Chapter 13

Margie tapped my shoulder and I sat up a little disoriented and unsure where I was. I had a deep impression on my cheek from being pressed against the seat for hours. I had drooled a little and my hair was stuck up in an interesting fashion. I stretched and looked out the window. She said that we were starting our approach and would be landing in forty minutes. The local time was nearing six p.m. Eric would be arising within the next two hours depending on the sunset in Paris. I slipped into the tiny bathroom. Again, I have to take issue with calling the space a bathroom. I pulled the door closed and washed up. It felt good to have warm water on my face and arms. I smiled in the yellowish light thinking of the story Eric had told me about French and English prostitutes washing up between clients.

So, here we were flying over France, I thought. I got my makeup case together and did my makeup in my seat. It was truly a luxury to have a private jet where I could stretch out, walk around in my pajamas or just sit quietly without hearing everyone else's fears. Margie offered me a bottle of Evian and a fruit platter. I held up a piece of fruit shaped like a star and looked at her. Bobby smiled.

"Carambola, also known as star-fruit. It's pretty mild and sour tasting, kind of like a green grape mixed with an apple.

I tried it and devoured the fruit platter. I was starving and excited and the fruit was ripe and delicious. We landed and I waited beside the airplane while they unloaded Eric, hoping that no one would try to speak to me considering I didn't speak that much French. The airline staff escorted us through the hangar and out to a waiting hearse. I was so glad that we didn't have to navigate Charles De Gaulle airport beyond the first level. It was an unbelievable maze of lines, security and people from around the world. Bobby had arranged transportation to Meshra's apartment on Place de l'Abbé Basset. We had about a forty-minute drive from the airport to Meshra's and the sun was going down as we drove. I called Jason to let him know that we'd arrived safely. He didn't answer, so I left him a message. I wondered what would happen if Eric woke before we arrived at Meshra's. He would probably wait patiently for us to get to her apartment and climb out as we were unloading. Bobby pointed out some shops where I could get groceries and ways to entertain myself during the days when Eric and Mahesh-Ra were sleeping.

We pulled up to the apartment and Bobby got out of the car. He walked around to the door, and opened it for me. We both assisted the airport staff with pulling Eric's coffin out of the car. The latch opened slowly and Eric emerged from his coffin, climbed out, pulled me to him and kissed me.

"You are going to love this, Angel." He took my hand and we climbed the stairs looking for apartment number 4. The hallway was narrow but very bright. The walls were papered in what looked to be an ancient floral pattern of light blue whorls and loops. There were tiny statues of babies holding the light fixtures on the walls. There was an elevator, but Eric said it creaked mercilessly and was as slow as payday. We stopped outside apartment four. Eric rang the bell and we waited for someone to answer it. I looked around the hallway nervously. I was still pinching myself that this was my life.

The door opened slowly and a young woman with glasses peered out of the door.

"Allo? Qui-est la?"

"S'il vous-plait, tell Mahesh-Ra that Eric is here." We waited while the door closed then opened wide. The girl with the glasses had stepped away from the door and a Vampire of about 42 human years ran up to us.

"Eric, Eric, Eric. My darling son, Come in, come in. Oh, who is this?"

"Meshra, this is my wife, Sookie. Sookie, this is my mother Mahesh-Ra,." She pulled me to her and hugged me tightly, then she kissed me on each cheek and hugged me again. This was not like the vampire behavior I had experienced in America. The vampires I knew didn't shake hands, touch, kiss or hug. I smiled at her as she fawned over both of us.

"Please come in, I had no idea that you were coming to town. Eric, why didn't you call me?" We stepped into an apartment that rivaled Ravenwood in its amenities. There were floor to ceiling windows, flowing draperies, a huge fireplace and books piled everywhere. There were books stacked under tables and in chairs and in doorways. I also noted that the narrow kitchenette had been converted into a makeshift library. I understood where Eric had developed his love of fresh flowers. There were daffodils in flower boxes outside and in pots in the low windowsills. The apartment smelled like sunshine and rain.

