The summer in Bon Temps had been peaceful, which was a rare occasion for the local residents. Without murders, kidnappings, and stalkers to keep them busy, everyone had to resort to books and television series for their daily dose of drama. Things had never been so quiet ever since vampires first came out of the closet, and that meant that the tiniest rumors were blown up into the biggest scandals.

"I heard she is pregnant," I heard one of the customers at Merlotte's whisper to another.

"Can't be!" the other woman responded, leaning back in her chair. "I reckon she has put on some weight. When was the last time you have ever seen her with a man?"

I had a secret big enough to turn the entire town upside down. Humans knew of the existence of vampires, but little did they know that there were others. My boss Sam, was a shifter. There were werewolves further north, and someone once told me there were werepanthers, and lions, and faeries. I knew I was a mermaid, which made me a tiny minority amongst the supernatural community. It appeared I was the last one of them as well, which put me in a difficult position more often than not. Apparently mermaid blood was incredibly enjoyable to vampires, which meant I was in constant danger.

Except from Eric Northman. The tall and handsome blonde vampire had managed to do the impossible; steal my heart. It developed from conflicted feelings into something much more. We bonded (not only because of the blood) and he kept me safe from my stalkers. I could never repay him, but for once in my life I wasn't worried about being in debt of a vampire. He was the only one I could trust with my identity. Oh, and Pam, his progeny.

It was a quiet evening in Merlotte's. There were hardly any tables to wait, and I spend most of my time hanging at the bar, chatting to Lafayette. No one here knew about Eric, and I couldn't exactly tell anyone either. My closest friends were constantly teasing me about finding a boy, but considering Eric had glamored them to forget they ever had visited Fangtasia, I technically couldn't have met him either. To cover myself, I continuously expressed my distrust in vampires whenever the subject came up.

Sam knew I had worked with Eric. He knew about my stalkers as well. I also knew he was a shifter, so we were quitte. I had told him that after everything was over I had ended my contact with Eric. He had bigger things to worry about than me.

It was for the first time since forever that I hadn't felt it was necessary to move to another state or country. Bon Temps had truly become my home, and I desperately wanted it to stay that way. The goods things were beginning to outweigh the bad, and now everything had settled down I was leading a very comfortable life.

I couldn't lie. Eric was a big part why I didn't want to leave. We had never confirmed our relationship, or put a name to it. We both knew we cared for each other and that was more than enough. Deep down inside I knew we could never become more than lovers. He lived in the darkness, I in the light. He was a supernatural, I supposedly was not. People were still getting used to vampires and humans dating, and I didn't want to attract any attention to myself.

Our preferred location for our rendez-vous was my house. Eric always came shortly after darkness had fallen, giving me time to sleep after and him time to return to his businesses. We never talked much at first. Our bodies would press against each other, placing kisses all over our bare skin. After I was safely in his arms, my body still recovering, we would speak. Eric had never been one for small talk, but I was lucky that unlike my world, his world was full of drama.

Eric told me about an annual event for the supernatural. Every year, for one night, all different species set aside their differences and came together at a special evening at a special place to celebrate their heritage, as well as discuss important matters which affected them all. This year, equal rights was the hot topic, as vampires were debating how to strategizing their efforts. Since werewolves and shifters technically didn't exist, tensions were rising since it was a debate they had nothing to do with. They much rather focused on the division of individual territories in every states.

I tried to keep up with everything he had told me, but it was difficult to follow. The idea of a sheriff in every area, and a king or queen to rule in every state was difficult for me to grasp. If there was one thing vampires loved then it was authority and rules. I knew Eric was of importance in Louisiana, but I had no idea what his day to day activities as sheriff of Area 5 entailed.

Now I was working regular shifts again at Merlotte's I was able to do up my home a bit. Since Eric had painted the exterior, I decided it was time to refurbish the old roof and make everything look brand new. With the left over money I bought a new rug for the living room and hoped I could keep it blood-free for as long as possible.

While I enjoyed the sex with Eric, I still didn't feel entirely comfortable with him drinking my blood as part of the act. There were women who thrived off the feeling, and loved the idea of it. I wasn't one of those women. Perhaps a lifelong struggle with trying to mask my scent and keep my true nature hidden put me off against anyone drinking my blood. It was a way of protecting myself, and I had a hard time letting go.

Tonight, I would go to him. No one in Bon Temps knew I was visiting Shreveport on the regular. I wanted to keep it that way. The less questions people asked, the better. To protect both myself and Eric, I dressed casual. This time, I was wearing a black hoodie, skinny jeans and sneakers. My hair was in a high pony tail and my make up to the minimum.

I hardly went to Fangtasia. I didn't know anyone who visited the bar personally, but I also knew that it was still considered somewhat scandalous to visit one, and I'd imagine people keeping their mouths shut about visiting. The few times that I did come in, I went through the back and headed straight into his office, or the basement, depending on the situation and mood.

The silver pepperspray had left my purse. Eric had repeatedly told me it didn't work, and now everything had seem to go back to normal I didn't feel like I still needed it. Only a handful vampires knew what I was, and I knew that Eric would never expose me. Pam did whatever she was told, and even though Sam was also aware, I realized he cared too much about me to tell anyone else. Besides, shifters weren't as much as a threat as vampires were.

I parked my car a block away from Eric's apartment and walked the remainder. It had just been dark, but we both didn't have a lot of time, at least not long enough to spend the entire night together. The opposite schedules was the only thing that was difficult in our relationship, and it didn't leave much room for spontaneous actions. Everything was planned, and usually Eric flew to my house to save some time.

Eric had given me a key to his apartment; a moment which I thought was very defining in our relationship. We were never going to be much more than lovers; a vampire and his human, and I accepted the fact that this was about as romantic as it was going to get.

The building always seemed to be deserted when I came. The late hour was very convenient as everyone would either be asleep, out for drinks, or watching television. Nevertheless, I always hurried to the penthouse as fast as I could, taking the stairs rather than the elevator. Even after so many visits I was still out of breath when I reached the top floor.

There was no light coming from the inside, which meant Eric wasn't up yet. I still had no idea where he slept during the day, and I doubted I was ever going to find out. I was glad I could let myself in and already decided I would break open the bottle of wine I had hidden in one of his cupboards the week before.

I turned the lock and opened the door, my mind going over the things we were going to be doing. Sex with Eric was different every time, and never before had I felt such a connection with someone. He was so considerate, always making sure I was taking care of. Our bodies and minds seemed to be in sync or perhaps he was just very very experienced (which he probably was…).

My fingers found the light switch. I threw my keys on the dresser and continued my way to the living room. The place still managed to impress. The furniture was expensieve, and everything matched perfectly. Where Fangtasia looked campy, Eric's apartment was like a museum for modern art.

But then my eyes fell on a shape sitting on the far end of the couch. I halted in my tracks, and felt my mouth hanging open.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here."

A/N: Welcome back guys! I have completely planned out the next book and I can't wait to get started. I'm really happy this story is still getting followers and I hope you will all join me on this new journey! This is a little introductory chapter to the next book. It wanted to take it to a different direction than the last book. Hopefully I will see you again next time! Take care 3