SPOV

When I wake up today, I give a little contented sigh because I just feel so comfortable and loose. We went to bed when Gran did last night so we had quite a few hours before Eric had to die for the day. Now that I've gotten past the fear and excitement of losing my virginity I'm able to enjoy sex. Eric is a great partner to explore with and learn from, he is fine if I want to take the lead, which surprisingly, I enjoy greatly. By the look in his eye and the growls that came from him last night, he enjoys it too. He is amazing at leading the show too, needless to say, I was scared for nothing.

Now today, we're waiting on word of Rene's arrest. Last night Pam went to the police with all the evidence and even though Eric didn't say it to me, I'm pretty sure she glamoured the police into listening to the truth and actually paying attention to the evidence. I'm hoping to get a call from Jason, Sam, Tara, anyone really, to tell me that Rene, uh, Drew has been arrested and Jason's name has been cleared.

I look at the clock and see it's already two in the afternoon. I cringe, it's not fair to leave Gran all by her lonesome because I'm up all night having great sex with my boyfriend. I giggle because boyfriend is so not a word that describes Eric, I'm going to have to work on that. I realize my hand has wandered to Eric's butt without my conscious knowledge and giggle again before giving it a squeeze and letting go.

I get up and go to the bathroom to shower, as I'm cleaning myself I lower my shields to make sure Gran isn't too lonely. I'm surprised to find out that Sonya is here again. I know last night, after Gran gave the okay, Eric talked to Sonya and it was decided that she'd come here when we had to leave so Gran wasn't alone but that doesn't explain why she's here now. I cringe again when I realize that Gran was alone so I guess it's a good thing that she's here.

They're just talking about the book Gran was reading this morning while playing a game of canasta. Gran keeps hoping that Jason will call while Sonya is thinking about the bonus Eric gave her and how it'll pay for her grandsons if they decide to go to grad school. Did Eric give her the bonus because she's going to be coming around more for Gran? And did he really make her bonus have that many zeros at the end of it?

I don't know how I feel about that, it's not like I want to take the money away from Sonya but I feel like it should be coming out of my pocket, not his since it's my Gran it's for. Then again, I'm not sure I'll ever see that much money in my life, let alone be able to have the ability to give it to someone. I shake my head, there's nothing I can do about it now and Gran has been getting on me about how much I'm harping on the amount of money Eric is spending on us or for us. Gran keeps telling me it's not our money, so we have no say in how he spends it. But I think I should have a say because he wouldn't be spending it if it wasn't for me.

I sigh, I know Gran is right but it just feels wrong to me. Like I'm inconveniencing him or becoming dangerously close to one of those gold diggers. No Sookie, Gran is right, you have NO say in how Eric spends his money, even if it's for you. I just have to keep repeating it to myself until I believe it, I guess.

I get out of the shower, dry off, brush my teeth, and then spend some time blow-drying and doing my hair. I want to look cute when Eric wakes up and since Gran has someone to talk to, I don't have to feel bad for leaving her alone and I can spend the time I want to make myself look good. Once my hair and a little makeup are done, I go to my room and into my closet and look for something to wear. I land on a pretty sundress that's light blue with daisies lining the bottom and it has a deep v cut that shows off my ample chest. I look myself over in the mirror and once I feel like I'm ready, I go downstairs to greet the ladies.

"Morning Gran, hey Sonya, I didn't know you were planning on coming over today."

"Sookie, it's after three, Eric will be up in a little while, it's way past morning." Gran corrects.

"Sorry, Gran. I didn't mean to leave you alone all day. I'll make sure to go to bed earlier so I can be here for you more during the day."

"Don't worry about it, darlin'. I was just teasing. Plus, I slept in quite late myself, I only woke up around noon. I'm starting to keep vampire hours myself." She says with a delighted giggle.

"You don't have to worry, Gran. We'll be back in our house soon and we can get back to our own hours."

"Sookie, stop sounding so excited to leave. I'm sure Eric will never tell you this but I think you hurt his feelings when you act so excited to leave here. Plus, I'm in no rush to go home, I'm having a grand ole time."

