A/N: Charlaine Harris owns all of her characters. Evil genius that she is, she has created the Sookieverse for our pleasure.

I don't know if you are still enjoying this fic 'as is' or if it would be best if Sookie just shags Eric, he shifts into Werewolf form and bites her, and she joins him as a Were at the next full moon. Wouldn't that be so dull and predictable, though? I think so.

WARNING. Small, thick-skinned, oval-shaped, wrinkle-free fruit ahead. And please don't skip to the end, looking for the citrus! LOL (I've never done any such thing myself.) Explicit!

Chapter 9

Music was a classic form of wooing your Lover.

I certainly didn't intend to buy Sookie any gravel driveways. Nor would I fall prey to the common male misstep of overly practical gifts of functional clothing or checks. Instead, I'd find her heart's desire and give it to her.

SPOV

After an all-too-brief period of Eric playing what he said was Brazilian bossa nova tunes for us, he decided it was time we left for the Club in downtown Atlanta. Eager now to see his performance, I stashed my suitcase of clothes behind his recliner and was standing by the door, impatient to be gone, well before the two Supes were ready. I silently derided them for being so pokey when compared to your average True Human. If I was average? Who knew how many 'Pure ones' (I snickered) like myself there were left in today's world. Did it really matter?

When we finally walked outside together, I learned Pam hadn't driven to Eric's and would be riding with us. While I tried to puzzle out how she could have arrived so quickly earlier (did Elves have wings?), Eric insisted I sit in the front with him in the SUV. Now that I was looking more closely at our ride, I realized it was a Ford Explorer. Oh well, Explorers were very common vehicles.

He spent some time obsessively loading in his musical gear and instruments, and then we were headed to Clancy's for Jazz. I tried, I truly did, but after twenty minutes of dead air with a Were and an Elf for companions, I just couldn't maintain radio silence.

"Eric, did you know Will Compton?" The question had been gnawing at me.

"Might as well tell her, Eric. She has a right to know." Pam had weighed in.

"What should I tell her, Pam? Which 'parts' are relevant and which will only muddy the waters?" Not unexpectedly, my never-ending quest for information had resurrected EricTheGrump. Questions had a way of doing that to Wolf-boy. I waited. Something F-U-N was coming, I could feel it. Probably Plankton's definition; I would have preferred Spongebob's.

"Sookie, I never met him, but I knew of him." That cleared it right up.

"How?" I couldn't believe Will was that famous for owning a Ford dealership in Smyrna.

"He was a member of the Supernatural community here in Atlanta."

Jumping to the wrong conclusion, I began… "Oh, was he a Were too?" I hesitated. "He had a rough circulatory problem that always left him feeling a little cooler than normal. Quite a bit cooler, actually. Would that be typical for a Were? It seems wrong, somehow."

I saw Eric glance in the rearview mirror at Pam. I twisted around in time to see her shrug her shoulders, abdicating responsibility for whatever he said to me next.

"Sookie, I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but Will was a Vampire, almost two hundred years old…." He stopped to see how I would react to this news.

Will was a Vampire? And I didn't know? Never suspected? He could have bitten me and drained me dry? Would anyone have tried to stop him? The lack of any candidates in answer to my last query scared me the most. Likely only one man would have tried to stop him, and I didn't meet him until three days ago, I thought sadly.

Then I recalled what I'd let Will the Vampire do to me last weekend at his place and completely lost it. I started sucking in great gulps of air, in between spewing out all of my questions at once. "Is there more, Eric? Is there more about Will? Do you know where he is? Was he a good Supe or a bad Supe?" I desperately needed more space, and fumbling, found the button on my car door that opened the window. As a blast of superheated summer night air poured into the car, neither Pam nor Eric bothered to hide their disgust at my reaction. Eric, giving me his scariest look to date, huffed as he reversed the window and then locked the controls on his side. Did he think I was a child?

"Sookie, the windows are bullet-proof." Shiz, I really didn't want to know why that was a necessary precaution on a trip into downtown Atlanta on a Saturday night.

