EPOV

I enter the sunroom right behind Sophie Ann with Sookie on my arm. I have the urge to breathe a sigh of relief when I see that all my humans and Pam are okay and exactly where I left them. They look like they're enjoying themselves though I can tell that although Adele is happy to be seeing Hadley again, she is angry at her about what she's done to Sookie. I'm about to tell my people it's time to go back to the hotel for the night but Sophie Ann speaks first.

"Why don't I tell the chefs to bring out dessert? I know you'll want to go home soon but now that the work is done for the night, I'm sure Sookie would like to have some time to reconnect with Hadley without the worry of her work to come on her mind."

I knew everything was running too smoothly tonight, I should have foreseen this coming, she told us it was time to leave but of course, Sophie Ann always has something else up her sleeve, she knows I cannot turn her down either. I look at Sookie and give her a small nod, I feel her annoyance and unease in the bond, I cannot blame her, I feel the same. I walk her down to her previous chair and sit her down before going back to mine.

I listen absently as the family continues catching up. I feel Sookie's excitement when she sees what they're serving for dessert, I'm not sure what it is but she seems to like it. I am trying to figure out what the queen is up to but I have no clue. I can't put it past her to try something tonight but there is every chance that she will wait for another night too. I can anticipate her moves only so much, I know the schemes she can use but I don't know which one she will use or when she will use them.

"Eric, won't you come with me back to my office? We have some things we must discuss."

Ahh, so whatever is going to happen, will be happening now. "As you wish, my queen."

I give Sookie and Adele a meaningful look, letting them know to stay on their guard before getting up and following her. The trip to her office is uneventful while she speaks on the art she has hanging up, I've heard each of these stories before and she knows it too, vampires have great memories, she just loves hearing herself speak.

I sit down in a seat after she sits down on hers, she pours and hands me a glass of blood, it's what Sophie Ann calls her 'dessert blood' she has a group of pets that only have type AB- blood, the sweetest blood there is, well, other than Sookie's or full fairy's blood anyway, and she only serves it during dessert when she has sit down meals with humans. Though I'm in no need of any more sustenance, I take a few sips so as not to be rude.

"What is it you need from me, my queen?"

"I want to speak frankly, Eric. I want Sookie, I want you to sell her to me."

I cover my urge to scoff at her with another sip of blood, once I'm calm enough I speak, "I wish I could help you with this, Your Majesty, but you know as well as I that bonds cannot be broken."

"That is not strictly true, Eric. I have a witch, one that knows of a spell to break it. It will be painful, more for the human than the vampire but painful nonetheless. I will pay you handsomely for the inconvenience. I have a feeling you might be interested in her as more than an asset, that is fine, you can continue to fuck her as much as you please, I do not want her in that way. Her pussy can be all yours but her talent will be all mine."

I use taking a sip of my blood as a way to not speak too fast because my fangs have come down at her words. No one will use my Sookie in such a way, I won't allow it. Once I'm calm enough and my fangs are hidden away again, I'm able to speak calmly. "I'm sorry but Sookie is not for sale."

As I speak I realize I'm feeling strange, are my words slurring? I absently adjust myself, I'm hard as a rock right now and not really sure why, Sophie Ann is attractive but I've never been interested in her that way. I'm not usually one to lose control and let my fangs come down so easily, that should have been the first clue that something is wrong. I look down at my mostly empty glass of blood and think she must have dosed me with something, I can't think straight enough to figure out what though. I look up at her and feel like I'm seeing double and both of them are giving me a victorious smirk.

I hear the door open and close, I turn around to see a fang banger in a dress so skimpy she might as well be naked enter, I turn my attention back to Sophie Ann to see that she's gone. I get up to do the same and stumble a bit. The fang banger puts her hands on my shoulders to try to stabilize me. I let my fangs drop and growl at her menacingly. Who the fuck does she think she is, touching me without my permission? She takes a scared step back. Good, the fear makes them all the more tasty, I decide I haven't drained anyone in far too long and this looks like someone who could use a good fuck before she dies. Her look of fear turns to one of calculation and it reminds me that something is wrong, I shouldn't be thinking this way, I know it's time to get out of here.

