So, did you miss Eric? ^^ I sure did. And just like Gladishiva said, I miss the reviews lol Well, nothing I can do about it. Still, thanks' for reviewing, you guys, you are the best! And Freya, I will not stop writing and posting this, so don't worry. I might get slow with updates sometimes, but I will update it again. I'm not one of those authors, who stop posting their stories cause they don't get comments or ask for 10 reviews before posting another chapter. Nah, I love reviews and they do make my day, but more than that I love sharing my works with fellow story lovers, so yeah, you still have lots and lots of Eric to see in here. XD Anyways, enjoy this one for I sure enjoyed writing it!

The next time I saw Eric was almost a week later and, yet again, it was anything but what I was expecting. He came into the diner just before the closing hours and to my surprise, he headed straight to Sookie. I was not sure if I should have been relieved or alarmed and so I watched the pair closely as they sat down at one of Sookie's tables. I sure wished I had the vampire's hearing now. But I did not. I had something else though and I used it best as I could, as I kept track of Sookie's mood and emotions. She was flaring up with slight anger and irritation. As was Eric.

Whatever they were talking about was not good. Not even nearly. I paced by the bar nervously, glancing at Sookie from time to time, unsure if I had to interfere or not. By the time I had finally made up my mind to go over to them, Eric shot up from his seat almost angrily and stomped out of Merlotte's with his favourite flash-step, as I called it.

Sookie sighed as she rose as well and walked over to me. I landed my hand on her shoulder supportively, asking, "You ok? What did he want?"

"He just wanted me to do another job, but…" Sookie gave me a meek smile. "Not my expertise this time, so he got rather upset."

I kept quiet for a minute, but my brows were furrowed in thought.

"Let's just go home, Lily."

I nodded and we gathered our things, said farewell to Sam and walked out of the diner. We trotted across the parking lot in silence until I broke it, "Can I help you somehow?"

"No, it's fine," Sookie smiled, "but thanks'. It's the thought that counts."

I nodded again, but as we neared her car, a figure stepped out of the shadows and I narrowed my eyes on the blond vampire with slight irritation. Just what was it that he wanted from Sookie this time? My friend let out a sigh and pressed my hand assuredly. "You go home, Lily. I'll handle him."

"As much as it disappoints me," Eric appeared in front of us. "The pleasure of talking to you will have to wait, Lily."

I let out a small scoff as I rolled my eyes at his speech.

"Sookie? May I steal you for a moment?" Meanwhile, Eric averted his attention to the blond waitress and the latter nodded almost reluctantly.

I watched them walk towards her car and Eric started whispering something to her. Once again, I could not hear what and that irritated me to no end. I turned around and headed to my bike, trying to keep myself away. If Sookie needed help, she would have asked for it, right? Right?

But as my friend radiated yet another wave of confusion and doubt, I gritted my teeth and made my way back to the pair. I just could not leave her alone, when that overgrown mosquito was bothering her. Sookie did not like to talk about the work she did for Eric, but I knew it wasn't all roses and daisies. Most surely, Eric was asking yet for another 'favor' of her.

As my shoes squeaked and crunched against the gravel, Eric turned his head to me, his brow arched elegantly in a questioning manner.

I gave him a slight glare as I stopped beside them. "Don't know what you want, but you'd better not give Sookie any troubles, Eric."

His serious expression was changed by a playboy smirk as he noted, "Aw, someone's jealous."

I groaned. Oh, that stupid male ego of his.

"I'll be fine, Lily," Sookie tried to convince me and I glowered at her too. "And this time, I can't help Eric."

Eric glanced at her, "Are you sure you can't…"

He halted as if to choose words and Sookie smiled, "It's fine, she knows."

"Oh?" Eric averted his gaze to me again and I shrugged.

"Look, Eric," Sookie sighed. "If it was just any human, or at least a shifter, I could try to help you, but not with a vampire. I can't read vampire's thoughts and you know that."

"Even a small glimpse would be enough," Eric grumbled, but Sookie shook her head.