The whole window escapade had temporarily diverted me from my shock at Will's deception about his…what? Lifestyle choice? Was Vampirism something you asked for, or was it just the way you woke up one day, no choice possible? It was confusing, to say the least. I tried to sort it out.

"A Vampire? Is William a Rogue? Was he sent to capture me? If so, why'd he wait so long to act?"

Eric pulled over and eyed me carefully.

"Sookie, how much do you care for Will?"

I could see why he'd ask the question if the news he had for me about Will was awful. "Some." But logic didn't exactly entitle him to an answer.

He didn't look pleased with my noncommittal response. 'Up yours' was my less than gracious reaction.

Not meeting my eyes now, he began again. "I have some news about Will. He may not be coming back. Ever." I wondered. Did he have inside information or nothing more than what he'd gleaned from the Atlanta Journal website? I made the obvious leap.

"Ever? But didn't you just tell me he is, or was, a Vampire? They can't die twice, can they?"

I might be ready to accept that Will was a Vampire. Why not, if Eric was a Werewolf and Pam an Elf and Demon mix? But no way would I easily accept that he was finally dead and gone.

While I pondered why that phrase seemed so familiar, Eric took advantage of my distraction to caress my hand, and he tried again. "Be strong, Sookie, if that is the correct sentiment. You must have cared for him deeply?" It was a question. Not without a dig in there somewhere. I grimaced, considering my earlier, semi-skanky actions in his bedroom, clinging to him. I knew I'd be blushing over that memory for years. When telling the truth, I'd read closing one's eyes sometimes helped. I tried it.

"Eric, you deserve the truth. Will and I were dating; it was a short-lived relationship." I smiled wanly. The shocking news of Will's demise was so recent; I might need a whole day, or less, to get over his loss. Although I felt very bad for Halli and hoped she would be able to overcome her painful… I stopped. Did this mean she was a Vampire, too? Could she even remotely be his real sister?

I realized I was losing the thread and Eric wouldn't tell me anything more about it anyway. 'Need to know basis' only; that was me when it came to the World of Supes. I can't say I agreed with Eric's opinion on the subject.

But if I thought I had a future with the Wolf holding my hand, waiting for me to explain further, pretending about the depth of my feelings for Will would be foolish. Plus I'd always been a total failure at being a femme fatale. I opened my eyes and 'fessed up. "He actually meant very little to me."

The return smile from Eric and the obvious relief he felt at my indifference triggered a new reaction I'd not felt before for any other person. It was deeply satisfying and actually caused a tightening in my chest. Similar to how I'd felt about Granmere, but yet different. In that moment, I knew with certainty I could never bear to see him hurt in any way. I vowed to shield him from harm, if I could.

Whether Eric had regained his ability to read my thoughts, or could simply smell and quantify my scent as indicative of my change of heart towards him, something significant had occurred. He drew me to him, carefully touching his lips to my forehead, and speaking softly, told me he would always protect me.

Before Pam could chastise him again, I pulled away, and smoothing two fingers over his brow, thanked him, hoping he could see past what I said to what was going on inside me. I wanted to kiss him, but I'd have to wait until Pam wasn't around. Maybe we could ditch Pam and find a darkened corner at the Club. When we did, I would so be bruising Wolf-boy's lips. He might have to give up his sax for a few weeks. Or possibly, for this True Human's life span. I'd guarantee he'd never regret it.

Eric put the SUV back in gear and we resumed our escape from the 'burbs. It was close to nine, two hours before Eric's band was scheduled to perform. Watching the housing developments fly by the car windows, I felt a weird sense of relief. At least I knew Will's fate, if not all the particulars. Better yet, I now knew I hadn't been dumped twice in a row, first by Sam, then by Will. Will was simply toast.

EPOV

When I learned she no longer cared for Will, I felt free for the first time in decades. I was free to pursue the affection of the mate my Wolf's heart had chosen. I would be going against the direct orders and biological imperative of my Sire, the Tribunal, and my kind, in not finding and mating with another equally rare True Were. Screw them and their Directives.

