Chapter 9

I was restless all day. Maybe it was just Eric's fresh blood in me, but I longed for him. When he emerged from his day room an hour after sunset, smelling of sandalwood and wearing a soft sweater with jeans, I nearly hurled myself at him.

He caught me up in his arms, and kissed me like I was a delicious dish to savored. I loved how he responded to my touches, and I could feel my body melt against his. My pulse quickened.

With some effort, Eric ended our kiss, and put his hands on either side of my head.

"We have to stop, Sookie… There are things to discuss, now." I knew he didn't want to stop; his whole face telegraphed regret. But he took one of my hands and led me from the kitchen to his office.

Immediately, I saw his desk, and recalled lying across it. My knees went a little weak at that, and I sank quickly into a chair opposite the big table. Eric sat in his desk chair and checked his phone for a moment. I suddenly thought of Bobby, who'd probably found my torn panties in the trashcan here, and felt a stab of embarrassment. Eric glanced at me then. Blood bond.

"Sookie," he said, a little sharply. "There has been some… resolution… regarding Russell's demise." I felt some turmoil inside him.

"I have to go to New Orleans, to Sophie-Anne's court, for some meetings."

"What's going on? Are you in trouble?"

"It should be fine. I reconciled with her after Russell's death." He had previously mentioned making amends with the queen. And he still didn't seem happy about it.

"So you… renounced your… fealty? And then pledged to her again?"

He actually gave me a little smile at that, amused by a human speaking these vampire terms.

"Yes… long story, Sookie." I knew I'd probably never hear the details. "I'll be gone for a couple days, maybe a little longer."

"Are you sure you'll be safe, at court?" It seemed like a foreign place full of unknown vampires, a vast nest, and I was worried for him. Lord knows that Russell's mansion had been a nightmare.

"I will be bored, at court," Eric said dryly. A fate worse than peril, to him.

"Can't I go with you?" I interrupted.

"No. No, darling. You need to stay here. I don't want you anywhere near the queen. And my truce with Russell's Weres still isn't final."

"You're working on a truce?" I was sort of proud of Eric; I'd expected him to just kill them all.

"I said that I'd protect you," he said, lighter, and he gave me a little wink.

"And the queen? She's a danger to me?" I thought of poor, sad Hadley.

"Let's not tempt her. She knows of you, and has a curiosity to… taste you… " He phrased his last words delicately, and I understood the unspoken meaning. I worried; how many vampire kings and queens were going to come after me?

"It's not so bad, Sookie. The queen wants to re-negotiate the financial terms of my fealty… she'll want a bigger cut of Fangtasia. And some other matters. But she also needs my testimony that her marriage to Russell was valid, or she could lose her Mississippi inheritance." He smiled, and I relaxed a little. "She's quite the grieving widow," he added, sarcastically.

"When do you have to leave?"

"By midnight. We have a few hours."

I hadn't imagined it would be so soon, and I looked at him with my mouth open in surprise.

"I just got word of this myself," Eric said ruefully, and then stood and came over to me, gently pulling me up. His arms wrapped around me.

"I'll be back soon."

"Will you miss me?" I whispered.

"Oh, yes... I'll show you how much," he answered, with a little smile. And we went upstairs, where he did just that.

We lay tangled in sheets, surrounded by pillows. Eric lazily played with my tousled hair, and one of my hands brushed his chest softly, again and again. I couldn't stop touching him.

"Bobby will give you a cell phone, tomorrow," Eric said. "Call me in New Orleans if you need me. He'll give you my number, and Pam's."

"Pam's going with you?"

"No," he said. "I need her here, with you. Fangtasia re-opens tomorrow, and Chow can run it."

"I don't need a babysitter," I said.

"You and Pam will be thick as thieves," he murmured.

"What about Bobby? Don't you need a day guy in New Orleans?"

"I've had one there for years," Eric said mildly. "He just hasn't had much work to do. His name is Stewart. Bobby has his phone number too."

I was seeing a glimpse into a side of Eric's life that I hadn't known existed. "You have a house in New Orleans?"

He nodded. Well, duh, any vampire who could afford it probably had a place in New Orleans.

"When you come back, will you take me to Bon Temps?" I asked.

"You like it there," he said.

"It's my home, Eric. I like it here too, but I live there."

Eric was quiet for a long moment. "If it's safe, I will take you there. We'll figure something out." Some way to be together.

"We will," I said, and kissed him.

I fell asleep on Eric's chest, and his cell phone woke me. It was ringing in a pocket of his jeans on the floor. He gently shifted me off of him, and leaned out of bed to retrieve it.

"Yes," he said quietly.

I thought I heard Bobby's gruff voice on the other end, and I sighed.

Eric hung up after a moment and tossed the phone onto the bed. "Sookie, I have to go soon. C'mon, let's get cleaned up." He squeezed my ass, and I slowly sat up.

In the big shower with the jets, we took our time getting clean, but finally emerged and got dressed. Downstairs, a couple of suitcases sat by the front door, and I could see Bobby's SUV parked out front.

Hurrying, Bobby came into the foyer with one bag over his shoulder. He nodded to us, and scooped up the bags on the floor. He headed out to load the car.

"Be good," Eric said to me.

"You too," I answered.

"I'll try…" he said dubiously, but he was smiling a little. He gave me a lingering kiss, and whispered, "We'll speak soon."

I nodded and kissed him one more time, then watched him go.

I sat on the stairs for a long while afterwards, thoughts of Eric tumbling around my brain. I debated whether the blood we'd shared was the thing that really held us together. Or maybe it was the amazing sex? Neither of those options seemed to adequately account for what I felt for him.

Wearily, I went back upstairs and found a nightgown. Pam had brought me several, and none were like my cozy ones at home. These were filmy lure-your-lover-to-bed gowns. But I put one on and climbed into bed, pulling the covers over me. I could smell a hint of him on the sheets, sandalwood and vampire. I breathed deeply, willing myself to relax.

Just as sleep was about to pull me under, I heard the bedroom door open. Soft light came into the room from the hall, and I could see Pam in the doorway.

"Are you asleep?" she asked conversationally, not the kind of hushed voice a normal person might use.

"I was," I mumbled. Go away, Pam, I thought grumpily.

She came right in and climbed onto the bed, then sat with crossed legs near the bed's foot.

"What can I do for you, Pam?" I finally asked, after a minute of ignoring her hadn't had any effect.

"Eric doesn't want you to be alone," she said, dryly.

"I don't think he meant for you to literally watch me sleep," I said. I tried to say that in a kind way. She probably had other things she'd rather be doing, somewhere else.

"Too creepy?"

"Well, yes." I said.

"You're awake now."

I sat up a little. "Pam, is all of this… protection… really necessary? Is the queen really a threat?"

"Maybe. She has spies. She's unpredictable, and she knows about you. Eric is... cautious."

"Does she know that Eric saw daylight?" I was trying to piece a few things together.

Pam hesitated, but finally answered, "I don't think so… She knows that Eric killed Russell, but not how he did it. If she found out, it would be very, very bad... for you."

On that comforting note, Pam stood. "Well, if you don't need me here, I'll be downstairs. Eric hid my credit cards, and I think they're in his office… somewhere."

It was a long while before I could fall asleep.