"I wanted to surprise you, mother. You are so very hard to surprise."

"I can't believe that you are here. How long has it been now 20, 25 years?"

"Yes, about that. Sookie, please have a seat here. He moved a pile of books atop of another pile of books and sat down next to me. He held my hand protectively.

"So, you have married. And she smells of Fae, am I correct? I also sense my own blood coursing through her veins as well as yours. You have had trouble n'est-ce pas?

"Oui, maman. Someone tried to drain me, but Sookie saved me."

" I see that you have given her my ring. I hope you love it as much as I did, Sookie. So, you love my son? Surely you must if he is still here. Did he tell you about the probable side effects of having my blood? Of course he did. May I offer you something to drink? Lisette? Lisette? A drink for Sookie, please. Eric, I have a lovely Spanish girl with the most wonderful blood line I have tasted in a long time."

I couldn't get a word in edgewise. I was stuck on what she'd said about probable side effects. I squeezed Eric's hand to get his attention but she was so excited to see Eric that she spoke for the three of us.

"I will pass, Meshra."

I knew that Eric was hungry and would need to drink soon, and he'd only been drinking from me for the last two weeks. I didn't want to be naïve and think that Eric could survive by taking sips of me every few days, he would need to drink and drink deeply to keep his strength up. He and I would discuss this and the side effects issue later.

Lisette handed me a cup of tea. I nodded in appreciation and saw Bobby overseeing the crew moving Eric's coffin into a large bedroom.

Mahesh-Ra leaned forward and took Eric's hand. "So, tell me how this came about?"

"That is a long story mother, and I'm here to discuss business first."

"Is this about the one million dollars that you owe me?"

"Yes, of course. We had a bet, I'm not going to back out of a deal that I have with you. I owe you my life and I wouldn't be with my darling wife if not for you."

I sat silently, letting them catch up. Mahesh-Ra refused Eric's check and told him that she only made the bet so that he would keep an open mind about marrying. She told him that she'd found it such a rewarding experience that she didn't want him to miss out on it. I smiled so much that my teeth were drying out, and my tea was nearly gone.

"So, Sookie. I suppose that Eric has told you all about his brother Marius and his sister, Fallon?

"He has, and I'm looking forward to meeting them both."

"You won't have long to wait, they are both living nearby and we'd agreed to attend a dinner at Lord Malbec's house. Won't you please join us?"

"You have got to be kidding me, Meshra, why are you guys still hanging out with that guy? He's a boorish old codger."

"He's good to us, he does certain favors for me and I—reciprocate. So, Eric, your child, Pam, is she here in Paris?"

"No, she is looking after my business ventures back home. Sookie, can we get anything else for you? You must be horribly bored listening to us catch up."

"No, baby, I'm fine. You guys catch up. Do you have a restroom?" Eric stood "Meshra, we're going to go clean up before dinner." He took my elbow and walked me to a door down the hall.

"It's kind of tricky, the door sticks because we've never used it. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, but you need to drink, baby."

"I can have Royalty." He looked a little unenthusiastic about it, so I offered him my wrist. "Are you sure you don't want a sip, I don't mind."

"I'm sure, darling."

I used the bathroom, and washed my hands. Eric washed his face and ran a little water through his hair.

We went down the hall and into a bedroom off the unused dining room. The bed rested on a similar platform to the one we owned at home. There was a chaise against the window that would be perfect for enjoying the sunrise. There was an Oriental rug on the floor and thick blackout draperies made of dupioni silk. We sat on the edge of the bed and I opened my collar and pulled him close to me. I knew that he was trying to be mindful of my physical health. I asked him if I should be taking iron supplements and he said that was up to me, but it was just as easy to stay hydrated and eat lots of protein. He nuzzled my neck, grazing my skin with his fangs. He was licking the skin beneath my ear and I knew that he desperately wanted to bite me so I whispered that he should. He bit down and moaned with pleasure. I closed my eyes and held onto him. He drank more deeply than he had in over a week. I let myself relax into his arms, and he laid me down on the bed, hovering over me. If we weren't careful, we'd be making love and I didn't want to be rude. I looked up into his eyes and smiled. I was so relaxed after he drank from me that I could have fallen asleep.