More rationally, I reasoned if Niall deemed it so critical for True Weres to mate with only other True Weres, why did he have so many children on Human mothers? Why was I one of only a very few of his line born of a True Were Dame? Perhaps he did not believe in the preservation of bloodlines as much as he professed. It was a rare insight into my Sire, a Wolf with whom I'd had very little interaction. Most of it had been of the unpleasant variety; a benefit for him, a personal sacrifice for me.

Whatever. It made no difference in the actions I would take tonight when the rogue Vampires appeared. They had to know we Weres had been tracking them. Clearly, they could only intend to set up a diversion and then snatch Sookie. I felt certain they would try for her tonight. If they did not capture her soon for their illegal breeding schemes Niall had heard about from a Ghoul he'd been torturing, they ran the risk that a Supe would nail her and impregnate her.

If she was impregnated by a Supe, my mate would lose her superstar status in my World. Every Supe who'd read the Manual knew the facts of Human/Supe reproduction.

After her pregnancy by a Supe, the odds were miniscule that any subsequent pregnancies, even with sperm from a True Human male, would result in a True Human like Sookie.

My Lover would be demoted to just another desirable Human female on our vast sexual playground. No more Sookie-napping plots hatched by Rogue Vampires to thwart.

Even better? No Niall breathing down my neck with threats of banishment if I so much as touched her.

In my case, when all I had was a hammer, nailing looked like such a good idea.

But that was all politics. I was good at it, when I chose to be. Right now, my brain appeared to have migrated to between my legs. My dick was calling the shots and was likely to get all three of us killed if I didn't regain my control. I'd pacify him with a quick trip to the men's stall before the jazz performance tonight. Then I'd be free to make plans that would enable me to stay with Sookie. To mate with her if she'd have me. But she would have to agree that our bond would last forever. No way would I accept living alone for centuries, pining for her after she had passed. It wasn't the Wolf way. No Alpha in his right mind would agree to such a sacrifice and mean it.

SPOV

From the exterior, Clancy's appeared to be much like any other club on Piedmont. If I'd expected to see Half Man/Half Beast horror figures entering a shrouded front door, dragging Human females by the hair, I was doomed to disappointment. Or I might have to wait a few hours. Either way.

It was early, but there wasn't even a line outside the door. The exterior was a dull-as-dishwater blue, with a deep purple door. The lighting was very bright, for a bar. I would have thought most of their bar patrons would have preferred to slink in under cover of dark, unnoticed. Eric said it was a security precaution that kept the less desirable Supes from arriving unannounced and causing a disturbance once they gained entrance. I guessed it also kept the cheaters and other miscreants away from the place. The sign was very discreet, a small pink neon script in one corner of the single blacked-out large plate glass window in the front of the building. It led to a vestibule where the suited doorman waited, along with two of the hairiest, meanest-looking bouncers I'd ever seen. I would have crossed the street to avoid them, if Eric and Pam had given me the option. They didn't.

Instead, we passed through the gauntlet and headed for the back of the club, Eric offhandedly acknowledging the bouncers with a wave and smile, calling them 'Bert and Ernie'. Oh, please. Their real names had to be something like Arnold and Sly. Or Dwayne and Vinny.

As we passed the bar, Pam peeled away from us with a pointed warning to Eric to stay relaxed. He nodded, and the two of us continued to the performers' dressing room. It wasn't much more than a closet-sized space behind the stage where the acts could rest while waiting for the beginning of the show. In our case, he only walked me through the cramped room. Seated alone was a beefy older musician, engaged in some wrist exercises as he looked over several pages of sheet music. Eric clasped hands with him, briefly introduced him as Tray, a keyboard artist, and inquired about the arrival of the other band members.