I absently notice that the worry Sookie has been feeling since I left with the queen is turning to alarm and I know I must get back to her. Sookie, right, I need to focus on Sookie, my love, my bonded. 'Focus 'Eric, something strange is happening to you'. What was I thinking? Just when my hand reaches the doorknob I freeze. I inhale and let out a moan, my hips thrust once in pure instinct due to the orgasmic feeling that comes along with that scent. If I thought I was hard before, it's nothing compared to how I'm feeling now. I haven't smelt that scent in a long time, fairy, full-blooded fairy. I turn around and look at the morsel who's letting out that delicious scent and see that the fang banger is in the process of dripping blood she has in a small jar over her lips and now bare breasts. When did she take her dress off? Fuck, I need her, now.

Without thinking about it I vamp over to her and start to lap the blood off of her. I pick her up, put her plump ass on the desk, spread her legs, and nuzzle myself inbetween them so I have full access to her and the heavenly blood. Something inside me is telling me to stop but it's a voice that is easily ignored. With each lick of the fairy blood, I lose a little more coherence. I hear her moans so I assume I'm giving her pleasure while taking my own but I don't give a fuck about that, my only concern is getting more fairy in me. Once I'm sure I've licked up every drop of the blood on her breasts, I pull her body against mine and start rubbing my jeans-covered cock against her bare flesh trying to get some friction, I haven't been this turned on in a long time, maybe ever, I need some relief, now. It's clouding my thoughts so much that I can't think straight. All I know is that I need more. I inhale once more and run my nose from her tits to her neck and up to her lips where there's more of that delightful scent. I get to work devouring her and it. I feel her hands on my pants button starting to free my cock from its confinement, thank the gods because I can't manage to stop devouring her long enough to free myself. Some part of me knows for some reason I shouldn't be doing this but I can't remember why. Oh well, it must not be that important.

I hear the door open but pay it no mind, I have always liked having an audience. I hear a gasp but ignore it until I feel a strong wave of pain, not the physical kind, but it's not coming from me, that's strange. It's fine, it's not as if I haven't fucked myself into forgetting the pain before. The same goes for the anger that is starting to fill me. Just as I'm finally free from my jeans a bright light blinds my eyes for a second and the fang banger along with the heavenly scent is thrown across the room. I have all intentions of following her until I get a slap across the face. I growl and let my fangs down at whoever was idiotic enough to stop my feed and fuck before I look at the beautiful woman standing in front of me with righteous anger on her face. I blink two, three times and I start to come back to myself.

"S—Sookie?"

"Yeah you big jerk, what the fuck, Eric?!"

"Uh… what? I—I don't know…" My attention trails away from Sookie when I inhale to speak more and I smell the fairy blood again. I take a few unconscious steps toward the woman whose scent is calling to me before someone who is about to have their neck snapped for interrupting me stops me again. I rip my arm away from her roughly and start to make my way to the fairy blood. I stop in my tracks when I hear Sookie yell in pain. It's enough to snap me back into my senses. Partly at least, it's taking all my control not to leave her and go to the blood again. I walk back over to her and gently pick up her hand to look at the damage.

"Fuck, Sookie, I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

"Don't touch me!" She says and rips her hand away, cringing from the pain it causes her. Seeing the tears in her eyes is enough to bring me back to reality completely.

"I'm sorry, she drugged me, with fairy blood I think, then brought in a girl that had more blood on her. I told you vampires lose control of themselves when fairy blood is involved." I feel terrible, I bite into my wrist and put it to her mouth, I think I sprained her wrist while pulling away from her, for a few moments, she looks like she's going to refuse but eventually wraps her lips around my wrist and drinks.

Watching her close her eyes because of the enjoyment of my blood, the sight always gets me hard but right now it reminds me of why we're in this situation and I unconsciously inhale again. It's the wrong move because I feel my mind start to get hazy and focused on only one thing, getting to that blood. I know there's more, she only put a little on herself the jar was still almost full, I know I could convince Sookie to… No, focus, Eric, get a hold of yourself.