"Vampire minds are like a clean board to me," she replied and I cocked my brow. Is that what this is all about? Some mind reading. Phew. "Can't you use some other methods or something?"

"We've already tried everything," Eric noted gravely. I couldn't help but snort and he turned to me, glaring. "What's so funny?"

I shrugged, "Nothing."

"This is not a laughing matter," Eric hissed at me and I frowned, realizing this must have been something really important to him.

"I just don't think vampire interrogation methods are any good," I mumbled.

"Oh, you think you can do better?" Eric's eyes glinted at me dangerously and I looked at him curiously.

"Depends," I replied and Sookie yelped beside me warningly. "Is it really that important to you?"

For a moment, Eric remained quiet and then replied, "Yes."

I thought for a moment and then noted, "I can try, then. Is the vampire male?"

His eyes narrowed onto me as he apparently failed to see the importance of gender here. "Why?"

"Just answer the damn question," I grumbled.

"Male," he replied, knitting his brows in thought momentarily.

"Piece of cake, then," I grinned and I wasn't lying. Men were easy to deal with. Too easy.

Eric didn't seem to believe me, as he let out a snort.

"You don't believe that I can get out the information you need from him?" I inquired calmly, my eyes glinting at Eric curiously though.

"I do not," he answered coldly.

"And what if I succeed?"

He cocked his brow wonderingly, "If you succeed?"

"Yeah, what do I get?"

The vampire remained silent for a few moments as he contemplated, "A favour for a favour. What do you want?"

"You will never trouble Sookie again," I replied without any doubt in my head.

"That's… too expensive," he replied.

I shrugged, "Your choice."

There was silence for a while and then, he smirked. "But if you fail, there will be dire consequences. You will do what I ask of you with no objections whatsoever."

My stomach churned and I gritted my teeth. He thought I couldn't do this. But he didn't know that there was no way I'd lose in my field. I'd get that information for him, no matter what.

"Deal," I grinned almost too gleefully as Sookie gasped, clasping my hand.

Eric flashed me a cocky grin and motioned for me to follow him, "Then come."

"Wait, Lily," Sookie pressed my hand harder. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

I winked at her, "Meh. I have a few secret weapons too. Trust me."

"But…"

"I don't have all the time in the world," Eric grumbled from a few feet away.

"Aww, and I thought you were immortal," I smirked, waving to Sookie in goodbye. She let go of me unsurely and somehow that made me feel really warm. Someone here cared about me.

Meanwhile, Eric did not reply to my comment and led me to his red corvette. The gentleman he was, he opened the doors for me and I climbed in. He walked around in a millisecond and took the place by the steering wheel. I watched him shift the gears and steer out of the Merlotte's parking lot. He looked so big in this car. And, anyways, why the hell was it Corvette? I could see the connection to the red, though…

I bit my lip to stop these wild thoughts in my head and glanced away and out of the window, "So, what is the average life span of a vampire?"

Eric cast a surprised glance at me as he mumbled, "What?"

"I was just wondering, how long does a vampire live before he gets staked and stuff?"

"Some live long, some die young," he replied, keeping his eyes on the road.

I peered at him quietly, appreciative that he did not avert his attention from the road ahead for too long. I hated it when the drivers did not look where they were driving.

"Tell me about the vampire I'll need to interrogate," I said and Eric sighed.

"It seems he has been spying on us for some time and I need to know who his higher ups are," he replied. "But… our methods… have failed."

"What did you try?"

"Excuse me?"

"How did you interrogate him?" I asked and glanced at him curiously.

Eric turned to me for a split second, his expression both surprised and amused, "You want to know how we tortured him?"

"Yeah."

"I doubt you really want to hear that," he noted, narrowing his eyes on the road up ahead.

"Oh, come on. You think I can't take it?" I snorted. He'd be surprised at what I've seen in my long life.

"Yes, I think you can't take it."

"Think again," I grumbled.

Then, we drove in silence for quite a while, until I couldn't keep quiet any longer, "You know, the Chinese were rather resourceful in their torture methods."

