Hello all. Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews it's really nice getting your feedback. Thanks DC for pointing out that mistake, remember guys don't hesitate to tell me if you notice a typo or anything. This chapter was a real struggle for some reason, but I hope you all enjoy anyway. :-)

Eric awoke from his slumber immediately after the sun set. Sophie was supposed to make a drop-in and he wanted to have her money in his hand so that she would have no reason to prolong her stay. Lafayette, so far, had done his job excellently. It was just as well, if not, he would be obligated to kill him. Killing Lafayette would be of no consequence to him, but there was the problem of Tara. He doubted she'd be happy if he disposed of her cousin.

He hit a switch that unlocked the secret panel leading to his bedroom and exited. He was disgusted with how little action he'd taken to acquiring Tara. His hesitancy was not normal behavior. If he was honest with himself, which he always was, he'd admit that he had no idea how to handle a human who invoked so many emotions in him. If there was one thing he was known for it was his apathy. In all his years he had never dreamed of a woman and he'd rarely given his blood. Somehow, the opposite of giving his blood had taken effect, every time he closed his eyes it was filled with visions of her. He wondered vaguely if she was a witch, it would certainly explain a lot.

"Is Ms. Pampered and Perfect still coming?" Pam yawned walking down the hallway in a pink see through teddy.

"She should be here shortly."

He continued down the long hall until he entered the living room and took a seat on the plush sofa next to the bag filled with Sophie's money. Pam followed behind him while continuously yawning and stretching.

"You can count me out of this meeting. I've had enough of her to last through the year."

"That's too bad, I'm sure she was looking forward to you in that outfit."

"She's gonna get us both a walk in the sun."

"If anything happens I'll be the only one held liable. You knew nothing."

She watched him carefully; slightly taken back, "We're already in this together. Lafayette does have my blood, after all. Besides, I'd rat Sophie out before I let you take the fall."

He sat forward and rested his elbows on his thighs, making sure Pam was paying attention.

"If anyone is to find out about this; the vampire council, the magistrate, etc. You. Knew. Nothing. I am not asking you, Pamela, I am telling you."

She breathed out slowly showing her disagreement but he knew she would obey.

"Since you're playing the martyr now, I guess I have nothing to fear. I do stand to inherit Fangtasia in the event of your death," she drawled.

"I don't recall mentioning a will and if I had, what makes you think you're anywhere in it?" he mouth twitched as he watched the scowl form on her face.

"It's not like anyone else would want that hole in the wall."

He ignored her comment, "I want you to do a background check for me."

Her eyes sparked with interest, "On who? Girlfriend? As loud as his style is I doubt he has any skeletons in his closet."

"Not on him. I want you to bring me as much as you can about his cousin, Tara. Hire a private investigator if necessary."

He already had someone watching her in the day. Ever since the incident at Merlotte's he didn't think it wise to take any unnecessary chances, at least, not until he got what he wanted.

"I gather, this is about her blood? Have you tasted her?"

"Yes," he was more than interested about her blood, although, that was not his motivation, she didn't need to know that, "And no. I have not."

She gave him a knowing smile, "I saw the way you were looking at her. She is rather delectable, isn't she? If you're not interested I most definitely am."

"She is off limits."

Her eyes widened at his statement. He'd never declared any human off limits to her. He glanced away briefly, surprised by his own words.

"What do you think it is?" she cleared her throat uncomfortably.

He raised a brow, "Aren't you more concerned about who or what she is?"

She gave him a quizzical look, "Looks like a human to me. You know what they say, if it walks and talk-"

"Just because she looks human doesn't mean that she is. I'm not saying she is or isn't I just need information," he stood from his seat, "The night we found them she appeared to be healing on her own, that, along with her blood and the fact that she can't be glamoured, has me very curious."

Her eyes widened, "She can't be glamoured...interesting. Either way curiosity killed the cat, and we have enough problems already without having to worry about one human's blood. Or were you planning on feeding from her anytime soon?"

His housekeeper Novella walked into the room and nodded at them both, formally. Her salt and pepper hair was tied back in a prim knot and she wore a bland gray dress that engulfed her petite form. She'd been his housekeeper for the better of twenty-five years and continued to remain loyal. She also served as one of many who were his eyes and ears in the day.

"Novella," he acknowledged.

"I apologize if I'm interrupting anything but there is a call for you. It's Queen Sophie."

He followed Novella out of the living room into the foyer. He picked up the phone off of the end table and spoke into the receiver, "Hello."

"Eric, I won't be dropping by tonight, something came up but I will be sending someone. Have my money ready and on time."

