Chapter 2

Eric decided to skip his nightly appearance at Fangtasia and go straight home. He had a lot to think about.

Mainly, Sookie Stackhouse.

Had she seemed a bit more interested in him that night? Eric couldn't be sure. He'd had woman falling over him for centuries, but most of them had been in lust with him, not in love.

And he'd specifically requested Sookie fall in love with him. He'd done it to irritate Compton, of course, but it might just be that it delayed his plans for Sookie somewhat.

Perhaps the lust would soon follow the magically induced love.

Also, Eric was determined to next meet Sookie when she was alone, and far away from that bar full of inbred, drunk women who couldn't control themselves around a vampire such as him.

He spent the rest of the night comfortably behind his desk in the downstairs, light-tight area of his home, going over various emails and letters pertaining to his businesses. Right before dawn, he went to bed, and an hour or two before dusk he got up again.

He showered, dressed in something casual yet striking, and conducted some more business over his computer while waiting for the sun to set.

Right after dusk, he flew to Fangtasia. If Sookie was working again tonight (and he guessed she was), he'd spend his time enthralling the vermin before heading over to her quaint little farmhouse in the middle of nowhere.

This would also keep Pam off his back. She always got cranky when he spent too much time away from the bar, demanding ridiculous designer shoes and outfits to compensate for her supposed hurt feelings at missing her master.

She was a manipulative little bitch, and Eric appreciated that most about her.

He sat down behind his desk in his office in Fantasia, fired up his computer, and sorted through the stack of mail.

Heels clicking along he hallway announced the arrival of his progeny.

"Eric," Pam said as she banged open the door. "How did it go with the witch last night?"

"There were no problems with the witch," Eric mumbled as he read through a letter from a supplier who wanted to raise the prices of some of the liquor they sold. These new prices were unacceptable. He'd have to glamour the man.

"Eric," Pam said as she glided closer to his desk. "When was the last time we made love?"

Eric blinked and slowly looked up. "1953, I think. Pam, do you need more shoes?"

"Don't be silly," Pam said, licking her lips as she planted herself right into his lap. "I only need you, master."

Eric stared at her, wondering if this was Pam's idea of a joke. She was quite good at practical jokes, and he hated to admit it, but he'd regularly fallen for whatever stunt she came up with.

"Pam," Eric said, putting one hand on her waist while Pam attached her mouth to his throat and licked all the way up to his chin. "I'm really not in the mood."

Pam pulled her head back and stared at him with narrowed eyes. "Are you refusing me?"

"We haven't fucked in 50 years," Eric said, nonplussed. "Why start now? There are plenty of humans around who'll have you."

Before Eric could stop her, Pam reared back and slapped him across his face. Hard.

Fangs snapping to attention, Eric stood at once, his hand curling around Pam's throat as he pushed her against the floor. In all their years together, Pam had never shown him such disrespect. But before Eric could question her behaviour, the phone rang.

While he kept Pam, who was hissing and spitting and clawing at his arm, down with one hand, he picked up the phone with his free hand.

"What do you want?" he snarled into the phone.

"Northman?"

"Shifter?" Eric tightened his hand around Pam's throat as she wouldn't let up on her assault. He was much older and stronger than her, plus he was her maker, so there was no way she would ever fight herself out of his grip.

"Eric, we have a situation," the shifter said. "Half the town's gone crazy and they're attacking Sookie, and with Compton out of town, I didn't know - "

"I'll be there," Eric said and hung up the phone. He glared down at Pam and bared his fangs. "I'll deal with you later. Stay here."

"Eric," Pam called after him as he zipped out of his office. "Come back!"

During his flight to Bon Temps, it began to dawn on Eric that something might be wrong.

Something to do with the spell he'd let that witch cast on him and Sookie.

Magic was notoriously fickle.

Well, if that were the case, all he had to do was force the witch to redo the spell and Sookie would be his.

Eric wasn't worried.

At least, not until he neared the shifter's bar and looked down upon the most peculiar sight he'd seen in a long time.

Sookie, dressed in her waitress outfit, was running through a field, with the shifter and her idiot brother by her side.