Eric and I showered and dressed for dinner at Lord Malbec's. I left my hair down around my shoulders so that the bite marks wouldn't be quite so obvious. As a result of all the blood I'd ingested, my wounds healed faster, but they would still be present until tomorrow. Eric dressed in a black suit with a dark purple shirt. The material was so soft that I could have run my hands across his chest all night long. He splashed on a little L'eau D'Issey and sat in front of the vanity table. He fastened a tooth around his neck and I lifted it up to the light.

" That's really cool. Is it from a lion?" It had been dipped in gold and preserved. I turned the fang around in the light and he smiled.

"No, love. That is the right fang of a vampire who betrayed me. I wear it to remind myself that I can be merciful when it is warranted. Her name was Corey and she tried to expose my resting place when I lived in London. I took her fang. I could have killed her then and there but I chose to be merciful. She died later that year, but it had nothing to do with her lost tooth."

I took my brush out and pulled it through his hair. I brushed methodically, then, parted his hair in the middle. I kissed the top of his head and wrapped my arms around his neck

"You smell so damned good. How did I ever get so lucky?"

"That, my love is what I ask myself every night." He took my hand and kissed it. We looked at each other in the mirror and he asked me, "You are happy, Lover."

"Oh yes. Happier than I've ever been." I slipped away from him and changed into a white sundress and heels. I took my turn sitting at the vanity and put on the diamond earrings that Eric bought for me at the League of Beneficent Blood Drinkers Gala. I looked up at him and he smiled at me.

"You ready?"

"Yeah, this will be amazing."

"I'm glad you think so." He helped me up and we met Meshra at the front door. She was dressed in a celery green dress with gold beading around the collar. The pale green accentuated her golden skin tone. She wore thick gold bracelets and had her brown hair twisted into ringlets that were piled high on her head with a gold comb of entwined snakes. She looked like a golden Audrey Hepburn. Eric leaned down and kissed his mother's cheek.

"Meshra, I must say, you look fabulous dear."

"Thank you, your brother called, he and Fallon are going to meet us at Malbec's. Do you remember how to get there?"

"Sookie and I will meet you there, I'm going to fly. I want her to see Paris at night."

"Is this your first time in Paris, Oh, you simply must see the dancers at the Dauphin Theatre. They are not to be missed."

"I promise I will get out to see them while we are here. And thank you for hosting us, Mrs….?"

"Really, just call me Meshra. Dr. Ra is awkward."

"If we start to get on your nerves, or if you just want us to move on, let us know, we can get a room."

"Nonsense, you brought my son home when I thought for sure I'd have to leave my beloved Paris for that fetid swamp he calls Louisiana. You're not from that wretched state are you?"

"Uh, yes ma'am, I am. Louisiana has its own charms."

"Sookie and I should be going Meshra."

"I'll meet you at Malbec's, then."

I wondered where Bobby was and figured he must be holed up in a hotel nearby. I would ask him to go with me around Paris tomorrow while everyone was sleeping.

"Lover, I have so many things to show you, but for now, let's get to dinner. Meshra has told Malbec that you are coming, so there will be human food. Knowing Malbec, he is too cheap to have a human helper, so I cannot guarantee that it will be appetizing."

"I've got some crackers in my purse from the airplane, I should be all right."

We went down the stairs and out to the street. There was a church at the corner, and cafés lined the narrow streets. The first thing I would do in the morning would be to go downstairs, and have coffee and croissants at a real French bistro.

Eric scooped me up into his arms and we shot up into the sky. I laughed as he climbed over the city. I still hadn't gotten used to flying with him. As soon as we were airborne, I pointed to the Eiffel Tower. He nodded and promised that we would have dinner at the tower tomorrow night. We headed north over twinkling lights and trees and water that was reflected orange in the darkness. We landed on the sidewalk at what Eric told me was Place de Thorigny. Most of the buildings in this part of Paris looked the same and I imagined that it would be easy to get lost. I would need a really good map and maybe an interpreter.

