Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Charlaine Harris. All characters and settings belong to her other than my own characters that I have added to this story.

Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction. I wanted to write one for awhile now but didn't have the time. I figure this story will probably be about 20 to 30 chapters. I haven't read the new book yet so I don't add elements of it in this story.

Sookie's Diary:

Well I decided to start a diary. I never had an urge to before but for some reason my gut is telling me to start one now. It's been three years since my incident with the fairies. So far it's been relatively peaceful, it's like the whole supernatural world figured out that I had endured much more than I could take. No vampires and no weres have come to bother me to get me to use my telepathy for them. No fairies have come to hurt me, so I assume that Niall has 'taken care of them'. But I'm not sure. My scars and injuries have healed very well. Though not all them have disappeared. There a few faint scars on my legs and arms. Perhaps they are meant to stay there as a reminder. A reminder of what... I don't know. I still have nightmares and the occasional panic attack about that time. I expect I will for the rest of my life. No large amount of vampire blood or mental support will ever rid me of those. Other than that everything has been great. I live in Shreveport now with Eric. I objected at first when he bought us a new house, but fell in love with it when I first saw it. I still have the farmhouse, but it doesn't feel like home anymore. I occasionally help Sam when he needs it. Jason has a new wife. When it happened it didn't come as a huge surprise. My brother.... he could never stay single for so long. He went through a large number of girls since Crystal of course, but for some reason this girl pretty much tamed him, for how long, it remains to be seen. Her name is Charlotte. She is human and they are also expecting their first child this autumn. I'm guessing that's one of the biggest reasons why he married her. Amelia moved out of my home a few months after Trey died. I think she wanted to see if I would be okay before she left. She says she doesn't blame me, but I know she does and I blame myself for his death as well. She lives in New York and comes to visit me from time to time but doesn't stay for long. I think this area is too painful for her because of what she lost. She dates men and women but hasn't settled down with one person. When I do see her, I can still see the sadness in her eyes. I hope she can be happy again soon. Bill recovered well from his injuries and is living in Sao Paolo. He moved over a year ago and donated his house to the town. It's become some sort of historical tourist attraction now. He doesn't me write or call me, but I did receive a letter from him a few months ago. He wrote that he's been travelling and even mentioned meeting a Vampire nest who had been living in the Amazon Rainforest for over 1800 years. When I read that I hoped that he would mention more, but apparently they value their privacy and wish to remain undetected. He asked me not to tell anybody about them, but wrote that he had wanted to tell me because he felt the need to tell someone about this fascinating piece of information, someone he could trust. He found them by accident while trekking through the jungle one night. They threatened to kill him of course, but he took some sort of painful oath of allegiance. He also had to help them find some sort of artefact with his satellite tracking system. I stifled a giggle and thought of Bill as Indiana Jones looking for lost treasure. I thought that was sweet. We made peace with each other and I forgave him for lying and cheating on me. After the 'incident', lingering on things like that seemed mundane now. He still loves me of course but I think he finally realizes that I will never love him in the way that he wants me to again. I do miss him though, hopefully he comes home again someday. Sam is still the same. He dates occasionally but is still single. I always tell myself that he just hasn't found the right girl, but I know he still is hung up on me. Why that is, I have no clue. He knows that there will be nothing ever romantic between us.

As for Eric, well he is still the same. I can probably write a whole book about him and it still wouldn't be enough to describe him. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me. It took me so long to finally realize that I loved him after months of self denial. He continues to run his businesses but has all but handed over the reins of Fangtasia to Pam over two years ago. I asked him why he simply told me it was time to move on. "The reasons that I had to hold onto it are gone because now I have you." That made me extremely happy knowing I was enough for him. He basically told me that we were exclusive in his own way and in a way to respect me as well. He knew how jealous I was when I saw fangbangers throwing themselves at him. It was a type of jealousy I had never felt when I was with Bill. He has a downtown office now in Shreveport which he calls his headquarters where he overseas his various businesses. When I first met him I thought he only had Fangtasia, but he owns several businesses. He is still Sheriff and seems to be gaining more of the favour of Felipe and the vampire hierarchy. It's a positive step for his career and standing in the vampire world, but unfortunately, it's not so great for me. He goes on official vampire business trips across often, sometimes leaving for several days. Even though he seems to enjoy his new role in the vampire world, I can't help but miss him terribly. But I know how much this means to him, so I always put aside my feelings and convey happiness and contentment through the bond. I have even learned how to shut my end of the bond like he has done from time to time. I only do this I feel resentment of his job or when I feel lonely when he's on his business trips. I've gotten good at hiding my negative feelings.