"Any time, Eric baby. Is this the lady-bug we are… ?" His question trailed off as he regarded me soberly. Surely this unknown man would not be pressed into guarding me as well? Did all male Weres always get conscripted into pulling guard duty, no matter their preferences or protests? If Eric's situation was typical, becoming a Protector seemed to be the equivalent of an emergency root canal; mostly unpleasant, decidedly dangerous, and unavoidable. Pain of some kind was understood to be a given. So glad I wasn't a Were, subject to who knew how many arcane rules they followed.

Eric had nodded in response to Tray's query but wasn't going to elaborate on the subject in front of this 'lady-bug.' Telling Tray he'd be back, he pulled me up against his hip, and holding me rather than letting my feet touch the floor, headed for the club's office. It was a gesture both awkward and intimate, but none-the-less strangely satisfying. Around Eric, I just didn't want to let go of him. He appeared to be feeling something similar for me.

When he didn't bother to knock at the door, and one handed started patting his pockets, I knew what was coming. Did he know every manager in every restaurant and club in the area? Just how extensive was this Were network in Atlanta? I'd have to request some population stats from Pam. Or I could wait until I knew Eric better, and maybe he'd tell me. Right.

Turned out Eric did have the Manager's door key and we entered, locking it behind us. I doubted it would keep Pam out if she figured out what we were about to do.

I immediately saw this space was considerably more cozy than the office at Felicia's cafe. And why wasn't I surprised to see a deep closet with items I figured belonged to Eric as he began rummaging through the hangers, looking for something? The outsized jeans and shirts certainly qualified as XXL or more. Distracted again, I knew his height and broad shoulders had to be an advantage when clothes shopping; I'd always noticed those extra large shirt sizes on the sale racks at Belks when I was bargain hunting in the men's department. Both Sam and Will had worn a Medium, I reflected, feeling somewhat smug now about my unexpected upgrade in status to purchasing sizing a little rarer on the male front. In fact, I could hardly wait to get back to work at Belks to buy a crimson or navy tailored long-sleeve shirt for Wolf-boy. He interrupted my shopping daydreams with the latest bulletin.

"Well, it's gone. Appears someone or something has borrowed my favorite tee." Accompanied by a discouraged grunt from my Wolf. How could he tell? Must have been at least twenty black t-shirts in that closet alone. Looked like nothing more than an unrelieved sea of black and white from my perspective. Deciding to be helpful, I changed the subject.

"Eric, do you own this place, too? Or do you just work here?" By 'work here', I meant did he collect the cash and deposit it after-hours at empty storefronts masquerading as banks?

Pulling a wry face, Eric snorted. "Clancy's is a d'Varg business, Lov…, Sookie. My Sire owns this operation, among many others. I'm his errand boy, just expected to retrieve and deliver the money from whatever businesses he chooses. Some days I wonder if my continued existence hinges solely on my ability to satisfy his every whim."

"So someone higher up than you stole your t-shirt?" It seemed a simple conclusion. I couldn't follow his other explanation. What was meant by Sire? Was Niall a Lord? "I'm sorry."

"Not important." He gave me an appraising look. It was a look that caused my stomach to clench.

"Sookie, come here. Sit with me."

His eyes fixed on mine, he backed up and dropped into the center of a well-used leather couch. Pulling gently on my arm, he lowered me to his lap. I snuggled down, enjoying the cocoon he made for us. His arms felt natural around me. But we weren't out of the woods, yet.

"Are you safe, Eric? Pam seemed to think I caused your…problem tonight. Did I? I didn't mean to, if I did." It was a possibility both frightening and exciting. Someday it could lead to me being killed. Did I need that much adventure in my life? Impossible to reason it out with him so close.

As if reading my thoughts again, Eric responded. "I'd never hurt you." His face once again buried in my hair, he breathed deeply, sighing happily. "Quite the contrary" he began. However, catching my warning expression, he somehow managed to restrain himself from one again going off on a verbal tangent about my unique, tantalizing scent and fascinating blood. One problem solved, at least for the moment.

