Goddesses and Monsters

A/N: Sincere apologies for the delay in getting this chapter out. Between illness and a lengthy edit, B and I bring you the shopping trip with a difference. We hope you enjoy it and let us know your comments. Big credit to Bruja6110 for this chapter, she's earned her 'Clever Cloggs' nickname with this chapter and she's discovered that I have no patience whatsoever... I'm just eager to move on the the sexy chapter... ;-)

Chapter 12

Sookie

Exiting the hotel, Eric and Pam led me towards a black car that was at least twice as long as anything I saw in Eric's garage. A man in a suit quickly opened the back-door for us, patiently waiting as we stepped inside. I sat amazed, glancing around in awe at the extravagance of the interior and the mass amounts of space inside of the vehicle.

Earlier, Pam described the details of this vehicle she called a 'limousine', saying that it was larger and more luxurious than normal cars; according to her, the best thing about it was the more than ample room to transport our purchases and still had room left over to accommodate Eric's long legs.

Pam went on to explain in detail about the private room she arranged for us so I could try on clothes and enjoy some refreshments. Further explaining that we would tour the store first, giving me a chance to see what I might like and while I would be changing clothes, she and the 'personal shopper' would bring me other things to try on. It sounded like Pam intended for me to be trying on a lot of things while the men kept busy judging what clothes looked best.

Looking to Eric for guidance as Pam rattled on, the look he gave me said 'Do not even try to argue with her'; I knew that I was unaccustomed to this 'shopping ritual' and was unaware of what to expect, but I was barely able to keep up with what she was telling me. The one thing I was certain about though was that I doubted that I could do this without her. Pam seemed to bubble over with excitement that she was able to do this simple thing for me. The gleam of delight I caught from her mind showed me all the thought and preparation she went through in order to help me; her efforts to make this experience perfect for me, brought out a warmth from inside of me that I was unaccustomed to. Tuning into Eric, I noticed how happy he seemed to indulge her but also knew not to interfere with our evening because it could be possibly dangerous.

During the ride from the hotel to the store, the men kept looking at each other, smirking to themselves at Pam's over-excited chatter. Her rare show of excited animation amused them; it was not often she showed this side of herself, a side that evidently had been itching for an opportunity like this. After feeling the car slow to a stop, the driver surprisingly exited the car, opened the door and waited for us to step out. Getting out first, Eric held his hand out for both Pam and I, while Godric and Alcide exited from the other side.

The twinkling lights on the building drew my attention to the name of the store, perched high above a set of double doors which marked the entrance to the building. The facade was enormous with brightly lit windows displaying the most beautiful looking gowns behind the glass. I could barely contain my excitement as I noticed a man stood at the entrance, who welcomed us with a friendly smile as he opened the doors to allow us access to the store.

Feeling Eric's gaze on me, I turned to see a beautiful smile light up his face; it almost seemed as though he was living vicariously through me with this new experience; reveling in my awe and pleasure.

As we walked into the store, we were met by a tall, dark skinned woman who had skin such as I had never seen before. Greeting us all individually, she held out her hand for me to shake; stepping forward without thought, I clasped her hand in mine and marveled at her coloring and the glossy jet black color of her hair much to her silent embarrassment.

"Welcome to Saks, my name is Lisette. I'm going to be your personal attendant this evening; if you need or would like something please let me know and I'll be more than happy to attempt to get it for you." Looking at each of us individually, I noticed that she gave a longer more appreciative glance at Pam.

Pam greeted Lisette and quickly engaged her in conversation; I could tell that she was glamouring her to overlook my reaction and make her believe that she was told that I had just arrived in the country for the first time and was in need of a new wardrobe thanks to the airline losing my luggage. Pam explained that she wanted me to see exactly what the store carried so I could make selections for the staff to bring up to the private suite.

As they separated to begin their search, Pam took my arm from Eric's, looping it in hers and led me off in the direction of what was called 'Perfumery and Cosmetics'. A strong, combination of chemical scents assaulted my senses as I glanced around at the numerous bottles of colored liquids that Pam called perfumes. Leaning forward to one of the counters, I sniffed at one of the bottles and quickly recoiled at the smell of citrus.

Eric silently came up behind me and whispered, "My lover, you do not need such an item, your natural scent is divine." He was always flattering me like this and never failed in making me feel special. Pam said that he was always 'smooth', whatever that was supposed to mean.

Continuing on through the store, Pam chattered away, explaining what everything was as we passed through different areas. The men seemed both bored and amused at our behavior as we huddled together, admiring and laughing at Pam's antics.

"Why are you all so amused?" I asked, turning to them as they attempted to wait patiently behind us.

Godric spoke up, plainly enjoying the scene as much as Eric. "Pam is infatuated with you at this moment; you are allowing her to dress you up and generally be her doll."

I knew what a doll was, but I did not feel like one or that I was being mistreated in any way. I was happy to be shown the ways of this new realm and that this was giving enjoyment to Pam. I enjoyed her company, even if she had nearly attacked me just hours before.

Pam turned to glare at them accusingly but I put my hand on hers to pacify her and answer him.

"So far, I am thoroughly enjoying myself and do not mind at all. In fact, I welcome Pam's eagerness to assist me; she seems to have a wealth of experience in such matters. She will have me looking as though I've always lived here with her assistance".

Turning to Pam I continued. "Thank you Pam... for everything, I am enjoying myself immensely."

"You are very welcome Sookie, ignore those Neanderthals, they're just jealous we're having all the fun." Linking my arm with hers again, she steered us towards an array of bags and shoes in every color of the rainbow, in all different shapes and sizes.