"You couldn't tell Novella this?"

He could hear the disdain dripping in her tone, "I don't relay messages to servants."

"When should I be expecting them?"

"Oh, they should be there any moment."

He didn't trust her at all but he was even more distrustful of her cunning tone.

"Fine," he hung up without saying another word and went back into the living room.

He could feel Sophie's anger miles away and allowed himself a small smile. Pam was standing impatiently where he left her.

"You know I don't like to be left mid conversation."

"That was Sophie, she'll be sending someone else in her place."

"Oh goodie," her eyes rolled upward, "Well, why you're doing that, I'm going to take a nice hot bath and then go get something to eat. I wish you'd break your no human rule, the help excluded, and let me bring a snack or two home," she smiled lewdly, "I'd share."

"When you're through with your bath, skip the snack and go to the junk yard. Make sure girlfriend's car has been totally disposed of."

She sighed dramatically, "I told you it's just a pile of junk amongst a whole lot of other piles of junk. No one will notice."

"I don't like loose ends. Get it done," his voice became hard.

She swiftly left the room without another word then Novella came in.

"You have a guest."

"Bring them in."

Novella nodded and left only to appear moments later with none other than Bill Compton. Eric's mood darkened immediately. What the hell does Compton have to do with all this?

"This must be a joke," he said dryly.

Bill didn't look the least bit excited to see him either, not that he gave a damn.

"Let's just make this as short and painless as possible," Bill said with a grimace.

"I wouldn't be me if I did that, would I?"

Bill took a long suffering sigh, "Where is the money?"

Eric made no move to grab the bag behind him and he could see Bill eying it. He had the irresistible urge to find Sophie and snap her pretty little neck. Even better, he wanted to kill her and the useless piece of flesh in front of him. He was the Sheriff and it certainly didn't bode well that a vampire like Compton knew of his hidden ties with the Queen, but at least he now knew of his as well.

"I knew there was a reason you were back in Bon Temps, despite the pathetic excuses you gave," Bill's jaw tightened and Eric welcomed the animosity coming from him, "How long have you been working for Sophie?"

"Probably not as long as you have."

"Tell me you're more than an errand boy."

Bill reached his hand out, "I just need the money, and I'll be on my way."

Eric grabbed the money but made no move to give it to Bill.

"Does your human," he thought for a moment trying to remember her name, "Sookie, know of your dealings?"

He could see Bill trying hard to suppress his fangs and possibly the urge to throttle him. He found it highly amusing that he would even for a second think that he could take him. Even more pathetic than that, was the notion that he was so wrapped up in a human. Having feelings for a human was nothing but a sign of unnecessary weakness and Bill Compton was the weakest vampire he knew.

He'd met the Sookie girl on a routine visit to Compton's house, something that he was obligated to do once a year for protocol. Her blood had been mouth watering but nothing to catch feelings over. He'd later found out, through the grapevine, that she had a useful talent for reading minds, but so far he hadn't had any use for it or her.

"You leave Sookie out of this," Bill's fist clenched.

"Sookie is of no concern of mine...or should she be?" he sighed in disgust.

Bill was always painfully transparent to him, despite his gentlemanly act. It was obvious Sophie wanted his human for her own reasons which is why Bill had attached himself to her. It was also obvious that Sophie wanted her blood in the general populace. Whatever her reasons or Bill's he had to make a move soon or he would be meeting the sun like Pam said.

He threw the bag at Bill and he caught it, "I'm sure it's not lost on you why she did this."

"Nothing's lost on me Compton. You're dismissed."

Bill turned and walked out of the room. He could hear Novella ushering him to the door and moments later, nothing. He turned in the opposite direction and headed towards his bedroom to take a shower. He had a lot of planning and preparation to do afterhe made a visit. He figured the best way to unravel his mystery was to keep her close by and completely at his mercy, he'd deal with the rest later.

Tara was ecstatic. She'd finally found an apartment that was within her range and it was decent. She also had a job interview and was looking into going to school. With all the craziness going on in her life trying to find a job and apartment was one of the only things still grounding her.

Now she had to find a way to move in without her mother finding out. She was thinking of moving things in gradually instead of all at once. She'd already moved a few things to Lafayette's and he'd agreed to help her move the rest later.

She was at Lafayette's right now, house-sitting because he had a 'client' that he was meeting out of town. They'd argued for an hour about her going with him and she'd allowed him to win the argument only if he called her once every three hours, otherwise she threatened to blow up his phone and come looking for him.

