A/N Howdy! Me again. Here I am, behind on replies. Le sigh. Sorry! I am somewhat sort of almost refreshed after 2 days of camping and a visit with the university child. And I am anxious to get to work on CTD. :D Thanks to ilovemysteries for betaing, as always.

Chapter 24

Tray Dawson stood in the entryway of the Bossier City condo looking extremely uncomfortable. He couldn't seem to help flaring his nostrils now and again. Eric was beginning to think that they'd made a mistake. He might have to go with the Wiccan after all. He wondered what had changed since the night before.

Sookie was in the shower, and Eric was already annoyed that he'd been too busy to join her. "Come in, Mr. Dawson, and have a seat. We should go over what sorts of things you'll be expected to do."

The Were paused a little longer than would be usual, but then followed Eric to the living room. He took a seat on the couch after Eric sat in his chair. Eric leaned back and steepled his fingers.

"You will run errands for me. Shopping, making reservations, setting up meetings and travel arrangements, making deliveries, picking up packages. Including blood. I will not ask you to procure donors. Most tasks will be during daylight hours, but there will be times that you will be needed after dark. And you may occasionally have to travel. You will be my representative when I am unable to do business in person. You will not be expected to donate your blood, except in extreme circumstances."

Tray stood up quickly. "I don't even really know why I applied for this job, except that the money's good and I'm saving up to open my own business. But I am not going to be your personal blood bank."

Eric stared at Dawson until he sat back down. "I don't intend for you to be. But I may need you to protect Sookie if I am unable. The blood would be for her if anything were to happen."

Tray looked at him, confused. "Weres are strong, but vamps are stronger. Why does she need protection from me?"

"She is not like most vampires. She is sweet. Sensitive. Gentle. She has many natural defenses, but she is not a fighter. She is part fairy, and a telepath. The first is not widely known, but the second is. She is beautiful and smells delicious. Others will want to take her from me."

They heard the hairdryer turn off in another part of the apartment and a couple of minutes later, Sookie walked in. She glanced at Eric's lap but then sat on the opposite side of the couch from Dawson.

"Hey, Tray! Is it alright if I call you Tray?"

He nodded, and already looked a little bit more at ease. She smiled. "I talked to Alcide Herveaux and Maria-Star Cooper about you. I hope you don't mind. They're my…" She glanced at Eric again and smiled at him. "They're really good friends of mine. I lived with them for a while in New Orleans."

Tray smiled at her. It was warm and genuine. "Hey! You're Sunshine!"

Sookie laughed. "Yup! That's me. You can call me Sookie or Sunshine. I don't care! I answer to both."

"Man, Alcide thinks the world of you."

"I think the world of him back! Do you know Jake?"

Tray shrugged a bit. "Yeah, a little. I pretty much grew up with Alcide and Maria-Star, though. My folks were Long Tooth."

Dawson was much more at ease. And he had been more relaxed at the interview than he had been before Sookie had joined them. She wouldn't always be with them, of course, but maybe this could work if Tray got used to Eric while Sookie helped to calm his nerves.

Eric gave Tray a cell phone and they hashed out details and numbers and went over the particulars of the job. Eric contacted the blood supplier and sent Dawson to make a pick up, and check Eric's personal mailbox at a copy store in Shreveport. After he left, Sookie climbed into Eric's lap and kissed him.

"I like him a lot. I'm glad we picked him."

"I had my doubts after he first arrived. I think you may have to supervise until he and I get used to each other."

She laughed at the idea of little old her being their chaperone, and then kissed him again. When she deepened it, he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.

After they made love, she lay in his arms, drawing invisible designs on his chest with her fingers. Eric kissed the top of her head, and she sighed in contentment.

"Sookie, have you ever had Alcide or Jake's blood? Or even Maria-Star's? Before you were turned, I mean?"

Her eyebrows drew together and she pulled away and sat up. She shrugged. "Well, yeah. I've had a little bit from all of them, more than once. We all had a whole lot of sex. Some of it was a little rough sometimes. I know I bit Alcide's shoulder once and drew blood, and Jake's lip, too. Hell, I even sucked out their splinters. They sometimes came home from running with the moon full of them. Why?"

He didn't answer her. "Did any of those change you in any way."

She shrugged again, and her frown got even bigger. "No, Eric. What is this all about?"

He sighed. "You were part human and part fairy. You were born with the blood of both. You were made a telepath with demon blood and a vampire with Pam's. You are bits and pieces of four different species. I thought that maybe you had been transformed by their blood as well. That maybe that was what made you so different. So accepted by everyone."

He thought for a moment. "Did you ever have any of their blood when they were in their wolf forms?"

She blew out a big breath. "Maybe? Yeah, I'm sure I did. We would go out to a big meadow and run and play before they went out to hunt. I remember Maria-Star had a deep scratch on her nose from a blackberry bush. I kissed it better. There could have been even more."

