The magistrate didn't take long to make a decision. He questioned Raquel but not extensively. He trusted Eric's oral report. Raquel was even more out of it than earlier and was saying very little giving the magistrate no choice but to take her to the silver chamber.

The silver chamber operated as a temporary prison for vampires while the magistrate investigated and decided what to do. The cells were made out of pure silver should anyone have any ideas in escaping. He'd only sent a handful of vamps there himself and, despite Raquel's growing catatonic state, he truly did not believe she had anything to do with Marco's death. She didn't seem up to proving her own innocence and she would be punished, accordingly, if there wasn't any incoming evidence in her favor.

As the night drew on he knew he would have to head to Fangtasia soon and he wasn't finished with his conversation with Tara. He thought about just letting Pam handle things at the club but he'd never done that. Ever since Fangtasia opened he'd been there every night, it would be beyond his character to change now. If the magistrate needed his continuing assistance in this matter he would have to let Pam handle things anyway.

He stood in Raquel's living room, once again, as several vamps swept in and out trying to make an understanding of what happened in the attic. The horrible stench was still unbelievably strong but no one in the magistrate's group were willing to show how much it bothered them. They were all stony faced and said nothing unless the magistrate addressed them and even then the responses were short and servile.

A puny vamp who looked like he was turned at the age of sixteen came down the hall and unlike the others he didn't have a crimson robe on, mimicking their leader. He had a crimson button down shirt with a collar and khaki pants. He looked like any other yuppie he'd seen and wondered, vaguely, what he was doing working for the magistrate. He certainly didn't carry himself the way most vamps did. Either he was not very old or he was still trying to fit in with human society.

The young vamp was the only one who seemed excited over the events happening and had a stupid grin plastered on his face and a phone in his hand, texting. The other three in the room, at the moment, looked at him, disapprovingly, but said nothing. The magistrate came in behind him and spoke quietly to one of the vamps standing in the corner. The man nodded at what the magistrate was saying and sped out of the house.

The magistrate walked over to Eric with a tired and weary expression.

"Since this is your jurisdiction I have no problem sharing confidential information with you, but it doesn't leave this room."

"Of course."

The magistrate sighed before continuing, "I can't keep this quiet for long since the Vampire League is breathing down my neck and, no doubt, yours."

"If by Vampire League you mean Nan Flanagan, then yes."

The Vampire League's quest to segue into human society was pointless and a waste of time, in his opinion. He saw no need for it seeing as vampires wanted little to do with humans and vice versa.

"I'm taking Raquel in for protocol but I doubt she's had anything to do with this," he paused a moment, "This is the third death like this in as many weeks."

He was expecting a lot of things but not that.

"What death is this? You know what killed him?"

"Sucked dry like the others. Two towns over a similar situation happened but the Sheriff kept things quiet. He's more anal about his territory than you are," his eyes took on a far off look as if he was imagining the politics he'd have to deal with, "Either we have a problem in house or someone's not happy about us revealing our identity. The Vampire League is trying to work with several politicians to put in laws for us and this could hurt us if it's one of our own."

The puny vamp who was texting stopped what he was doing and came to stand next to the magistrate looking at Eric as if he was supposed to explain what had been said up until that point. Eric ignored him.

"If it isn't one of our own it could start a war."

He could see how the situation could easily propel from here into a huge catastrophe.

The magistrate nodded his head in acquiescence, "I would appreciate it if you keep it quiet for now. I would also advise you to put some of your own men out to keep an eye on things. I know you don't favor deputies but this might be the time to look into getting one."

"I won't say a word," he stared at him pointedly, "But your advice is not needed."

"Very well," he snapped his fingers and exited with his men following faithfully behind.

The only one who lagged behind was the yuppie and he made sure the others had stepped out of the house before turning an excited eye on him.

"This is great isn't it? A serial killing vampire? Don't you think?"

Eric said nothing as he prattled on.

"I've heard a lot about you Mr. Northman and I'm really honored."

"And You are?"

If this boy had a point to make he had better make it fast.

"Evan Bristol," he held out his hand with a big grin and dropped it nervously when he saw that Eric was making no move to shake it, "Anyways, I'm writing a book about different vampires lives and since you're a well known Viking, I wondered if you wanted to be a part of the project."

"No."

He considered the conversation done and moved to exit the house when Evan stepped in front of him.