We stood outside of a sandstone building, and knocked on a heavy black door. The door was pulled open vampire quickly and a fiery blur was upon Eric. I almost fell over, but he caught me. He laughed and helped me stand upright as Fallon pulled herself off of him.

"Eric! Meshra called and I didn't believe that you were really back. It's so good to see you."

"You too, Fallon. How are things? Are you still running that clothing store?"

"I am, I'm part owner now. I am also a buyer. When I get approval from my doctor, I'm going to come to America."

"Doctor?" Eric raised his eyebrow incredulously. He sneaked a look at me, but I don't think she noticed. "Whatever is wrong?"

"Well, you know that I have an eating disorder. Well, my doctor thinks that I have some sort of allergy to antibodies produced by humans and now we are looking into the possibility that maybe I can only eat from humans that are type A, but of Moroccan descent." Eric smiled and she hit his chest. "What's funny about that? I have a serious medical condition." She looked at me for the first time. It wasn't that unusual to be ignored completely in the company of vampires, so I wasn't expecting much attention.

"And is this the lucky Mrs. Northman? This makes us like sisters or something."

I had always wanted a sister, but somehow, I didn't think this pale she-devil was what I had in mind when I was praying for one. "I'm Sookie, it really is good to meet you." I stuck my hand out and was not totally off guard this time when she pulled me close and hugged me.

"I'm Fallon D'Orrico Northman, it's great to meet you." For such an affectionate family, Eric had really taken his time getting up close and friendly with me. I wondered how he fared with all of this physical contact when I knew for a fact that he didn't really like to be touched….except by me, of course. She led us into the house and I was struck by the smell of tomato sauce that was about to scorch.

I turned to Eric and said "Someone had better turn the pot down or off, or you're going to have a mess on your hands." Fallon ran into the kitchen and grabbed a spoon. Apparently, cooking for me had been a project that she was in charge of and she had forgotten to stir her sauce.

We entered the salon, which was basically a fancy French word for livingroom. I instantly recognized Marius leaning back against a leather chair in front of the fireplace. He was dressed similarly to Eric, in a black suit with a red silk shirt. His honey blonde bangs swept down low over his jewel-green eyes. His hair was shaggy and brushed his shoulders. He could be called pretty, but you wouldn't dare say it to his face. His photo didn't do him justice, There were two women lounging on the sofa behind him. They all wore the expression of a casual boredom that has seen too much or lived too hard. There were several other vampires huddled in conversation, and my presence seemed to cause them great agitation. In the somewhat hushed silence, I wondered if Eric and I had made the right decision to debut our mixed marriage so publicly.

When Marius saw me, he stood quickly and was next to me before I could focus on him. He swept me into his arms, and gave me a quick hug. With his gesture of acceptance, the mood in the room shifted, and the vampires concerned themselves with whatever had been engaging them before we walked in.

"Well, aren't you a delicacy? I'm Marius Antonio D'Orrico. But you may call me brother if you'd like." He took my hand dramatically and kissed it. I smiled because he was Eric's level of smooth plus ten. Before I realized it, he flipped my wrist over and held it to his mouth. "Eric, may I sample your bride?"

I pulled my wrist from his hand and snapped, "The decision is not Eric's, and the answer is no." I crossed my arms under my breasts, which he took mental inventory of with a nod of appreciation. I uncrossed my arms quickly and let them hang at my sides. Son of a bitch.

Eric pulled Marius in for a brief hug and shook his hand. "Marius, are you here alone tonight? Surely you have a playmate or two hanging onto your every word."

"Of course, brother, but none of fairy extraction. You smell enchanting. I could devour you in two bites." He leered at me suggestively.

"Your brother's wife? Really? That's kind of gross."

"We've shared before." He winked at me, and I couldn't help smirking.