This whole selling V business still put her on edge. She didn't trust Eric and Pam as far as she could throw them. She didn't know if she was just being prejudiced but all vampires seemed sneaky to her. After all, there had to be more to the situation than she and Lafayette knew about. Why would a vampire who, supposedly, hates the fact that humans sell V would commission a human to sell V? None of it made any sense to her and she doubted Eric would clue either one of them in anytime soon.

If she was honest with herself, which she happened to be on occasion, she would admit that one of the reasons she had been trying to distract herself is so that she wouldn't think of him. He'd become a real pain in the ass. She couldn't sleep without thinking about him and she couldn't go that far in the day without thinking of him either. Just thinking about the last time she saw him caused goosebumps to form on her flesh. The way he looked at her with that unbreakable stare made her want to undress then and there for him. She tried real hard not to think of his touch...there was something so possessive and primal in the way that he touched her. She'd never felt anything like it before and it was driving her crazy.

She growled in frustration and headed to the kitchen for a glass of milk. She opened the refrigerator and looked upward in annoyance. Of course, on the night that she was there he didn't have anything in his fridge and she didn't have a car to go to the store either.

She stared at the sparse contents in the fridge for a moment longer hoping something would materialize that she could eat or drink. She sighed and shut the door. She looked through one of her bags she had on the kitchen table and searched around for a book. She had to do something to fight the boredom until she went to work.

Just as she came across the book she wanted the doorbell rang. Once. Usually if it was someone you knew they rang the bell like it was going out of style but strangers always just hit it once. She hoped it wasn't Jehovah's Witnesses or someone asking to support her local councilman. She didn't have the patience or time for either.

She couldn't pretend like she wasn't here, either, because the light was on and whoever it was could probably see her shadow moving around. Damn. She went to the door and peeked behind the blinds to see who it was. Her entire body froze when she saw Eric standing on the other side. What is he doing here? He should be able to tell from the driveway that Lafayette wasn't here, so what did he want? She swallowed nervously at the thought that he was there for her. He'd told her, more than once, that he would be collecting from her soon, in who knows what form. She certainly wasn't prepared tonight for this.

She clutched the doorknob tightly in her hand and tried to think of all the vampire movies she'd seen. She wondered if he was allergic to garlic. Even if he was, there wasn't a vegetable or fruit to be found anywhere in the place. Another thing she remembered, mostly from Fright Night, was that they had to be invited in. That had to be the only reason he was ringing the bell she couldn't imagine why he would if he could just stroll in here anytime he wanted.

"Are you gonna stand there all night or will you be opening the door anytime soon?"

His calm, amused, tone had her closing her eyes briefly. She had been dreaming of him since the first night she met him and every time she came across the real thing it seemed more intense than the last.

"What do you want?" she asked rudely, "Lafayette isn't here."

"Lafayette isn't here...but you are."

"You're here for me?" she leaned her head against the door not wanting to miss his next words, "How did you even know I was here?"

"I always know where you are."

His voice seemed to get deeper and she took a shaky breath.

"You might as well leave, cause, I ain't letting you in."

She felt a slight pressure on the door and could tell he'd laid his palm against it.

"Your mouth keeps saying no but your body tells a different story."

Her eyes narrowed, "Oh, and what story is that?"

She could practically feel his smugness from the other side as he spoke, "The story of a stubborn woman who wants someone but refuses to admit it. I told you, I have no time for lies."

"So you came over here for sex? Didn't I already tell you that it ain't happening?" she huffed indignantly.

Her body was responding to his even though the door was a barrier between them. A part of her was screaming to let him in and jump his bones but she staunchly ignored it, for many reasons; one, she still was put off by vampires; two, she didn't know anything about him; three, she didn't feel in control around him. He, without even trying, made her feel things no other man had, and that scared her.

"Do you want me to stand out here all night?"

"No, I don't. I want you to go home, back to your coffin or castle, wherever the hell it is you live."

"You fear me?" his voice was quizzical and a bit surprised.

She was taken aback. She felt like she should be afraid but she wasn't. In fact, against her better judgment, she'd felt safe the few times she'd been near him. Even now she didn't have any real fear for her life.

"I'm not afraid of you."

"Then why is your heart practically beating out of your chest?"

She put her hand over her heart and tried to calm her nerves. She wondered if he had x-ray vision among his many talents. It seemed like minutes passed where neither of them said anything and then the doorbell rang again. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not opening this door."

"I guess you are afraid, then."

"I am not afraid!"

"Then prove it. Open the door."

She flung open the door before she could second guess herself and raised her chin defiantly at him. His knowing expression pissed her off. She knew he was baiting her but she couldn't resist. She definitely didn't want him to think that she was scared of him in any way because she still planned to stake him, if necessary.

