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from explaining the whole harem thing. I had the feeling he wouldn't want to know that, although, knowing Eric, he probably already knew that Felipe had one. However, I didn't think he had any idea that Felipe was planning on making me the newest addition to his harem. I doubted that Eric would have left that unmentioned.

"I'll be there as soon as I can, love. Stay safe." He hung up before I could respond in kind. He never was one for proper phone etiquette.

I decided to take a little nap, since I'd barely gotten any sleep and I still had a long night ahead of me. I was anxious about the nightmares that I knew were lurking in my subconscious. After contemplating the situation for several minutes, I finally came down on the side of getting some rest.

I opened the bedroom door and found Quinn standing guard just like I'd left him, looking deadly with a large iron sword strapped to his back. Quinn looked down at me with one eyebrow raised, silently questioning what I wanted. I sighed before finally speaking.

"Quinn, I don't want to give you the wrong impression or anything, but I was wondering if you would stay next to me while I take a nap. If you could wake me if I start having a nightmare, I would appreciate it," I said and waited anxiously for his response.

He regarded me quietly for a moment, then walked over to the door of the suite and had one of the other guards come inside to guard the bedroom door. There were still three guards in the hallway.

"Come on, Sookie. You need to get some sleep. Now, no making any moves on me, okay?" he joked.

I knew he was uncomfortable with the situation and our history, but I appreciated that he was at least joking about it, and still willing to help me get some sleep. He pulled the wicker chair from the corner and placed it next to the bed. I got under the covers, ignoring the fact that my hair was still damp from my post-swim shower. I closed my eyes and worked on my meditation technique to clear my mind, and soon felt myself drifting away.

I woke hearing my name being called and someone shaking my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see Quinn looking down at me.

"Sookie, you were having a nightmare," he said, clearly feeling guilty for waking me.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked.

"Only ten minutes."

I sighed and closed my eyes again. I was determined to get some rest so I concentrated on relaxing my body and mind and eventually I could feel myself falling into a deeper slumber, but, once again, I woke from a terrible nightmare. Only this time, the nightmare didn't seem to end when I awoke. I was surrounded by people again when I woke and I could feel a pair of strong arms surrounding me, restraining me. I screamed as I struggled against my captor's hold until I lost the will to struggle and my screams turned to whimpers. I finally recognized Quinn as the one holding me and he was talking to me softly, trying to tell me that I was safe.

I tried to pull away from him again and his arms tightened around me for a second before he realized I was in control of myself again. I was very conscious of the nine people in the room watching me.

"Sorry, everyone. I'm fine now. Just a nightmare," I said with a scratchy voice.

After a moment's hesitation, everyone started retreating from the bedroom. Felipe and Quinn were the last to leave the room. I was horrified to see fresh scratch marks and dried blood smeared on Quinn's face. I looked down at my hands only to see my fingernails covered in blood.

"Oh Quinn. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to," I cried.

"Sookie, I'll be just fine. I'm just glad that you are alright," he said shrugging it off. I still felt awful.

"Sookie, dear, as soon as you are ready for the evening, we shall meet and discuss the letter you received this morning," Felipe said regally. I nodded to acknowledge that I had heard him.

They both looked back at me with a critical eye before shutting the door behind them. I could hear Felipe start loudly questioning Quinn. I tried to 'hear' Felipe, but couldn't get enough from his mind to follow his thought process, so I switched over to Quinn, wishing for the first time that he wasn't so hard to read. I finally gave up on following the actual conversation, but instead tried to pick up an overall impression of the conversation which took less concentration and energy from me. It seemed that Felipe was more upset that Quinn was alone in my room while I slept, than the fact that I had half the security force in my bedroom due to my nightmares. Quinn was irate that Felipe was already claiming 'ownership' of me, but was still afraid of Frannie's safety, so he kept his mouth shut and his anger in check. I could understand that his sister came first.

I looked around my room and saw that my suitcase had been delivered, which was one of the only positive things that had happened all day. I found a clean outfit that was business-like yet very comfortable. Honestly, I was more concerned with my comfort than the fashion. I didn't feel like making any extra effort as far as Felipe was concerned. I did what I could to salvage my hair. It had dried funny which I had expected when I'd laid down with it still wet, but I managed to get it tamed. I made sure that my opal from Eric was very evident resting just above the neckline of my shirt. I patted the iron dagger strapped to my waist, reassuring myself that it was still there and then I opened the bedroom door.