"I had a feeling you'd say that but I really think you should consider it. In fact," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a card that had his picture on one side and his name and number on the back, "Here's my business card. Think about it."

Eric shook his head as he took the card. On the picture Evan was cheesing so hard it looked like his teeth might crack. Evan left quickly and Eric followed after. As soon as he was outside he tossed the card into the bushes and took off into the sky.

Sam knocked on Lafayette's door and shoved his hands into his pockets to stave off the growing cold. He waited patiently and when he heard no movement on the inside he knocked again. The door finally opened and he stared into Lafayette's curious gaze. He took a hit on the blunt in his hand and offered it to Sam.

"Wanna hit?"

"Uh, no thanks. Can I speak to Tara?"

Lafayette studied him for a moment before taking another hit and replying, "Tara not here."

Sam crinkled his brows in confusion, "I went to her house and she's not there either. I thought she would be here."

"Come on in."

Lafayette widened the door and he stepped inside. He was immediately hit by the strong aroma of marijuana.

"You sure you don't want some of this? This is that good good if you know what I'm sayin'," Lafayette offered again.

He'd only smoked a handful of times in his life and definitely didn't mind getting a buzz every once in a while but tonight wasn't the night. Besides, even though he saw Lafayette as a friend, he was still his boss. He knew it was hypocritical to feel that way especially since he was here to see Tara but he'd never felt their relationship was a personal one anyway.

"Do you know where Tara is?"

Lafayette looked away briefly before taking another drag, "Don't you got her number?"

"Yeah, I do. I called her earlier and talked to her but decided to come by."

Lafayette shrugged, "I don't know what to tell ya. She ain't here."

Sam looked around the small room finding no sign of Tara. He knew from her own words that she'd been staying with her cousin for a while but he didn't see any of her things. He could still get a light whiff of the perfume she wore mixed in with her own personal scent. She had been here not too long ago.

"You know where she is, though, right?"

Lafayette turned his head away for a moment, "If she want you to know she'll tell you."

"Why the secrecy?"

"It ain't a secret it just ain't my business to tell."

He knew there was something off about Tara lately and Lafayette was confirming it with how he was acting.

"If she's not here or at her mother's, where could she be?"

Lafayette raised his brows as if he didn't know.

"What you need Tara for anyway?"

"Earl died."

Lafayette put the blunt in his ash tray looking surprised, "Drunk and fucked up Earl?"

"They said he killed himself last night or something," the story still sounded weird to him, "Anyway, I wanted to see if Tara wanted to pay her respects."

"I doubt if Tara wanna go anywhere near Earl."

"Why do you say that?"

When he'd spoken to Tara about Earl last night and a little while ago she seemed real reluctant to visit him which didn't make any sense to him.

"Did Tara say she wanted to see Earl?"

He crossed his arms remembering their conversation, "No she didn't. She said she had no intention on going to the hospital either."

"So, why you looking for her anyway? She don't wanna see him or his body."

"I don't see what the big deal is. It's the polite thing to do."

"Then go by yourself cause nobody wants to see Earl's dead ass."

He was surprised at Lafayette's attitude, sure Earl wasn't a favorite but he wasn't hated either. Mostly everyone had their own little camaraderie with Earl and saw him every night it would make sense for them all to pay their respects.

"So I guess I can count you out of coming."

"Yep."

Lafayette sat down on his couch as if he was already done with the conversation.

"It's obvious you don't give a damn about Earl but could you at least tell me what's going on with Tara?"

Lafayette cast a suspicious eye on him, "What make you think something wrong with Tara?"

He paced for a moment with his head angled towards the ground, "It's not just Tara. It's the both of you but especially Tara."

"Ain't nothing wrong with me or Tara."

"I didn't necessarily say anything was wrong but something's off. Tara's been spaced out lately and you jump at the slightest thing."

Tara's well being was important to him and he'd been getting a weird scent from her, every once in a while, that he couldn't, exactly, place. At first he thought it was just the after effects of the accident they had but it seemed much more than that. Oddly enough, he was always in-tuned to Tara's emotions and despite the fact that he'd told her he was there for her, he knew she would never take him up on his offer.

"You ain't gotta worry about me and you shouldn't be worrying about Tara either. If it's anything we know how to do, it's survive."

He remembered Tara making a similar comment the other night.