"This is my favourite department. Should I die my final death right now, I would be a happy vampire." She announced dreamily. I frowned, not understanding why she would be happy to die somewhere filled with shoes.

"Pam has a shoe fetish you see." Godric answered the puzzled look on my face.

"Amongst others…" Eric mumbled conspiratorially with a wicked smirk.

"Come Sookie, ignore the cavemen…" I giggled at her comment and looked back at my 'caveman' who winked at me. His eyes were southward and fixed lustily on my bottom which I wiggled mischievously for effect, the resulting double growls from the male vampires behind us made me want to laugh as they appreciated the view. Both growls were lusty, but Eric's turned possessive most likely due to Godric's seemingly inappropriate response. I understood Eric's reaction, but personally, I was far from upset; it felt nice to be admired. What was more amusing though, was that according to Pam's thoughts, the ancient vampire was an incorrigible 'ass' man, whatever that meant. He would often be caught following women with shapely bottoms whenever the opportunity arose. It was hard to reconcile that such an ancient and fierce being could be so easily distracted by just that particular part of the female anatomy.

As we walked around the store, Pam took note of items I touched or admired, seemingly storing them within her vampire memory; actively giving me advice as we went, making suggestions about what would suit me or what Eric would like, while Eric himself made suggestions of his own from time-to-time. He would mentally select things, not too subtly hinting about wanting me to try them on as he longingly imagined me wearing them for him later.

Both Godric and Alcide patiently lingered behind us, occasionally commenting on items, but overall, Godric seemed less talkative than before. Purposely thinking of trivial things to keep his thoughts away from what seemed to be bothering him; I intentionally pushed my mind from his to give him some privacy. Whatever was weighing so heavily on him was something that he chose not to share with anyone, so I respected his need for secrecy and ensured to keep myself from his mind. If he decided that others should know then it should be on his terms, not for what I could dig out of his mind.

Unfortunately, the growl of my empty stomach seemed to catch everyone's attention making me flush with embarrassment. It seemed that my once forgotten appetite had returned and was suddenly ravenous.

"Don't be embarrassed my love. It is I who should be embarrassed for neglecting your needs; we were in such a hurry that I forgot to ensure that you had eaten earlier. I admit to hearing your stomach echo earlier and would have suggested obtaining some food then, but you looked to be having too much fun."

Eric wrapped his arms around my waist and held me gently. I leaned back slightly to look in his eyes and what I found was his remorseful gaze that was full of so much love that it made my heart twinge with adoration. The way he dotes on my needs and comfort is such a change to how my life was previously; although I am a princess, such things were few and far between and pleasures were found in the form of books, drawings, other things not readily available.

With his arms still wrapped around me, I saw a reflection in a mirror of Eric silently imploring Pam to let me take a break. Pouting, Pam ushered us up to the private room, using her phone to contact Lisette about bring out our refreshments. After our little tour, I noticed that Pam seemed to have a good idea about what type of clothes I preferred, so when she announced that she was going back downstairs to keep shopping while I sat and ate, I was not in the least bit concerned.

While we waited for the refreshments to arrive, I noticed that Eric seemed to be mentally showing me things that I might not have experienced or might have missed in the time I was gone; all the while hoping that something would jog my memory. His continued persistence and hope made me adore him even more by the moment.

As we entered the private dressing room, I noticed how different it was from the store. The room was very opulent, like a very luxurious bedroom without a bed; everywhere there were amazingly soft looking drapes and curtains, and plush white leather sofas, with huge velvet cushions that I sank into with a relaxed and indulgent sigh. Watching my every reaction to the things around me, Eric sat closely next to me, lifting my legs on his lap, removing the shoes that I was wearing and massaged my tender heels and soles with his wonderfully cold hands. As he rubbed, I could not help but wrap my arms around him, burying my face against his neck and hum at the blissfully wonderful contact.

I was so lost in the peace surrounding Eric that I nearly missed the sound of the door moving until I heard the unmistakable sound of a human male brain. Opening my eyes, I watched as a young man cautiously approached us with a chalice filled tray containing various drinks. As I looked at the non-blood filled selections of golden bubbling liquid, Eric explained that this liquid was called 'champagne' and was a tart type of wine that I should drink slowly because it was intoxicating.

Sipping slowly as instructed, the taste of the drink crept up on me and was... interesting; it was definitely tart but still pleasant. The odd sensation of the bubbles against my tongue tickled me, but sadly, I had barely drank half of the glass before beginning to feel the effects; surprisingly though, Eric began to feel the effects through me too. I was completely unsure if Eric was used to this sensation, but I for one was not. Although there were drinks such as mead, wine and ale in Faery, as the crowned princess, I had to not embarrass my grandfather's and show proper decorum if I just happened to be visited that day so was not permitted any other beverages but water and juice, so when the intoxicating effects of the champagne took hold of me, I was completely blindsided by the completely unfamiliar sensation. As my muscles began to relax, I felt carefree; quite happy to dance around to gentle music that was playing from somewhere within the walls. So that is exactly what I continued to do... dance.

Eric watched on with amusement as I swayed happily to the music; emptying my mind for the moment as I lost myself within the hypnotic beats of the song. On the tips of my toes, I spun around in circles and when I opened my eyes, I saw the most delicious looking selection of food on a tray seemingly calling my name. Having no idea what the little portions of food were, I bravely popped one piece after the other in my mouth; feasting away, oblivious to Eric, Godric, and Alcide relaxing on the sofas watching me amusedly, with drinks of their own. The men all had smiles for me, making me realize how uninhibited I currently felt compared to normal as I threw propriety to the wind and enjoyed myself. Flitting from plate to plate, sampling each savoury morsel, but it was the juicy exotic fruit that made me wish that I could have some of my favourite rainbow fruit. No sooner had I thought of biting into the luscious fruit, one appeared in my hand. I had just summoned an object from my imagination and the excitement of it made me squeal with glee; the staff just thought I was enjoying the feast before me, but the vampires in the room sensed the magic in the air and Eric beamed at me silently as he realized that I was using my faerie magic with more skill. He wasn't about to advertise it to the room, though, I knew that he would want to talk about it later when we were alone.

