Sookie's POV:

"My boyfriend's a vampire, my boyfriend's a vampire, Oh my god, my boyfriend is a vampire!" I said to myself out loud in front of my bathroom mirror. I wasn't sure which part I couldn't believe more, the fact that I now had a boyfriend or the fact that he was a vampire.

Gran had left early this morning to go help one of her friends with their garden. She loved helping others and other people loved helping her back. Though she didn't have a hateful bone in her body nor was disrespectful to anyone, she had always been fiercely protective of me from people who tried to cause me harm because of my telepathy. She even protected me from Uncle Bartlett.

I shuddered at the thought of him. He was still alive and living in an old folks' home. I thought about telling Eric last night about him, but I didn't wanna throw too much baggage at him all at once. I thought my telepathy would more than enough for now. But little did I know, he had a few skeletons in his closet as well. Maybe he even literally had human skeletons in his closet with being a vampire and all.

I tossed and turned for most of the night thinking about him and his vampireness, if that was a word. He was dangerous. I didn't need to be a telepathic to sense that. I was afraid to ask him how many people he may have killed during his lifetime, but I pushed that thought aside. I had no right to make judgements about how he lived his life. He had told me last night that he was made a vampire against his will and he did what was needed in order to survive.

I thought about what he said and that vampires were going to make themselves known soon. I wondered how that would go. I think some people would be curious and welcoming, but I think more people would be mighty scared of them.

I also recalled the part of about other supernatural beings walking in the world. I thought about the hazy minds I probed throughout my life. One of them was Sam. I wondered what he could be? I didn't wanna ask him. We were good friends and he will probably confide in me sometime later after the vampires went public.

I finished brushing my teeth and putting my hair in a ponytail. I had my work uniform on and was just getting ready to head in for work.

I was refilling the ketchup bottles when Jason and his work crew showed up for lunch.

The rest of them went to take a table in my section, but Jason came and approached me.

"Sookie," Jason said. "Gran called me last night and said that you went on a date?"

He had a look of worry and confusion.

"Yes," I stated as I continued to fill the bottles. "His name is Eric and he lives in Shreveport."

"How old is he?"

"I don't know, I haven't asked him that," I told him.

"Are you going to see him again?"

I thought for a few seconds. "Yes I am. He's my boyfriend."

"What? He's your boyfriend now? Gran said last night was the first time she met him!" Jason yelled out somewhat.

"Will you chill out?" I said trying to whisper to him, but I think it came out a little loud. "Jason, there's nothing to worry about. I will introduce you to him soon, okay. I am still getting to know him."

He stood there for a few seconds longer. "Okay, well, just let me know if he tries anything unfriendly towards you. Okay? I will be there right away to straighten him out."

I rolled my eyes at him and nodded. He went to go sit down with his crew.

"What was that I heard? You are seeing someone from Shreveport named Eric?"

It was Sam. I hadn't noticed that he was standing about six or seven feet behind me.

"What's his last name?" he asked.

I sighed. Why was everyone all of a sudden interested in my love life?

"Why do you want to know Sam?" I asked, feeling annoyed.

"Because I know of only one Eric from Shreveport. This one is a big, dangerous, blonde guy who owns a bar," he said.

I was just about to ask him how he knew that, but then I remembered the supernatural world. Eric said that there was a network amongst the different races. Some of them got along, while others were mortal enemies. With the tone of Sam's voice, I suspected his kind (whatever it was) and vampires did not get along.

"I'll be fine, okay Sam," I stated.

"Sookie, you don't know the trouble that a man like Eric came be," Sam said.

"Sam, may I remind you again, you are not my father or brother. You don't have any right to tell me who I can see," I said. I was starting to feel angry.

"Sookie, I'm just trying to protect you," he said in an angry tone.

I sighed out loud. "Look, now's not the time to talk about this. I got tables to look after."

I went about and did my job for the rest of the day and avoided Sam.

Usually I stayed a few minutes longer after my shift to help, but as soon as I was off the clock, I grabbed my purse and left.

It was getting dark by the time I got home. I had run some errands before coming home.

I could sense a presence in the woods. I tried to read them but l I couldn't. It was a void mind. I knew it couldn't be Eric, he would've shown himself. I tried to pretend that I was no longer interested in what was in the bushes, but I felt uneasy. I grabbed my bags and went inside as quickly as I could.

Gran was finishing up with cooking supper. I locked the door as Eric had also told me that vampires couldn't enter a person's home without being invited in first. I sure hoped Gran didn't meet anyone new recently and invited them into the house.

We had supper and I washed the dishes. Gran was feeling tired so she went to bed.

Just then the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Sookie." It was Eric and I felt relieved.

"Oh Eric, where are you?" I asked with a hint of worry in my tone.

"I'm at work," he said. "Are you okay?"

"Ummm, I think there's someone outside my house. I mean I think there was someone here before, but now I can't sense them anymore," I whispered. I didn't want to scare Gran.