And as for me, I feel like an empty shell whenever he is not around and it scares me. I go through the motions of living when he's gone and only feel complete happiness when I'm with him. I hate to feel so clingy and needy. It scares me that I rely on him so much now for my complete happiness. What would I do if he left me? Or if something happened to him? I must try to get past this and become the independent woman that I once was. I've been taking independent psychology and English courses that are offered from the state university to keep me busy when Eric is not around. I have even been taking language courses. So far I've been trying to master French and Spanish. I also spend time with Pam, but not at Fangtasia though. When I do go there, all the fangbangers give me the evil eye for taking away the object of their desire away from them. But I don't feel guilty about, not at all. When I am with my friends, I act as though I am fine. I help Tara with her daughter Emily. Whenever she and JB need time to themselves I babysit for them. I've also visited Hunter. He has advanced so much in the development of this telepathy, I just hope his future will not be as distressing as mine has been. Eric knows about him now but chooses not to meet him. I think he understands that I want to shield him as much as possible from being used for his telepathy in the future. I am grateful for that.

As I have written before I have come to completely rely on Eric to help get me through stressful moments. The panic attacks I have usually come the moment I am alone, the horrors of what those rogue fairies did to me come back to haunt me. The hate, the pain, and the fear all threaten to overcome me and there are moments when I cannot breathe. But thank god for Eric. He has been my pillar of strength. Without him, I cannot imagine where I would be. When we are together, all the pain seems to leave my body and mind and it is just me and him. When we make love it's just pure lust, love, and serenity. I treasure every moment when I am with him physically and I can feel through our bond that he feels the same way. The only downside is his obligations that take him away. These past few months, he's been spending more time away on his business trips than usual. He tells me where he goes. Usually it's Chicago, Los Angeles, and especially Las Vegas. Though I never ask him nor does he convey any information about what he does during these trips, I have a feeling that a huge change is about to occur. Whether it is good or bad, I know I need to prepare myself. I comfort myself with the feeling of his love. Whatever is about to change will happen soon. I feel like........

Sookie's POV:

I look away from my journal towards the door of our bedroom. I can feel him coming closer. That sneaky vampire! He told me he would not be coming back until tomorrow evening. Obviously he is not able to surprise me since he is transmitting a large amount of lust and love and it is giving me goosebumps all over. I grab my journal and pen and throw them in my nightstand drawer. I told Eric I was going to start writing a journal and he agreed to not peek inside it ever. Hmm... but this is a vampire we're talking about so I don't know how long he'll keep his word. But I do know that I trust him completely and am determined to not keep things from him so it won't bother me too much if he does glance at it. Just for safe measure I get my journal and scratch out the part about the Amazon vampires quickly. It's not my secret to tell. He's been gone for five days on one of his "official vampire business" trips so I am absolutely ravenous for him and I know he is for me. I run into the bathroom and look for some lingerie to quickly put on. I find a small little red silk nightie. I decide not to put on any panties since I know he'll just tear them off me anyway. He is inside the house now. I quickly run to our bed and pull myself under the covers. I try to rein in my own arousal just to tease him a bit. The door opens and now he's standing there looking at me. Unfortunately my little plan doesn't work. My arousal comes back quickly. He looks absolutely stunning in his black Armani suit. He usually wears suits now when he's away on his trips or at his office, but still is a jeans and t-shirt man when he's home.

I feel so lucky. "I thought you were coming home tomorrow. I had a special evening planned out for us," trying to give him my best pouty face.

He smiles at me, "Oh really, would you like me to leave? I could come back tomorrow if that is your wish."