As I finished my glass of Champagne, I took a few moments to wander around the room, trailing my fingers along the furniture and mirrors, marveling at how unusual these objects were to me. Apart from the luxurious sofas, there were gold trimmed mirrors and crystal chandeliers that sparkled prettily in the light.

"I love this room! It is so pretty!" I announced to nobody in particular. The effects of my drink made my head tickle, making me feel happy and light. Bouncing over to Eric, I took his hands in mine and pulled him up, wanting him to swing us around.

Eric laughed out loud at my antics, humouring me. "I'm very pleased you are enjoying yourself my love, and if you favour this room I can have yours at the house decorated the same."

"Really? Oh thank you my Eric! You are so wonderful and I love you very, very much." Peppering his face with kisses, he returned them with a look of delight on his face and equal fervour; the thoughts of intense lust that ran through his mind, however, had me blushing.

"As I love you min älskade." Bringing his large hand to my cheek, I leaned into it, closing my eyes, breathing in his scent before kissing his palm, causing a low growl to rumble from him.

"Is she drunk?" Alcide asked laughing as Godric chuckled at the change in my behavior.

"I believe so. If this is the response will I get from her when she's drunk, then I believe I'll be stocking up on champagne when we get back home. It seems my little faerie has a very low alcohol tolerance."

I was barely listening to the words coming from those around me; I was so lost in the beautiful blue of Eric's eyes that I could have stared at him all night, had we not been disturbed by a commotion coming from the elevator.

Momentarily distracted, I gladly noticed that Godric was laughing with the others and not dwelling on whatever had his earlier attentions. I was so pleased in fact, that I released Eric to leap over to Godric and gently handled his face so he would look me in the eyes.

"Are you well now Godric? You were unhappy before... are you having a good time?"

Although I was unaware about what made him so melancholy, I respected him enough to force the walls of my mind to stay up, so he could keep his privacy; I just hoped that he could tell that I had genuine concern for him.

The two vampires shared a look, but before he was able to answer, the elevator opened and Pam burst out in a blur of color and fabric. Behind her were Lisette and two other people, who stepped out of the elevator with clothes, hung up on wheeled frames; rolling things over to an area in the corner that had a huge three sided mirror and then they disappeared back in the elevator.

Pleased that Pam was back, I let go of Godric and ran over to Pam excitedly.

"Pam, guess what! I had champagne! They even brought in tiny, bite-sized foods that were delicious! OH! And I love this room, it is absolutely beautiful." I gushed.

Smiling at my behavior, she snickered at the giddy smile on Eric's face and shook her head.

"DAMN! You got her drunk already?" She shaking her head and chuckling; she pulled me away from the champagne and poured a glass of water.

"Here, drink this." Thrusting the glass into my hand and watched as I drained it in a few gulps.

"Thank you Pam, have I told you about how grateful I am to have you do this for me? If I had a sister, I would want her to be like you... except for the vampire part because I wish that you could come out during the day and not have to, you know, worry about being tempted about drinking my blood." I stopped, realizing what I just said and hoped that I did not offend her; thankfully, Pam just smiled then raised that infamous eyebrow at me, snickering.

"You're really quite amusing when you're tipsy Sookie, it suits you. But now, I need you to pay attention and try on some of these clothes."

"Alright, I believe I am ready." I steadied myself and tried to stop the slight wobbling so I could pay attention to what I was doing.

Leading me over to the first rack of clothes that were in a kaleidoscope of colors, I selected one dress from the many items hanging up. My first selection was bright yellow sleeveless dress with an asymmetrical hem; I loved everything about it so I decided that this was an item that I definitely wanted to try on.

Excited to see what it looked like on, I quickly slipped out of my clothes, completely oblivious to anything around me until I heard the distinct sound of fangs dropping, followed by a vicious growl. Stiffening in apprehension, I nervously peered over my shoulder at the three vampires and werewolf in the room. Before I knew what was happening, Eric was by my side in a flash, picking me up, and whisking me away behind a curtain. I could feel his jealousy, anger, and worry boiling over; his strong feelings made me wonder what I did wrong, so I looked into his eyes begging him to answer my unanswered question. Luckily, he saw how much his reaction affected me, so he swallowed down whatever he seemed to be internally fighting before he decided to answer me.

"Susanna, you are my wife and as much as I prefer you naked my love, I would choose modesty on this occasion. The things in the human world are very different than those in the supernatural world; you cannot go around removing your clothing in public. As today, if the need arises that you need to remove your clothing, then you need to find areas like these. They are called 'changing areas'. Alright? "

Nodding my agreement, I looked around, seeing all of the drapes surrounding me that hung from ceiling to floor. Since Eric brought me this area, than this must be what he called the changing area; obviously designed for individuals who were shy about undressing in front of others. I was definitely not shy about my nudity because it was something that I was raised believing that it was neither wrong nor bad and what inhibitions I did have, were wrapped tightly around me and did not include nudity. Now that the alcohol seemed to be going away, my self-consciousness began bubbling to the surface about those in the main room seeing my scars; I began to worry if they saw them and if they did, what their reactions would be.