Eric's hands were not so easily tamed. He used my proximity to sweep the hair from my neck, gently stroking the skin under my chin, while his other hand was planted firmly in the very small of my back, a little too low to be entirely comradely. I thought I felt his tongue lick the lobe of my ear. I shuddered and he stopped, too late for me to hit my internal 'off' switch. My head was swiveling in his direction, my mouth zeroing in on his face as a vein in my lips pulsed in anticipation, when he shook himself, breaking the spell. He exhaled slowly, watching me as he pulled back out of my reach, rolling his shoulders. He tried to explain.

"Wait for me for four days. Maybe five. In a month, I will have mastered the emotions that emerge when we kiss." I could tell he was sincere, although it sounded crazy. "I promise I'll be able to control the form shift. I've done it before when I first matured. We two won't have to worry about my reaction at the next full moon." His eyes were focused on my lips. "It will require days and days of practice kissing, True Human. You may suffer from some permanent swelling when I'm done, but Angelina will be calling you for your secret." He grinned at his own joke, the clown.

"So, no kissing tonight?" I both regretted and understood the restriction.

"No, dear one, better not. Pam can only bring me back to Human form so many times with the same spell. The magic fades after too many uses, you know?"

I didn't, but I knew I wanted to learn much more. About Eric. About his world. About where I fit in.

"Hugging ok?"

"Please" he breathed. "More."

"Eric?" I asked, softly.

"Yes?" I pretended not to notice his palms had become molded to my butt during this exchange, squeezing and releasing, squeezing and releasing. He had a nice rhythm going. Did I detect a theme?

"Someday, in the not too distant future, I'd like to…" I stopped. Why was I shy now? He knew what I meant. He could smell my reactions to him.

"I know. We will. Soon." He had to see my too-short skirt was bunched up over the tops of my thighs, my legs split, knees cradling his hips as I rocked back on my heels. Would I be nominated for Slut of the Year if I offered to discard the sheer bikini bottom? Upon reflection, leery that it might be too much stimulation for him tonight, I dismissed the idea.

Eric picked up on my reaction right away, inhaling deeply before commenting. "Wow, that was big surge of pheromones from you, Sookie. What were you thinking of doing to me?" His voice had a deep, possessive undertone to it. He wanted me to tell him, in detail.

"Should I tell you my fantasy, Eric? Ready to risk your ability to perform tonight?" I wanted to share, but I knew we had less than two hours until his performance. How many times had Pam used that spell of hers?

"Tell me." Demanding. Sure.

"Yes, Eric." I knew he'd like hearing that phrase. Didn't need to be a femme fatale to deliver it correctly, a little breathless, eyes downcast.

A hitch in his breathing let me know I'd hit the target.

"Certain?" I wasn't worried any longer about the emergence of his Wolf. Something fundamental had shifted in my thinking. I knew now that Eric would never hurt me. Maybe seeing the color of his fur, running my hands down his back, and stroking his muzzle would serve to release any remaining fear and bind him further to me. Fear was so not the emotion I was feeling for the Wolf beneath me, his eyes trained on my face, his expression happy and content at the thought of his forthcoming treat.

"Just don't touch me, and I'll be fine. Anything else is okay." I knew instantly which part of the Wolf I couldn't touch. Again. For at least four nights, maybe five.

After Eric finished making a timely adjustment to ease whatever was pinching said 'part,' his eyes boring into mine as he did so, he was ready to begin. Wolf-boy, with his many issues, felt very dear to me. I laid my cheek against his face and ran my tingling fingertip over his well-trimmed mustache. I crooked my nail into the curve where his firm, beautifully shaped lips met, asking, but not pushing. He complied, opening his mouth and sucking my index finger between his lips, his tongue wet and slightly rough against my skin.

I took several deep breaths. I hooked my other hand over Eric's shoulder, making sure my boobs were making full contact with his chest. He groaned appreciatively, and we were off. No screwing or kissing, but everything else would seem to be allowed. I could work with that.

