Author's Notes: First, I want you all to know that there is NO QUESTION that I WILL finish this story. It's all laid out, it is merely a matter of me having enough time to get the words down on the page. I apologize for the fact that it has been three weeks since the last update. This is an extraordinarily busy time of year for me in Real Life, and the next month is not going to be any better. I know that it is hard to wait so long for updates, but honestly, I simply cannot help it. I love my story, and believe me when I tell you that I would much rather be writing! Having said that, this chapter was an extraordinary challenge for me. I am not very good at writing the action scenes ( the lemon scenes are much easier! LOL!) and it was a serious struggle... probably the hardest chapter to date. I started over about three times... yikes! However, I pushed through and I hope you like the result.

I got so many wonderful reviews for the last chapter, and I am ashamed to say that I deliberately did not respond to any of them... it literally takes me hours to write responses, and so I spent what little time I did have on writing the actual story instead. One of the great pleasures of writing this story is communicating with you guys, and it makes me feel bad when I don't respond... so now I would like to thank everyone who did review very, very much. You all are my inspiration.~ BTB

Chapter 37

Bill's POV: Valhalla to Magnolia, Arkansas

The Viking strode rapidly down the front steps of Valhalla, issuing orders as he went. "Beuford, you and Clyde take your truck and meet us at your mother's house. Pam, take your van. We may need it to transport prisoners. Bill, I will ride with you."

In no time at all, our convoy was on the road headed north. At one time I would have been worried about being alone in such close proximity to Eric, for fear that he might be able to feel my tie to him, but no more. During Sookie's absence, I had determined that as long as I was reasonably careful, I could control a decent block of my own emotions without too much effort. Furthermore, I had discovered that as long as my King and I were in similar moods, I could relax almost entirely. At the moment, I had nothing to worry about since we were both irritated at the unplanned trip to Magnolia. Now that Sookie was back, I had planned on going to Bon Temps to catch up on some rather urgent correspondence for my database, and Eric was chaffing at being away from his Bonded so soon. Consequently, Eric was positively itching for a good fight, and quite unexpectedly, I realized that I was, too.

We had about a ninety-minute trip ahead of us. Never one to waste time, it was clear that Eric wanted me to drive so that he could conduct business on the way. The minute we cleared the gates of the Residence, he whipped out his cell phone and began making his own calls to the Sheriffs. Pam had taken over the task during the worst of his illness, and this was the first time Eric himself had spoken to them in more than a week. He stepped back into his role of completely-on-top-of-things King seamlessly, and in no time those calls were done. Next, the Viking put in a call to Cataliades and then to one of his financial people. Each conversation was precise and to the point with very little time spent on niceties. In between each call, he would sit back and briefly close his eyes for just a moment. I could feel that he was testing the Bond, as if to reassure himself that Sookie was still firmly tethered at the other end. By that time, there was already enough distance between us so that I could no longer feel her myself, and I felt a twinge of regret that my own connection to her was not stronger.

Obviously, this was a terrible time for them to be apart. They both hid it quite well, but of course I could feel how much this parting distressed them both. I had to admire Eric's sense of duty. I doubted that I would have been strong-willed enough to leave Sookie behind if she were my Twice-Bonded. Idly, I wondered if I would ever again find someone to love enough to want to Second-Bond them, or if I even could. At this point, the question was merely an academic one. It had taken me well over a hundred years to fall in love the last time, and although our relationship was now on a very different level, I still loved Sookie very much. I could hardly imagine anyone replacing her in my affections anytime soon. Most people would think that I was insane for staying so near my former lover and her new husband, and indeed I would be hard pressed to explain it... but no matter. As strange as it might seem to anyone else, I was quite content with my life just the way it was.

In fact, I doubted that anyone could be enjoying the blissful reunion of my King and Queen any more than me, except for perhaps Sir Robert. During the last few days, I had come to regard the Knight as a friend, and it seemed a pity that he had to hurry back to New York so soon. Pam, on the other hand, was a completely different story. Over the last two nights, she had come perilously close to being outright rude to Sookie. Pam was not normally so reckless. Perhaps since Eric was her Maker, she thought she knew exactly how far she could push him... but each time she was cool to her Mistress, a sharp spike of irritation came from Eric and it seemed to be getting stronger with each offense. Even if the Sickness was gone, it did not mean that he was going to tolerate much disrespect... and most especially when it came to his Bonded. I had heard him promise Sookie that he would let her work it out in her own way, but I had my doubts. I felt as if I should warn Pam somehow, but I was not sure how to do it without giving myself away.

I glanced over at the Viking, who had finished just his last phone call. He was once again sitting back with his eyes closed. A slight smile played around his lips as he said, "Females are such capricious creatures, aren't they, Bill? One never knows what they will do next."

I wondered if he had somehow read my mind, but then it occurred to me that he could just as easily be speaking about Sookie as Pam. "Absolutely," I agreed, "But of course that is part of their allure."

"Mmm," was his only response. After a few more moments of silence, he murmured, "Ah, Sookie, my love, what are you up to now?" I knew then that he had been referring to his Bonded.

I knew very well that I shouldn't ask, but I couldn't seem to help myself, "Can you tell what she is doing even at this distance?"

Those icy blue eyes of his popped open, and he rolled his head in my direction. "You cannot?" he asked curiously.

This was the first time Eric had ever asked me a direct question about my tie with his Bonded. Suddenly wary, I made sure my emotions were fully blocked before answering truthfully, "No. The connection fades quickly with distance, and even if I am close I can only guess what she is doing based on her emotions."

"Ah, but guessing is half the fun, is it not?" he replied with a twinkle in his eye. "I myself can still feel her quite strongly. It seems to me that since her return our Bond is stronger than ever."

Oh, yes, there was no doubt about it, their Bond was indeed more intense than it had ever been... but the better part of valor was to say nothing. Instead, I said smoothly, "If that is the case, I don't know how you managed to leave her behind. It must be very uncomfortable for the both of you."

"I can hardly believe the courtly Southern Gentleman is suggesting that we should have exposed the helpless Southern Belle to unnecessary danger," the Viking teased, "Besides, could you not sense how weary she was? She used a great deal of magic last night, and I fear it tired her. It was best not to tax her system further."

Honestly, I hadn't noticed that Sookie was tired. Normally, I would have picked up on that right away. Had I just been too preoccupied with other things that I hadn't noticed, or...? Suddenly, an unwelcome thought passed through my head. What if our tie was lessening? I had just assumed it was permanent, but perhaps it was not. It had been many months now since she had taken my blood, and much longer than that since I had tasted hers. I fought down the sharp fear that sprung into my breast by sternly telling myself I was jumping to conclusions with no evidence. To cover my confusion and dismay, I replied more sharply than I intended, "Obviously Sookie is not as helpless as she might appear. If last night's display is any indication, her magic is getting much stronger. I suspect that soon she will not need either one of us to protect her. That will no doubt make her happy. She is just so independent."

The Viking sighed heavily and said, "Yes, she certainly is... irritatingly so. I suppose I should be overjoyed at the idea that one day she will be able to take care of herself, but..." His voice trailed off.

He didn't have to finish that statement. I knew exactly how he felt. Sookie had come along and awakened the long-dormant protective instinct in both of us, which was surprising enough, but the truly shocking thing was to discover how good it felt to be needed. As irrational as it was, the very notion that she would some day no longer need us to care for her was a little unsettling. As her Bonded, Eric really had little to worry about, though. In his case, she would stay with him because she loved him deeply and they were literally a part of each other, but in my case, my continued presence in her life would be... unnecessary. Now I was in a foul mood. "She has so little Fae blood, I never could have guessed she would have so much magic," I said crossly.

The Viking smiled proudly. "I believe it has to do with our Bond... and of course, my blood."

Hmph. He would think that. Obviously he was implying that my much younger blood would not have been up to the task, and would never have allowed Sookie to reach her true potential. It did not make it any easier to take because he was probably right. Stung, I could not resist saying, "...or, as Robert suggested, there is more to her family tree than we have guessed. Or perhaps there is just more to the mysterious ways of Fairies than we know. Obviously her stay in the Portal had a profound effect on her in many ways. I wonder what might have occurred while she was there."

"Yes, I wonder exactly the same thing," Eric said rather darkly, "We have had very little time to discuss her time away, other than the bare basics."

Just thinking about Sookie's time in the Portal seemed to put him in a bad mood. He said sourly, "That old rascal Niall gave her some very elaborate gifts. She claims he was not attempting to bribe her into staying with him, but I have my doubts."

"Sookie accepted gifts from Niall?" I asked in surprise, "She is always so touchy about presents of any kind." Much to my frustration, I had never been able to figure out when she wanted gifts and when she didn't.

"Apparently since he is a blood relative, it is acceptable. You should see the brush set he gave her. It is solid gold and inlaid with flawless diamonds."

Without having to be told, I understood why Eric was so irritated. Sookie had never had much in the way of material things, but nonetheless had a strange aversion to gifts of any kind. It had taken him a long time to get her to accept his gifts without question. He wanted to be the one to introduce her to the finer things in life, which was his right as her Bonded. Eric was extremely wealthy, and if he wanted to give his wife twenty gold-and-diamond brushes, he could easily do it. However, I knew that the cost of the gift was really immaterial. It was really the fear of the unknown that was bothering him. What else could the Fairy Prince give Sookie that Eric could not, things that maybe mere money could not buy? Beyond that, were there things unique to the Portal that were so alluring to Fairies that Sookie would now long to go back? Suddenly fearful, I blurted out, "Has she given any indication that she intends to go back?"

"No," he answered, "She has promised that she will not, and I must believe her." He said it confidently, as if he wanted to believe that his Bonded would never leave him again, but nevertheless I imagined that the fear that she would change her mind might never entirely go away. For a time, Eric sat silently brooding, clearly turning something over in his mind. Almost to himself, he said, "There is something that happened there that she does not want to tell me, but I cannot fathom what it is."

Briefly, I glance over at him, only to see him staring rigidly ahead. Quietly, I said, "Perhaps Sookie has just not had time to share it with you. There have been so many unfortunate interruptions..."

"True enough," he admitted, "However, tomorrow night, I plan to have a very special evening alone with my Bonded. There will be no interruptions. You will see to it."

My King did not have to elaborate on that order. His meaning was abundantly clear, and heaven help me if I failed in my task. "Of course. I will see to it." I replied. It was one order that I would be more than happy to carry out. Although Eric had not spoken the words out loud, it was plain that he was still somewhat uneasy about the state of his relationship... and now I was, too. He was right. Clearly what he and his wife needed was some serious time alone, to talk out any remaining issues and then let the strength of their love for each other heal their wounds. I was prepared to go to any lengths necessary to see that it happened and told him so.