"It's not that I'm excited to leave it's just that it feels weird not being in our home, it's where I've lived for most of my life, same for you, Gran. And it's the fact that we're just staying in Eric's home, I'm sure he'll want his space back soon."

"Oh yes, Mr. Nor…" She trails off when she sees our looks of admonishment. "I mean Eric. I'd never seen Eric this happy before you two started staying here. I've known him for a long time, and though he doesn't usually get close to people, I think I know him pretty well. I'm telling you, he really cares about you both and he doesn't want you to go."

Wow, could she be right? Does Eric actually like us here and want us to stay? It's not like it matters, we have to go home eventually. First of all, we've only known Eric for a short time, we can't just upend our lives because he's come into them. Second of all, we've just started dating, we haven't even been on a real date, actually. There's a whole bunch of steps in between dating and moving in together that we're not just going to skip. Staying here for safety is one thing but just to live here? No, it can't happen like that.

I'm about to open my mouth to say something to that point when my phone rings. Wow, Eric's blood really has enhanced my senses because my phone is upstairs in my room on the charger. I put it there when I was getting ready today because it was dead. I hold my finger up in a 'hold on' gesture and run upstairs to see who's calling. Normally, I wouldn't leave a conversation like that just for a call on my cell but we're waiting on an important one. When I check to see who it is, I'm slightly disappointed to see it's Sam. I love him and he's one of my dearest friends but I'm not looking forward to the 'Eric is bad and vampires are evil. Sookie, please let me save you' conversation that seems to come up every time we talk. I take a deep breath and then answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sookie. It's Sam."

I giggle. "I know, Sam. I have caller ID. What's up?"

He chuckles. "Yeah, of course, sorry. I was just calling because I haven't heard from you. How are you? Are you safe? Did you hear? They picked up Rene for the murders, so your brother's name is cleared."

I laugh again, "Woah Sam, one question at a time. I'm doing just fine, yes I'm safe. No, I didn't hear, but I'm glad. We've been doing our own investigation and found evidence that it was Rene. Yesterday we sent someone to bring the evidence to the police, so I'm glad they worked so fast in picking him up. I'm glad no one else got hurt."

"Wait, you were the one that solved the crime?"

"Yeah, I suppose so. Well, me, Gran, Eric, and his private investigator, really. I knew Jason didn't do it and I knew Andy had it stuck in his head that he did, so I knew I had to do something to make sure Jason didn't get sent away for murder."

"You made sure you stayed safe though, right Cher?"

I start my answer sarcastically. "Yes, Dad. I made sure to stay safe. It's the whole reason I went to Eric's house in the first place."

"Well, good. So now that the murderer isn't loose anymore, it's safe for you to come home, right?" He asks hopefully.

"It's not that simple, Sam. Yeah, one problem is solved but I still have a crazy vampire queen after me. Hell, the person she sent to capture me or enthrall me or whatever is literally my next-door neighbor. Plus, I'm starting up my own business and I have my clients meeting me here in Shreveport. It's true, I probably wouldn't have even started taking on clients if it weren't for the queen being after me but after getting used to the idea, I'm excited to start!" I end happily.

"Your own business, what? Sookie, what about your job here? What about your friends? Are you telling me you're just going to never come back? Did you permanently move to Shreveport? Sookie, how can you not see what Eric's doing to you? He's systematically taking your life away and filling it with his own, next thing you'll know, you'll have to ask for permission to leave the house and be completely dependent on him."

"Sam, stop. Eric isn't like that. Not to me, anyway. He's only helping me, and it's not like it's been easy for him, either. He's had to spend money on guards, miss work, lie to his queen, and pretty much have to move his entire life around to cater to my needs. I know he's looking out for me and he has the best intentions towards me. So stop trying to turn me against him, it's not going to work."