They were followed by a large throng of screaming women of all ages. Some of them were armed with baseball bats. One of them (Eric was sure it was the troll from the previous night) was carrying a shotgun.

He dropped from the sky right in front of Sookie and the two men.

Sookie let out a loud shriek, just as the shifter said, "Thank god." Sookie's idiot brother said nothing, just bent over, put his hands on his knees and gasped for air.

The throng of angry women got louder, with particular shouts of, "There he is!" and "He's mine!" and "Why would that bitch Sookie ever turn down that man!" ringing through the night's air.

"Just get her out of here," the shifter begged, pushing a very distraught Sookie right into his arms. "Don't come back until we figure out what's going on."

A shotgun went off, and hit a tree behind them, wood splintering everywhere. Eric took that as his cue to go, and he wrapped his arms securely around Sookie before he shot up into the sky.

Sookie shrieked some more, clutching clumsily at Eric as he flew them as fast as a human could stand it away from Bon Temps.

"Eric, what are you doing?" Sookie demanded, once she found her voice. She pounded her fists against his chest. "Let me down, now!"

"Okay," Eric said, released his hold on the irate girl, and dropped her.

Of course, three seconds later, he caught her again, but he was sure that little demonstration illustrated who was in charge of their current situation.

"Eric," Sookie gasped, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. "Eric, don't drop me!"

See? She was learning already.

They flew for a few more minutes, while Eric enjoyed the blissful quiet. Once he noticed Sookie's heartbeat had calmed down somewhat, he gently pulled her back a little so he could look her in the eye.

"What happened?"

"Everybody went nuts," Sookie said, still clinging to him with all her might. "I came in for the dinner shift, and people were talking about me, and you, for some reason. And they all kept asking me why I would refuse you." She let out a little snort. "I told them you were a mean old vampire and they could have you. And then Tara slapped me."

"Who's this Tara?'" Eric asked when Sookie stopped talking.

"She's my best friend," Sookie replied with a sob. Eric cringed. He did not like crying women. At all. "She's been my best friend my whole life, and she just slapped me." Another sob followed.

"There, there," Eric said, patting her on the back once or twice.

"And then Sam pulled her away and read her the riot act, but then Arlene scratched my face, and when Jason pulled her back, Holly punched me." Sookie was crying now, great big heaving sobs. Eric sighed and figured he'd better throw his shirt away when the night was over. "Sam and Jason got me out of the bar, but there were more crazy people in the parking lot so we couldn't get to our cars."

Eric looked at Sookie's face again, and noticed she had a split lip. Before he could help himself, he licked it, tasting just a few drops of her blood. She tasted absolutely tantalizing.

"Eric, stop that!"

"It'll heal better this way," Eric said with a lavish smile, and licked her lips again.

"Eric...just...okay, just don't drop me again." Sookie looked at him with wet eyes, and for good measure, Eric licked up a few of her tears as well.

He might have to rethink his plan of dumping Sookie after he fucked her. This kind of delicious blood was hard to find, after all.

"What do you think is going on?" Sookie asked, after Eric was done licking her.

"I believe we're cursed," he said. "Some witch put a spell on us."

"Cursed? A witch?" Sookie swallowed audibly. "But why would they do such a thing?"

"I have no idea." The lie came easily. There was no way Eric would ever reveal the truth to Sookie. "Witches are vile, evil creatures. There is very little reason to their madness."

"So what do we do now? How do we stop this?"

"We go visit a witch, and I make her lift the curse."

"You know any witches?"

Eric looked at her in slight disbelief. "Sookie, I'm the Sheriff of this area. It is my business to know these things."

"Of course." Sookie sighed. "I never knew about witches or that they could actually curse you."

Eric gave a shrug in midair. "Now you do."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Eric set them down a few feet away from the little new age shop he'd visited the previous night. He glared down at Sookie, who stood unsteadily on her feet.

"You stay here!"

Naturally, when Eric pushed the door to the shop open, Sookie, the stubborn wench that she was, followed him.

The store was empty, and before he could help himself, Eric inhaled a sharp breath.

"What's wrong?" Sookie asked, peeking out from behind his broad back.