Unfortunately, there was no more time for conversation because we had finally arrived at our destination. Turning off the main road, I followed the other two vehicles down the long gravel driveway to Caroline Lafferty's home. She was currently not at home, so we were merely using her place as rendezvous point. I had been to this house only once before, when I was interviewing Caroline for my database. It was a long, low brick "ranch" style house built in the 1950's. Off the back of the house was a large wooden deck overlooking a small pond, which was the home of Caroline's tame ducks and geese. The inside of the home was quite interesting. One of Caroline's hobbies was furnishing her current home to the exact date the house was built, and so the result was very much like a step back in time. Nothing in the house was manufactured later than 1955, with the exception of the electronics. She was willing to be slightly less than authentic when it came to microwave ovens, tvs, and Internet access.

I pulled up behind Pam's van and parked. The minute Eric stepped from the car, the somewhat fretful husband was carefully tucked away, leaving only the completely confident, totally focused vampire King on display. The others soon joined us. Beuford whipped out a map, which he spread on the hood of my car. He pointed out the location of the rogue nest which was not far from his mother's house. Next to the Viking, I was the stealthiest and also had the added advantage of being able to fly, so I was chosen to do the majority of the close-in advance scouting. Pam and Beuford were going to do some drive-bys of the general area in her van, so they dropped me off not too far from the back of the property. After getting the lay of the land, I was to make my own way back to Caroline's place. From the Arkansas Sheriff's excellent directions, I had no trouble locating the place.

The farm where the nest had chosen to stay was typical of the region. At the end of a long gravel drive was a large clapboard house surrounded by a dense tangle of shade trees. A decent-sized barn had been built to the south of the house, but it was in serious disrepair. The only farm equipment visible was extremely old and rusted. Unsurprisingly, the fields surrounding the house were fallow with nothing but weeds and small trees sprouting up here and there. There was not much cover except for the trees directly around the house, and the nearly full moon would not help matters. As it turned out, though, there was not going to be too much need for stealth. It only took me a few minutes to ascertain that there was no ambush planned, at least for that night.

Several cars were parked haphazardly around the front yard, and more were arriving. Rock music was blaring from a sound system that had been set up outdoors, powered by an extension cord running out of one of the bedroom windows. As I drifted silently from tree to tree, I smelled the distinct odor of marijuana floating on the air. If I had not already known it, that alone would have told me that humans were present, since the drug had no effect on vampires whatsoever. Nevertheless, it was popular among our kind as a lure and as a relaxant for humans, making them much more compliant targets. From my place of concealment, I sighed heavily and shook my head in disgust at the complete stupidity of some vampires. Instead of hunkering down to receive the visit from an angry Viking King that was certain to come sooner or later, or better yet, clearing out of the area all together, this idiotic bunch was in the process of throwing a party.

It appeared that most of the action was taking place outside in the back yard, although every now and then someone would wander in or out of the house. A couple of strands of outdoor lights had been strung across the backyard to provide some low-key illumination and a bonfire was burning merrily in a large pit in the ground. People were standing around in clumps, for the most part ignoring the lawn chairs which were scattered around. A huge metal tub of ice and beer was placed near the back door, and someone had carried an old wooden table outside to hold the hard liquor. Stealing up to the house, I attempted to get a general layout of the interior by peering in the windows. Some of them had been sealed against the sunlight so I could not see everywhere, but I did manage to get a glimpse of a room whose walls had been painted completely black. In the very center of the room stood a wooden table with restraints attached. A disreputable mattress was pushed up against one wall, right under a set of chains that were firmly bolted to the wall, and more chains dangled from a large hook screwed into the ceiling. From a series of wooden pegs hung an assortment of masks, gags, whips, and other "sporting equipment." Clearly, one or more of the nest enjoyed some seriously dark sexual practices.

Drifting back towards the front of the house, I was able to observe some of the guests as they arrived. A dual cab pickup truck was just pulling in, and soon the doors flew open and a batch of humans jumped out. This group was curiously dressed. The young men were all wearing identical tight-fitting, brightly colored clothing and caps. The two girls with them were clad in impossibly short dresses in the same garish colors. They were clearly in high spirits, and from their rather loud conversation I gathered they had just come from the Magnolia High School baseball game. Ah! I had once been to a football game in Bon Temps that had young women dressed in a similar fashion, so I knew that these females must be "cheerleaders." This was not a good sign, because that meant that at least some of the guests were underage. Once the group disappeared around the corner of the house, I slipped around and checked out the other cars. From the stickers attached to the cars, I concluded that many of the humans were associated either with the high school or the local university. It was completely illegal for vampires to consort with human minors, and whether Eric thought it was a stupid law or not, he was determined to enforce this rule. He was well aware that nothing was guaranteed to stir the local human population into a frenzy faster than vampires preying on their young.

Up to that point, I had not really given the humans in the back more than a cursory glance, but clearly I needed a better grasp of who was in attendance. I slipped toward the other end of the house, and sure enough, it appeared that most of the humans present were definitely underage. In a place like Magnolia, it would have not been hard to entice them to come. An invitation whispered into the right ear... free liquor... drugs... sexy, mysterious vampires... To the bored local youth, this party would be seen as an unprecedented and irresistible chance to take a walk on the wild side. By the looks of things, they were all hell-bent on having a good time. Male and female, they were downing liquor as if it were water, and the haze of smoke in the air was getting heavier by the minute. I could only imagine that other drugs had been provided as well. Since the Great Revelation, parties such as these were not uncommon in the vampire world. Inebriated humans were uninhibited, pliable humans. One could take one's time, look over the choices, and then cut the evening's selection (or two) out of the pack with ease. It was a sad fact that if these vampires were known to be sensible and the humans were of age, it would definitely not rate disciplinary action of any sort.

A couple of the male vampires had pulled some of the already intoxicated young women off to a fairly level spot to dance. The young women were clearly trying to out-do each other to see who could make the most suggestive moves. Several boys sat in lawn chairs nearby, chugging down beer. In response to their lewd comments and suggestions, one of the girls pulled up her top and flashed her bare breasts at them, rolling her nipples sensuously between her fingers. The vampire with whom she was dancing snugged up behind her, looped his arms around her body, and then took over the job of fondling her breasts. He had unremarkable short brown hair and was slightly taller than me but whipcord thin. Unlike most of our kind, he was not particularly attractive and I wondered who his Maker was. He ground his jean-covered erection into the girl's backside, and she encouraged him by pushing back against him and wriggling. Since observing humans was one of my hobbies I was still fairly adept at judging ages and I doubted that this child was more than fifteen or sixteen. Having been vampire long enough to have seen infinitely worse behavior, I was not shocked at all... but somehow, the young girl's gestures brought to mind the kinds of parties I had attended in my own youth, where the carefully chaperoned young women had worn lovely frocks with proper undergarments and huge hoop skirts that concealed practically everything. For the young men of the time, just the glimpse of a bare ankle or the touch of an un-gloved hand was considered a treat. Somehow this group of very young humans who obviously had such little respect for themselves or their lives made me feel... very old and very sad.

I felt as if I had seen enough. The nest's little soirée was shaping up to be the kind of event that was bound to draw the human authorities... and potentially the press, too, which was even worse. The last thing we needed was headlines. I had best get back and report to Eric as soon as possible. Actually, I was quite curious to see just how he would handle the situation. Two years ago, I would have wagered money that he would have not only approved of the gathering, he would have been the very first vampire to join in... but since then, I had actually gotten to know him and realized that nothing could be farther from the truth. Making my way to the back of the property, I rapidly took to the air and headed back to Caroline's.

I set myself down close to the parked cars, noting that Pam's van was back and that another car had pulled in behind mine. As I walked the short distance to the house, I wondered just who had joined the group. I heard the hum of voices coming from behind the house, so I assumed my companions were awaiting me there. To my surprise, I heard Caroline's very distinctive laughter ringing out into the night. It appeared that our absent hostess had come home early. I followed a brick pathway around the side of the house to where she and the others were lounging around on her back deck sipping TrueBloods. Caroline and Pam were sitting side-by-side in a porch swing and Beuford and Clyde were camped out in wrought iron chairs with their backs to me. The Viking was kicked back in a white wicker chair, long legs casually propped on the porch railing. Despite his laid-back appearance, anticipation and high spirits were radiating from him in waves.

I had not been trying to conceal my approach, but moving silently was a deeply ingrained habit. Clearly no one but the Viking had even sensed my presence. Without even turning his head in my direction, Eric said, "It is about time you got back, Bill. What did you learn?"

I wondered if anyone had ever managed to sneak up on him. Stepping up to the railing of the deck, I got straight to the point, "There is no ambush waiting."

Clearly startled by my presence so close behind him, Clyde whipped his head around to stare at me. Caroline rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "Easy, boy. Don't let the bad old vampire scare you." In response to her words, the hulking young vampire shrugged and looked sheepish. His grandsire let out a sharp bark of laughter and said, "Don't feel bad, Clyde, that vampire could sneak up on the devil himself. Bill Compton, you handsome thing, it has been too long since I've seen you. Come 'round here and give old Caroline a kiss."

Locating the entrance to the deck, I went up the steps and soon presented myself for inspection. My hostess popped up from her seat to greet me. Barely over five feet tall even in her high-heeled shoes, the diminutive red-headed vampiress made even me feel like a giant. As I half-way expected she would, she stood on her tiptoes and then jerked my head down to hers for a kiss... and when Caroline kissed you, you knew you had been kissed. As soon as she released me, she stood back a bit, cocked her head to one side and gave me a serious once over. "Mm, mm, mm," she said, "Delectable as ever, but always so serious. Viking, you need to teach this boy to lighten up a little."

"Hmpf," grunted the Viking, "Not everyone can be as free-spirited as you, Caroline. Besides, I am quite certain I have seen Bill smile at least once."

Coldly, I asked, "Do you want to hear what I discovered or do you want to stand around discussing my personality further?"

"You are absolutely right, Bill," retorted Eric with a chuckle, "There aren't enough hours left in the night to properly dissect your personality. Now, sit down and tell us what you learned at the farm."

His gibe produced another round of laughter from Caroline and the first true smile I had seen on Pam's face in weeks. Involuntarily, I felt the corner of my mouth twitch upward in my own half-smile, which incited another round of laughter. If it would help lighten my fellow Lieutenant's mood and help smooth out the tension in Eric's entourage, it was almost worth being the target of their teasing. Shaking my head, I pulled up a chair and did as my King commanded.

Once we finally got down to business, it did not take long for me to tell the others what I had discovered. Even though Caroline normally avoided having anything to do with politics, she volunteered to lend a hand. If the rogue nest's bad behavior was allowed to continue unchecked, it would only serve to make it harder for her to continue to live in the area peacefully. "Perhaps it would be best if we waited a few more hours for the party to die down," she suggested, "It might be easier if most of the humans are gone before we confront this group. If it gets too close to dawn for you all to get back to Shreveport, you can bunk here with me. Bill, dear, I have a very comfortable bed." She batted her eyes in my direction. Knowing quite well she was just baiting me, I did my best to ignore her.

Eric thought for a long moment before shaking his head. "No, from what Bill has told us, I .think we must take action before one of the young humans is badly hurt or killed." "...and of course, you must get back to your Bonded before sun-up," Pam interjected, her face and voice completely neutral. It was the kind of remark that could be construed in a multitude of ways: as a statement of fact, as a gentle reminder, as a subtle form of teasing, or... as an insult. I froze, waiting to see how Eric was going to take it.