"Not by choice." Eric's voice took on a hard edge and I could hear the history behind that statement.

This really wasn't a conversation that I wanted to be dragged into. Although I did have a quick mental image of my Viking and his brother, the Roman Legionnaire, laying waste to a few female hearts. Eric put a stop to the direction the conversation was taking by introducing me to the balding, gray haired vampire at the liquor cabinet. Eric introduced him as Lord Winthrop Malbec of Somerset, England. When he took my hand, I did a little curtsy, I didn't even know why. But he found it charming and said that no one had respected his position in a very long time. He kindly poured me a glass of Moët et Chandon champagne, filled glasses with blood for the vampires, and began telling me of his transition to vampire.

Lord Winthrop Percival Chalmers Malbec III had been a cousin to Mary Queen of Scots. Many of his servants had taken ill and stopped reporting for work. One evening, Malbec decided to go to the home of his manservant Rudolph. Everyone in the household was ill and shortly afterwards, he came down with fever and chills too. One of the cooks knew of a healing woman who might have been some form of witch from Wales. "I don't know why I allowed her to come to me, I must have been feverish beyond measure. She drained me dry and I awoke in the soil."

Someone sidled up alongside of us and placed his hand on the small of my back. I thought it was Eric for a fraction of a second and jumped when I realized that it was Marius. I smiled to be polite, but I had been around his type at Merlotte's and I knew that he would keep pushing until I had to be rude.

Meshra tapped the side of her glass with a gold letter opener. Eric took a bottle of a French branded blood that I didn't recognize, and refilled his glass.

"Everyone, please help me welcome Sookie to our family." They clapped lightly because on the whole, these vampires seemed to be surprised that Eric had married a human. I almost wanted to justify our marriage by stating that I was part-fairy, but I realized, it shouldn't matter and I bit my tongue. Eric nodded to his mother respectfully and kissed the top of my head. Lord Malbec took my hand and kissed it. Marius leaned down and kissed my cheek.

"Yes, welcome, dear sister. I'm looking forward to tasting you very soon." The vamps snickered and laughed in their respective corners.

"Marius, that's not ever going to happen, so you can let that go. I'm Eric's." Eric smiled broadly at this and patted his brother on the shoulder.

" Good to see that you haven't changed a bit, Marius. I need to introduce you to someone, darling. If you can tear yourself away from my brother's charms."

I put my arm around Eric's waist and looked up at him lovingly. Marius was charming, he could charm a snake out of its skin, but he was way out of line and I think he could tell that I was becoming annoyed.

"I mean no harm, I am merely appreciating your wife's beauty. And is it my fault that she has the intoxicating scent of fairy? You know how I feel about them."

His accent was longer and more drawn out than Eric's. It was clear when he spoke that he didn't speak English very often.

"Thank you for the compliment, Marius, but it's really not necessary." I couldn't really blame him that fairy blood was so intoxicating to vampires. But I would have to stay on guard with him, given the fact that ownership boundaries had been crossed in the past.

"So, Eric, how is Louisiana? Meshra says that you run a vampire bar. Have you fallen on hard times? He raised his glass to his lips and drained it quickly.

"Maybe you'd like to come work for me?"

"Work is for humans. He tossed his hair back over his shoulder in a move that was so pompous that I actually giggled. Eric poured more blood into Marius's glass.

"Our mother works."

"Our mother has a soft spot for these creatures. She values time spent around them. I personally don't understand the attraction." I turned to find Lord Malbec so he could refill my glass. I was going to need much more alcohol to tolerate Marius and his snobbish attitude.

Fallon waved at me from the kitchen. She was wearing an apron and had a wooden spoon in her hand. I set my glass down and walked to the door.

"Hi, would you mind tasting this, I don't know what this stuff is supposed to taste like and I've done everything according to this book. What am I supposed to be adding? Is this finished?"