I hear him growl and it sounds almost animalistic. It would have scared me before I met Eric and he told me the truth about Sam. Now, I just sit silently and wait until he calms down. I hear him take a few deep breaths then let out a long suffering sigh. "I really wish you would just let me pick you up and keep you safe, Sookie. I don't know how your staying with Eric could work out for you. You'll end up being his pet, you'll have to do whatever he says, have to let yourself be fed off of whoever he wants to loan you out for, I don't even want to think about what else he'll loan you out for. If you're sure this is the way you want to go, I'll be here for you if it all falls apart."

Wow, there are so many parts of that, that make me really angry. My first reaction is to yell at him and pitch a fit but after a few seconds of thought, I realize I'm so done with this. Let him think what he wants, I don't really care. I know Eric isn't like that and I don't want to waste the time trying to talk Sam into believing it. He's not going to, the only thing that's going to make him accept that Eric isn't going to hurt me is time. He has to see it to believe it. So, instead of getting angry, I calmly respond."

"Okay, Sam, that's enough. I'm done fighting with you about all this, you don't want to believe me, fine. I know Eric isn't going to hurt me or do anything horrible to me, like you're imagining. I get that Were's and vampires have some sort of weird hatred between them and that's fine but I want no part of it. Until you can be happy for me or at the very least be accepting of me and my relationship, I'm going to need some space from you."

"Sookie, what? I'm only trying to look out for you, you know I… care about you. I just don't want you getting hurt."

"Okay, Sam. Call me when you want to talk to me about something other than how evil Eric is."

I hang up the phone and take a deep breath. God, can't he just be happy for me? You know what? No, I'm not going to spend another minute worrying about him. This call was good actually. Jason is safe! I run downstairs to share the good news with Gran.

"Gran! Rene was arrested this morning, so Jason is finally free and clear."

"Oh, thank the good Lord. Sookie, do you have your phone? I wanna call him."

I handed it over to her and went to the kitchen to get some food. After I eat a sandwich, I go back to check on Gran. She's reading by herself so I go over to the bookshelf and pick one too. I choose Pride and Prejudice and sit down in the chair next to her. I open the book to start reading but before I do,

"Hey Gran, where did Sonya go?"

"She went home for a little bit. She'll be back later when you and Eric go out. Tonight is the night you take your first clients, right?"

"That's right, I'm so nervous Gran but I'm so excited too."

"I know it's out of your realm of comfort but I think this will be good for you. It can be a career, Sookie. I've always known you were much bigger than just being a waitress. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with being one, it's a nice honest living but I've always known you're bigger than that. If you didn't have telepathy, I think you'd have gone off to college and become a therapist or something of the like because you love helping people and have always had such a big heart. But even with the telepathy, you're much more than that place. Heck, as far as we know, you're the only telepath there is. You corner that market, no one else can do what you do so I think you should do it, and do it well. Make it into your career and build up your clientele by being trustworthy and being good a your job. I think Eric is a great person to help guide you through that too, we've seen he knows what he's doing when it comes to business."

I reach over and put my hand on her knee, "Thanks Gran, that means a lot. I think you're right and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

She smiles at me then she looks back at her book. I take my hand away from her and do the same. I must have got really lost in the book because I don't stop reading until I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look, and it's Eric.

"Cheese and rice Eric, you scared me. I must have lost track of time, I had no clue it was late enough for you to wake up."

"Ahh yes, when I woke I could feel how distracted you were. Have you ladies had a nice day so far?"

"Oh Eric, yes! Thank you so much for your help in getting Jason safe, they've arrested Rene so Jason is free and clear." Gran answers.

"That's great news, Adele. I'm glad to hear it."

"Yeah, and now we don't have to watch our backs waiting for him to try and attack us. Now if only we didn't have to worry about this queen of yours, I'd be able to sleep soundly again." Gran says the last part under her breath.

"Speaking of the queen, it's time I call her. I doubt the problem will be solved with one phone call, she is known to throw temper tantrums if she doesn't get exactly what she wants. She won't want to upset me though, so there's a chance she'll be pragmatic about the situation. At the very least, I expect this phone call to give us some breathing room."

"I really hope so, when are you going to call?" I ask

"We're supposed to be meeting your first clients at Fangtasia in an hour so I'll call sometime tonight in between your meetings."

"She won't be mad that you've taken so long to get back to her?"

