The vampire, whose name he learned was Gerrit, had squealed the second he saw the silver chain Eric was about to drape over his balls. His disappointment had greatly amused Sookie. Eric noted the instruments were like nothing he had ever seen. He learned it was designed and manufactured by her brother. He could smell the silver; it was pungent enough to singe his nose hairs. He suspected there was some added magic. The king of The Netherlands had hired her company after twenty-three vampires went missing in the space of fifteen months. It had taken her a mere two weeks to crack the case and another week to catch the culprits in the act. Sookie had informed him that Gerrit was tortured and killed when he saw her ten months later at a gala in Memphis. It was then he learned precisely who she was and exactly what she was capable of. Desmond, his lawyer, had filled him in on his goddaughter. Sookie could hear vampires with a great deal of concentration. That revelation had shocked him, considering most of her clientele were vampires. Then again, he could also see why most of her clients were vampires.

He'd known her for three years; in truth, it wasn't much of a friendship. Every now and again, they'd run into each other on one occasion or another. Often, they'd spend hours at the hotel bar or in each others' hotel room. In the last couple of years, Eric had invited her to Fangtasia every time they met. She'd accept the invitation, but she had yet to grace the door of his club despite leaving a stone's throw away.

Sookie loved her wine, especially a good Cabernet Sauvignon; he had just the bottle for her. He took a shower, dried, and left his hair out. She often twirled the ends of his hair around her finger, something he was sure she didn't realize she did.

He had such high hopes for this visit; he'd wanted her from the moment he laid eyes on her. The need grew more and more after every interaction. She was stunning, confident, and unbothered by others' thoughts of her; with her gifts, she knew exactly what those thoughts were. She was mostly human but held in high regard in their world, which took some real nerve. He still had no idea how she'd managed it. That would be one hell of a story.

When he finally received her message, he groaned in disappointment. It wasn't an address to her residence but to a hotel. He swallowed his disappointment, grabbed the bottle of wine, and flew out the window. The flight to Maison de la Luz was a short one. New Orleans had truly welcomed vampires. Vampire establishments were now part of the list of tourist attractions. Sophie-Anne had taken advantage of this, opening up her second home to tour guides. Of course, everything the humans saw was just for show. Sophie-Anne didn't actually reside there. She was the face of vampires in Louisiana. Of course, in Area 5, he could give her a run for her money. In fact, if he resided in the capital, he was sure they would be in competition, something he was sure she would welcome.

He ran his fingers through his hair before knocking. He didn't have to wait long for Sookie to open the door. "It's my favorite Viking." She cheered, stepping aside, letting him in.

He rolled his eyes at her silliness. "I'm the only Viking, you know." Handing her the bottle of wine.

"Ooh, Screaming Eagle. Eric Northman, you are the best. Now, you are my favorite, period." She was practically jumping for joy.

"I heard that." A voice piped up from the adjoining room.

"You are my favorite sibling," Sookie said absentmindedly, her interest more in opening the wine bottle.

"I'm your only sibling." He mumbled, popping his head through the door. Eric could see the resemblance between the siblings.

"Eric, this is Jason, the one I constantly complain about. Jason, it is the Eric. He's the vampire sheriff for our area."

"Wait, Eric Northman." Eric nodded. "I should have your order ready in a week or so," Jason informed him.

"I thought you already had a set," Sookie murmured.

"Pam uses it more than I do since I leave the disciplining and torture in her capable hands. It's practically hers at this point, so I ordered my own." Eric explained, sitting next to Sookie, who was gleefully pouring her first glass of wine.

"Now, what happened to our bonding weekend." Eric thought he pulled off the look of indignation rather well.

Sookie's response was a raised eyebrow. "Really, is that why you are dressed to the nines?"

"Okay, see you later, Sook, don't do anything I wouldn't do." He said, practically racing out the door.

"That line does not work at all coming from him." Sookie took a sip of her wine; the moan that left her sounded downright filthy.

"Where are my manners, can I get you anything to drink?" She asked.

"No, I fed at the queen's residence." He mumbled.

"Speaking of your queen, you might get quite the call from her." With a mischievous smile, she turned her laptop around; it was her earlier recording of Bill.

Eric's attempt at stifling his laughter had Sookie giggling, setting the vampire off. "What did he do? Not that I have any complaints regarding the position he finds himself in."

"I have quite the tale to tell you," Sookie whispered. This was the first time Eric had ever seen her unsure of herself.

Eric stared; words failed him for the first time in his existence. She said she knew him and knew him well and had gone on to prove it. She'd revealed information she had no way of knowing and gone on to impart information he had no knowledge of. Appius had turned the last Romanov, Alexei, a hemophiliac with severe emotional problems due to witnessing the slaughter of his entire family. He wondered if the boy was why Appius had left him alone for so long.