The answer was... not very well. Slowly, her Maker turned his head in her direction. Blue eyes colder than the arctic ocean, he regarded her thoughtfully. I imagine a shark looks very much like that when deciding which body part to bite off first. Never changing expression, Pam stared straight back at him. I tensed, preparing to try and intervene if necessary... not that I would stand a chance if he was truly bent on hurting her. The other two male vampires were seemingly oblivious to the tension of the moment, but it did not escape Caroline's notice. Instantly, she made light of the situation by saying, "...and who could blame him? From what I've heard about Eric's beautiful Bonded, I certainly wouldn't leave her alone if I could help it. Besides, from what I understand about Second Bonds, they really shouldn't be apart at all. I was surprised to see that he didn't bring her with him."

In a not-so-subtle reminder to Pam that she had Sookie to thank for this opportunity for a little action, I said, "Actually, our Queen very graciously offered to perform a task for Pam so that she would be free to come with us. However uncomfortable it may be for Sookie to be parted from her Bonded, she is well aware how important it is for disputes to be settled at the proper time and place. Whether we are able to return to Shreveport before dawn or not is immaterial. I agree with Eric. We need to go in before the human authorities are alerted and the situation escalates."

My words were partially meant to remind both Eric and Pam that this was not the time or the place for them to have a tiff. Letting anyone outside our very intimate circle know there was any dissension amongst us was not wise. Immediately, Eric said in a cool, firm voice, "No more discussion. It has been decided. This is what we are going to do..."

A short time later, I drove up the long gravel driveway to the nest's farmhouse with Pam following closely in her minivan. Eric sat silently in my passenger seat. Although he appeared completely calm, the pent-up energy flowing off of him was nothing short of exhilarating. We were careful to park so that none of the other cars were blocked in. Eric opened the door, pulled himself up to his full height, and slowly looked around. One at a time, he rolled and flexed his broad shoulders, easing out the pre-fight tension. The rather impressive muscles of his upper torso and arms rippled under the tight cotton fabric of his Fangtasia t-shirt. Turning to me with a big Viking grin, he said, "Ready for a little fun?"

Without waiting for an answer, he strode towards the side of the house with Pam and I trailing in his wake. Eric came to a halt at the very edge of the side yard and took stock of the situation. The party was now in full swing, with music blaring, bodies gyrating, and raucous laughter and shouts floating out across the yard. By now, a good many of the party-goers who could still stand were dancing, although a few had dragged some wrought-iron lawn chairs over to sit near the fire pit. I caught a glimpse of the brown-haired vampire, but by now he had acquired two new dance partners. A fangy smile was plastered across his angular face as the two young females sensuously rubbed themselves all over him. A few of the humans had already succumbed to intoxication of one kind or another and were passed out in various locations around the yard. A quilt had been spread near the base of one of the shade trees, which provided at least the illusion of a bit of privacy. On it lay a slightly built vampire with curly blond hair, who was passionately kissing a pretty young human girl. Her shirt had been removed and tossed carelessly aside. His left hand was up her so-called skirt, which seemed to me to be no bigger than a postage stamp. Even from here, I could see the vivid twin punctures on her left shoulder. Although she was not protesting, her movements were sluggish and I wondered how close she was to unconsciousness. Not too far away, a young human male was hanging over a log, vomiting. Completely absorbed in their own activities, not even one person had taken note of our approach.

Eric made a gesture to Pam, who stalked across the yard and up to the side of the house. She leaned over and jerked the plug to the sound system loose from its extension cord. The music came to an abrupt halt and in the sudden silence, groans of irritation could be heard. From the center of the knot of dancers came a loud "What the fuck!" Grabbing both of his partners by the wrist, the brown-haired vampire pulled them along with him as he pushed his way through the crowd. The minute he got free of the other dancers, his eyes lit on Pam. She stared coolly back, power cord dangling from one well-manicured hand. He was so focused on her, he never even glanced in our direction. I think he missed seeing the Viking and me entirely. His hard eyes gave Pam a quick once-over, starting with her low-heeled Ferragamos, traveling up the well-tailored silk slacks to her pale pink sweater set, and ending with the tiny string of pearls hanging around her delicate throat. By age appearance alone, she could have easily fit right in amongst most of the other young people at the party... except for the expensive clothes and her expression. For a split second, she reminded me of our former Queen, Sophie-Anne, who had also been delicate and youthful in appearance but extremely lethal. The vampire spit out, "Who the fuck are you? What do you think you're doing?"

Pam gave him a tight, thin smile. Jerking her head in the direction of her Maker, she said simply, "My name is Pam. I'm with him."

Whipping his head our way, the brown-haired vampire's eyes came to rest on the Viking. With a start, I realized that his close-set eyes were very strange, one iris a washed-out blue color and the other a pale brown. By the blank expression on his face, it was obvious that he had absolutely no idea who this perfectly enormous blond vampire standing in his driveway was, but it did not seem to matter. He was obviously not thrilled to have uninvited vampire guests of any kind, and particularly not ones who seemed intent on slowing down his party. He draped a possessive arm around each of his females and pulled them close. In a cocky tone, he sneered, "So what? I don't know him, either. This is a private party. You need to leave... before my brothers and I make you leave." In spite of the size of the Viking, the brown-haired vampire must have been counting on their superior numbers. As far as he knew, there were six of them and only three of us.

As soon as this exchange had begun, the curly-haired vampire jumped up from the quilt and went to stand close to his brother. Now that I could see his face, I was surprised to see that he must have been made vampire at a very young age, no more than fifteen or sixteen at the most. Of course, there was no way of knowing just how old he was in actuality, and therefore he would still have to be approached with caution. The thought crossed my mind that his youthful appearance might at least partially explain the nest's penchant for very young humans. He looked so immature that it was probably hard for him to attract older women. Almost instantly, a third vampire slithered from the back of the pack of dancers to join his nestmates, and this one was as unattractive as his brown-haired brother. His long shaggy black hair was hanging loose around his face, and his dark brown eyes glowed with a dull anger. Instead of jeans, he was clad from head-to-toe in black leather, obviously in attempt to make himself look older. Like the blond brother, he must have been turned young. Even so, he was slightly more muscular that the other two.

All three of them were positively radiating aggression, which was understandable given that obviously they really did not know who we were. All vampires are by nature extremely territorial and since we were invading their space without an invitation, they could only assume we were there to steal their humans at the very least. If these three were the best the nest had to offer, though, bringing Pam and I along had been a complete waste of time and resources. I suspected that the Viking could easily take all three of them without mussing his hair. In a loud, clear voice, Eric announced, "This party is now over. All humans should leave the premises immediately."

At Eric's pronouncement, a murmur rippled through the humans, along with a few loud moans of disappointment. Immediately, a few of them started to wander back towards the front of the house, but most of the guests stayed right where they were. It was if they were hoping Eric was going to relent and say it had all been a joke. As soon as Eric had spoken, three pairs of fangs were bared. The brown-haired vampire raised his hand to stop the migration of his guests and said indignantly to Eric, "Wait! No one is going anywhere! Just who do you think you are, telling our guests to leave?"

Giving the nestmates a look of cool amusement, Eric replied, "Of course! How rude of me! We have never been properly introduced. In fact, that is the purpose of this little visit. Since you have not seen fit to come and visit me, I thought it only proper for me to come and see you. My name is Eric Northman."

They might not have recognized the Viking by sight, but once Eric had become a King probably every vampire in North America knew that name and what it represented. The brown-haired vampire blinked a couple of times as the bad news penetrated his thick skull. The humans that were still sober enough to have some sense about them were looking back and forth between their hosts and us, clearly trying to figure out what to do. After taking a good look at the Viking, the smartest ones slunk past their hosts without a word and headed straight for their cars. After a brief discussion, a few of the boys stopped long enough to grab the ones that had passed out and carried them along. One young man started across the grass to retrieve the female that had been laying on the quilt with the curly-haired vampire, but Eric said sharply, "Stop. Leave her."

Hearing the ring of authority in his voice, the boy answered smartly, "Yes, sir!" He turned and scurried off after the rest of his friends. That left the less intelligent or less sober group still milling around the yard, perhaps looking forward to the entertainment of a fight without realizing the extreme danger they would be in. About that time, the fourth member of the nest came skittering around the back of the house, pulling a human girl along by the wrist. As soon as he took in the scene, he came to a sudden halt. Obviously thinking that the odds were now overwhelmingly in the nest's favor, a couple of the human males stepped forward to side with their hosts. These were both very large young men whose collar size clearly exceeded their I.Q.s. Due to their bulk, they were probably not used to being ordered around by strangers, human or vampire. Weaving slightly, one of them slurred to the brown-haired vampire, "Hey, man. Don't let that asshole boss you around. There's a bunch of us and only three of them... and one of them is just a girl."

In response to the insult, Pam said cheerfully, "If you think I'm so harmless, why don't you come a little closer, you young idiot?" Just for emphasis, she narrowed her eyes, dropped her fangs and hissed.

Her sudden transformation into dangerous vampire was startling. Immediately, the remaining guests got very still and very quiet. Even in his drunken state, the young man knew he had made a serious mistake. He took a huge step backward and began to turn an interesting shade of white. Almost simultaneously, the screen door to the back porch flew open, hitting the handrail of the steps with a loud pop. A large male vampire came barreling out, moving at such a pace I knew that the humans would only be able to perceive a blur. Coming to a stop in front his nestmates, he immediately adopted a fighting stance. From Beuford's description, I knew this had to be the Elder.

At the senior vampire's arrival, a communal gasp came from the human contingent. I had to admit, it was a fairly impressive entrance. For one thing, he was stark naked and fully erect. Clutched in one hand was a long, thin-bladed knife. The other hand was curled into a claw, ready for action. His fangs were large, fully extended, and already dripping blood. Beyond that, he was one of the ugliest vampires I had ever seen. He had long scraggly black hair and small beady eyes the color of spit... in fact, all of his features were too small for the rest of his face. However, he was quite tall and muscular and gave off an air of true menace that the others of his nest had not been able to muster. I saw why Beuford had been hesitant to take him on single-handedly.

The look of recognition in the vampire's oddly-colored eyes told me that he knew exactly who Eric was without being told. For a long moment, the two of them stared at each other without speaking, each taking the other's measure. The minute Eric laid eyes on the Elder, a flood of excitement surged through him. The first four nestmates would have been no sport for him at all, but this vampire might be old enough and mean enough to provide a fairly good workout. I found myself caught up in the Viking's high spirits. Eying the remaining nestmates, I set my sights on the brown-haired vampire. I could hardly wait for the fighting to start.

The Elder's very first words made it clear that he had better be a damned good fighter, because he was evidently not much smarter than his brothers. Instead of falling to his knees and begging his King for mercy for his transgressions, he sneered, "Well, well, well. So the mighty Viking decided to come to our little gathering. I must confess I am surprised. Rumor has it that you have been so busy tending to your human woman, you have little time left for anything else."