"No, other sheriffs she'd get mad at but as I said, she doesn't like to upset me. She knows I'm one of the only reasons she still has her kingdom. She's young, the only reason she's even queen in the first place is because she was the consort of the last king, and when he mysteriously died, she became queen consort and was able to hold the title because of her children. I came along not long after looking for a place in America to settle that was quiet, she promised to leave me alone unless she needed a soldier as long as I promised to stay loyal to her."

"Oh, well, I trust you, Eric. So if you think this is the best way to keep me safe and here, I'll do whatever you think is best."

He walks up to me and cups my face. "Do not worry, min stjärna. I promised to keep you safe and I have all intentions of doing so. I shall not allow her to strong-arm you into going to stay with her."

"Good. Now, let me get dressed so we can go." I say and smile at him before going upstairs to get ready.

It's nerve-racking sitting here. I hear all the voices of different pets and business associates sitting out at the bar wondering what they're doing here. Most of the vampires that hired me didn't bother to tell the people that I'm reading what they're doing here tonight. I guess they plan to leave that part up to me. It's either that, or they don't care enough about the people I'm reading to even bother telling them the truth.

Eric is sitting at his seat at the front of his desk while I'm sitting a little to the left of him in a comfy chair, he told me he ordered it specifically with me in mind, which is sweet. On the other side of the desk are two chairs, one for my client, and one for the person they're having me read. On the desk is a stack of papers, one for every client I have scheduled for today. On it, there is information about the people they're having me read and the information they're looking for me to either confirm or deny.

I think I'm as prepared as I'm going to get, I've been looking over these papers since I got here but I still don't feel ready. It's probably because I'm terrified that I'm going to mess up. And the fact that before Eric, no one has ever taken my gift seriously. They either hate it and want to get as far away from me as possible or they think I'm a freak and a liar. I'm so nervous that I think I'm on the verge of hyperventilating. Eric must sense what I'm feeling because he drops the papers that he's working on, grabs my chair to turn it so it's facing him, puts his hands on my face to make sure I'm looking him in the eye, and speaks.

"It's okay, min stjärna, you're panicking for nothing. You have this, I know you do. Look at me, take a deep breath, that's it, there you go. Good job, lover. You're just wound too tight, you're prepared as you're going to get, now all you can do is relax until it's time to get to work."

"I can't relax at a time like this!"

"Ah, that's where you're wrong. Here, let me show you."

Before I have a chance to question what he's talking about, he vamps between my legs, pushes my dress up, moves my underwear to the side, and precedes to lick, lap, suck, and nibble on my sex until a cum enough that the tension goes away and I'm calm and relaxed. He's making noises so obscene that I'm not sure who's enjoying this more. When he pulls back, he sits on his chair and puts me back to rights. I'm so satiated, I'm pretty sure my body is made of jello.

"There you go, lover, you got this. Now let's meet with this list of people so we can continue this back at home."

"Mhmm, that sounds good."

He chuckles, I guess he can feel how sated and completely at ease I am right now. After a few seconds, there's a knock on the door and I remember what we're supposed to be doing. So I look at the first sheet and remember that this is Eric's Dayman. We decided to start with his people so I can get the hang of it. I've only seen Bobby in passing twice, both times at Eric's house. The first time was the first night I was there and the second time was a few days ago, he was leaving just as I was waking up. We only gave each other cordial greetings before he was on his way to his next task. From those two quick interactions though, I really don't like the guy.

The first night he was jealous that Eric was actually having someone come to his house and wondered why I was so special. When he saw me he thought, 'Oh, that makes sense. Those huge tits, blonde hair and she's probably great at sucking cock. I give her a week before she's used up.'

The second time I was just waking up because I stayed up all night with Eric, it was around one in the afternoon and he thought, 'Fucking lazy bimbo, thinks she found her golden goose. She'll get what's coming to her when Eric gets bored, that'll be any day now.' Needless to say, I'm not his biggest fan, nor is he mine. A vindictive little part of me hopes I find something bad he's doing so I don't have to deal with him anymore.