"Sometimes just surviving isn't enough there are other needs that have to be met."

Lafayette raised a brow, "I thought you was into Sookie? I mean I see you looking at Tara sometime but I ain't know it was like that," he ended on a disbelieving chuckle.

Sam's face was confused, "What?"

Lafayette laughed, "Come on now Sam. Ain't nobody boss gone come looking for them to go see some drunk dead man, that don't nobody know, just to pay they respects. You sounding a little too concerned."

Sam's mouth opened in startled surprise at the accusation, "I...I...," Lafayette laughed harder at his loss of words, "Tara is more than just my employee. She's my friend. I thought we all were."

"Yeah we cool, but you must be a little cooler with Tara since you running around town, all out of breath, trying to find her."

Sam scoffed, "I'm not out of breath-"

"You wanna know where she is, what she doing, how she doing," Lafayette's eyebrows raised humorously, "Who she doing," he started to bounce up and down on the couch dancing and singing, "Sam and Tara sitting in a tree, f-u-c-"

Sam held up a hand, "Okay, you know what? I'm leaving," he walked to the door and opened it, mumbling to himself, "God, I feel like I wandered into kindergarten."

"You sure you don't wanna hit this?"

He shut the door behind him to more of Lafayette's guffaws. He was certain that if he looked up the word character in the dictionary he'd find a picture of Lafayette making a hand snap. He quickly headed to his car trying very hard not to take anything Lafayette had just said seriously and failing miserably.

Tara had stayed a while to cool down and even attempted a bit of reading before cleaning up she and Eric's mess in the library then quickly exiting and trying to find her way back to her room. She'd found the library by pure luck because she had no idea where it was she was actually going. Since she fell out after Novella showed her to her room she never did get that tour she was promised and she hadn't seen her since.

It amazed her how magnificent Eric's home was. She hadn't ran into someone else but he must have a full time staff to keep the place running. She wondered if he'd had the house built or if he just moved in. She could tell by the stone structure that it was old. She could hardly imagine living for hundreds of years and seeing the world change before you while you stayed the same. The more she thought about immortality the sadder she became. What was the point of living forever if everyone you loved grew old and died? She didn't even have a long list of people she loved and vice versa but the ones that she had she would cherish.

She'd never asked Eric how old he was, not that she'd had much opportunity. Bill was only a little over a hundred years old but she could tell Eric was much more older than that. She often felt like she was in the presence of someone from another age when she was with him despite his modern look.

Mentally she was beating herself up over going against her rule of not having sex with him. Although, they hadn't done anything they had come dangerously close. It was like she had no built in defense system against him. She would have to work on that as soon as she found her way out of this maze of a house! She was getting frustrated after she turned another corner and ended up in another long hallway. She peaked in a door on the left wall and was surprised to find a billiards room. There were two large pool tables in the center of the room and a bar in the far right corner. There was also various chairs and couches around. She could definitely see Eric entertaining some high aristocracy in this room.

She was tempted for a moment to play a round but decided against it and closed the door. She began walking down the hall again hoping to stumble upon something recognizable. I should've brought some damn bread crumbs. She ended up reaching the end of a hall veering off to the left and right and knew she was officially lost. She was really starting to get frustrated because not only was she lost but she was getting very hungry. She hadn't eaten since before she went to work last night and she could hear her stomach grumble every once in a while. She hoped he had enough mind to actually have food in his house for her because she was starving.

She took a chance and went down the right hall making a silent prayer that she would find the kitchen by happenstance. The wide pale walls and marble floor was starting to creep her out even with the dim lamps lit along the walls. She felt like she was lost in a castle. She wondered if anyone ever got lost and died in here, if her current situation was any indication, she certainly wouldn't say it was impossible.

"Where the hell am I?" she growled in frustration.

She was about to turn around and go the other way when her phone rang. She quickly dug into her pockets and answered hoping it was somebody in this God-forsaken castle.

"Hello?"

"Tara?"

"Calling to check up on me?"

"Eric ain't bit your ass yet, have he?"

She rested the phone between her shoulder and ear and began walking again, "Not yet."

"Guess who just left my house?"

"Who?" she paused when she saw a stuffing of a dodo bird on the wall.

She looked closer at it. That can not actually be a real dodo. Wow.

"Tara? Tara!"

She blinked remembering she was talking to Lafayette, "Yeah?"