She gave him a quick once over and he started smirking.

"Like what you see?" his eyes traveled slowly over her body, "The feeling is mutual."

She placed her hand on her hip and tilted her head sideways, "Have you proved your point? Can you leave now?"

He watched her expectantly, "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Hell no."

He sighed, "I have something I want to discuss with you."

She crossed her arms, "We can discuss it right here. Besides, it's not my place, it's Lafayette's and he's not here."

"You are very stubborn," he observed.

"Yeah? You have to be in this shitty world and I know you can't come in unless invited."

"Really?"

Before she could blink he grabbed her and moved quickly inside, shutting the door behind him. He set her down but took his sweet time letting her go. It didn't even feel like she had time to breathe in between and certainly not after he grabbed her. She wished he would quit doing that because every time it became harder to resist him.

She quickly stepped back giving herself some space, "I thought I had to invite you in?"

"You do, but girlfriend has already done that."

Of course he had. She had no idea why she didn't think of that.

"Girlfriend?"

He shrugged, "Pam's nickname."

She moved closer to the couch and suddenly felt claustrophobic in the small area. Eric towering over her seemed to take up all the available space.

"To anyone else I'd offer something to eat or drink but since it's you..."

"I thought southerners were known for their hospitality."

"It's hard for me to be hospitable to a vampire like you."

He watched her intently, "Oh, and what other vampires are benefiting from your hospitality?"

There was an edge to his voice almost as if he disapproved of the idea, which was preposterous to her.

"I'm not even gonna answer that so why don't you go ahead and tell me what you came over here for."

He took a seat on the couch making himself comfortable, like it was his house. She resisted the urge to throw a pillow at his face.

"I've come to give you an ultimatum."

"I don't like ultimatums."

He ignored her and kept on talking, "I want you to come work for me," her mouth dropped open, "You will also live with me in my home. I will provide you with transportation, clothes, food, and anything else you need."

It took her a moment before she could speak again but when she did she was pissed off.

"What? Are you serious? Now, the working for you part, I might consider. Might. The living with you part is a triple hell no."

He didn't look the least bit perturbed by her outburst and it pissed her off even more.

"There is a reason ultimatums are ultimatums. You don't get a choice."

She balled her fists. The only thing keeping her from hitting him was the fact that she knew it wouldn't affect him at all, but she still wanted too. She'd always used the art of arguing to get her point across or to have her way and this was the perfect opportunity. She sucked in her anger and tried to calm down.

"What job did you want me to do, something at your club?"

"No. You will not be working at Fangtasia but you will be handling the books."

"What if I'm horrible at accounting?"

"You have a very analytical mind. I doubt you'll be horrible at numbers."

She was very good with numbers but he didn't need to know that. Matter of fact, if he wanted her to be his accountant so bad she wouldn't mind screwing up some numbers for him. She started to smile, at the thought, then quickly caught herself.

"I'm not living with you. I just found an apartment and - "

"You mean the one on Burbank Street; one bedroom, one bath, great view? I own it and you're welcome to it after you pay off your debt."

She felt hopelessly confined. She felt like he'd made all the strategic movies to trap her so she would have no choice but to do his bidding. She and Lafayette might as well wear shackles and iron on their necks.

"You are a cold, dead, low-down, arrogant, evil, misogynistic, inconsiderate, bloodsucking, asshole!"

He smiled. He actually smiled. She was so stunned that she, momentarily, forgot what she was angry about. His eyes lit up in a way that she'd never seen.

"Thank you for that long-winded compliment. Do you want to move in tonight or in the morning?"

"Do I have a choice?" she grit out.

He looked as if he was seriously thinking about the question then said, "Not unless you want me to make it for you. My choice, you come tonight. I'm guessing yours will be in the morning when you have the opportunity to stake me."

"I'm serious about that," she placed her hands on her hips.

"I'm sure you are," he rose from the couch and came towards her, "Make your decision now, min sköna."

She couldn't believe this b.s., move in now or wait a few more hours, like that was a choice. Of course, he already knew what her choice was and it annoyed her immensely. Jackass.

"You already know what my decision is."

"Someone will come by your house in the morning, then. You won't have to lift a finger."

He continued to watch her silently and she was becoming uncomfortable under his gaze.

"What? Are you expecting a thank you?" she asked incredulously, "You'll be waiting a long time if you are."

"Tomorrow a man by the name of Luther will come to assist you. When you get to my home a woman by the name of Novella will welcome you. They will handle and take care of anything that you may need."

