When I woke up that morning Jason was mowing the lawn, shirtless and sweating. His face was red from the sun and his shoulders were burnt but he kept pushing that mower. Stepping away from the kitchen window I went to the fridge to get the pitcher of lemonade. My jaw dropped to see my fridge and freezer stocked with food. This was unexpected and I shut my mouth and smiled. My brother was looking out for me. It seemed like everyone was doing that for me lately. Now that was a blow to my ego.

I poured the lemonade, and made him a sandwich from the corn beef cold cuts he bought. I waved him into the house and cut the mower off and came in happy to get a break. He sat in front of me at the table smiling ear to ear. "Hey, sis"

"Morning, Jason. What's come over you?" I asked teasingly.

He took a bite of his sandwich, talking between bites. "Huh?"

I gestured towards outside and then my fridge. "The stuff you're doing."

Jason shrugged. "Shit, Sookie you're my sister. I know...I know I haven't been doing much but it's just not fair that you're taking care of Gran's bills. My heads been up my ass." He glanced downward after that, not wanting to meet my eyes.

"Oh...who pulled it out?"

He sighed heavily, "You're going to cut into me aren't ya?"

I shook my head, my hair limp on my shoulders. "No, I just...we haven't talked much since she slipped into the coma."

"I know sis, but I'm here now. I went to see her and I just thought how she would be set to lay her hands on me if she knew how I was treating my sister." Jason sounded more sincere than he'd been his entire life.

"Okay. Um, we can go half on Gran's bills. Her medical pays for most of it but the rest we can split." I offered.

Jason nodded, "Sounds good. When is the next bill?"

"Next month."

"Alright." He said standing up, he kissed me on the cheek and strutted out the door. "Love ya, sis."

"Love you too, Jase."

When Jason left I cleaned my home to bottom again, visited my Gran, and went back home to get ready to see Eric. Night came quicker than I thought it would and when Eric knocked on my door I didn't expect my heart to leap into my throat but it did.

I opened the door, and my breath caught at Eric's immediate appraisal of my outfit I wore. His eyes rolled down my entire body, and for a second it was like he could see through my clothes the way his eyes heated. We were feet apart and his arm reached out to caress the patch of skin that wasn't covered by my blouse. "You look stunning." He rumbled.

"Thank you." I couldn't stop staring at him. My heart thumped and I imagined he heard it. Pretty sure I was right as his finger swept down my shirt to where my heart was. "You don't look bad yourself."

His mouth curled into a crooked smile as his blue eyes met mine in a heated beam. "Come, we're taking my car."

I grabbed my purse and keys, locked up my house and followed him to his car. It wasn't ostentatious, in fact his car screamed money and arrogance. It was small, sleek, red, and no doubt it was fast. I loved the way that Eric drove it too, for a man to have control of something that was fast and powerful turned me on. Big surprise.

"So where are you taking me?"

Eric didn't even look at me. "Are you nervous?"

I shook my head although I was lying. "What are going to do?"

His attention stayed on the road. "An acquaintance of mine needs help." And that was all he gave me.

I looked between the lines. "And I need to dig into a few human minds to help them? "

He nodded his head, not bothering to look my way.

Frustrated I balled my fists at my sides. "We both know you don't need to look at the road to drive so why won't you look at me?"

Although he also didn't need to breath he inhaled deeply and released it. "Because that outfit you're wearing, that I guess you thought was formal makes me want to tear it off of you and fuck you right here in this car until you scream my name, and come as many time as I want you to." His voice was low, raspy, tense, and I wondered just how much he was restraining himself from doing just that. My tits swelled, and I found myself uncomfortably wet. I closed my legs and looked straight ahead. Eric's nose flared audibly and the windows rolled down. "I can smell you, Sookie."

I gasped, and closed my legs even tighter. I looked over to him and a hard to miss erection pressed against his pants.

"You are a going to ruin me...I can tell." He said in that low voice of his.

My heart was racing, my hands shook, and my body was surging with need. For Eric. "Your ruin?"

He kept his eyes on the road, driving faster than he was before. "I'm the Eric Northman. Sheriff of Area Six, I have power, I have strength. I am feared, and I have no fear. The thought of fucking you in that little skirt on the side of the road makes me hard. But I know once it happens, I'll want more, and more, and more of you. And it's not just your pussy that I want. I want you...I can't get you out of my head. I've been trying to stay away, and not take what I want but...the thought of you with anyone else, like that fucking Quinn makes me seethe."

"That's why you've been so hot and cold with me?"