EPOV

Oh, god, with the warmth of her female flesh pressed so tightly into me, I could feel her nipples through the butter soft leather of her halter top. I'd told her to go ahead with her fantasy, thinking it would alleviate my need for a solitary trip to the men's room. A release would help me calm down; always making me a little sleepy for a short period.

But when her whispery voice started up against my cheek, her finger in my mouth as I sucked contentedly on it, my lap filled with her fragrant bounty, I knew I wasn't going to be able to hold out for a long, detail-filled fantasy. I hoped she'd move quickly to the action sequences.

For now, eyes closed and ready to be transported to Sookie's world, I stretched out my long legs and kicked off my loafers. This was a rare treat and I was prepared to enjoy it.

In truth, only Sookie had ever suggested this to me. My female Were companions had never shown much interest in me beyond satisfying their unoriginal 'Bite him and fuck him' game plan. Not one of them had ever hesitated to walk away afterwards, completely remorseless about leaving me to my own devices once I was drained and limp. Similarly, the Human hookers never wasted any time on fantasies. It was all about the money for them.

Intrigued with the direction tonight was taking, I concentrated on Sookie, making gentle movements beneath her. If I felt a form shift coming, I would have plenty of time to disengage and exit the room. But I didn't feel any nausea. We should be safe. We could do anything together other than kissing and I was positive I wouldn't shift. Telling her to keep her hands off my dick was just an added precaution. I didn't plan on denying myself any of her goodies, though. In fact, if anyone tried to interrupt us during the next hour, I was pitching Were, Vamp, or Ghoul headfirst from the room, and that flexible list included my Demon Guardian.

My mate began with a long lick around the front of my neck, sucking the ruby and obsidian glass beads into her mouth, testing the limits of the malleable metal on which they were strung. The unique metal was the reason the choker didn't break when I shifted. It was my d'Varg totem, the only item I'd been presented by Niall when I reached maturity more than four decades earlier. The chain itself held some magic, and I imagined her tongue getting small buzzes or shocks from the obsidian. It actually contained the bulk of the ward.

It was the rare day when I didn't wear it. Pam was convinced it had saved my life at least once.

Sookie's voice, breaking into my musings, was telling me how she planned to strip me of my clothes and make me submit to her, the beads making her words thick and slurred. It reminded me of my technique of tonguing and slurring notes on my sax. Sookie was playing with me now, and I was her willing instrument.

She slid her free hand underneath my tee-shirt and beneath my arm to begin twisting and tugging on the short hairs there. It was unexpected, the slight pain sending an electric current directly to my nipple.

"Eric, Eric, Eric, Eric, are you mine, Wolf?" My name was a string of notes for the melody she was etching in my skin. I pushed down deeper into the leather cushion, her query insistent and repetitious, keeping time with my pulse. I fought to not respond too forcefully and scare her again, this compellingly sweet and sexy Human female who I had to have in my life.

My cock twitched as her soft voice triggered the beginnings of the familiar aching need. It started slowly, the low-grade itch for release creeping up the inside of my thighs. I sucked harder on her finger, the nail blunt-tipped but sharp. I could slice my tongue on her nail, if I wished. To think of it was to desire it. I imagined sinking a deadly canine into her knuckle, her skin stretching, then slipping to the side as her blood began to pour out, her heart pumping the metallic fluid over my tongue and into my throat.

I did another quick mental inventory of my stomach for any telltale nausea. Still good.

I opened my eyes, needing to see her face. I'd planned on keeping my eyes closed for my promised treat, but not tonight, not with her.

She pulled her finger from my mouth (could she read my mind now?) and straightened it. Her actions languorous, she tilted her head back less than an inch from my face, and slowly inserted her dripping extended index finger into her own mouth. Letting me see how much she relished my taste, my choker still hooked over her teeth. An involuntary groan from someone. Oh, yeah, that was me. My hands tightened on her ass, my fingers tingling from anticipation. It was impossible to prevent my own index finger from exploring the firm flesh sheathed in her sheer panties. My fingers slipped between the top of the elastic and her skin, diving down into the soft, damp crease between her cheeks, probing for an opening.