Inside the changing area, was a soft pink robe that evidently was meant to use as a cover up in case the person changing needed to leave the area. Giving me a soft kiss on the lips, Eric whispered, "You'd better hurry and put that dress on before Pam decides to send us to our final deaths for not letting her have her fun".

Giggling, I knew he was right and was thankful that in his hurry, I was able to keep the dress in my hands. After he left the area, I quickly tried to find the way to put the dress on. As I looked for either a zipper or buttons, I could feel the shock and anger pulsing through the minds of the vampires and Alcide, making me wish I could just climb in something to hide. I knew that I could not though. Pam was waiting expectantly for me so I quickly slipped the dress on so I could show them how it looked.

Reluctantly, I stepped out from behind the curtain worried about how their reactions would be; or should I say, worried about how Eric's reaction would be. I smiled nervously at them all, barely able to lift my eyes to look at Eric's; anxious because I could feel through the mental chattering that everyone but Eric had questions about the scars. Well almost everyone. Oddly, it was the lack of reaction from the human that made me wonder if she could see them, because although she had an odd sexual reaction to seeing my naked body, she had none about my scars; she just left the room to get other items like nothing happened. Unfortunately, I knew the super-naturals had no problems seeing them. Their quick view at my scars filled them with many questions that I was hoping that they would not ask; but regrettably, I was not to be that lucky.

"Sookie..." Pam asked softly. "How did you get those scars?"

Reaching for my hand, she must have sensed Eric's protectiveness because she shared a look with him that explained that she was concerned for me. Eric's possessiveness began to flare into 'protective mate mode' as he zipped to stand in front of me, doing his best to shield me although he knew that there was no need.

Looking between Eric and Pam, I reached my hand up to his face, reassuring him that I was fine and that it was alright to tell her. He turned his head into my palm and kissed it softly. His mind whirled around, conflicted; thinking that I was brave as he watched me prepare myself to relive all those bad memories but he was also worried that I would get upset and my evening fun would be ruined as I revealed the truth.

"It is alright Eric, I want to tell them." I reassured him as his eyes bore into mine intensely, silently assessing my sincerity.

Taking a deep breath, I began with a condensed version for Alcide, who never knew what brought me to the human realm; telling them about how I was abducted from my birth family by my Great-Grandfather, raised to become a 'breeder' for the fae race, paired with a male fae named Preston. At the mere mention of Niall's name, Eric growled, causing my voice to catch in my throat. Even though I knew that the growl was for Niall, it still reminded me how much hate and anger he harboured for him; fighting back my tears, I desperately implored Eric to continue for me.

Eric held onto me tightly, comforting me as he told the tale about my grotesquely cruel torture at the hands of Preston and about how he 'marked' me as his own; sparing them the gory details which I knew they were imagining anyway. Deep down inside of myself, I was relieved that he shared and skipped the parts he did because I was unsure if I wanted them to know such an intimate facts. The resulting hisses and growls told me that they were just as angered as Eric that I endured what I did. The vampires' thoughts revealed that they knew exactly how vicious and sadistic fairies could be, their minds unravelled memories of things that they had seen; finally ending with the mental pictures of my scars, wondering how bad they were initially that both my own magical essence and Eric's healing blood was not able to make them go away.

"It's a fucking good thing that the bastard is dead. I almost wish the jackass was still alive so I could torture, drain, then kill him again!" Pam snarled.

"That's exactly what I said." Eric said smugly.

Godric cautiously came over to me, looking hesitantly at Eric before turning his eyes back at me, his gaze soft and his thoughts full of admiration.

"Little one, you are truly a magnificent being. You are a warrior, beautiful and strong, inside and out." His gentle words comforted me, the respect that flowed from him was stronger than any feeling I had felt from him since our introduction. He had heard of both vampires and faerie alike that had been tortured by the fae and none survived to tell the tale, but I did, and he highly respected me for it.

"Thank you Godric, that truly means a lot to me." I said sincerely.

This trip to the past turned everyone's mood too sombre for my liking and this was not the way this trip was supposed to be like. Sensing my need to lighten the mood, Pam thankfully came to my rescue.

"Alrighty then... let's get this show back on the road! Sookie, do you feel like trying some more things on? I love that dress on you, go behind the curtain so Eric doesn't have a fit and I'll hand you more stuff... That is of course, if your guard dog... oops... vampire agrees?" She asked, raising her eyebrow at Eric, challenging him.

Responding to Pam with an eyebrow raise of his own, I almost laughed out loud with the realization that even though these two were not truly related, the similarities between them were too close; they, very easily, could be confused as brother and sister by not only their looks, but also their mannerisms. He nodded his reluctant consent before kissing me softly on the forehead and gathering Godric to retake their seats on the sofa. Pushing me in the curtained area so that I was partially shielded from view, I had to wonder why Pam did not pull the curtain completely closed in the first place until I realized that she was teasing her sire, trying to get him frustrated at seeing me naked. That woman truly did have a mean streak.

Each time I appeared, Eric's eyes were full of undisguised lust and a truly sexy smile that left me tingling with desire. There were hardly any negatives, so the pile of clothes to take home was getting larger by the minute, but this only seemed to please Pam and Eric so I went along with their acceptance of it.

Pam was in what Alcide called her 'fashionista' mode; fussing and smoothing the clothes I tried on, giving either her approval or disapproval then unzipping me at lightning speed. I was in and out of dresses before I could blink, smiling at how I was probably going to get through the racks of clothes that Pam and Lisette picked out in no time; but I had to take back my once excited thought when I saw the elevator doors open and out came another rack of clothes with numerous boxes underneath.