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Naw, what you say?"

"Your boy Sam just left."

"Sam?" she looked at the dodo a bit longer before pressing onward, "What was Sam at your house for?"

"He came by looking for you," his words were slow and drawn out like he was trying to tease her, although, she had no idea about what.

"He must have came by about Earl. I told him I wasn't going to see him."

"Umhm, that's what I told him."

"You didn't tell him why did you?"

"What I look like?"

"Since I'm lost and need somebody to talk too I ain't gone answer that."

Lafayette exhaled slowly over the phone, "You lost?"

She nodded, "Yep. Did you know that Eric lives in a mansion? I mean like a castle type mansion."

"For real?" he exhaled again, "You mean he don't live in that club he always in?"

"No, this place don't look nothing like Fangtasia and my dumb-ass is lost."

"How the hell you get lost?"

She reached what appeared to be a dead end and turned around, aggravated, deciding to try to find the library again, maybe it was a map in there.

"I don't know. I was walking around then I found a library, Eric came then left, now I'm trying to find my room or the kitchen."

"Well, while you wandering around looking like Booboo the Fool let me tell you about Sam."

"What about Sam?" she was really irritated by now because she felt like Booboo the Fool.

"Homeboy came over here looking for you."

She had no idea what it was he was alluding too and wasn't in the mood to play guess who.

"To go see Earl, right?"

She didn't know why Sam was being so insistent on her having anything to do with Earl, she shuddered at just the thought of him. She still didn't know what Lafayette was trying to get at.

Lafayette laughed, "That's what he said."

She decided to go down the left side of the hall this time and hoped that this would lead her to somewhere remotely familiar.

"And?"

She heard him exhale again and knew he was higher than a kite. Depending on the grade of the weed he either got real calm and quiet or extra giddy and annoying, this was obviously the latter taking effect.

"I was just playing with Sam but he hurried and got up out of here, looking all red in the face."

She saw a end table at the end of the hall, that she recognized from earlier, and did a little jig before quickening her pace.

"What did you say to him to make him turn red in the face?"

"I was just stating the obvious."

"Which is?"

She was starting to relax a little more now that she felt she was on the right path.

"He like you."

"Huh?"

"Do you need a hearing aid?"

"I know what you said but I hope you ain't saying what I think you saying."

Lafayette laughed again before exhaling, "Oh I see, so, both of ya'll acting like ya'll in middle school."

"Sam does not like me like that. He likes Sookie."

She had to give a small laugh herself. The idea that Sam Merlotte liked her in a romantic way was nearly preposterous. He obviously liked buxom and blonde which is why he was drooling after Sookie. As long as she'd known him he'd never treated her as anything more than a friend and she doubted that his attitude would change in the future. Lafayette was just tripping as usual.

"Then why he leave my house looking like a hot frank?" he asked dryly.

"Cause you embarrassed him. Duh."

"Whatever."

She stumbled into the main foyer and put a hand over her heart with a huge sigh.

"Thank you Lord."

"What?"

"I ain't lost no more."

"I'm about to get jazzed up for work, I'll talk to you later."

"Alright, bye."

"And don't be letting Eric bite on you like a afternoon snack."

"Uh-huh."

She was already looking thinking about finding Novella so she could lead her to the kitchen.

"Okay, Mrs. Merlotte, I'll see you later."

She blinked finally paying attention to what he was saying, "What?"

He laughed before the phone went dead in her ear and she just stood there for a moment shaking her head at his silliness. He needs to stay off the weed. She put the phone back in her pocket and looked around trying to figure out which area would make the most sense to have a kitchen in. She looked down one hall but it looked too dark. The other one next to the stairs didn't seem like a place for a kitchen either so she began walking through the other one and came into what looked like a grand living room. She hoped she found the kitchen soon because she didn't plan on going to work until she, at least, ate something.

She nearly jumped when Pam seemed to come out of nowhere and stood right in front of her. She didn't know how she felt about Pam yet but she definitely didn't like the way she was always looking at her like she wanted to eat her.

"Hey cupcake."

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance, "The name's Tara."

A slow lascivious grin spread on her face, "So, what is little red riding hood doing roaming the halls all by her lonesome, especially with so many wolves around?"

"I'm looking for the kitchen. Do you all even have one?"

"We have a kitchen but only the help use it," Pam's grin widened so that she could see all of her teeth, "You want me to...escort you there?"