At the vampire's disrespectful words, the Viking's huge, glistening fangs flashed down. Instantly, the cool, somewhat amused exterior vanished, only to reveal his true self... an ancient, powerful, and extremely deadly vampire King. Focusing his glittering blue eyes on the remaining humans, he growled, "Leave. Now."

Terror is an excellent motivator. Once they got a look at the real Eric, the humans all scattered like a startled covey of quail, and this even included the idiots who had sided with the nest. In fact, I think they were running the fastest. Within minutes, the last pickup truck had beat a hasty retreat down the long gravel drive. The only humans remaining were the unconscious young woman laying on the quilt and the girl still held in the firm grasp of the fourth nestmate. Suddenly realizing that she needed to be anywhere but in the middle of a vampire dispute, she tried to yank herself away from the male, beating her free hand against him and screaming, "Let me go! Let me go!"

The vampire glanced down at her as if he had even forgotten she was there. With absolutely no expression on his face, he slapped her once, hard, and she dropped to the ground as if her bones had suddenly melted. At first, I thought he might have killed her but by looking carefully I could see her chest moving. There was really nothing I could do for her at that point anyway, so I returned my attention to the problem at hand.

Staring straight into the Elder's eyes, Eric said coldly, "You know who I am, yet you continue to show your contempt for my position. Are you truly so stupid as to think I will tolerate such disrespect?"

Instead of dropping to his knees and begging for his life, the vampire had the audacity to smirk. His eyes had the strangest glint in them, and as I looked into their depths I realized that the problem was not a lack of intelligence at all. This vampire was truly unhinged. In a thick accent which to my ear sounded like one of the old middle-European languages, he replied, "So says the great King. Well, your Majesty, you have managed to fool everyone else, but I am privy to the truth. In spite of your claims of being a Viking, you are really no more than three hundred years old, which means that I have the advantage of age and experience. You have carefully crafted this fabulous reputation as being a great fighter, but it is all just smoke and mirrors. When confronted with a real fighter, you will not stand a chance. Perhaps I will be the next King of Louisiana. I am certain your Queen will welcome a real vampire to her bed."

To my surprise, even that last insult did not cause Eric to completely lose his temper. Looking past the Elder, the Viking addressed the other members of the nest, "You have no doubt been misled by your Elder, who is clearly insane. Therefore, if you show me that you have seen the error of your ways and submit to my authority immediately, your punishments will be much lighter."

Before any of them could take advantage of this very generous and unexpected offer of clemency, the Elder let out a strangled cry and launched himself at Eric. Quick as a flash, Eric stepped up to met him. Of course, if it had been a serious battle, I would have attempted to move to protect and assist my King, but I was wise enough to know when my help was not wanted or needed. Likewise, the three nestmates held back, clearly hoping that the Elder would live up to his bragging and make short work of Viking. However, it was evident after the first few minutes that these hopes were doomed to failure. The Viking was not only larger and stronger, he was fast, graceful, and extremely tricky. He seemed to be able to anticipate what the vampire was going to do before he did it. Each swift, graceful movement was a total pleasure to watch. In a matter of seconds, he had disarmed his opponent...from there forward it was unmistakable that Eric was merely prolonging the fight for sport.

At that point, the best thing the other four could have done was surrender... but unfortunately, the blood pouring off the Elder had incited the bloodlust in us all. Immediately, the three that had been standing directly behind him began their attack. The fourth vampire stepped neatly over the body of the girl he had knocked unconscious and dashed away from the fighting as fast as his legs could carry him. I turned to face the brown-haired vampire, who was headed in my direction. Before I could get in the first blow, Pam flashed past me. She had pulled out her favorite daggers and was letting out her own blood curdling war whoop. She gave a huge leap. She collided with the brown-haired vampire in mid-air and then both tumbled to the ground.

Momentarily distracted by her movement, I almost did not see the black-haired male swinging one of the wrought-iron lawn chairs at my head. I managed to duck at the last minute, immediately swiveling back in his direction. Hissing, I lunged toward him. I caught the front of his jacket, but he jerked back quickly enough that all I had left in my hand was a swatch of leather. I flew after him, and I don't think he was expecting me to move so quickly. He backed up as fast and as far as he could, but he was prevented from going too far by the fire pit. I flew at him, grabbing him by his shoulders and knocking him across the fire. Fortunately for both of us, our momentum carried us far enough that neither one of us burst into flames. We landed on the ground, but after a moment of struggle we both managed to get back on our feet. We exchanged a few furious punches, kicks, and jabs, but it was clear from the start that I was by far the superior fighter.

After only a few minutes, I tired of playing with him. Waiting for another one of my opponent's totally predictable punches, I grabbed his wrist and jerked him towards me, hard. I felt and heard the bone snap. Losing his balance, his momentum carried him forward, and in a flash I had him pinned face-down in the dirt. Immediately, I sank my fangs into his neck. I could have easily ripped his throat out at that point, but since this was only a disciplinary action, I was only expected to subdue him, not send him to his final death. It would be up to Eric to decide his fate. However, even though I had my fangs firmly in him, the young idiot refused to submit. He began to flail until finally I was obligated to break the other arm and both legs to get him to stay still.

Finally, I looked up to see how my companions were fairing. As I suspected he would, Eric had made short work of the Elder, who was not much more than a bloody pile of rags, skin, and bones. The minute I had realized that the vampire was unhinged, I had known that Eric would in all likelihood send him to his final death instead of merely subduing him... in fact, I might say it was his duty to do so. In the vampire world, insanity was viewed as an unacceptable threat to the whole and not generally tolerated for long. I noted with amusement that the Viking had obviously been careful to avoid getting too spattered. I supposed he must have been thinking about the aftermath of Sabriel's shredding and the resulting mess. He had not taken the time to bring a change of clothes with him, and he would not want to go home to Sookie completely covered in gore.

Currently, the King was dangling the smallest vampire of the nest by one ankle. The way the "boy's" other limbs were flopping around indicated that they were probably broken. Eric had obviously finished his fight long before Pam or me and had been watching our efforts with enjoyment. Pam had not been as careful of her appearance as her Maker. Twin rivers of blood were dripping down her chin. Her sweater and slacks were also soaked in the red liquid, but fortunately it appeared to be mostly that of her opponent. She was standing triumphantly over him with one elegantly shod foot planted firmly on his throat. He lay beneath her bleeding profusely from at least a hundred deep slashes. Grinning fiercely, she looked over at me and remarked, "Not nearly as much fun as a sword fight, but it will do."

"I hate to be a spoilsport, but what about the sixth member of the nest?" I reminded her, "Perhaps we should go in search of him."

"Don't bother," a disembodied voice said. A minute later, Caroline stepped into the light. She was dragging another medium-sized male vampire behind her. This one was gagged and trussed in silver rope like the proverbial Christmas goose. Everywhere the silver touched his skin, it was flaking and burning and he was moaning in spite of the gag. Clyde was right behind her, and over each broad shoulder lay a young human male. They were both completely naked, and the location and nature of their wounds painted a grim picture of what had transpired. They were so still I could not tell at first glance if they were dead or merely unconscious. I wondered where Caroline had run across this last member of the nest. Eric had stationed Beuford, Clyde, and her in strategic locations around the farmhouse just in case someone tried to escape into the fields. At his grandsire's instruction, he toted the boys over to the quilt and laid them down next to the still unconscious girl.

Caroline explained to the rest of us how she had come upon her captive, "Just before the fighting started, I heard some faint noises coming from inside the barn. I figured I had best check it out. I found lover-boy here having his way with these two and by the way he had them tied up, it was pretty obvious they were not willing." Giving her captive a sharp kick in the ribs, she looked down at him and said coldly, "How do you like someone hurting you when you're helpless? If there is anything I cannot tolerate, it is a bully. The only thing I hate more than a bully is a rapist. You had better pray that the Viking takes mercy on you. If I get to choose, you won't much like it, I promise. I hear penises take a whole year to grow back." At her words, her captive's eyes widened and rolled frantically around in their sockets.

Grinning, Eric said, "Caroline, my friend, since you so graciously volunteered your assistance, the least I can do is allow you to dictate his punishment. Do with him as you will." At that, the prisoner closed his eyes and quit moving entirely. I suspected he was desperately trying to will himself into unconsciousness. One look into Caroline's eyes, and I definitely would have been doing the same.

Just then, Beuford came lumbering around the back of the house. Under one burly arm was tucked the remaining member of the nest, the one who had tried to escape into the fields. Beuford tossed the limp form onto the ground and remarked, "That little asshole was hard to catch. His talent must be running. I see we have the whole nest here. What now, your Majesty?"

Eric looked down at the broken and battered remains of the nest. They were all still undead except for the Elder, and all of them were badly injured but conscious. Five pairs of eyes were glued to Eric, anxiously awaiting his verdict. He looked down at Caroline's captive and said, "You are now Caroline's problem. If you manage to survive, stay out of my territory."

Strolling over to the original three, the Viking stood towering over them. Staring down at them with glittering eyes, he told them, "Your nest has caused me a great deal of time and trouble. I gave you a chance to submit to my authority and you chose to ignore it. However, I realize that to a large extent you were misled by your Elder. Therefore, I am inclined to allow you to live... but not in this territory. You are now banned from all of Louisiana and Arkansas. Sheriff Beuford here will take you across the border and leave you somewhere out of the sun so that you may heal. It goes without saying that all assets of the nest are forfeit to this Kingdom, but in deference to my friend the Queen of Oklahoma, I am going to allow you to keep one automobile. Although I have no jurisdiction there, my sound advice is to use it to get out of Oklahoma as soon after you have healed as possible. I warn you, Wanda is definitely not inclined to put up with any foolishness. If this had happened in her territory, you would no doubt be staked out waiting for sunrise this very moment." As far as vampire punishments went, the one that Eric had just given them was actually quite fair, and I knew that they would consider themselves quite lucky... someday. Compared to the sentences he had handed down whilst in the throes of Bonding Sickness, these were mere slaps on the wrist.

The Viking then walked over to the vampire that Beuford had captured, the one who had tried to slip off into the night as soon as the fighting had started. For the first time, I could feel the King's anger and I thought at first he might very well put an end the vampire right then and there. Giving him a serious glare, Eric said coldly, "You also refused to submit to my authority... but beyond that, you are a coward. You deserted your nestmates in their time of need. There is no excuse for such cravenly behavior. I am going to allow you to live, but you may come to wish that I had not. You will be bound and left with your nestmates. They will be left unbound... and they will heal eventually. I leave your fate to those you betrayed." Looking in Beuford's direction, he asked, "Any questions?"

His Sheriff grinned and said, "None at all. Leave it to me." I could tell that this whole event had cemented his loyalty to the Viking. He and Clyde picked up a couple of their prisoners and started toward the cars.

