Even though her back was turned to the entrance, Sookie realized almost instantly that a vampire had just entered Merlotte's. No, not just any old vampire.

Eric.

Who she hadn't seen since the night Bill disappeared. She'd accused him of hurting Bill and Eric had simply laughed at her, as if she was a child crying over a lost toy, and ordered her back to Bon Temps.

Although the bout of silence amongst the regular patrons was a welcome relief, Sookie was inadvertently flooded with all their questions and emotions. Some were worried, others afraid. The "who the hell is this motherfucker", "must be a fucking vampire", "I'd like to climb him", "I wouldn't mind being a fangbanger if I could bang that" thoughts were something she could handle. The sudden rush of sexual arousal - not to mention the very vivid fantasies - some of the women were experiencing, however, were a bit more... difficult to deal with.

Behind the bar, Tara was staring at her with a concerned expression. And then there was Lafayette in the kitchen. His eyes were glued to someone else, presumably Eric, fear evident on his face.

Taking a deep breath and shutting out everyone's thoughts, Sookie turned around. Eric was standing tall a few feet away, ambivalent to how completely out of place he was, and appearing bored at being the center of attention. Until he met her gaze.

Suddenly, Sookie found herself breathless.

Languid, but deliberate, steps brought him closer and Sookie forced herself to remain calm. Even though he could sense her every emotion, she'd be damned if she gave him the satisfaction of seeing her sweat publicly.

"Sookie," he said in his soft, velvety, deceptively relaxing 'I can kill you in a second if I'm in the mood' tone of voice.

"What are you doing here?"

"Is this how you greet all of your customers?"

"Just the ones I hate."

An amused smile curved across his face and his eyes momentarily drifted to someone standing behind her.

"Don't look at Lafayette. Look at me," she ordered firmly.

His eyebrow quirked up and he centered his attention on her once again.

"What do you want, Eric?"

"I have information you may find useful."

Her heart jumped up in her chest. "About Bill?"

"Possibly."

She waited for him to explain further, but he didn't. Instead he kept watching her with a certain level of detachment, remaining silent throughout. "What is it?"

"Are you going to offer me something to drink?"

Irritation surged through her. "You didn't come here for that. Tell me what you know."

"Your hospitality is heart-warming," he replied in a deadpan tone.

"You don't have a heart."

"It's an unnecessary organ."

"Are you here to give me vampire biology lessons?"

"If needed."

"Don't waste my time. It's busy in here."

"This is busy?" he mocked, surveying the room around them. "This is Fangtasia at noon."

"Get to the point or I'm going to throw you out."

"And how would you do that?"

"I'll get Sam."

"The shape-shifter isn't here."

She didn't think he knew that.

"Lafayette, perhaps?" Eric continued. "I believe he's hiding in the back."

Sookie wished there was some way she could make good on her threats; she'd love to wipe that arrogant expression off his face. Unfortunately, as they both know, she didn't have the ability to do that.

"We only have True Blood and you hate that stuff."

"I find the taste offensive."

"Yeah, well, I don't have any human blood to serve you."

"You could offer yourself."

"And hell could freeze over."

"I assumed you would be more eager to help Bill."

"Oh, so you're blackmailing me now? If I don't let you drink from me, you won't tell me what you know?

"Humans can be so melodramatic," he sighed.

Sookie grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket. She could try and pretend to be proud but they both knew it would be an act; she was at the end of her rope and he was fully aware of it. "Please."

"Desperation becomes you."

She released her grip on him. "Fuck you!"

His smile was infuriating. "I doubt Bill would approve."

"You don't know where he is."

"And I don't really care."

"You're just here to mess with me."

"You overestimate your own importance."

"Get out."

The shift in his smile from one of amusement to irritation was subtle; she doubted she would even notice if he wasn't standing so close to her. She took a step back to put some distance between them but he leaned forward and closed the gap.

"When you're ready to listen," he whispered in her ear, his voice a thinly veiled threat. "And negotiate, you know where to find me."

As suddenly as he had come in, he left, with everyone after staring after him.

"Sookie, are you okay?" Tara asked, rushing towards her.

"I'm fine."

"What did he want?"

Wishing she knew the answer to that question, Sookie shrugged her shoulders. "I'll find out soon enough."

For the rest of the night, despite her attempts to focus on the job, her brain was preoccupied with thoughts of Eric and the information he had teased her with.

Fangtasia, Sookie mused, seemed more crowded than usual as she scanned the club around her. She spotted a few people from Bon Temps but they quickly avoided her gaze. Pam was near the entrance door though she wasn't there when Sookie had come in. Their eyes met momentarily and Pam gave her a seductive smile in return.

If Sookie hadn't felt anxious before coming to Fangtasia by herself, she certainly did now. Pam had a way of looking at her that left Sookie feeling completely exposed.

Not unlike Eric.

His throne, perched on the stage, was empty. Sookie searched for him in the crowd but he was nowhere to be found.

"He's in his office," Pam answered from behind, as if reading Sookie's mind.

Sookie turned to face her and, as always, Pam spent the next few seconds ogling her. Pam's eyes travelled down Sookie's body languidly, pausing on her cleavage for a bit.

Subtle, Pam was not.

"I'd like to see him," Sookie said.

Pam raised her perfectly-shaped eyebrow. "Too bad for me."

Without another word, Pam walked away. Sookie took that to mean she was on her own to find Eric. Fighting through the crowd, she strode towards the bar; liquid courage was desperately needed before she went to him.