Eric and I both groaned in unison, although I was unsure if our reasons were the same, mine being the new arrivals and hopefully his was something on the rack that he disapproved of. Giving him my best smile, I showed him the newest dress I put on, twisting and twirling around to give him better views, then tilted my head to him in question, asking for his opinion. This dress seemed to hug my body; made of a soft but stretchy material that clung to my curves. According to Pam it was called a 'bandage' dress because it was made of silky stretchy bands that sculpted the female form. It was also a beautiful shade of red; a color which, according to Eric's thoughts and the re-emergence of his fangs, he found very arousing.

"Definitely that one." He growled, drinking my body in with his eyes as if it was his favourite delicacy. Underneath the plush padding of the chair he was sitting in, the wooden arms of the chair could be heard creaking as he restrained himself from coming over to me; desperately fighting against his own instincts that screamed at him to come rip off the dress. His lust beat against me at the same time his thoughts broke through my shields again, this time he was thinking of running to me and ripping the dress to shreds but before he was able to accomplish anything to relieve himself, Pam ripped his head off for ruining a new dress. I had to turn away from them all because between the lust Eric was passing me and the thoughts of what Pam would do to him if he ruined the dress; I did not know whether to moan or fall over laughing.

Composing myself and returning to the tasks at hand, time began to fly by as quickly as the Pegasus' that flew by my windows at the castle. What seemed like multiple hours and outfits later, Eric announced that he had to go to the Queen's residence for a meeting regarding my attack by Mr. Compton. Remembering what both Eric and Pam told me in warning about their Queen, my anxiety began to rise; luckily, Eric was, as always, my hero. Gently holding my hands, rubbing light circles on them and as he told me that I had no need to worry because he would be returning soon.

Releasing my hands so he could gently hold my face, he stared into my eyes for a few moments, letting me see the sincerity of his words before he kissed me passionately until I was breathless before pulling back to take his leave.

"I promise that I will return as quickly as I can my love. Buy whatever you like, you look wonderful in everything. Godric has a few errands of his own to run, so I will be leaving you in Alcide and Pam's capable hands. If there is any danger, grab them both and teleport to the hotel and wait for us there. Also, when I return, do not be disturbed to see me in different clothes; I'm going to change into some clothes that have been handled by different humans before I depart so I can try to hide your scent the best I can. Sophie Anne's eldest child, Andre, has a very distinct sense of smell and I refuse to even allow any of them the privilege of knowing what you smell like. Ok?"

Trying my best to smile, I nodded my acknowledgement, silently praying to the goddess for his safe and early return. Eric's hesitating actions made it was noticeably clear that he was reluctant to leave, but there were only so many things that a person could do in order to try and delay something. I knew when he made the appointment and that no matter how hard we tried to ignore his position, it was impossible to do; there was still official business to conduct, especially since this meeting was due to the actions of the despicable Mr. Compton. Giving him a final quick kiss, I released him and tried equally as hard not to show how much I wanted him to stay.

As the doors closed, I sighed in resignation at being without my other half. Pam came over, putting her arm around me and resumed her task with relish. Both Pam and Alcide did their best to fill Eric's place and we laughed and enjoyed each other's company until we had got through the last of my choices, including the vast array of shoes that Pam had collected.

It had been hard to hide that I had sensed Eric's apprehension about his meeting with the Queen. Apparently she was a spoiled, aggravating woman, prone to emotional outbursts but she was also ruthless and corrupt. He was worried that if the Queen found out about me, she would stop at nothing to possess me.

A burst of severe determination flowed through me before I locked it down; not wishing to alert Eric to any distress I may be feeling. If the queen put us in that position, it would not be me worrying about my situation, it would be her. Nobody, not the queen of Louisiana or even Odin himself would threaten those I loved without feeling my wrath unleashed upon all who tried.

Alcide excused himself to make a purchase downstairs, leaving me to get dressed before he would meet us downstairs at the car in a short while. That left only me and Pam in the room.

Remembering that I had wanted to get Eric a present also, I asked Pam if they sold luxury chocolate in this store. They had a gift department that had a large selection of what she called 'gourmet' chocolate from Europe and so I asked her if she could fetch a selection for me. Pam summoned one of the staff and instructed them to bring the best chocolate products they had up to the suite. Within a short space of time, the chocolate had been brought up and I had selected several boxes, much to Pam's amusement. She was thinking that this was all for me and that I'd get fat if I developed a habit for it. Little did she know that I fully intended for Eric to be the main consumer and would enjoy feeding it to him when he returned.

Eric

Leaving my beautiful Sookie in order to answer the beck and call of a childish bitch like Sophie-Anne really pissed me off. There was only one woman who I'd probably tolerate being ordered around by and that was Sookie. Hell... I wouldn't tolerate it, I'd love it.

Even before Sookie came back in my life, just being in the queen's presence, almost literally made my skin crawl. Sophie-Anne's flirting was never-ending; even though she openly proclaimed to prefer women to men, she annoyingly flirted with me in front of her child Andre and whatever 'flavour of the month' she had around at the time. No matter how many times the word 'preferred' was stressed, it never stopped Sophie-Anne from even attempting to conceal her lust, making it noticeable to the entire court; in the past, I just laughed at the irony and ignored her attempts... Until now.

Thinking of Sophie's fluttering fake eyelashes, lip-pouting lipstick covered lips purring at me or her fake nail filled fingers attempting to feel me up, made me wish that I was human again so I could retch. The more that I was thinking about it, the more my thoughts reconciled on the fact that even the smallest thought of letting that pretentious bitch close enough to give me a handshake, felt like a betrayal to my Sookie.