The vampire bodyguard outside my door looked incredibly bored until he saw me. He stood straighter and looked me up and down appreciatively. I decided to take it as a compliment. He was dressed in a navy blue uniform with a sword in a sheath hanging from his belt. "The King will summon you when he is ready for you," he said. He looked at me a little regretfully. I tried to listen in to his mind and I just got a vague impression that he was disappointed because he knew I was off limits. Even with the more recent blood exchange with Eric, hearing anything from a vampire's mind was not guaranteed, but something was better than nothing while I was trying to figure my way out of the situation I was in.

I sat next to Teresa on the couch and watched the news with her. I'd been thinking a lot about Teresa and the other girls. I wondered how much of a choice they actually had in the arrangement. If Felipe was supernaturally making them enthralled with him, it was no better than rape in my book. I tried talking to Teresa a couple times about her 'relationship' with Felipe, but she wasn't very forthcoming and kept taking surreptitious glances at the guard. She obviously didn't want our conversation being overheard.

Looking into her mind, I finally found what I was looking for. "Why doesn't she realize that we shouldn't talk about it? I just hope I don't get in trouble for the conversation we had earlier. I tried to talk positively about it, but I didn't do enough when she was putting out such strong negative emotions. He wanted me to convince her that she would like this and find her place with us, but I can tell that she is determined. It would be fun for her to stay. I wonder why she was so against it. I do enjoy being with him, and he's amazing in bed, especially that thing he does with his tongue, but sometimes I think that he's messing with my mind. I would feel that, wouldn't I?"

I knew that I would be getting out soon (I was working hard on my optimism at the moment) and I'd been wondering if she had any doubts about her 'relationship' with Felipe. Once I figured out how I was going to get out, I would ask her if she wanted to leave too. Maybe she wanted to stay, but maybe not. She just didn't seem to type to be okay with it. The whole harem thing made me nervous and the whole idea of Felipe being specially 'gifted' with seduction made me more than nervous. Honestly, I was completely creeped out by it.

I was interrupted from my thoughts by the guard telling me that Felipe was ready for me. I nodded and followed him out the door. The other guards, now two shifters and two vampires, fell in line around and behind me. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to put up with that much longer. It was starting to get on my nerves constantly being surrounded.

I knew I would never find my way back to the room as we went down multiple hallways and through several doors. I figured that it was probably part of the security plan: to keep the office from being found in the first place.

Felipe and Victor were waiting for us at the door of the office. The guards stayed in the hallway and closed the door behind me. I was completely amazed by the size of Felipe's office. It was huge. It was really more like a big conference room that had been converted into an office. Everything was big and expensive and way over the top, but that was really Felipe's way from everything I'd seen so far.

I walked towards Felipe's massive desk and was about to take a seat in the chair in front of it when I realized that Felipe was still behind me. I looked at him questioningly and he just smiled at me in an alluring way. As uninterested as I was, he was definitely an attractive man. I made sure that none of that registered on my face.

"Are you enjoying the accommodations here so far?" he inquired.

"Yes. Thank you. I've met a couple of the other women in the suite I'm staying in. They seem very nice," I said politely.

"They have been looking forward to meeting you. It has been a while since I have replaced any of my lovers," he said with that same suave smile on his face. My stomach churned uncomfortably at the implication. At least he was finally being upfront about his intentions.

"Your highness…" I started.

"Please, call me Felipe, Sookie," he interrupted.

"Of course. Felipe, I'm not interested in being your lover. You won't let me go back home to Eric, you are keeping me here so you can have full access to my telepathic skills, but I will not be your lover. You may not drink from me. You may not have sex with me. I am not yours in any sense of the word," I was desperately trying to reign in my anger, but failing miserably.

Felipe held up his hands in a motion of humorous surrender. "Sookie, my dear, I am not a bad man. I will treat you well. You have met my other lovers. They are happy and content. I take care of them. They want for nothing. You would be more than welcome to join us. I can show you things you can't even imagine." A shiver ran down my spine at that last sentence.

"That's really nice, but I'm reallynot interested. I have a boyfriend and even if he can't be here with me, that doesn't mean I will be with you instead. I don't do that. I'm not a fangbanger," I replied as nicely as I could.