Eric peered at me momentarily and stepped on the gas pedal harder.

"They had this particularly interesting water torture, you know, when they would drip water slowly on the victim's forehead. It drove them insane, bit by bit."

A few minutes of dead silence and then, "Oh, and the rats too. You know the one about the rats?" I inquired and then continued, anyways. "They would put a bowl of rats upside down on the prisoner's stomach and then pile hot charcoal on the bowl. The rats would seek their way out by gnawing at the entrails of the man…Did you try that on him?"

"No, we didn't," Eric grumbled and shot me a glare.

"Then… denailing? Flaying? Dental extraction? Oh oh, did you pull his fangs out?.."

"What?" Eric turned to me sharply, the car swaying on the road slightly.

"Hey, watch the road!" I exclaimed.

For a few more minutes, I kept quiet and then mused, "Now that I think about it, Persians had this one interesting punishment too. More like, capital punishment, though. Called Scaphism. Ever heard of it?"

Eric glanced at me puzzled and shook his head, "No."

"Well, they would declothe the prisoner and put him in between of two tied rowing boats with his head, hands and feet protruding out. Then, they would force him to ingest milk and honey and rub honey on his body parts."

"Honey?"

"Yep. After that, the condemned would be left afloat in a pond or exposed to the sun. Various insects would be attracted by honey on his body and they would swarm around the man, feeding off of him or biting and stinging, or even breeding on his gangrenous flesh…"

"That's…" Eric shook his head frowning ever so slightly and turned to me again. "Where in the world did you hear this?"

I shrugged, "It was the most severe and humiliating punishment in Persia."

I decided I'd keep quiet about the fact I'd seen it with my own two eyes more than once. It was not a pretty sight. I looked away somewhat sad as Eric kept on driving, quiet.

"How come you know so much about torture?" he finally asked.

"I…" I contemplated for a while. "I read stuff."

He did not pry deeper, but gave me a disbelieving look and I sighed, leaning my head back at the headrest.

"I still say you should have pulled his fangs out."

"That is unthinkable!" Eric hissed at me and I shrugged.

"That's why it's called torture, duh."

"I don't understand," Eric shook his head. "What is going on in that pretty head of yours?"

"Awwww, you think my head is pretty!" I exclaimed and clapped my hands. "I'm so touched!"

"You know what I mean," Eric grumbled and his eyes flickered to me once again. "What are you doing here, anyways?"

"Riding shotgun with you, don't you see?"

"I mean in Bon Temps," he groaned. "That town… it's just not you."

I glared at him, hissing, "And what do you know about me?!"

"I know you're a seductress and you use your wiles like no one else," the vampire replied calmly and I looked away, biting my lip.

He was right. I was a seductress. And a damn good one. It was survival, nothing less and nothing more. It was my nature.

"You don't choose whom you're born," I replied smugly. If I was even born. Was I?

Eric glanced at me curiously and I sighed, running my hand through my hair. "I simply want a change of pace. To bring some warmth in my life, even if for a short while."

"Then why did you choose to be a dancer in a club?"

"Cause I can dance?" I giggled. "I feel good dancing, whatever dance it is."

"You could have gone professional dancing, then," Eric commented and I laughed.

"I'm too much of a man-whore to do that!"

Eric shot me an amused and yet suspicious look at those words and I shrugged. "What? It's the truth."

"Your… ex-colleagues said you were a slut," he noted and I scoffed. "Are you?"

"Perhaps I am, perhaps I'm not," I shrugged again. "Who cares?"

Eric grumbled something in return, but I did not hear and was not about to ask, anyways.

"Then, why did you reject me?" he asked rather calmly and I glanced at him surprised.

Now that I did not expect. What a straightforward question. I kept quiet for a while, thinking what I should say. What would be appropriate to say.

"I don't do vampires, that's all," I finally murmured. "Nothing personal, Eric."

"But you did once."

"That time was a mistake," I mumbled, my voice even more quiet than before. "I won't make it again."