Now that Lorena was playing 'Queen's Consort', hopefully Sophie-Anne will be more restrained; Lorena is a lunatic who was well-known in the vampire society as being dangerously jealous when it came to her lovers. A strong sense of disgust rocked through me when I had a moments' thought that they both might want me. Just the fleeting thought of it made me ill. It was truly amazing how in such a short amount of time, my view on things changed. Before having my faerie princess back, I might have found the prospect mildly entertaining, but now... now I found it positively revolting. The distasteful thing is that I had to act 'normal' around the queen or else my actions would bring about questions and that's the last thing I wanted; I preferred to keep my bonded a secret for as long as possible.

As the elevator stopped on the ground-floor where Menswear was located, I was glad that I texted my tailor before getting on the helicopter so he would have a suit waiting from my 'reserve selection' for me to meet the queen in. The last thing I wanted to do was show up at the queen's compound wearing clothes with Sookie's scent clinging to them; an addictive scent that I would not want any of the queen's retinue to be drawn to. I didn't know if the queen knew what fae smelled like, since the fae had already retreated to their realm by the time she was turned, but even if Sookie's blood was diluted, I wasn't going to take the chance and if I wanted to punish or kill that jackass Compton, then visiting Sophie was the only way to do it.

After ten minutes, a few fawning assistants and one exquisitely cut dark blue suit and black silk long-sleeve dress shirt later, I admired my reflection. Smiling indulgently I wondered if Sookie would approve of my choice of attire. Being around Pam would teach her to enjoy fine materials and clothing, so I hoped she would inspect each item for fit and softness before she hopefully peeled them from my body later. Shaking that last thought from my mind, I returned my mind-set to the situation at hand for this evening's meeting and thanked my tailor and the store staff. When I left the building, I flew to the Queen's compound at vampire speed, landing within minutes at the outer perimeter entrance where I announced myself to the royal guards at the security post.

What could I say about the royal residence? The polite thing would be to say that it was large and luxurious - my honest opinion would be that it's tasteless and ostentatious. It reminded me of an expensively decorated Nevada whorehouse that screamed "I have more money than taste", with its replica neo-classical sculptures and gilded chaise's scattered far too frequently to be considered tasteful. It seemed as though Sophie-Anne's interior decorator bought a bulk consignment from a bankruptcy warehouse specializing in brothel furniture or cheap Italian restaurant fittings.

After being cleared by the queen for entry, I sped through the extravagant white marble hallways, purposely ignoring the fake gold-leaf and velvet decorating travesties. A set of elaborately decorated, frosted glass doors opened by the queen's children, Sigbert and Wybert; vampires that were once Saxon warriors but now acted as her guards, loyal to the end to their maker. Although they would have heard me coming down the hall, the queen always did enjoy making her subjects think that she was covertly watching them as they entered her inner sanctum

The bright lights of the fake sunroom that Sophie-Anne had built, reminded me of an over exaggerated 1940's movie set. Alongside the terribly painted beach mural on the walls were brass planters filled with huge ferns and palms in every recess, white linen covered sun-loungers and beach-umbrellas were placed strategically around a rectangular pool. Lounging around the length of the pool were dozens of donors laying in various positions on the sun-loungers, pretending to tan while sipping cocktails like they were vacationing on a Caribbean island. I couldn't help the impulse to roll my eyes; the scene was truly like a cheap movie set.

As I entered the room, I noticed the queen was nestled on a double lounger with Lorena, intimately fondling her; as she turned away from Lorena's lips to stare hungrily at me, I couldn't help but think to myself, 'here we go'.

"My most loyal Sheriff, always a pleasure..." Sophie-Anne purred as she looked me over; gently pushing Lorena away and ignored the look of unadulterated jealous fury on Lorena's face.

Out of respect I bowed and greeted her formally. "Your Majesty... Lorena." I probably should've addressed Lorena more formally, but I didn't give a fuck what she was to the queen. Not only was I her elder, but any vampire who was stupid enough to turn Bill Compton really didn't deserve respect from anyone.

Sophie-Anne's lip twitched at my disrespect, but knew better than to reprimand me for it. It was apparent that her recent pairing with Lorena wasn't going to stop her sexual pursuit of me and the knowledge that any attempt to chastise me wouldn't put her in my favour. I don't know why she kept wasting our time trying; she had to know that I'd never fuck her.

I'm sure that any red-blooded vampire would've been thrilled to have her eyes lustily roaming over their body; I believed that I was the only vampire 'alive' to turn her down while feeling nauseous at her repeated attempts. I just wanted to take care of my business and get the hell out of this place as soon as possible without provoking her curiosity.

"Your Majesty, I am sorry to have to disrupt your relaxation time, however there is a rather sensitive matter concerning Lorena's child that I must speak with you about." As soon as I mentioned that it had to do with Bill, not only did I get Sophie's attention but the unwanted attention of Lorena also.

"What about Bill?" Lorena spat defensively.

I ignored any words that she uttered, only directing my attentions to Sophie-Anne as she rested her hand on Lorena's shoulder trying to get her attention.

"Sheriff, please excuse Lorena. She has just recently released her child and has been feeling his rollercoaster of emotions. So tell me, what silly thing did William do? Steal lumber for that monstrosity he calls a home? Not check-in as a permanent resident on-time? He is such a simple minded idiot; I am sure that anything he has done could be... oh... what are the words? Ah, yes…'quickly fixed' so that we can move on to more pleasurable activities."