I smile back at him as I throw the covers off my body, "Never!" I sit up on my knees and just as quickly in his vampire speed he tears off his suit and tackles me down into the bed. "I missed you so much my Lover," as he is kissing my neck. I quickly glance over his shoulder at his tattered suit on the floor. I guess they don't tailor Armani suits for vampire strength, I thought to myself.

He looks down to my red nightie, "Beautiful" is all he says before ripping it off my body. He kisses and starts sucking on my breasts. His right hand is on my folds and clit. He is not pinching just caressing them and smearing my wetness. I grab his length and start caressing it as well.

"It's been too long," he whispers in my ear and I give him a nod to proceed further.

I grab his hard length and position it to my opening. He shoves into me entirely with one stroke. He looks at me tenderly and gives me a sensual kiss on the lips. He starts to pick up the pace and I meet him stroke for stroke. I can feel our climaxes approaching simultaneously and in one last stroke we both reach our peeks. He gives one last kiss before he rolls off of me and tucks me into his side so I can catch my breath.

"Was it a good trip?," I ask him as I am trying to catch my breath.

"Not really," he only replies, "I'm glad to be home with you."

I'm tempted to ask him more, but right now I just want to be here in his arms for the rest of the night and that is what I do.

At 10:30am, I wake up the next morning in his arms sore from our night of marathon sex. I love waking up in his arms, but the only downside is that it is physically hard to remove myself from his embrace. Even in death he is still strong and most of the time I have to wiggle my body down the bed in order to remove myself. I look at him and give him one last kiss before I head to the bathroom to take a shower.

After a refreshing shower I head to the kitchen to make myself some breakfast and just then the telephone rings.

"HHh\ Hey girly," Tara says on the other end. Since Amelia left, Tara and I have become closer as friends. Despite her previous bad experience with vampires, she gets along with Eric very well and has no fears when her daughter is in the same room as him.

"Hey Tara, how's Emily?"

"She's good, just has a little bit of a cough. Guess what? J.B. has agreed to take care of her for the whole day and wants me to go out and have some fun. You know like shopping and other stuff. I was thinking we could meet up at the mall in Shreveport and maybe later on this evening go to a club with Eric and J.B.? Me and J.B. will rent a room at a hotel for the night. J.B.'s mother always wants to take care of her for a night so I figured she'll babysit. So what do you say?"

I give myself a moment to think about it and reply, "Shopping sounds great Tara. I'll meet you at the mall. I'm not too sure what Eric's plans are for tonight, but I'll ask him." I think briefly about my new resolution of trying to become an independent woman again. "If he's busy I'll come anyways. I'll ask Jason to come out with us as well, so Eric won't feel so uneasy about me going somewhere without him." I don't mention that Eric will probably send out additional bodyguards to follow us. I'm also not too sure how Eric will react since I haven't spent an evening out in public without him since the faerie incident. But more than likely, he'll be coming with us tonight.

Our day at the mall is just what we both needed. We get our hair, makeup, and nails done. I also buy a new dress. It's an ivory colored sleeveless dress that emphasizes my boobs. The skirt flares out and comes down to my mid-thigh. At first I am reluctant to buy the dress, but Tara convinces me that Eric will love it when he sees me wearing it. Afterwards, Tara and I part ways late in the afternoon and make plans to meet up later tonight. When I get home, I feel happy and content. I call Jason and ask him if he wants to go out tonight. He says yes right away. I can tell that married life is starting to make him feel suffocated. I also feel a bit nervous about going to a nightclub. Other than going to Fangtasia occasionally, I haven't been to a nightclub in a very long time. But I squash my insecurities because I think Eric will most likely be coming with us tonight. I linger on my thoughts about this evening and am too distracted to notice that Eric has risen.

"I can feel your confusion and uneasiness, something the matter Lover?" I turn around and he's standing there naked (of course) in our living room with a concerned look on his face.

I smile at him. "It's nothing really, just something I wanted to ask you. Tara and J.B. invited us to go to a club. Maybe we can do a little bit of dancing?" I go to him and wrap my arms around his waist.

At first he continues to look at me with the same expression but then it turns into a frown. "I cannot go to a club this evening. There are some vampires from Las Vegas that are arriving and I have a meeting with them at Fangtasia tonight."

