A/N: Well, howdy again. I have chapter 30 betaed and ready to go, too, so next week!

Chapter 29

When Eric got home shortly before dawn, Sookie had already fallen asleep. He was disappointed and considered waking her but instead he just held her close, taking comfort in the feel and scent of her hair and skin. She'd really helped keep him sane in the midst of his loss and grief. She had saved him in more ways than one.

She murmured in her sleep and snuggled in closer. He kissed her forehead and sighed, stroking her hair. Always being on high alert and looking for any hint of betrayal while acting natural and holding in all of his suspicion and rage was exhausting. He had been very likely doing business and making small talk with the vampire who had ordered Pam's final death. Worse, he thought that it was likely the queen, although he had no proof. All he knew was that when he found out who was responsible, there would be hell to pay.

He had spent the past three evenings at the palace and was glad that he was only obligated to spend a short time there tonight. He'd had Sookie nearly glued to his side for two months and he was surprised that he missed her so much when they were apart. It seemed like she was the only thing holding him together.

He had a meeting after his visit to Sophie-Anne's and he thought that he might surprise Sookie and join her at the bar to watch her wolves if he was finished in time. He wasn't sure how long it would be as he was vague on the details, but he hoped that it wouldn't take up the rest of his night.

He kissed her forehead again and buried his nose in her hair. He was glad when dawn came and he drifted into his rest.

Sookie rose more than two hours before sunset that afternoon. It had been two months since she'd gone to a gig and she was so excited. She was going to tear up the dance floor and maybe even jump into the mosh pit. What Eric didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

She decided to get a shower while she waited for him to rise. She had every intention of fucking him senseless but it wasn't like having sex with him was going to work up a sweat. Sometimes being dead had its perks. She sang loudly while she washed her hair and her body, glad that there was nobody alive to hear her. She dried her hair and laid out her clothes and then crawled back onto the bed. He would be rising in just under two minutes. In more ways than one.

She sucked his soft cock into her mouth and gently massaged his balls, cupping them in her hand. She was using just a bit of suction and was stroking him with her tongue. A few moments later he started to harden and then his fingers twined themselves in her hair. Right on time.

She was planning to worship his cock a little, but he pushed down on her head, not too hard, just letting her know what he wanted and giving her a chance to get herself ready. She looked up into his eyes and smiled around his dick. He smiled in return and it looked nearly predatory. He grabbed two handfuls of hair and roughly slammed her head down until her lips and nose were buried in his pubic hair.

She no longer had to breathe and her gag reflex had died when she had, so this didn't bother her at all. She trusted him not to hurt her and she loved it when he was rough sometimes. He started to thrust up into her, fucking her mouth hard while he yanked her down onto him by her hair over and over. It was carnal. Savage. It was so fucking hot. She moaned, so very turned on, and the vibrations against his frenulum made him moan back. As he got closer, he pushed her harder and faster, taking what he wanted from her. She was looking up into his eyes and they were burning back at her. She moaned again, longer and lower this time, and he pulled her face down tight against him and came yelling something in a language she didn't understand, holding her in place. He shot rope after rope of cum straight down her throat and it milked his cock with every swallow.

He released her hair when he was through and then gently combed through it with his fingers, stroking her head. She wiped her face with the back of her arm and crawled up the bed grinning so she could kiss him good evening.

He flipped her over at vampire speed and was on top of her in a fraction of a second, grinning back. He leaned down and kissed her nose and she giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. Taking control like that had centred him. She had let him work out his anger about the situation and had sucked much of his tension away when she'd sucked him dry. He pecked her nose again, and then her lips, and then gave her a soft, chaste, lingering kiss that was a thank you and an expression of his love and a promise.

She sighed happily. "That was so fucking hot. Now fuck me senseless, Eric. I need you."

He leaned down to kiss her again but was still being sweet. She went along, deepening the kiss but without the frantic heat that had just consumed them both. She was sure that she would get a good hard fuck, in good time, but she was more than happy to be made love to.

He licked a path over her carotid and covered it with soft kisses. His hair was brushing against her skin, tickling her neck and shoulders and breasts, and it made her nipples stand out even harder. He seemed to notice and kissed his way down until he was able to lave one with his tongue and then suck it into his mouth.

She tangled her fingers in his hair and held him to her breast. After paying it a lot of attention, he switched to the other to make sure that it didn't feel left out.

He started moving a little lower but she pulled him up until she was looking into his eyes. She loved it when he used his mouth, and he was a master at it, but she was aching for him. He kissed her deeply and slid inside.

It was slow and sensual and decadent and she felt so loved and taken care of. She smiled up at him and he leaned down and kissed her again, so soft and sweet, and she wondered for the hundredth time whether anyone else had ever seen him like this. Sweet and loving and vulnerable.

Their orgasms started out slowly and they looked into each other's eyes until they were very close. At just the right time they bit, and there was nothing else in the world besides their pleasure and each other.

After, he stroked her hair away from her face and kissed her softly once again before rolling onto his side, pulling her against him and holding her tight. She decided to save the pounding for just before sunrise. As much as she loved it, she didn't want to spoil this. This was perfect.

She kissed the hollow of his throat and sighed happily. "I love you, Eric."

He smiled and kissed her temple. "I know. And I thank the gods for that."