He chuckled and damn was it sexy. "hot and cold?"

"Yes!" I bit out indignantly. "One night you're telling me 'you're mine' and the next you're telling me to forget you." At that point I was kneeling in my seat facing him and stabbing my finger in the air towards him accusingly.

His glaciarial eyes narrowed at me and in a flash he had pulled me into his lap and his mouth descended on mine in a breathtaking, toes curling, panty wetting kiss. His tongue rolled with mine, while he kissed me senseless. He nibbled, teased, and I was in bliss. His hands kneaded my ass and my skirt had ridden up so that his hands touched my skin. I loved the contact, I basked in it.

Then he pulled back, he didn't breathe but the way his hands held me I knew he was tense and restraining himself to do more. "Get back in your seat, Sookie."

"But..."

"Go!" He demanded. I unhooked myself from him and got back into my seat. Now I was the one angry. Damn him.

I straightened my skirt and buckled my seatbelt so I wouldn't scramble out of my seat again but this time it would be to hit him. He didn't move for a while, I'm countng minutes. I cleared my throat. "We're going to be late." I said, even though I didn't even know what time we were supposed to be...where ever we were supposed to be.

We arrived at a bar around ten called The Hide. Great name.

Instead of entering the bar through the entrance we were escorted through the back door. A woman wearing too much make up and not enough clothes ushered us into an office in the basement and then left us to our lonesome. The office was empty except for the furnishings and the light thump of music from above us.

Seconds before I was about to open up my mouth to complain a crowd of vampires walked in to the room. The tallest out of the bunch sat at the desk and the rest stood to the sides of the room.

"Eric you came." He greeted him. "Early..."

Eric smiled and it wasn't a very welcoming one. "I am never early or late, as your Sheriff your schedule is flexible when it comes to me." He let that sink in and in a jovial voice said "You need a situation handled? I bought my telepath"

It was hard not to swing my head around to glare at him. Your telepath? Instead I smiled at the tall redheaded vampire. "Nice to meet you."

The vampire forced a smile. "It's a pleasure to have you two as my company this evening. Now there is a situation that needs to be...handled. A human employee named Kyle was murdered two days ago. Usually I deal with these things myself, but who denies the Sheriff a personal see through? Rumors have it that a human who works for me knows who did the crime. I need you to tell me who that is."

That sounded simple enough, however I was sure that if human was withholding information that human would be killed to keep things in line. I shouldn't have but I spoke my mind anyway. "You're going to kill the human who knows aren't you?"

The vampire lied to me through pearly white teeth. "No, there has been enough violence."

"Good. Then I want your word that the human involved doesn't get killed because they were too scared to tell." On the inside I was shaking in my boots or more accurately my heels. But I spoke firmly and I made sure he knew my conditions were non negotiable.

The vampire swung his head to Eric. "She can't be serious-"

"I am." I piped up.

Eric gave the vampire a look of indifference. "She's serious. And you'll accept her conditions. No humans will be harmed Donald."

A vampire named Donald? What in the hell made him keep that name?

Donald shrugged, "Fine. Bring in the first human."

The first, second, third, and fourth hadn't any information connected to Kyle. A few of the Vampires left out of boredom but two stayed with Donald, Eric, and I. "Bring in the fifth." Donald said leaning back in his chair, staring at me arrogantly.

The fifth human...person was a short, bottle-blonde woman. She strutted in and gave Donald a head-nod before sitting in the chair they placed before me.

She crossed her bare legs and gave me get-on-with-it look. "So?"

I smiled tiredly. "Hi, I'm Sookie."

"I know." She said.

"You do? How?"

She shrugged like it didn't matter but her mind was in a frenzy. Ugh, you're going to fuck it all up for yourself you idiot, shuddup! "The others were bitching about you."

I nodded, that made sense none of them were happy to talk to me. "What's your name?"

"Toni." She bit out.

"You work with Kyle much?"

I wasn't the one to kill him bitch! "Yeah we worked together."

"Do you know who was the one who murdered him?"

Omg she's going to get me killed, she's going to get me killed. It wasn't supposed to be like this. "Of course not, if I knew I would tell you."

I leaned back in my chair, Toni knew who had done it. But why would she be scared in a room with just the five of us? No one was threatening her. "Why?"

Toni, confused, tilted her head at me. "Whataya mean?"

"Why would you tell me? You don't even know me."

"Be..because I want to help you." She sputtered. Oh shit...Kyle I'm sorry. It wasn't supposed to be like this. You shouldn't have been digging. Damnit.