He started walking toward me and I backed up until my legs hit his desk. Before I knew it he was standing with his body pressed against mine. He wasn't a very tall man, he was actually not much taller than me, but I still felt like he was towering over me. I could see Victor across the room, still near the closed office door, smirking at me.

"Felipe, please. I'm not interested. I'll work for you, but I will not sleep with you," I said. I tried to make it sound more forceful, but I sounded like I was begging, which I was. I met his eyes, trying to hold my ground, but his eyes were mesmerizing. I tried to open my mind to his to hear what he was planning; to see if I could find any way around it, but that was my biggest mistake. As I looked at him, my whole body relaxed and I felt myself molding to his body as he pressed even closer. I'd never realized how handsome he was. I knew he was good looking, don't get me wrong. I had just never realized before how strong he was and how sexy his accent was. He ran his hands down my back and I closed my eyes, arching my body into his.

'Wait a second. What the fuck?' I scampered backwards over the desk, glad to have the desk between us, but as soon as I thought I was away from him, he was back in front of me.

"Sookie, you don't have to be afraid of me. I won't hurt you. I can give you more pleasure than you have ever known," he said. I refused to look him in the face. Every time he tried to get closer, to touch me, I cringed away from the contact.

"Please stay away from me. I'm not interested," I cried.

I could feel the power of his gift around me, and it disgusted me. I felt so dirty. His gift was similar to the feeling of a vampire glamoring me, but it was different. It took me so much more concentration to fight it, and I felt like I was losing the battle. It wasn't just affecting my mind but my body as well. I could feel the tendrils of power sneaking into my mind and my body, making me react to his advances and, honestly, it scared the shit out of me. It was like Preston all over again. I felt tears coming to my eyes.

"Please, Felipe. Please just leave me alone. Please don't do this to me," I begged. The time for staying cool was past. I was about to freak out.

"Sookie, just relax. I already told you that I will not hurt you. You will enjoy every second of our time together. You just need to relax," he said smoothly.

Just hearing his voice, made my body relax some. His whole presence was becoming so calming to me. Then changing tactics, he said, "I can feel that you want me. I can feel your heat; I can smell your arousal. I know that you want to feel the pleasure I can give you. Just give yourself over to your instincts. Your body wants this. Your body wants to feel, so let it." His voice was silky smooth and I just melted inside. "You want me, don't you?" he asked seductively.

"Yes," I said under my breath. Oh god, I wanted him so badly. I was trying to remember why I was resisting, but nothing came to mind.

Then suddenly, we heard a loud popping noise and I was so startled, I fell down. Instinctively I knew that I was in imminent danger, but I couldn't help but feel relieved that Felipe stopped. Felipe crouched into a defensive position, pulling his sword out of its protective sheath under his cape. A man had appeared next to the desk, just five or six feet away from us. Victor lunged at the intruder with a long iron sword and before he got close, he looked down in surprise at the wooden stake protruding from his chest and finally fell to the floor. I quickly pulled myself back up onto my feet and looked beyond him to a very tall beautiful man with long shiny black hair that he had tied back. He was one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen and I hated everything about him.

"You must be Sookie," he said pleasantly.

My entire body was overwhelmed with tremors as I took in the being in front of us. Prince Damarion.

Felipe lunged toward him, missing the body shot he was going for, but catching the edge of the fairy's arm with his sword. I saw the iron burning Damarion's skin and then watched as blood started dripping from the wound. I saw Felipe's eyes glaze over and his fangs come down as he smelled the blood. Lost in his blood lust, he abandoned the sword and he went for Damarion's jugular.

As though it was happening in slow motion, I saw Damarion reach into his suit pocket and pull out a long silver chain which sparkled in the dim lights on the office. Then, in one swift move, Felipe was lassoed with the thin chain. Felipe gasped and I could see the pain in his eyes and his flesh smoking where his skin was directly exposed to the silver. Damarion made quick work of restraining him, securing his hands and feet and placing a small length of silver across his face as he lay on the floor. Felipe screamed out as he felt his flesh burning away. I had to look away from the sight. Unfortunately, my gaze landed on Damarion.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked me.

I nodded slowly. "Yes, I do."

"Then you know that I am going to kill you," he said in a pleasant voice, as though we were talking about the weather.