Still, even after trying to get my head straight, I realize I'm already halfway to the fang banger who must have been knocked unconscious by Sookie's light. When did she use her light again?

"Eric, what are you doing?" Sookie sounds angry again.

I grab the jar of blood, put the lid on it so that it's no longer overtaking my senses, walk back to Sookie, and show it to her. I might be in control of myself again but I am still feeling the effects of the blood all the same. She takes the blood from me to study it before I grab her head between my hands and kiss her deeply while jutting my cock against her stomach. Fuck, I need to cum, now. She joins in on the kiss for a few moments before pulling back, I follow her and start nipping at her neck and playing with her breasts over her dress. Her voice is breathy when she says, "Stop, Eric, I'm mad at you."

"Don't be, that's what the queen wants, it's why she did this, hoping that you'd run to her crying because I hurt you," I murmur between licks and nibbles.

I pull the strap of her dress down baring her shoulders to me following me with my mouth showing her body the proper devotion. I pull the other side down so that her bountiful breasts are bare to me before taking the jar from her and pouring a few drops on her bare chest.

"Eric, what are you doing?" She asks sounding scandalized.

I ignore her and keep up my work. Some part of me realizes I wouldn't be doing this here if I was in my right mind but again it's a voice that's easy to dismiss.

"Having my way with you, of course," I say as I get her dress completely off her. I pour more of the jar over her pussy.

"But here? Is it saf— oh fuck, Eric!"

I make sure to bring my lover pleasure until I can't ignore my cock anymore. I wait until I bring her to another high before I stop tasting her, stand up, and enter her hard and fast. If I was more clear-headed I'd realize I'm fucking her as if she's a vampire and slow down but she doesn't seem to mind. In fact, she's holding onto the desk to stay in place and screaming in pleasure. Right as we're both about to hit our peaks I move her hair to the side and bite her neck. That's all she needs to fall over the edge and her cunt quivering around me makes me follow right behind her. As I'm coming down I take three more long slow draws of her blood before I lick her bite clean. Her blood does something to me, it makes me able to think straight for the first time since I left the sunroom.

Sookie was right, doing this here was rash but it sure will send a message. I pull back to look into her eyes and I still see some hurt there but I see a lot more love and understanding, she understands I didn't mean to hurt her and I wouldn't have if I wasn't drugged. Unfortunately, understanding that doesn't make the pain of seeing me like that with another woman go away. I lean in and kiss her slowly and sensually. "I'm sorry, Sookie. I really did not see the queen pulling a stunt like that. Though I probably should have, she isn't afraid to break the rules to get what she wants. Pam and I knew she'd probably try to tempt me and have you walk in I just didn't think there'd be fairy blood involved. I've underestimated her, I won't do that again."

She stares at me long and hard before sighing, "Can we just get out of here?"

"Yes, that sounds like a great idea." We both groan when I pull out of her. I grab her dress and she lifts he arms in the air so I put it on her. I look around for my clothes, I have no clue when I actually got undressed but I think it was before Sookie even entered the room. I chastised myself for being so weak and hurting Sookie in such a way. I find my pants in a pile on the ground near where I was when the fang banger got shot away from me. I quickly put them on before looking for my shirt. I realize it's ruined, I must have ripped it when I took it off. Fuck, now what? I had a jacket on tonight, perhaps I can just button it up? I find it and decide it will work, at least until we get away from here.

I look at Sookie and see she's waiting for me, I haven't felt guilt in a long time, maybe not since before I was turned but I feel guilty for how I acted just now. I know it's not completely my fault, fairy blood can take down the oldest more controlled vampire but I feel her through the bond and even though she has a smile on her face, she's hurting and that hurt is my fault. No, that's not true, it's Sophie Ann's and I'm going to make her pay.

I put my hand on her lower back and lead the way back to the Sunroom. Pam is still in the room though she's migrated away from the reunion and closer to the donors. She realizes her mistake when I enter the room, I only have to look at her sternly to let her know she's messed up. She knows how important it is to stay on task while we're here, she better just hope nothing was slipped to either of the humans while she was distracted. I don't doubt she'd have any problem drugging the humans considering she had the balls to do the same to me.