While Eric was handing down his punishments, Caroline had gone over to the two human boys that had been rescued from the barn. She knelt down beside them, and gently stroked the hair back away from their dirty, bruised faces. The look on her face was extraordinary. Instead of the hard-nosed vampiress I had come to know, she looked like the human mother she had once been. Something about how those boys had been treated seemed to have awakened a sadness within her, and I wondered why... but I was still too much of a gentleman to ask any questions of such a personal nature. About the time Eric had finished, a weak groan had come from the girl that had been knocked unconscious. Caroline looked up at Eric and said, "Leave the humans to me. I'll clean 'em up, heal them, glamour them, and make sure they get safely home. If I'm to do it before dawn, though, I'll need a little help. Do you think Pam could give me a hand? That van will come in handy."

Instantly, a burst of amusement came from the Viking. Without cracking a smile, he said smoothly, "Of course! Pam will be more than happy to help you heal the humans." He knew full well that Pam loathed most humans. Furthermore, she had the maternal instincts of a bulldozer and would much rather kill a human as heal one. This was his subtle way of punishing her for her recent bad behavior.

"Oh, no, I won't!" sputtered his child indignantly, "Clyde can help her. I'll go with Beuford to dump the prisoners."

Pinning her with his gaze, her Maker said evenly, "Oh, yes, Pamela, you will. After you are done, you can stay the day with Caroline and then drive back to Shreveport tomorrow night."

From the gleam in Eric's eye and the set of his jaw, any fool could plainly see that there was no use arguing with him... but that wasn't going to stop Pam. She was just opening her mouth to protest further, when I quickly suggested, "Eric, while the Sheriff gets the prisoners and humans loaded, I think Pam and I should check out the house. It is possible there may be someone hiding inside." I grabbed Pam by the arm and practically dragged her across the yard toward the screen door. I doubted there was anyone left inside, but I figured it was best to get Pam away from her Maker before she aggravated him any further.

Much like Sookie's house, the back porch led directly into an old kitchen which had seen better days. The old wooden cabinets were in serious need of a fresh coat of paint, and the linoleum floor was cracked and peeling in places. A veritable sea of empty bottles covered almost conceivable surface. The waste bin was overflowing with what appeared to be the remnants of human food... and by the smell, it was not particularly fresh. Apparently the nest had been entertaining human visitors even before this evening's event.

As she took in the scene, a pained expression came across Pam's delicate features. "Phew!" She exclaimed, "What a pigsty! How can anyone live this way?"

Spying a roll of paper towels, she grabbed them and made her way over to the sink. Quickly stripping off her ruined sweater and pants, she quickly cleaned as much of the blood from her skin as she could. Fortunately, the blood had not soaked through to her pink lace undergarments. I had been somewhat surprised to discover that my fellow Lieutenant was something of a neat freak... at least, she believed in having lots of human servants around to keep her home and her extensive wardrobe in perfect order. Somehow, I seriously doubted she had ever done any of her own domestic chores. While I watched her cleaning up, I answered her question, "I have no idea why anyone would live like this, human or vampire. The nest must not have been able to afford to hire any day help."

Once she was finished with her own washing up, she ran a paper towel under the tap and then walked over to me. To my complete amazement, she casually reached up and started to clean the blood from my face. I was so astonished, I jerked my head back just slightly. Grabbing my jaw with her free hand, she held my face still and commanded, "Quit wiggling. This will only take a minute."

I complied, and as she scrubbed (none too gently, I might add) Pam mused, "If that Elder was as old as he claimed, how could he not have servants? I have never known an old vampire that was poor. Why would anyone that old choose such a rag-tag bunch of nestmates? I have never seen such a bunch of idiots! And why on earth did he choose such an out-of-the-way spot to live?"

Come to think about it, it was a little strange for an old vampire to be living in such circumstances. Shrugging, I said, "Who knows? Maybe he irritated some other Monarch, and was waiting for the trouble to blow over. By the way, Pam, speaking of irritating a Monarch... why on earth are you so determined to provoke Eric?"

The look she gave me could have peeled the remaining paint off the kitchen cabinets. Abruptly stepping away from me, she tossed the now filthy paper towel neatly on top of the pile of trash. "Mind your own business, Bill," she said sharply and then stomped off down the hallway.

Females seemed to be forever saying those words to me. I just sighed and followed her. The first two rooms we inspected were sun-proofed and were in use as bedrooms, although they contained coffins instead of beds. This was a little unusual in these more enlightened times. It was an indicator that either the nest had not been in residence long enough to furnish the place, or that they had not planned on staying all that long. The next room was also a bedroom, but this one did contain a traditional bed. Judging from the crumpled sheets and clothes that were strewn about, it was definitely being used by someone... most probably the Elder. The rest of the furniture in the house was worn and outdated, and I was willing to bet most of it had come with the house... with the exception of the "game room" I had seen earlier. As in most vampire homes, the dining room was being used for other purposes. Amusingly, there was a Monopoly game box on one end of the old dining room table and next to that was a wooden spinner full of poker chips along with several decks of cards. In one corner of the room sat a small desk that held a computer. On the floor nearby were stacked a couple of file boxes. I would need to take those things with me, to see if we could locate and recover any of the nest's financial assets. Anything else of value would be confiscated and sold by Beuford, with a hefty percentage of the proceeds being sent to Eric.

After the first couple of rooms, it became clear to Pam that I was going to respect her wishes and say no more on the subject of her recent poor behavior. Somehow, I sensed that she really did want to discuss it, but was just not used to sharing things... most especially with me. Finally, though, she let out a frustrated sigh. "All right... I guess I have been pushing Eric's buttons a bit," she admitted, "... but for some reason, I just cannot seem to help myself. Still, I can hardly believe my Master stooped to something so petty. Me, healing humans? As Sookie would say... Ick."

This was the first time since Sookie's return that Pam had referred to her Mistress without her voice dripping with disdain, so I took that as a positive sign. "Caroline seemed quite upset by what happened to those human boys," I offered, "Maybe she will do most of the healing."

"Do you think so?" Pam brightened considerably, "Maybe I can help punish her prisoner instead. I wouldn't mind that at all."

"If I were you, I think I would refrain from mentioning that possibility to your Maker. If he thinks you are going to enjoy yourself, he might think of something even more disagreeable for you to do."

"He used to give me spankings when I was disobedient," she said somewhat wistfully, "I guess those days are gone."

By this time, I had my hand on the doorknob to the room I had seen earlier, the one that contained all the bondage equipment. "Maybe all is not lost," I said teasingly, "Maybe you can lure Eric in here with some excuse or other, and then you can say something else offensive. This room might just inspire him to really discipline you."

Flinging open the door, I grabbed her hand and pulled her inside, watching her face carefully to see if she would get my little joke. Instead of laughing, she merely lifted one elegant blond eyebrow and said dryly, "Huh. If so, it appears that I will have to wait my turn."

Whipping my head around, I was astonished to see that the room was now occupied by two completely nude human females. A young, well nourished blond was laying spread-eagled on the wooden table, tightly restrained with thick leather straps. Her eyes had been covered with a leather blindfold and in her mouth was a gag. Her only adornment was a tiny gold cross which dangled from a delicate gold chain around her neck. Blobs of black were splattered on her skin where someone had methodically dripped hot candle wax on strategic places. She had been viciously bitten in several tender areas, and she was also bleeding from several small cuts on her skin. The physical evidence of her tormentor's pleasure at the pain he had caused lay glistening in puddles around her body. Wounds and wax aside, she had beautiful glossy skin and hair and perfectly manicured feet and hands. I could tell that up until a few minutes ago, she had been well-cared for by someone... probably her parents... but now, she was white as a sheet and very still. Her wounds were still bleeding and she was still breathing, so at least I knew she was alive.

Not far away, the other girl was standing quietly with her arms suspended over her head. They were tied with thin leather straps to a metal bar about eighteen inches long, which was in turn suspended by chains from the large hook in the ceiling. Her head was covered with a leather half-mask, and she was prevented from speaking by the ball gag in her mouth. This girl was probably about 5'8" and quite thin. The mask prevented me from seeing the color of her hair and eyes; but from the light covering of hair on between her legs, I presumed her hair was probably a rich chocolate brown. For such a thin girl, her breasts were large and round. Both nipples were pierced, and also her belly button. A dark blue tattoo representing a single strand of barbed wire wrapped around her left ankle, and a dark red blood drop was tattooed on her neck just over the jugular. All of this lead me to believe that perhaps she had not been as carefully raised as the other girl, and also, this was probably not her first experience with vampires. Overall, she seemed to be in much better shape than the girl on the table. She had a few light bruises, a couple of bite marks that were mostly healed, and two that were fresh and dripping. The tell-tale punctures were on her left breast and on the inner part of her upper left thigh.

Finding these two females was completely unexpected and not really all that welcome. We vampires were fresh from a fight, and bloodlust was still running high. Here were two humans laid out like a smörgåsbord, and both of them were already already bleeding. Just the smell of their young sweet blood caused my dark desires to surge, but after a brief struggle with my conscious I managed to get myself back under control. This was definitely not the time to let loose, or I would be no better than the nest we had just vanquished. As casually as I could, I remarked to Pam, "Well, it looks like Caroline is going to have her hands full. Now you really will have to help her."

There was no response. I glanced in my fellow Lieutenant's direction, and discovered that she was wearing a very unusual expression. Ignoring the blond female strapped to the table entirely. Pam seemed completely enthralled with the sight of the tall girl's restrained body and for a split second I thought she was going to launch herself in the girl's direction. However, she surprised me by merely walking slowly across the room and coming to a stop just in front of the captive. At first, I thought she was going to try and untie the girl, but instead she placed her palm on the girl's shoulder and ran it gently down her arm. At the moment of contact, the girl flinched slightly, but after that she stood very, very still. The ball gag prevented her from saying anything, but she never even let out a squeak or a groan. Blue eyes gleaming, Pam's next move was to run her hand from the base of the girl's throat down to her left breast. She cupped the heavy globe in her palm, almost as if she was weighing it. She eyed the blood from the bite marks hungrily. "Pam! What are you doing?" I said sharply, "She's had enough trauma for one evening, don't you think?"

My words seemed to snap her out of whatever trance she had been in. With a look of disdain, she responded, "Good God, Bill! Are you a vampire or a choir boy? We're going to glamour her soon anyway. Where's the harm? Besides, she's not exactly protesting, is she?"

"Well, the gag might have something to do with her lack of complaints," I pointed out rather sarcastically.

Pam let go of the breast and moved on to stroking the girls flank. Reluctantly giving her one last pat, she sighed and said, "It is just that her body reminds me of someone... someone of whom I was once extremely fond."

Nothing she could have said could have startled me more. I would have sworn an oath that my counterpart had never been "fond" of anyone but Robert and Eric in her entire existence, and suddenly I was burning to ask for details... but of course, she would probably never tell me. "Bill, I can't reach her hands to untie them," she said, "You do that, and I'll get the rest."