She looked up at him, narrowing her eyes and scrunching up her face in mock anger. He chuckled. "And I love you, too. Better?"

She nodded and snuggled in tighter. "Better."

"Good. Unfortunately, though, I must get ready to leave. I believe that you do as well."

He leaned down to kiss her and then got up and started to dress. She stayed put and watched him until he pulled on his pants, covering up the most spectacular butt in existence, she was sure. Once that show was over, she was anxious to get going.

She got dressed in tight cut-offs and a crop top and headed upstairs to talk to Tray. He was sitting on the couch and she plopped down beside him. The trip had brought them even closer together and she was really starting to think of him as part of her found family, too.

She grinned at him. "I am so excited. Are you ready to go?"

"I've been ready all day, but you need to drink before we leave."

Sookie rolled her eyes. "Geez. Ok, Dad. You know, I haven't even come close to losing control and hurting anyone. Not even my fairy grandfather when I was just a few days old. And I already had some of Eric's."

"I'm not your father, Sunshine. That's your boyfriend."

She wrinkled her nose. "Ew."

Tray laughed and Sookie stuck her tongue out at him and laughed back. Eric came upstairs and raised an eyebrow.

"He is right, Sookie. Feed. Just in case."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm going."

When she was finished, she gave Eric a kiss and she and Tray headed out to the bar. She chatted happily all the way there and was out of the car before he'd even put the Cadillac into park.

Her excitement was contagious and he hurried to catch up with her. She cut the line, going straight to the bouncer who was checking IDs.

"Hey Reggie. Did the guys let you know I was coming?"

"Sure did. It's good to see you, Sunshine."

He let them in and she kissed his cheek on the way by. She waved to a few people who called out to her in line.

The Wolves were on the stage doing a sound check and Alcide started singing You Are My Sunshine over the PA when he saw her and Tray come in. Sookie laughed and jumped onto the stage and said hi to everyone. She missed spending more time with Eric, but she was really going to miss her wolves when she went back to Bossier City. And she was going to be busy for the next two nights and wouldn't see them.

Sookie and Tray sat down and Tray ordered a beer for himself and a bloody mary for Sookie. He had a hard time keeping a straight face and she kicked him under the table, grinning. He smiled back at her.

"New Orleans really suits you, Sunshine. I don't know that I've ever seen you so happy."

"I love it here. It's the first place that ever felt like home, you know? And I miss my guys every single day. But being here has been really hard on Eric. He can't help but think about Pam all the time and it's making him miserable. He tries not to let me see but I can tell."

The canned music stopped and there were several hoots and whistles from the crowd. Alcide blew Sookie a kiss and she blew him one back. He stepped up to the microphone and looked back at Jake and nodded. Jake counted them in and they started to play.

Sookie stood up and put her hand out to Tray. "Let's go. I want to dance!"

He shook his head. "I don't dance Sunshine. You're looking at the wrong guy."

She grabbed his hand and tugged, but not hard enough to pull him out of his seat, although she absolutely could if she tried. He didn't budge.

She let him go and said, "You suck," but she was smiling. She slid her way onto the dance floor and lost herself in the crowd and the music that was almost as much a part of her as it was to her wolves. Sort of, anyway. Up until a couple of months ago, she had been there every step of the way. She'd been to every gig and every practice and knew every word and beat and note. She was an honorary member of the band as much as she was their pack.

Tonight felt and sounded and smelled almost like nothing had changed other than the extra clarity and nuance. She even kept her shields down and her mind open. She bumped into a bunch of people she knew — sometimes literally — and she reveled in the nostalgia.

She and Tray went backstage between sets and, although she couldn't get him onto the dance floor, she managed to drag him into the mosh pit after they'd started back up.

Sookie and Tray helped load up their gear and they all went back inside for a couple of pitchers of draught. After last call, they went to their favourite twenty-four hour diner and piled into the corner booth. There was a Were sitting at the counter and he kept trying to stare without anyone noticing. It wasn't every day that he saw a pretty little vamp surrounded by a bunch of werewolves, hanging on her every word and looking like her best friends. But there was something about her…

He nodded at the table on his way out and the wolves nodded back. Sookie gave him a little half wave and smiled. He found himself thinking about them off and on for weeks.

They spent the rest of the night talking and laughing with the wolves drinking cup after cup of coffee. The waitress knew them all and Alcide gave her a hard time and she gave him one back.

Sookie was having such a good time but she was getting antsy. She'd been asleep the night before when Eric had gotten home and, before that morning, she hadn't seen him for almost a full day. She hadn't liked it. She sighed. "It's really getting late, guys. I gotta go back."

Everybody groaned but they all got up and stretched and headed outside. Sookie insisted on paying the bill and then joined them. She stopped on the sidewalk and gave Alcide, Jake, and Maria Star big hugs and kisses on their cheeks. She wouldn't get to see them again until Sunday and she and Eric would be leaving Monday at dusk.

Tray unlocked the Cadillac and they got inside. Sookie rolled down the window and blew them a kiss.

"I'll see y'all on Sunday. Love you!"

Alcide yelled, "Love you, too. Don't forget to take lots of pictures, Sunshine. Especially of you in your new underwear."

Sookie laughed and waved until they were out of sight.