She moved, the action undeniably welcoming as she pushed her ass back against my hand. My fingers slipped lower. The flesh was willing, but the freaking straining ribbons on her panties were impeding my access.

"Sookie" I pleaded. "Remove the damn bikini bottom and just bare your…self…to me." I'd hesitated. Would 'pussy' be an offensive term to my mate? I wanted this fantasy to continue, not to irritate her and start a discussion that would lead to an argument.

She shook her head 'no', and wiggled suggestively. 'If I wanted them off, I'd have to take them off', or so I gathered from her response. My Bitch was having fun with me.

Without hesitation, and being much stronger than any female, Human or Were, I instantly pulled her up off her heels while holding her thighs in place outside my hips. I smoothed my hands down and over her generous buttocks and was rewarded with a dry mouthful of skirt as she arched her back for me. Not the moist treat I was going for with that move. Her gasp hadn't fully left her lips before, head lowered, my tongue had self-corrected and begun worming underneath the sheer material of her bikini bottom, my eyes slamming shut as her exquisite flavor assaulted my nose and ghosted down the back of my throat. As I started to delve between her delicate flaring lips with the tip of my tongue, I felt a growl bubble up from my chest.

WTF! A growl was the first sign a form shift was coming.

Struggling against the knowledge that I needed to dial it back, and soon, my canines had failed to read the memo and were operating on 'automatic pilot.' With rapid flicks of my head, long strips of sheer, beribboned fabric that had fought my need to dip my tongue into her center were being torn from the too-tight bikini bottom and dropped into my lap. I'd demanded complete access and now I had it.

My tongue lapping at her pussy, I could feel her begin to arch into my mouth, an unconscious rhythm of offer and retreat that mimicked my own involuntary movements. My breathing ragged with desire, I reluctantly dropped my right hand from caressing her rear, immediately missing the tightening of her butt muscles against my fingers whenever she surged forward into my mouth. I had no options, forced into splitting my attention between satisfying Sookie and tugging halfheartedly on my button-front jeans, nearly whining as I struggled to gain some leverage so I could release myself from the painful position I was stuck in. Eventually, I managed to jerk free of the circulation-destroying material, my Lover admirably never once breaking stride through all my painful struggling with the too-small button holes.

Before grasping my swollen cock for much-needed relief, I quickly shoved my fingers between my lips and her's, greedily gathering our moisture to rub over my tip. She protested the interruption, forcibly removing my hand and wrapping it around my length, her smaller hand gripping me too as she twisted my larger one back and forth over the head. She finally abandoned the effort to fist both her hands in my hair, demanding I lick her harder, faster, deeper, caught up in her own private fantasy. I obeyed, while my palm continued the stroking movement up and over my tip. It felt good, but ultimately was an all too familiar movement, perfected through too damn many decades of solitary daily practice. At least my mouth was occupied in ways that were more enjoyable than my frantic jerking-off had been in the shower earlier this evening. I'd still come so hard I'd wondered if I would be able to walk back down the stairs. If only our first time kissing hadn't caused me to lose control and shift to Wolf. I grimaced in embarrassment at the still raw, recent memory.

I knew females moaned during orgasm sometimes, but my mate was literally humming her pleasure at the feel of my tongue spreading her labia and licking her from top to bottom as I gobbled up her juices. While I gently circled my left index finger softly over her other entrance, my nose remained buried in her hooded skin, her scent more intoxicating than anything I was doing to my own dick. I was determined we'd both be well satisfied tonight before we left this room.

Her hips beginning to sway, she let me know how much she was enjoying my attentions. As I waited for her orgasm, her trembling escalating, I imagined her surprise if I stopped what I was doing. 'Why?' she'd plead.

'I'm playing a tenor solo tonight, darlin' I'd intone. 'Must leave some breath for my performance.' Feeling her thighs beginning to jerk and clench and a strong pulsing deep in her pussy, I couldn't prevent my reaction to her coming from overriding my better judgment. I wanted to settle my lips against hers just once more tonight. I wanted the emotions we'd shared earlier to overwhelm me just one more time. Then I'd be better able to wait a week until the moon began to wane.