I was afraid to taste it, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings. She was really putting in an effort to be kind to me. No vampire had ever offered to cook for me. I leaned forward and tasted the sauce. It wasn't bad at all, in fact, it could be really good with a pinch of salt and a dash of oregano. I looked around at the ingredients that she'd assembled and found both. I tossed in a healthy portion of herbs and grabbed a clean spoon. I gave the sauce a quick stir and nodded. "It's really good, Fallon. You'd make a decent chef for humans."

"I have such a hateful relationship with eating, I don't know how I ever could."

She looked down at her feet and wiped her hands on her apron. You could tell by talking to her that she had had a tough time growing up with Marius and Eric for brothers. The two of them were alpha males, constantly challenging each other and she was caught in the middle. Eric had told me that before vampires had come out of the coffin, they had to pretend that Fallon was the baby sister even though she was significantly older than Eric. While they tended to keep to themselves, interactions with humans caused them to have to pretend. I wondered if Meshra knew that Fallon was suffering as much as she was. I decided that I would pay extra attention to Fallon while we were here. I hated to see any creature suffer.

"Fallon, this really is nice of you, thank you for taking the time to cook something for me, I realize that you didn't have to, and well, thank you. I held her hand and she smiled at me. I had seen that expression before.

"You're welcome. So, how was the wedding?"

"It was sweet. There was a little trouble afterwards, but the ceremony itself was nice."

"My mom and I never thought Eric would marry, let alone a human. I mean, I know that you're part fairy, but it's surprising, still."

"Well, I never thought that your brother and I would be together either. We've been through a lot."

"Would you mind helping me get the table ready for our guests?"

"Not at all." I followed her into the dining room and wondered what she meant. She didn't have any dishes in her hands. I realized that she meant the vampire guests, as opposed to the human ones. She spread two sheets across the table and I set two pillows on top of them. The bored human women I saw were probably the main course. I would excuse myself to the kitchen so I didn't have to witness them drinking from the women.

Fallon declared that it was dinnertime and Eric walked over to me. Fallon went back into the kitchen to gather napkins for the vampires.

"If you would like, you and I could walk the grounds until they finish."

"No, honey, you eat. I'm going to sit in the kitchen with the other humans and eat the delicious spaghetti that your sister made for us."

"Are you serious? My sister with the eating disorder cooked for you?"

"Yeah, I was surprised too. She does need attention, Eric, and I think she would really be a happier, more secure woman if you guys would stop fighting each other and pay attention to her."

"All of that from twenty minutes with her? She's convinced you too, then?"

"No, something is wrong with her, Eric. Can't you guys see that?" I could feel myself winding up preparing for a fight with him, although I didn't quite know why. "Have either of you ever asked her why she's like this?"

"Of course, Sookie. I appreciate that you've taken an interest in my sister, but she's like this, okay? Her behavior has just gotten stranger and stranger. We had to move so many times because of her. Marius and I just stopped listening after a while."

"Well, I'm just saying that that girl is troubled and I can't quite put my finger on why."

"I don't want to fight with you. I'll try to spend some time with her and I'll even tell her I love her if you want." He laughed and tried to get me to look at him. I turned my back to him and he tried to get in my face. "Come on, Lover. Don't let Fallon's weirdness get between us. Tonight is about us having fun, and us being together and you meeting my family." I pouted and crossed my arms teasingly. He hugged me from behind. I laughed and turned to face him. I had never seen him so relaxed and playful. It was as if The Sheriff of Area Five was a coat that Eric slipped on and off.

"Just promise me that you'll take her seriously, at least while we're here."

"If you promise me that we'll get a room tomorrow night so that we can make love without my mother knowing about it."

"I will take care of that first thing in the morning." I knew Meshra would expect that we would stay at her home for one or two nights, but we were newlyweds and I didn't think she was so old that she'd forgotten what that was like. I heard one of the human women moaning and saw that the vampires had begun to drink from the two girls laid on the table. Some were at their arms, some their legs. I wondered how much these girls were being paid to be the main course for 15 hungry vampires. I imagined that they would collect their checks, and go recover at a spa or hotel nearby. I'd read an article in "Bleeder's Digest" that talked about the underground economy of young women selling themselves to rich vampires, but I had never thought that I would witness it first hand.