She just remembered her mother. If some strange man came trying to move her stuff out she'd go absolutely berserk.

"I'm gonna assume you know where I live."

He nodded, "Of course."

"I don't think you should send your friend Luther to my house. Let me and Lafayette move my stuff."

He moved closer to her, "Luther has already been instructed to handle this."

The thought that he had already planned this all out was just pissing her off again, "Since you already have everything under control why did you even come over here?"

"I thought you should know," he said as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

She tilted her head in confusion at him. He was a walking talking anomaly. She'd never seen anyone so self-assured and arrogant. It was truly amazing. He tilted his head as well mimicking her movement.

She lifted her head back up, shaking it, "I can handle moving on my own."

"Is there something you're not telling me, min sköna? Are you trying to get away from me?"

She gave a half laugh, "Hell yeah, there's something I'm not telling you. There's a lot I'm not telling you because I don't know you and I know enough by now to know; trying to get away from you would be pointless."

"Then what is the problem?"

"Other than the obvious?" she shook her head, "Nothing. It's just my mama...she'll be upset if she sees I'm moving out...unexpectedly."

He seemed to consider that bit of information for a moment before saying, "I will handle it. She'll be more than happy to let you go in the morning."

She watched him suspiciously, "How the hell do you expect to do that? You definitely don't know her if you think you can just convince her to be okay with me moving out."

"She will be taken care of, unless she is as confounding as you are. We will see," he glanced at the door, "Now it is time for me to go."

He walked to the door and opened it before turning to look at her. She watched him expectantly wondering what else he was gonna surprise her with. She was absolutely shocked when he moved quickly back towards her and pulled her into his arms. Her mouth opened to speak but her words were lost as he kissed her.

One of his hands moved from her waist to cup her face gently. She wanted to slap him, knew she should but...it felt too damn good. He was more than an expert with his mouth and tongue, he was a master. She roped one of her arms around his neck to pull him closer. She felt like her body was being worked into a frenzy and he was barely even touching her.

His kiss was passionate and urgent stealing all of her breath. She could feel his arousal too and she began grinding on him trying to find some release from all of this pent up lust. She heard a clicking sound and he pulled away from her quickly with his head lowered. His grip on her had tightened as if he was trying to control himself but was slowly losing the battle.

She gasped for air as she asked, "What's wrong?"

"I have to go."

She pulled herself closer to him not wanting him to leave and not really understanding why.

"You have to go now?" she whispered.

He lifted his head and he looked positively dangerous. His lips quivered and she could see the points of his fangs slowly disappearing. His expression was ravenous and she wondered why he didn't just take what he wanted since he had no problem showing his dominance any other time.

"I need to go," his voice was all bass.

He let her go and quickly sped out of the door. She blinked and took a breath trying to get her bearings. What was that? She bit her lip still tasting him on her.

"I have serious problems," she said to herself.

She jumped and screamed when she saw something coming through the door but calmed down when she saw it was Lafayette. Lafayette looked at her like she was crazy.

"Girl, what the hell is you screaming for?"

She waved her hand at him, "I don't know."

He shut the door behind him and threw his keys on the kitchen table, while taking off his coat.

"Am I tripping or did I just see Boss Man fly out of my house?"

She fell down onto the couch suddenly exhausted.

"It was him."

"What did he want?"

She wrapped her arms around herself, "He wants me to work for him and live in his house."

"Uh...come again? He want you to do what?"

"I ain't repeating it," she said tiredly.

"What about that apartment you was getting?"

"He owns it. He said I can get it after I pay off my debt."

"Ain't that some shit," he shook his head and started taking off his earrings while studying her closely, "But that don't explain why you look all flustered just like you was when we left his club that night," he gave her an admonishing look, "Please don't tell me you sleeping with that man."

"Do I look like I'm sleeping with him?"

He looked her over, "Yeah."

"I ain't sleeping with him."

"But you finna live with him? Y'all act like y'all can't keep your clothes on when other people in the room, what you think gone happen when you alone with him?"

She hadn't thought about that yet. She'd barely had time to think about anything, it'd all happened so fast. She'd cross that bridge when she got to it, tomorrow morning.

"I haven't even had time to think about all this."

"When you supposed to be moving in with him?"

"In the morning."

He raised his brows in shock, "The morning?" he shook his head and started walking to the back, "I done had enough crazy shit for the day. I need a break."

She watched him disappear to the back. She ran her tongue over her mouth and closed her eyes trying to remember every moment of his mouth on hers. She felt like a traitor. She had sworn off vampires the second they outed themselves and here she was looking forward to jumping one's bones. It was not her finest hour.