So, risking it all, I wrapped both hands over her hips and pulled my face away from her delicious shuddering center. I pushed her back on her heels again; her exposed swollen folds now dangerously close to my dick, as I leaned in to kiss my mate. What should have been an innocent move quickly became a searing melding of our lips, our tongues touching, then entwining, both of us making incoherent sounds of pleasure and fear at what we were doing.

A loud beating on the solid metal door momentarily tore my attention from her. "What?" I growled.

I smelled who it was before he answered, of course. Niall, my Sire who only yesterday had again given me emphatic orders to keep Sookie safe and not to touch her, in fact to make sure my dick strayed nowhere near her, was raging outside the door. There was no masking the scents from our sexual play; I was sure they'd reached his True Were nose as easily as if he was standing beside us, observing me purposely disobeying him.

I watched in fascination as the solid metal door bent inward, the exact shape of a fist appearing before a thunderous boom shook the room. In the following seconds, the sequence of events seemed random, but they weren't. An ear-splitting sound of metal tearing as easily as paper accompanied the sight of a massive paw blooming in the growing opening in the buckled door. I remained motionless, processing the inevitable chain of events as Niall's Wolf shape grappled with the door handle to find the button to release the lock. Without thinking about it, I shucked my jeans, and stiff cock still rigidly upright and already homing in on her soaking entrance, I grasped Sookie's trembling hips and pulled my future mate firmly onto me, groaning loudly at how tightly she gripped me and how well lubricated she felt. By way of explanation, I only had time to whisper in my birth language "TN MIN, Sookie" before I started to pump my hips into hers, my release so close I could feel it surging up my cock already. I hoped I'd come before Niall made it through the door.

Fuck being an Alpha Wolf. We'd move to South America and I'd buy an alpaca ranch with my share of the d'Varg money.

Unfortunately, the rush of events was that deadly combination of pleasure, danger, and excitement, hitting me all at once. My defiance of my Sire was the final piece needed for the emergence of the Other. It started as a throbbing sensation in my ass and spread quickly to my nuts as my skin started to expand and thicken. My third form, the most dangerous one, was making a break for it. Twice in one night? Was I bewitched? No, someone had to have cursed me!

"Meliel" I choked out a scream for my Demon to come to my aid as loudly as I could, my mate still wrapped uncomprehendingly around my cock. The very same cock, preparing to double in size, that was buried in her slick, tight pussy as she moaned my name and licked my neck in ecstasy, oblivious to the coming disaster. Jesus, I had to save her, but I'd lost control over my limbs when the change began.

Niall must have sensed the coming power shift, because in the few moments I had to scan the room for something to use to slow the emergence of my third form, I saw that his paw was gone from the hole he'd torn in the reinforced steel door. Then, in preparation for the shift, my vision began to dim.

But not before I felt the first tendrils of Meliel's powerful stasis spell begin to weave throughout the room. She'd never tried it on me. I hoped it worked. I snorted as the growing pain signaled my imminent transformation. My bones popped, preparing to elongate and my body mass began to expand to fill the new shape. It was just so much more challenging than scrunching my 6'4" frame into the smaller wolf body. I started to lose consciousness, my silent plea for Pam to hurry my last coherent thought before I passed out.

A/N: I hope Pam's spell works. BTW, lots of revelations are coming in Chapter 10. Were you pleased that I delivered on the promised lemon? Was it good for you?

Eric tells Sookie his phavorite frase: You are Mine! What else would our boy say?

I gratefully acknowledge beta reader VampLover1's thoughtful advice and assistance re: all things FF. If you find errors, I must claim them--name, clothe, and feed them.

VL1 only was given the opportunity to edit about half of the chapter, but I still hold her responsible for the ending. She encouraged me to keep going, and the chapter nearly doubled in length. Never, never encourage a wordy story-teller. You see what can happen!