"I'm on my way. I will be flying," he said.

He hung up the phone without saying goodbye. Well that was strange. I will be flying… Now that's something you don't hear everyday. I guess I had to get used to that as well.

A short while later, I heard a soft knock on the front door. I sensed a void and I knew it was Eric.

I opened the door and smiled. I was happy to see him again. The attraction I felt for him was undeniable, he was so handsome but also so mysterious and confident. He had an aura about him that I'm sure made him super attractive to other people. If he had been a fellow student in high school, I'm sure he would've been the most popular guy in school. Sometimes I couldn't believe that he was interested in plain old me. I wasn't as thin as some other girls, but I also wasn't fat. I wasn't as well-educated as some, but I also wasn't stupid. I didn't have a lot of things that other girls who I grew up with had, but I worked hard and earned the things I had. I was happy with myself and I was so glad to find someone who liked me for the way that I was.

I invited him in and I greeted him with a peck on the cheek. Gran was just down the hall and I'm sure she wouldn't have approved of me making out with a guy in her house.

"I checked the woods. I could smell someone there. It was a vampire," Eric said.

I started to worry. Why was a vampire outside my house?

"Do not worry Sookie," he said reassuringly. "I have a hunch that I might know who it was. It may have been a vampire who lived in the estate past the cemetery and woods."

I gave him a puzzled look. "You mean old man Jesse Compton? He died just a short while ago. You mean they make vampires that old?"

He chuckled softly. I couldn't help but laugh lightly. Eric had a way of making me feel better and safe.

"No, I'm not referring to him. I'm talking about his ancestor, Bill Compton."

That name seemed familiar to me. Where did I see it?

"Ohhhhhhh, I know who you mean now. One of the graves in the cemetery is a man name Bill Compton. He died in the 1800s I think," I responded. I guess he wasn't technically dead after all. I wondered whose body they buried back then.

"How do you know him?" I asked.

"I met him at a few events as well as at a reception in New Orleans at the queens estate," he said. "It was his scent in the woods, I believe."

He told me about kings, queens and territories last night as well.

"Do you know why he's here?" I asked.

"I'm assuming he's here to inquire about you," he said.

I was taken aback a bit. "Wh…. Wh…. What does he want with me?"

I needed to sit down, so we went to sit in the living room.

"Who else knows about your telepathy?" Eric asked.

"Well pretty much everyone around here knows something's weird about me. But Gran and Jason know for sure what I am. My aunt knew about me, as well as my parents and Hadley," I said. I suddenly knew. I hadn't seen Hadley in years. I had no idea if she was dead or alive. I suspected she was alive.

"I will make inquiries as soon as I can," Eric said as he rose from his seat. I walked with him back towards the door. I guess he was leaving.

"Do not worry Sookie, I will protect you," Eric said. "You will feel a presence outside in the woods, that will be someone in my retinue watching over your house. Now, we haven't completely talked about this, but I wish to make a claim over you."

Again, I stared at him curiously, "Excuse me? A what?"

"A claim. In our world, vampires can claim a human, which would mean no one else would be able to touch you without facing severe consequences."

I gulped. "Ummmmm, what exactly do we have to do?" I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks.

"I would need to give you my blood and I would take yours," he responded.

"Ohhhhh…" I said breathlessly. I knew I was going to have to face something like this if I was going to continue seeing him, but I didn't think it was going to be this soon.

"Will it hurt? I mean when you bite me and when you give me blood?"

"No Sookie, you and I will quite enjoy it," he said huskily as he leaned in closer to me. He didn't touch me, but he didn't have to touch me in order to get my libido going. I wanted him to bite me and take me to my room to have his way with me. Again, I don't think my Gran would approve.

I gulp again. I looked into his eyes and saw something. Some sort of spark. "Okay let's do this."

We went into my room. I was very nervous. This was the first time I had ever been alone in a bedroom with any man, well excluding my brother, he didn't count.

Eric took off his leather jacket. He went to my bed and propped up the pillows and laid down. He gestured to me to join him.

I was a little reluctant at first, I thought about Gran sleeping down the hall from me, but I went to him. I'm pretty sure Gran was sleeping like the dead. I laid on top of him with my back against his stomach. He started running his hands up my thighs, hips, and then my arms. My heart had been racing before, but it was starting to calm down.

"Just relax," he whispered into my ear.

Suddenly I heard a click, then a crunch and he put his wrist near my mouth. I hesitated briefly, but then I latched on right away. It didn't taste like anything what I excepted. It was spicy and sweet. I could feel myself drifting away and enjoying the taste of his blood. I could also feel his hands touching the more intimate parts of my body and his lips kissing my shoulder. A few seconds later, I felt a tiny pain and soft crunch as his teeth pierced my skin. He was drinking from me as well.

We stayed like this for a minute or so before the wound on his wrist started to heal. He removed his teeth from my shoulder and I could feel his tongue licking the spot where he bit me.

