When we arrived at Alcide's family farm, a large collection of cars was already parked in the field in front of the house. I could tell the house was empty, thanks to my gift, and we both heard voices coming from the back, so we trudged through the tall grass without a word. The back of the property looked like a community center, with a sand volleyball court, a pool, and even a baseball diamond. There was a large grill and a covered patio, though neither was in use tonight.

I spotted Alcide and felt the magic of the pack humming in the air, with him at the center, but my attention was focused on Eric. He was shining like the moon, and the pack had given him a wide berth, afraid to get too close. I glided straight for him, ignoring Sam's mental grumbling and dodging the hand he lifted in an attempt to restrain me. Eric held out his hand to me, his expression solemn, and I took it, curling my fingers around his. To my shock, I could hear his thoughts now, and felt any remaining doubts fall away. I smiled up at him, letting my love for him shine in my eyes, and heard his quick intake of breath.

"I do love you, and we're going to be okay," I breathed softly, for his ears only. I could hear the questions in his mind, but he simply gave a quick nod of acknowledgement, acutely aware of our audience. I felt the tension drain from him as he drew me closer. He knew something significant had changed, could sense I had finally accepted the emotional bond between us and was no longer fighting against it. It gave him hope that we would prevail after all, even though he knew nothing of my change in status. I was no longer a weak human, but a supernatural being full of magic of my own. I leaned into his side, taking pleasure from his proximity.

"You know about Claude?" I asked and was rewarded with his memory of his phone call with Niall.

"Yes, Niall called me," he shared.

"Do you know what's going to happen tonight?" I wondered, curious as to whether or not he'd been briefed. It turned out he hadn't.

"With the wolves, I can never predict," he admitted. "We've been invited to witness their justice, so we won't feel the need to seek our own."

It was strange to be in a position of knowing more than Eric. I'd seen Alcide's plans inside his head and knew there would be a trial for the rogues, followed by a duel to the death between Mustapha and Jannalynn after she confessed to the murder over the phone to the police detective in charge of the case, Detective Ambroselli. I shielded my mind from the thoughts of others as the rogues came forward. I didn't want to see the pictures inside their heads.

Alcide recounted the crimes of Jannalynn and the rogues she'd hired. When Jannalynn called and gave her confession, I wished I could hear Ambroselli's thoughts, but of course, that was impossible, even with my new magic. The pack released the rogues, deciding it was punishment enough to simply blackball them from ever being a pack member anywhere, since they hadn't succeeded in their goal of torturing and killing me. Eric looked away to hide his appalled reaction, but I knew from his thoughts he had sent a quick text message to his crew hiding a few miles away, who would chase the rogues and end their lives, both for what they'd done and what they'd intended to do to me. To my surprise, I found myself in complete agreement with him. I had no sense of guilt or remorse over their deaths. As long as they remained alive, they were a potential threat to me and mine. Sandra Pelt had shown me the wisdom of tying up loose ends before they came back to haunt you, at least where the Weres were concerned. It would the already endangered population, but I felt like those three should be removed from the gene pool anyway. Perhaps becoming more fae had erased some of my human qualms. I'd need to keep an eye on that to make sure I didn't lose myself somewhere along the way.

I watched the fight between Jannalynn and Mustapha with an air of detachment. Despite Mustapha's concern that Jannalynn might best him, I was confident he would win. I started to notice a pattern in her movements as she edged closer to where Alcide and Sam were standing. I tuned into her thoughts and realized she was intending to take Alcide out with her, as her last act of rebellion before she died. I only had a few seconds to act, not enough to give a decent warning. Instead I murmured a few ancient words under my breath, and as she reached the pivotal moment when she intended to leap, spin, and slash, the sand moved under her feet and she slipped. Her leap was not what she'd intended, so as she spun and slashed, she fell short of her goal by several inches. It was enough to telegraph her intended treachery though, and Mustapha didn't hesitate to behead her in that moment, with the expression of the realization of her failure etched on her face forever.

Sam was thoroughly shaken, realizing how close he'd come to dying. A few more inches and the sword could have easily struck his throat. The near death experience somehow shook him free from his grief over his misguided lover and sent his thoughts tumbling in my direction. I wasn't thrilled he considered me a much safer choice and was hoping I'd comfort him on the drive home. He was even thinking he could finagle an invitation to spend the night in my house.

Alcide wanted to challenge me about why I hadn't warned him of Jannalynn's intent. He was wishing he'd pressured me into drinking the shaman juice again, but he'd been so sure he already had all the answers. Now he was feeling shaken and potentially facing challenges from within his pack, but I knew none of the other twoeys were planning to battle Alcide tonight. There's nothing like watching someone you knew and feared get spectacularly beheaded with a sword to remind you of your own mortality. He had effectively quashed the rebellion and reinforced his position as packleader.