She lay back down on top of him and started drawing on his chest with her fingers again. Two or three minutes later, she said, "One night, not too long ago, we all got really high on E. We went to that same meadow, even though it wasn't near the full moon. Well, you know how I smelled, and it really did drive them crazy. Everything seemed kind of surreal, but in a good way, and we were all over each other for hours. After, we were all feeling really sappy and they kind of initiated me into their pack. Not the Long Tooths. It was just the four of us."

"They did a ritual?"

She nodded. "Yeah, They had me repeat some things, and then they cut my palms and theirs, and we all held hands in a circle. Like blood brothers, kind of."

"Blood oaths are powerful magic, Sookie. Especially when performed by Supes. And if your fairy magic was enhanced the way your taste and smell were, that could have been a very powerful oath indeed."

"Well, maybe. But nothing changed. I didn't grow hair and a tail at the next full moon. I hung out in the van not too far from the meadow and read a book until I fell asleep. Just like every other month."

"Maybe that was enough. Maybe it was the blood that you drank. Maybe it was something else entirely, or nothing at all. Maybe it just is. Are you sure you can't think of anything else?"

Sookie really didn't want to talk about this any longer. It wasn't like she was ashamed of anything she'd done with her wolves. She wasn't. And she had never been shy about talking about it, either. But she found that she really didn't like talking about it with Eric anymore. She slid down and sucked his cock into her mouth. He was hard in seconds. And didn't say a thing until he started to cum.

When Tray got back a little while later, Eric was in his office, and Sookie was stretched out on the couch reading. She sat up and smiled at him. "Hi! Welcome back."

"Thanks. Where can I put this?" He was carrying a styrofoam cooler.

She got up and he followed her into the kitchen. She boosted herself up onto the counter while he loaded the bags of blood into the fridge. He seemed a little more standoffish than he had before, and she took a little dip into his head. The blood creeped him out a little. That was fair, but she figured that he'd get used to it soon. She had.

And he just couldn't get over that Alcide's Sunshine was dead and with some vampire. Reeking of sex. Sookie sighed. "Hey, Tray?" He turned and looked at her.

"I love Alcide and Jake and Maria-Star. I always will. But I'm Eric's."

When he realized that she'd read his mind, he was both angry and embarrassed. But then he cut his eyes to the doorway to the living room and back at her. He spoke to her in his mind. Are you really ok?

She nodded. She wished that she could answer him back silently, too. Then again, she could glamour that way. Maybe… Yes. Of course. I am more than ok. We're in love.

His eyes widened. Hearing her voice in his head really freaked Dawson out. He started to load the rest of the blood into the fridge so he didn't have to look at her. He finished long before he regained his composure. Finally, he turned to look at her. Did he turn you against your will?

Sookie knew that she couldn't tell him what had really happened. At least not until they knew him a whole lot better. No. He saved me. And both parts were the god's honest truth.

Tray nodded, but he didn't seem convinced. Sookie sighed again. Tray, I'm happy. Really really happy. I talk to my wolves just about every night. I have their blessing to be with Eric, and I have Eric's to talk to them whenever I want. He treats me so well. He is a good man, and he's mine. Remember, I'm a vampire, too.

He smiled wryly. Out loud, he said, "I just can't believe that I forget that sometimes. I mean, I know, but it just doesn't compute."

Eric filled the doorway and raised one eyebrow at Sookie. She smiled sweetly back. He let the subject drop, at least for the time being. To Tray, he said. "I take it you found everything ok?"

Dawson shrugged. "Yeah. All of the blood is put away and your mail is there on the island. Is there anything else you need from me tonight?"

"No. I will send a text before dawn if there's anything you need to do tomorrow."

Tray smiled at Sookie and nodded at Eric before he left. Eric walked over and stood between her legs and kissed her. She wasn't at all surprised that she wanted him again. Instead of giving in, she wrapped her arms around him and just held him for a minute or two. When she wasn't holding him quite so tight, he kissed her head and then pulled away so he could look in her eyes.

"What was that all about?"

"Oh. He was just making sure I was ok. I told him that you didn't turn me against my will, and that you treat me well and we love each other, and that we have the wolves' blessing."

She felt like she was being scrutinized. And she supposed that she was. He just kept staring at her. Finally, he said, "Silently. Did you glamour him?"

She shrugged. "No. He asked me a question in his head, and I just answered him."

This had the potential to be incredibly convenient. Being able to silently communicate back and forth with humans and shifters would have a million and one uses, from spycraft to business to warfare.

This also had the possibility of being extremely dangerous. With Sookie around, everyone else would be at a huge strategic disadvantage. Or at least the strong potential for one. This new addition to the arsenal made her even more formidable. Many would do just about anything to remove the problem. Or to take it for themselves.

Tray couldn't divulge any information about Sookie or Eric — he was glamoured not to. Nobody else could know, although he was sure her wolves would, sooner or later. She wouldn't be able to resist talking to them that way. But they could be glamoured not to talk as well, and already knew all of her secrets.

He kissed her again and then went to pick up his mail. He turned back around to face her, leaning with his back against the island. He started looking through the stack. He stopped at a large envelope, addressed in calligraphy. It looked expensive, and was sealed with wax stamped with a fleur de lis. Eric sighed and opened it up.

They were both invited to the queen's monastery for a ball.