"If you just tell me where it is I can get there by myself."

Pam took a step closer to her, "It's easier if I just show you."

She stayed rooted to the spot ready to punch her if she even thought about taking another step towards her, not that it would any good.

"Where's Novella?"

At least she was human or so she thought. She couldn't really tell anymore.

"What do you want her for? I know this house better than she does, besides," Pam's eyes roamed all over her body leaving her thoroughly eye raped, "She doesn't know how to have fun. I do."

"No thanks."

She felt her flesh break out in goosebumps and she crossed her arms. She knew then that he had to be here somewhere.

"What was Pam's offer?"

His voice was low and curious behind her and she could feel him even if she couldn't feel any heat emanating from his body.

"Cupcake is as hungry as I am. I offered to show her to the kitchen."

"I bet you did."

"I can still show her if you like. I'm sure you have business to attend too."

"At the moment, no, I don't," he said dryly and moved to stand beside her, "Though, I would like you to go ahead to Fangtasia and open up for me. I'll be there but it'll have to be later."

"What exactly will you be preoccupied with?"

He grabbed her hand in his,"Welcoming our new guest, of course."

She ignored the fluttering in her belly at the feel of his hands and chalked it up to hunger pains.

Pam's eyes narrowed at their hands before giving a sarcastic smile, "I bet you will."

She watched Pam speed past them in a blur before Eric started walking briskly practically dragging him behind her.

"Follow me."

She quickened her pace to keep up with his long smooth strides. They took a left down a short hall and ended up in the kitchen. There was a huge table in the middle of the room that she knew could seat twelve or more people. The kitchen was as elaborate as the rest of the house and equally as immaculate. From the way Eric was looking it was obvious he didn't spend a lot of time in here. She notice Novella talking with a older woman near an island. Then she spotted the refrigerator in all of its titanium steel glory. She tugged on his hand like a kid in a candy store. He turned his sea green eyes on her and she momentarily forgot that she was hungry.

She cleared her throat breaking from his hypnotic gaze, "Can I?"

He nodded, "You may."

She broke out of his grasp and walked quickly to the refrigerator hoping it was packed with things that she actually liked.

"Whatever it is you need, I can fix Ms. Thornton."

The woman who had been standing with Novella had situated herself in front of the fridge with a warm smile on her face. She was light brown with an oval face and cinnamon eyes. The only way she could tell how old she was, was in the way she carried herself. In all honesty, she didn't look a day over thirty.

"Thanks, but I like to cook for myself."

The woman looked like her feelings were genuinely hurt and Tara immediately felt bad. She'd never been comfortable with eating strangers' food because it had always been hard for her to trust.

"In the future, if you change your mind," her smile seemed forced now, "My name is Edith Beaumont and I usually do all the cooking for the staff."

She smiled back at her, "Okay. Thanks."

The woman moved out of her way and she opened the fridge. Her eyes took in all the delicious possibilities with glee. There was turkey, ham, chicken, eggs, wine, bread, and a plethora of other things. At least now she knew she wouldn't starve staying here. She decided on something simple right now and grabbed all the things that would make her a turkey sandwich.

Once she had everything spread out on the counter she looked around to ask Novella or Edith where the knives and butter-knives were and was surprised to find them gone. Eric sat on a stool at the island where she had her food laid out.

"Where did they go?"

"I sent them away after you became hypnotized with my refrigerator."

She began undoing the jar of mayonnaise and trying to eye him at the same time. She couldn't forget he was in the same room even if she tried. Her body felt like it was wired to his. The raw sexuality he possessed was most certainly not ignorable.

"You shouldn't have done that. I don't know where everything is and you don't seem to either."

He rested his elbows on the island and leaned towards her, "What do you need?"

His gaze was way too intense and his voice too low for that question to be, at all, innocent.

"I just need to know where the silverware and knives are so don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

She decided to move the conversation into safer territory, "So you can't eat regular food at all just blood," she observed, "But you don't have to drink from humans you can drink that stuff," she snapped her fingers trying to remember, "True Blood!"

He looked disgusted, "I don't drink that synthetic tasteless excuse for blood."

"So you like drinking from humans?"

"I'm a vampire."

"And? You like blood, right? That means that you can drink from anything with blood. What about animals?"

"What is the point of this conversation?" he drawled.