"Why bother? I'm not important. Niall has lost interest in me and Claudine has been reassigned. It won't matter to them if you kill me, so why are you still coming after me?" I asked. It was hard, but I was able to keep my voice steady and strong. I walked toward him, unwilling to cower in fear. I felt myself finally becoming stronger and bolder. Damarion looked pleased as I approached.

He suddenly grabbed my arms and started trying to tie me up with rope that appeared out of thin air. Damn fairies. I struggled against him, but he gripped me tighter, twisting the skin on my wrists.

I was sure that was the end for me, but suddenly, the door to the office opened, flooding the dim office with bright light. Taking advantage of his moment of surprise, I yanked my arms out of his grasp, pulled the iron dagger from my belt and shoved it into his neck. I felt sick as the dagger sliced its way through the soft tissue of his neck as though it were butter. He looked back at me with an expression of utter surprise and then collapsed at my feet, leaving the dagger in my hand.

I stared down at him, continuing to look into his eyes until I hear a noise near the door. For the first time, I looked back at the door to see who had arrived. I had momentarily forgotten they were there. Russell Edgington, his husband Bartlet Crow, Stan Davis and the Queen of Michigan whose name I couldn't remember had all stepped inside and watched the scene play out in front of them. Beyond them I could see the shifter security guards that were guarding the room all watching and looking quite distressed that they'd been outside the door when all this happened.

They looked back and forth between me, Damarion, and Felipe who was still on the floor tied up. I could actually see the moment that the scent of fairy blood hit the vampires. Their eyes glazed over, their fangs descended and they all rushed toward his body. I backed into the corner behind the desk and sank down, ready with the dagger while they all latched on to different arteries. I held onto my dagger so hard that my hand hurt, but I didn't let go of it. I knew that with all of them high on fairy blood, well, accidents happen. When his body had been drained, which was very quickly by the way, I opened my mind to the vampires, hoping to catch something if they were going to come after me next, but I couldn't hear anything from them. Their minds were voids like always. Luckily, although they were acting drunk they seemed to be in control of themselves. Russell and Bartlet started feeling each other up, but Stan and the Queen of Michigan stood and regarded me carefully.

I stood up carefully and then out of the corner of my eye, saw Felipe tied up on the floor in incredible pain. His flesh was still smoking and the pain was evident in his eyes. I rushed to his side and knelt down next to him. I started with the chains that were burning his face. I carefully pulled them from his skin, trying not to get sick from the smell. He closed his eyes and I could see the effort it was taking him to keep from vocalizing his pain. Finally I got all the silver off and he picked himself off the floor, trying to keep his dignity.

I looked back at the other vampires. I quickly averted my eyes from Russell and Bartlet. They were very…busy. Stan and the Queen were both looking me up and down, suggestively.

"Oh no you don't. Don't get any ideas 'cause it's just not happening," I said firmly. They didn't seem to notice that I'd even spoken.

I yelled out to the guards, "Hey, get some donors in here. Quickly, please." The vamps continued to stare me down until several donors, all women, finally came wondering in. The vampires looked regretfully at me as they turned to the women that were now hanging onto them. Thankfully, Russell and Bartlet were finished and they each selected a donor to feed from. Felipe came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. I jumped, but controlled myself very quickly.

"Well, Miss Stackhouse, you appear to have come to my rescue again," he said, clearly chagrined at having to admit it.

"No problem. Kind of ironic that you were lassoed again, huh?" I said. I knew that it wasn't the smartest thing in the world to say, but I didn't really feel like filtering my speech. "I want to go home to Eric," I stated.

"You are still under the protection of my kingdom and as one of my assets I will be keeping you here for your protection. The danger from fairies seems to have passed, but you still need to be protected. I know a lot about your adventures over the past couple years and you and I both know you will likely need a great deal of protection. I will keep you close and I will keep you protected here."

The Queen spoke up then as she looked up from the neck of her female donor. "Ah, that's where you're wrong Felipe. There is no need for you to keep her here to keep her protected. She is blood-bound to Eric the Northman and we all know that it is highly irregular to separate a vampire from his bonded. As it now appears that the immediate threat is past, it becomes even more irregular." Felipe started to argue with her, but she held up her hand and continued, "It also appears that she saved herself in this particular instance as well as saving your ungrateful ass from final death."

Felipe was furious and at vampire speed got in her face. "Are you telling me what to do with my asset? In my Kingdom?" he said in an ice-cold voice.