Several minutes and two straight shots of tequila later, she found herself standing in front of his closed office. She debated knocking on the door but decided against it; he had a habit of barging into her space so why shouldn't she. Even as she turned the knob, she regretted her decision. The last thing she wanted was to interrupt him mid-fuck. Luckily for her he was sitting in his chair, legs propped up on the desk in front of him and his hands linked together behind his head. He was dressed in a black suit, his hair glistening in the light, his eyes focused on her. As if he was anticipating her visit.

"Disappointed?" he drawled.

"What?"

"You've been standing outside my door for five minutes. Were you hoping to catch me naked?"

"Don't flatter yourself."

"Or perhaps you wanted to interrupt me mid-coitus?

"Maybe I just wanted to teach you a lesson."

"On how to surprise a vampire? I would suggest another approach."

"Go to hell."

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"You know why I'm here."

"You'll have to refresh my memory," he taunted her deliberately.

"You said you know where Bill is."

"I did not."

"Don't play games with me, Eric."

"Unlike Bill, I have no intention of following your orders. The sooner you accept that, the better it'll be for you."

Sookie resisted the urge to snap at him. As much as she hated it, she needed Eric right now and she had to play nice with him. "I'm sorry."

He cocked his eyebrow. "That was quick."

"I'm a fast learner."

Eric replied with a smile, but didn't say anything.

Silence ensued between them. She kept waiting for him to speak, he kept studying her with a cold glint in his eyes. Finally, she had enough. "Where is Bill?"

"I've heard through the grapevine he's with Lorena."

"That bitch!"

"I'm sure she shares your sentiment."

"You have to help me get him back."

"Do I?"

"You're his Sheriff and he needs your help!"

"As far as I'm aware, he's there of his own accord."

She shook her head vehemently. "No, he hates her."

"She's his maker. A bond like that can't be broken by petty human emotions."

The far-away look in his eyes made her wonder if he was thinking of Godric. Maybe if she appealed to Eric's softer side, he would help her. "You loved Godric. And I love Bill. You know what it's like to lose someone-"

"Do not compare your infatuation with Bill to what I shared with Godric," Eric interjected with a steely gaze and a voice as cold as ice. "Ever."

Sookie wanted to scream, to cry, and to break everything in sight until the pain that had settled in her chest would completely dissolve. She felt helpless. Like the day she had found Gram on the floor, bloody and dead. Gram. Jason. Lafayette. Tara. Sam. And now, Bill. Bad things kept happening to the people she loved and she failed to protect them each time.

She looked at Eric. "You won't help me find Bill?"

"I have no reason to."

"And there's nothing I can say to change your mind?"

The change in his expression was subtle. There was a predatory glint in his eyes now, and it left little doubt in her mind as to what he wanted. She willed herself to remain calm. She would do whatever it took to help Bill. She would inot/i be helpless again.

With trepidation in every step, she approached Eric. He followed her with his gaze, taking in her every move, observing her hungrily as she stood in front of him. She wished he would say something, anything, but he remained silent and still.

"What do you want from me, Eric?"

There was no response. Clearly, he wasn't going to make this easy on her.

"Do you want my blood? Do you want to feed from me?"

"I'm not hungry."

She wasn't expecting this.

She knew what she had to do next, and the butterflies in her stomach refused to settle down.

Sookie refused to believe it was excitement that surged through her; these were feelings of disgust and guilt. That's it. Nothing else. She didn't want him. She never did. The fantasies she had of Eric were side-effects of his blood; they had nothing to do with her.

She reached down to touch his face.

She expected to be overcome with shameful emotions; she assumed his skin would be cold beneath her fingers. She was wrong on both counts.

His skin was hot to the touch, as heated as the desire in his blue eyes. She traced the curve of his lips gently, and he quivered. There was emotion on his face, something she thought he was only capable of feeling for Godric and definitely not for a human being. Not for her.

She could no longer stop herself. Her fingers laced through his hair and her mouth closed over his.

Eric wasn't soft, sweet, or gentle. He was nothing like her fantasies. His mouth was rough, his tongue demanding. He wanted to possess her, to consume her, until she had nothing left to give. And she didn't want to stop him.

His fangs protruded from his mouth, and she felt a sharp jolt of pain as they broke through her skin.

Her lips were bleeding, her body aching for more.

She needed him.

And Eric pulled away.

Breathless and panting for air, she remained in front of him. She was trembling, simultaneously hot and cold; every nerve in her body screamed for more, and if she didn't get what she want, she would explode.

Eric stood up, and she instinctively took a step back. His height was overwhelming, almost threatening when they were this close to each other, but her fears vanished when his fingers wrapped around her waist and pulled her hard against him. She felt his erection against her stomach, and with a sudden urge to touch him, she reached down to unzip his pants.

But he had other plans.

With their gazes fixated on each other and their bodies locked, he leaned forward, and licked the blood off her lips. Slowly. Excruciatingly.

This was not a kiss. This was more intimate than that; this was betrayal.

"What exactly are you offering, Sookie?" he asked, his voice cold and distant again.

Reality crashed through her senses and she remembered why she was doing this. She forced herself to take a step back. "Help me find Bill," she whispered, "and I'll do anything you want."

"Anything?"

"For one night. But this stays between us. You can't tell Bill."

Eric smiled, and her heart sank.

Sookie had just made a deal with the devil and she was bound to lose.