Chapter 2

"Well Pam, I don't know what you want me to say. If Eric has already told you what happened then what did to want to talk about?" I had that shaky feeling you get in the middle of your chest where you feel like your whole body is about to convulse or break into tears, or worse; a painful combination of the two. Pam just hit me with a ton of figurative bricks and after the emotional roller coaster I'd been on all day I felt as though this is the last thing I needed.

" This article Sookie, you obviously read it if you tore it from the magazine."

"Yes, I read it. I read it and realized that I had been lied to." Tears were welling up and I was doing my best not to let a single one fall. I was too angry to cry. "No one lied to you Sookie, you knew that the third blood exchange was important. And from what I hear the other option didn't sound to appealing." Blech, no. The other option was defiantly NOT appealing. Bomb or no bomb the idea of being tied to Andre even for a day absolutely chilled me to the bone. "Well of course not. That's why I didn't fight Eric when I realized what was going on and what Andre was wanting to do to me! I knew the third exchange was important but I didn't know you guys considered it… considered it… a wedding!" I shrieked.

I knew I was beginning to lose my temper, and I knew that Pam wasn't deserving of it. She was being as nice as her personality would allow and she was actually talking to me and allowing equal give and take in the conversation.

"Its not marriage and a wedding in the way you think of a marriage and weddings." She said.

"Hey, I was at Mississippi and Indiana's wedding and Eric and I did pretty much the same thing just shorter and with no one else but Andre around. According to this article it sounds like we married each other."

"Sookie, you yourself just stated the difference. No one else was around and Andre is finally dead. Nobody besides you, Eric, the tiger and myself know. Eric only told me because I am his second in command and I need to know the level as to which I should go to protect him and you. Eric has not told anybody else and will not tell anyone until you give him the go-ahead. He understands that this is a lot for you to take in and he is willing to do whatever you need for you to come to peace with the bond."

"The king knows." I said looking at the floor.

"Bubba was there?"

That actually made me smile a genuine smile for the first time that day. After laughing off the idea of Bubba standing close by in his best spangled jumpsuit and sunglasses with a bible in one hand and his squirt bottle of fresh cat blood in the other marrying Eric and I like the common eloping Las Vegas couple I said "No, Felipe DeCastro."

"Well that actually works well in your favor." She said smiling. I couldn't tell if she were sincere in her smile or still picturing Reverend Bubba.

"How so?"

"Well if the King knows that you and Eric are bonded then you both get the extra protection needed. He now knows that you're off limits to other vampires. Vampires in our area as well as other states." I was getting confused and I was pretty sure Pam could see it in my face. She looked at me and saw it. "Say New York wants to use your gifts for some reason, normally New York would contact Eric who would then contact you. If you chose to not go along with New York's wishes then they could come after you and try to either convince otherwise or take you by force. Now that you and Eric are bonded, Eric will make those decisions for you. If Eric does not think it would be a good idea for you to go to New York, then you will not go. If New York has a problem with that they are not allowed to go after you on their own. They must go through Eric. That, with the kings formal protection for saving his life, I doubt many vampires will ever be going after you again."

Technically it was never vampires that came after me. Only one vampire that I can recall has ever made a serious attempt on my life and that was only to get back at Eric after he had staked another vampire for wanting to hurt me.

"Wait a minute." I said holding up my hand in a stop position. "Did you just say that Eric will be making decisions for me?" I was getting angry at the idea of Eric acting like some big misogynistic jerk that only wanted me in the kitchen and not having a life of my own.

"Sookie you misunderstand me." She sat down at the table and sat in the chair next to me. "You are being given freedom in a way. Your life will still be your life as you know it. Eric will only step in when other vampires want to use you for any reason. You will continue on tomorrow just as you have yesterday and the day before. You will actually hear less from Eric about being involved in vampire activities. Have you not noticed that already? If he does not like the idea of you working for someone then they get the axe then and there from him. He will only come to you for opportunities that he sees profitable."

Eric the pragmatic manager.

I scoffed. "So you're saying that I will now be less involved with vampire politics?"

"In a way yes. You are still a very, very important asset to this kingdom. The kings knowledge of the bond is just a buffer and more beneficial to Eric considering if Eric would ever have to take action with another kingdom on your behalf, Felipe will have Eric's back so to speak, but the king still has final say."