Darnit! I let out a small sigh and bite my lower lip. After a long moment of gazing at his chest I tell him, "That's okay baby. I really think that Tara wants and needs to have a night out. I think that caring for a baby day and night is taking a toll on her and she needs to have some fun. I don't want to disappoint her so I'll go out with her and J.B. by myself. I even asked my brother to come along, so everything should be fine."

He gazes at me with a neutral look on his face as though he is my father deciding whether or not he will allow me to go out with my friends. "I see. You can come to Fangtasia tonight with your brother and friends. My associates and I will be conducting our business in my old office, then we can join you afterwards."

I bite my lower lip and look at his chest again. Somehow I don't think a night at Fangtasia is what Tara had in mind. I also don't want to go there either. It will be the same thing. Fangbangers staring daggers at me with hateful, jealous thoughts. I look up at him again. "Honey I think Tara really had her heart set on going to that new nightclub called Roxy's tonight. Besides I'm not too sure how Jason will feel about going to a Vampire bar, seeing as he's a werepanther now."

He gazes at me with a surprised look on his face. "You really want to go out this evening don't you?" I give him a nod. "Honestly I don't want you to go anywhere without me, especially to a nightclub." He removes himself from my embrace and excuses himself to go to the kitchen to prepare a True Blood. I follow him and he silently sips on it staring out at the pool which is shimmering in the moonlight. At first I think he will say no and am ready to argue with him on this point, but suddenly, "Alright you may go out with your friends, but only for a few hours. Four at the most. I'll also send two vampire guards with you. One will be sitting close by and the other will be a little bit farther. You can call Tara to cancel her reservation with the hotel she is planning on staying at. Tell her she can stay at our hotel downtown for free. Your brother may get a room there as well."

You mean YOUR hotel, I think to myself. As much as I have been clingy with Eric these past few years, I still don't want to feel like a kept woman. As often as I have told him these past years that I don't want his money or property, he has become even more determined to share everything he owns with me. He already had the legal papers drawn up with his lawyers, but I haven't signed them yet. It became a sore subject for us, so he's given up on that idea for now.

"That's great Eric. Thank you so much for this. I know you feel uneasy and unhappy about me going out without you, but if it makes you feel any better, I will definitely feel miserable without you." I give him a slight smile and my best puppy dog eyes which he has come to love.

"My lover, I know the perfect way for you to make it up to me," he whispers in my ear.

My initial reaction is to let him screw me on top of the kitchen counter, but I remember my hair and makeup. I also still feel a bit upset that he isn't coming with us tonight. "Well sweetie, you are just going to have to wait. I'm a bit upset as well that you are not coming with us. So I'm afraid you'll have to suffer for a few hours." I give him an innocent smile.

He frowns at me and mutters some ancient expression to himself.

We go down to our chamber to get ready. I call Tara and Jason about the new plans while Eric heads into the shower to get ready for his meeting. He leaves the bathroom door open and as I am dialling Tara's number, I can hear that he is relieving himself of his erection in the shower. He is moaning my name and conveying pure lust through our bond. Instantly my panties become soaked and I send him my feelings of lust. Just like that he comes out of the shower in his vampire speed and lifts me up against the wall. I nibble on his earlobe as he rips off my underwear and rubs his thumb against my clit. He starts kissing my neck and finds a spot where he sinks his fangs into. I come instantly in his hand while he is still rubbing my clit. He removes his fangs from my neck and pushes into me in one swift stroke. He is pounding into me hard and the only thing I can do is hold on tight to him. I can feel my desire rising up again as he is reaching his climax. He slows down slightly and starts rubbing my clit intent on making me cum with him. With one last stroke, we both reach our climax. He leisurely moves in and out of me waiting for me to catch my breath. When I finally do, he carries me to our bed and kisses me.

"Lover, I still need to finish my shower. I'll be back in a few minutes."

I kiss his lips and look at him lovingly. "Go ahead baby. I still need to call Tara and Jason anyway. Plus fix my hair and makeup which you've just ruined after our quickie." I quickly call Tara and let her know our new plans. She informs me that J.B. is unable to come after all. It seems his mother won't be able to babysit so J.B. offered to stay at home and care for their daughter. She still wants to come and stay the night in Shreveport nonetheless. I have a feeling that the old Tara might be coming out of retirement tonight. Jason doesn't answer his phone so I leave him a voicemail.