"Wouldn't you want to help your employer out?" I said gesturing towards Donald who was now hunched over his desk unmoving, staring at the back of Toni's head.

shit...she knows. Donald wants Eric dead. Donald is going to kill me too. I shouldn't have involved myself. "Yes, of course I would want to help Donald. This is my job, my life."

I stared at her some more, acting as if I was using telepathy and then shook my head at Eric. "She doesn't know anything."

Toni was escorted outside of the door and then the door was locked and shut. I gave Eric another look I knew why he had bought me on this job. He wanted to know if one of the vampires he reined was conspiring against him. And he was right. But how could I tell him? Oh

I forced my bartending persona out. Bubbly, dumb and always smiling. I looked behind us at the other vampires and then back at Eric. "Before we continue I really need to use the bathroom."

Donald who had relaxed once Toni was out of the room grinned at me. "It's right down the hall."

I couldn't walk fast enough after the office door closed behind me. I went into one of the other open stalls in the bathroom and texted Eric. "Donald wants you dead. Kyle found out." Hopefully he would put the pieces together before I got back. I headed out of the stall and found that the bathroom had been emptied of the primping women I saw before.

"You know, don't you bitch?" It was Toni and before I could swing around she landed a blow to my back. "Donald should be Sheriff not Eric!" She screeched.

My heels finally had a purpose tonight, I kicked my leg back and turned to see her picking her self up from the floor. She lunged towards me and I landed blows to her face, chest, and arms. Punching until I saw, red. Literally. Her nose was visibly broken, and blood pooled from her lip. I wasn't defenseless and I damn sure wasn't a damsel in distress. I could handle myself.

She fell down and I kicked her in the gut, she rolled over clutching her stomach. I gave her one last kick and a "bitch" before I stepped over her limp body and walked back to Eric. What I walked in on was unexpected, and messy. Donald was no more. He was dead dead. I don't even want to get into what was laying on that floor.

Eric who was covered with blood gave me a look over and scowled at the bruise I knew had to be on my cheek. He swept a clean hand over the bruise and his eyes narrowed. "Toni?"

I nodded my head looking up at him, seeing all that tenderness directed at me made my heart clench along with other parts of my body. "She's in the bathroom...and not in the best shape."

Eric said something to one of the vampires standing around he left to what I guessed deal with Toni. Seeing as Eric had obviously dealt with Donald.

"Let's get you home." He said taking my hand and leading me out of the back door. He told me to get buckled in the car. I listened and saw in the side mirror that he was changing his shirt. Grabbing a clean one out of the small trunk. The grey tee fit him tightly, making my eyes roam all over that glorious covered chest and bare arms. He got into the front seat and didn't hesitate to pull off.

"You could have told me the real reason why we came here." I pointed out.

"I could have, I didn't. It all worked out." He said evenly turning another corner into a main road. The street was bright with lights, the night wasn't winding down in this city. It was just beginning. "Are you hungry?"

I shook my head. "I'm sleepy, you can take me home."

Eric shifted in his seat, glancing at me briefly before looking ahead. "You should eat."

"My brother came and took care of a few things. My fridge is full, the lawn is mowed, and we're going half on my Gran's bills." I snapped, I was too tired for his pushiness.

Eric hissed and sped up. "I told you that I would take care of it as long as you-"

"And I appreciate that, I do, but it isn't your responsibility. It's me and my brothers, she's our Gran. And as long as he's going half I'll be more than fine." I told him calmly although I felt like thumping him on the forehead for being so pig headed. This was my life.

"Fine." He said just as calm but I felt the tension and I saw it too. His shoulders were bunched up, and his jaw was set. I sighed helplessly, not knowing what to say. A bit after that I fell asleep.

I woke up to Eric holding me in his arms. In that moment I felt safer than I had my entire life. I pressed my head firmly against his chest and enjoyed the feeling of being cared for. I breathed him in. He smelled of pure male, mild cologne, and Eric. I wanted to stay in his arms forever but once he dug in my purse, and unlocked my door my bed wasn't but a second away. He laid me in my bed and brushed my hair behind my ear.

"You've been awake since I picked you up." He said.

I blinked up at him, the moon basking him in it's glow. "I liked being in your arms."

He froze there, staring down at me. I could see it in his eyes, the yearning, the need. "Sookie."

"Come to me." I plead, and snaked an arm around his and tugged him to me.

Suddenly his phone rang, it took him a second to realize this and when he did he pulled away from me. The phone appeared in his hand and he scowled at it. "It's the Queen."