I must have been paying too much attention to my child's mannerisms because the urge to snort at the queen was too hard to hold back. Time to see if Billy boy was as hated here in court as I'd heard he was. The vampire rumour-mill said that both Sophie-Anne and his maker thought so little of him, that when he returned to Bon Temps they held an orgy to celebrate. If the rumours were true, then the threats that he's been screaming were laughable at best. Poor... poor Lorena, if that bitch thinks that I'm going to let her in on this conversation she's even more stupid than I originally thought. She might fuck a queen but she sure as hell isn't one.

"Your majesty, I assure you that the situation that Mr. Compton managed to get himself into this time is no simple matter. In fact, I am bringing his offence to you because of the laws laid out by not only the Council and AVL but by yourself, who enforces it strictly because of your past." At mention of her past, Sophie's smile disappeared and she sat as straight as a board; repeatedly removing Lorena's hands from her arms and shoulders until finally growling at her and yelling at everyone in the room to get out.

"Speak sheriff. Tell me what that fool has done now! And so I do not have to listen to Lorena's comments, I want the entire story!"

"As you wish... This begins simple but ends anything but. As you and I discussed, my maker and I planned a test panel for the new synthetic blood in production. A few nights ago, I contacted William to send me an updated listing of vampires within my area so they could be contacted. However, he chose to disregard my request or answer my summons, so I sent my child to his residence to acquire him so that I could hear his reason for ignoring his sheriff. As Pamela arrived, she did not even make past the car when she heard a female scream; when she investigated, she found William, fangs buried in a struggling female who was trying to get loose of his grasp as he was forcefully feeding on her and preparing force himself on her sexually." Sophie-Anne gasped unnecessarily, her eyes wide with alarm, whilst Lorena seemed unconcerned by her progeny's actions.

"Pamela separated the two and while Bill was momentarily stunned, she saw to his victim, who had her throat almost ripped out and was close to drained dry. My child tended to the woman then apprehended William, called for transport and Dr. Ludwig, then brought the woman to Fangtasia for treatment. William has been detained in a cell since he was apprehended; but I must inform you that he has been threatening not only me but also my staff with torture in your name."

The queen sat quietly, and for the first time since I've known her, she had tears in the corners of her eyes threatening to spill down her cheeks. I could tell that she was almost reliving her torturous past through what happened to Susanna. Lorena was just tapping her foot on air, looking bored; her behavior made me wonder how well the two women actually knew each other.

The end of Sophie's human life and the beginning of her vampire life were experiences that no person/vampire should have to live through; it was said that her maker tortured her so badly that it would have driven even the toughest vampire insane. And Lorena? Lorena is a level of psychotic of its own. The world-wide massacres that she and Bill carried out were so brutal that no one safe; men, women, and children, it didn't matter to them. They'd drain an entire family, have sex beside their mutilated bodies and stay in their homes until they deemed time to move on. How Lorena had managed to justify her savage history or even hide it from the queen was beyond me.

"Hum... Oh well, boys will be boys." Lorena purred nonchalantly.

Slowly turning to Lorena in shock, Sophie-Anne could do nothing but shake her head at her before turning to look back at me.

"Does the woman still live?" Sophie's voice was the quietest that I'd ever heard from her.

"Yes your majesty. She lives and is healing. She was not only near death when my child found her; also her skull was cracked and she had internal bleeding from his abuse." Lorena snorted in disdain.

"Why do you sound as though you still have the bitch? Surely you glamoured the little tart and sent her on her way, didn't you sheriff?" I had to keep the growl rising from my chest from coming out. This two-penny whore called my Susanna a bitch... a tart! The queen knew that I had no respect for Lorena so wouldn't answer her; so she backtracked, trying to keep me from killing Lorena.

"Sheriff, what Lorena meant to ask was, after the treatment from Dr. Ludwig, did you glamour the girl and return her to her life or are you still in contact with her?" Hum... Sophie practicing tact; she must be worried that I'm going to rip Lorena's head from her shoulders. I truly do not understand what Sophie-Anne sees in the bitch.

"No your majesty, I did not glamour her nor did I send her on her way back to her life. I still am in custody of her."

"Why the fuck not? Glamour the bitch and send her on her way so my William can be let free!" Lorena's shrill voice interrupted.

"Sophie, when Pamela brought the woman to me after the attack, I experienced 'the pull'. A pull that you of all individuals understand, do you not?" Using the only reasoning Sophie-Anne would understand as my excuse as to why I'd still have Sookie; and refused to give up any other information before either asked.

"Yes. Yes sheriff, I know that pull very well. It is amazing how such a thing could come out of such a dreadful situation. But I do wonder why you haven't glamoured her to forget the attack in order to make the woman more agreeable." I have to wonder if at one time Sophie-Anne wished that someone could've glamoured away the memories of her tormentor when she was still human; I couldn't think of any other reason as to why she'd suggest it.

"I gave her the choice your majesty. Since Bill was the first vampire she encountered and he attacked her, I wanted to gain her to trust towards vampires so I gave her the choice to remember or not. That one choice I offered her went a long way in my favour towards for that trust."

"Well, kudos if it worked for you. Now as far as William goes, I do not care who his maker is; I will NOT tolerate forced feedings or violent sexual assaults in my queendom!" Sophie either ignored Lorena's scathing look or didn't see it, but I don't think she was expecting her bitchy voice to interrupt her because of her surprised reaction.

"SOPHIE! That's my William you are discussing! He is who he is. Surely you cannot fault him for that. That whore must have led him on or maybe she had this planned!"

The restraint I had to use in order to hold my temper was immense, Lorena was lucky that she was in favour with the queen or I would not have hesitated to punish her for the disrespect of my wife and future bonded.