Sookie waited patiently for Eric to adsorb the barrage of information she'd just revealed.

"How?" He finally asked.

Sookie chuckled. "Growing up, I had very little control over my telepathy. I answered people's thoughts constantly, making life difficult for everybody else. High school was worse, especially after Jason graduated. His mere presence protected me; everyone simply left me alone. Sophomore year was a nightmare without Jason, but I endured. Just under a month before the school year ended, a student slapped my books out of my hand. That was nothing new; it was a daily occurrence. What was new was another student helping me with my books. I just stood there in shock as he picked up my books." There was little humor in the chuckle that left her. "Then he patted me on the back and told me to keep my chin up." Sookie shut her eyes. "Touch heightens my telepathy; it opens up the mind so much more. I just don't hear words, I see it all vividly and the emotions attached. The plan was to befriend me and then ask me out on a date in a couple of weeks. On the date, he would drug me and drive me to a motel in Bossier, where two of his friends would join in. I was 'crazy Sookie', who would believe me." Sookie finished. Eric's jaw clenched to a degree that Sookie feared he might end up hurting himself. "I knew it would be some poor other girl if it weren't me. Those three were determined to carry out their plan. My absence was not going to stop them, and I was right. Thanks to Uncle Desmond, all three were caught trying to divest another sophomore of her clothes and charged. Matthew, the mastermind, was nineteen and change, three years older than the sixteen-year-old victim, and the one to drug her, therefore got five years. The two, I believe, got six months and massive fines.

His thoughts broke me. I ran to the bathroom and emptied my stomach. I couldn't stay in school after that. The nurse took one look at me and sent me home. I didn't go home. There is a pond on our property. I went there as it was one of the few places I could get any peace and quiet. I cried my eyes out and begged God for forgiveness and help. I must have cried for hours, then I heard it, it sounded like an animal in pain. I couldn't just leave it to suffer, so I went to see if I could help. It was a white wolf cub caught in barbed wire; where the wire came from, I did not know. At first, it wouldn't let me help until it realized what I was trying to do and stayed still. I cut myself silly trying to help him, but I managed. It could barely move after I freed it, so I carried it to the pond, and after a while, it drank greedily. I had no idea how long he'd been there. He fell asleep after, and I stayed with him, then I heard a howl, and he heard it too because he woke up then. I begged him to go to his pack before they came after me, thinking I'd kidnapped him." She laughed. Eric noted it was the first genuine laugh since she started her story. "He licked my face and left. I went straight home and crawled into bed. Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, the nightmares started. For three weeks, I convinced myself they were nightmares, but something compelled me to ask my grandmother about Fintan Brigant. It was the moment I learned my nightmares were what my future looked like."

Eric stared at her in awe. "Your prayers were answered."

"Yes, and certainly not in the way I expected, but answered nonetheless."

"You do know there are hardly any wolves in Louisiana, and if you do happen to find one, it's likely a red wolf. White wolves have never roamed Louisiana." Eric was sure he wasn't telling her anything she didn't already know. Sookie simply nodded in response. In truth, she hadn't wanted to give the bizarre afternoon much thought. From the moment she laid eyes on that cub, she knew it was not possible, and neither was the barbed wire.

"So without the dreams…"

"I would have fallen for Compton's lies. I don't hate him or hold a grudge. I just don't want him anywhere near me." In his own way, Compton had loved her and had come to her aid on numerous occasions.

"You could have stopped your cousin from telling Sophie-Anne about your gift. Why didn't you?" Eric asked.

"I put myself in a position where whatever Hadley did or didn't do did not change my life in the least. I am in my position because I made that choice with a little help from a Cluviel Dor." Eric's eyes widened.

"What other magical phenomenon will you confirm the existence of." He quipped.

"Just the Cluviel Dor." Sookie giggled.

"Fintan left one for my gran, but she had no idea what it was. I knew from my nightmares and gave it to her even though I was still angry at her at the time. She made decisions that impacted us negatively just to keep her affair with Fintan secret." Eric nodded in understanding. "I had no idea she had used it. The control I have over my telepathy isn't all training."

"Your grandmother used the Cluviel Dor to help you."

"Yeah, she wished for her grandchildren to be safe and succeed in everything they do. I had no idea she had until a few months ago, and even then, she doesn't know I know. She let it slip once, and I caught the stray thought. I try to stay out of her head and respect her privacy, but it can't always be helped."

"Even after learning about the secret she kept from you?" He asked, surprised.

"More so now than ever. It isn't a mistake she is likely to repeat, considering how long it took for us to recover." Sookie curled her legs under her. "Now that you know, still interested."

"Has a Zebra got stripes?" Sookie threw her head back in laughter, and then the Viking pounced.