I had thought she would have tried to take Sookie sneakily, in a way that I couldn't get angry about. I thought she wouldn't want to turn me into an enemy considering how important I am to her keeping her territory, but I was wrong. Apparently, she doesn't care how I feel about the situation, she only wants Sookie to think that she has nothing to do with it. She's made a grave mistake, if she's going full frontal attacks, so will I.

"We're leaving," I say shortly.

Everyone can hear in my voice that I'm beyond angry so they don't say anything, they just get up and start to make their way to me. I look at Sophie Ann who is laying on the fainting couch and she somehow looks pissed and cocky at the same time. She doesn't realize what she's just unleashed, the only interactions she's had with me were ones where I've been on her side. We never crossed each other's path before I moved into her state, and my reputation alone was enough to keep the vultures circling the state at bay. So she doesn't understand what she's up against. She'll regret this, at this point I'm so livid I don't care about becoming king, she just lost any chance she's had at surviving this.

"Eric, you're leaving so soon? I thought your friend would have you occupied for a while." The queen says in her lilting voice.

"It's been a long night, and the humans aren't quite as nocturnal as we are."

"Oh well, it's been fun, maybe Mrs. Stackhouse and Jason will come again tomorrow, I'm sure they'd want to see Hadley again."

"We shall see, we already have plans set up for them," I say shortly. I see the anger again enter her face, it's not often she's told now, even in such a roundabout way and it's clear she doesn't like it. Oh well. I don't give a fuck. She lost whatever element of surprise she had during this trip, now I'll be ready for anything.

Though the humans aren't paying attention, I notice Sophie Ann send Hadley a look. Once Hadley sees, she nods quickly then turns to look at Adele "Gran, you have to come! I know I wasn't a great granddaughter and I put off our reunion much longer than I needed to but now that we're together again, I don't want it to end!"

Adele looks at me and she sees my serious face, she looks back at Hadley, "I know, baby. I'm so happy you're back too. I'll make sure that we see you again before we go home but like Eric said, we already have reservations and plans for tomorrow. Why don't you call me in the morning and we'll set something up."

Hadley's shoulders slump, "Okay, Gran, I get it. Your life has moved on from me, I'm not as important to you anymore. It's my fault, I'm the one that ran away. I'll be here whenever you can make some time for me."

Sookie has been simmering with anger since she found me with the fang banger, I assumed that I was in for a good tongue-lashing once we were alone but apparently, Hadley's act is enough to throw her over the edge because I feel the second before it happens that she's about to explode. "Oh, now you shut your mouth, Hadley. Stop trying to guilt trip Gran, you know as well as I do that she just dropped everything to come see you the day after she found out where you were. Don't act like you're not important to her just because she made plans for one night and isn't going to drop them to follow your schedule. God, you're the same selfish person you were when you left. I had hoped you would have matured past that but apparently not. God Hadley, maybe think of someone other than yourself for once. Did you know this is only the second time Gran's traveled further than a few miles from her home in a decade? Doesn't she deserve to enjoy it? For once think of someone other than yourself and don't guilt trip her into canceling the touristy plans we've made. I can't believe you, same old selfish Hadley."

I can tell that Hadley is on the verge of jumping at Sookie and although I know she'd be able to handle herself against her cousin that doesn't stop my fangs from coming down and me growling in warning. Hadley's eyes flick to me and she backs down. "You don't know what you're talking about Sookie, you have no idea what I've been through."

"You're right, and you know what? I don't give a flying fuck. You have no clue what we've been through. You're not the one that held your mother's hand as she faded away because of her cancer, that was Gran and I. No, you were out partying the time away and getting high on the money you stole from Gran and left all the hard stuff to us. And why did you do that? Because you're selfish and only think about yourself and what you want. You know what? I'm done with this, done with you, let's go guys." Sookie says and then starts stomping to the door. Fuck I love when she gets all firey like that.