I leaned up towards him and we began kissing. Before I knew it, he was on top of me. His hand was underneath my shirt fondling my breasts. It was then I realized what I wanted, I wanted Eric to be my first.

I sat up on my bed and took off my shirt and unclasped my bra. I covered up my breasts. I had never been naked in front of anyone before, so I was a little apprehensive.

"Sookie, you are beautiful," he said as he cupped my cheek.

"Oh Eric," I said lustily.

A minute later, my pants, socks, and underwear were gone. I helped him undress as well. He pulled his pants down as we were kissing. I reached down between us because I wanted to feel his manhood (as my romance novels referred it to). It was very thick and very long. I broke away from our kiss to look at it.

My eyes widened at the sight of it. It was huge, like really huge. Was that going to fit inside me? I started to feel a little bit worried.

"Do not worry Sookie," he said to me in a soothing tone. "I will be very gentle. It may feel a little uncomfortable at first, but then you will feel nothing but pleasure."

I nodded. He slid down to my private area and started kissing my nub. I gasped at the sensation. He was not only an expert kisser, but apparently, he was an expert in oral sex as well. I put my pillow over my face to muffle the sounds of ecstasy that were escaping my mouth. He had brought me to an orgasm. He made his way back up me and started kissing me again. I could taste my bodily fluids on his lips and tongue.

I could feel him poking my entrance.

"Are you ready?" Eric asked me.

"Yes, I want this," I whispered.

He slowly inched his way inside me. I started to gasp and wasn't able to breathe. It was stinging a bit.

He stopped and looked me in my eyes. I think he was inside me fully now.

He started pumping in and out of me slowly and gently. The pain was subsiding and I started to feel something different. The sensation felt wonderful as he continued to pump in and out.

I grabbed into his ass as he began to move faster.

I bit my bottom lip to stop myself from screaming out in pleasure.

I think I may have drawn blood as he began to suck on it.

"Min alskare," he said into my ear gently.

Suddenly he sat us up, but we still remained connected intimately. He had a knife in his hand that seemed to come out of nowhere. He made a small cut near his neck.

"Drink," he said huskily.

I didn't hesitate as I latched on and drank from him. I could feel his teeth pierce my other shoulder. I had another orgasm and could feel that he was having one as well. He quietly said something in a different language. I was still coming off my orgasm as he laid us back down on the bed.

I was slowly catching my breath as I nestled in his side. He put my blanket over us.

"That was incredible," I finally said. I started to notice something different between us. It was like I could hear a humming (the humming was coming from him) and I could feel some of his emotions. Right now, I felt pleasure.

I was beginning to feel a little bit embarrassed. I'm sure Eric was fully experienced when it came to sex, I started to wonder if it was good sex for him as well.

"Sookie, you were perfect. You are everything that I have wanted and more," he said to me.

I could feel that he was telling me the truth.

We kissed a little bit more and enjoyed the feeling of holding each other.

I started feeling a little bit sticky between my thighs. Oh my god, we didn't use protection!

"Don't worry Sookie, we vampires do not carry diseases nor spread any especially sexually transmitted diseases," he said. He must have sensed my panic.

Well that was good, but I started to think about another possibility…..

"We are sterile as well," he added.

"Oh," I said. I wasn't sure how to feel about that. I would be lying if I didn't say that I imagined Eric and I living in a big house raising our five blonde-haired babies.

"You seem upset," Eric said.

Crap, I momentarily forgot that he was able to sense my feelings.

"Ummmm, a little I guess," I responded hesitantly. There was no point in lying to him.

"Did you want to have children?" he asked.

"Well, I guess. I mean I know I would be a good mother. But another part of me is afraid to have kids. I don't want any child to experience growing up with telepathy. I couldn't bear to curse any child of mine with it."

"We can talk about this some other time, though," I responded. "Its not a deal breaker or anything. I still want to be with you. I choose you, even if it means no children."

He kissed me and got up from the bed.

My mouth dropped open as I stared at the most gorgeous butt I had ever seen in my life. How could I have not noticed that before?

He walked to the bathroom and I could hear the water running. "Are you coming?"

Not yet, I said to myself silently.

I went into the bathroom and stepped into the bathtub with him. It was the most amazing shower I had had in my life. I thoroughly enjoyed it as Eric showed me that it was possible to have sex in there as well.

Some time later I walked him to the front door and stood with him on the porch. I was wearing my nightgown and robe.

"You have nothing to worry about Sookie. You are mine now. That means I will protect you and your kin," he said as he placed a soft kiss on my lips.

"I know Eric. I trust you," I said as I wrapped my arms around his waist.

We said our goodnights once more and he took off into the air.

I gasped out in surprise and awe, as I watched him fly away.

I had never felt so happy as I had felt in this moment. I knew that I was in love, I was in love with Eric Northman. I couldn't wait to be with him again.