Kris woke up refreshed and hungry, so she went looking for Pam's room. The hallway was lit with soft sconce lights on the wall. As she passed an antique curio cabinet with carved swirls on the two doors and sides, she stopped to look at the items inside. There was a thin gold bracelet with delicately sculpted designs which looked like symbols, a pair of pearl earrings, a few ceramic perfume bottles and multi-colored glass bottle stoppers. One in particular caught her eye. It was choker with black velvet, an amethyst stone drop pendant hanging from the center with small diamonds hanging from the bottom of the gem.

"It was my mother's," Eric spoke softly as he stepped to her side. It was so quiet in the hall that the sudden silence scared her, making her jump, but she relaxed when she realized it was only Eric. "The perfume bottles were special … females in my life I was fond of. The gold bracelet was to be my wife's." His voice was so soft when he spoke she barely heard him.

The pain and sorrow in the tone of his voice told her she shouldn't ask any questions. "What time is it?"

"Just after three. Are you hungry?"

"Starving."

"Come. Let's go to the kitchen. There's somewhere I'd like to take you before the sun rises, if you'll allow me the honor." He added the last part sarcastically.

"Sure. Where's Pam?"

"She had to … feed."

She knew he was lying. "She needed to get a man, didn't she?"

"Sort of." He snickered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked as he led her down the hall to the stairs.

"She'll tell you if she wants to."

A minute later, they were sitting at the small dining table in the kitchen having their before-bedtime snack. "Pam's a lesbian, isn't she?"

Eric's left eyebrow rose. "She might be."

"Might be? That was a yes or no question. Ah, no big deal. I've kind of suspected it."

"And your inclination?"

"My inclination is fine, thank you very much." She teased, smiling.

Eric laughed. "No. Your preference?"

"I prefer … preferred my spaghetti with parmesan cheese, my tea sweetened, no lemon."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Smart ass." Standing, he stretched out his arm to her. "Come."

He abruptly steered her up the hidden steel, winding staircase to a door, which he opened and let her walk through. Stepping out onto the flat roof she turned to him but saw the view first. She was mesmerized as she looked out over the valley. The moon was barely hanging in the night sky, and the shadows cast over the trees and bushes onto the still-green grass.

"Sit." He nodded to a two-person, cast-iron settee near the short wall that didn't obstruct the view. After they sat, he said, looking out on the valley, "I'd sit up here all night sometimes when I had a lot of thinking to do. Are you okay with meeting Vilgot tonight?"

"No, I'm not. I don't think I want to know."

"I can't blame you, Kris. Sometimes ignorance is bliss."

"It is, isn't it?" she asked, looking over his face. She wanted answers. She didn't know how much longer she could play the game with him. "I've been thinking. You've had my blood, and I've had yours, which sent me into my saber form. Do you think maybe that's why we're …"

"Bonded differently than human-vampire? I was wondering when you'd bring it up." Leaning in, he whispered seductively, "What do you propose we do about it?"

"Not a damned—"

Without warning, Eric cupped his hand to Kris's neck and pulled her to him, running the pads of his fingers over the back of her neck. Immediately she closed her eyes and began to purr.

"Look at me, Kris." Reluctantly, she opened her eyes but purposefully didn't focus on him. He jerked her neck that caught her attention. Painstakingly slowly he brushed his nose against hers, his lips barely sweeping over hers. Again she closed her eyes and waited for more. But it didn't happen. Opening her eyes, she looked deeply into his then-blue eyes, trying to read anything in them. There was nothing.

"You have a lot on your mind right now, KrisLyn. But know this: Eventually, I will have you," he said resolutely.

Kris flew from the settee and stood leaning against the wall, her arms and legs crossed and facing Eric. "I asked you not to mess with my neck!" she said angrily, but was more defensive if anything.

"I also said I couldn't make any promises with that."

Boldly, she asked, "So, what makes you so sure I will have you?"

His body tensed, he sat up straight and gave her an evil glare. "The way you tense around me, the look in your eyes when you were looking at me at the lake, you being so defensive. But do not mistake my kind heart, as you stated, for a merciful one, baby vamp."

Stepping up to him, she said, "Who's getting defensive now? Mr. Northman, I cannot promise you I will be merciless to you in my saber form."

And with that she sped back to her bedroom, slammed the door behind her and stood at the window, trying to convince herself she didn't just sign her death warrant. A figure came slowly floating down from the roof and landed within Kris's view. He was smiling. She didn't smile back.

"Kris, can I come in?" Pam asked outside the door a short time later.

"Whatever," she mumbled as she lay on her bed.

Pam walked in, closed the door and sat beside her on the bed. "I really hate that word." She looked over her niece's face. "Are you okay?"

"I want to go to the boarding school."

"Why don't you wait until we speak with Vilgot tonight before you decide?"

"No, Pam. I can't … I don't want …"

"Is it Eric?"

She nodded then shook her head. "What makes him think … I'm not a freakin' piece of meat!"

"Honey, he isn't looking at you as a piece of meat. The only other person besides you that I've seen Eric totally infatuated with was Sookie Stackhouse back in Bon Temps, and that was because she is fae. One thing you must know about Eric is that if there is someone he has feelings for, and I mean more than sexually, his intentions are genuine. I have no right to keep you two apart, as much as it kills me. He might not show it the way us females like or expect, but that's a man for you."

Kris let the words sink in and she smiled. That was until Eric suddenly opened the door and stuck his head in. Looking only at Pam, he said, "Tomorrow night at ten Vilgot will come here to meet with us. Tara would like you to call her before you sleep for the day. Make sure the shutters are closed tight." He walked away.

"Like I said, I can't be in the same house with him. He didn't even look at me."

"He didn't look at you because something else is wrong. I can tell." She got up, pressed a button on the wall above the nightstand and the shutters over the windows closed securely. "Get some sleep. It's going to be a long night tomorrow."

Kris didn't say a word as Pam left her room. Gathering her thoughts, Pam went to Eric's bedroom and stood in the doorway. He was standing in front of the window. "Eric, you need to back off Kris. She's confused and scared."

"And you need to leave."

"Eric, talk to me. What's going on?"

"Willa told me some cases of TruBlood have made it available to the public."

"Oh, shit. Does she know where?"

"No. But I've already called Charles to tell him not to bring any here."

"Good." She hesitated. "Eric, if I may say something? Give Kris time. Let her deal with what she's feeling. She'll come to you when she's ready."

"But I might not be ready when she is."