I nodded and did as I was told. As I began to work on the leather ties, I had no choice but to step in quite close behind her. There was really no other way to get her wrists loose. I could not help brushing up against her, and for a moment it seemed if she deliberately brushed her backside against me. Ah... God. I had to fight down the resulting erection, reminding myself firmly that this woman was definitely not my type. As I struggled with a knot, Pam unfastened the gag and gently eased it out of the girl's mouth. To my astonishment, she did not start screaming or crying or even talking. In fact, she clamped her lips tightly shut and said nothing. Quickly, Pam unsnapped and then removed the mask. As it came free, a cascade of silky brown hair tumbled out, falling nearly to the girl's waist. Pam gave out a gasp. For a long moment, the two females stood and stared at each other without saying a word. I was fairly certain the female had not been expecting to be rescued by two strange vampires, one of them wearing nothing but lacy underwear. Finally, it was the girl that spoke up first. "Who are you all?" she asked curiously. Her accent was the sweet honeyed cadence of Georgia, spoken in what is sometimes referred to as a "whiskey" voice... low, slightly gravelly and very sexy, "What happened to Marius?"

Ignoring her question, I finally managed to get one wrist loose, and then fortunately the other came free without much trouble. The female made no attempt to cover herself and did not beg for clothes, but instead merely shook out her hands a bit and rolled her shoulders. From her complete lack of hysteria, I got the distinct impression that she had not been the unwilling victim that we had first assumed her to be. Again, I ignored her question, but I did ask her one. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

She snorted and replied, "My name is Amy, and up until just a few minutes ago, I was trying to have a good time."

A slow, fangy smile broke across Pam's face as she repeated softly, "... having... a... good... time. You like this sort of thing." She was eying the girl like she had just won the lottery. I knew that sometimes Pam was not opposed to a bit of bondage herself and this was probably her dream human. My fellow Lieutenant was going to be of little help in interrogating the female, since she was clearly too busy fantasizing about how to go about getting the girl back into the restraints.

Pointing at the unconscious female still strapped to the table, I said, "I take it you were here voluntarily. How about her?"

"Well... I think it was her first time and all... and maybe she was a little wasted... but she did want to give this stuff a shot. She said regular sex with the local boys was getting too boring."

Looking at all the bite marks, I commented, "It looks to me like she probably got a little more than she bargained for. If this was consensual, why didn't she use her "safe word" before it got to this point?" Such games were supposed to be all about trust, and exploring one's limits. The Submissive was supposed to have a word that would let the Dominant partner know when they had reached their limit... and unless the girl was suicidal, she was clearly way past hers.

Amy scoffed, "Safe word? Get real. If the silly idiot was stupid enough to trust a vampire not to do a little biting, she deserves what she got. Besides, she's been teasing Marius and the boys something awful ever since we got here."

I caught the pronoun immediately, "You aren't local? Were you traveling with the nest?"

For the first time, she showed a bit of emotion. "What do you mean, were? What have you all done to Marius? Where are the boys? Who the hell are you people?"

To my amazement, Pam took the girl's hand and stroked it. She said, "Shhh. Settle down. We'll take care of you."

The girl jerked her hand away and responded, "Thanks, but Marius takes care of me. You had better be careful. I'm his, and he's very possessive... and mean as a snake."

Without warning, Eric appeared in the doorway. I had been so involved with the current situation, I had not even heard him approach. He stepped inside and took one slow pan of the room. As his piercing blue eyes took in the scene, I could tell that although he was still subject to the same biological response as any other vampire, he was able to control it with much more ease that I had. His only outer reaction was the slight dilation of his eyes. As for the girl, the minute she got a good look at him, she had exactly the same reaction to him as any other female would. She sharply sucked in a deep breath and a few seconds later the scent of her arousal filled the air. Instantly, Pam took one step closer to her, and I took one step farther away. Neither move escaped Eric's eagle eye, and I felt a surge of amusement coming from him. "I thought I would come see what was taking you two so long," he said. "So... who have we here?"

"Eric, this is Amy," Pam answered, "So far all we have learned is that she had been living with the nest. The other girl is a local. Amy, this is Eric Northman... and my name is Pam."

"Eric Northman!" Amy exclaimed, "Oh! I know who you are. I heard Marius talking about you ... but from what he said, you aren't at all what I expected."

The Viking's eyes gleamed a bit as he asked her, "Oh? And might I inquire as to what you heard?"

She started to say, "Well, that you're the K.." but stopped herself in mid-sentence. Suddenly wary, she realized that maybe claiming too much knowledge about vampire affairs might not be a good thing. "Uh... I just heard him say that you were a little arrogant, that's all."

"Did he also mention how much I dislike being lied to?" Eric asked coldly, pining her warm brown eyes with his chilly blue ones, "Shall we try again?"

Instinctively, she knew Eric was very, very dangerous and not to be trifled with. Swallowing hard, Amy whispered, "You're the vampire King of Louisiana and Arkansas. Marius said that you were a puss... uh... kind of a wimp, and could care less about what happens in Arkansas." She paused, working through things in her mind. "Since you're here now, I guess Marius was wrong about you. Where is he? Have you arrested him or something? These two won't answer any of my questions."

Never one to sugar-coat things, Eric said flatly, "If this Marius was the Elder of the nest, then he is finally dead."

At his words, the girl closed her eyes. Pam hovered, obviously ready to catch her if she fainted. However, after just a moment, Amy seemed to pull herself together. Her eyes popped open and to my surprise they were completely dry. It seemed that she had no tears at all for her fallen vampire, which as far as I was concerned was proof that she had not loved him at all."Okay," she asked evenly, "What about the boys? Did you kill them all, too?"

"No," said the Viking, "They are somewhat indisposed, but they are still among the undead. They will be ejected from the territory shortly."

Amy thought that over for a minute before asking rather boldly, "So... what about me?"

Eric looked at her for a long moment, considering. Finally, he said smoothly, "Tell me something about yourself, Amy. How old are you? Where is your family?"

"I'm twenty-two, and I've been on my own since I was sixteen," she told him with a hint of defiance in her voice, "As far as I'm concerned I have no family. Well... shit. I guess now that Marius is finally dead, I have nowhere else to go."

Suddenly, it dawned on her that maybe she might be considered a loose end, and that maybe telling Eric that no one would even notice if she turned up missing was not too smart. She was a survivor, though. As quick as a wink, she came up with a new life plan. Arching her back ever so slightly, she made certain her bare breasts were showing to their best advantage. She ran the tip of her tongue over her bottom lip, moistening it. In a sultry tone, she said, "What about you, Eric? Marius taught me all about how to please a vampire. He told me that I was the best he's ever had, sex-wise, and beyond that, he always said my blood was really unique. I could make you a damned fine companion, and you can believe it."

Even though she was actually a very attractive young woman, Eric eyed her like she was three-day-old fishbait. "Frankly, even from here I can smell that your blood is rather pedestrian," he told the girl rather rudely, "In any event, I already have a magnificent Queen who pleases me in every way. In fact, it is high time I get back to her. Pam, I am going to have Bill drive me back to Shreveport. You can take care of Amy after we leave."

By that, I knew he meant that he expected Pam to really "take care" of her... permanently. It would never do to leave a witness to tonight's events running around loose. Furthermore, we had no idea exactly what she had overheard while living with the nest, and it would be too difficult to glamour all of her knowledge about vampires out of her head. A frown crossed Pam's face. I could tell that she wanted to keep the human, if only for long enough to have a chance to get to know her... at least in the biblical sense. Even after our talk about irritating her Maker. I could tell by Pam's eyes that she was going to try and get the girl a small reprieve. She said, "Eric... Caroline and I are going to have our hands full to get the other humans returned to their homes before dawn. I am certain Caroline will be glad to offer Amy shelter until other arrangements can be made. I will be responsible for her until then."

Unquestionably smarter than all of the vampires of her former nest put together, Amy accurately assessed that Pam now represented her best chance of survival. From the moment he had entered the room, she had focused her attention entirely on Eric; but now she turned to Pam and gave her a sultry smile. Laying a hand on the blond vampiress' arm, Amy looked deeply into her eyes and said, "Thanks, Pam. I would love to stay with you."

Unbelievably, Pam returned the smile, fangs still fully down. Eric narrowed his eyes and regarded the pair of them, a tiny frown appearing between those blond Viking brows. His child must have sensed that he was not inclined to agree to her request, so she threw in something to appeal to his practical nature, "Caroline and I could use the help. I imagine Amy might know who some of these humans are and maybe even where they live."

Knowing that if she could prove herself useful, her odds of being allowed to stay with Pam might improve dramatically, Amy said eagerly, "Yes, I can help! I happen to know where this girl lives... at least, I don't know the address, but I can get you there. I don't know who else you have out there, but chances are I can help you figure it out pretty quick."

After another brief moment of consideration, the Viking finally said, "Very well. Pam, I am holding you responsible for her behavior."

Now that she had gotten her way, Pam was the perfect picture of an obedient child. Bowing deeply from the waist, she said something to him in his old language. I could not understand exactly what she said, but it sounded like she was thanking him. Now that the issue of Amy was resolved, the Viking turned his attention to the other human in the room. He strode over to the table and peered down into the girl's face. He reached out and smeared one drop of her blood onto a fingertip and then plopped it into his mouth. "This one is very young and well-cared for," he said, "Someone will be out searching for her soon, if they aren't already. She definitely needs to be healed and returned to her family before dawn. Bill, help me release her. We can carry her out as we go."

Reaching down, his long fingers deftly unfastened the blond female's wrist restraints as I went to work on the ones on her ankles. In no time at all, she was free. I was thoroughly expecting to be the one to carry her, but the Viking easily swooped her up and tossed her over one of his massive shoulders. The sudden movement seemed to have snapped her out of her stupor, because suddenly she began to wiggle. He shifted her into a more secure position and started to carry her outside. Eric was so tall, he had to stoop to get the girl's wriggling body through the doorway. As I glanced up to see if Eric was going to get her under the jamb in one piece, I caught the blink of a red light out of the corner of my eye. Turning my head just slightly, I saw what at first glance appeared to be a smoke detector embedded in the ceiling... but then, it blinked again. As I took a closer look, I realized immediately that it was not a smoke detector at all. It was actually a cleverly disguised camera lens, similar to the ones we used in the security system at Fangtasia. My first thought was that perhaps Marius liked to record his bondage sessions... but that camera was very inconspicuous indeed. Why would he go to so much elaborate lengths to conceal it?

Suddenly uneasy, I grabbed what I assumed to be the girl's clothes from where they had been tossed next to the table and then followed the Viking out into the hall. As I went out the door, I heard Pam practically cooing, "Amy, dear, why don't I seal those bite marks for you? You know, they will heal so much faster if I do."

If I had not been so distracted, I might have laughed out loud. Evidently Pam was going to "take care" of Amy in her own way. The first thing I did when I entered the hallway was to look up. There was no camera anywhere to be seen, and I let out a sigh of relief. Just to be certain that I was merely being paranoid, I poked my head into the front living room... and a chill passed through me. Another camera just like the one in the bedroom was installed on the far end of the ceiling. As I made my way back through the house, I located three more. I hurried after the Viking to inform him of my discovery.