I was glad I hadn't warned them, though also thankful I had the ability to take care of the situation another way. Everybody believed it had been a stroke of good fortune that she'd slipped when she did. No one suspected my involvement, besides Eric, and I was relieved. I was tired of Alcide relying on me to solve the pack's problems for them. Maybe he wouldn't bother calling me next time.

Gripping Eric's hand and pulling him along with me, I offered my goodbyes to Sam and Alcide. "Thanks for inviting us, Alcide. I'm glad neither of you were injured. Thanks for bringing me, Sam. Eric is going to take me home now."

Both men tried to protest, but I simply ignored them and walked away. I heard Eric snicker, but he seemed content to follow my lead at the moment. Eric had parked his Corvette up close to the road, so we headed in that direction, enjoying a level of peace and camaraderie we hadn't felt in weeks. Once I was certain we were out of earshot of everyone else, I intended to share my secret with my husband.

Just as I was ready to turn to him with the big reveal, I caught a mind with evil intent coming in fast from downwind. Van was determined to finish what he'd started with me and had been lying in wait. Now he expected to get the jump on us, and my hand tightened on Eric's. I heard the surprise in Eric's thoughts regarding the strength of my grip, as I stopped walking and turned us to face the wolf's direction. Van realized he'd lost the element of surprise just a moment too late. He tensed to spring, but with a few murmured words from me, a tree root snagged around his ankle halting his forward momentum at the crucial moment. He came crashing to the ground in front of us and Eric snapped his neck before Van even finished his next thought. He wasn't dead yet, but he was unconscious and paralyzed from the neck down. As he shimmered back to human form, Pam appeared behind him. I smiled and nodded to her and she raised an eyebrow in return.

"Might as well drain him if either of you is hungry," I suggested. "No sense letting all that blood go to waste."

Pam's eyes widened and she exchanged a look with Eric. I watched their exchange of emotions through their bond with interest, seeing in their thoughts how they sent and received information from one another using their emotions. That could be useful, I realized, since my telepathy only goes one way. Pam relaxed as she picked up on Eric's excitement and hope. He had heard me murmuring both times and recognized the faery language, though he didn't understand the meaning, rightfully connecting my words and the subsequently disastrous attacks of both Weres.

With a blasé shrug, Pam picked Van up by one arm and bit into the side of his neck. Eyes on me the entire time, Eric grabbed Van's other arm and began to drink from it. I grinned back at him, my expression feral. It would have probably looked natural on my new half-fae form, but made the human Sookie mask I was wearing appear deranged. I could see myself through his eyes and was pleased he didn't find the image off putting. In fact, it had the opposite effect. He was thrilled I was watching him feed without censure or disgust. I had no qualms about Van's death. I had gotten a very clear mental picture of what he would have done to me if he'd had the chance, which reaffirmed my choice to use the cluviel dor to stop being a victim. I was perfectly fine with him being part of the food chain. Besides, it would be helpful for Eric to already be full when he tasted my blood later, just in case.

Once they'd exsanguinated him, Pam shot me a meaningful look, then draped the corpse over her shoulders and carried it off for disposal elsewhere. I knew she wanted to have some quality girl chat time later if Eric would allow it.

I now had a very clear picture of what Eric was facing, between Felipe and Freyda, and was eternally grateful to Niall for dismissing my insecurities and misconceptions. If I had remained human, there would have been no way for Eric to keep me safe without sacrificing himself to go with the Queen of Oklahoma. I had viewed Eric as virtually invincible, expecting some grand gesture from him to prove his love, when the reality was much more grim. I should have remembered his relative helplessness in the face of Victor's opposition and that we only prevailed once I joined the planning, allowing us to present a united front.

A house divided will fall, and I had been driving wedges between us from the very beginning of our relationship, refusing to acknowledge our marriage except on the rare occasions it suited me. He couldn't protect human me from such powerful enemies, who had entire armies and virtually unlimited funds at their disposal. Now I could protect myself. I was no longer a walking target for any supe, or even human, with evil intent. Even better, I had a lot of power of my own to bring to our relationship. I had the power to protect him from the forces seeking to control him. It was a good feeling.

AN: Okay, this is pretty much where Charlaine Harris left Deadlocked - nothing actually settled between Sookie and Eric. I am going to mark this complete and then the first chapter of the Alternate Dead Ever After will go up tomorrow, starting right where I left off here. I know some of you want to know the actual wording of the wish - that will be included in that first chapter.

I have a question for you. The whole thing about Amelia's dad selling his soul to the devil seemed rather contrived to me. Does anybody feel strongly it should remain part of the plot or could I just toss it aside? I feel like there are plenty of other sources of tension and plot points to explore, without adding that one. Thanks!