"No," she responded politely. "I'm explaining to you why you are being charged with separating a vampire from his bonded with which you may incur a penalty of death, and why leadership of the states of Nevada, Louisiana, and Arkansas will be taken over by the court appointed Queen, until the time of the trial. To commit such a crime so soon after a violent takeover, involving a well-known telepath that has saved the undead lives of countless of our kind, including my own, at risk of injury and death for herself, is unspeakable. The counsel was convened and it has been determined that you will be imprisoned until the time of your trial." The room went completely silent except for my loud breathing.

I was so distracted with everything else going on around me, I didn't feel him coming and was surprised like everyone else when Eric came strolling in the door, looking sexy as hell I might add. I vaulted over the desk and leaped into his arms wrapping my legs around his waist.

"I missed you," I breathed before kissing him for all I was worth.

"I missed you too. I'm sorry I was too late to be of assistance to you. One of the guards out there told me all about it," he said when he released my lips so I could take a breath.

I laughed. "I'm sorry you missed the excitement, Eric. I know how you like a good fight." He threw his head back in laughter and I could hear several of the others laughing with him. With one more chaste kiss, I let go of him and stood on my own two feet.

"Victor's dead?" Eric asked with obvious delight in his voice and motioned toward the disintegrating body on the floor.

"Yes. Damarion staked him," I answered.

"He tied up the King with silver," Eric stated as he looked at Felipe's still healing face. I nodded in agreement, not understanding why he needed to repeat what happened. "And then youkilled the fairy," Eric stated proudly as he examined the blood on my hand. He licked a small spot and I could feel how much he enjoyed the fairy blood. Ew.

"Yes. I stabbed him in the neck with an iron dagger," I shivered a little remembering the feeling of the dagger piercing his flesh.

"I'm sorry you had to be the one to kill him, my love, but you do realize how amazing you are, don't you? You, the human, were with two vampires in a room surrounded by shifter body guards, and you were the one to kill your attacker. Do you have any idea how sexy that is?"

I blushed and playfully punched his shoulder. "Whatever, Eric. That just happens to be how it worked out. I wasn't about to let him do to me what Amun did. I wasn't about to take that lying down," I said, although my voice shook a little.

"So, Eric, what exactly is the deal with Victor? Both you and Bill knew his name when he came to my door that night and I know that neither of you particularly care for him, and you are obviously thrilled that he's dead, or finally dead, I guess. So what's the deal?" I asked.

Eric's eyes darkened as he spoke. "Victor is a twisted son of a bitch. Let's just say that he likes to play with his food. He gets Felipe's leftovers and…well, let's just say that they don't often live to tell the tale. The first night I met him, I stopped him from raping a young teenage girl. She'd been beaten and was hysterical and he laughed at her. He's a sadistic vampire and I for one, am glad that he is no more." The edge in his voice was dangerous.

Trying to lighten the mood a little, I chimed in, "We could throw a party in honor of his final death." Everyone around me burst out laughing.

Stan, still chuckling came over to us and patted Eric's shoulder as he left the room. "You had better hold onto her tightly, Eric. She's a feisty one."

Eric laughed and responded, "You have no idea."

***

Under Quinn's watchful eye, I quickly packed my bags and was ready to leave within thirty minutes, but Eric had to finish some political things with the visiting Kings and Queens, so I had to wait a bit longer before getting out of there. I was surprised to hear that even more Vampire royalty were present to ensure Felipe was taken out of power. I was amazed that Janine's plan of political pressure actually worked. By making some phone calls to the vampires I knew, we actually got my freedom and Felipe was imprisoned. Eric was no longer in trouble and life could go on.

While I packed and waited for Eric to be done I made quick phone calls to Amelia, Janine and Alcide. Alcide actually sounded a little disappointed when I talked to him. The wolves of the Las Vegas area together with the Shreveport pack were set to intervene tomorrow night and they were a little disappointed to be left out of the action. He was thrilled with the turn of events and burst out laughing when I told him that I was the one to kill Damarion.

"Sookie, you are truly an amazing woman. I still can't believe it," he said laughing. I understood it was a little funny, but he kept going.

Finally I had enough of him laughing at me. "Alcide! Why are you still laughing at me?" I asked.