"Majesty, in response to your... companion, that evening, the woman was having difficulty sleeping, so she went to visit the graves of loved ones. Once there, only did she meet her FIRST vampire, but was attacked by that same vampire in less than five minutes. The female had nothing planned, nor is she a whore, the only individual to blame is Bill and Bill only."

"Sophie, are you going to let him treat me like that! This fucking lowly sheriff who knows NOTHING!" I was sick as hell of this bitch. As I stepped forward to get my hands around Lorena's neck, Sophie was smart and interrupted.

"Eric! Lorena! ENOUGH! Lorena, you are not only wrong in this situation, but are taking steps that would quickly lead to your final death before sun-up. Northman is not only my loyal sheriff, but is also the second eldest vampire in the North Americas with the first being his maker. And while he is a sheriff, I'm smart enough to know that I am queen because he chooses me to be, just as you are my consort because I choose you to be... remember that. If Northman sends you to your final death, there would be nothing I could do because your big-mouth is making the act justified. So I strongly suggest that you SHUT. YOUR. MOUTH!" Well I'll be damned... too bad I didn't have a recording of that!

"My dearest Lorena, instead of doing what most makers do; creating a child when 'the pull' calls them toward an individual, giving them the urge to be a maker; you admitted having no pull towards Bill. You changed the idiot because he pissed you off for mistreating you for being a woman and were lonely. Now, about your good for nothing child... The same child that you profess disgusts you, has broken the laws set forth by not only the Great State of Louisiana, but also the council and AVL. I do not care who Bill is to you, but in this situation, who you are to me, is irrelevant. Bill's belief that he can behave terribly and then hide behind our relationship to escape punishment is inexcusable. Because of the horrifying crimes he committed, I hereby sentence him to a death completed as the sheriff deems acceptable." The wide-eyed, shocked look on Lorena's face was absolutely PRICELESS! I had to wonder if Sophie ever talked to her like that before.

"Sheriff, I don't care what you do with him. If you want to hold him in your basement and torture him for a hundred years before sending him to his final death, then have fun. As much as he hates being a vampire, why not use him to help save our race by shipping him off to your maker's laboratory; they could use him as a guinea pig to test out treatments to counter whatever things the fellowship are trying to kill us with this week. Tell me, do you still have those magically charmed prisoner cells?"

Nodding yes, I didn't have to wait long to find out why she was asking.

"WONDERFUL!" She squealed. Although she might have the body of a teenager, at 500 years old I would've thought she'd stopped squealing like one centuries ago.

"The only request I have is that you move Bill into one of the charmed cells so that their bond is blocked; I don't want her feeling anything. Also, as recompense for the attack, all of Bill's possessions, land, home, money, and blah... blah... blah... are to be transferred to the woman immediately." One word... WOW! I guess Sophie-Anne's hate for Bill was bigger than even the court rumour-mill could have guessed.

"Sophie!" Hum, who knew that Lorena could whine? "Please Sophie-Anne... I am begging you! William maybe deserves punishment, but sending him to his final death? Don't you think that's excessively harsh?" Lorena seemed still much attached to Bill even though she released him without a care.

"Lorena, did I ask for your counsel? I believed I was showing you a respect by just allowing you in the room; if you wish to be in attendance for meetings such as these in the future, you will be seen and not heard. However, this one time, I will answer your question. I am being excessively harsh? Absolutely not. Bill is lucky that I'm not mandating his torture before sending him to his final death. Sheriff, do you agree that I am being lenient?"

"Indeed your majesty." Watching the queen tell her off and seeing Lorena get even more pissed was priceless. No matter how much comedy relief the show was, I just wanted to leave. I've been gone too long and through my bond with Sookie, I could tell that she was beginning to slow down and get tired.

"Wonderful! Now that business has been concluded, why don't we move on to something more... pleasurable?" Listening to Lorena growl was actually funny, too bad Sophie-Anne was back to flirting. I was really hoping that having the bitch around would have stopped it.

"I'm sorry your majesty, but I must take my leave. I found it necessary to talk to you directly due to who committed the crime; however, as we speak my child is running loose with my credit cards. If she's not stopped soon, I'll have to either buy a new home or have additional spaces built in all of my homes to fit all of her new purchases." While Sophie giggled about my reason to leaving, she had no idea how serious I was. In addition to Sookie's new clothes, I'm sure that Pam would be buying extra clothes for Sookie in each safe-house, and then reward herself with new things of her own.

"Hum... very well sheriff." She purred. "I will excuse you this time. I'm very appreciative that you brought the 'Bill' matter to my attention. If that is all, then you may leave." Well damn, that must be the quickest that she's let me out of here yet.

"Good evening your majesty. Lorena." Bowing my departure, I tried not to laugh at the look of pure hate and anger on Lorena's face. I would put money on the fact that she probably thought that her association with a queen would make people either respect or take her and her fuck-head child serious. I guess she forgot to get the fucking memo that both aren't given, they're fucking earned... Bitch!

As I walked from the sunroom, I amused myself with the thought that I'd pay good money to watch the fallout between Sophie and her bitch after I left.

Exiting the compound, I felt my blood call out to me, directing me to go to the store where Sookie and Pam were. Reaching inside of me to the strong strands of the bond that I shared with Sookie, the intense need to return was due to her growling fatigue, since it was midnight I expected it. I was missing her badly, so I took to the air, I mentally called out to her, 'I'm coming my Susanna. I'm coming.'

If you're eager for Sookie and Eric to complete their bond and finally start playing 'Mummy's and Daddy's' , the next chapter will be the one for you.