"Why not?" Eric inquired persistently and I snorted.

"And why are you so bent on getting me into your bed, huh?" I replied with another question. "I bet there would be thousands of fangbangers by your doors, if they only knew where you lived."

Eric let out a soft chuckle and now he was the one to shrug, "I find you… refreshing."

"Refreshing?" I cocked my brow. "What am I? A fucking beverage?"

"Haha," Eric laughed out. "How sharply said."

I blushed at the implication he intended and grumbled, "Well, if I fail with the interrogation game, you can finally order me to sleep over with you, huh."

"Oh, I fully intend to," Eric smirked and I shot him a disbelieving glance.

"WHAT?!"

"You heard me," he gave me a the-winner-takes-it-all grin and turned into the town of Shreveport.

I grumbled under my breath and the rest of the journey was silent. It wasn't even a long ride, considering the speed we were going at. In another fifteen minutes Eric pulled up in the parking lot of his club Fangtasia and I stepped out of the car before he could help me out. He gave me a look, but said nothing and we both walked to the back doors of the club.

Pam was the one to meet us and she arched her brow elegantly upon seeing me, "And where is our friend Sookie?"

"I'm here instead of her," I replied and grinned almost idiotically.

Pam's glance trailed away to Eric and then back to me, before she smiled amusedly and led me down to the basement of the club. We passed a few doors until Pam turned to one of them and opened them, letting me through.

It was a rather small room with one glass wall and I soon realized it reminded me of those police interrogation quarters. I could see another room through the glass and a lonely chair with a man tied to it. He was sitting backwards to the doors of the room he was in, sideways to the glass wall. I took in every detail of his appearance, his tattered pants and naked chest with gashes, the pool of blood around of him… Eww. And I'll need to step into that? Just ew.

Pam watched me curiously and Eric smirked at my expression of slight disgust. I never enjoyed the sight of blood.

"So, you need a name of his boss, right?" I broke the silence and Pam nodded her head.

"Exactly."

There was another silent pause in the room and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at realization no one here in the room actually believed in my interrogative methods. Well, who cares.

"You can start whenever you wish," Eric smirked. "I'll be back in a few minutes after I check up on my club."

He nodded to Pam and went out, shutting the doors behind him. I shrugged. All the better. Less audience for me, I guess.

"How are you gonna do it?" Meanwhile, Pam wondered. "Are you a mind reader or have some other hidden powers?"

I smirked at her and winked, "Just watch me."

She cocked her brow curiously as I walked out of the room, adding, "Give me ten minutes with him and you'll have your name."

Pam did not answer and I exited the room, heading to the doors that I figured led to the prisoner. I was right and as I walked into the room, creaking the doors, the vampire tilted his head slightly, snorting, listening to the sounds of my footsteps.

"I ain't telling nothing, you hear?!" He croaked and I smiled. Oh, he's so gonna tell me everything, even the smallest details…

I stepped closer to him, concentrating on his mind and his subconscious. I was not a mind reader like Sookie, but I could enter one's head to a certain level and now I probed the vampire's mind tentatively and carefully, much like I always did with my preys. I was standing behind him and he knitted his brows in confusion, his guards totally down from weariness and pain inflicted upon him. I could feel he was angry, enraged and so very hungry. They must have starved him.

I shook my head slightly and concentrated on the images and conceptions in his head. Ahh… blondes… with big breasts… Mmm. Pirates?.. I smiled and leaned towards him, brushing his brown shabby hair with my fingers.

He snapped up, confused, wary.

"Jack…" I breathed his name into his ear and he shuddered slightly from my hot breath.

"What is this? It's not gonna work, anyway, you hear?" He yelled, trying to turn his head, but his neck was tied to the chair with silver chains. His entire body was tied up similarly, the binds pressing into his skin, leaving bloody burnt traces.

My fingers touched his cheek gently and softly, running up and down, caressing him swiftly.

"I wanna play, Jack," I whispered. "Play with me, Jack?"