After my calls, I fix my hair and makeup and head to the closet just as Eric is coming out of the shower and bathroom.

He scans through his clothes deciding what to wear as I pull my new dress from out of the bag.

"You're not planning on wearing that tonight are you?," he says, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

I glance at my new skimpy dress. "Yeah I just bought it this afternoon. When I purchased it, I thought about your reaction at seeing me in this dress and dancing with me at that new club. But since you can't come with me, I guess you'll be missing out, Oh well, just another reason for you to regret not coming with me." I snicker and stick my tongue out a little at him. He frowns and mutters to himself again in some ancient language. He doesn't mention the dress to me again, so I assume he won't argue with me about it.

After an hour, we're both ready for the evening. I call Tara again and she tells me she is already dressed and almost at the hotel. We go out to the garage and hop into his corvette. Before he starts the ignition, he turns to me. "Lover your body guards will be following us in their vehicles. I'll drop you off at the hotel and you and your friends can ride to the club with one of the guards.

I smile as he gives me a quick kiss and starts up the ignition. We soon pull up in front of the hotel that Eric owns. Tara sends me a text that she has just got into her room and gives me the room number.

Eric gets out of the car quickly and opens the door for me. Just as he begins to walk me up to the room, I turn to him, "Baby it's ok. You don't need to walk me up to the room. I can do this on my own." I look at with him with sincerity in my eyes.

He gazes at me briefly before saying, "Alright lover, your guards will be with you anyway. Call me as soon as you get to the nightclub." With that, he gives me one last kiss. After all of our kisses throughout the years, it still feels as good as the first time he laid one on me. After a few minutes he releases me from his mouth and starts giving me butterfly kisses on my cheeks. I can feel his reluctance of letting me go as my feelings are as strong as his. But I remind myself I need to do this.

"I'll see you in a few hours baby." I tell him as I release my hold on him.

He releases his hold on me as well. "Remember four hours max. Or else I'll come to get you."

"Okay Dad," I dryly reply to him. He gives me one last wink and hops back into his car and drives off.

When I get into Tara's room, she hands a shot of liquor to me. I look at it wearily. I've never been much of a drinker.

She senses my apprehension. "Don't worry it's not that strong. We just need to liven ourselves up for the night ahead," she says cheerfully. I give her a nod and swallow the drink. Surprisingly it's not that bad. A fruity sour taste. She pours me another one as my cell phone rings.

It's Jason. "Hey Sook, sorry, but I can't come out tonight. The wife won't let me. She threatened to lock me out of the house if I went out. She said it's unfair cause she has to stay at home pregnant. Can you believe that?!" I roll my eyes. I feel a bit sad that I won't be able to spend some time with my brother.

"That's ok Jas. We can have dinner sometime next week. Talk to you later."

I hang up the phone and swallow my second shooter. I feel a little bit tingly afterwards and decide not to drink anymore until we get to the club. A half hour later, we head downstairs with my guards. My guards have been with me for about two years now and never talk to me. At first I tried to be polite, but they usually just replied with one word answers and afterwards I gave up. I think Eric must have forbidden them to socialize with me. The male calls himself Clint. The female guard calls herself Savannah.

We pull up in front of the club and immediately my guards take us to the front. There's already a long line of people waiting to get in. I guess we're not the only ones in town wanting to check out the new hotspot. The bouncer lets us in after one of my guards tells him our names. We are then escorted to the VIP area and the waitress comes to take our orders. I suspect that Eric told the club owners about us and told them to gives us the special VIP treatment. I look over at Tara who is barely containing her excitement which is slightly rolling onto me. I can tell she is getting anxious to dance and drink more as well. I think about Eric as I smile back at her and try to hide my sadness. It is hard to be here without my vampire.