Jason holds his arm out to Adele, she grabs on and they start following Sookie, with a nod from me Pam starts to leave too. I leave last just in case any attacks are coming our way, I wouldn't expect one but then again, I didn't expect to get drugged tonight either.

"Be here at first dark, Eric." Sophie Ann says and it takes all my hard-earned control not to vamp back and rip her head off of her body because of the laugh in her voice. Apparently, she's happy with how the night turned out.

When we all sit in the limo, it's quiet for the first few minutes with everyone thinking over how the night went. Jason opens his mouth to say something but Sookie kicks his leg hard and mouths the word 'bugged' at him to remind him that we're not yet safe to speak freely. He nods his head and the rest of the car ride is quiet.

We make it back to the hotel and our room without any more interruptions, thank the Gods. As soon as the door shuts Jason turns to us, 'What the hell happened? Everything seemed to be going fine and then you left the room. A few minutes later Sookie ran after you like a bat outta hell then you two came back all angry. What the fuck was that?"

"Jason, language!" Both Adele and Sookie yell at the same time, Sookie's yell is accompanied by a slap on the back of his head.

"Ow!"

"Oh shush, that didn't hurt."

"Yeah, well, I still didn't like it!"

I cut in to end this yelling match before it has a chance to get started. "Sophie Ann is playing dirty. Do any of you feel strange at all? Did the food not taste quite right? Apparently, she's not afraid to drug us to get Sookie to herself."

Adele takes two quick steps over to me and starts looking me over and patting me down, looking for wounds I suppose. "What do you mean 'she drugged you' Are you okay? What can you use to drug a vampire?"

I give her a small smile at her concern, I'm surprised at the warm feeling it gives me. I'm not used to someone caring for me in such a way. I open my mouth to respond but Godric takes this moment to walk through the door.

"Eric, are you well?" I nod at him simply in reply. "Good, I knew she was devious but I did not expect that. It seems she does not care how you will react. I had thought that she wanted to keep herself on your good side."

"As did I but apparently not."

"What do you mean? What's going on?" Jason cuts in, sounding like he's getting angry.

"She drugged me with fairy blood, she intended to cause contention between Sookie and me so that Sookie would run to her."

"Contention?"

"A fight," Sookie informs gently.

"What would fairy blood do to a vampire? You and Sook are like the tightest couple I ever seen, what could have she done to make you fight?"

I open my mouth to respond but Sookie answers first, "It doesn't matter because it didn't work. What's important now is that we have to figure out what to do from here."

Jason looks like he wants to argue that and get more information but Adele answers first, "She's right. What now?"

"She's playing dirty, I thought that she'd want to keep me on her side but since it's clear she doesn't care about that, neither will I. I never wanted to be king but I'll deal with it if it will keep Sookie safe."

"Will it keep Sookie safe? Or will it just bring her more attention?" Adele asks softly.

"It will bring her more attention but she'll become well known one way or another eventually. At least this way, if I'm king, she'll have more protection legally. Vampires would get in a lot more trouble for trying to steal a king's pet than they would a sheriff's. Plus I would have a full state's worth of vampire loyalty instead of only an area's."

"No Eric, I can't ask you to do that for me. I know you don't want to be king, it's not fair, we'll figure something else out."

"I think it's clear from tonight that Sophie Ann is going to stop at nothing to get you. Since this didn't work, I wouldn't be surprised if she moved on to trying to end me so that you wouldn't be attached to any vampire, you'd be considered free game. I won't let that happen, I'll end her before she has a chance to end me. It's the safest option. If Pam were a little older I'd have her kill the queen so that she could take her place but alas she's not ready."

Sookie looks at Godric hopefully. "Sorry, little one, I think I want the throne even less than Eric does."

"Well is there anyone that you trust enough to take it? I don't know, do you have a vampire brother or a person you've been friends with for a long time that you can count on enough to run the state?"

"No," I say simply, I'd trust Karin to do it, but I doubt she'd want to give up the life she's living now.

"Well, what about some other plan, some way that lets you not be king but keeps me safe and with you?"

There aren't many options but I have a few friends running territories that would let us live there in peace, "We can leave the state."