"Oh well good for Eric. There is still the point that in vampire minds we are married." I said sharply.

"Yes and no. Yes because you are fully bonded and that is how we vampires declare ourselves as..." she paused looking for the right word. "mated, and the more blood you exchange the deeper the bond will be. No in the sense that no one who knows of it will tell, and that the knowledge of the bond will not be made public until your say so."

Hearing her say that I still have my life and most of it is still in my control was a big relief. I was still very upset but the initial shock of everything was finally wearing off. Looking at the clock it was a little after midnight and even though I slept in good and late, the emotional ride that I've been on all day was starting to take its toll.

"Pam I have to ask. Did Eric tell you to come talk to me about all of this?"

"Again yes and no." She curved her upper lip into just the smallest of smiles. "He saw the article last night and wanted me to call you to see if you read it yet. When you didn't answer last night he didn't know if you had taken off like you did earlier with you 'shopping trip' so he wanted me to come by and find you…"

I don't know if it was the lack of sleep, food, stress or some combination of all three but the thought of big bad Viking Eric reading trashy magazine articles about weddings and then big bad Bitchin Pam raising her little hands and using air quotes for "shopping trip" I burst into laughter! With the laughter came some of those pent up tears but I didn't care. Seeing a 200 year old blonde vampire woman who would like nothing more than to break my neck with her bare hands for laughing at her, use those very hands to make little air quotation marks with her fingers was just about the funniest thing id seen in a long time.

"I'm sorry" more laughter "Pam, really I'm so sorry, its just that was such a human thing to do, and one of the more annoying human things at that, its just so funny to see you do it!"

Pam didn't seem to see the humor.

"Okay… okay, I'll stop." Now I was just snickering and snorting trying to suppress laughter.

"When you compose yourself, I'll be right here waiting to finish our conversation." She said very coldly. I must of hit a nerve with laughing at the air quotes. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings, that is if she had any. It was late and that was just so funny.

"Okay Pam, I'm sorry. I'll behave I promise." I said with full composure and a smile.

"Good. Now as I was saying, he wanted me to come find you. He was half way here when you called me to say you were a couple hours away. He then turned around to go back to Shreveport and I was to stay here to make sure you made it back safely."

"Well I am here safe, and I enjoyed our," my turn for air quotes "girl talk." That got a smile out of icy Pam. "I have a lot to think about tonight and I think I might just take a nice bath and go to bed. Today was not what I expected it to be."

"I am glad that we were able to clear some things up. Eric wanted me to tell you that he will be by Monday night since Fangtasia is closed to see you. He will call you tomorrow for further details." She rose from the chair facing me. I followed suit and we were headed towards the door.

"Well I work the day shift at the bar Monday so that should work out okay."

"Very well. Sookie it was nice to see you tonight. Things will be easier now. Eric will be able to answer any more questions you might have. He just wanted me to see what you knew and if you read the article." She reached over and kissed me lightly on the cheek.

"Well thank you I guess." I was thankful to talk to Pam tonight. I was afraid with my new found knowledge that if I saw Eric first without knowing the whole story I would have just gotten way too angry and probably make an ass out of myself saying things that would later regret.

"Goodnight." And with that Pam went out to her car and started down my long driveway.

I closed and locked the door behind me and I finally had the house to myself. Most of the questions I had earlier in the day had been answered with only a few lingering that I suppose would have to wait for Eric. I decided to grab my phone out of my purse and turn it on since this whole mess started with my phone being off. I ran the bath I had been thinking about and got undressed while the tub was running. Sometimes a bath just does a body good.

When I got my PJs back on I hopped in the bed and started to read a mystery I had gotten from the library earlier in the week. When I finished with a few chapters my body told me it was time for bed. I looked at the clock. 3:22am. At least I don't have to work tomorrow.

Just as my eyes were heavy enough that I was almost asleep I heard my phone do a strange beep. Must be a text message. Only beeped twice instead of ringing. I reached over my bed to flip open my phone and sure enough there was a text from a number I didn't recognize.

Goodnight Lover, Sweet dreams. I will talk to you tomorrow.