"That bitch!" Eric was across the store in a few large steps and threw the door to the backroom open. It was empty as well, save for the table and chair. On the table he found a handwritten note.

Sheriff,

You wanted love, and now you shall have it. No woman will ever be able to resist you again. Only the one whose love you want will never fall under your spell, but will forever bear the brunt of your desires.

Enjoy, and from now on, be careful what you wish for.

Eric crumbled the note in his hand, his fangs popping out, just as he heard Sookie's footsteps behind him. He thrust the note in the pocket of his jacket before she could see it.

"Is there something in here?" Sookie asked, trying to see around him.

"No, it appears this witch has left my area." Without further comment, Eric pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial. "Chow? I need to find a witch in my area. Don't ask questions. Just tell me where I can find a witch!"

Sookie looked at him with round eyes as he waited for Chow to get the information he wanted. Chow gave him an address, and without saying goodbye, Eric shut his phone. "Come on, we're trying another witch."

"Okay." Sookie's steps were hesitant while they exited the store. "Are we flying again?"

"Would you rather walk?" Eric gestured around them to illustrate their obvious lack of a car.

"No," Sookie sighed, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Eric knocked on a brown apartment door, Sookie standing right beside him. A young man with square glasses and messy hair opened the door and stared up at Eric in obvious shock.

"Witch?'"

The man swallowed and nodded.

"We need your help. Invite me in!"

Sookie looked up at Eric in obvious disapproval of his rudeness, but before she could comment, a voice rang out from behind the young man. "Honey, who's at the door?"

A rather plain young lady appeared beside the young man, and she looked Eric up and down before glaring at Sookie.

Eric felt his undead heart sink a little while Sookie took a step closer to him.

"We've been cursed," Eric informed the young man, who was staring at his girlfriend in bewilderment.

"How could you?" the young lady demanded of Sookie.

"What?" Sookie reached for Eric's hand.

"How could you hurt him! You think you're cursed? I'll show you cursed!" And the young lady raised both her hands at Sookie.

Eric picked Sookie up bridal style and zipped them out of the hallway before the witch could utter a word.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Eric flew them to his main residence, since he was out of ideas of what else to do and he needed time to think.

Just before he set them down beside his pool, his bond with his progeny sprang to life.

Pam was in his house, and she was more pissed off than Eric had ever felt her. Without warning, he shot up in the air again.

"I thought you said we were going to your house?" Sookie asked, clutching around him.

"Change of plans," Eric said, and he took off to the only safe house in the area Pam didn't know the location of.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"I should probably call Bill," Sookie said as they walked into the living room of a ranch house he owned in one of the little towns around Shreveport.

"No!" Eric said as he spun around to face Sookie.

"I'm still Bill's," Sookie said, crossing her arms.

"Of course you are," Eric replied with his sweetest smile. "But if you call Bill, he'll come running, and then the witch might curse him, too."

Sookie inhaled a deep breath. "She could do that?"

"Oh yes," Eric said with a grave nod. "She might be going after all the vampires in my area. Bill's much better off in New Orleans, not knowing of this situation. For now."

Sookie gave this some thought, and finally nodded her consent. "Yeah, you're probably right. I don't want Bill to be in danger."

Eric turned around so Sookie wouldn't see the look of relief that crossed his face. If fucking Compton ever found out what he'd done, and how miserably wrong everything had gone, Eric might as well stake himself to spare himself the worst kind of humiliation in the history of humiliation.

Sookie sat down on the sofa, her knees drawn together and her hands folded on her lap. She seemed lost in thought. Eric paced around the room while he desperately tried to think of a plan.

He needed help, that much was obvious.

He needed discreet help, that much was even more obvious.

The only vampire a vampire could trust, was the vampire he made. Normally, he'd task Pam with finding a solution, but Pam had gone crazy as well.

Of course, the only other vampire a vampire could trust was the vampire who made him.

With a sigh, Eric flipped his phone open and dialled a number he hadn't needed in a while now.

"Hello?" Came the cool reply from the other end of the line.

"Master," Eric said, and then cursed himself for using that particular title. His maker had always been good at reading him. Too good.

"Eric," Godric said with a slight hint of amusement in his voice. "What have you done now, my child?"