His eyes flickered back and forth, his confused mind trying to understand what was going on. In a swift motion I appeared in front of him and saddled the vampire, smirking at him seductively. Even though he did not need to breathe, he let out a shaky sigh, his eyes widening at me. After tapping into his subconsciousness, I dragged out the images of his ideal sexual adventure and the way he saw me now was his wildest and most daring fantasy…

I pouted my lips just like he imagined I would and whined to him, "Come on, Jack, let's play!"

He breathed in raggedly and breathed out, his eyes staring at me disbelievingly, "I'm dreaming, oh boy… I must be dreaming…"

My eyes snaked up his chest and around his neck as I leaned to his face, touching his nose with mine. He shuddered.

"I'll be your princess, you be my pirate, Jack," I whispered and then nibbled the tip of his nose. "Will you be my big bad pirate, Jack?.."

"Ohh, yeah, hell, yeah," he croaked, his arms tugging at his restraints.

My hand trailed down to his crotch teasingly and my lips hovered above his, barely touching them. His mind was open to me completely and I entered his head, reinforcing the invisible bond we now shared. He was mine now.

My fingers tugged at the edge of his pants, as I whispered, "Who hired you, Jack? Who gave orders to my big bad pirate?"

He moaned incoherently and my lips crashed onto his, my right hand applying pressure to his crotch while my left one caressed his chest. The heated and passionate kiss continued on and I felt his fangs scrape my tongue as he charged at my mouth lustfully …

I broke away, cocking my head playfully, "Who's been ordering my Jacky around?"

"Oh, ahhh, that…" He groaned, his eyes glazed over with lust and sexual need. "I-"

"Bad bad Jack," I pouted and leaned to him, licking up his bottom lip. "Hiding secrets from me… What a naughty boy you are."

"Whoaah, nooo…" he groaned as I retreated back from him and then he gurgled something again, "Viceroy, Viceroy hired me… ahhh."

He moaned as my lips crashed down onto his fervently and I affirmed our bond, planting images in his mind, images of him all tied up nicely in a rocking ship and me on the top, playing princesses and pirates with him… I deepened the kiss, letting his sensations soar and felt him grow hard underneath as he moaned and groaned into my mouth. I smirked inwardly. Now he'll tell me everything…

And then the bond was severed as I was pulled away violently from the vampire and rammed into a wall. I yelped and stared at my attacker with shock and surprise. Eric?! The hell?..

"You!" He groaned as he pressed me against the wall. "How dare you-"

"Baby, baby, don't go!" He was interrupted by a wail from the prisoner and we both turned that way. With a corner of my eyes I noticed Pam had rushed in after Eric, her eyes flicking back and forth between me, Eric and the vampire on the chair, the latter one almost weeping with the loss of his dream.

"I'm telling you it's Viceroy! He hired me, hired me to spy… Something about him taking over, something about a… a trap and blood trafficking and the Queen, I don't know much, baby, I swear… Come back, baby…" He was literally weeping and sobbing now, his shoulders rocking.

The three of us stared at him bewildered, especially Pam and Eric, for I was expecting something similar. The bond I created with men was very strong both psychologically and emotionally and some men even tended to become addicted to my ministrations. It was not wise to severe it so cruelly and suddenly.

"Care to let me go?" I inquired calmly in the background of the vamp's sobs and Eric glanced at me, somewhat surprised and still baffled.

He did let me go though and I smirked. "I guess you have your name."

But my smirk disappeared as soon as I saw his eyes glowering at me with their deep blue. A flash of anger and rage and what I faintly distinguished as disgust washed over me and I felt choked by how intense it was. And it was all directed at me. Baffled, I stared at Eric, unable to comprehend his sudden swing of emotions. He let out a hiss and grabbed my wrist, tugging me after him strongly.

We passed by Pam, who gave me a curious look, and Eric dragged me along the corridor, his fingers digging into my skin.

"Ouch," I let out a yelp. "Let go, you're hurting me!"

"Hurting you?" He hissed and rammed me into the wall, his fist banging into it beside my cheek.