'No Sookie, you're better than that. Don't stoop to his level.' I think to myself.

Eric looks at me and quirks his eyebrow, asking if I'm ready. Well, now or never. I nod at him and try to feel confident.

"Enter."

Bobby walks in and gives me a strange, angry look when he sees me sitting next to Eric behind his desk but after a second, he turns his attention back to Eric because he thinks I'm inconsequential.

"Good evening, Master. Today went well, I've gotten everything on your list complete. Your manager at your steakhouse is acting a little shifty, not answering the questions that you told me to ask, so that might need some more looking into. But everything other than that went as planned." He says as he stands up straight in front of Eric on the other side of the desk.

Eric nods his head but only says, "Sit."

When Bobby complies, Eric stares at him for a long time without saying anything. It is making Bobby nervous because Eric is giving him one of those looks that could scare a fly away from shit. Bobby is only wondering why Eric looks so mad, he doesn't know what he could have possibly done to get on Eric's bad side. He has been nothing but loyal to Eric and has gone above and beyond what he's been asked. All he wants is for Eric to see him for who he really is, and how devoted he is to him. He loves Eric so much and just wants to be given a chance, he knows Eric has been with men before and thinks they'd be perfect together he then starts picturing all the things he'd like to do with him.

"Okay!" I squeak so Eric looks at me and I see amusement in his eyes because he feels my embarrassment. I clear my throat "So Bobby, has there ever been anything you've kept from Eric that you should have told him?"

"What? No, of course not."

'What is this bitch talking about? I'd never do anything to hurt Eric. I just want to help him. What does he see in this whore? He deserves so much better than her. She…'

"Okay, thank you for coming in," I say quickly, so I don't have to listen to him shit talk me in his head anymore. This guy obviously isn't doing anything nefarious (word of the day) to Eric, he's scarily obsessed though.

"You're not the boss here, little lady. My master asked me to come in and I'll stay until he tells me to leave."

"Leave."

"Yes, master. I'll be waiting for my to-do list in the morning. Have a good night." Bobby says as he gets up, gives Eric one last longing look, and leaves.

"What was that, lover? He made you uncomfortable. Do I need to dispose of him?"

"No, he's not trying to steal money from you, or working for someone else to get close to you, or anything bad like that. He's just obsessed and it's kinda scary."

"Obsessed?" Eric asks sounding intrigued but I feel an echo of amusement in our bond.

"The guy is obsessed with you and really hates me. He thinks you deserve better than a hillbilly like me. He spent half the time picturing the different ways he wants you and different places he wants you to bite him." Eric's fangs click down and he growls I feel how angry he is and I don't know why. "Eric, what's wrong? I told you, he's not doing anything bad."

"He shall not speak of you that way, min stjärna. You deserve much better. I will not have someone in my employ who speaks badly of my woman." Most of the time, when he speaks like that it gets me angry and makes me feel like a possession. But right now, it gets me all tingly watching him get angry and wanting to defend my honor.

"It's okay, Eric. He didn't actually say anything bad about me, you can't get mad at what he thinks. He's been nothing but professional with me. It's no big deal, I hear stuff like that about me from people's minds all the time." He growls loudly again and it sends a shiver of want down my spine. He must feel me because his growl turns from anger to being lustful. He turns my chair and uses his hand to start inching my dress up my knee.

"Not-uh mister. That's not going to happen, I'm at work right now. There will be no hanky panky for this girl on her first day. Well, not any more than what we did earlier, anyway." I say with a blush.

"Ah, but Sookie, the best part of working with your lover is the benefits. We should take some time to enjoy them."

"Nope, not now Mr. Northman. My next client is here and he's standing next to Pam outside the door as she's listening to our conversation."

His growl is back to being angry but this time it's directed at Pam. "Enter." He all but snarls.

Pam opens the door and struts her way in, I can tell she's still angry at Eric but she's staying professional. "Tom came to the front door and said he had a meeting with you?"