"The point is; you don't have to drink from humans. You can drink True Blood or from animals."

"Why does it matter what I drink?"

That, she had no answer for. It shouldn't matter. She shouldn't care. She just couldn't wrap her mind around someone drinking someone's blood and enjoying it. She didn't want to think about him drinking from someones body. She knew from the few times that they kissed his fangs tried to pop out so obviously when he was turned on...

She felt her hand squeezing the jar of mayonnaise. She let go when she realized she as hurting her hand and not the jar. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it sooner. He was the owner of a club. He was rich. He was good looking. He was probably having vampire sex with a different woman every night.

She turned around and began searching through the drawers trying to find the utensils she needed and preoccupy her thoughts at the same time. The anger she felt building inside of her was foreign and untamed. She refused to acknowledge that it was jealousy, it had to be something else. She had absolutely no reason to be jealous. Eric was not hers in any way.

She finally found the silverware and grabbed a butter-knife. She pulled out two pieces of bread and began spreading mayonnaise on them. His eyes were practically burning holes in her skin but she tried not to look at him.

"You're angry."

She closed the mayonnaise and grabbed the mustard squirting it on the bread, "I'm not angry."

"You forget. I can feel what you're feeling."

She finally looked back up into his curious gaze.

"Explain this to me again. I drink your blood and all of a sudden you have this connection to me. You can feel what I'm feeling and know where I am at all times."

"You've explained it yourself."

"It's not fair."

"Why are you angry?" he asked switching the conversation back to its origin, "I can't help that I have a taste for blood anymore than you can help having a taste for whatever it is that you're about to eat."

She laid the slices of turkey onto the bread, "It's called a sandwich."

"Why don't you just eat the lettuce?"

She paused in putting the lettuce on the bread and smiled, reluctantly, "Okay, I get it. It's gross but I get it."

"Do you?" she could hear the smile in his voice but refused to look up and continued adding the works to her sandwich.

"You don't have to stay here with me. You can go on to Fangtasia. I have to get ready for work anyway."

"You wanna come with me?"

She finally finished making her sandwich and looked up at him, "No, I'm going to work."

"If you're talking about the bar, you don't work there anymore. Remember?"

She was about to take a bite out of her sandwich when he said that, instead she laid her sandwich back down.

"Don't I get a grace period or something?"

From the look of his dead pan expression he had no intention on giving her any type of grace period.

"Why do you think I moved you in today?"

"Because you're narcissistic and think the world revolves around you and that when you say jump people should say how high?"

"You don't have to come work for me tonight but you won't be at that bar anymore either. Last night was your last shift," he informed her.

She covered her face with her hand for a moment trying to quell her growing irritation. If he thought that he was going to control every single aspect of her life he was about to have a rude awakening, vampire or not.

"What am I supposed to tell Sam? He's expecting me to be there tonight."

"Sam can find someone else."

His nonchalant attitude never ceased to turn her on and piss her off at the same time.

"As soon as the sun rises I am going to stake you."

She dropped her hand on to the table and saw him smiling at her.

"You think I'm joking?"

His smile disappeared and he peered at her strangely.

"What? Why you looking at me like that?"

He didn't say anything for a long time and she was starting to grow concerned.

"What?"

"Min vackra mysterium," he whispered in awe.

"What does that mean?" she swallowed at the look in his eyes.

She'd heard him call her that and something else but she had no clue what it meant. Instead of answering her question he got up from his stool and began making his way out of the room. She hurried after him and grabbed his arm. At first he didn't budge but when she continued to pull on him he turned around.

"You're scaring me."

He actually looked a bit surprised, "I'm scaring you? Every minute I spend with you puzzles me further. Who are you Tara Thornton?"

"Puzzles you about what? What is it? Is it my blood again?"

He touched her face lightly, "It's your eyes," his eyes roved over hers with a fervor she'd never seen before, "Som om dina är ögon inte är fascinerande nog."

She blinked and lifted her hand with the intention of touching her eye but she decided to touch his hand that had begun caressing her face softly. She bit her lip in anticipation knowing by now what happened when this lustful haze fell upon them.

He looked pained briefly before croaking out, "Don't do that."

She bit her lip again, "Do what?"

"That."

"Why?" she stopped herself from biting her lips again.

"You're not the only one that's hungry."