Eric's interest was piqued. His fangs slid out and he was having trouble concentrating. I turned his face to mine and nodded.

"I promise, I will only take what I need, and I won't let myself become aroused." He stared at me intently and I knew it was taking all of his energy.

"Honey, I know that that is impossible. This is what you are. I'll be in the kitchen, enjoy your dinner." I crossed the room and went back into the other room. I closed the door behind me and I realized that I was alone. I had a pang of feeling left out, much like high school when Tara and Libby Westwood had discovered making out with boys. I'd found myself walking home from the Odeon more than once. I thought about the old movie theater back in Bon Temps, Louisiana that seemed like a million miles away. On those walks home, I'd wondered what married life would be like. I'd thought about which of the boys I knew that I'd end up married to, and having babies by. I remember thinking that I would long for more, but I was expected to follow suit as my Gran and mother had. I remembered telling Aunt Linda that I wanted to be a famous model in New York, London, Paris or Rome. I remembered hearing her think that I wasn't nearly tall enough, nor pretty enough and that Jason had possibly gotten all the looks and I'd gotten the brains. Eric thinks I'm beautiful, I thought. And so did a lot of other people.

And here I was in Paris, married to one of the most beautiful men I'd ever laid eyes on, and he loved me. I wasn't prone to insecurity, but something about Fallon had dredged all of this up for me. I wiped my eyes quickly, surprised that I'd welled up. Eric was wrong, it was not good to know what people thought about you, because those thoughts were the true ones and they stung for a long, long time. So, no, I didn't want to be turned. To have an eternity of remembering things that people said about you was not how I wanted to spend my life. Although, I did suppose that given enough time, one would have to forget at some point. I heard the door open, but I didn't turn. I sat at the kitchen table and pretended to be very interested in the cold plate of spaghetti I'd gotten for myself.

I smelled Marius's cologne as he kissed the top of my head, just as Eric had done earlier in the evening.

"Dear Sookie, in here alone. Why would Eric leave you in here by yourself."

"I told him that he should eat. Eric and I have an understanding. What are you doing here?"

"I'm full, cara mia. I came to chat with you. Perhaps we have, as they say "gotten off on the wrong foot?" Eric and I are very close and we play for sport. Sometimes, I push him too far, and I may have pushed him tonight. I apologize, sincerely from mio cuore." He placed his hand over his heart to emphasize his sincerity, but I had to laugh inside because the heart that lay there had been lifeless for over an eon.

"Thank you, Marius. I appreciate that." I still didn't trust him as far as I could throw him and something in his eyes said that he would still take advantage of me if I let my guard down.

"So, tell me about yourself, what is it that you do?"

"I am a waitress at a restaurant in Louisiana." I expected him to roar with laughter after the comment that he'd made about Eric running a vampire bar, but he didn't, he sat listening to me carefully. I told him about how Eric and I met, and when he asked about the wedding, I filled him in on the details, but left out the part about Quinn.

I asked him how it was that Fallon had both his and Eric's last names. I had been curious about it since she'd introduced herself.

"Fallon is a very sweet girl. She announced one evening that Eric was our brother forever and that we should be united by name as well as blood. At that time, Eric only had the blood of Appius, so technically the adoption was in spirit only. Eric fed from Fallon, then I from him, she from me. Then I fed from Fallon, she fed from Eric and he fed from me. After that, we were bonded by blood and Fallon began to call herself D'Orrico-Northman." He smiled, fondly remembering their childhood.

Marius asked how Pam was, which I found surprising. And when I asked why he wanted to know, he told me that he had a thing with Pam right after Eric turned her. He admitted that he still loved her, and would consider coming to Louisiana if Eric didn't hold such a grudge. I started to ask him what he meant because I couldn't imagine Eric standing in the way of them being together when I heard the door opening.

"Is Marius regaling you with stories of our sordid past?" Eric sat down next to me and winked. I smiled.