Eric's POV:

I sit here in my old office listening to what this vampire has to say when really I would much rather be with Sookie. Etienne has always been garrulous and it usually takes him hours to get to the point when he could've just said what he needed to say in ten minutes max. But I keep my business face on and listen to him intently while at the same time thinking about Sookie. I was surprised when she said she would go out to another club without me. But I could also feel her determination to go out with her friends. I know she hates feeling so clingy towards me but I rather enjoy it. I've always felt possessive of her and her emotional dependence of me has brought her even more closer. She moved into a house with me and she quit her menial job with that shifter. She has done all the things that I have wanted from her since the beginning but it all happened in the worst way possible. The months after the torture she endured from the faeries were the most happiest and painful moments of my existence. She refused to let me out of her sight and we spent all of our time together. I learned how to show her my love and devotion. She learned how to share her pain and finally admitted her feelings for me. Her physical and emotional injuries were by far the hardest things that we faced together. Three years later she still carries those scars, but I know that with more time she will feel whole again. The incident also forced Sookie to look at her own mortality and the time she has left with me. Despite having a strong objection towards becoming a vampire, her attitude towards that issue has changed. We haven't said anything about it with words but I know she is willing to let me turn her sometime in the future when the time is right for her.

My thoughts of Sookie are interrupted by Etienne. "So I can assure you that you will always have the support of my Queen, Sheriff. In all of your future endeavours."

"Tell your Queen that I am grateful and wish her well." I politely reply.

"She's also instructed me to inform you that you are always welcome in her kingdom and is ready to come visit you in your own territory as well," he adds.

Rosamund. Queen Rosamund of France. She acquired that title from her maker who was the past King. Unfortunately, he met his final death two hundred years ago and left France to his child. We were lovers briefly after she became queen and continued to see each other from time to time.

"I thank her for the kind offer and maybe sometime in the future I will come for a visit to her kingdom with my bonded," I tell this vampire. He raises an eyebrow at me and I hope he understands the underlying meaning. Etienne is her child and she only turned him about 80 years ago. Despite his talkative nature and age, he is actually very clever and charismatic. Like me, she chose her child well.

He takes his leave and as soon as he is out the door I check the messages on my phone. Sookie has sent me another text.

Baby I'm having fun. Too bad ur missing out. Dancing with alot of hot guys. Luv Sookie

I smirk at her message. I know for a fact she is not dancing or chatting with any men. Before she left, I gave her guards strict instructions to not let anyone bother them while they danced or when they sat at their table. The VPA (Vampire Protection Agency) only hires the most adept vampires to act as bodyguards. They've been with us for about two years now so I trust their abilities to a certain degree. I can also feel her emotions even from here. I can feel her underlying sadness of being away from me, but I could also feel her excitement and enjoyment. She must be feeling the effects of the alcohol.

Pam walks in again this time with a vampire I am familiar with.

"Master, Marten is here." I see Pam giving him a lustful look and a wink. She doesn't have a taste for men too often, but I know she would make an exception for Marten.

I give her a nod as she walks out of the room and closes the door.

"It's been a long time since I last saw you. Fifty years perhaps?"

"Fifty years. Not a very long duration for our lives don't you think?," the handsome Dutch vampire responds. Marten was turned about the same time as I was. His youthful look gives him the appearance of a young man of 20. He has blonde hair and light green eyes and stands about 6 feet. He's has lean muscles like me despite the age of his body. Attributed by the hard human life we all lived back then. I first met him over 800 years ago when he left his maker to go out on his own. We travelled together for a short time trying to make our way through Europe. A few hundred years ago, he adopted the last name Meijer. He is one of the few vampires I trust, but in our world I know that trust is easily broken.

"You're right. Fifty years isn't a very long time. How is your kingdom?" He is king of New York, so I know to have him as an ally in any matter would be a great advantage.

"It's utterly boring. But I would take boredom rather than conflict any day. So I hear that de Castro is looking to unload Arkansas and Louisiana." He says it as more of a statement than a question.

In the past few years Arkansas and Louisiana have become more of a burden to own rather than being profitable. But I knew that the main reason was because of the various incompetent Sheriffs he chose for the territories. My territory was the most profitable.

"I am not too sure. Being close to de Castro affords me new opportunities and privileges, but he doesn't disclose everything to me."

"If he was looking to sell, would you accept his offer if he gave you Louisiana?"