"Sookie, I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at them. You were in a room with the top two vampires in the state, with werewolf and shifter body guards surrounding the room, and it was the human girl that killed the attacking fairy. You have to know how embarrassing that is for all of them. They've got all kinds of preconceived notions and you just rocked the boat. Like I said, you are an amazing woman," he explained.

I knew he meant it as a compliment, so I took it as such. After several more minutes of him chuckling and me thanking him for his help, we said goodbye. We set a lunch date for our friends. I needed another day surrounded by friends, while my life wasn't in danger.

When I got off the phone, Quinn was ready to carry my luggage.

"I will be filing an official complaint to the council. I have been slowly collecting evidence that Felipe and/or Victor arranged for my mother to escape from the facility in which she was staying. I don't have direct evidence, but enough circumstantial evidence to make my case," Quinn said. "Thank you for taking down Felipe, Sookie."

"Quinn, I wasn't the one to bring him down," I said. I didn't want to take credit for something I didn't do.

"Actually Sookie, you did. You brought in the other Kings and Queens. The loyalty you have both for and from your many friends, took him down. I know you don't feel responsible, but accept my thanks anyway," he said.

I thought about arguing the point, but finally just said, "No problem."

Finally we were ready to leave and Quinn walked with me to the front door of the mansion where Eric was waiting.

"Quinn, thank you for watching over Sookie," Eric said. He surprised me by reaching out and shaking Quinn's hand. "I am truly thankful."

"No problem, Eric."

I gave Quinn a quick hug and thanked him myself and then he went back inside.

"Eric, thank you for coming back for me. I've really missed you," I said as I hugged him close. I was surprised out of our embrace as a stretch limo pulled up in front of us. Eric kissed me lightly on top of my head and then went to put my bags in the trunk.

"Sookie!" I heard someone call. I looked over and saw Quinn holding the front door open, and Teresa running towards us as fast as she was able to while dragging two large suitcases behind her.

"Teresa, are you leaving too?" I asked with confusion.

"Can I please come with you?" she asked. "I have some money saved up. I'll find my own place to live and everything, but I just need to get out of here," she said. I could hear from her mind that she was happy to have an excuse to escape. Felipe wouldn't be upset with her for leaving now, since he was going to be imprisoned.

"Of course, Teresa."

The flight seemed really long, but that might have been because I was practically jumping up and down in my seat in anticipation of going home. Finally, the plane touched down and we were home in Louisiana.

We found a hotel near the airport and at Teresa's insistence, dropped her off. We exchanged phone numbers and agreed to meet in the hotel restaurant for a late lunch the next day to talk about the possibility of working together in my new business.

"Sookie, now that Damarion is taken care of, would you like to return to your own home?" Eric asked. I looked up at him in surprise. His face gave away nothing, and although I could feel him trying to block the bond, I could feel his sadness.

"Can I stay with you tonight, Eric?" I asked. His face lit up.

"Of course." He paused for a moment. "I have enjoyed having you stay with me, love. I know that you like your old family home, but I'd like you to at least consider the possibility of moving in with me. It doesn't have to be right now or anything. I like waking up next to you," he said. For one of the first times, or perhaps the very first time, Eric sounded completely unsure of himself. He sounded vulnerable.

"I'd like that Eric," I said. I couldn't believe it, but I really did want to stay with him. It just felt right, like it was meant to be.

Eric was thrilled and started rattling off plans for decorating, and things we would need to get for the house, now that I would be there long term. I just laughed. He was like a kid on Christmas morning.

"We're home," he said as we pulled up in front of his, no, our house. That sounded good.

"We have an hour before sunrise, Eric. What do you think we should do?" I asked with a coy smile on my face.

"We'll think of something," he said with a smile.

Hope you all enjoyed the ending and again, sorry for keeping you all waiting for so long. Thank you so much for all of you that read my story and for all of you that left reviews. I truly appreciate it! Thank you!

On a side note, a couple people noticed a couple things that were Twilight related. It's really not my fault. Someone on the Sookieverse recommended a couple Twilight fics and one thing led to another and now I'm addicted. So here is my little confession: Sookie's doctor, Janine Whitlock was named after reading a Jasper fic and I got the idea for an empath also from Jasper (yes, he's actually my favorite character). Evidently I also named a werewolf Jacob, but that was must have been a subconscious thing, because I didn't realize it until it was pointed out to me. LOL.