"Yes, my darling, he is. He said that he was in love with Pam."

"He did, did he?" Eric's expression changed so quickly that I understood that they had meant Pam earlier when Eric had said they'd shared someone, but not by choice. I wondered if Eric had ever been in love with Pam. I knew that she had never been in love with him, she'd told me so, but I didn't know what his feelings for her had been.

"I don't recall you being so in love with her when you left her in Sweden. She was devastated. You know what I went through rescuing her and bailing your ass out." Eric's temper was flaring, and I considered letting them have this discussion without me, but I was stuck between the two of them.

"That was not my choice, you know that I was being pursued."

"So you sold her out when you're the one that was sloppy. You should have planned better. You got caught, and you left her to take the blame. You made it dangerous for all of us. If you think that's being in love then you've got a really fucked up view of it." I knew that Eric swore sparingly and that he must be really angry. Marius stood suddenly and started cursing in Italian, he got in Eric's face and I stood between them.

"Oh, you were only too happy to rush in and take her from me."

"I had to protect her from you."

"Please, you two, don't do this. Let's just have a nice evening. I tried to calm Eric by calming myself and hoping that he could still feel my feelings. Fallon walked in and held the door open.

"Meshra has asked the humans to leave, so if you wanted to tip them, you should go now." She looked as if she was going to be sick. I didn't know if it was because Marius and Eric were fighting, or her eating disorder. I crossed the room and took her hand.

"You okay, Fallon?"

"I'm going to be sick, that's all. I shouldn't have eaten, I should have had something else before I came here tonight." Marius rolled his eyes and I put my arm around her.

"Damned blood whores." He took his wallet out of his breast pocket and handed Fallon several Euros. "Is it in poor taste to say that they're bleeding us dry?" I decided to try to smooth things over between them. I went to his side.

"Marius, I appreciate that you took the time to come apologize to me, that was very sweet of you. I'm looking forward to spending time with you over the next week. Will you show me around Meshra's neighborhood?"

Marius calmed down significantly and I batted my eyelashes at him. He slowly smiled and I tossed in a pretty please, with a bounce that made my breasts heave. He put his hands on my shoulders and smiled.

"Certamente, certamente. We will walk the streets, and I will show you all of Paris, if Eric will let me borrow you for an evening."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind, right honey? He knows I can take care of myself." I looked at Eric and hoped that he understood that I was trying to pacify them both before this escalated to something embarrassing.

"If he can behave himself and not get you into any trouble with the law, then sure." Eric fumed, and I hoped that the night was not lost.

"Mother will wonder why we're holed up in here. I still want to introduce you to Alistaire, a friend of mine from my London days."

I kissed Marius on each cheek and let Eric guide me out to the salon. "Sweetheart, I did that to help smooth things over. Can we just get through this dinner party?" He nodded and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I think you out-manipulated a master manipulator."

"I'm learning, I'm learning. I just didn't want things to get ugly. We're going to have to talk later, but I didn't want you two coming to blows over ancient history."

We walked up to a youngish black male vamp who was wearing a stylish leather coat. Eric introduced us, but I recognized him immediately. I had seen Guillame in several movies as he was one of the first vampire actors to star in several Hollywood movies. He did action films primarily, but last fall he had starred in a vampire love story. Rumor had it that he had fallen hard for his human co-star, but she wouldn't date a vamp.

He was apparently expected at another engagement, and Eric made him promise that we would all get together again before we left Paris. Guillame Montrachet had been a close friend of Eric's when Eric first went to London from Paris.

I yawned and Eric saw that as an excuse for us to get out the door. Meshra looked as if she could go all night, and I hoped that she would. If Eric and I got back before she did, we had the chance to spend some quiet time together before he had to sleep.

We said our goodbyes, and I promised Fallon that we would talk some more if she came by the apartment the next evening. When we reached the stairs, Eric scooped me into his arms and we flew back to Mahesh-Ra's apartment. I wasn't sure if she heard me screaming, but she came into the apartment just as we were finishing up.