"Ah, yes. Sookie, this is my building manager, he watches over my rental properties to make sure everything is up to par and my offices and houses stay rented out. Tom, this is Sookie Stackhouse. Sit, she has a few questions to ask you"

I meet with three other business associates of Eric, all of whom work for him. None of them were up to anything bad, they're all too scared or respect him too much to do anything to mess up their jobs. I feel good by the time we're done with his people. There are a few more people coming tonight that are his underlings. They're bringing in their own people that they want read. I'm about to tell him I'm ready to start when my stomach lets out an untimely growl. I feel a blush creep on my cheeks. I know there's no reason to be embarrassed but I can't help it, my human body is always making noises that must be so loud to Eric, and since Eric doesn't need to eat or use the bathroom, I always feel strange when I do. I guess that's some of the things one has to get used to when they date a different species than themselves. I'm about to tell him I'm fine when Eric speaks first.

"What would you like to eat? There is an Italian place, a bar and grill, and a steakhouse close to us."

"It's fine, Eric. People are waiting for me, it's rude."

"Sookie, if you're hungry you must take the time to eat. They shall wait, and I bet they'll have a smile on their face as they do. They know how unique an opportunity it is to have a telepath vet their people." I guess I still have an unconvinced look on my face because he continues, "Lover, I'll order for you if you don't tell me what you want. I'm sure you don't want someone who hasn't eaten food for over a thousand years to choose your meal. I won't let you overwork yourself, I care for you and want to take care of you and make sure you're properly fed so please, don't make this difficult."

I can tell using the word please is hard for him, I doubt he uses it often. What am I doing? I'm being silly, he knows I'm human and what comes along with being one. I shouldn't feel weird or bad for taking care of my human needs and he obviously cares enough about me to make sure I'm taking care of myself.

"Hmm, I think I'll go with a burger and fries tonight. It's nice and easy. Are you sure they don't mind if I go to the bar to pick it up real quick?"

"No, they won't mind but do not worry about that, lover. I shall send Ginger." I'm about to tell him not to bother her but he's already gone and back before I have the chance.

"Well, I might as well take some people while we're waiting for the food to get here."

He looks me over for a long time, I guess trying to figure out if I'm really okay, then nods his head. I want to laugh, I can handle waiting to eat for a little while but I don't because it feels nice having someone to worry over me. By the time the food gets here, I've gotten through three more happy customers. Only one of the vampires got any bad news. One of their pets was stealing from them. It kinda got me mad that they handed my checks to Eric, instead of giving them to me but I guess that's some of the pageantry Eric was talking about. In the eyes of the other vampires, I'm just a pet that has a special talent and I have to do what Eric says when he says it. It's not easy but I manage to hold my tongue.

I eat my food quickly and then get back to work. Most of the rest of the customers of the night have pets that are using them for one reason or another. Like one wants to be a vampire and hopes being a pet for long enough will make the vampire like her enough to turn her. Another pet just likes the things that the vampire buys her and another is addicted to V and the vampire has no problem giving it to her. Overall, the vampires were happy and thought it was money well spent. I feel much more comfortable doing this for a living and made $7000 in a few hours. That is until Eric hands me a $ 3,000 check with his name on it.

"Eric, what's this?"

"Sookie, you read three people for me, I'm paying you for your work." He says in a way that makes it sound like I'm dumb for not already knowing that.

"Eric, you don't have to pay me. You're already doing so much to help me, I wouldn't even be selling my telepathy at all if it weren't for you. Jason could be on his way to jail, and I could be on my way to being seduced by an asshole that just wants to give me as a present to his queen. I don't want any money from you."

He grabs my face, pulls me to him, and kisses me deeply. I join in happily when he finally pulls away, I completely forget what we are talking about for a few seconds. When I remember I cross my arms.

"Nice try, Eric. You're not going to be able to kiss your way into me taking your money."

"We shall see about that, lover. Now, we have one more piece of work before we're able to go home and enjoy the rest of the night. Unfortunately, it's not a phone call I'm looking forward to."

"Who are you calling?" But as I ask, I remember the elephant in the room I've been trying to ignore all night. The elephant that thinks it's okay to steal people from their homes and keep them for herself.

"The queen."