I knew that Marten had no interest in staking ownership in this part of the US; rather he was more curious to see if I would finally become a King after over a thousand years. "Marten you have known me for a very long time. I always choose to take certain actions that contribute to my well-being." and Sookie's, I silently add. "Besides if he does give his territory to someone, one of de Castro's favourites is Madden."

Marten's face turns into a look of disdain. "That rodent. If de Castro does give him territory, then he is a more of a simpleton than I thought."

We talk for another forty minutes in an ancient Scandinavian dialect until he is ready to leave.

"Are you sure you don't want a snack before you leave?" Sookie's good mannerisms are starting to rub off on me.

"No, I must get back to my plane. I have a video conference with one of my lieutenants. Besides I would like to spend some more time with my maker before he heads out on one of his journeys. Marius is accompanying me on my journey to California."

Ahh... Marten's maker Marius. I have not met his maker in all of my thousand years but that is not out of the ordinary as he leads a very concealed life. He is also from Scandinavia and it is rumoured that his human family comes from a noble Roman bloodline. He is capable of choosing any kingdom in the world to rule but he would rather stay cloaked than become involved in vampire politics. I have heard he has several gifts that no other vampire possesses, one of which is persuasion. It is not as effective as glamour but he is capable of persuading his will on other vampires. Perhaps that is what has helped him to conceal his existence for hundreds of years. Marten is his only child and has taught him how to survive in our world well. He is also one of the few ancient vampires remaining, older than my own maker Appius.

"I would very much like to meet your maker someday Marten." I say as I am getting ready to bid him farewell.

"I have told him much about you over the years. I think he would like to meet you as well. But until then, I wish you well."

I watch him as he leaves and ponder what we have just discussed. These past few months have been agony for me. I have spent more time away from my precious Sookie than I would have liked and I can feel her sadness and despair. I know that the pain is greater when she shuts off her end of the bond. But I hope to reap the benefits of that sacrifice soon. She does not know how hard I work to conceal her from my world. De Castro has received hundreds of requests from vampires across the world asking for the use of her telepathy. I have spent much time addressing the Vampire Council and de Castro trying to persuade them that she is no longer available for their usage. I hope to explain and make it up to my bonded soon when my future plans are finalized.

Pam walks in with the last vampire associate for the evening. I let out a sigh internally and hope this meeting will be done quickly. I am anxious to get back to my bonded.

Sookie's POV:

We've been here for two hours and I swear that Tara and I have been dancing for at least over an hour. I also feel even more giddier as I have drunk three gin and tonics during the first hour. The dance floor is very crowded but it seems that there is plenty of room for me and Tara to dance. I'm surprised that no guys have tried to join us as both Tara and I are considered attractive women. But then again I suspect that may be attributed to that Viking vampire as well. I can tell that Tara is a little bit disappointed that men aren't trying to come on to her. I'll have to explain the reason why later before she considers it a blow to her self-esteem.

The DJ is playing an endless supply of dance music that makes me continue to sway my hips endlessly. During my rehabilitation I found that dancing contributed greatly to my continued recovery efforts. Eric always played music and danced with me whenever I felt sad. The memories of those times warms me up inside and I check through our bond to see how he's feeling. Satisfaction is probably the most overwhelming feeling. His meetings must be going well for him.

"Tara I'm going to go sit down now!" I yell towards my friend.

"Sookie , please just one more dance. This is a great song!"

I look over at my friend and yell back, "Okay just one more!"

Tara starts dancing even more provocatively as I think she is trying one last effort to entice a man. I watch her dance for a brief moment and start swaying my own body to the song. I start to feel even more relaxed and close my eyes as I am dancing to the song. Suddenly I feel a pair of strong hands on my hips. I start to feel the same sensation whenever my vampire touches me and I am excited that he is here.

"You are a wonderful dancer." A strange but sexy voice whispers in my ear.

I am startled and spin around towards the man. I am shocked to see a man as beautiful as Eric standing before me. He's just as tall as Eric and has the same body build. He has clear blue eyes and gorgeous brown hair that comes down to his shoulders. I am too dumbfounded to speak and I blatantly stare at him.

"You seem startled." His eyes crinkle in amusement. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Marius."

I finally find my ability to speak. "My name's Sookie."