She didn't even feel that hungry anymore. No, she was hungry for something else now. She had an impulse to kiss him but stopped herself and stepped back letting go of his hand. She had a serious problem when it came to thinking clearly around him.

"Then you should go eat."

Once again she had images of him and some lolly headed tramp.

"I'd rather stay here."

"And starve?"

"You sound concerned," he smiled softly at her and she forgot about anything else, "Are you rethinking staking me or should I sleep with one eye open?"

"You should still sleep with one eye open," she assured him.

She could see that he was still staring at her in awe and fascination. She wished she knew what the big deal was. Maybe this was the most he'd spent in the company of a human in years. She smiled brightly when she remembered the question she wanted to ask him.

"How old are you?"

"Over a thousand years."

"A thousand years," she repeated to herself.

She wondered what things he had to have seen over the years. He was a walking talking piece of history. She knew he was old but she had no idea that he'd been around that long.

"I have a lot of questions I wanna ask you but I don't wanna keep you from your business...or your dinner."

She walked back over to the island. She wasn't hungry anymore so she decided to place her sandwich in the fridge for later.

"You can ask me any question you like," his breath was in her ear and he placed both of his hands against the counter trapping her, "I was gonna leave a moment ago."

She placed her hands on the counter too to steady herself, "Why? The eyes?"

She felt the tips of his lips touch her ear lightly, "Because time is winding down and there's not enough hours in the night for what I want to do to you, min sköna, so stop tempting me."

She scoffed, "I'm tempting you? You're the vampire. You're used to seducing people."

He wrapped an arm around her and palmed her stomach, his mouth now on her neck, "You smell so good."

Her entire body was responding to his proximity as if electricity was coursing through her, hitting all of her erogenous zones.

"I thought you couldn't smell me."

"Not your blood," he pressed a soft kiss on her neck, "Your skin."

His body pressed into hers from behind and she fought the urge to grind into his erection. She stifled a moan. Why did this man have to be so damn sexy? It really wasn't fair. She could imagine easily resisting any other man but him. He seemed to have some undefinable grip on her.

"We shouldn't play with fire."

He pressed another lingering kiss into her neck, "There's no point in trying to resist me. Everything between us is inevitable and inescapable," his voice became silky and insistent, "Stop fighting it."

Somewhere, deep down, his words resonated nothing but truth within her. Regardless of the fact, she was going to put up a fight, no matter how small. She turned her head to make a smart comment and was silenced by his lips. She leaned back to break the connection and he pressed forward killing what little resistance she had.

Like earlier his kiss was slow and it was obvious he was holding back, which a part of her didn't mind. Her body may be weeping for him but her mind was screaming to run away. It was her pride that kept her rooted to the spot and her body that willingly kissed him back. Nevertheless, she had begun to love the taste of his lips and tongue, even crave it.

"Ahem."

They finally pulled apart and she could see Eric's eyes were closed either in pleasure or irritation.

"Yes, Novella?"

"Mrs. De Beaufort just called and says that there's something at the club that needs your immediate attention."

She could see the woman out of the corner of her eye and wondered what was going through her mind. Her face was a complete blank and gave away none of the things that, Tara was sure, she was thinking. She tried to look like it was the most normal thing in the world to be caught in Eric's arms but she couldn't really pull it off.

"Thank you, Novella."

He sighed and moved away before saying, "Every time."

He gave her one last torturous glance before speeding away. She tried to catch her breath and take in what had just happened and those eery words he'd spoken. With her luck any future involving him would be nothing but disastrous.

* Som om du är ögon inte är fascinerande nog – As if your eyes are not mesmerizing enough

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Another interruption, I know. Rest assured that there will come a day (and a chapter) where they will have lots of time alone, undisturbed, to do what they've been dying to do, lol. Again thank you always for the reviews and the encouragement your comments really put a smile on my face and make me laugh. I enjoy reading them almost as much as I do writing this story. I practically fell asleep at the keyboard finishing this and don't ever get to edit as much as I'd like so pointing out obvious errors are very helpful.

Oh, I almost forgot. The Sam/Tara situation was not planned it just sort of...happened. I honestly did not plan on there being a triangle (I still don't, at least, not exactly) or anything but whenever I write anything with Sam and Tara in the same vicinity the words seem to take on a life of their own, now I have a whole other story arc taking form in my mind.

Hope ya'll enjoy. :-P