Eric had already taken his squirming cargo outside, and as I opened the back door I was just in time to see him dump her rather unceremoniously on the ground. Immediately, the traumatized young girl tried to scramble away, but in a flash the vampire grabbed her by the wrist and held on firmly as she strained against his grasp. She started to wail mindlessly, and the sound was loud and highly unpleasant. "Enough!" Eric commanded, giving her a slight shake. Even the authority in his voice was not enough to break through her hysteria. Her cries increased in volume, finally becoming an ear-shattering shriek. Eric swung her around until she was facing him, gripping her in a way that she had little choice but to remain still. Staring directly into her eyes, he said gently, "Easy now. I promise, I am not going to hurt you. I want you to relax..."

I stood by silently while he glamoured her into submission and then helped to load her into Pam's van along with the other injured humans. As they worked, I took another survey of the exterior of the house. Now that I knew what to look for, it did not take me long to find several exterior cameras. I made my way back to the front yard, and pulled the Viking aside. "Eric, there are surveillance cameras everywhere," I told him quietly, "In the house, the yard... everywhere. They are very well concealed, which is why I didn't see them the first time around. It looks to be very sophisticated equipment, too. Why on earth would a nest such as this one have need of such capabilities? There is nothing worth stealing that I can see."

The King's big body went utterly still as he absorbed this unexpected news. He thought for a moment and then said just as quietly, "Perhaps there was more to this nest than meets the eye. Maybe the girl Amy knows something. In any event, there is probably a recording device somewhere in the house, and we need to recover the tapes if possible."

We headed back inside. We found Pam standing in the doorway of the bedroom that had the bed in it. Amy was inside getting dressed, Pam's glowing eyes following every move she made. Eric pushed past his child and stepped into the room. Pointing up at the camera, he demanded, "Amy, tell me what you know about these."

The girl glanced up to see what he was pointing at, and then she looked back at Eric. As if speaking to a backward child, she said, "They are called 'smoke detectors.' They make a loud noise in case of a fire. Surely you have seen one before."

Watching her carefully, he said, "I see. Did your vampires have them installed, or were they here when you arrived?"

"The night we got here, two guys in a van showed up and installed them," she replied, "I asked Marius about it, and he said the owner of the house was paying for it."

Eric asked, "So your vampire did not own this place?"

"No, he told me he was just borrowing it from a friend, but he never did say who it was. Seth might know. He and Marius were pretty tight."

"Which one is Seth?" I asked.

She answered readily, "He's tall and thin with brown-hair."

After a brief discussion, Eric and I decided that we would search the house first, and then question the vampire. We looked quite thoroughly, but we had no luck finding a monitoring station or a recording device of any kind. I took a quick look at the computer, but could not find any evidence that it was connected to the surveillance equipment. Still, I unplugged everything and loaded it into the back seat of my car, along with the two file boxes of papers. The next logical step was to follow the wires from the cameras and see where they led, so I found the access to the attic and crawled inside. Sure enough, this resulted in the discovery of a central hub at one end of the attic, which in turn was wired into a satellite dish which was mounted onto the roof. I went outside and flew up onto the roof to inspect it. The dish was the type used for high-speed Internet. I knew it well, because it was the exact same system I had set up at my own home in Bon Temps. That was not good news. It meant that the feed was probably being uploaded to some unknown location and was unrecoverable. If someone was monitoring the feed from some remote location, they would have seen all of tonight's events, including our discovery of their cameras. At that point there was nothing to be done but disconnect the feed, and so I did.

I levitated off the roof and settled near Eric, who had been watching from the ground. His arms were folded across his broad chest, and I could tell that he was deep in thought. Without a word, he turned and strode toward our vehicles. The Sheriff had tossed his prisoners into the back of his massive, completely over-the-top black pick-up truck, and Clyde was busy covering them with a tarp. Eric ordered, "Wait. I wish to question the brown-haired vampire."

Obediently tossing back the cover, Clyde said, "I don't know if you can, Sir. Pam cut him up pretty good. He lost so much blood that I doubt he'll be worth talking to until he's had some time to heal. Even then, until he feeds he won't be too rational... you know how it is."

Eric glared down at the broken and bleeding bodies which were lying tangled together in a bloody heap. "I have no intention of wasting any more time here tonight," he said, "I will take him with me back to Shreveport." Without further ado, he reached over the sides of the truck and deftly plucked the vampire in question from the pile. Eric held the vampire's body out in front of him as if he was taking out a leaking bag of trash and said, "Open the trunk, Bill. There is no point getting blood on your upholstery."

I complied. To be honest, it wasn't such a bad place to be. After my little incident in Memphis, I had realized that with a few modifications, the trunk of a car could make an admirable resting place in case of emergency. Since that time, I had made the trunk completely light-tight, added some extra padding for comfort, and also added a mechanism that would allow me to lock or unlock the trunk from the inside. All-in-all, not a bad way to spend the day in a pinch... except that I could never actually bring myself to try it out. Too many bad memories went with it. Shoving that thought aside, I leaned in and removed my overnight bag and a few other personal items to make room for the prisoner. I also made sure that the locking/unlocking mechanism was disabled, and then moved to one side so that Eric could stuff his cargo inside. He had to bend the body a bit to get it to fit, but as his legs were already broken it was not too much of a problem. About that time, Pam came trotting out of the house with Amy trailing closely behind her. The young woman was now clothed in a pair of old blue jeans and a tank top. Pam must have borrowed some of her clothes, because she was now uncharacteristically clad in an old t-shirt and a pair of cut-offs. The girl had a rather ratty duffle bag slung over one shoulder, so it looked as if the vampiress had allowed her to pack up a few of her things. Pam came straight to Eric and said, "You called?"

I had not realized her Maker had called his child to him, but apparently he had. He answered, "Yes. I may want to question this girl further. I will take her with me. Put her in the trunk."

Immediately, three voices cried in horror, "What? No!" I was shocked to realize that mine had been the loudest. Ignoring Pam and Amy, Eric looked to me quizzically. Since I had no fondness for this particular human, I could hardly understand my own violent reaction... until I realized that somehow the mere thought of shoving that poor helpless girl in the trunk with a severely injured vampire had brought back all the memories I worked so hard to forget. At that moment, I seemed helpless to slow the vivid stream of images of my extreme torture as they flashed through my head... but with an act of sheer will-power, I managed to stop them before they reached the devastating episode in the trunk with Sookie. There was no doubt about it, I had suddenly lost my cool. It was all I could do to keep from shaking like a leaf. Nervously clearing my throat, I stammered, "Eric... I just... we can't... it is just too dangerous."

He was staring at me like I had lost my mind, when Pam spoke up and said coolly, "Master, I think what Bill is trying to say is that Sookie would be extremely upset about this if she ever found out. Why run the risk? I still need this female's help tonight, and I promise, I will have her back in Shreveport tomorrow night. Your Telepath can question her then."

I hadn't known that Pam was even aware of that awful incident... but I should have guessed that Eric would have been more than happy to share the story with her. Still, her words seemed to register with him, and he responded with a gruff, "Very well, Pamela... but you had better make certain that she does not go missing while you are at rest."

Pulling a pair of handcuffs from a pocket of her cut-offs, his child gave him a wink and said, "Dear Master, I believe it was you who taught me to always be prepared."

Picking up on her cue, Amy said quickly, "I swear, I am perfectly willing to tell you whatever you want to know. If Pam needs to lock me up during the day, I understand. I've been around vampires enough to know you all have trust issues. Eric, I just want you all to know I'm not going to be any trouble at all."

Eric gave her one last glare. "That would certainly be in your best interest," he said coldly, "And by the way, you have not earned the right to call me by my given name. You will refer to me as Sir, or Your Majesty."

"Um... yes, your Majesty."

After that, Eric gave a few more instructions to Beuford and Clyde, and then said his goodbyes to Caroline. Her bent down far enough that she could give him a hug and a kiss, and even though as King he really did not need to do it, he very charmingly thanked her for all her help. Following his lead, I did the same... except that when she kissed me, she clamped both hands on my rear and gave it a firm squeeze. Startled, I jumped a bit and she hooted with laughter. She said, "Bill Compton, what you need is about a week up here with old Caroline. Some good old-fashioned sex will help to settle those nerves of yours. Give me a call, anytime!"

Chuckling, she let go of me and allowed me get in the car unmolested. She stood on the side of the drive and waved cheerfully as I put the car in gear. As we pulled onto the road, Eric gave a huge sigh of relief and said, "Bill, I must confess I am glad to be leaving. Let us see how quickly you can get us back to Shreveport.

He did not have to say another word. I pushed the accelerator to the floor, and we sped towards home as fast as the car would carry us.

Not long after we had hit the highway, Eric pulled out a the case of CD's that I always kept in my car. He rapidly flipped through the selections, looking for something to listen to on the long drive home. Knowing that he would not find any rock and roll or heavy metal, I was expecting some snide comments about my musical tastes. Instead, he soon pulled out a disc and slipped it into the player. Soon one of my favorite performances of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor poured from the speakers. Eric grinned and said, "Appropriate, don't you think?"

"I had no idea that you liked classical music," I said in surprise.

"Actually, I like music of all kinds," he replied easily, "Organ music is so... majestic, is it not? I am fond of Bach in particular. I was in Germany during part of his lifetime, and made it a point to go hear him play on a couple of occasions. When he performed, it truly sent chills down my spine. Trust me, the modern recordings just do not do his music justice."

I glanced over at the Viking, and saw that he had a smile on his face, remembering. Once again, I was awestruck by all the incredible things he must have seen and done in his thousand years on the planet. For a long time, we rode in silence, just listening to the music together. Eventually, he turned the sound down several notches and asked, "So, Bill... what do you make of the security cameras?"

"I honestly don't know what to think," I replied, "What about you?"

He said thoughtfully, "In the old days, certain Indian tribes would sometimes send out an advance group to provoke a fight with their enemies. These were not the tribe's best fighters, but ones that were considered somewhat expendable. The leaders of the tribe would carefully observe the result from a distance. In this way, the leaders learned a great deal about their opponents... things such as how quickly they responded to the threat and in what fashion, how fierce the other fighters were and the techniques they were likely to employ, and so on... I think what we have just seen might very well be a modern-day version of that very tactic. Someone put that nest up to bait me, and then sat back to watch my response. I think someone wants to see if I am paying attention to Arkansas. If I were planning a take-over and knew that no one was likely to notice, I might very well find a place very much like Magnolia to set up a base of operations."

Amazingly enough, he sounded and felt completely calm. I said, "For someone who just discovered he is being targeted for a take-over, you don't seem all that surprised... or worried."

He gave me the full Viking grin, "Of course not! I am a brand-new King... still very much an unknown quantity. It is inevitable that someone will be stupid enough to test me. Robert and I have a bet going to see how long it would be before it happened. I was betting it would come before the Coronation... he was counting on afterward. I think I just won... although since this is mere speculation at this point, he will probably try to wriggle out of paying up."

"So what do you intend to do?"

"Being forewarned is a huge advantage. Being able to discover who is behind this would be even better, so we should concentrate our efforts in that direction. Since I have been anticipating something of the sort, I have already decided to..."