"What is wrong with you?!" I yelled at him, frowning.

"What is wrong with me?" Eric growled at me fervently. "And what the hell is wrong with you? What was it that you were doing? You were acting like a slut you are!"

"Wha- Is that what this is all about?" I laughed. "I merely made him talk! What? Did you think I'd go tickle him or whip him like you did?"

"I certainly did not think you'd mate with him!"

"Mate?!" I bellowed angrily. "I do NOT mate with vamps!"

"Didn't look like that to me," Eric grumbled and his body pressed onto mine tightly. "Why? You can do it with trash like him and those human vermin at the club, but you dare to refuse me?"

I stared at him flabbergasted for a moment and then laughed at his face, "Oh, I see it now. This is your ego speaking, your male pride! Well, stuff it up your ass, you… you sucker!"

I pushed Eric off with a sudden wave of strength that came from my rage and stomped away from him as he stared at me, taken aback by my emotional eruption.

"Just cause I kissed him a few times doesn't mean I slept with him, and doesn't mean I'm gonna sleep with you!" I yelled at him, my eyes burning with anger. "There is only so much of the male control freakiness I'm gonna take and I'm taking none of yours! I'm sick of men trying to rule my life!"

"I'm not trying to rule your life!" Eric hissed. "I'm merely-"

"Merely what?!" I interrupted him. "You're merely trying to get me to sleep with you! And you know what happens after that?!"

Eric stared at me silently, rage, jealousy and hurt pride burning underneath.

"Having sex with vamps is never a one night stand," I hissed at him. "I sleep with you and you think you're my master! You think I belong to you and you try to control my life and my men!"

"What is wrong with having a woman all for myself?" Eric grumbled, stepping up to me dangerously.

I glowered at him angrily as I retorted, "Oh, and while I must go on through life never even touching another man cause the big bad vampire I've once slept with might come and tear my head off, you will be having fun with a bunch of ditzy blondes by your side!"

"How da-"

"Oh, yes, I dare!" I stomped my foot in anger. "And don't forget the bet we made either – I did get that name out for you, so you leave my friend Sookie alone now! No more favors for suckers like you!"

"You're overstepping all the boundaries, Lily," Eric growled and reappeared in font of me in a flash.

"Frankly, I don't care, Eric," I stated coldly and then added incredibly slowly. "Fare thee well."

"Oh no, you don't," he grabbed my wrist painfully tightly. "I'm not done with you yet."

"But I'm done with you," I hissed, tugging my hand as strongly as I could. And yet, it was as if his body was made out of steel. For a short moment my mind flashed with fear and I wondered if I actually could win against him now. I never got into such strange situations, no one had ever been so angry with me before and I never flipped out at anyone either.

"Eric," my contemplations were interrupted by Pam. "You should come listen to this."

Eric growled at his partner, but she simply stared back at him calmly and I figured they had a way of communicating without words for Eric turned back to me, his cold blue eyes gazing at me sternly.

"Don't you dare leave," he said slowly and almost threateningly, stressing each word.

I merely gritted my teeth, my chest rising up and down from the heated row we just had. I wasn't even sure why I got so angry. And why Eric was so possessive with me was even a bigger mystery to me. After all, there was nothing between us. Sure, he was attracted to me, but that did not mean I was his or something. Stupid vamp. May he go to hell one day, er, night, and preferably as soon as possible.

As I fumed all alone beside a very amused looking Pam, Eric crossed the corridor speedily and went into the interrogation room, shutting the doors behind him. I huffed and whirled around, trotting away. No way was I gonna wait around for that prick.

"I wouldn't advice on leaving," Pam noted in a clear and calm voice.

I halted and turned around, cocking my brow up, "Why? You gonna stop me?"

"No," she replied after thinking shortly. "But Eric won't be happy about this."

"Well, then you can tell Eric he can go and impale himself on a wooden stake for all I care!" I growled out and turned on my heel, heading out.

"You're a funny one," Pam commented and let out a short chuckle, eyeing my retreating figure.