We spent the next several minutes discussing his defense plans. Finally, he said, "Tomorrow evening, I want the prisoner given enough blood to be lucid. I want you and Pam to conduct the interrogation. Somehow, I doubt he knows much, but you can give it a try anyway. Try talking to the girl, too. She might know more than she thinks she does."

"Won't you be there?"

Shaking his head, he replied, "No. I think you are perfectly capable of this task. As I already told you, I am determined to spend some time alone with Sookie and I refuse to put it off any longer. Unless you find out that this take-over is being planned for tomorrow night, I do not want to be disturbed... am I clear?"

"Perfectly," I assured him, "I will tell Pam."

A spike of irritation shot through the Viking and he said, "Yes, you do that. Perhaps she will not argue with you. It is just as well that I will not be around her tomorrow evening. She seems to be determined to push me to my limits."

"Perhaps if all goes well with the little human girl, she will be in a better humor."

"Ah, yes... it is obvious that Pam is completely infatuated," her Maker observed, "I only hope Pam does not become too attached, in the event that we still have to kill the girl."

"Do you think she will try and keep her?" I asked curiously, "I have never known Pam to have a companion for more than a couple of days."

Eric shrugged his shoulders and admitted, "I have no idea... this would be a first. If Pam does keep her, we need to have more background on her. She will not be allowed to bring her to Valhalla until we know everything there is to know about her, starting with how she ended up with that other nest." He stopped abruptly, thought for a moment, and then segued into, "Speaking of nests, that was really a strange group, was it not?"

I said, "Yes, very. I have never seen such an unattractive, stupid bunch of vampires. I thought your punishment was very even-handed, by the way."

The Viking chuckled. "I think I have been harsh enough in the last few weeks, don't you think? Just between us, Bill... I did it to honor Sookie. She gave me a second chance, and in turn, I gave them one. Not very vampire-like, I know. I hope I do not come to regret it."

With his words, my mood lifted. If someone as old and ruthless as the Viking could learn to have mercy, perhaps there was hope for all of us vampires. "I only hope that they learn from their mistakes," I remarked, "For example, they should stay as far away from nests as possible. Inevitably, they lead to trouble."

I could feel the Viking's gaze settle on me. He said quietly, "I hear the disdain in your voice. Is it your opinion that all nests are bad?"

"That has been my experience. When vampires live together, they bring out the worst in each other."

Curiously Eric asked, "If that was your opinion, why did you join one?"

It was a very personal question, but he was my King and I was obliged to answer... but somehow, I was having a hard time getting the words out. Surprisingly, Eric was the one who spoke first. In a quiet tone, he answered his own question. "You were lonely." It was said matter-of-factly, as if it were just a given... and he said it as if he knew exactly what it was like.

His words gave me the courage to open my mouth and speak. "Yes... I suppose I was, " I said in a low voice, "I craved companionship. I wanted very much to learn to care about someone other than myself... to have a connection. But... living in a nest always seemed to bring out my dark side."

"I have seen that effect myself," he said, "However, I do not think it is inevitable at all. I think it all depends on the Elder. The one we just saw was the worst possible example of a nest leader... but I believe that it can just as easily go the other way. What if the Elder himself was attempting to be... less dark? More progressive?"

I replied, "That would be the best case scenario, of course."

It seemed as if the Viking wanted to say something else, but instead he let the topic drop. He said, "I see that we are nearly home. I need to make some arrangements for tomorrow evening." Falling silent, he spent the next few minutes texting pages full of instructions to someone, whom I presumed to be Bobby. While he was busy, I thought about our last conversation. Oddly enough, this very topic had been on my mind a great deal lately... not really so much about nest living, per se, but the long-term effects of merely being around other vampires on a daily basis... and more specifically, Eric himself.

Since meeting Sookie I had sincerely tried to regain my humanity and on most days I felt that I had made great progress in my quest. When I accepted the position as Eric's Lieutenant, I knew quite well that I would be completely immersing myself back into the Supernatural world and my greatest fear was that I would lose all the ground I had gained. After all, Eric was the quintessential vampire... old, cold, utterly ruthless. However, I truly believed that it was my Fate to be with Eric and Sookie. I convinced myself that as long as I was constantly vigilant, I was now old enough and strong enough not to be influenced negatively by any vampire, even the Viking.

Since then, of course, my attitude towards my King had undergone a radical change. It had been Sookie's absence that been partially responsible for me seeing some truths about Eric. During the depths of his Bonding Sickness, I had seen first hand the darkness that lived within him, but somehow it only served to illuminate the severe contrast with his normal behavior. The Viking was certainly old enough and powerful enough to easily leave a wide path of death and destruction in his wake, but under normal circumstances, he did not. He was by nature a builder, not a destroyer. Even though technically he had no "humanity" left and in fact was not particularly fond of humans at all, he was still capable of showing the very best qualities of humanity: honor, loyalty, love, and faithfulness. Not perfect by any means, he was clearly still striving to improve himself. In short, although Eric could quite easily be the worst of the vampires, instead he might very well be the best of us.

To be perfectly honest with myself, I had to acknowledge that I was starting to succumb to the Viking's influence, just not in the ways I had expected. For one example, this very evening, his excitement and enthusiasm had infused me and for the first time in years, I had allowed myself the luxury of having a good fight without feeling guilty. For another, my sexual appetites seemed to have increased exponentially in the last few months. To keep myself from exploding, I somewhat reluctantly found myself taking a page from the Eric Northman Book of Romance (the pre-Bonded addition, of course). Until then, I had convinced myself that unless I was in a relationship of some kind, having sex with a woman was wrong. Lately, I had begun to take the one-night-stands that were offered to me and found myself enjoying them... but as long as I gave my partners pleasure and treated them well, was there really any harm in it? My partners wanted sex with a vampire with no strings attached, I wanted blood and sex with no obligations... we both got exactly what we wanted out of the deal. Wasn't that sort of casual sex vastly better than empty, loveless relationships like the one with I had Selah? It was certainly more honest, and I seemed to feel much better about myself afterward.

Now I realized that for years I had been judging myself only by human standards and doing my best to turn my back on vampire nature entirely. It was both stupid and impossible, and the inner turmoil that was the result had been slowly sending me into a tailspin of serious depression. Since the strange tie with Eric had been created, I was literally forced into feeling those strong vampire emotions again... but this time around, my reaction to those feelings were completely different. I no longer thought of them as something bad, something to be avoided at all costs. By example, Eric had shown me that it was possible to be both vampire and a good man... and as a result, I was finally learning to embrace my vampire nature. The truth of the matter was that the more I was around Eric, the more comfortable I felt in my own skin. For the very first time since that fateful night when Lorena had captured me and turned me, the all-pervasive sense of self-loathing had finally disappeared. At long last, I learning to be content to be who and what I was. For that, I would be eternally grateful to my King.

As a matter of fact, it seemed that right at that very moment I found that I really was feeling happy... and getting happier every second. Oh! Of course! The closer Eric got to his Bonded, the more ecstatic he was getting, and it was flowing right into me. Under his breath, he whispered, "Ah... please let her be awake..." but I didn't think he even realized that he was speaking out loud. Soon, we were close enough so that I could also feel Sookie, and somehow it seemed to increase the general sense of well-being and excitement. We came to the place in the road where I had to make a decision to either turn off and go to Fangtasia to drop off our prisoner, or to go straight to the house. Although I felt certain I already knew the answer, I asked the Viking what he wanted to do. He asked, "Your trunk is light-tight, is it not?"

I nodded. Eric said firmly, "Then take me home."

In a matter of minutes, we had pulled up to the gates. The vampire guards had already left, and the morning shift of Weres had taken over. As I waited for the gates to open, I realized that I could not afford to spend much time here if I was going to get back to the hotel downtown before dawn. I could hardly see myself squeezing into my trunk alongside our captive. I figured that now Sookie was home, Eric would not be inclined to issue any more overnight invitations. That thought made me sad, somehow. I guess I really had gotten used to having other vampires around me. How odd.

We pulled past the house and jumped out. Eric asked, "Do you have any blood in the car?"

"Yes. I have a couple of those new travel packs." Using NASA technology, a vampire had recently developed a new way of preserving blood so that it required no refrigeration. The liquid was vacuum sealed into a foil packet. An attached straw was poked into a hole to access the product. It was perfect for long trips, if one did not mind drinking room temperature blood.

Eric said, "Excellent. In the interests of keeping our guest from expiring during the daylight hours, let us give him one,"

I dug one out of my travel bag, popped the trunk, and sure enough, our guest looked like death warmed over... pun intended. I drew on the little straw to get the flow started, reached into the trunk, and stuck the straw in the vampire's mouth. The minute the tiny bit of blood on the end of the straw touched his tongue, his reflexes kicked in and he began to suck. Since his hands were bound, I wedged the bag into place so that it would not move out of reach. Eric said softly, "Modern technology is an amazing thing, Bill, truly amazing."

Just then, I heard the door to the house fly open. Sookie came running outside, and she looked nothing short of spectacular. She was clad in a sweet little nightie and matching robe, and her long golden hair tumbled loose over her shoulders. A faint blush of excitement lay across her cheeks and as she got closer, her lovely Fairy smell filled my senses. As she ran towards us, it occurred to me perhaps it might be best if I shut the trunk before she got any closer, so I did. She flung herself at the Viking, wrapping arms and her legs around him like a small child does its mother. She kissed him all over his face, only stopping long enough to say hello to me. Her enthusiasm was utterly charming, and I found myself smiling right along with the two of them. They looked so beautiful together, so... right. Their happiness at being reunited was like a warm blanket, warming all three of us.

Eric teased her a bit about being awake, but Sookie claimed that she had couldn't sleep until he got home. She wanted to hear all about our adventures and invited me to come inside. I would have loved to do just that, but I knew I was soon going to be out of time. Barely managing to keep the disappointment out of my voice, I reminded them both that I needed to get going.

Once more, Eric shocked me by asking me to stay. Knowing I should, I voiced an objection, but he made it quite clear there would be no arguing. I very carefully probed Sookie's emotions to see if she had any objections, but it seemed that she did not. Hurriedly grabbing my overnight bag, I followed the two of them inside the house and very carefully locked the door behind us. The love and lust was now coming off of my hosts in waves, and it was no surprise when the Viking carried his beloved wife straight down the hall to the door to their chamber without as much as a backwards glance. After telling me that I could have my pick of the guest rooms, he soon vanished through the door with his bride in his arms. The lovely sound of Sookie's laughter rang out as they went down the stairs. Chuckling to myself, I made sure their chamber door was shut and the locks set and then headed straight to the shower in the guest bath. I figured it was the best place to be, given the circumstances.

Not too long afterward, I was ready for the sun to take me. After my very enjoyable shower, I had gone to the kitchen, heated myself some blood and carried it back to bed. As I waited for sunrise, I took the last couple of sips and then set the empty bottle down on my nightstand. Although the house was the perfect temperature, I snuggled under the soft down blanket on the bed. Ever since I walked through the front door, I had the oddest feeling... it took me a long time to realize what it was. I was content. My last waking thought before the sun sent me to my rest was How strange. For once, I am completely happy.